While snowboarding this past January, I suffered a distal spiral tibia and fibula fracture — oooops for sure, but hey, at least I was having fun at the time! Two titanium plates and 15 screws later I was “fixed,” but only beginning my road to recovery. At six months post-op I was given the all-clear to start running, which was quite painful, as to be expected. Now, eight months post-op and after months of physio and rehabilitation exercises, I am officially running again. When I learned of what CBD might do for me, I had absolutely no hesitation trying it. I sampled Floyd’s of Leadville 25mg CBD bars in chocolate and peanut butter.
Bar #1: Friday PM, August 23, 2019
For my first bar test I decided to eat it 30 minutes prior to running, in hopes it would reduce the pain I’ve been experiencing, as opposed to a recovery method. I also decided to do it on an empty stomach before dinner, to reduce the metabolizing time.
Well, the verdict is in — I am an official fan of CBD! Seriously, wow! What a difference… I ran 3K, which is the farthest yet since my injury. In addition, the moderate pain I expected was still there, but became mild within the first 5-10 minutes of running. Followed by — and for the first time — a good solid 10 minutes of nothing but “heaven” and some bugs from hell. (Side note to self: apply bug spray prior to running especially in the forest.)
What an amazing feeling to temporarily run without any pain. I am actually looking forward to my next run instead of fearing it.
Now sitting here 45 minutes post-run I am admittedly pretty stiff, but that’s to be expected. However, I’m not in pain so you can safely assume I am one satisfied CBD user.
Bar #2: Saturday PM, August 24, 2019
Tonight I decided to eat my second bar 1-hour prior to running, mostly due to how I was feeling this morning and thought giving it more time to kick in would alleviate those symptoms. I think that was a wise decision as the pain I was experiencing did subside, resulting in feeling comfortable and confident to begin my workout.
The results were comparable to yesterday to a certain extent, in that my pain went from moderate to mild within 5 to 10 minutes once again. However the remaining 10 minutes weren’t completely pain free, unlike last night. Perhaps I was a bit too overzealous and wasn’t feeling as good going into the run. Despite that, I was impressed with the level of pain reduction I did receive. Overall I feel it was a successful test and one hour after finishing I still feel good — a bit stiff, but nothing major.
For my third and final bar test I really want to push myself a bit harder. So I’ll give myself one day off and continue on Monday. I look forward to feeling those results!
Bar #3: Monday, August 26, 2019
In hindsight I think giving myself yesterday off was the smart choice. Tonight’s run went almost as well as my first test/bar trial, in that again within the first 10 minutes my pain became very mild, almost non-existent. This paved the way to challenge myself even further by concentrating on my gait and finding that sweet “running zone” spot. I was able to increase my speed resulting in my new personal best, 3.5 kilometres in 20 minutes.
All I know is it feels absolutely wonderful to know what “normal” is again. My bounce is returning and getting stronger everyday. Soon enough I’ll have the confidence needed to compete. Before I know it I’ll be off to the races!
Overall I’m extremely impressed with the results CBD provided. I honestly didn’t believe I could have managed these runs the way I did without this assistance. Moving forward, I would love to try some of the other products available as well, and figure out what works best for me.
My road of recovery has been a long and winding one, as anyone will attest to who’s suffered an injury which literally stops you in your tracks. Using CBD has created an additional boost in not just my athletic performance, but given me the confidence to push myself and feel safe simultaneously.
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