Why I drink RE7

In a blog post around Christmas I explained a lot of my fuelling strategies such as frequency, volume, and most importantly the types of food I eat to perpetually feed my tissues when running. What I didn't discuss was my hydration strategy and why it's such an important part of the equation. About two years ago a friend suggested I try RE7. I, like most runners had become very attached to the current hydration strategy I've been using which was water and Nuun. With reluctance I tried it. Almost immediately I noticed significant benefits but to be honest I did not notice the benefits on shorter runs but I did on the long grinds. My theory is that far too many runners focus on calories, carbohydrates and protein and completely forgo placing importance in the depletion of the body's vitamins and minerals. In my experience, heightened focus in vitamins and minerals have given me a steady flow of energy and stamina to all bodily systems enabling the body to perform all day and night. A friend asked me why I don't just take a multivitamin in which I answered that not all vitamins and minerals are created equal. RE7 is specifically designed for an athlete's needs in mind giving you a truck load of everything you need and nothing you don't. My dietitian Samara Feleski-Hunt was most interested in the Folic acid, Pantothenic acid, B6 and B12 which she states that the continual intake would be extremely advantageous in ultra marathoning. I like the fact that it's sweetened with Stevia and not sugar as I don't like to take in calories via fluids. My only issue I have with the product is it doesn't contain sodium and in my experience I don't need a lot but a steady drip is very useful. So to alter it I use a half a Nuun tablet mixed in per 500ml. On a daily basis I will drink one bottle a day as I find it an easy way to be assured I'm getting my nutrients while juggling my busy life as a father of three, a hectic work schedule and running big mileage weeks.

Now I know I'm going to get a lot of backlash from readers spouting research regarding studies that oppose my opinion. There are a growing amount of athletes and coaches doing science experiment after science experiment to our sport with the admirable intent to make us perform better. However in the meantime we stop listening to our built in sensors that placed the human species at the top of the pyramid. I'm not a scientist but when it comes to recognizing depletion, I've been there. I challenge you during your next long run to tap into the body and try to figure out what you are missing, remember that ultra marathoning is fighting the war against depletion. Inspired by my recent trip to Italy, Michelangelo was quoted on his 89th birthday:

"Ancora imparo" - I am still learning.

World 24hr Championships Torino

My day started in tears and ended in tears. It was 7:30am Saturday April 11th, a quiet nervousness filled our Torino hotel room. I was putting on my Canadian kit when Sharon asked me if I would sit down so she could show me something. She pulled out her phone and showed me THIS VIDEO. Immediately I broke into tears. Any regular reader of my post knows that I get all my courage and strength from my children and within that moment Sharon gave me the greatest gift and from that point I knew this was gonna be a day to remember.

We arrived at the track at 8:00am to set up. The Canadian tent was smack dab in the middle of countless white tents all lining the inside of a 400m track surrounded by stadium seating. The 2km course ran out from the track up a winding steep ramp and onto an asphalt road/pathway that circumnavigated the stadium with an out and back hairpin turn then back down the ramp depositing the runners back onto the track. There was a lot of talk of how the ramp and the hairpin turn would ruin some runners but I minimized it and decided I wouldn't let that play into my strategy. At 9:55am I made my way into the front row relaxed and ready to hurt. The gun sounded at 10:00am and the group forges forward at a snail's pace. The first quarter of the race is a tricky section where you should feel like every little effort is being exerted yet fast enough that you aren't braking and ruining your legs for the remaining hours.

Early stages 

At the 42.2 km marathon mark my split was 3hrs28min...sweet! My fuelling strategy was similar to my last 24hr race at the Desert Solstice Invitational where I ate every 30 minutes going between fructose and glucose and meat every 2-3 hours. My hydration strategy was to take 500ml of half RE7 half water and a half Nuun tablet every hour and adjust as needed as I went along. Sharon would be monitoring this and I gave her consent to change course if problems arouse. To those of you that don't know Sharon she has never been much of of a runner nor has she ever run an ultra but she does know ME more than anyone else on this planet and her knowledge of me especially when I'm in a state when I don't know what's up or down could prove to be invaluable. Around the 10 hour time I noticed I hadn't passed gas or burped for a couple hours. A pain lingered in my stomach and abdominal bloating started to show signs of

