The Endurance Pig: Hammer On

Showing posts with label Hammer On. Show all posts

Friday, November 13, 2015

YMCA Freaky 5k - Race Report

This will now be my 3rd race report of the YMCA Freaky 5k and the 6th time I have ran this race. So, when I say that is one of my favorite races, I think it goes without saying. I enjoy this race for many reasons. First, the YMCA of the Fox Cities was my full time post college employer. Secondly, it always seems to fall perfectly into my race schedule. Thirdly, it's close to home, a great course, and a family friendly event. This year would be no different. I had Halloween weekend off from work and no other races scheduled in the vicinity of the Freaky 5k, so it was a natural decision. Plus, this was the first time for myself that this race actually fell on Halloween. This year, we registered our entire family, Sarah, Maya, Delaney, and myself were all registered for one of the two events offered. We signed Delaney up for the Mini Monster Dash, which was a quarter mile kids run. We also registered Maya as an individual for the 5k. This was going to be her first ever 5k as an official participant. She was so excited and nervous going into the day....as was I. We also signed up Sarah, who was going to push Harper in the stroller. My parents were also registered for the 5k in addition to our family. Going into the race, the weather outlook was not good. It was supposed to be cold, windy, and wet/rainy. Sarah and I both made the decision Friday night, that if it was actually raining Saturday morning, we would not bring the kids to the race and she would stay home with the kids and I would race with my dad, as my mom would also opt out of the race.

Well, as my alarm went off Saturday morning, I woke up to the sound of wind strongly blowing against our bedroom window. I looked at a current radar image and it was an easy decision, although a disappointing one. We opted to leave the kids at home due to poor weather. The entire state of Wisconsin along with Minnesota were covered in green on the radar signifying that there was no hope for a dry Halloween, let alone a dry Freaky 5k.

Training for This Race

I'll (again) keep this short and simple. I have not been following any specific training plan for this race or any race this year, for that matter. Although, I will note that October saw one of my highest running mileage totals of 2015...for whatever that's worth....

Prerace

As I mentioned in my open, I woke up and had to make a sad decision with Sarah and opted to leave the girls at home to avoid any possible (and highly likely) sour attitudes at the race due to them being wet and cold. But after waking up and getting dressed, I headed over to my parents house to pick up my dad. The race was scheduled to start at 8:30am, a half hour after the Mini Monster Dash kid's run. I was hoping to get there around 7am just to get a decent parking spot and hopefully some time to warm up. Unfortunately, after we got there, the weather was just miserable. It was cold (40's), windy, and rainy. I honestly just wanted to sit in my car with the heat on where it was nice and comfy. Eventually I had to get out and get ready to run, which I did around 7:30ish. I really wanted to stay as dry as possible before the start of the race, so I opted to forgo my traditional warmup and just did some dynamic stretching under the pavillion. This seemed to actually work pretty well, all things considered. Once 8:20ish rolled around, we started making our way to the start line. With the sun now fully risen, it was starting to warm up slightly, but the rain and the wind didn't really stop. It was a light drizzle, but enough to be uncomfortable. We planned it out damn near perfectly and got to the start line just before the National Anthem.

Nutrition Plan

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid. Its what I did. I didn't eat anything before the race and just drank my morning coffee on the way to the race. I did take two capsules of Hammer Nutrition's Anti-Fatigue Caps one hour before the start of the race. I chose not to take any Hammer Nutrition Energy Surge, just due to the wet and rainy race conditions.

Equipment

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

PRO Compression Socks

Hammer Cycling Jacket

Garmin 910XT

Road ID Elite

3.1 Mile Run (18:18)

This was the third year of the "new" race course (I guess that would mean that it's really no longer "new") and the second time I will have run it. Knowing that I really didn't get any true warmup in before the start of the race, along with the the hilly start to the race, I really wanted to take it relatively "easy" during the first 800-1200 meters. The race starts nearly immediately with a short and steep hill down to the river. The course then follows the river for about a half mile, or so, then goes up another short and steep hill. The majority of the course is a loop, which returns back down the same pair of hills back to the start line of the race. So, imagine a lollipop shape race course, where the stick has two steep hills that you need to climb twice for a total of 4 hills.

