Endurance Planet

Sponsor: 88% of American adults are metabolically unhealthy, and health concerns are still on the rise. The current food supply is loaded with chemicals and devoid of minerals. Refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods make us deficient in essential micronutrients. Crucial FOUR offers nutrient-dense supplements that fill in the gaps left by modern food and supports stress relief, performance, immunity and energy. Start shopping here for 10% off your first order. On episode 5 of On My Mind (OMM) Tawnee and John recap their recent trail run races: Insight on goal-setting and being in alignment with your whole self & racing. Choosing race distances/events that are realistic with your whole-life picture/current stress in order to maintain health and wellness. The fear of getting back to it after overcoming health challenges and healing. That window in life of having baby and riding a fine line of adrenal fatigue. Support yourself in simple ways! Things like Crucial FOUR nutrient-dense Icelandic salt and Mag Bicarb have been Tawnee’s go-tos. Tawnee’s 5-mile race was short, and her old self would have likely opted for one of the longer distances to push limits, but this felt just right for where she’s at. John did the half-marathon and it was more demanding on him, fought off a migraine. Post-race fare: make it healthy?      The post OMM 5: Alignment and Goals first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help. Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount. Sponsor: Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round. Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests! So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast! On this episode of Ask The Coaches with Tawnee & Lucho we take a deep dive into stroller running presenting the current research on this exercise and how that blends with practical, real-life application especially for endurance athletes who are going long! Laura asks Everything Stroller Running My question is all things stroller running. One) what does it do to your body in a positive or negative regard (biomechanically speaking and energetic cost)? Is there specific strength training that will help? I constantly battle with sore intercostal muscles and out of alignment in my ribs/shoulder etc on my right side because I only push with my right arm. I have no control and it doesn’t feel safe with my left arm. Are there specific workouts that I can do with the stroller that will help my overall fitness or is running with the stroller enough. I guess I’m pushing right around 60lbs right now. Also for my Question… workouts/ideas to increase speed. I’m current running 6-10 miles at a 9:15 pace avg HR is 151. I run hilly roads. Doing 2-4 stroller runs a weeks I’d say maybe 20% is above 160 bpm, 15-20 miles a week total. When I race with the stroller about half the time, 47%, my HR is 158-165 and 5% above 165. Training for 50k this fall. What the coaches say: Our top takeaways for stroller running Fixed front wheel always (we use the BOB, but many good brands!). I prefer one-handed running somewhat alongside, which seems to feel the best and most natural especially for longer runs. However, on hills (up or down)—double handed grip seems more secure. Use a wrist strap! Both sides even! Buy one (or additional one) if this is an issue when switching hands. Don’t hunch or round shoulders over bars. Don’t bend at the hips (ie folding body). Posture! Shoulders down and back, hips forward within reason (ie don’t lean back)—but still relaxed and loose. Personally I like the bar to be at a height that allows for about 90 deg at elbow. Most importantly, run in a way that feels most comfortable *and safe* for you and your child. There is no consensus on this topics and research is lacking for practical applications. Addressing the intercostal muscle soreness & strength recommendations Intercostals – small muscles between the ribs The internal intercostals assist with exhalation by drawing the ribs downward and decreasing the space of the thoracic cavity.   The external intercostals draw the ribs upward, increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity. Focus on core, diaphragmatic breathing (no shallow chest breathing), shoulders – serratus, lats, T spine mobility/strength Issue of rotation and twisting? And posture – hunching Exercises and movements: Mountain pose – Tadasana, contract at the end of inhale, contract at the end of exhale Supine spine twist, windshield wipers, pretzel Incorporate ROM exercises for trunk rotation to avoid adaptive stiffness Hip flexor exercises Healthy shoulder work/balance Stroller running biomechanics article Take a wide grip, both hands, and push down slightly Bar is below waist! Shoulder-width grip, arms nearly straight When my foot is landing, I push down on the handle bars, just a bit, to “cushion my fall”.  Run with a high cadence (take short, quick steps) Similar to what is seen in research on this topic! I typically run the stroller with a cadence of 100-105 Long stride leads to quicker fatigue in this scenario he says Lean forward slightly promotes great biomechanics, i.e. foot lands below your body, naturally positions your upper body over the handle bar  Do not swing arms (use a subtle torso rotation) One hand asymmetrical – right and left side of your body are loaded differently. This could lead to imbalances and/or injuries.  Torso rotation requires minimal energy—this contributes to the “cheating” concept. Current jogging stroller science & research articles with summaries*  *not an exhaustive list of available research on this topic Run kinematics with and without a jogging stroller Study basics: 15 healthy adult recreational runners, no experience with stroller running 10kg weight in stroller 10 trials (5 with stroller) 3D kinematic analysis 16m indoor run (that was it!) Overall changes in biomechanics were small—conclude that more research needed to see if these changes persist, worsen or self-correct with time/experience.  