M-Cubed for 2.16.2015

M-Cubed (Monday Morning Musings) for February Sixteenth, Two-Thousand Fifteen...a random smattering of thoughts that end up here on Monday morning.

- I seriously didn't know my car's outside air temperature indicator had the capability of showing a negative double digit temperature. Minus 13 displayed this morning on the way to the box. Luckily, calm air so no wind chill to record but dang! Beautiful sunrise, though, through the icy trees.

- Released in August 2013, Lee Daniels' "The Butler" is a movie that begins in 1929 and follows the path of a young boy who eventually becomes the butler for 7 different U.S. presidents in the White House. It's rated PG-13 but we watched it as a family and glad we did. Inspired by a true story, it depicts America in a time of slavery, racism, and the struggles within. Forest Whitaker delivered an incredible Oscar-worthy performance, too. HIGHLY recommend if you haven't yet seen it. I found it at our local library for free. Follow this link for the official site and trailer if you want to check it out.

- Since the last M-Cubed, my wife and I had the pleasure of journeying down to Miami and eventually to both Key West and Cozumel, Mexico. We went on FamilyLife's 2015 "Love Like You Mean It" marriage cruise...the 5th one they've done. FamilyLife chartered the Carnival ship "Ecstasy" for a 4-day cruise having sold out 2000 staterooms of married couples. Guest speakers included authors, well-known speakers and musical artists such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Tenth Avenue North, Andrew Peterson and Jaci Valasquez. If we're connected on Facebook, I wrote up a full review/report yesterday morning if you want to check it out. If you have any interest in something like this and have any questions, please reach out soon. Well over 400 couples re-booked for the 2016 cruise before we even finished this cruise. Next year, it's being extended one year and will go to Jamaica and Grand Cayman on a larger, newer ship...the Carnival Victory. Find all the details for next year here.

- Today, I wrapped up Week #15 of CrossFit. Over the past week, my wife and I did workouts with body weight only and no lifting as we didn't have access to anything. I really missed that but got my fill this morning. Another personal record set and this time in the back squat. My previous PR was 195 pounds and my goal was to back squat my body weight which is between 200-205 pounds. I ended up hitting 215 pounds! The WOD was filled with pull-ups and a new movement to me called the "cluster." It's a combination of the squat clean and a thruster. Lots of things going on there! It was great to get weight up over my head again. Afterwards, I decided I wanted to climb the rope for a second time. Below is the 30 second video of me climbing. You'll see the wrong way followed eventually by the right way as I near the top. I wrapped my right shin this time after losing all the hair last time. After this one, I did one more climb. Arms were sufficiently spent!

- 2.16.2015

- Bull Run Run 50 Miler: Last Thursday, they held the lottery for the 350 available slots at this April's Bull Run Run. I was not selected so that race won't be on my calendar any longer. I'm starting to wonder what in the heck I'm supposed to do this year regarding my running. I'm totally floundering here and it's definitely a bit unsettling. Currently, the only thing I'm officially registered for is late April's Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon and May's Medina Half Marathon. Not a single ultra committed to...yet. Truth is...I'm waiting for Civilian Military Combine to release their 2015 schedule. UPDATE on Monday afternoon: I was wrong about Bull Run Run. I DID get in via the lottery and paid the entry fee today. So 50 miles in the mountains of northern VA on April 11th it is!

- I'm no cook and I proved it again last night. In Hammer Nutrition's most recent edition of Endurance News, they included a recipe for Banana Oatmeal Recoverite Cookies. Those are the ingredients and I added in honey and crushed walnuts. The taste is there but dang, they're dry. I have a bunch of them and had another with my morning espresso this morning. Yum. Honestly, they are really good but need something to wash them down. For those who don't know, Recoverite is Hammer Nutrition's recovery protein drink that I swear by. Shameless plug: you can save 15% off your first order by clicking on the Hammer logo at the top right of my blog!

- Many of you, whether you are a Christian or not, have most likely heard of the Bible passage that talks about women submitting to your husbands. (read the passage in Ephesians here) It's one of the most misunderstood passages ever. It's actually more of a charge to MEN to love our wives like Christ loved the church (um....He died for them!) and for women to follow their godly husbands. So many hang on to that "women submit!!!" part and see nothing else...WRONG!!! On the cruise last week, reference was made to this passage and the speaker said something to the tune of: "Ladies, sometimes 'submit' means you need to duck so God can smack your husband upside the head!" Classic. I loved it. It's true, ya know. Sometimes we (us men) need smacked around a little bit to get our heads screwed on straight and our priorities realigned. How does the saying go? "Better check yourself before you wreck yourself!" Too true.

