Oils

Fish Oils
Polyunsaturated fatty acids are important for optimal health.  Recent evidence suggests most people not consuming a diet high in fatty fish are at risk for deficiency in specific polyunsaturated fatty acids known as Omega 3 fatty acids, especially Eicosapentaenoic acid and Docosahexaenoic acid.  These fatty acids are now widely marketed as being able to cure any disease.  I won't get into what there is, and isn't strong evidence for, but will again reiterate that fact that most people are probably on the deficient side of things.

These fatty acids oxidize very easily, in fact when we feed these to mice in the lab, the diet has to be made fresh every 8 weeks even when refrigerated, and fresh diet is given to the mice every 3-4 days when at room temperature.  Look for high quality sources and keep refridgerated and protected from light (i.e. the dark amber bottles), if there are antioxidants in the oil this can slow the oxidation process.  I have heard the actual oils posses a higher bioavailability, but haven't seen any real evidence for this.

Cod liver oil is very high in vitamin D.  A vitamin with a similar deficiency/marketing story as fish oils.

Contains Omega 3s, but NOT EPA and DHA.  For a while Udo argued that the Omega 3 in this oil (alpha linelenic acid aka ALA) has a high conversion rate to EPA and DHA in humans.  Most experts agree this is totally false.

So Udo came out with an oil containing DHA

Coconut oil is a good source of saturated fat.  Hah, thats me being funny.  Seriously though, coconut oil contains some very unique fatty acids, including the medium chain length triglycerides.  It can be argued that these are burned more efficiently for fuel, but I've yet to be overly convinced by any studies (maybe I should look into this more).  There are some things to be said about some of the saturated fats in coconut oil in that they aren't common in a lot of other foods.  Saturated fat probably has a bad name in most households, and I am glad to see that coconut oil is helping people get past that anxiety.

Super Starches

Super Starches

Most of these are engineered starches created to have a very low if not totally absent glycemic response. From what I understand, they were originally created for people with the inability to utilize or store liver glycogen (glycogen storage disease); super starches promote steady blood glucose levels even in people who have no liver glycogen (sounds like me towards the end of a race).   

From a racing standpoint, the lack of glycemic response in theory should result in enhanced fat burning due to no/limited insulin signaling.  Interestingly/suprisingly, this has been supported by scientific data.  That being said, these are probably NOT good for recovery nutrition, where a large insulin spike is desired.  

I would suggest these products to be used as pre-race nutrition, while normal maltodextrin products would be fine during race as insulin is not as dominant during exercise (if you even have an insulin response) so the likelihood of insulin shutting down fat burning during exercise is minimal.  There seems to be real support this these products in the literature, and actually by researching this stuff I've nearly convinced myself to give it a try.

Amino Acid Supplements

Amino Acid Supplements
Generally speaking, high dose amino acid supplements, utilizing pure amino acid sources.  While a chicken breast, or handful of peanuts may contain similar amounts of some of these amino acids, getting them in a proper ratio is very important (from what I've been told by experts in this field).  There is a strong body of evidence that BCAA (leucine, valine, isoleucine) are metabolized by skeletal muscle in order to meet increased energy demands during exercise.  BCAAs may also participate in inhibiting central nervous system fatigue (mental tiredness).

 I still don't know what dosage of amino acids is the best to use for exercise, but generally you see between 1-5 mg as a general amount of mixed or pure amino acid.  5 mg is a lot!  Remember, more is NOT always better, especially because it is important to get the proper ratios.

Other amino acids such as alpha-ketoglutarate, glutamine, ornithine, and taurine have more speculative roles that are perhaps less proven/researched.

I like that they are very clear as to what is in this supplement

Vespa is popular, but whats the amino acid breakdown/profile?

 

There exists evidence that by encouraging intramuscular carnosine synthesis beta-alanine supplementation results in lactic acid buffering within the muscle cells and perhaps increasing VO2 max under certain test conditions.  Generally thought to be more important for sprint or anaerobic workouts that generate a lot of lactic acid, recent evidence suggests there may also be some benefit for endurance athletes.  This particular supplement could have its very own blog.