Also these runners were NOT running fatigued. Trunk kinematics changed significantly when running with the stroller. Forward lean was increased by 6.78 compared to independent running [95% CI (98, 4.68), p < 0.001]. Total trunk rotation in the transverse plane was significantly decreased by a mean of 11.48 [95% CI (14.88, 8.28), p < 0.001]. There was a significant decrease in trunk movement in the coronal plane of 2.98 with the stroller [95% CI (0.88, 4.98), p = 0.009].  Anterior pelvic tilt was increased by 2.88 with the stroller; associated with a significant decrease in peak hip extension of 38 [95% CI (4.48, 1.58), p = 0.001] and an increase in hip flexion at initial contact of 2.68 [95% CI (1.38, 3.88), p = 0.001].  This is correlated with injury and lumbo-pelvic hip complex and low back pain, due to increased lordosis and impingement of vertebrae – though lordosis not increaesd in the stroller running due to voerall increase in forward lean Work on hip flexor ROM mobility – tight! Knee flexion increased and ROM of knee in saggital plane decreased, but not significant No effect on ankles that reached significance Analysis of findings   Stroller running: Energetic and kinematic changes across pushing methods Only 800m, self-selected pace, not hard running. SR = stroller running. Sixteen individuals (M/F: 10/6) ran at self-selected speeds for 800m under three stroller conditions (2-Hands, 1-Hand, and Push/Chase) and an independent running control. Strollers loaded with a 16kg weighted infant model in order to simulate the presence of a 3 year-old child. the purpose of this study was to investigate the energetic and kinematic effects of 1) stroller running compared to running independently, and 2) commonly used pushing methods used during stroller running in recreational runners.  Pushing method had a sig effect on speed but not HR or energetic cost. Changes in lower-limb kinematics were observed, as SR significantly shortened stride length in comparison with Non-SR.  A significant decrease in speed (p = 0.001) and stride length (p<0.001) was observed between the control and stroller conditions, however no significant change in energetic cost (p = 0.080) or heart rate (p = 0.393) was observed. Additionally, pushing method had a significant effect on speed (p = 0.001) and stride length (p<0.001). Given that 69% of our participants and 51% of the observed stroller runners on public paths all preferred the 2-Handed SR, it seems this is an SR condition that results in the least perturbation of typical running behavior. Stroller running calculator: The models suggest that when speed is maintained, running with a stroller increases cost between 5–8% depending on the pushing method. As expected, the 2-Hands method is the most economical and the Push/Chase method is the most energetically costly. To predict the cost of a runner of a different mass, please go to https://tinyurl.com/stroller-running-calculator. Also noted in this study that: few studies have investigated biomechanical responses specific to SR, and there is no current consensus on how running speed and stride length are affected. Most recently, O’Sullivan et al. [8] and Smith et al. [6] observed no difference in stride length or running speed during SR compared to independent running, yet prior work by Brown et al. [5] noted changes in stride length. Differences in study design may have contributed to these confounding speed, stride length, and stride frequency results.  More findings on grip type: Of the 16 participants, 11 preferred the 2-Hands, 4 preferred Push/Chase, and 1 preferred the 1-Hand SR condition to the other SR conditions.  The Push/Chase and 1-Handed SR methods are the most disruptive to running kinematics, while the 2-Hands method results in a speed and stride length most similar to Non-SR.  Physiological and biomechanical responses of running with and without a stroller : sport and physical activity These women did run hard In this: 8 experienced female runners, self-paced 2.4 kilometre (km) running trials while pushing (JS) or not pushing (CON) a stroller on a concrete sidewalk. The time to complete the 2.4 km run was not different between JS and CON (687 ± 30 versus 660 ± 18 seconds).  Mean steady state HR (173.0 ± 5.0 versus 167.0 ± 5.1 beats / min) and oxygen consumption (VO2) (40.1 ± 3.1 versus 36.1 ± 2.8 m l / kg / min) were higher (p<0.05) in JS than CON, respectively.  JS resulted in a greater (p<0.05) number of steps taken (1969 ± 78 versus 1886 ± 74) and reduced (p<0.05) step length (1.24 ± 0.06 versus 1.29 ± 0.06 metres) compared to CON.  The use of a JS resulted in an approximate 4% increase in HR and an approximate 11% increase in VO2, perhaps due to changes in the normal running stride pattern and the application of an external load from the jogging stroller. Physiological and biomechanical responses while running with and without a stroller The longest run trial we could fin that was studied: these subjects ran 30 MINUTES. The 1st field test involved running at 75% VO2max for 30 minutes without a stroller and the 2nd involved running at the same speed with the stroller. These results indicate that pushing a stroller affects some indices of exercise intensity while running. Gait does not change. These data do not support an association between stroller use during running and an increase risk of orthopedic injury. Further studies should examine these variables at lower intensities that are run by most recreational joggers. The metabolic cost of human running: is swinging the arms worth it? “Our findings support our general hypothesis that swinging the arms reduces the metabolic cost of human running. Our findings also demonstrate that arm swing minimizes torso rotation.”  Energetic Cost and Kinematics of Pushing a Stroller on Flat and Uphill Terrain “The increase in energetic cost of pushing the stroller was approximately threefold higher uphill than on the flat incline, and women were influenced more than men when running uphill at the highest speed (all p < 0.05).”  