Where would I be without my nutritionist Matt Showalter? (mshowalter@maxmusclenebraska.com)
Probably dead.
Ok - that was hyperbolic, but I never would have finished the snowshoe 100...and maybe I would have passed out in a snowbank...and THEN I'd be dead, maybe. Anyway - Matt's nutritional and supplement wisdom is important!
If I could, I'd be like the Tour de France racers who spend their nights hooked up to IV's getting pumped full of fluids, calories, vitamins, and other important stuff.
Why?
Because the human body can only absorb so much stuff naturally. And riding your bike they way they do day after day in the world's hardest race, is well, not natural. It's not possible to do what they do at the speed that they do it 100% 'naturally'. (Now, let's leave the whole doping question out of this discussion. What I'm talking about is LEGAL.)
Well, there were no IV's for me to plug into during my 100 mile snowshoe. Which, arguably is not a natural thing for a human body to do.
Training the way I do wasn't really a requisite of our hunter-gatherer ancestry whose genes I carry. My digestive track can only process so many nutrients and break it into supporting proteins, carbs, and amino acids so fast. (Disclaimer: Nutritionists like Matt are rolling their eyes at all the technical stuff I'm getting wrong and my over simplifications.) I need my 'foodstuff' delivered in the most effective way.
Fact: I can't get the nutrients I need from eating food alone.
I need suppements. Pills and magic concotions of fluids that get my dying muscles as much 'stuff' as they need to keep me alive when working out for 48 hours.
I will follow up with some of my favorite vitamins and supplements in another post. For now, ask Matt. He knows his stuff, and whatever it is you are trying to do - he'll get you there.
I’m so glad somebody finally came out and said it. Running these distances isn’t natural. That’s why I work closely with my nutritionist Sara who’s nutritional aids are also unnatural. It’s a perfect fit. At about mile 3, when I’m hitting the wall, I slam a Ding Dong. Sure it increases inflammation but the sugar-high and associated boost is well worth the micro cell damage to my cortex and other organs. Oh, and the crash isn’t a barrel of monkeys but it’s easily countered with a warm Red Bull combo Vitamin I chaser. OK, so I get a tad diuretic and the kidneys don’t process water so well but that’s counter with a Go Girl (diet to offset the Ding Dong) energy drink and some Smart Water to replace the recently fried brain cells. It’s all about action, reaction. If you haven’t guessed, my nutritionist last name is Lee and she’s not Chinese. In fact, she’s conveniently located at most properly stocked gas stations and mini-marts. Totally unnatural and a perfect fit for the unnatural distances of the endurance game. Hey, you gonna finish that cinnamon roll? I need to put in 20.
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