It's HAMMER Time!

I am proud to be announcing Hammer Nutrition as a sponsor for this 2014 racing season! I first started using Hammer products back in high school right before XC or track practice by getting a gel in the belly to "top off the tank" for the workout ahead. Since that time I have used Hammer Nutrition products with immense satisfaction so this opportunity is quite an honor.

Why I Love Them
Hammer is a company that doesn't just rest on the laurels of it's athletes to promote an image-- instead it maintains an ongoing product development process and INFORMS the athlete about how to not only properly use the products but also WHY their products are leading the sports nutrition industry. As a Registered Dietitian and competitive athlete I found it really refreshing a company could take this approach and be so gosh darn successful! It proved to me time and time again that athletes want to know the products they're putting in their bodies.

A range of products that cover the entire spectrum of an Athlete's life and needs.
The most striking thing about Hammer is that they offer the largest and broadest arsenal of products to meet the ever-changing physiological needs of an athlete. It's not just offering a zillion variations of the same gummy candies disguised as fuel-- these are products with an emphasis on delivering the kinds of energy-yielding macronutrients and micronutrients needed to keep racing or training at a high level while recovering with gusto.
As a healthcare professional who works consistently 50-60 hour weeks with occasional weekend hours I especially love how Hammer Nutrition has emphasized recovery in their product lines-- an element to training that many athletes forget! Diverse proteins, carbohydrates, coenzyme/vitamin, digestive enzymes, spices, and herbs are utilized to deliver a more complete recovery process coupled with adequate and appropriate diet.

So it's a bunch of refined junk? You're a hypocrite! False.
Anyone who has listened to my talks or had any interaction as my client will know that I prefer unrefined, local, organic foods any day. But as Steve Born, the guru of development at Hammer stated rather precisely, the diet of an athlete can benefit from specific nutrient supplementation-- it's simply a matter on timing those nutrients and recognizing that nutrient need varies based on workout, intensity, training/racing goals, and time of year. On many occasions, Hammer products are actually less processed than what you might find in your local deli that a considered "real food" or even wholesome.

These are products I can stand by through my own experience and professional opinion.
I wouldn't use something that I thought was crap, Period. I'm not bullshitting or even making money off of using Hammer products. I've tried pretty much all the brands on the market and I stand by Hammer products because:

• They digest easier and gentler than many other products on the market.
• Hammer doesn't add extra coloring or flavoring to products just to make it look more appealing or try and convince you it's more palatable simply on sight/smell/taste.
• They don't use gluten derivative so it's friendly to a lot of people with stomach and gastrointestional issues against grains.
• Many of their products are vegan or vegetarian-friendly. As someone who is allergic to egg and dairy this especially nice!
• They use cutting edge science to develop supplements that are effective in maintaining performance.
  

So again, I am happy to announce the support of Hammer Nutrition and look forward to a year of training, racing, and new adventures.

As the year goes along I will be providing comprehensive reviews of some highlight products I use in my fueling and recovery.

Race Report: Fat Ass 25km

After my 2013 season ended with a DNF in Spokane I took a hard look at my motivations for running trail ultras and realized that it wasn't necessarily to run Ultras, but to just run trails...faster, harder. 50km is plenty far for me at this point in my running life and with enjoying large amounts of training between long races,  25km racing would be easier to race more often than 50km which (at this time) I like to apply a good 6 week build-up period.
So I started 2014 off with a strong result at the local Fat Ass here in Olympia.

In the forest...at what hour???
It was a cold start for the un-competitive-yet-still-competitive Fat Ass in Capitol Forest. I started the morning with an espresso, a deep stretch, and Hammer Bar. I made my pre-concoction that I drink usually 30 minutes before the start. Getting to the race site was easy; I could probably drive it with my eyes closed. Racing in your own backyard is both a relief and a burden: It is easy to visualize the course but yet you also know it better without competition and I often feel that trails take on a whole new look once you add the element of competition.