At the start of the race, I coasted down the first hill, allowing all the typical sprinters at the start of the race to over-exert themselves, and allowed myself to gradually warmup. After climbing back up the second hill at about the 0.75 mile mark, I tried to find my "sweet-spot" in reference to my pace. I wasn't ever truly able to find my comfort zone. I just never really felt "good." I felt like my breathing was out of synch with my cadence and my heart rate. It's a difficult thing to explain in writing and probably just as hard to explain in person. But, I guess if you are a runner, you probably know exactly what I am talking about.

By about mile 1, I was able to pass everyone who went out as fast as humanly possible and found myself in 3rd place. Shortly before mile 2, I passed the second place runner and was doing my best to stay within reach of the race leader. But, honestly, I had a pretty good feeling I wasn't going to be able to catch the leader by about mile 1....he was just that far ahead. I ended up finishing in 18:18, 2nd overall, with the winner finishing in 17:12, about a minute ahead of me. He was a 24 year old out of La Crosse, WI and he ran a hell of a race.

Post Race

About a week after I registered our family for this race, we were invited to my God Son's birthday party in Milton, WI, which was scheduled to start at noon on the 31st. Milton is about a 2 hour drive from our house, which meant that we needed to leave no later than 10am in order to hopefully make it on time. This basically meant that there was no sitting around after the race and waiting for the awards ceremony. After crossing the finish line, I congratulated the winner on a great run and then waited for my dad to come across. He ended up finishing in 22:09, first in his age group. After crossing the finish line, we quickly stopped in under the pavilion and grabbed some water and a snack and headed out. I honestly felt a little awkward leaving the race, while a lot of runners and walkers were still on the course but, I honestly had no other choice, shy of skipping out on the event.

What's on Tap

I now only have 2 more months to go in order to successfully participate in a race in each month throughout 2015. It's been an interesting goal to say the least, but as it comes closer to successfully accomplishing my goal, I get more and more proud of doing it. As of today, I am actually scheduled to run in 4 more races, 3 in November and 1 in December. Oddly enough, the 3 races in November are all within a span of 6 days and fall during the week of Thanksgiving. On the 24th, I will be running a 1 mile race with Maya, Delaney, and my dad before the Appleton Christmas Parade, called the Santa Scamper. It will be a fun and easy run with my kids and nothing more. Then on the 26th (Thanksgiving), I will be running in the Festival Foods Turkey Trot, in Appleton, which is a 5 mile very competitive race. Finally, on the 29th, I am running in the Noodleini 5k in De Pere to finish the month of November. My final race of 2015 falls on New Years Eve, with the Chilly Chili Run in Fond Du Lac, WI. It's been a long year with a lot of racing and not a lot of structured training. As I sit here writing this up, I have a lot of high hopes for 2016 and 2017 and some potentially very exicting news. But that will come out soon....

As always, thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Hammer Spotlight - Endurolytes

Basics

There is no other supplement on the market geared toward athletes where individual dosing recommendations can very so widely. The electrolyte requirements for athlete "A" can possibly be 10 times the amount that athlete "B" requires to achieve similar results. Electrolyte replacement can also be the single most important piece to your fueling puzzle as electrolytes have the ability to single-handedly derail your athletic endeavors. Just look at any single sports drink on the market that is geared toward athletes and you'll find that each company has their own patent on their blend of electrolytes. Every company also deems their blend as "the best." Well, truth be told there is not one single blend of electrolytes that works for every person. Electrolyte replacement is different from carbohydrate and fluid replacement. There is a general window of how many calories a body can absorb per hour during exercise but there is no such window for electrolytes. As I stated above, every single person is different and it is up to you to find your own individual sweet spot during your training and racing.

You must also realize that electrolytes ≠ sodium. There is so much more than sodium to electrolytes. Sodium alone can not and will not effectively replenish electrolyte needs and may cause more problems than it resolves. With Endurolytes you're assured of getting all of the right minerals in exactly the right balance. Sodium Chloride (salt) is indeed an important component of electrolyte replenishment, but it does not fulfill the entire requirement. A satisfactory electrolyte replenishment product needs to include balanced amounts of sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, as these minerals work synergistically in the maintenance of important body functions, such as muscular contraction.

