26 Bars, 26 Beers: The Alex Gilman Training Program For The L.A. Beerathon

Carbo-Loading

Endurance athletes (Alex included) are sometimes fearful of "hitting the wall" due to poorly fueled muscles from lack of glycogen stored in the muscles.  A popular technique to maximize the amount of glycogen in the muscles is Carbo-Loading, where carbohydrate-heavy foods are eaten in the days leading to the endurance event. He can also rest assured that many of the 26 locations of the Beerathon are beloved downtown eateries, where he can help absorb some of the booze with delicious grub. It's much like when marathon runners drink honey water for quick sugar absorption, except the exact opposite. Some of those restaurants include hipster sausage paradise Wurstküche and Japanese Izakaya Fu-Ga. Most people choose pasta for their pre-thon loading, but Alex, being the extreme athlete that he is, has chosen to eat an entire loaf of bread with every meal just to ensure that he'll have no surprises on the day of the Beerathon. Look for the Guest of a Guest volunteer table at the midway point as we'll be handing out little cups of bread chunks to passing Beerathoners. [Photo via, via]