OCR or Obstacle Course Racing is arguably the fastest growing sport in the world. Races are popping up everywhere and as the growth of the sport helps add to the pool of elite athletes, competitive amateurs, and weekend warriors the sport takes a step to establishing itself as a national pastime and a potentially professional sport. National, continental, and world championships of OCR now exist in many shapes and forms - and that contagious buzz has athletes from other endurance sports making the leap to compete amongst the best on the planet in Obstacle racing.
With the sport being taken more seriously by the competitive element among athletes and events, so are the training and nutrition strategies that prepare and fuel competitors. I have been coaching people of all abilities for OCR for 3 years now - from those wanting a challenge or new experience to those challenging for podium spots and major championship qualification. On that journey I have been looking for ways to give my clients and team the edge when they take to the mud.
I first came across the fact that beetroot is an athletic superfood from the likes of performance nutritionists such as Ben Coomber and elite triathlete Ben Greenfield, both of whom championed the purple powerhouse as an essential for endurance and performance.
Owning a juicer I decided to start making my own raw beetroot juice and trying the strategy of loading on it for 2 weeks 12 hours either side of training as well as pre-workout. I straight away noticed that I had improvements in stamina during training but 2 weeks in my endurance went through the roof with me taking minutes off my 5km times.As you can imagine I was delighted with the results I got from this but the downside was the cost of all that beetroot I was buying and the messy 30 mins a day spent taking apart the juicer to clean, and wiping down the kitchen afterwards. I decided I needed a more convenient method of getting beetroot into my system.
Upon searching I came across BeetActive and requested some samples for testing. I was so delighted with the similarity in results with the added bonus of quick and convenient sachets that I started using the product for all my endurance fuelling needs as my juicer now gathers dust in the cupboard. Getting introduced to CherryActive at this time also was a magic - now I could fuel my recovery as well as my training and events. I pop a sachet of CherryActive in my post-workout chocolate protein shake and brag about how it tastes like Black forest gateau, getting death stares from people mid-workout and hungry. Another sachet before bed after a long shift of coaching helps me get the restorative sleep I need.
My belief in the CherryActive products was so great I approached the company to become sponsor of Team Bright Hammer (my OCR team) so myself and my athletes could support a brand we believe in and use as well as reap the benefits of extended endurance and improved recovery. For the folk who train to race for fun I recommend BeetActive 2-hours before training or racing and CherryActive 30 mins after your session or event to boost recovery. For the elite athletes amongst you I thoroughly recommend the same strategy with an extra sachet of CherryActive before bed to boost recovery further and an extra sachet of BeetActive the opposite end of the day to your training for 2 weeks before your event in order to get significant gains to your endurance through loading (5 - 15% more output).
With OCR getting more and more competitive and challenging having a magic bullet or two in your fuelling strategy will help you get and edge and unleash greater potential - so drink pink!