Hammer Nutrition's Endurolytes come in 4 different varieties; Powder, Capsule, Endurolytes Fizz, and a brand new Endurolytes Extreme. The Powder and Capsules contain nearly identical ingredients lists and contain similar ratios of the same spectrum of electrolytes. The single difference between the two is that Hammer added 50 mg of the amino acid glycine, which helps neutralize the naturally salty, slightly bitter taste of the electrolytic minerals. The new Endurolytes Extreme contains three times the sodium and potassium as the original Endurolytes formula and is specifically designed for those athletes training and competing in the harshest of conditions. Endurolytes Fizz is essentially the same formula as Endurolytes, only in an effervescent tablet. When comparing the serving size of each of the three forms of Endurolytes, 1 scoop of the powder equals 1 capsule and equals a half of a tablet of Endurolytes Fizz (1 tablet = 2 capsules/scoops). Endurolytes Fizz comes in 4 flavors; Grapefruit, Grape, Lemon-Lime, and Mango. All flavors are designed with very subtle flavors, none of which are over powering. Endurolytes Fizz is made with all natural ingredients and has no toxic ingredients which are commonly found in other popular effervescent electrolyte tablets. See the chart below for specific differences between Endurolytes and Endurolytes Fizz.

What’s the difference?
Endurolytes vs. Endurolytes Fizz

1) It was necessary to use bicarbonate forms of sodium and potassium—and more total sodium in Endurolytes Fizz than in Endurolytes capsules/powder—in order to achieve the desired effervescent properties.

2) Because more sodium (via sodium bicarbonate) is necessary in Endurolytes Fizz, the formula required slightly less chloride. However, the net total of both of those mineral components combined is extremely close, with only a 30 mg difference between the two products – one Endurolytes capsule/scoop of powder contains a total of 100 mg of sodium and chloride combined, and one-half of an Endurolytes Fizz tablet contains a total of 130 mg of sodium and chloride combined.

3) Endurolytes Fizz contains magnesium in the oxide form, calcium in the carbonate form (as well as the chloride form), and manganese in the gluconate form, whereas Endurolytes in capsule/powder forms use amino acid chelate forms. These specific forms of minerals were chosen for Endurolytes Fizz because these particular chelating agents do not inhibit the effervescent reaction process, and in some cases aid in the process. Conversely, an amino acid chelate (as is used in Endurolytes capsules and Endurolytes Powder) would severely inhibit and perhaps even halt the process.

4) The amounts of potassium are higher in one-half tablet of Endurolytes Fizz (50 mg) than in one Endurolytes capsule/scoop of powder (25 mg). As mentioned in #1, the formula required more bicarbonates in order to achieve the desired effervescent properties while also helping to maintain a fairly close sodium-to-potassium ratio (62.5% in Endurolytes capsules, and 50% in Endurolytes Fizz).

Endurolytes Capsules Supplement Facts
Serving Size 1 capsule
	Amount Per Serving	%DV
Sodium (as Sodium Chloride)	40mg	2%
Chloride (as Sodium Chloride)	60mg	2%
Calcium (as Chelate)	50mg	5%
Magnesium (as Chelate)	25mg	6%
Potassium (as Chelate)	25mg	1%
Vitamin B-6 (as Pyridoxine HCL)	6.6mg	330%
Manganese (as Chelate)	1.6mg	80%
L-Tyrosine	50mg	†
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established.
Other Ingredients: Rice Flour, Dicalcium Phosphate, Vegetable Capsules (plant cellulose and water), and Magnesium Stearate.

Endurolytes Fizz Lemon-Lime Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 1 tablet (4.1g)
	Amount Per Serving	%DV
Calories	10
Total Carbohydrate	<1g	<1%
Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride)	13mg	650%
Calcium (as Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Chloride)	100mg	10%
Magnesium (as Magnesium Oxide)	50mg	13%
Manganese (as Manganese Gluconate)	3mg	150%
Chloride (as Calcium Chloride)	60mg	2%
Sodium (as Sodium Bicarbonate)	200mg	8%
Potassium (as Potassium Bicarbonate)	100mg	3%
Tyrosine (as L-Tyrosine)	100mg	†
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established.
Other Ingredients: Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Sorbitol, Stevia, Wheat Germ Oil*.
*Patent Pending

Uses

Using any of the three forms of Endurolytes depends greatly on your personal needs for electrolyte replenishment. Hammer Nutrition does offer a sports drink that has a full spectrum of electrolytes along with 100 calories per serving. A single serving of Heed contains approximately a half tablet of Fizz (1 capsule of Endurolytes). Specifically, Endurolytes should be taken as needed, but primarily when:

Exercise last for more than 2 hours, regardless of temperature or humidity.
Exercise lasts less than 2 hours and:

Temperatures are above 80 degrees and/or 70% humidity or
Temperatures and/or humidity are over 10 degrees from your normal range of what you are accustom to.

