2020 has pulled the rug out from beneath all of us and so it’s never important to keep stability in routines and focus on recovery. Even the WHO (World Health Organization) has acknowledged burnout as an official medical condition and now most people are either unemployed or live at the office. Navigating day to day life at the moment is a minefield, let alone pushing your training further, so I’ve been making the most of routines and products that make that possible. CBD is a wonder product and EIR Health’s N0. 30 has long been my favourite. When they launched the ISO Pure CBD Oil I made sure I was first on the list to try it out and I’ve got to be honest, it’s an absolute game changer.
For a bit of background, this year I have been working to set up Project Iron Souls, a charity to help veterans access sport for their mental health, and have also upped my training to compete in a series of multi stage ultra-marathons in extreme conditions (high altitude and deserts). I don’t do things by half!
I’ve always loved endurance training (mixed in with some Functional Fitness to keep it interesting) and to date have completed over 30 marathons and 8 Ironman triathlons all over the world. Even so, this training has definitely kicked things up a notch for me, both mentally and physically. And clocking up so many miles means recovery is essential and needs to happen fast. The key areas that I’ve been focusing on to aid my recovery are sleep, inflammation and mood.
With sleep, the minute the lights go out my brain has a habit of whirring into action, analysing the events of the day, often keeping me awake until the early hours of the morning. This was overcome pretty much straight away, I was able to switch off in bed which allowed my body to fall asleep. I’d like to add there has been no side effects when waking either, I felt awake and refreshed.
In training for Ultra-Marathons it is not uncommon to be running well over 100km per week which is in itself a huge stress on the body. This for me was my next obstacle I needed help with. There are two types of Cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. When activated, the CB2 receptors are responsible for managing the inflammation in the muscles, speeding up the recovery process so that I’m ready to get back out again the next day. Inflammation is the immune system’s way of clearing up any broken bits of muscle tissue, ready for the muscle to repair itself, but requires time and rest to complete. Inflammation issues come from not taking that rest, triggering the immune system to keep flooding the muscle with more fluid. Making this process more efficient helps to get you back on the move quicker and that’s what CBD is so good for. Last year, I took a month off CBD to see if I noticed any difference and I quickly found that my knees couldn’t take the pace! I’ve seen similar results with clients and friends that I’ve recommended the product to: the body just repairs itself quicker.
As a rule, I take a dose of the Pure Iso 3000mg oil before bed, about 20 minutes before I want to be asleep, holding it in my mouth for around a minute and then swallowing. And as if I couldn’t rave about this product any more - they’ve also done away with the CBD taste so this oil is completely clear and tasteless! On days that I run longer distances (over marathon) I’ll have some right after the run to calm my central nervous system, and then another dose before bed.
Maintaining the level of training that I need to along with the stresses of normal life (and the craziness that’s happening in the world at the moment) takes a toll on your mental health and stress levels. I know that CBD is being trialled for various mental health issues at the moment, and it’s definitely not a fix, but it does give me a sense of calm, and helps me to cut through the noise of daily life. I have friends and clients who are taking the ISO Pure to help with anxiety and have found it to be really helpful, also.
As an ultra-runner, I’m always looking for that extra edge to help me to recover quicker and feel stronger and CBD oil has definitely helped me on this front. I know anyone who is serious about their training will feel the same. I like that it’s a natural product and Eir Health are a trusted, premium quality provider.
In the last leg of 2020, as more and more races and competitions are cancelled, I know a lot of you will be feeling frustrated being competition ready and nowhere to go - I’m with you. Make sure you’re not overtraining - set new goals and targets and now is a great time to work on a solid recovery strategy. Getting your body efficient at recovering will help you no end when you’re ready to ramp things up again. And remember one size doesn’t fit all - try out different things and see what works for you. It’s all about building up your own special formula to success. Pure ISO is definitely a prominent feature of mine, why don’t you give it a go?
Eir is a company that prioritizes these qualities in a CBD product. We make 100% organic, hemp-derived cannabidiol with no chemicals, no isolates—just premium, full spectrum CBD oil, fairly priced and conveniently shipped all over the world. Have a look!