GI issues. Immediately I stopped fuelling, decreased my pace and started stealing ginger chews from Lisa Miller who was crewing for another Canadian runner Dennene Huntley. This eased the discomfort but no movement was experienced. Next came the Tums with similar results. With the lack of fuelling my energy was slipping, needless to say I was getting very concerned. Sharon later told me that I was coming into the aid station not making any sense and stumbling, obviously her protective wife meter started climbing. Finally an Imodium was offered to me. This is something I've never tried while racing but I was at wits end. I took the tablets and about 30 minutes later I started passing gas, praise the Lord! Now feeling much better I approached the 100 mile mark just after 14hrs40min. I wasn't unhappy with this time but earlier in the week I thought a 14-14hrs10min time would've been ideal. At this point of the race it was clear that a lot of the top runners from Japan, Russia and Latvia

Crashing around midnight while talking to Mama Lisa

that sped ahead in the first 12 hours are now starting to die a long painful death. It seemed to me that around 1:00am-2:00am was the dropping point that those who didn't pace well and show restraint slowed and those with patience sped forward with continued momentum. My TSN turning point happened around 1:00am. Sharon gave me a RedBull and about 20 minutes later the lights went out in the stadium. The smell of an electrical fire lofted through the air which spurred the coaches to start handing out headlamps to aid the runners vision. My worry was that the chip mat would not pick up the laps run but as I went atop the mat 4 beeps rang out, it did read the lap but nothing appeared on the now powerless jumbo tron. Next time I passed Sharon she had a headlamp in her hand, she offered it, I declined. As I ran away from her I knew that this was my chance, my turn to make my move. With no head lamp and smoke clouding the air I increased my pace almost feeling like a ninja slicing threw his enemies left and right passing every runner on the course multiple times. The dark offered a sense of strength like I was almost surprising runners as I passed them with solid speed and general ease. After maybe 2 hours of blackness the lights came back on. Before the lights went out I was told I was in 25th place now only two or so hours later I was in 12th. Fellow Canadian athlete Wayne Gaudet suggested to me that I keep the flow but consider slowing a bit to conserve for the sunrise hours. When a Canadian ultra legend speaks wisdom I think it best to listen. My pace slowed slightly and with anticipation I kept my eye to the the east awaiting the sun. Upon the sun cresting the horizon just before 7:00am Sunday morning I was approaching the 226K mark. The glow of the sun was a welcome sign that the suffering would soon come to an end but the end was the furthest thing from my mind. The only thing that was in my focus was the Canadian 24 hour record that's been held by Peter Holubar since 1990 of 242.917K. To be honest, that was my goal coming into these championships and I knew now it was an inevitability. The combined energy of the Canadian tent, coach

The best crew around

Armand LeBlanc and my greatest supporter Sharon built as I approached the record and at 22hrs35min I passed the timing mat making it official; I am the best 24 hour runner in our country's history! Yaaaaahoooooo!!!!! With a kiss from Sharon and a high five from Armand the next lap was pure bliss, thinking of my accomplishment it almost felt like I had a fresh pair of legs. All good things must come to an end and that end came quickly. Reality set in as I finished that lap and approached the Canadian tent where I saw Armand with a certain look of absolute intensity. He handed me a small scrap of paper and said "Dave you are in sixth position, here on this paper are three numbers, they are all half a lap in front of you. If you catch them you are on the podium, GO!" HOLY SHIT BALLS! Now this was not something I expected to hear. I mean, me on the podium at the world championships? I heard the Dukes of Hazard horn and off I went. Arms pumping, knees driving, I knew I had to giv'r everything I had to drain the tank. I ran a solid lap all the time looking at my precious scrap of paper and up at the

NB Zantes

runners ahead of me and no numbers matched. Another speedy lap and still no numbers matched. This went on for many laps and with 20 minutes remaining, YES a match. I passed him easily as he was suffering big time but while I passed him this other dude came screaming passed me like grease lightning. Shit, was that seventh place? I think every other runner got similar advice as I did from Armand and all were gunning to move their position up. So catching up with number 5 was becoming more and more unlikely as all my matches had been burnt. Upon the completion of the 128th lap my watch showed 23hrs53min and I knew this would be the last time I would complete the 2km course lap. Sharon handed me my marker cone and the Canada flag and I told her to come find me on the course. Waving the flag and decreasing my pace I exited the stadium feeling a wave of relief that this damn thing was coming to an end. I suddenly noticed a lot of runners sprinting past me. WAKE UP DAVE this thing is still happening and you might have just lost a placement. I found another wind and my old sprinting legs got reborn. Driving ahead the one minute warning shot went off and before I knew it the final gun shot rang signaling the end of the race. I crumbled in a heap on the asphalt draped in the Canada flag. It may have been victory maybe exhaustion but the tears came out like rain. Then followed by cheers of exhilaration and pride for this damn beautiful country. I laid there at 257.093 kilometres after 24 hours of racing, the new Canadian 24 hour record holder and the IAU World 24 hour championships 6th place finisher.