Personally, I use Endurolytes capsules during anything longer than 2-2.5 hours, such as a marathon, long training runs, Half Iron and Full Iron distance races. I opt to use Endurolytes Fizz during shorter more intense races or training sessions where hydration is more important than refueling with calories (such as 1-2 hour indoor workouts). I would encourage folks to look at replacing their chemical filled sports drinks (Gatorade, Powerade, etc), a simple Hammer Endurolytes Fizz Tablet - especially when calorie replacement is not necessary. I personally feel that these companies have forced the idea that any exercise (no matter the duration) requires calorie and electrolyte replacement. And to be honest, that couldn't be further from the truth!

Hammer also carries capsule dispensers for a mere $0.75, which are highly recommended for carrying your Endurolytes during your training and racing.

Suggested Dosing

As I mentioned above, each individual athlete needs to experiment with different levels of electrolytes during training and racing and in different environmental conditions to find the perfect dosing for their individual needs. During Ironman Wisconsin, where I had mild temperatures (70's), I added a single tablet of Endurolytes Fizz to my water bottle every hour during the bike and transitioned to 2-3 capsules of Endurolytes during the run. With that being said, below are some basic guidelines to get you started in the right direction.

Capsule Usage Instructions

Lighter weight athletes: 1-2 capsules per hour
Medium weight athletes: 2-3 capsules per hour
Larger athletes: 4-6 capsules per hour

Powder Mixing/Usage Instructions

Lighter weight athletes: 1-2 scoops per hour
Medium weight athletes: 2-3 scoops per hour
Larger athletes: 4-6 scoops per hour
Please note that taste issues may limit you to 1-3 scoops per hour. If conditions warrant additional dosing, capsules should be used/considered.

Fizz Mixing/Usage Instructions

Lighter weight athletes: 0.5-1 tablets per hour
Medium weight athletes: 1-1.5 tablets per hour
Larger athletes: 2-3 tablets per hour

Notes:

Endurolytes DOES NOT prevent heat stroke, hyponatremia, or any other dangerous physical condition resulting from overexertion in the heat.

Body weight, level of fitness, weather conditions, acclimatization level, and biological predisposition all greatly affect electrolyte depletion so you must do your own trials with Endurolytes dosing, under a variety of conditions, to determine individual requirements.

At 10 calories per tablet, Endurolytes Fizz is not a source of calories.

Special Note:

The amount of salt (sodium chloride) you habitually consume in your daily diet largely determines the amount of salt, and therefore Endurolytes, you will need to consume during exercise and races. The higher your dietary sodium intake, the more Endurolytes you will need to take. In extreme cases, this may be far more than the dosages indicated above.

Resources

Hammer Nutrition Catalog
www.HammerNutrition.com
Hammer Nutrition Product Usage Manual
The Hammer Nutrition Fuels & Supplements Guide
The Endurance Athlete's Guide to Success

Thursday, February 20, 2014

The Whole30: Final Overview

February 18th was my final day on the Whole30. My 30 day adventure (or how ever you want to phrase it) began on January 20th. I had no idea what to expect. Would it be hard? Would I struggle? Would I really feel any different? Would I even make it the full 30 days? When I started, I was at a point in my life where my eating habits were progressively getting worse and worse. I found myself binge eating foods that I have had no issues saying "no" to. I was drinking more beer then I have in the past and just found myself in a downward spiral of uncontrollable cravings that I would regularly give in to. I had lost all my self control and discipline when it came to food and diet. My weight had exceeded 180 pounds, which for me was well above even my high end of where I wanted to be. I needed to do something. I knew that I had to do something or I'd continue going the wrong direction. I had tried simply cutting the amount of food I would consume during meals, but then would find myself eating between meals or before meals to satisfy my hunger. I also knew that working third shift had a significant impact on my eating habits and knew going in that I would need some flexibility in what ever diet/program I decide to attempt. That's is when I pulled up the Whole30 and read up on it. I remember hearing about the W30 from a gal at work who attempted it last year, but I never really dove into exactly what it was about. So, I did some reading and figured I would give it a try. It sounded simple in terms of rules and the format. While at the same time, sounded pretty challenging, in terms of actually accomplishing the Whole30 for the full 30 day period. Basically, you eliminate all added sugars, artificial sweeteners, sugars, grains, dairy, legumes, and white potatoes from your diet and rely solely on veggies, fruit, and high quality meats. Again, simply, yet challenging. And hell, I like a good challenge. I was asked quite frequently, why I chose to do this Whole30 when I really don't need to lose any weight. Well, first my main reasons for doing the W30 were not weight loss, as I just explained, but I knew that would also happen and I would definitely welcome the weight loss. I weighed myself at the start of my W30 and was 184.4 pounds. The first thing I did the morning after day 30 was jump on the same scale. I weighed 172 pounds. I lost 12 pounds on the Whole30! I was happy, and definitely can tell I had lost some body fat over the past 30 days.