Nutrition products you may or may not have seen

Not endorsing any of this stuff.  I've been listening to a lot of triathlon podcasts, and those folks are very up to date on endurance nutrition products that might give them an edge.  So, why aren't ultrarunners?  It's an interesting difference between the two endurance camps.  Let's not argue about the respective difficulties, but appreciate that there are different approaches taken to the two different endeavors.

That being said, I have compiled and grouped several different classes of supplements that may be utilized or marketed to endurance athletes and just put my random (slightly scientific) thoughts in along with them.  I think they'll be published in this order.  If you can think of any other supplement groups that might be interesting, leave a comment or shoot me an email.

Before we start, I want to emphasize:  MORE IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER

1st - Natural Food Supplements (is that an oximoron?)
2nd - Amino Acid Supplements
3rd - Super Starches
4th - Oils

 Natural Food Supplements - Dehydrated food stuffs as well as isolated nutrients.  Usually chocked full of anti-oxidants including all the new ones such as polyphenols, isoflavonoids, catechins, and other plant phenols.  Generally speaking, the marketing behind these compounds is well ahead of the science, but there is at least some evidence that components in these products can be beneficial for endurance athletes.

Of the many compounds found in these products, the most compelling and consistent evidence supports the use of beetroot or beets in these products, as this contains nitrate, which acts on multiple systems which could enhance running performance.  Read more here:  Dietary nitrate and performance

Low calorie, but contains tons of nutrients.  Also should be a great source of nitrate which has been proven to increase endurance

Based on literature, a source of nitrate

Not sure what to say.  The publication on their website is definitely on the weak side of things.

Shaved Legs Look Sexy

Talked to my fellow runner friends who also keep the legs shaved.  Obviously the #1 reason was for the aerodynamic benefits.

Real(?) reasons to shave your legs.

Explanation #1.  I have leg  fur, not leg hair

• After the poison ivy at my first Hell I couldn't shake the oil in the 'fur' and the rash continued. I shaved and the rash went away quickly.

Explanation #2.  In addition my wife wanted to stay quite close, so that was nice.

•  Lets be honest, 93% of things men do is related to...  getting "closer" to women.  

Explanation #3.  Easier to get mud out.

• I have a memory of a muddy huff 50k from 08' where my buddy was literally crying trying to pull the mud out of his leg hair.

Explanation #4.  Feels good.

• I used to for cycling for road rash, but the best reasons I've heard are for getting massages.
• I remember when I was a competative swimmer and we would shave everything (yes everything) before our championship meets.  There is no feeling quite like jumping into a pool with totally hair-free body.  Shaving my legs reminds me of that feeling.
• Perhaps in this fashion, it is a part of my big-race/big-even routine.  Its strangely calming and gives me a confident feeling when my brain is trying to over-think a long run.

Reasons against shaving your legs.

Ewwww.  Stay manly. - one response from a lady ultrarunner (not sure why).  Is running 100 miles not manly enough?

"I happen to like my leg hair, I have alot so that makes up for the lack on my head, I have the perfect disbursement pattern, it is a fine hair nice and soft, it keeps me warm in the winter" 

So keep it, shave it, do what you like.  But just know, your legs wont look like these legs unless they're freshly shaven.

Ok, maybe this is a little vein

Can you tell whose legs aren't shaved?  2/3 ultrarunners shave their legs - fact.

Shaved legs trophy

Shave your legs not your face says Scott

Scott is really fast, probably because he shaves his legs.  He also has impeccable taste in singlets.

 

And just in case you get enough shaved man legs

La Sportiva Vertical K Review

I bought the Vert K's almost as soon as they were released.  In fact, I might have even pre-ordered them.  The very first day that I owned them, I ran 10 miles on the treadmill and was thrilled.  They felt great.

