Cannabis and endurance sports
by MADELINE FERGUSON
Utah is one of the healthiest and most active states in the nation, thanks in large part to our incredible access to outdoor recreation and sunny weather for most of the year.
The beehive state is also full of endurance athletes like runners, bikers and hikers. In the running community, people often talk about using cannabis edibles before long runs to improve mental stamina and muscle relaxation (all runners know tightening up is the worst).
Taking a cannabis edible can also help keep your brain from getting completely distracted by thoughts of wishing the run were over and your never-ending to do list. It can also help relieve some of the aches and pains that naturally come with running and take your mind off the unpleasant parts of the run so you can focus on how good it makes you feel.
Some folks also experience nausea while running, especially in hot weather, and the benefits of marijuana for nausea have been demonstrated in studies on cannabis helping cancer patients suffering with nausea and loss of appetite due to treatments.
When it comes to long-distance running, nutrition is key to performance and especially eating enough. Sometimes it can be hard to get enough calories if you are running long distances often, cannabis can help stimulate appetite to help runners eat enough in order to keep their energy stores up.
(Check out this article from The Utah Bee on strains that support appetite and induce the munchies)
Before you try cannabis during your endurance sports it is first important to understand how cannabis affects you and what dosages you can tolerate without feeling too messed up. Experiment with different modalities and dosages in the safety of your own home before heading out for a run.
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That brings me to another point - modalities. It is not recommended that endurance athletes smoke or vape anything, so edibles or a tincture are probably your best bet if you plan to try cannabis before endurance runs or bike rides.
It is essential to keep in mind that there are thousands of strains of cannabis, each one producing different effects. Which strain to use can be very specific to every individual person and your desired outcome, please make sure to do your research and some personal experimenting.
Experts don’t recommend using cannabis on your race days, it can be the opposite of a performance enhancer, but it can help with those long training runs and with recovery. Sleep is another important factor in performance, and cannabis can help you get a better night's sleep.
Cannabis also reduces inflammation, which can help prevent muscle soreness and aid in recovery.
Before you head out on your high run, remember cannabis impacts everyone differently so it is important to listen to your body and do what feels best to you.
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