Meb Believes There is More in His Tank (Sponsored)
by: Generation UCAN (Sponsored Post)
October 29, 2014
Boston Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi has heard the chatter that he’s too old to compete at the highest level since 2009. “I use it as motivation,” says Meb, who’s set to run this weekend’s New York City Marathon. “I ran my fastest time ever (2:08:36) just five months ago, so I still believe there’s more in the tank.”
The way Meb fuels his tank has changed over the years, and an increased focus on nutrition has been instrumental in prolonging his legendary running career. “When you’re 25, you can get away with eating anything,” says Meb. “I’ve been using Generation UCAN nutrition since 2009 and it’s been my secret weapon. Now that I won Boston, I’m ready to share my secret with the world.”
Meb first heard about UCAN while training for New York in 2009. “I had tried a lot of different products, but they always bothered my stomach during or after my run, so I was looking to solve that. UCAN goes down easy and settles in my system well. It gives me 2 to 3 hours of sustained energy without any stomach problems.”
Meb’s Nutrition Evolution
As he’s training to run this year’s New York City Marathon, UCAN continues to be an important piece of Meb’s overall nutrition puzzle, which has changed over the years. “I’m definitely more aware of my nutrition and calorie intake now than I was before,” says Meb. “When I was in college I used to eat as much as 5000 calories a day, but now that the training mileage has gone down I’ve tried to reduce it significantly.”
Minimizing his intake of simple carbohydrates and consuming more protein and fat during his hard training sessions is one of the big changes Meb has made. “Before a run, I like to have toast and tea with a little almond butter, or eggs and some sausage. When I was at UCLA (in college), I used to not eat anything before a run and that was a big mistake.”
“If I’m in a hurry and don’t have enough time to eat a meal before my run, I’ll have a Generation UCAN shake. Before getting to the starting line of the Boston Marathon, I had wheat toast with almond butter and honey for breakfast and a Generation UCAN shake an hour before the race.”
PRs and Fitness Fueled by UCAN
Since he started using UCAN before and after workouts and races, Meb has enjoyed a series of impressive performances and an amazing level of fitness at a point in his career when many expected him to slow down.
“Generation UCAN has been very instrumental in my training,” says Meb. “Some of the reason I’ve been running PRs is because it allows me to recover so I can train hard consistently. For me it has been a huge difference with recovery. I really look forward to having the Chocolate Protein UCAN after my intense workouts. During my cool down, it’s the first thing that goes into my body and it gives me the sustained energy to go through my recovery routine.”
“I use UCAN at least 4 times a week and it helps keep my weight in check. After winning Boston, I spent the summer making a lot of appearances and wasn’t running many miles. I would have UCAN as a healthy snack when I was on the go. People were asking me how many miles I was running because I looked very lean, but it was really my nutrition. The results speak for themselves.”
JONAH TO MEB – A STORY WITH A LOT OF HEART
Generation UCAN’s revolutionary SuperStarch carbohydrate was originally created for Jonah, a child with a rare disease that prohibits the body from producing its own blood sugar. As a result, Jonah suffered from frequent episodes of life-threatening hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). As the founders of UCAN ran further tests, they realized their one-of-a-kind SuperStarch carbohydrate yielded benefits for athletes who also have to work at managing their glucose levels.
“It’s special to be involved with UCAN because this wasn’t created for athletes,” says Meb. “It was unique to be able to transition this from something that gave Jonah good health into something that benefits runners.”
…. AND PATENTED UCAN SCIENCE
What makes UCAN so unique is the way it delivers energy, providing little bits over time and keeping blood sugar stable rather than flooding the body with a rush of calories at once like traditional sports drinks and energy gels. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels is the key to feeling steady energy for the brain and muscles both during and after a run.
UCAN also helps runners get lean by minimizing the need to consume excess calories and allowing them to burn more fat for fuel during workouts. This occurs because UCAN causes a minimal rise in the hormone insulin, which is produced by the body anytime there is the spike in blood sugar that comes with consuming typical sports nutrition products and high carb foods. Insulin is a very sensitive hormone that tells the body to store fat, inhibiting fat burn both during and after exercise.
One packet of UCAN’s Sports Drink Mix should be consumed 30 minutes before a workout as a pre-workout snack and will provide up to 2 hours of steady energy without needing to refuel. UCAN is easy on the stomach and is beneficial for runners who struggle with GI distress. The Protein-Enhanced Drink Mix is ideal for post-workout recovery and should be consumed right after a workout. To optimize the benefits of UCAN, avoid combining it with energy products and foods that spike blood sugar.
A number of elite runners like USA 3000m Women’s National Champion Gabriele Grunewald, USA 10,000m Women’s National Champion Kim Conley, and 2013 USA Half Marathon Champion Adriana Nelson rely on UCAN as their go-to fuel source. Whether you’re a competitive athlete running to win, or an everyday athlete running to lose (fat, that is!), you belong with Generation UCAN.