The post ATC 354: The Science & Art Of Stroller Running – A Guide To Maximizing Your Time and Effort When Pushing Precious Cargo first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels.  Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too.  Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength.  Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount. On this episode of On My Mind (OMM) with Tawnee and John we talk about intuitive training in practice and how Tawnee has been applying this method to her return to training, when she does use data collection to monitor progress, etc. Intuitive Training Sample goals and approach: Start the day evaluating as you feel, honestly. HRV can be a tool, but HRV is not so black and white in determining recovery/readiness status. Defining intuitive training: match your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) with the actual effort you’re expending eg HR, pace, data point. Learning to read your RPE and have it match your body’s state. Guide intervals by effort not pace or HR. For interval workouts, don’t push these if body ain’t feeling it! If you still want to run opt for an easy volume day. For aerobic workouts don’t get greedy/competitive with self and run too hard (don’t race your local loop) I find this gets easy when you don’t have data however flip side is not having data to tell you to hold back when needed. Flexiblity with HR and understanding volume vs intensity (and overall life stress) in the training load: MAF days for most can go over MAF by prob 10 bpm… maybe even 15 bpm ie some tempo involved. But when volume is low that’s usually sustainable and still promotes aerobic gains. Meanwhile when very tired or pushing more volume be more diligent on easy days being easy and MAF runs being close to true MAF. Research Study Individualized Endurance Training Based on Recovery and Training Status in Recreational Runners – 2022 What they found: athletes who adjusted training based on how they felt had better training outcomes. This wasn’t true intuitive training as they were using metrics to gauge what workouts they did, but it’s a good example of adjusting the plan based on body’s state. 40 recreationally endurance-trained males (20) and females (20). “PD trained according to the predefined program, whereas the program of IND was adapted based on measured training and recovery data.” Eg) They compared the individually adjusted training prescription (volume and intensity) based on nocturnal HRV, perceived recovery, and estimated running performance VS a predefined training program. “The first 6-wk VOL period focused on the progression of LIT volume, whereas the second 6-wk INT period focused on high-intensity interval training (HIT).” HIT Eg) 6 x 3min on 2min recovery for intensity. Testing: Blood with free T, cortisol, creatine kinase when fasted. Incremental treadmill test (increasing by 1km/hr per 3min); also a CMJ and 10k run test. Adjusting training based on how you feel yields better performance results over time: “Both programs improved performance mostly after interval training. Although both groups had similar training characteristics on average, the change in the 10-km running performance was greater in IND. In addition, the proportion of high responders in the maximal treadmill and 10-km running performance was greater and the proportion of low responders smaller in IND compared with PD.A more individualized training plan (based on metrics they used to alter) may increase the likelihood of positive endurance training adaptations.”  The post OMM 4: Intuitive Training, Flexible Planning and Making MAF Progress first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help. Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount. Sponsor: Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements. Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount.. Welcome to episode 36 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach and personal trainer, who you can find over at wildandwell.fit. Training updates from the HPN girls! What kind of nutritional support, supplements, habits, etc., are prioritized to support the following two scenarios:  Julie – hormone-healing maintenance: continuing to support overall health/hormones coming off imbalances and also with an increasingly demanding job on feet as coach/trainer and longer distance racing (eg 50-miler). Tawnee – 8 months postpartum: A mom who’s breastfeeding with small kids and getting back to consistent exercise/ training and even racing after a long time away from all that. Currently: Milk supply fantastic & generally feeling great too–how does TPG achieve this while pushing harder in training and seeing gains in fitness? Most supplements and brands we mention can be found at Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount. When you shop through EP you save AND support the podcast, a win win! Julie  Supplements: IRON 2x/day Rhodiola 5x/week – for stress and fatigue resistance Creatine 2.5g 5x/week – brain function, sleep, strength, recovery B6 in P5P form (thanks Tawnee!) – hormones, pms Chaste Tree Berry – hormone balance Fish Oil 1g/day – mood, cognitive function, blood sugar regulation, recovery Magnesium 5x/week Amino Acid Complex 1x/day Zinc or a Trace Mineral complex 4-5x/week Tawnee Supplements: The One by Quiksilver Scientific For adrenals & mitochondrial Has PQQ, CoQ10, Resveratrol, tocotrienols, adaptogens, botanicals Even astragalus for immune “Definitely felt a shift in my energy and recovery from sleep deprivation once I started this.” Stress B Complex and/or B6 in P5P form Podcast discussing forms of B6 and why we recommend P5P Iodine Needs increase in pregnancy and lactation; I’m not getting from salt and not a ton in my diet Benefits for both of us: Helps with my thyroid Helps with baby development eg brain/neurological Take a drop in water and can dose as needed, a few times a week Rotating probiotics/ regular fermented foods Had antibiotics in labor so really ramped this up postpartum for both of us, never saw any lingering negative effects on gut health Almost every