- To close today, I leave you with what you see below. I think it's a great reminder no matter what you want to apply it to. Relationships, parenting, marriage, a race, and even a WOD!

Recovery Perfected

OK, let me get a quick disclaimer out of the way. I don't claim perfection but it's how I feel over several years now of beating the heck out of my body then recovering stupid fast and not missing a beat...or getting injured. To me, that's perfect to me. Could I get even better? Sure, but I can't complain a bit about how I'm doing it today. Today, I want to talk about what I do to perhaps help even one other person recover well from their race(s).

6 days ago, I covered 62.4 miles over ice and through mud and rocks at the Buzzard Day 100K Trail Race. In my opinion, the key to recovery starts at the Starting Line of the race itself. Let me explain: Many have opinions about how to fuel during a race, what to eat, what not to eat, what upsets the stomach, what is best utilized by the body (and even at what rate), and the list (and opinions) go on and on. During a race, the goal is clear: FINISH. However, I truly believe that how you fuel during a race directly impacts recovery the moment you finish and for days thereafter. Pictured at right is a product by Hammer Nutrition that I used for the first time at the Buzzard to compliment Hammer Gels. Gels provide a ready source of carbohydrate energy and gets into the bloodstream quick. I tend to take one every 4-6 miles during an ultra marathon along with Endurolyte salt tabs at every aid station. Hammer's Perpetuem is a totally different product. For years, Perpetuem was only offered in a powder so it had to be mixed and drank with another liquid like Hammer's Heed or water.  It required another bottle and could be a real mess. To answer those issues, the Solids were created. Imagine a tablet almost an inch wide by about 3/4" tall. Six fit inside this container shown, are lightweight, and fit easily into a waist pack or even in a shorts pocket as I did this past Saturday. As you run, your body burns fat, stored glycogen and eventually turns to cannibalizing your own muscle. Perpetuem basically interrupts this by providing needed protein, carbohydrates, and even some fat to make it all work. It even helps recovery by giving your muscles what they need to rebuild...before the job is even done. I took five out of the six tabs during the race and if I could do it over again, I'd take more. My big worry with these was how they'd taste, chew, and swallow. The powder is very "pasty" and can be tough to drink. These were light, crumbled easy in my mouth (I thought they'd be hard), and had a mild "cafe latte" taste. They did clump slightly but if I kept chewing, they were easy to swallow. I chased it with a few drinks of Hammer's Heed and that was it! I was very happy with my first use of the Solids and they'll certainly be a top choice for my upcoming races this year.

Post race, I immediately took a serving of Hammer's Recoverite. I had a canister of it in my trunk and mixed up a half-bottle batch in my Purist bottle I had been using all day. My favorite is the chocolate flavor. Recoverite is the one product that is the cornerstone of my recovery. I have been using it since I was in the midst of my back-to-back training runs for my three 100-milers back in mid-2009. It IS the reason I can get up the next day and run. It provides the proper 3:1 ration of complex carbohydrates and the highest quality whey protein isolate, along with generous amounts of glutamine (3g per serving), the potent antioxidant l-carnosine, and a full-spectrum electrolyte profile. In fact, I take it any time I run 10 miles or longer. That's just my own personal rule and not based on anything. However, I continue to run injury-free...and that's how I recover. Connection? I think so.

So the race was on Saturday. I got home, showered (could not believe I hadn't chafed to the point of blood and pain), and slept about 5 hours. I rested a lot on Sunday, took an afternoon nap where I woke up drenched in sweat, and continued to hydrate. On Monday, I expected to be crazy hungry. Two days post-race always seem to be tough for me, but I decided to not let the day beat me. I headed out on a run and I think I ran on my toes for the first mile. My quads were super tight and sore. After a mile, though, they loosened up and I headed for the country hills. By the time I was at mile 3, I was feeling amazing. What I intended to be 3 turned into 6 miles and I felt great. I took another serving of Recoverite post-run. In my head, I imagined the run pumping lots of blood through repairing muscles and the Recoverite partnering with it to expedite a quality recovery. On Wednesday, we had a beautiful, sunny 50F day. I hadn't run with my dog since last fall so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some sun and fire up the muscles again...keeping in mind that REST must also happen to complete the repair. Well, the run was sore again for the first mile but then turned fantastic. We covered 7 miles and I had ZERO issues. For the next two days, I rested...forced myself to. It was time to practice what I preach to so many others. Today (Friday), I woke up to stars and the moon in the sky and hit the road for six miles..and I felt nothing. No running on my toes, no discomfort...just "normal." I ran it at a normal pace and threw some pickups in there, too. Near the end, I did feel a bit of tightness in my quads but no pain. I'll continue to stretch and hydrate and that'll be gone soon. My quads definitely took the brunt of punishment at that race.