Big shout out to the IAU for putting on yet another amazing WC. The ACU for the support of the Canadian ultra scene. My fellow team mates, old friends and new ones. Coach Armand for your years of service to our sport. My friends and family as there is no better. Meow. But mostly to Sharon, Julia, Sam and Adele because with them in my life EVERYTHING IS AWESOME.

I'm Exhausted

Just a quick post to fill you in on what I've been up to. As of today I am now tapering for the World 24 hour championships in Turin, Italy on April 11th. Now I know many of you will think after reading this that I've simply over trained -  to that I answer, well, maybe.  Run training isn't rocket science, its simply preparing the body for the challenges coming it's way. My training plan this time around didn't focus on weekly mileage, hill repeats or the ever so dreaded speed work but on good quality long runs with an emphasis on starting every long run already in a semi state of exhaustion. Each long run was started after a long day of work in which I get up between 3:45-4:30am, work on my feet
all day as a massage therapist then start my run as early as 4pm or as late as 8pm running into the wee hours of the morning. There is a significant focus on fuelling during these runs. Even last week a group of friends and I stopped 28K into a run to hammer down a Big Mac cuz if you can digest that you can digest pretty much anything. On a side note the McFarts were a major issue later. The other focus is my no fade principle making the final stretch of these efforts a significant mental challenge.

All things considered I'm very happy with how the last 6 weeks turned out. In total I've had 12 runs longer than a marathon, 9 of which longer than 50K, 5 of those exceeding 60K and 2 runs surpassing the 70K distance. All long runs were averaging a pace between 4:45 and 5:05 min/km and no run felt too uncomfortable or laboured. The introduction of the New Balance Zante has been extraordinary and I plan on using them in Turin, Italy on April 11th. I am pleased to stay that I am feeling more fit and more confident than I ever have before.



All the time Sharon and the kids showed the support and patience and I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart. Sharon has explained that she wants to support me with my passions as she does with parenting, career and so on. I agree with her as long as it's done with a relative moderation and I feel at times my passion as gone from moderation to excess. I guess what I'm saying is that Sharon - your acceptance, love and support has not gone unnoticed and that maybe the time we will spend drinking wine in Florence and picnicking in Cinque Terre will substitute as a slight consolation.

A Pre-Mortum Of Your Next Race

It was late into the evening and I was well into my training run. I was listening to my typical list of podcasts, Talk Ultra, Hardcore History and Ultrarunnerpodcast.com when I came across a Freakonomics podcast episode titled "Failure is Your Friend". This episode in particular left me shaking my head. I know what you are thinking. What is Dave doing listening to an economics podcast? Is Dave Proctor really that intelligent? To that I answer that one doesn't need to be smart to be curious. Economics plays a key role in everything we do: finance, politics, lifestyle choices and yes even ultra marathoning!

During this episode they discussed the pros and cons of failing. They focused the discussion on the fatal Challenger launch in which red flags were ignored eventually leading to the catastrophe only seconds after lift off. If only we could peek around the corner and unveil any roadblocks on any project to see if it's designed to fail or to learn how one might fail without going through the trouble of actually failing. 

Gary Klien is a Cognitive Psychologist and author of "Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights". He studies decision making and how people make decisions in real settings. Klien states the Challenger incident has been intensely studied and serves as a wonderful object lesson and what we saw here was a repression of consequences you would rather not deal with because it would have been so inconvenient. There is a general reluctance to quit because of the stigma of failure but we regularly put the blinders upon our face and step off the cliff even when we know very well things will not end well.

Post-mortems are commonly conducted let's say after the death of a hospital patient to acquire information about what went wrong and to benefit the general population and advise others about how to proceed in the next event. In a perfect world we would have a crystal ball that we could look into the future, see what went wrong and fix it or deviate plans before disaster strikes and this is what Klien calls a Pre-mortem. Essentially a Pre-mortem is a process in where you attempt to figure out what will go wrong before it goes wrong. It's a way to temper overconfidence because let's face it, as ultra runners we tend to be way too gunghoe at the beginning of training plans or planning race schedules.

