‘Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry… while hopefully not completely abandoning ultra training. Here are our favorites for food, hydration, gear and apparel to stuff an ultrarunner’s stocking while supporting their (or your) efforts at getting out the door during the winter months and a little cozy recovery in between.
Chocolate milk has a popular reputation as an effective post-workout drink, but we like to step up the nutritional impact of this routine by supplementing with a potent recovery mix. Osmo Rapid Recovery ($38 for 20oz) uses whey isolate and micellar casein proteins to prevent post-workout muscular breakdown. The whey is fast-acting, while casein is longer-lasting so your muscles have access to amino acids over several hours for optimal muscle repair. The mix also has a small amount of carbohydrate and green tea-derived caffeine, which Osmo claims accelerates glycogen replacement by 66% over carbs and protein alone. This mix comes in chocolate or vanilla and tastes good when mixed with water, but is particularly delicious when mixed with milk for maximal nutritional impact. Available at osmonutrition.com.