day eating some form of fermented food, for baby too! ION Gut support Also gut support, different than probiotics Soil derived, trace minerals and amino acids Strengthen cellular or tight junction integrity – something that can be compromised with gluten, glyphosate, etc Redox signaling (mechanism) Mag Bicarb Why this form? Discussed on OMM 3 in more detail Save 10% off your first order of Crucial Four, the brand Tawnee buys for MagBicarb Cod liver oil or fish oil CLO brands: Rosita or Green pastures FO brands: Nordic Naturals or Biotics Research Vitamin A concerns? No. WAP – “We have pointed out that concerns about vitamin A toxicity are exaggerated. While some forms of synthetic vitamin A found in supplements can be toxic at only moderately high doses, fat-soluble vitamin A naturally found in foods like cod liver oil, liver, and butterfat is safe at up to ten times the doses of water-soluble, solidified and emulsified vitamin A found in some supplements that produce toxicity.(1)Additionally, the vitamin D found in cod liver oil and butterfat from pasture-raised animals protects against vitamin A toxicity, and allows one to consume a much higher amount of vitamin A before it becomes toxic.(1-3) ” Been leaning toward more natural forms of A & D lately, giving appropriate dosages to girls too. Lifestyle Medicine & the Roots of Wellness Part 1: Starting the conversation with #1-3 We often are asked how to heal x,y,z or get better at x,y,z… but then often hearing, “I can’t heal or get better…” Maybe we’re looking too much at the surface and not enough at the roots. Here we start the conversation on the real roots of healing and thriving buy thinking deeper than just a current fad or protocol, i.e. what does it really take to get well and stay well? This is lifestyle medicine…and there is science to support this. IFM’s functional medicine tree 1. Emotional health & self-awareness Healing past traumas, releasing and letting go, desire to be well and not stay stuck… this is the HARD WORK. E.g. attitudes, beliefs, values, and intentions. Being stuck will often manifest and no it’s not your fault for manifesting an injury or whatever it is, this is just your body giving you the gentle (or not so gentle) nudge to dig deep and see what’s there. Often look to past and what needs resolving.Your injury has roots to something deeper than a biomechanical error, in most cases. It shows a larger imbalance… follow that! Same with weight gain/overweight or being too lean… what is the EMOTIONAL root? Not just the physical outcome. Must FIRST be open to change and doing the work..”nothing changes if nothing changes”This is my cornerstone pillar (physical health/exercise  is a close 2nd) – everything is downstream of the state of my emotional health…I eat better, move better, sleep, better, connect better, work more creatively etc. Letting Go = “Drop the Rope”…is it something you can’t control? Drop the rope 2. Resilience to stress If exercising or sleep deprived or mentally unstable or whatever it is, must do all we can to offset that with daily habits and practices to build robustnessTargeted supplements and self-care practice – the discipline to be consistent with these little habits. “Catching Uncertainties” – name it, locate it in your body, see if through 3. Community Gotta have your people, social media – does it count? I don’t think so. We are social creatures, the need to belong is ingrained in our nature 5 Key Benefits of Community: Support and Safety: to help fight feelings of hopelessness Connection and Belonging: being a part of something Bigger brings meaning Influence: the uplifting effect of being surrounded by positive people Sharing: reinforces our sense of self and adds worth and value to the comm. Learning: finding people with different experiences to provide insight Tips for finding community: search for a group of like-minded people; share thoughts, ideas, books, meals with friends or neighbors; spend less time scrolling social media, and more time showing up in person; volunteer for a cause that means a lot to you; join a fitness group, dance class, art class etc. The post HPN 36: Supplement Plans for Postpartum vs. Hormone-Healing Maintenance, Plus Lifestyle Medicine Part 1 first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels.  Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too.  Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength.  Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount. On this episode of “On My Mind” (OMM) with Tawnee and John we talk about routines and daily habits–the little things that can add up in big ways for your health and athletic performance. We also discuss Tawnee’s recent SUP race and what factors helped her feel so strong getting back to racing after years away from it. Daily Routines Basic adrenal cocktail Hydrate upon waking with Crucial Four’s Icelandic mineral-dense sea salt + organic lemon juice in filtered/RO water. Make sole water by mixing water/salt the night prior to drinking. Adding minerals to RO water. 10% off Crucial Four products here. Body brushing aka dry brushing Tawnee has two brushes, one with copper bristles that create a negative ion charge, similar to grounding effect, the negative ions help protect the body from free radical damage and stressors in our environment. Increased interoceptive awareness akin to meditation? Dead hangs As a movement snack; pullup bar in doorway so easy access to do whenever. Healthy shoulders—we argue this is a gateway to overall biomechanical wellness, especially for runners and triathletes. Magnesium bicarbonate Tawnee buys Crucial Four Magnesium Hydroxide to make her own Mag Bicarb. 