Yellow morphodynamic midsole

After putting many more miles on these shoes I can safely say that they fill a niche that is somewhat under targeted in the shoe market.  light weight, cushioned shoes, with a low drop (4mm).

I was very surprised by how well they gripped even in the worst mud that I had the chance to run in.  I attribute this not to the small lugs, but to the waves in the morphodynamic midsole that provide flex points, but also increase traction when required.  They feel incredibly light when holding them and then fit like a slipper.  The tongue only has one seem, which seems to improve the fit of the shoe and supplements the booty-like scree guard that Sportiva is known for on several of their shoe models.

In the past Sportiva shoes have been too narrow for my feet (skylight 2.0 and crosslite 1.0) so I haven't been able to really test out a shoe from this well respected shoe maker.  However, the vert k's have a significantly wider feel.  I still wouldn't say that they are as wide as many other minimalist type shoes that I have run in, but better than the aforementioned sportivas.  Along with the wider fit and unique tongue, their is also a small bungee on the heel of the shoe to help one put it on and off, however it seems to be placed on the wrong side of the shoe to be very helpful (imho).

Unique tongue gives a slipper-like fit

What really appealed to me about the concept of the vertical K is that they are lightweight and cushioned, something that a shoe like the MT110 is lacking.  This allowed me to climb with the comfort of light shoes and quick turnover, but to bomb steep hills with the help of a midsole that compressed more readily.  This is achieved through the use of Sportiva's morphodynamic midsole which is also featured on the quantum, and electron.

I was pretty much madly in love with these shoes until I hit some pavement in order to connect a couple trails.  here, the grooves in the outsole can be felt SIGNIFICANTLY, and while it didn't hurt on a mile of roads during 15 mile run, I can see this causing discomfort in longer races or training runs.  However, the grooves to provide excellent flexibility, and as mentioned earlier, good traction.

Grooves in the fairly wide forefoot

There is no rockplate in the Verticle K.  The protection is supposed to come the highly compressible midsole material.  I found this to work well, but by the end of a 23 mile run on rocky terrain, a combination of the grooves in the forefoot and the occasional rock poke through, again had me feeling a little wary about using them for anything further. 

These shoes come with a very thin insole, and removing it reveals some nasty looking seems in the footbed, which were extremely uncomfortable even through socks, when I ran without the insoles.

Handled the mud very well

Overall, the fit and concept of these shoes is excellent.  I loved the roomy, wider fit, that allowed me to get into a pair of sportivas.  Traction was great on all the conditions that I tested the shoes, including mud, rocks, sand, and erosion netting.  The scree guard on the upper does a good job of keeping debris out of the shoes and the laces can be tucked inside.  I experienced no problems adjusting the fit, despite the built in scree guard.  The downsides were that the shoe had a strange feel on pavement, which wasn't as noticeable on dirt roads or trail.  I did find the cushioning to result in a great feel on hardpack trails, but seemed to suck up extra energy on really sandy trails (I think they would be best on the sometimes rocky, but solid and try trails I ran in San Diego recently).  Furthermore, high volume feet cannot take out the insole, but rather I would suggest sizing up .5 sizes.  Finally, the concept of a cushioned light trail runner is a great idea, but a light rock plate would have been nice to both minimize the feel of the waves underfoot and beef up the protection just a tad.

There are not many other shoes in this category (light and cushioned).  Other competitors for this niche seem to be the Rogue fly, the upcoming MT1010 and Kinvara TR.  After running in these, I can only imagine how soft Hokas must feel, it is definitely an interesting ride, and I like to rotate these shoes in for several runs each week, but don't think that I would ever race more than a marathon or 50k in them.

January 2012

With the start of the new year, I have decided to make an effort to record my training in a little more detail.  To motivate myself I think I will wrap up each month by posting here.