The final 9 days (days 22-30) were actually the easiest of the days. It hit me on day 22 or 23 that I really feel better, or so I thought. During the final week and 2 days of my W30, my work schedule had changed a bit. I was scheduled to train our department on our new CAD system for our in squad computers, and was assigned to "normal" work hours of 8-5. It was great, I was sleeping at night, going to bed early and getting up earlier for morning workouts before leaving for work. I felt great during my workouts and never really felt sore or tired throughout the day while at work. I was getting up before 5am and usually working out before 5:45am. It was during this week that I reintroduced caffeinated coffee to my diet after abstaining from caffeine for 3 full weeks. I have only been making my own partially caffeinated coffee by using one scoop of decaf with 2 scoops of regular coffee in my morning coffee. I would drink a small cup of coffee on my way to the gym in the morning and then would not eat until while on my way into work. I made a simple breakfast of diced sweet potato and diced apple sauteed in a small amount of clarified butter topped with unsweetened coconut flakes and cinnamon. This has become one of my favorite simple meals for post workout. I would also have a couple of hard boiled eggs as a source of protein. I stayed satiated without cravings until lunch which I would eat around 12:30. I packed my own lunch of a salad, sardines, and some veggies. I would then have a simple afternoon snack of nuts and a piece of fruit (either grapefruit or a kiwi). At night we would have dinners as a family and then I would do the same thing the very next day. We had some of my favorite meals during this past phase of the W30; some of which include, Mocha Rubbed Beef Roast, Chicken Bacon Mushroom Quiche, Zucchini Noodles with Pesto topped with Baked Spiced Chicken, Crab Cakes, and a Slow Cooker Whole Chicken. I even took the time to make my own mayonnaise, almond butter, and ketchup.

Delaney helping make the pesto sauce

On Tuesday, we went out to dinner with my in-laws for my Father-in-Law's birthday. I chose to order their Liver and Onions, something that I had not had in years. It was surprisingly good and a successful W30 meal....a win-win! The hardest moment came on Valentine's Day, Day 26 of my W30. I was damn close to just saying 26 is close enough, I am not going to let my W30 ruin my Valentine's Day. Sarah and I had made plans to go out for dinner with our good friends, Pat and Melissa for a couple's date. We went to a high end Latin restaurant- Osorio's Latin Fusion. I read each individual menu item and chose to order the Baked Sea Bass topped with a lime, cucumber, cilantro sauce, with two sides. I chose to order their vegetable medley and a salad for my two sides. My salad came which was fine, I ordered it with out cheese and no croutons. Then my meal came, it looked soooooooo good, it smelled amazing. The fish was flaky and done perfectly, but it was topped with a cream sauce, obviously made with dairy. The veggies, were a Mexican/Latin inspired veggie mix with spinach, beans, corn, and cheese - basically a lot of things I can't eat. I sat there and just stared at my dinner, trying to decide what to do. Do I just not eat it and get it to-go and then eat it after my W30 is done? Do I say screw it, and just eat it. Luckily, Melissa ordered fajitas, which came in a large lava rock bowl and consisted of just meat, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and seasonings. She offered her dinner to me, which I gladly accepted. I gave her my fish and veggies and I just ate the meat and vegetable portion of her fajitas. Yup, I did that, part of me thought, how pathetic, while the other part of me thought, nice work, you're still going strong and only have a few more days left.

