Today's lesson will be about the word "pain", defined as a "highly unpleasant physical sensation caused by illness or injury." Well, we actually won't be talking about the pain related to injuries or illnesses. Since we mainly deal with the endurance sports subject, our focus will be on the kind of distress inevitably occurring during prolonged athletic performances, be it the New York Marathon or a Tour de France stage.
We'll delve into this topic, taking into account the point of view of Dean Karnazes. Nobody can describe pain control better than someone who took part in the incredibly gruelling Badwater Ultramarathon, a 217 km race through Death Valley with temperatures that can overreach 50 °C. We'll close the article describing a set of products developed on purpose to mitigate the joints pain any endurance athlete will be subject to during their most prolonged and most intense races.
PAIN CONTROL: A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Even if you haven't run a marathon yet, you probably know that most runners, at some point in the competition, will often experience a certain level of pain, a familiar, if not unwanted, partner. Given pain is so usual, it's no wonder runners have developed diverse mental techniques to deal with the discomfort. A quick and straightforward online research will show that the most common way to deal with the pain is to focus on something else, to send the mind far from the uneasiness. Many endurance athletes sing mantra chants in their minds. Some listen to music, and some others count the miles markers. Well, Dean Karnazes has developed a completely different approach.
As someone that run hundreds of marathons, I've experimented with just about everything to repress the pain. Eventually, nothing works. You simply can't fool yourself forever and at a point you admit that you're only chanting a mantra in an attempt to obfuscate the simple fact that you're in a world of hurt." ...
"Instead of running away from the pain, I ran towards it. Instead of suppressing or undermining the pain, I adjust my mental awareness precisely to the pain and try to dissect and understand the sensation. That said, I always counsel other athletes to listen to everyone and follow no one. What works best for me might not work best for you. Experiment, test and try different approaches to find your personal recipe for success."[1]
Speaking about "recipes for success" and sticking to the pain topic, Hammer Nutrition can recommend using the products contained in our Joint Support Kit - Tissue Rejuvenator & Enduromega. Here comes a brief description of these two top-sellers:
Tissue rejuvenator
Considering the most typical form of pain endurance athletes face is joints related (knees in particular), we developed a product that enhances joints, tendons, and soft tissues health, while simultaneously reducing swelling and alleviating aches: Tissue Rejuvenator. Also available in a Vegan Formula, Tissue Rejuvenator is your healthy alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It provides rapid relief, with results improving with consistent use of the product.
Enduromega
As in the case of Tissue Rejuvenator, Enduromega (also part of our Daily Essentials Kit PLUS) supports joints' health. In addition to this, it supplies the body with EPA and DHA, essential fatty acids crucial for numerous aspects of athletic performance and overall health. The Omega 3 it contains is well known to enhance mental health (of primary importance when running long distances), while the antioxidants it's made of act as natural preservatives to maintain the strength of your fatty acids.
"While I’ve learned to embrace the pain, I still do everything I can to mitigate it. That’s why I use Hammer Nutrition Tissue Rejuvenator, Enduromega and Hammer CBD softgels. Tissue Rejuvenator and Endruomega help preserve and strengthen my tissue and joints, and Hammer CBD softgels assist with a good night’s sleep, which is essential for recovery and optimal performance." [1]
Whether you decide to embrace the pain or to keep your focus away from it, bear in mind that constant use of Tissue Rejuvenator and Enduromega will aid you in preserving and strengthening tissue and joints, gently looking after pain and aches in the process. You can get both of them in the Joints Support Kit to ensure you won't miss all the advantages you can get from their combined use!
[1] Reference - King of Pain | Hammer Nutrition. https://www.hammernutrition.com/blog/king-of-pain