Coffee and ice cream fueled my high mileage January

January has been...  very strange by Michigan standards.  Last year I remember logging (or slogging) miles through shin deep snow and loving the burn and challenge of new terrain.  This year, its been warm, relatively snow-free, and more icy than I remember.  That being said, conditions have been supported of higher mileage, albeit lower intensity running.  One of my absolutely favorite things about the winter is that I can run for 2-3 hours without having to carry water, although this usually results in me not taking a gel and having to fight through those low spots.

nice view at Bear Mtn.

I haven't raced since the HUFF 50k (I should probably publish my race recap sometime), which has left me feeling fresh enough to continue to put in solid mileage.  I started the new year off with a bang, and really decided to build upon the great start to 2012.  Also with advent of the new year comes NEW SHOES!  spring shoe season is upon us.  The shoe I was most excited for was the MT110, and it has not disappointed.  most of the miles I have logged in January have been in the MT110, Asics Gel Hyperspeed 4, or Montrail Rogue Racers.

January	1	14
January	2	16
January	3	19
January	4	18
January	5	14
January	6	18
January	7	20
January	8	18
January	9	10
January	10	17.5
January	11	15
January	12	0
January	13	20
January	14	11
January	15	9
January	16	11.5
January	17	13.5
January	18	13
January	19	11
January	20	0
January	21	35
January	22	18.5
January	23	16
January	24	15
January	25	11
January	26	15.5
January	27	16.5
January	28	21
January	29	26
January	30	0
January	31	19

Total miles for the month was 462, which was 98 miles more than I ran in Jan 2011, this is a good thing I think.  Long runs were not too evident as I only had one day with over 30 miles, but B2B weekend efforts have me hoping my endurance remains constant.  Slightly deceiving is that I have no idea how much vert I put in, at one point I was making an honest effort to practicing climbing on the deadmill, as well as hitting up the Poto, and my new trail system in Ann Arbor, linking some pretty steep trails together.  Also with Bear Mountain, I felt like I was working my climbing.  Alas, I have no idea if I am a stronger climber, but at least I have more confidence on the climbs.  I think I will be put to the test at the Louisville Lovin the Hills 50k (7000 feet of climbing???), which is rapidly approaching.

Dietary nitrate and nitrite may provide a performance boost

It is widely accepted that increased intake of the preservative sodium nitrite found in processed meats such as deli meats, bacon, and hot dogs is associated with negative health outcomes for certain subgroups of the population (1).  These associations have resulted in dietary nitrates and nitrites receiving a “bad name.”  However, scientists have been quick to point out that diets proven to be beneficial for cardiovascular health contain high amounts of fruits and vegetables, are low in sodium and contain polyphenols, potassium, fiber, and, you guessed it, nitrate! (2)  If dietary nitrates and its reduced form, nitrite, are so harmful, then why do we encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables containing these compounds?

Interestingly, dietary nitrate can reduce blood pressure through conversion to nitric oxide resulting in increased vasodilatation (3).  Thus, it stands to reason that enhanced nitrate intake contributes to the cardioprotective effect of dark green leafy vegetables, which are a particularly rich source of nitrate (2).  Evidence is emerging that consumption of dietary nitrate not only has positive effects on blood pressure, but that it also has the ability to enhance some parameters of exercise performance (3)!  I want to point out, this is independent of nitric oxide induced vasodilation.


In a recent study, subjects consuming 0.5L of beetroot juice prior to exercise exhibited a reduction in systolic blood pressure, as well as decreased oxygen consumption during walking and running (4). Indeed, beetroot juice is a rich source of dietary nitrate as well as other metabolically active compounds including antioxidants and polyphenols. In order to control for these variables, the authors of this study removed nitrate from the beetroot juice to use as a control. It became apparent that the positive effects on exercise observed in this study were due to the nitrate content of beetroot juice. Importantly, results from this study as well as others indicate dietary nitrate increased time to exhaustion in constant speed severe intensity running and cycling as well as decreasing the oxygen cost of exercise, indicating improved exercise economy (3, 5).  While the mechanisms by which dietary nitrate improves these parameters remains to be fully understood, by use of a nitrate free beetroot juice, the authors definitively show that dietary nitrate has a positive physiological response to exercise.