10% off Crucial Four products here. So many forms of Mg from which to choose, many with different specific benefits. Tawnee has discussed and taken many form of Mg before. Mg glycinate is 2nd fave to bicarb now for bioavailability. Why Bicarb? Bicarb is found to be more absorbed and utilized. Magnesium is a mineral that supports many vital physiological functions, and we’re often deficient but hard to pinpoint this–symptoms fairly broad and far reaching. Magnesium bicarbonate is an electrolyte salt that exists only in water under specific conditions. Mitochondria support: bicarbonate acts as a transporter of magnesium into the mitochondria. Helps with creation of energy and its transport. Nervous system support. Supports healthy pH level, i.e. aids in alkalinity in both tissues and cells. This is a DIY supplement: formed through the reaction of dilute solutions of carbonic acid (such as sparkling or seltzer water) and magnesium hydroxide. Tawnee is taking about 3 oz or about 300mg/day while breastfeeding. Sleep prioritzation When you’re in a period of pushing limits—in this case working mom with two small children and now back to training—don’t slack on sleep! I could stay up late after kids go down but I can’t afford to sacrifice that rest time! Tawnee argues that the sleep piece is even far more important than light exposure (based on experience of living in North Idaho where winters are very dark, days short and often no sun). Toe spacers Great for foot health and biomechanics. Often our feet are in need of TLC these help! Doesn’t take a lot of money or work, just throw them on. Tawnee likes post-run, during strength or during daytime when barefoot or even when sleeping. During day she wears Primal Step Toe Separators or EarthRunner Toe Spacers. At night she wears Correct Toes. The post OMM 3: 6 Daily Habits That Add Up To More Energy, Better Form, Increased Self-Awareness and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help. Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount. Sponsor: Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round. Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests! So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast! Laura asks: Puking at the Finish Line I throw up at the end of nearly every running race I do, REGARDLESS of the distance — it can be 5k, 10k, HM or marathon, and it’s always the same, also regardless of weather. It usually happens in last 100-200 meters where I get so nauseous and next thing you know I am literally throwing up. I have tried everything from hydration strategies, nutrition, pacing, training at appropriate intensities, and so on… Of course, racing is always going to be different than training and you can’t perfectly replicate race day in a training sesh, but still, it is getting so annoying that this happens to me. What do you think it could be? What can I do to prevent this? What the coaches say: First look at the obvious potential offenders: hydration, nutrition, weather conditions (e.g. extreme heat, etc.). Consider: Intensity, lactic acidosis, hydrogen ion concentrations. Training at appropriate intensities to properly prepare for race conditions and that final push. If that has all been addressed then go deeper… Nervous system dysregulation, hormonal imbalance. Address HPA axis function and health markers. Try breathwork and calming exercises pre-race; breathing during racing. Not all issues are obvious or easy to solve… keep digging, find that root cause and the imbalance leading to this outcome in racing. Eddie asks: Racing the Colorado Trail Race – Bikepacking and MAF I have been an endurance mountain bike athlete for a very long time, 30+ years. Multiple 24 hour solos (single speed) and many 100+ mile races.  I have been following the MAF method for many years now.  This method has worked well for me.  I recently started bikepacking and have completed the Colorado Trail Race.  On my first attempt I had to quit after 300 miles due to complete loss of energy and fatigue.  Going into this race I was following the MAF method both in training and in diet. High fat, low carb.  This did not seem to fare well with the Colorado trail race.  On my second attempt I introduced carbs during training and during the race.  I also included more anaerobic training. I completed the race in 8 days and 15hours.  My goal was to finish in 7 days but just to finish was a personal accomplishment for me.  I want to attempt this race again this year in Aug. I’m back on the MAF method for both training and diet.  I’m feeling great on the bike and the energy is good.  What do you guys feel about an event like this, 540miles, fully packed bike, self supported a lot of miles of Hike a bike (I estimated 100+) 76K feet of elevation.  Avg elevation is at 10,500ft.  I really would like to  attempt this again and have my aerobic training and low carb nutrition work for me.  What are your thoughts on the MAF method and an event like this?  This race is really about recovery.  Riding/hiking 17+ hours a day, 4-5 hours of sleep per night, constant calorie replenishment.  I’m 60 years old now but never figure this into the equation other than recovery.  I’m curious to hear your opinion. What the coaches say: MAF focus for training is definitely appropriate here, but we advise doing so in more of a polarized training format so you are preparing for that percentage of time that will be high-intensity work, e.g. hike-a-bike sections, hills, etc. Low carb is relative! So for an event like this 200-300g/CHO day could still be on the lower-carb side of things and defiinitely appropriate. Any lower could run risks and especially if he’s tried LCHF and had a DNF why go back a format that didn’t work? Meanwhile, can periodize nutrition over the season to have periods of low carb during appropriate training loads, and build strong metabolic flexibility for health AND performance benefits. Metabolic function at altitude shifts especially that high up. Lucho mentions taking in 100g/CHO first hour of Leadville to get ahead. JW asks: Ashtanga Yoga & Marathon Newbie Hey Guys, Hope all is well.  Thx as always for everything you guys do. I’ve been listening since the start to ATC and have loved every minute of the journey. Question: I just began working with an athlete who is a devoted practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga for over a decade. They also enjoy running, want to do more, and signed up for a marathon in the fall(Marine Corps-Oct).