So there you have it. 6 days post-100K and feel like I can say that I'm recovered. I get the comments often about my "overnight" recovery from 50Ks, marathons, and the like and I really think...I know...that I can attribute it to how I fuel and how I recover, including rest. I've been doing it too long to just be by accident and after last Saturday's ice and mud beating, I feel like I've proven that it really does work. If you ever want to try out Hammer for yourself, don't pay full price. Click on my link at the top right and save 15% off your first order from them. It's good for new customers.

Before I close, I want to share a little about how I rewarded myself for the 100K finish. Before I ran it, I asked my wife it she was OK with me ordering a new pair of Brooks Cascadia 9's if I finished. My old Cascadia 7s (below) were shot but I knew I could get one more race out of them. The race did prove how bad they were and on Tuesday, they went out with the trash..still with the Hinckley mud on them. On Monday, a pair of new Cascadia's left the Brooks Running warehouse in Washington state and by Wednesday at dinnertime, they were sitting on my porch. Nothing like the smell of a new pair of Brooks! Seriously...you smell yours too, right?!

The markings on the bib signify each arrival at each aid station during the Buzzard Day 100K

The Cascadia 9's. My chariot for many more trail miles in 2014 and beyond.

 Happy Trails and Hammer On, friends!

Review: Hammer Nutrition's Hammer Gel: Peanut Butter

When I hit the trail for last Saturday's Frozen Sasquatch 50K, I did so armed with a few Hammer Gels for fueling. While I just became sponsored four days prior to the race, I've been using Hammer Nutrition's fueling and recovery products for years. A few weeks ago, they sent me a few sample Hammer Gels in a flavor I hadn't had before: Peanut Butter.

Hammer Nutrition is big on science and often, they talk in a language that makes my head spin. You can read a great writeup on Hammer Gels, if you're interested, right here. They really go into the natural ingredients, sodium levels (and why), and the whole "ose" issue with fuels on the market. I highly recommend the article. For me, I love that all the "crud" (saying it nicely) isn't present in Hammer's products. The high fructose corn syrup, high levels of sugars, unnatural ingredients...they just aren't there. Take Heed for example, their electrolyte-replacement drink (that competes with Gatorade). It's extremely bland if you drink it while used to nothing but sugar-packed drinks like PowerAde and Gatorade. Once used to it, it's fine. In fact, nearly all ultra marathons in my neck of the woods supply Heed during the events and maybe Gatorade. I'll never forget sampling my first Heed...I thought it was similar to the mouthwash they give you at the dentist! That was years ago and taste has certainly evolved and gotten better. I'm personally fond of the strawberry. Anyway, the point is that in Heed and in Hammer Gel, you/we get natural ingredients. We also, thanks to not getting overloaded with sugar, don't get the big sugar rush and following crash. We get more of a sustained release which in endurance events, is key both physically and mentally.

I do love myself a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Crunchy is my preference. I won't lie, though. I was skeptical about a peanut butter-flavored Hammer Gel and especially trying it for the first time during a race (a common no-no is to try new things on race day). My normal routine during an ultra is to take the Hammer Gel and fold it up in my palm about a mile before I want to take it. The palm is a huge emitter of body heat and on days like Saturday (9 degrees at the start), it's still possible to warm the gel. I much prefer any flavor Hammer Gel heated just slightly. They go down so much easier and with flavors like Apple Cinnamon, it really enhances the flavor. So about 8 miles into Saturday's race, I folded up my peanut butter Hammer Gel and warmed it up and then took it about a mile later. LOVED it! I will say that if you love peanut butter, you'll have no issues with this. It truly tastes like peanut butter. Given that a common staple during ultra marathon events are peanut butter and jelly squares at aid stations, I think Hammer Nutrition inclusion of this flavor is wise and speaks to the athlete and something that has already been accepted over the years. The small amount of heat I provided made it all the smoother, too, and while I still washed it down with some Heed, it really wasn't needed. It was that smooth and easy to swallow.

I also enjoyed Apple Cinnamon and Espresso flavors on Saturday...both great, as well. But, I had never even heard of the peanut butter flavor until a week ago and was pleasantly surprised. For someone who loves the American staple of PB&J, this hit the mark big time.

For your reference, here is the Hammer Gel nutrition label. All Hammer Gels can be viewed here.