Recovery Drinks

After a hard run, it's important to get some food into your system, within one half hour if possible.  You need to replenish lost glycogen, and also get some protein to help rebuild worn down muscle tissue.  It's been found that a mixture of Carbs and Protein, in the right combination is most effective at getting the glycogen stores to reload properly.  Experts suggest a 4:1 ratio of Carbs to protein, and certainly, there are many commercial recovery drinks that are designed for just this.  But, if you want to save a little bit of money, it's also been found that chocolate milk may be just as good.  The carb/protein ratio is not exact, but it's close enough, and it just tastes good.  I used to use chocolate Endurox R4, but lately have switched to skim chocolate milk, and it is not only good for you, but a delicious post-run snack!