Do as I say, not as I do... trying out X2PERFORMANCE ASAP #triathlon #recovery #Illness #teamX2 #spon

So, last week was a doozy...

Not in regards to having a monster week of training, but in regards to be sick.  And I mean sick.  Nasty cold came on Monday night and is just now letting up.

Screw you cold virus!

So you may ask yourself, surely Ryan took it easy, got proper rest and got over it and didn't do anything as stupid as training through it... right?  WRONG.

I pretty much did everything wrong before, during and hopefully not after this last round of illness to sweep through our house.

It kicked off with a business trip.  Flying can be the quickest way to two points and it can also be the quickest way to getting sick.  High paced traveling adds stress.  Traveling can short you on quality sleep. Traveling can squeeze out healthy exercise.  Traveling can lead to poor food choices.  Traveling can introduce you to a small sardine can filled with people hacking and sniffling less than a foot away from your face.  It's a cesspool out there people, and I paid for it.

But, I wasn't sick, yet.

I tried to recover on sleep, but I also tried to get morning workouts in, cutting off much needed sleep time.  I kept my training schedule as much as I could.

Then, it hit.  Kids... stomach flu... up all night... I'll spare you the gory details.  Mysteriously I had it a week before and they chimed in when I got back.  Don't be fooled if you think I covered every gag and heave, my wife was a saint, but I was still up with everyone else.

I already had it, so I wasn't getting that stomach flu again, but I was deeper into the sleep deficit.  So, I eased up on the training to compensate... or so you may think.  Hell no!  I hit the road for 2 hours on a beautiful Sunday and got in 15 miles running on a beautiful Monday.  Best. Run. Ever.  But Monday night it hit me head on.  The worst head cold / night sweats / cold shiver fever fest I have had in a while.  It was bad.  I suffered and my wife even more with me flopping around in bed all night trying to get comfortable.

It sucked.  I paid the price for a critical endurance athlete recovery mistake all week long.

Recovery is king.  You can do anything your body will stay together for and come back for more the next day, if you treat yourself right.  At LEAST 8 hours a sleep for proper muscle repair and immune system support.  If you're not getting that sleep, no amount of supplements will prop you up.  You're a ticking time bomb.  Looking back on my last few weeks, it's easy to see I had been shorting and cheating myself.

The other leg of recovery is nutrition.  I don't obsess about every nutritional fad and idea out there, but you have to feed your body a minimum to sustain volume and intensity.  Without the proper fuel, you're body will fall apart or (ding ding) you're going to get sick, a lot.  I hate it when I'm right and I don't listen to myself.

In response to the latest medical nightmare fueled by SUDIFED and ZYRTEC, I'm vowing to be more diligent about sleep and workout nutrition.  Don't get me wrong, I eat, and eat well.  But, the timing of a long or particularly intense workout should include proper pre-workout, during workout and post-workout nutrition or supplements.  Without it, your immune system suffers and puts you at added risk and vulnerability to bacteria and viruses.  With a busy schedule the past few weeks and training mostly indoors, I had not planned workout nutrition as well.  I was either away from home to make something or on the run without enough time to get something before running out the door somewhere to workout or after a workout.

Well my friends, that ends now.  I need to get back to basics and planning my fuel just as diligently as my workouts.

For the 10's of 20's of you that might stop by my blog (ok you got me, the MILLIONS of you!), you might know that I'm all about trying out the latest product or gadget out there.  With that, I am now in cahoots with X²PERFORMANCE to try them out and write up a few posts about them.  They are a mainstay in the Ironman Triathlon world and have worked with several other online triathletes in the past.  And, get this, they invited ME to join in on their blogger campaign and help spread their message (ya, I get paid for this!).

I'll be honest, I've never used them, but I'm game for a challenge.  I'm hoping to get my hands on a supply to finish up LA Marathon training and to get me through Ironman Texas and Chattanooga in 2014.

X²PERFORMANCE claims they are a revolutionary sports nutritional supplement developed to help all athletes achieve their best potential, safely and naturally.  Leveraging leading scientific research, it targets the essential biological processes to fuel the body's natural energy generation capabilities without excessive stimulation or sugar inherent in most alternative products. X²PERFORMANCE is a pre-activity supplement delivered in a convenient liquid form. 

In case you were wondering if they are at all hokey or devious in their claims (maybe another 5-hour energy drink setup with a different marketing strategy???), they recently received two widely recognized and coveted product quality certifications, so athletes can be confident that what they’re taking is clean, safe and effective. X²PERFORMANCE earned the NSF CERTIFIED for SPORT designation, demonstrating the highest levels of product quality and approval for use by professional athletes.  So rest assured that SOMEONE out their is minding the store and making sure we're not loading up on PED's or just plan crap.

Like I said, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on their product and testing it out.  I have a few 18 to 20 mile runs left for LA Marathon and I'm going to need all the energy I can get!

While I'm testing out my batch, you can take advantage of this limited time offer and receive a free trial of X²PERFORMANCE and try it with me! You will need to select a subscription plan and pay $5.95 shipping charge, but you can cancel the subscription (even before your first shipment) at any time and still receive your free trial.

Disclosure

I am participating in a sponsored campaign for X²PERFORMANCE. I received compensation for this post, but the opinions are my own.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.