8 Ways to Beat Laspag Attacks

“Laspag!” In English, it means exhausted or worn out. “Laspag” is a word commonly heard in the running and triathlon world after a grueling workout that leaves the athlete feeling completely spent. You may presume that the said endurance athlete would opt to collapse in bed after the workout gorging on food, but some will be forced to proceed to the office, others will play with their children when they get home, and for some completely insane ones (and believe you me, there are many!), they will workout AGAIN later in the day. (I know, I was once of them. Heehee!)

Personally, I’ve used the word “laspag” often because, well, I feel it quite often too. I feel exhausted after long workouts or even shorts ones where I push extra hard. I also feel tired after races where I give my all. Now, if I had nothing to do the following day, I wouldn’t worry about a thing. But, really, when does a working-running mom like me ever have downtime? So, to make sure that I fully recover from a tough workout, I do the following:

1- If it’s not too hot out, for long runs, I wear compression tights or calf sleeves. These aid in blood circulation and muscle recovery. My favorites are CW-X for compression tights and Zensah for compression sleeves.

2- I take Enervon HP within 45 minutes after a long run or ride. (I even took some with me to Berlin and drank it right after the marathon!) I like Enervon HP because, well, it’s chocolate hehe. Second, it offers the perfect combination of 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio that’s important for muscle tissue repair and recovery.

For long workouts, I usually have a bottle of cold water in my Spider bottle packed in my cooler. This bottle has a container to hold the Enervon HP powder plus a mixer for easy blending. Super cool!

Spider Bottle is available at Chris Sports, Secondwind, and Sabak.  The Spider Mini2go (seen above) is Php990.  They also have a mini (no container) for Php500.

3- I raise my legs for around 15 minutes when I get home. Sometimes I fall asleep while I do this LOL.

4- If I feel any aches or pains, I ice the area for 10 minutes.

5- I eat clean food for the rest of the day to aid in recovery.

6- I drink tons of water throughout the day.

7- I train easy the following day. Always make sure that your program allows for hard-easy days so that you allow your body to recover from a hard training day.

8- I get a massage every Sunday evening.  I chose that day because I usually have my long runs or races on Sunday.

That’s basically what I’ve been doing the past couple of years to avoid laspag attacks. So, when Enervon HP asked me to be their endorser and record a radio ad for them I said “Yes” without batting an eyelash (then, I got nervous and warned them that I get bulol sometimes and I have a nasal voice LOL!) Have you heard it already? Lemme know what you think. Please be kind haha.