John put together a great run, yet again, and huge THANKS to him for getting it all organized. Dave and I marked the lower section (25km) of the course the weekend prior so I was confident the trail was well-marked!

The Start
I messed up the start by slotting in behind several people in the front that belonged in the back (grrr) but I quickly made up the ground and settled into the top-5 without feeling like I burned a match getting there. The first 4 miles are mundane and really it is was about getting comfortable with the pace (mid-7s at that point) and staying relaxed. A lot of people run the beginning sections hard because A). It’s flat(ish) or B). They’re feeling pretty fresh and want to pound trail. 
Keeping myself restrained at the start has always worked well for me and I couldn’t feel any strain coming through mile 5. One thing I did notice in these first few miles is how much slower racers were on the incline than the downhill— of course, I’m the exact opposite and have always been a born climber no matter the fitness level. Taking note of that was important for how the race would unfold.

Towards Falls Creek
When the trail started to gather steady incline a lot of people started falling back and I was comfortably bridging up to the two guys in the lead. No panic, just controlled effort to make up the margin because I knew there was plenty of time. I would run a half mile, take a sip of Fizz and just keep to my place. Eventually I caught and ran with the two lead runners until the descent into the Falls Creek Aid Station where I applied a little gas to open up what was an important margin on the runners behind who I had previously realized in the early miles descended better than myself. 

Making A Move
At the turnaround, I dropped off my now-empty handheld and made a move that played to my strengths and charged up the hill climb to gain as much time as possible before facing the downhill/flat miles later in the course. The runners that were on course behind were now coming at me, but most were quite nice and moved over for the uphill traffic. Keeping the pressure, I crested the climbs with what I estimated to be about a 2 minute gap judging by a quick over-shoulder glance on to the switchbacks. 

Final Miles
I kept an honest pace on the downhill sections and said to myself “no brakes, just light feet” over and over to try and keep the pace high. With legs that literally take up almost 2/3 of my body I always struggle to keep high speed on downhill trail. I was moving well when I could hear snot rockets behind me and footsteps matching mine…
One of the guys that was behind me at Falls Creek was now on my ass! He had CRUSHED the downhill and made up my hard-worked margin like it was nothing. Feeling a bit deflated, I reorganized my mental race and concentrated on keeping the pace as high as possible without burning too many matches. I knew at this point that this was going to be a race all the way to the line. 
The guy was from Corvallis, OR and was just loving to chat (breathlessly, I might add). I’m not one for conversation while running (especially racing…) and so I wasn’t much of a conversation partner to him but I happily obliged his request to pass in the last mile coming down the banked singletrack. At this point I would have much rather paced off of him than been the carrot to run past. When he did pass he opened up a good bit on me but I reeled it in to about 15 feet—a safe distance for one last effort and mental advantage to now be chasing.
That last effort didn’t come when I thought it would: This guy was blowing up quickly and I had happened to sneak a shoulder-back glance to see 3rd place coming in hard behind us— the Corvallis chatter-box and I had to go NOW!
With the sharp rise to the flat finish I opened up about a 2 second gap. Coming down through the campground we were shoulder-to-shoulder but I settled into the inside line for the final turn and slingshot (nice XC trick) into a kick to win by only a few seconds. 

Jenny was there at the finish to cheer me to the line and be the Grade A cheerleader for the racers charging in. Given that this was a pretty short but intense effort, I quickly found my gear and got in two gels, Vegan Recovery Bar, and plenty of fluid with Fizz to replete the glycogen and start the muscle recovery. I had to pull a shift in the ICU in the afternoon and early evening, but Jenny and I managed to celebrate the morning with a meal at Spar and drinks at The Mark. Overall, a good day! 


The Takeaway
It felt great to get in a good race after the disappointment of Spokane. I had run The Grinch trail marathon up at Gig Harbor in December to 2nd place, but this was a good result to see where my fitness lies for the Spring ahead. I think that my leg turnover and overall fitness has improved considerably in the past month, but my threshold speed and downhill ability remain lagging— but I have plenty of weeks to get things tuned up and try for good results later in March and April.