CBD For Ultra Marathon Running
As more people start to take CBD, we start to build a greater picture and understanding of what the compound does. The body is a strange unique ecosystem so everybody reacts to things differently – just like some of us have allergies, some of us don’t, some of us get wired after half a cup of coffee and some of us need a boat of caffeine to feel anywhere near human in the morning.
Those at the very, very top are professional sports people, athletes, lifters, body-builders, swimmers, marathon runners and anybody on the very cutting edge of human ability. When you are pushing your body to the absolute limit, a healthy support of the ECS may be able to give you the cutting edge you need to achieve more, push harder and overcome the demons of training. CBD oil for Marathon running is becoming extremely popular online as runners are looking to find something to limit wear and tear.
Arguably the most extreme and intense activities out there is the ultramarathon runners. Seriously, these guys and girls are another breed!
If you are an ultramarathon runner and know first hand what it is, and how it feels, skip to the section about how CBD helps.
Not only do we have an interview on our site with a CBDiablo customer who runs ultras for fun, our co-founder Sam also recently completed his first ultra-marathon, and CBD played a big part in his recovery after long runs, so we’ve got firsthand experience too.
So if you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of CBD for this sort of crazy stuff, you’re probably in the right place. As a quick overview, here is what seemed to work for Sam during his training and the run itself:
- Paste in the morning before breakfast (with a pint of water)
- The Ophanim Spray bottle (for during training runs & throughout the day)
- Paste before Food and before bed
- 50mg -60mgs of CBD per training day.
It’s also worth mentioning that he tried a CBD gel which he found online and didn’t feel too much effect from it. The CBD might not work for everyone in the same way, this is just what Sam found to work.
The CBD paste contains THC which may concern some athletes who are regularly tested: in that case we have a number of THC free oils & pharmaceutical grade MCT oil ‘angleic sprays’
Let’s get into the rest of the guide now:
What is Ultra-Marathon Running?
Ultramarathon running simply refers to a race that is longer than the traditional marathon run of 26 miles. If a marathon wasn’t enough, some ultramarathon events span over 50 and 100 miles of continuous running, 24/48 hour running events (as many miles as you can do in that time) and consecutive days running of thousands of miles. Mental!
You’re not only looking at the event that is one of the most physically demanding sports devised by humans, but there comes a point when mental strength is all you have. We genuinely have the greatest of respect for anybody who even gets on the starting line. The tole that running 24 hours will have on your body is immense and there is a fine line between ultimate glory and a serious health concerns and injury.
The Body
Human beings have been running for millions of years. It is really only in recent history that the average mileage of a human has decreased significantly. Our ancestors ran to travel at speed, to chase prey and run away from predators. Our bodies are primed for running long distances – ultramarathon running is even pushing that pedigree to the limit.
For most of us, a single marathon is a once or twice in a lifetime achievement that is reserved for dedicated runners. In fact, a marathon is an afternoon training session for an ultramarathon runner.
On average, an runner can burn up to 600 calories an hour and once training session could last for 4 or 5 hours. The depletion in your bodies glycogen and energy system would be insane….
As you can imagine, a runner also lands on their feet on average 5000 times an hour – the wear and tear of the grinding impact on the feet, ankles and knees will be huge. You’ll 100% need an ice cold bath after that session. They also experience an extreme form of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) due to hours of eccentric contractions (leg muscles lengthening under impact while they try to contract). DOMS is no uncommon in distance runners.
When your body is running on fumes it is really important for ultramarathon runners to understand intimately what they are putting in their bodies to maximize the use of their energy, to help prevent injury and help to heal and repair before getting back in the trainers. Kit, nutrition and supplements are almost essential.
During a race, the impact on the heart, joints, muscles, heart, liver, kidneys and immune system can be felt for weeks afterwards.
The Mind
CBD for Marathons & Ultra Marathons
As you can imagine, ultrarunners are pushing their bodies and minds to the limit. What if there was a natural compound that could support your body naturally?
Every human being has an Endocannabinoid System which is a network of receptors which controls the bodies ability to achieve normal healthy bodily functions; its goal is to achieve homeostasis which is when the body’s internal environment is balanced perfectly, and everything is working as it should.
So when the body is under stress, for example when you are hitting the wall, your body is out of balance internally. So when you stop, your ECS goes into overdrive to start the body’s process of recovery and repair.
Our bodies produce our own cannabinoids to do this but our bodies can also work with phytocannabinoids (like CBD & CBG), which are found in plants like Olives, Flax Seeds and Cannabis/Hemp.
This is important to understand specifically when it comes to recovery. Just as you take electrolytes & caffeine to support your body, so do food supplements.
One thing that ultramarathon runners often experience (particularly during training or after a race) is a lowered immune system. When the body is under stress it starts to pull blood away from the systems that are not important at that moment, and redirects it to the systems that are essential, like the muscles. You need to ensure that you have a balanced diet, and that you are looking after your well-being.
What Do Ultra Runners Say?
This article has been inspired by a runner called Luke Hinds. He purchased one of our oils just as we were starting out and emailed us to let us know the impact that it had on his running. We were so completely in awe of the feats that Luke attempts that we wanted to support his running somehow.
Luke recently ran a 100 mile event and managed 83 miles after running for 23 hours. Even though he was disappointed, this is an amazing achievement, and as testament to him, the next day feeling battered and exhausted he entered another, more challenging event! What a man!
We are really excited to send Luke the products we are testing out so that we can ascertain benefits that CBD has for people who are achieving amazing feats of endurance and overcoming unimaginable odds.
We cannot for sure sat that CBD will help with your running, and after doing some research there are quite a few people that don’t rate CBD at all. We put the question out on reddit (mainly US users) who said that they got some benefit, but more benefit from the Illegal Cannabinoid that we won’t mention…
We are all unique so it is hard to say if your body will use the CBD or not, and whether or not these runners were using products like oils, CBD pastes, creams or a bath-bomb. This can change the outcomes massively.