The last couple days came and went and I had continued to feel pretty damn good. I am curious however what was causing me to feel noticeably better. It is either one of three things or a combination of the following. 1. It quite possibly could be my very strict diet I had been following with the W30 guidelines. 2. I had started supplementing with several of Hammer Nutrition's top daily essential supplements specifically formulated for endurance athletes. 3. It very well could have been the fact that I was on a normal sleep pattern for the first time in a long while. My personal feelings are that it was ultimately a combination of all three things. There is no way I would just look past how clean I had been eating over the past 30 days. But at the same time, Hammer's essential supplements are highly engineered and formulated to allow athletes to better recover and perform at a higher level more frequently with less built up fatigue. Even with those two significant facts, having the ability to sleep at night and live a normal life for more then just a day or two, no doubt, had a positive effect on my body, recovery, and mood.

Maya at Gymnastics class.

My training had continued to progress nicely over throughout this past 9-10 days. The past week, I had a total training volume of over 10 hours. My running is back to a high level. During this past week were I had a total volume over 10 hours, I ran a total of over 46 miles. I ran 8 miles twice during the mid week and then had two key workouts on the weekend. With my sights firmly set on running 30 miles on my 30th birthday, I had planned a back-to-back long run on Saturday and Sunday. On my training plan I had a 12-16 mile run on Saturday with a 10-12 mile run on Sunday. I did my run outside on Saturday and felt so good, I opted to run 17 total miles on Saturday. After my run, I felt fantastic. I was not sore (relatively speaking) and was moving great. Sunday I woke up feeling pretty good. My quads were a little sore, but more of a fatigue-based soreness as opposed to a painful-soreness. We got a decent about of snow over night and chose to run indoors at the YMCA on a treadmill. I again felt pretty darn good and ran a total of 13 miles on Sunday for a total of 30 miles covered in two days. I was thrilled with how I ran and how I felt during and after both runs. I left that weekend feeling confident for my 30 mile run which was now just two weeks away. My plan is now to complete a 20 mile long run this upcoming Sunday to work on my fueling strategy and then cut my mileage and rest the next week before running a 3 mile loop 10 times for 30 miles on my 30th birthday, March 2nd. After running my 30 mile long run, I will begin focusing my efforts on running the Green Bay Marathon in under 3 hours. I am extremely excited and confident right now and am feeling motivated again, especially coming off my shin/calf injury last month. I have been in a great mood lately, similar to how I felt throughout most of last year as I trained for Ironman Wisconsin. At times, I feel that I am setting myself up for more success then I had last year. I feel this way mainly because I think my extended rest period I took immediately after finishing the Ironman and even the extra break I took following the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. I also can't look past the 3 week hiatus I took from running in January. I just need to be careful not to get overly ambitious and end up pushing myself too hard/far too fast. I have taken the mindset to listen to my body better and pay attention to any possible signs of injury or fatigue and have been using that as a way for me to formulate a day-to-day training plan as I build up to my 30 mile run on March 2nd.

Delaney and I at my cousins hockey game.