These studies provide a valuable dietary modification of exercise performance. By reducing the oxygen cost at moderate and severe intensity running, one is reducing the energy cost of running.  According to the authors, 4 days of dietary nitrate supplementation induced improvements equivalent to those observed following 6-9 weeks of physical training (4).  Ideally enhanced running economy translates to enhanced endurance; however this parameter was not assessed during this study.


So how do we actually apply this knowledge to our sport, you ask?  I am certainly not going to run around with beetroot juice in my bottles.  What it boils down to is that there are not a lot of nitrate/nitrite supplements available - mostly because they are associated with the generation of N-Nitrosocompounds, a carcinogen thought to increase the risk of developing colon cancer.  I think for this reason, you will not see a lot of companys (Clif, Gu, Powerbar, Hammer, etc.) pursue utilizing this interesting nutrient.  However, as Hord et al. point out, the generation of these carcinogens is highly dependent upon the presence of vitamin C and lipids (fat).  This is likely to occur during the consumption of salami for example (due to the fact it is preserved with nitrates and vitamin C and also has a high fat content) but is less likely to take place when eating lean deli meats, or during the consumption of a meal rich in dietary nitrates like can be found in spinach or beets.  Dietary nitrates are thought to have a half life of 5-8 hours in circulation, thus we can try to incorperate these into our meal the night before a race, or if we have a supplement, immediately before, and during.  This would also suggest we need a fresh bolus half way through a 24 hour endurance event.  Using reference 2 I have provided a table classifying nitrate concentrations in commonly consumed vegetables.  To me, it is interesting to think that there are some elite athletes who are known for their diets, think Scott Jurek, Dave Scott, Devon Crosby-Helms, and others who are open with their vegetable rich diets, may actually be benefiting from dietary nitrate.  After having a conversation with Dr. Norm Hord, the author of an excellent review on this subject, he pointed out that V8 (the vegetable kind, not the sugary juice) is actually based in beetroot juice and is an excellent source of nitrate.  My stomach rolls at the thought of drinking a V8 during a long run, but heck with all that salt, it might not be so bad.

TABLE 3

Classification of vegetables according to nitrate content

Nitrate content (mg/100 g)
Very low, <20	Artichoke, asparagus, broad bean, eggplant, garlic, onion, green bean, mushroom, pea, pepper, potato, summer squash, sweet potato, tomato, watermelon
Low, 20 to <50	Broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, pumpkin, chicory
Middle, 50 to <100	Cabbage, dill, turnip, savoy cabbage
High, 100 to <250	Celeriac, Chinese cabbage, endive, fennel, kohlrabi, leek, parsley
Very high, >250	Celery, cress, chervil, lettuce, red beetroot, spinach, rocket (rucola)

Works Cited

1.    Gilchrist M, Winyard PG, Benjamin N. Dietary nitrate--good or bad? Nitric Oxide.  Feb 15;22:104-9.
2.    Hord NG, Tang Y, Bryan NS. Food sources of nitrates and nitrites: the physiologic context for potential health benefits. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jul;90:1-10.
3.    Ferreira LF, Behnke BJ. A toast to health and performance! Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure and the O2 cost of exercise. J Appl Physiol.  Mar;110:585-6.
4.    Lansley KE, Winyard PG, Fulford J, Vanhatalo A, Bailey SJ, Blackwell JR, DiMenna FJ, Gilchrist M, Benjamin N, Jones AM. Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of walking and running: a placebo-controlled study. J Appl Physiol.  Mar;110:591-600.
5.    Bailey SJ, Winyard P, Vanhatalo A, Blackwell JR, Dimenna FJ, Wilkerson DP, Tarr J, Benjamin N, Jones AM. Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2009 Oct;107:1144-55.