Let me talk you through a Pre-mortem as it would relate to Ultra racing.

You will need to find a calm quiet place. Maybe get a warm glass of tea or throw a blanket over your legs. Be in a relaxed state of mind but not too dreamy. You will need a note pad and a pen. 

You are looking into a crystal ball. You are in the middle of a 20 week training plan to get you ready for your "A" race. So you have about ten weeks to go and...oh no...that's not good, you see an image in the crystal ball and it's a very ugly image. Now you can see you in the middle of your race and boy that's not a pretty image and it's obvious that this will be a failed effort, in fact it's down right sad. Yep, it definitely doesn't look good and now you see in the the crystal ball 2 weeks after your race that it was an absolute failure. Things went so bad that when you walk past another runner you can't even make eye contact. It went that bad.

Now, for the next two minutes I want you to write down all the reasons why this failed, we know it failed, it's obvious to everyone but why do you think it has failed?

The 2 minutes are up. Put down your pen. Congratulations, you have now started a constructive conversation you can have with your coach, running mates or simply yourself. It's called perspective hindsight and it's a way to temper overconfidence by facing potential failure and you are now forced to ask yourself what are you willing to do to avert failure that you hadn't thought of before to try to make it more successful. The pre-mortem exercise liberates people who might otherwise be afraid of looking like a pessimist or inadequate because you are now asked to think about failure. Now the demand characteristic is to show me how smart you are. Show me if you can identify things that we need to worry about.

I know it sounds simple and obvious but I ask you how often do you do something like this. Or do you often do as I do after a fail, put on your blinders and later wonder "How did I not see that one coming?"

No bake PB Squares

I think you'd agree, the very best part of high volume training is high volume eating. Its about that time of the year we put on our 4 winter layers, strap on our headlamps and grind the gears to acquire the big fitness base. These high mileage weeks are hard to get through but with plenty of sleep (which I haven't figured out yet...damn Netflix) and a good diet, a balance can be maintained.  A couple years ago my dietitian Samara Feleski Hunt concluded I wasn't eating enough which lead to a number of issues. When corrected not only did those symptoms go away but my training spiked to new heights. Since then I have made it a key in my training to incorporate high daily calorie intake into my training regimen. Having three monkeys and long days in the office I find it hard to get enough high nutrient food in my belly that's why I find snacking the single best way to ensure the machine is being fueled.

Last year I posted my Granola bar and protein ball recipes but today would like to introduce my PB square recipe. Hope you like it, but I know you will cuz who doesn't LOOOOOOVE peanut butter!

Ingredients:
4 cups oats
1 cup chia seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup hemp hearts
2 cups peanut butter
1 cup honey

Directions:
Gently warm the PB and honey in a sauce pan on the stove. Do not bring to a hell ra
ging boil! Whip up the sweet oats, the bitchin' pumpkin seeds, the holy hearts and the cha-cha-cha-chia seeds in a ginormous bowl. Dump the gooey PB mixture over the oat and seed mix and go-to-town mixing the glorious combination until you are uncertain if you will be able to lift a coffee cup tomorrow (in other words "mix well"). Press into an 8x13 dish, yell "I am Betty MoFo Crocker!" Refrigerate for a couple hours, then cut into 36 equal tetrahedrons. I like to keep them refrigerated but do whatever floats your boat.

Per square: 260 calories, 25g carbohydrates, 10g protein, 14g fat, 6g fiber

Hmmm, well that year didn't suck

Holy smoke show that was a fun year. 2014 was filled with globe trotting, course records, group running adventures, personal bests, injuries, and a boat full of valuable lessons. Instead of irritating  my readers with the bore of going over this years races and adventures, I've compiled a list of the lessons I learnt from another year spent doing what I love.

