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December 21, 2018

All About CBD (And How it May Help Runners)

Disclosure: Resilience offered me a complimentary product in exchange for a review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own. Please contact a healthcare professional before using CBD oil. All sources for information are provided in my post! 

Lately I have been reading and hearing a lot about CBD oil or cannabidiol oil. It has been popping up as a recovery method for athletes as well as an all-natural way to manage pain and anxiety. I had the opportunity to try a CBD cream from Resilience CBD which was exciting after being intrigued by CBD’s potential uses in healthcare as a whole but also particularly for running recovery. I am willing to try anything to help make my calves feel less tight and sore!

Resilience CBD was founded by military veterans and athletes plus their products are also derived from organic hemp grown in the U.S. and are third-party lab tested which made me trust their quality. Their products also contain no pesticides, herbicides, or harsh chemicals.

Continue reading if you are interested in learning more about what the heck CBD oil is and what are the benefits of CBD (including for athletes!)

Scroll to the bottom of the post for a discount code from Resilience. 

All About CBD (And How it May Help Runners)

What is CBD?
Cannabidiol is one of over 100 cannabinoids found in cannabis (yup, marijuana). CBD products boosts the endocannabinoid system that is a signaling pathway controlling functions in systems through the body. It has similar effects as marijuana including anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving without the high you’d get from medical marijuana. CBD is NOT psychoactive like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana (Source).


Is CBD legal?
Most commercially available CBD products use industrial hemp, or a cannabis plant that doesn’t contain more than 0.3% THC. Marijuana and hemp are federally classified as Schedule 1 drugs. Currently Idaho, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas are the only states with no-CBD laws.  Literally yesterday the Farm Bill was passed which legalizes hemp. This means you will be seeing a lot more CBD and hemp products. Prior to the passing of the Farm Bill, United States hemp-derived CBD sales totaled estimated $190 million in 2017 (Source). For athletes, the World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from the list of prohibited substances in 2017 which has grown the use of CBD in sports.

CBD oil I have seen is on the expensive side right now so hopefully this bill makes things more accessible and brings the price down. For example Resilience CBD body lotion costs $85 and their full spectrum CBD oil costs $50-90 for one bottle which is comparable to other brands I have seen. 

How do you use CBD products?
CBD products including tinctures, capsules, and topical formulas such as creams. Currently there are no studies on recommended dosages so you need to be careful and definitely start with a smaller dose and slowly increasing until you feel benefits. Even in this Runner’s World article, various individuals quote different amounts for CBD newbies starting with as little as 5-15 mg (approximately a few drops of a CBD tincture) or a baseline of 25 milligram for gels.

All About CBD (And How it May Help Runners)

What should you look for when purchasing CBD products?
Products also range in potency and amounts of CBD so be sure to know what you are using or taking. One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2017 found that 70% of all CBD products were inaccurately labelled which 43% of products tested containing more CBD than indicated and 26% containing less. 

I did my research prior to agreeing to try Resilience CBD and was happy to find out that Resilience CBD third-party lab tests every batch of product through an independent party to ensure purity and quality of their products. They also share their lab results AND the date they were submitted right there on their website.

Will CBD show up on a drug test?
From what I’ve read since there is trace amounts ofTHC in industrial hemp it is very unlikely that CBD would show up on a drug test because most drug test panels are looking for THC and its metabolites. However if you are drug tested it may be better to be safe than sorry and ensure you are getting for 0% THC you can purchase Resilience Isolate, a CBD isolate tincture.

What are the claimed benefits of CBD?
CBD works through the endocannabinoid system which “controls many physiological processes, including food intake and energy balance, learning and memory, and pain processing, to name a few,” says DiPatrizio in this Runner’s World article. As a former chemist and now a evidence-based health care professional, I am always looking to research to support claims. Currently I have not found any studies on CBD and runners specifically. 

Upon doing a quick literature search I was surprised to see range of ailments that CBD was being studied with including depression, major psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, Parkinson disease, PTSD, sleep disorders, and even asthma. This literature review from September 2018 concluded that studies up to the present show CBD has anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing!), anti psychotic, and neuroprotective properties.

How can CBD help runners?
CBD has also has anti-inflammatory benefits which would be the ones sore and achy runners would benefit from. A 2015 study in mice determined CBD application provided therapeutic potential for relief from arthritis pain and inflammation. To get scientific on you again, when you run or workout you create micro-tears in your muscles and tissue. When those micro-tears happen, your body sends in your immune system to the damaged area with inflammatory cells, a.k.a things that make you feel sore and achy (Source).

All About CBD (And How it May Help Runners)

My Experience with CBD
I tested out the Resilience CBD body lotion. I chose it over the CBD sports cream because I thought the lemongrass scent would be more pleasant than smelling like a peppermint or dealing with the icy hot feeling since I planned on slathering it all over my lower legs.  The body lotion contains 300 mg of CBD and also contains shea butter, aloe vera, and coconut oil for some moisturizing with my recovery. The directions note to use consistently to areas of body as needed including before and after activity. I used for one week just at bedtime and then used for 2 more weeks applying morning and night. The lemongrass scent is really pleasant and isn’t overpowering.

All About CBD (And How it May Help Runners)

My calves are also severely tight and despite not running and then slowly running just a little bit after the 50K I ran at the end of November, I couldn’t seem to shake the extra tightness in my calves and lower legs. I was also dealing with some ankle discomfort on my left leg so I was applying the cream there too. Overall I did feel less tight and achy, and now my ankle discomfort has gone away. To be totally honest, it could be a placebo effect or due to other factors including more time, trying to stretch my calves more, but it could be the CBD. It was relaxing and also provided a nice reminder to take some time for myself at the end of the day with my nightly ritual of applying the lotion to my legs.  In the future I would love to try CBD oil to see if I experience benefits from it, particularly with some of my overall tension and anxiety.

Overall if you are dealing with pain or sore muscles, I suggest adding CBD to your recovery arsenal. Again be sure to do your research and be aware of your dosage as well as talk to a health care professional! 


Resilience has more information on CBD in general and their products on their website

You can try Resilience CBD products for yourself and save 20% off your purchase with my discount code SMILE20 

Have you ever tried CBD products? Have you heard of CBD oil? 



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