Heya gang,
Sounds like everyone is kicking ass out there. Chuck, hope the rest of the shoulder workout went OSSIM. Trying to kick the early onset of a cold, but still dragged my butt to the gym this AM. Cardio (35 min eliptical + kenpo X), Core, and Bicep/tricep day. Cut it a bit short because of a conference call, but I’ll get something in at home to compensate (I hope). Core routine today was:
1 min plank (legs elevated on a medicine ball)
1 min side plank (Lt)
1 min side plank (Rt)
1 min crunchies
1 min mason twists
1 min scissor kick, torso supported
Rest 1 min, rinse & repeat 2 more times - yeech.
Darth, I’ve really been giving some thought to your issue from last week - didn’t want to provide an off the cuff answer. Okay, I’m not a trainer, so any advice you get here is worth what you’re paying for it 
I think your current program with 2x halfs is intense (and by that I mean on the hardcore side of intense), but sustainable if its working for you. What I’m thinking is that you’re training like an elite athlete, so you have to make sure that the rest of your ‘life’ supports it. Diet and rest. Rest is what it is, and we all probably need more, but frak it - life is busy. The only think I can comment on with any authority is a couple of supplements to support recovery, which looked like your issue. Take a look at Glutamine & BCAAs.
Quick bit of Cliff’s/Cole’s Notes science: Muscle is made of protein. Protein is made up of chains of amino acids. Doing exercise tears muscle, diet and rest rebuild muscle. Eating protein provides building blocks for repair. Of the 22 amino acids, glutamine (GLU) is the smallest, and your body uses them to build the other amino acids. Adding some extra glutamine to your diet provides more of the small building blocks. BCAAs are branched chain amino acids. They’re the most complex amino acids, the hardest for the body to build, and the least plentiful in nature.
There’s a lot of published science on the benefits of both glutamine and BCAAs. Neither are magic bullets, but glutamine really helps me with recovery, and I just mix it in with my pre, post and before bed protein. (Be careful - there’s a lot of anecdotal reference to the benefits of glutamine in immune function, but no science to back it up) There’s lots of good info on the web, but I always head to pubmed.com, which is the library of medicine’s database of peer reviewed journals. Harder to find what you’re looking for, but totally reliable. Remember, supplements are just that, and should only supplement a good diet, not replace it.
The charlie horse could also be a hydration issue, or hydration/electrolytes. I’m not a big fan of sports drinks, but for sustained cardio (aka like your halves) they do have a place. I’ve only run one half, but when I used to compete in triathlon I would always have one water bottle with water, one with an electrolyte solution, + a package of Gu. I’ve tried a couple of different intra-workout drinks, but water is always a great place to start.
Hope this helps buddy.
