The
inflammation from training isn't necessarily a bad thing..to a point.
Heavy training blocks and/or workouts often result in compounded
residual muscle fatigue leading to recovery and further adaptation. What
matters is keeping inflammation in check and keeping us training at a
higher level and avoiding injury. giving your body the building blocks it needs and pushing the biochemical cascades of recovery always in your favor can keep training at a level otherwise impossible to maintain.
Sifting through all the hype that can easily stump folks, here are my top picks for keeping inflammation at productive, health levels:
1.
Diet- I will not stress this enough. Crap in, Crap out. There are
numerous ways to fuel the body and frankly there is no "truly right way"
to go about it. One thing I can stress is making sure to get quality
fruits and vegetables (organic), consuming good amounts of raw,
unadulterated dietary fat, and focusing on consistently meeting your
protein needs for muscle/tissue repair. Sugar, hydrogenated fats, and foods out of boxes are NOT your friend.
[That is brief private diet counseling in two sentences :)]
2. Massage- I see a
massage therapist twice a month to get the aches out. It's an investment
in my body that I feel has kept me free from getting a constant crop of
aches and pains. It also has improved my blood pressure (stress hypertension).
3. Trigger Point/Foam Rolling- I got my first foam roller
when I was in High School. The industry was just taking off, but I knew
at that point foam rolling would be something I always stayed with.
These days I use the TriggerPoint product line to keep my muscles in
check between massages. These have been instrumental in my recovery from
the ankle injury.
4. Sleep- I'm guilty of not getting enough. I do try, but being a workaholic and holding down a lot of professional projects does have drawbacks on my sleep. Shooting for 7-8 hrs of sleep is ideal. I fall in the 6-7 hrs range myself.
5.
Supplements- for the average American, I don't recommend a whole lot of
supplementation outside of Vitamin D and Probiotic. Athletes however
should embrace additional supplements as a way to boost recovery and speed along to
adaptation faster. The key is nutrient timing and learning what you're
needing to get the results you want!
Supplements that I recommend:
Protein powders--
they're convenient, rapidly digested, and versatile. If following
exercise they can be paired with carbohydrates to yield greater muscle
adaptation. A great product to consider is Recoverite from Hammer-- it has garnered countless rave reviews and plenty of my own acquaintances enjoy the products with good result. With my dairy allergy I use their Vegan Protein powders
Branch-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)--
while found in some protein powders, these are often found in exclusive product lines. Branch Chains are glucogenic, meaning they are readily
utilized by the body in tissue maintenance because they metabolize much more
like glucose. The BCAA travel in metabolic pathways that are exclusive of other amino acids,
and yield gains in muscle tissue greater than protein doses with far less
branch chain amino acid content but of equal volume.
Digestive Enzymes-In the late 70s and through the 80s the East Germany national teams used a great deal of systemic digestive enzymes for boosting recovery and one only has to look at the medal counts around that time to see their credit. Digestive Enzymes allow the body to 'switch' the immune cells in the body that are involved in the unspecific, or innate, inflammatory response to tame excessive inflammation. The enzymes have been used in place of non-steroidal drugs with good success and a certain Dr. Rodriguez of New York has given them credit for cancer treatment.
With my ankle injury I used Hammer Tissue Rejuvenator for limiting excessive inflammation in the joints and muscle tissues. The product includes a whole host of additional complementary anti-inflammatory and joint-building ingredients like Turmeric, Burdock, and Glucosamine. I recommend the product for daily or periodic use in heavy training blocks
---
training is a volatile process-- it involves the body's combustion of energy-yielding substrates while being put under a complex metabolic thicket of physiological adaptations, only to do the thankless job of putting our bodies back together after the fact. The urgent need to create inflammation for handling this task should be understood as favorable and the process of recovery taken with patience and diligence. Delivering the necessary substrates needed for the body to recover is the second-most important thing an athlete can do to improve (the first going out and training!)
"I don't believe in over-training, there's only under-recovery."
~Floyd Landis
How much? How soon before or after? How often? Nutrient Timing is KEY. stay tuned for future blog posts!
Friday, March 28, 2014
On Injury & Inflammation, Part I: the good, the bad...and a badly sprained ankle.
We all hear about how inflammation is bad stuff. In a way, some people see all inflammation as a bad thing, but providing we give ourselves proper time for recovery and adaptation there are instances where inflammation is the right thing to push our fitness to the next level. Other times inflammation results in acute injuries and overtraining.
Recently, I dealt with the frustration of a bad sprain in my ankle (not appropriate inflammation!). "Oh Patrick, we ALL get them. Shake it off." Unfortunately, this was my first ankle sprain EVER. I'm not known for the most stable feet on the trail, but I'm certainly known for the most durable ankles. I was horrified with the swelling, bruising, and aching pain that developed from the trauma. The blessing is that I was able to get off my feet and control the swelling and inflammation through ice, elevation, fluids, and plenty of anti-inflammatory foods/supplements. I had a pretty tough time with several of the ankle tendons and saw PT for rehab who diagnosed it with a class II mid-ankle sprain.
An introduction to inflammation: Welcome to my world
I deal with inflammation on a daily basis whether it is through seeing a patient with systemic body infections in the ICU or my aching muscles/tendons that are feeling the strain of training load. In medicine, we try to limit the damage done by the inflammation brought on by disease process and/or trauma. Whereas in sport, we focus on creating inflammation (workout) -- but not too much--and the ability to adapt from those stresses (recovery.
How inflammation develops in the athlete
The very event of "working out" generates inflammation in the body. The movement of substrate, fluid shifts, and blood gases create a volatile environment in which our body is perfectly adapted to deal with. Yes, that's right: exercise is natural. Back before we all worked behind desks or machines, many people called it manual labor or daily farm chores. But one should never be afraid of exercise doing them harm!
The element of work is quickly followed with the period of recovery and subsequent adaptation-- substrates from food, hydration, and intracellular mechanisms (the details of which are for a different post!). Work followed by rest; we adapt from the stresses on our body. In the case of an athlete this adaptation means performance gains.
How inflammation can hurt us
There must be a time of recovery from the stresses of training. Adaptation is only after the body is ready for more work. Increasing volume, intensity, or having a change in the kind of activity (including spraining your ankle, doh) too quickly means the stress mounts up faster than the body can adapt. In the athlete this detrimental event can be seen as a drop in performance (HR, watts, pace, etc.) or outright injury.
So how do we keep inflammation in check and use it to our benefit? check out Part Two
Sunday, January 26, 2014
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:
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.
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.
As the year goes along I will be providing comprehensive reviews of some highlight products I use in my fueling and recovery.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
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.
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.
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