(side note we live in FL and it’s already  hot and humid and will be up to Oct) I know you guys are familiar with Ashtanga Yoga, obviously very difficult and advanced and this person’s sessions are typically 90 to 120 minutes, two times a week (Mondays and Wednesdays).   I’m not a yogi and can’t even imagine. With the Yoga practice and other life responsibilities, they can do three to four days of running per week but are very busy(long days of work) on Saturdays and Sundays. Their totally “free day” is Tuesday, which they had been using for their “long runs” of 6-8 miles to maintain fitness.  (Obviously in the marathon build up we will be going much longer than that for long runs.) I definitely have my own ideas on how to fit in the running, especially the long runs, around the yoga and even use the yoga/running as compliments to each other, but I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions and what a typical week might look like if you were setting it up for someone in this situation. Any other suggestions or ideas you would have throughout the buildup/program or even the taper for this athlete? Keep the long run on Tuesdays?  Carve out time on a different day for long runs? Run after/before a yoga session on the same day? Etc etc? Thanks and looking forward to hearing your thoughts/ideas. What the coaches say: Someone this experienced at yoga may not be as impacted as a yoga newbie, i.e. not a huge energy toll or source of DOMS/soreness/fatigue. Experienced yogis also may be more in tune with their bodies and honor their limits on any given day. We still agree that the Tuesday long run is likely the best bet for this person’s schedule—BUT be willing to adjust on a weekly basis, i.e. skip the Wednesday yoga if really fatigued from the prior day run. Get used to working on microcycle (weekly) shifts not just the big picture. Flexibility and communication between coach and athlete! The post ATC 353: Nausea at the Finish (Outside-The-Box Remedies), Combining Marathon Training and Yoga, Nutrition and Training For Multi-Day Bikepacking, and More! first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels.  Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too.  Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength.  Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount. Tawnee is back for a new episode of On My Mind (OMM), and due to popular demand we’re keeping her husband John on as a co-host to this new series! This episode’s photo is a throwback that ties into the conversation; it was taken in Whistler, Canada, in 2014 when John and Tawnee officially took over EP as a team. On this episode: The history of Endurance Planet—did you know this podcast began in 2005 and has been running steadily for 18 years?! Back then the show was hosted by show founder Kevin Patrick. Around 2010 or so Ben Greenfield took over Endurance Planet and brought on Tawnee, who started as host in 2011. In 2014, John and Tawnee fully took over EP and to this day are the show “custodians” as John likes to call it. We’re getting back to four shows a month! We vow to keep the podcast mission of promoting health and wellness techniques for endurance athletes, sharing cutting-edge science and practices, and helping you train and race to your potential! We also will cover topics that may not be for everyone, that may be seen as controversial even, but maybe those topics and ideas are the exact things that some people need. Science is ever-evolving and changing, and we strive to keep an open mind, be willing to unlearn, to grow and to evolve… and we hope you do the same! We encourage constructive criticism. We encourage debate and healthy discourse. We understand our show isn’t for everyone, that’s ok, too. Why we think “cancel culture” can be dangerous. The post OMM 2: State of (and History) of The Podcast, Plus The Value of an Open Mind first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help. Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount. Sponsor: Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements. Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount..   Our guest in this episode is Justin Frandson, an athleticism performance coach and founder of Athleticism.com and EMFRocks.com.  In this episode: Tawnee mentions she has owned EMF-harmonizing tesla rocks since her days as a vanlifer. Justin was hurt as a pre-collegiate elite athlete so ultimately went into a career in helping athletes in ways beyond agility training. Speed training, coordination drills, ambidexterity–incorporating rhythms, nonlinear movements, and ways to boost brain training, and help athletes get into flow. Get the body in the infinite flow of the universe. Don’t get stuck in one plane of motion–move dynamically! Brain waves: Sleeping: delta/theta brain wave state, which is <1 to 1-8 Hz. Theta: light sleep, relaxed and/or meditative state Delta: deep sleep Peak performance/flow state: alpha wave state, which is 8-12 Hz. When brain states rev low and slow, e.g. creative/visualization is theta, this is similar to Schumann resonance 7.83 Hz. Our brains will naturally rev closer to what earth is but when we have “monkey brain” activated or sympathetic state we leave that state–lose power. Eye-hand coordination, non-linear work, mindfulness, breathwork get us back to a flow state or alpha brain wave state. The value of Justin’s niche of work for endurance athletes: Why endurance athletes can benefit from fast-twitch muscle development. Proper gait, stride length/frequency, rhythmic body movement, coordinated movement for faster times. Injury resilience, bone density, more efficiency. Create new neuropathways and more easily get into flow state. Ambidexterity work to try: juggling! Athletic neurostacking–adding more and more to challenge the brain; stack the system during coordination exercises. Tie in with babies and toddlers–tapping balloons with both hands not just one so they aren’t so one-side dominant. EMF A big stressor that hinders performance and