s was chosen by the random number generator:
4th layer is a protective layer: Jackets. This layer protects you from the rain, wind, snow, etc. It keeps you dry, comfortable, and happy. Any time it`s gray outside, this is an important layer to bring with you. They also work well for some extra warmth and have zippers to release heat if you get over-heated, while continuing to protect you from the elements.
Other essentials. Keeping your head heat regulated has a lot to do with keeping the rest of your body heat regulated. A running cap or ear warmers are a great idea and are easy to take off and stash in a jacket pocket later in the run. Running gloves are also extremely important if you value the use of your fingers. Many models have thermal and protective layers. The last important item is arm-warmers. These are great for races where you want to wear your favorite running singlet and still keep your arms warm. Use them in any combination. The special materials used in these products are designed for comfort and efficiency.
I recently participated in the Top of Utah Marathon, my third marathon. I have been running for years doing a “long run” every Saturday, these runs range anywhere from 13 to 21 miles long. So as you may have guessed I have experimented with plenty of energy gels. Due to the texture of gels I leaned more towards the chews that is until this marathon. Working at a running store I get to see all sorts of different products and hear how people feel about them. I had been curious about Roctane GU for some time and finally decided to gag it down and see what happened. I took a regular GU fifteen minutes before the start of the race and another regularGU at mile 6. They did their job just fine but the real magic happened at mile 12 when I took my first ROCTANE. I went with the Pineapple because it was the only one without caffeine. By mile 14 I felt amazing! At mile 16 I started picking people off one by one, it felt pretty awesome!
At mile 18 I knew it was time for another GU, I picked threw my stash until I found another Roctane. My energy continued on. I think I actually started annoying people as I whizzed past them, usually by this point in the race I am tired and barely holding on but this one was different. I suppose I could have just been having a great running day but realistically I think it had to do with the Roctane.
I think this was my first race that I consumed enough calories to sustain my energy. I decided that GU Roctane gels work much better for me, I’m still not crazy about the consistency but I will just have to get past that. When I have used Chomps in the past I never ate enough of them, I would eat 1 maybe 2 on a good day. The serving size for Chomps is 4, NOT 1. With the gels I finished the pack and got the calories I needed. Plus, with the Roctane I got a lot of added nutrients.
This is what GU has to say about Roctane. “Roctane is GU to a higher power. It packs more of the stuff that makes GU so effective: more amino acids, more caffeine, more sodium, and more potassium. It even includes a new amino acid complex (OKG) that reduces muscle damage and speeds recovery.”
It has a blend of semi-essential and essential amino acids. Essential amino acids cannot be manufactured in the body or are manufactured in insufficient amounts. For this reason they must be obtained from our food supply. Histidine is considered a semi-essential amino acid because of its rate of synthesis. It cannot be manufactured by the body at a rate that will support growth.
Histidine slows lactic acid build-up.
Leucine, Valine, and Isoleucine provide extra energy, reduce fatigue and aid in recovery.
Roctane has Citrates which speed the conversion of carbs into energy. It also has the amino acid Ornithine Apha-Ketoglutarate (OKG) which helps athletes go longer and it promotes speedy recovery, Roctane is the ONLY gel on the market that has OKG.
GU recommends that you use one Roctane 15 minutes before the race and then again every 45 minutes. I find it easier to go by miles because of the water stations. You always want to drink water (8-10 ounces) after having a GU to get the nutrients absorbed into your body faster and avoid gastrointestinal problems.
After my experience with Roctane I would highly recommend it to any athlete!!
By: Stephanie Anderson
Sometimes you come across a product that you love so much that you want everyone to be able to reap its benefits. SportLegs is an amazing product that I have been using about a month now but I never want to do another leg work out or long run without it.
I’m sure we have all been excited to go out running but soon after we begin we realize that our legs just don’t want to cooperate, they feel like they weigh 100 lbs. There is no better way to ruin a perfectly good run than to deal with tired legs.
... A month ago I found SportLegs, I decided to take them on my “leg day” I got done with all of the squats, lunges and a whole array of hard stuff. I then headed into a spin class. I found myself going crazy, I couldn’t feel any pain or discomfort in my legs, usually it is quite difficult to do a spin class or run for that matter after working my legs. I was flying and it felt awesome. After the 45 minutes of spin I headed out for a quick little run. I did a 5K faster than ever before. I then went home and took another pill to help lessen any soreness that I could have inflicted upon myself. The next day I was sore but it was not near as bad as I thought it was going to be.
The next Saturday was my first 18 miler of the year that was NOT to be completed on the treadmill. I woke up and took SportLegs. Two weeks previous to this one I had gone on a 17 mile run outside and by mile 14 I just wanted to blink myself home…I was DONE. This time though was a very different story. I felt AMAZING! I think I could have run all day long, my legs weren’t tired at all. I didn’t have anything holding me back. In fact, once I got home and drank my protein shake I went on a 4 mile walk with my kids.
The good thing about SportLegs is that you don’t have to take it every day there is no “loading” where you have to take it for a few weeks in order to start noticing its benefits. You take it 1 hour before you start exercising and again after your work out is complete, if you want to help ward off excessive soreness.