1. It takes longer than three weeks to fully recover from running a hard 100K.
2. When you wear a Santa suit trail runners want to sit on your lap, unfortunately they were mostly men.
3. Self doubt will minimize you to a speck of gelatinous goo
4. Slowing down and taking in your surroundings is needed at times and for me this year rivaled any religious experience.
5. The body will achieve only what the mind allows.
6. A good pair of shoes is everything, find yours and understand that the grass is not greener on the other side.
7. RD's and volunteers are worth there weight in gold, next time you see one, kiss him/her.
8. Running for your country really is the coolest thing EVER!
9. You can't run away from your injuries. Be honest with yourself, stop and get help.
10. Lows don't have to happen. Fuel will keep you stable and can easily get you out of trouble. Find a formula and stick to your plan.
11. Being a pace bunny is fun as hell!
12. If training becomes a chore STOP!
13. Post race beers are a thing of beauty but only taste good when shared with others.
14. When dropping from a race don't pout. DNF's happen in this sport and there are a lot of other runners still running who can use your support and cheer.
15. Take a front row seat and pace a friend. Then only can you observe the true strength of your buddy.
16. Fight the war against depletion. Eat well, eat plenty and get lots of sleep.
17. Cowboy hats are dead sexy.
18. Run on tired legs as much as you can. Speed you need but long makes you damn strong.
19. You are only as good as the people supporting you. Thank them and tell them you love them.
20. The thought of loved ones can drive you to places you never thought were possible. At the end of the day this is just a sport but love knows no boundaries.
21. Patience does work, go figure.
22. Eating a lot of meat in a 24 hour run is doable and quite enjoyable.
23. Vitamins B6 and B12 ROCK!!! (RE7!!)
24. Running on tile and uneven brick equal getting attacked by a polar bear.
25. Sleep high, train low works...in my opinion.
26. The relationships you have with your Physiotherapist, Sports Doctor, Massage Therapist and Dietitian are gold. Listen to them and see them as often as you can.
27. Consuming eggnog and running ends very badly.

Festive Fuel

Just imagine, you are seated at a table, surrounded by friends and family this Christmas. Carolers are heard singing from a neighbours porch while the children merrily run around frolicking about as good children do. In front of you lies a spread of all your favourite delectable holiday dishes such as homemade apple pie, roasted yams, pumpkin pie and yes your favorite, a giant turkey, moist and ready to be devoured. You lean forward to carve the beast and... SNAP OUT OF IT!!!

Reality is those foods did exist and were consumed in a different environment. They were eaten in a meticulous nature all day and night while running the Desert Solstice 24 hour race on December 13-14th. Don't believe me, well think again and get this IT WORKED PERFECTLY. No gut issues, no highs or lows, just a constant stream of fuel all day that propelled me (if not for my stupid knee) to the best performance to date. The reason why I'm writing this post is we all know fuelling in our sport is hard to get right. In fact it could be the main reason for cratering and failure. If I found a formula that works for me then hell, some variation of it might work for you too.

I spoke with my dietitian Samara Felesky Hunt a few days before the race. This was my first 24 hour track race and I new a different fuelling strategy would be needed but I didn't know what. She described to me in detail how she wanted me eat every 30 minutes taking in around 150 calories and alternate between fructose and glucose. She explained they both use very different channels of absorption thus maximizing how much fuel the stomach could handle while running. An example of the fructose she wanted me to eat was: home made apple sauce, pears (skinned), watermelon and blueberries. The glucose was: pureed pumpkin (with a tbsp of sugar and a dash of cinnamon), syrup waffles, roasted yams and the classic gel. Upon every third hour I'd substitute one of the glucose feedings out for three turkey meatballs, YEAH, that's what I wrote, TURKEY MEATBALLS! Like my first kiss, this blew my mind! I've never eaten meat while running and before this conversation seemed like an awful idea that would end with me spending a long time in the porta potti. But I trust Samara whole heartedly and agreed in taking a risk.

Fast forward to 14 hours into the race, I noticed a lot of runners already having GI issues track side. Some vomiting, some bonking and some with extended or frequent bathroom stops. Myself, I felt golden, none of these issues bothered me. I didn't and would proceed not to have any bowel movements and felt a constant stream of energy all day. Twenty-two minutes later I crossed the 100 mile mark in first place and feeling good moving steadily towards my larger goal of 250K that day. I ended up running until the 18.5 hour mark when my knee and ankle blew up on me but until that point I felt like I nailed the nutrition that day.

I learnt a number of things that day. I think the number one thing was that my body runs very well with a constant supply of protein. I plan on trying eggs next. Vitamin B loading with RE7 is the way to go. Homemade apple sauce ROCKS! It was by far my favourite food going. I put it in Salomon soft flasks, take off the lid and squeeze it when needed. Pumpkin was an absolute delight. Go figure that Vets give pumpkin to dogs to settle there stomachs so why not us nutty old runners. The final thing I learnt was by alternating between fructose and glucose I was at times able to squeeze up to 400 calories into this Homer Simpson gut, crazy right?!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE, NOW GO AND OVEREAT WITH YOUR LOVED ONES