BIG NEWS! The Trent 10k RETURNS in 2025!!!

We are excited to announce that The Trent 10k will return for 2025 and we are honored to be the promotor for this amazing family friendly and fun event moving forward!

As many of you know that Science of Speed has been directly impacted by pediatric cancer and Trent’s Touch blessed our founder, Brady Irwin and his family when they were going through one of the toughest times in their life. When they became aware that The Trent 10k was in need of a new promotor they felt it necessary to keep this going in order to help support Trent’s Touch Foundation and continue to provide funding for children and their families who were battling pediatric cancer.

Please join us in 2025 by registering to run, becoming a sponsor and/or volunteering to help!


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Does Alcohol Have an Impact on Training and Recovery?

Many of us know that alcohol has adverse effects on the body, especially if you drink too much. It is less widely known by athletes how alcohol impacts their performance short term or long term. Understanding these impacts is the first step towards improving performance and avoiding those effects leading up to important events. This isn’t to say that an athlete can never drink, but one should be mindful when leading up to races and know the implications of drinking. It is important to note that these effects will vary from person to person depending on genetics and tolerance. 

Slows Muscle Growth:

Alcohol slows the rate of protein synthesis within the body. This is important for building and strengthening muscles within the body, and with slowed protein synthesis, you will see fewer results from the training you are putting in.

Dehydrates the Body:

Alcohol is a very powerful diuretic that increases water loss through the body via sweat, urine, and breathing. For every gram of ethanol consumed, it has been found that there is an increase in urine output by upwards of 10mL. This increase in dehydration can lead athletes to have more frequent cramps and see a possible increase in muscle strains or pulls. 

Prevents Muscle Recovery:

Due to alcohol’s negative impact on sleep, researchers have seen a decrease in Human Growth Hormone (HGH). HGH is responsible for repairing and growing muscles, especially during rest. 

Decreases Energy Levels:

Alcohol also plays a role in disrupting our body’s water balance. Alcohol is absorbed by the intestines and then the cells, displacing water, which is essential for ATP production. ATP is essential for cells to produce energy for the body, and a decrease in production can lead to a decrease in overall energy.

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Looking to learn a bit more about the impacts of alcohol? Here are some of the resources we used for this article:

Alcohol, Athletic Performance and Recovery – PMC (nih.gov)

The Relationship Between Alcohol and Fitness – Alcohol Rehab Guide

How Does Alcohol Affect Your Athletic Performance? – Unlocking Insights – Explore Our Articles (insidetracker.com)

Alcohol and Athletic Performance | Health Promotion and Prevention Services | Binghamton University

Your Medications May Have a Greater Impact on You as an Athletes

Some medications can have a negative impact on athletic performance and put you at greater risk for injury.

Professional athletes have to be diligent about the medications and supplements that they put in their bodies. Ingesting the wrong pill could ultimately result in disqualification or even suspension from their sport, which is why the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) prohibited list alongside programs like Certified for Sport are an athlete and coach’s best friend when it comes to selecting products. 

 
But have you ever considered some of the medications you are using and how they could negatively impact you? This has been brought to our attention once again as we have had multiple athletes recently be treated with an antibiotic, Ciproflaxin, a medication used for joint infections, lower respiratory tract infections and numerous other reasons. Unfortunately for some of these athletes they were not informed of the side effects which Pharmacist, Thomas Howell states could include: “diarrhea, confusion, fast or irregular heartbeats, muscle pain or stiffness, and joint pain. These are minor side effects that can cause an athlete to question their training or other wrongly suspected culprits. The major side effect of Ciprofloxacin, most dangerously associated with athletes, is its possibility for tendon rupture.” 
 
This does not mean that you are guaranteed to have a tendon rupture but as Howell states, “It is worth noting that the weakening or tightening of tendons(a result of the medication) in athletes places them at a greater risk of injury. Thus, these types of medications should be used with caution.” 
 
We bring this to your attention, not to scare you, but to remind you that you are your own best advocate and, just as you select your nutrition and hydration products for training and racing you must also make informed decisions for your long term health and lifestyle with medications as you lifestyle is abnormal to what most doctors are accustomed to working with.