downregulate our nervous system Signal strengths keep increasing. Story of a paddler who went weak when wearing a smartwatch. Muscle testing. Endurance athletes and smartwatches/wearables Radiation from smartwatches (GPS, etc.) can have an impact. Technology–is it really the next best thing? Taking us away from our intuition. Use it for test/re-test purposes–those are the markers and data points that matter. Smart watches/wireless wearables: they are pinging at 2.45 billion waves per second of a one-directional wave form (for reference, as he mentioned, human body is used to operating at 8-12 waves/sec of unpolarized waves). But low levels of radiation, so is it significant? CDPH guidelines. Toxic world Is EMF just one more thing and tipping some of us over the edge. Zach Bush: #1 stressor on the body of the last 40 years is glyphosate. But EMFs have been around for even longer! Studies Dr. Martin Pall’s work including: Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects Microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce widespread neuropsychiatric effects including depression More published studies by Pall here. EMF disrupts us at a physiological/cellular level: Voltage-gated calcium channels open up allowing positive calcium into a negative cell. Secondary, cell and DNA damage. Whenter low-level EMF or high-levels, there’s still a vibration effect that affects our body. Our body gets de-charged, loses polarity, leads to fatigue, dehydration, etc. (cite Pall). Meters can mesuare speed of wavelength: Milligauss is measurement unit. Electricity in home is a frequency around 50-60 Hz, and phones, etc increase exponentially. CDPH recommendations on cell phone use and health. Bioinitiative.org has set minimum standards. Coexist with EMF and avoid the fear-mongering How to keep your cool over these “invisible” threats like EMF so that you don’t create the exact problems you’re trying to prevent, e.g. nervous system dysregulation. Don’t give your power away! We can convert these wave forms. Establish proximity protocols. Use nature to ground us. Grounding inside the home. For athletes, work more on an intuitive approach to training and listen to your body! Don’t rely solely on wearables. Nature is healing Grounding. Body is a body battery. Negative charge from the earth. Positive charge from the unpolarized light of the sun. Breathe in minerals. Water for conductivity. EMF exposure and susceptibility to health When mitochondria disrupted we are a gateway for other challenges; lose polarity. Eyes, teeth, thymus, lower intestine all get de-charged. “Level 1” EMF symptoms: Cognitive such as fatigue, behavioral issues, increased stress, headaches, ringing in ears, lack of sleep. “Level 2” EMF symptoms: Severe headaches/migraine, bloody nose, non-trauma concussion symptoms, rashes. “Level 3” EMF symptoms: Cancer, diabetes, suicide, CV disease, infertility. Genetic component that makes some of us more susceptible? Rh positive are more sensitive to EMFs; Rh negative more resilient. How much toxicity we’re exposed to/toxic burden. Methylation status matters in whether we’re sensitive or not. Our biofields–does EMF get “stuck” within us? There are many ways to test things like methylation, toxic burden, etc. EMF in our homes and personal space and what we can do… Smart meters are big offenders. Is this by your bedroom wall where you sleep, or your kids? Smart devices of all kinds–from phones to home cameras, etc. Hard-wiring is an option to mitigate EMF issues. Some people will feel like their brain is being “pinged” all night long. Is your home a quiet resonance? At the very least, turn off wifi or even electricity at night when sleeping to regain low resonance. Particularly in the bedroom! Dirty electricity sources What is dirty electricity: Amps to volts and disconnection between that communication due to bad/improper wiring, frayed wiring, transformer issues, not being grounded, etc. Electricity that leads to static, sparks, etc. LED lights (incandescent is the better option) Solar–not easily grounded To measure dirty electric: Stetzer electric meter. Should be below 100. Most homes below 300. He’s seen homes 900+. Back to nature: touch your feet to the ground, touch/hug a tree if it’s cold/winter outside. Get in water. Technology: we’re so addicted we don’t even know what it’s like to feel better without it! When you lose your polarity, it’s hard to heal and get well/recover. A lot of this we don’t even have to spend a dime to try/change and see if we benefit or feel better. Grounding, earthing and EMF rocks What is grounding? Connecting to nature/the earth to re-polarizes our system. Negative charge from below; positive charge from above, etc. A system of feeding that wave form and resonance. For more: Eileen McKusick Electric Body Electric Health When we have that polarity via grounding/earthing, our internal chemistry hold stronger. Without out we lose life force energy (eg no connection to nature, all artificial light, high EMFs, etc.). At the end of the day get your environment back to the resonance of the earth, i.e. Schumann Resonance. Grounding mats are one option (but must be plugged into wall). EMFRocks.com: Justin’s company hand-mines crystals, creates a coherence between us and one-directional wave forms to dampen EMF effects. Sleep improves by 3-50%. Keep in home, ideally by bed. 3rd party testing conducted on the rocks. Manmade devices are an option but not from nature like the rocks are. Athlete tips! You CAN use something like the EMF rocks on your body to coexist with EMF radiation (i.e. mitigate negative effects) when wearing smartwatches, HR monitors, etc, when training (i.e. hold or wear the rocks). Cyclists, get that cell phone off your sacrum! That’ll shut down power source. Women, get that phone off your chest, do not store it near your breasts. If you must take your phone, ideally put on airplane mode, in a faraday bag. Also don’t put your phone or device in a stroller pocket that is right near your child’s head or body. Trifield EMF meter to test EMF levels in your home, bedroom, office, etc.  