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There are countless supplements on the market today that claim to offer runners an extra edge. From pre-workout powders, to beetroot performance powder, to recovery shakes, the industry is vast and – this is important – largely unregulated.
One of those supplements that’s received significant attention over the years is creatine, ubiquitous in the weight-lifting world and now gaining interest as a supplement for distance runners.
Remind Me: What Exactly Is Creatine?
Creatine is produced naturally in the body and stored in skeletal muscle and the brain. It can be boosted through consumption of various foods, namely meat and fish. Creatine is released in response to high-intensity, explosive movements via the “phosphagen pathway.”
This pathway is the most rapid and short-lived of energy systems in our body – the others being the anaerobic and aerobic pathways. High-intensity sports like running deplete our natural reserves day-to-day, which is where supplementation can help. More creatine in the muscles means more potential energy availability, via this phosphagen…