All that is left at this point is to figure out where do I go from here in regards to my diet and nutritional decisions. I have just spent the past 30 days eating extremely strict. I would read nutritional labels closer than I ever had and simply said "no" to so many foods that I regular consume without ever thinking otherwise. So now what the hell do I do? Do, I reward myself for doing a good job and eat food that I had wanted to eat the past 30 days but didn't allow myself to? Do I continue to eat this way with out the same level of paranoia and allow for slips and a few non-Whole30 approved foods? Or do I slowing reintroduce specific food groups and see how my body reacts to that specific food to see if I have a reaction or intolerance to specific food groups (gluten, oats, dairy, legumes, etc). I will tell you that on my 1st day off the Whole30, was already a pretty busy day as I had SWAT training from 8a-4p and then I had to work third shift that night from 10p-6a, so I had little room for snacking or treats. I woke up Wednesday morning at 5am to go to the YMCA and run. I ran a solid 9 miles and made myself a small bowl of oatmeal (one thing I REALLY wanted throughout my W30). I made it was whole oats, full fat coconut milk, banana, almond butter, chia seeds, wheat germ, and unsweetened coconut flakes. I also had two hard boiled eggs. I then attended our SWAT training which we worked through lunch and did not eat lunch until close to 2:30p. I never once had any noticeable stomach pains or issues and never felt hungry or low on energy. For lunch I ordered a Greek Salad which had feta cheese, kalmata olives, artichoke hearts, and a vinaigrette dressing with two pieces of pita bread (2 things I was not allowed to eat while on the W30). After getting home from training I had a clementine orange at home and a small partial handful of a trail mix (nuts, raisins, and m&ms) and then went to bed and slept from 5-9. Before leaving for work I ate a slice of my left over Quiche, another small portion of trail mix and then I dipped some banana chips in peanut butter. Again, more food that are not that inherently unhealthy, but definitely do not live up to W30 standards. Honestly, up to this point I have not felt any different in the 24+ hours after finishing my W30. I have had the same energy levels, same cravings, same hunger pangs, and same overall feeling. Personally I am going to continue to eat with an awareness of what I am putting in my body but will definitely eat some non-Whole30 approved foods (peanut butter, some foods with small amounts of added sugar (pickles), and high quality breads). I will monitor how my body reacts to these foods and make note of specific food that cause my digestive system issues/discomfort. I will continue to eat freely for the next week or two, at least through my birthday. I will not restrict myself the weekend of my birthday and eat freely that weekend and have some beer as well. After that weekend I think I may try another diet experience to see how my body reacts to a different diet philosophy. I think I will follow a diet recommended by my sponsor Hammer Nutrition. Their diet is basically the exact opposite of the Whole30's diet philosophies. Hammer's diet recommendations are more plant/grain based as opposed to meat/vegetable based. Hammer recommends that you minimally eat meat, once a week at most. And focus on fruits, vegetables, and grains as the main staples for your diet. I would still limit if not continue to avoid any added sugars and artificial sweeteners in foods. But not nearly as strict as I have been. I will start using fuels and supplements which I had avoided the past 30 days due to the added sugars in them. I will continue to avoid junk food and limit between meal snacking. This will be a dramatic switch in my nutrient breakdown from a higher fat higher protein lower carb diet to a high carb, moderate fat, low protein diet. I will follow this protocol for 30 days and see how my body reacts. I will compare my body weight, overall feeling of health, recovery, sleep, and overall mood over those 30 days and compare them to how my 30 days of following the W30 protocol to see which style of diet is better suited for my body. I have attached the PDF file of a simple breakdown of how I plan on eating while following the recommendations set forth by Hammer Nutrition. I am really curious to see how my body reacts. I really think it won't have a large impact on my body as I feel I have a rather strong stomach and have had very little issues with my digestive system when I eat highly nutritious foods including gluten, grains, dairy, and other typically sensitive foods....but there is only one way to really find out and that's to experiment, which is exactly what I intend to do.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE HAMMER NUTRITON PHYTOLEAN NUTRITION PLAN FROM HAMMER NUTRITION'S PUBLICATION "ENDURANCE NEWS ISSUE #88"

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Hammer Spotlight - Hammer Gel

I have used Hammer Nutrition products ever since I got started in endurance racing. I started using Hammer products for many reasons, including their commitment to helping endurance athletes reach their highest levels of athletic performance and physical health safely, naturally, and legally, by providing them with the highest quality products, most educated staff, and best customer service. Every one of Hammer's fuels area gluten-free, all natural, and made from the healthiest of ingredients. Hammer does not believe in using added sugars, preservatives, or artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. If you have never been to Hammer Nutrition's website (www.HammerNutrition.com), I would highly recommend it. Once there, you can find literally an entire library of articles, not only to learn about endurance fueling, but also general nutrition guidelines, training advice, different uses for their products, and weight management - just click on the "Knowledge" tab on the top of their site. If you still can not find what you are looking for or have a question you just can not find an answer to, simply give them a call. Their staff are all highly educated in the field of sports nutrition and training and are extremely willing to help you out. I could seriously continue writing on all the great things Hammer Nutrition can offer you as a fellow endurance athlete, but I think you get the idea. Obviously, when I found out that I was selected to an elite group of athletes to represent Hammer Nutrition for 2014, I was extrememly honored and excited. As part of being a Hammer Athlete this year, I plan on writing at least one article each month spotlighting a Hammer product that I have used. My goal is to compile a short article highlighting the product's ingredients, uses, and suggested dosing. For my first Hammer Nutrition Spotlight, I thought it would only be right to highlight one of their staple products, Hammer Gel.

***All of the Hammer Spotlight articles are based off of Hammer Nutrition's nutritional philosophies. I recommend reading "The Endurance Athlete's Guide to Success," for the science behind Hammer Nutrition's products and philosophies.***