Here is what Sportlegs.com has to say about the science behind their amazing product:
Lactate, commonly called lactic acid, is turning out to be seriously amazing stuff. Science no longer regards it as a waste product of anaerobic exercise, as was thought for most of the 20th century. Lactate is now recognized as a key carbohydrate muscle fuel source which muscles produce, exchange and consume both at rest and during exercise. And it's the primary ingredient in SportLegs. What's alternately termed the Lactate System or Lactic Acid System is now recognized as the primary source of energy for short-term "sprint" activities. Since most competitive sports are nothing more than sequences of sprint activities, lactate remains a focus of current research. For instance, during exercise, it's recently come to light that your blood may actually transport more lactate than glucose to fuel muscles (20). At rest and during light exercise, your muscles balance lactate production and consumption, producing just as much lactate as they consume (21). But kicking up the pace upsets the balance:
When you start serious exercise, muscles produce more lactate than they consume (1,2,3,4,5), particularly at altitude (2,6), which is why skiers and mountain bike racers suffer more "burn" than most. This continues until the concentration of lactate in your blood rises enough to signal muscles to stop producing excess lactate (7,8,9,10,11,12,13). Until this happens, a domino effect begins which limits your subsequent performance: Lactate accumulates in muscles; limbs "pump up" and feel heavier. The harder you exercise, the more lactate accumulates (14). Lactate accumulated from flow imbalance quickly becomes acidic (14,15) and even less mobile (16), further exacerbating accumulation. This "Lactic Acidosis" is classically associated with reduced Lactate Threshold, reaching the "burn point" at a lower level of exertion. Muscular strength plummets as well (17,18,19).
How taking SportLegs first helps performance: SportLegs uses lactate, your body's primary high-exertion muscle fuel, to signal muscles not to overproduce lactate before you even begin exercise. Muscles switch from lactate overproduction to net lactate consumption in response to a rise in blood lactate concentration, regardless of whether blood lactate is raised naturally or from exogenous infusion (7,8,9,10,11,12,13). That's precisely what SportLegs accomplishes. It's 86.4% lactate. Taken an hour before exercise, SportLegs raises blood lactate, so you experience exercise with less limb "pump" and heaviness, and improved lactate transfer facilitates a noticeably higher Lactate Threshold. Reduced lactate accumulation means less retention of free radicals and other metabolic wastes in muscle tissues, for faster recovery and less next-day soreness.
SportLegs also contains calcium and magnesium, which are two things that are lost when we sweat. You don’t get calcium or magnesium from sport drinks. SportLegs is one supplement that I would recommend to anyone who loves to run but hates that heavy leg feeling that drags you down.
Product Review: CEP Compression Sleeves, Socks and Shorts
By: Kari Clifford and Joe Bradley
Athlete Feedback-
“While racing in CEP Sportsocks I noticed that my legs felt sharp the entire run. Whenever I asked my legs for quicker turnover they were able to respond. I also noticed a faster recovery after racing with my CEP compression socks- and recovery is key to any great performance.”
- Andy Potts, Ironman 70.3 World Champion
“I don’t go anywhere without my CEP Clone. The 41 custom measurements and medical grade compression make all the difference. Whether it’s after workouts or while I’m traveling, my clone is always with me.”
Josh Cox, US 50K record holder
“ After 15 years of racing professionally, I believe that recovery and taking care of your body is vital and possibly the most overlooked aspect of racing by athletes of all levels. I use CEP socks in hard training sessions, and most importantly, in daily use. I am on my feet a lot with training and two kids… Life doesn’t stop so I need to know I am helping my legs throughout the day.”
Matt Reed, US Olympian & Triathlete
How the body works- According to CEP technologists, efficient, healthy blood flow is crucial to maximizing athletic performance. CEP technology enhances blood circulation, delivering more oxygen and improving the body’s ability to process lactic acid. To understand our technology, first learn how blood flows throughout the body:
ARTERIES
- Transport oxygen-rich blood from the heart to organs and extremities.
- Use outer and inner muscular walls to maintain pressure and diameter.
- Arterial circulation is key for the athletes, assisting “peak Performance”
VEINS
- Transport de-oxygenated blood from extremities back to the heart.
- Leg veins have the greatest pressure at the ankle because of gravity.
- Carry lactic acid and waste back through the blood’s filtration system to be re-circulated.
How CEP works: Every cell in the body needs oxygen for power. The arteries which have inner and outer walls that maintain diameter deliver these key nutrients. Recent discoveries reveal that inner arterial walls relax when a consistent, optimal amount of compression is exerted on the artery. Compression can increase arterial blood flow up to 40% during activity and 30% during recovery. As a result, athletes who use CEP products benefit from more oxygen and nutrients, gaining power, recovering more quickly and improving performance.
RESEARCH
CEP is equipped with medi compression, which represents innovation, technology and expertise in medicine and sport. Six decades of research and development on the effects of compression flow into every CEP product. Dr. Wolfgang Kemmler, in the 2009 edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, published a study showing that runners using CEP Compression Sport socks had 5% faster running times while using 6% percent less energy.
Results:
- Enhances Performance and speeds recovery
- CEP technology helps athletes perform at their best in individual sport disciplines by combining compression and functionality.
- CEP products offer optimum physical comfort and the fastest possible regeneration before and after sport.
Reference- CEP Official Website