The post Justin Frandson: Level Up Athletic Gains — Work Your Ambidexterity, Recharge With Nature, Coexist With EMFs, and (Gasp!) Ditch The Wearable?! first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts. UCAN products are powered by SuperStarch, a unique, low glycemic complex carbohydrate that delivers long-lasting energy with no spikes and no crash, keeping your blood sugar steady. It’s the perfect complement for the healthy metabolically efficient athlete. Whether you’re racing fast short-course events or grueling Ironmans and ultra runs, UCAN products have grown so much over the years, as well, to fit your needs, with everything from drink mixes to their popular EDGE gels.  Athletes from all types of sports and levels are using UCAN these days, with top-level and pro triathletes, runners and even Crossfit athletes are using UCAN to fuel their best performances. But, UCAN is also a fantastic product for non-athletes and/or outside of training too.  Many UCAN products are offered in both plant-based and whey protein options, all with SuperStarch, including plant-based bar flavors cherry berry almond, salted peanut butter and chocolate almond butter, as well as a variety of energy + protein powders—great for those of you athletes looking to gain or maintain strength.  Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET2021 if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount. Your host, Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, is embarking on a new chapter with Endurance Planet where she will be recording some solo, short-format epsiodes in a series called “On My Mind” or “OMM” for short. This is episode 1, and she’s already breaking the rules by featuring a guest, her husband, John Gibson, but for good reason: They are both coming off hosting and running in the SoCal Ragnar Relay with their two teams and on this episode they share some thoughts on the event, tips and more, including: When prep, life, and other variables make it difficult, mental strength comes into play more than ever and lends to success. Why Rangar is not the healthiest race to do, physically speaking, but the positives outweigh the negatives–what does that entail? If you’re going to train for one of these get your posterior chain in tip top shape—glutes, hams, calves and Achilles. Hams and calves flare up the most—likely from going form sitting to running to sitting to running, etc. Sleep deprivation… like heat, I don’t think you necessarily need to train for sleep dep, it just adds stress that’s unnecessary. A healthy body will handle it! It’s ok to have FOMO and bow out if you’re not ready though—it is quite violent and aggressive, do it in the season that’s right for you. What you eat matters. We provide food, clean and healthy, but may not fit everyone’s gut. Preparation to avoid GI distress! Even more than most races because the downtimes you risk “overdoing it” with foods that may not agree later. Be well… and celebrate that—a healthy body can take a beating and bounce back quickly (enough). A run-down overstressed body will struggle, especially in the weeks following. Know where you’re at. It’s ok to have limits and boundaries. The post On My Mind 1: Ragnar Isn’t Healthy, But It’s Worth It, Here’s Why (And Tips To Prepare) first appeared on Endurance Planet.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Skratch Labs. Skratch Labs is here to help all athletes perform better with sports nutrition that is simple, delicious, and based on science. No non-functional additives, like artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives – Skratch uses real food and real ingredients designed to help athletes perform and to create sports nutrition that you’ll actually want to eat. And Skratch guarantees their products will help you perform better. If they don’t, we’ll help you find something else or refund your purchase. It’s on us – no matter what – because we’re here to help. Best of all: EP fans get 20% off everything Skratch offers on your first order, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET20 if you’re shopping at Skratch for that same 20% discount. Sponsor: Fullscript is an online supplement dispensary with professional, high quality top-brand supplements from a verified distributor. When you sign up for  Fullscript through EP you can get an exclusive discount off thousands of choice of top-level supplements. Fullscript even carries PerfectAmino essential amino acids by BodyHealth—including the tablet form and powder form. Some other good finds on  Fullscript include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Thorne products, Nordic Naturals fish oils, and other great, trusted brands such as Pure Encapsulations and Designs For Health. Fullscript has you covered on every aspect of health and wellness. Head over to Fullscript now by clicking the link, and get set up with your own personal account for an exclusive discount off your supplements. When you buy supplements from a trusted source you ensure higher efficacy and proper storage and handling. So check out Fullscript, your go-to online dispensary with a discount.. On this episode, Tawnee and Lucho catch up after being together in April for the 2023 Ragnar SoCal Relay. They talk about the race, the (two) teams and more reflections. Following our Ragnar chat, we share thoughts on athletes—whether pro or amateur—who dope, integrity, the aftermath of cheating and more. Plus, for athletes who do choose to supplement with approved, legal and safe supplements, how and why we should be still cautious and discerning over brands we choose, sources and more. Lastly, we answer a question on a masters athlete (70+ years old) who’s looking to incorporate strength training for sprint training–what does a strength training program look like for older athletes? Enjoy!The post ATC 352: Ragnar Recap–Back For The Fifth Time! Plus: Thoughts on Doping and Integrity, Safe Supplementing, Strength Training for Athletes Over 70, and More! first appeared on Endurance Planet.