Thats a bummer. I’m assuming you’re getting some from a dispensary? The first few times I used a tincture it wasn’t effective but that was because it wasn’t made correctly. Tincture has become my preferred method. I can get effects in 20 minutes, get a repeatable experience without breathing in smoke. If you try it again, try taking it with a meal, that helps.
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I find that THC helps me loosen up before an MTB ride where I am usually fairly stiff and can’t corner well, it helps me be able to move my body a bit more freely and really maneuver the bike better without clenching up.
CBD wise, those drops consistently gave me weird dreams, like really weird, so I stopped taking it, didn’t find that I sleep worse without it but we’ll see I may try again
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I actually haven’t tried tincture from a dispensary but perhaps I will give it a shot. I’ve made my own with material I grew, decarbed in the oven & used grain alcohol to extract. I’ve also had it from a friend who used great material from another friend, decarbed in one of those Nova things & extracted into mct oil. Both work as edibles which leads to a funny “oh no, I’ve done to much story”
Superbowl Sunday February 2019, I’m in a hotel on a work training trip. My buddy hooked me up with his tincture & I started trying to dose sublingually an hour or so prior to the game. No effects but I swallowed the dose. And the next, and the next, and the next… Finally the game ends & I’m still about as straight as I get despite having ingested a few one too many droppers full of tincture… 20 minutes later, I felt it coming for me. A runaway freight train on a dark & stormy night was baring down on me. 
This was going to be much, much more than I bargained for 
Suffice it to say that unicorns & rainbows were not on the docket for the next few hours. However, I was handed about a decade of my psychological “shit” on a platter & was either going to deal with it or spiral into madness. I managed a decades worth of psychotherapy in the course of about 3 hours & came out the other side a better human being. I honestly believe that there is no better therapist than certain plaints, cannabis among them.
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Yeah that’s where edibles get into the realm of shroom/LSD trippy. It can be a pretty wild ride.
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Like you ,I was an art student, and the stuff was always around. I did try it and nearly threw up . That was my 1st and last time!
But I would be happy to use it , in tablet form ,if it was proven to be beneficial in some way to my training/recovery etc. A future topic for discussion on the TR Podcast???
It was in an older podcast, forget the number. Benefits are anti inflammatory and perhaps better recovery for some, maybe.
I’m not going to say I use it to enhance performance, I just like it lol
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In General, for some time I experienced very severe stress, health problems, severe depression, several jobs. I was actively looking for ways to relax and started Smoking weed. To tell the truth, I didn’t like it. Later, I tried kratom tea, which relaxed me quite well, after that I slept well, and was calm for several weeks. But the depression didn’t go away. A few weeks later, I was back to being a vegetable. To say that I felt bad is to say nothing. I went to a therapist, talked a lot with him, of course the effect was, but not the same. One day a friend of mine brought me a chocolate bar with magic mushrooms. That really helped. I even remembered the words of my therapist, something like " going down to the bottom will be something to push off." Actually yep, these mushrooms are very strong gluringen, then I was very good. In short, these mushrooms actually put me on my feet. I ordered them here https://weedsmart.net/product-category/magic-mushrooms-canada/.
I too was worried about my lungs, but I use a vaporizer these days. The cartridge work too but if you’re really worried, dry herb vaping is the way to go. You can control the dose and high based on the temperature and no combustion is happening so there is no smoke. Combined with a bubbler and you’ll really filter through everything. The only downside is the initial cost for a vaporizer but it saves you a lot of money in the long run.
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I did a big bike packing trip recently where we did mushrooms in micro doses but enough that it was macro if that makes sense. It did nothing for my riding like weed does. I found it like when you get hand ups (beer/booze) at a cross race… ya think it’s fun, and it’ll kill the pain but in the end it makes you slow and seeing things.
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Hopefully you guys can help my friend here. He’s wondering how much potential performance is being left on the table as a daily 1-2g smoker. Seems to have a strong HR and no performance troubles that would be of concern but also unsure if it’s “worth it” to quit
One fellow I know used to smoke the hippy hay. He really enjoyed going out for a ride on a nice sunny warm day. Then after the ride, pop open a barley pop, get high, and wash the bike. Once he started to transition from weight-loss and recreational cycling into performance cycling and racing he gave up hippy-hay all-together. In addition, his drinking is greatly reduced and no more cigars either.
The research I’ve seen on this is far from decisive, but I’ve seen studies indicating long term use can lead to heart problems – regardless of the means of ingestion.
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Has anyone seen any changes in their FTP as a function of cannabis use?
Are you experiencing any lung distress? I feel like that is the largest negative aspect for me. Currently considering a new flower vaporizer to see if it helps relieve some of the coughing and congestion that I occasionally get. I know my lungs definitely feel better after I take a break.
I work an incredibly high stress job with long hours, and COVID and WFH has only made that more difficult. The purpose of my use is as a sleep aid, rather than melatonin or worse, booze, to help to fall asleep. I use an indica strain which i use through a arizer solo2 vaporizer so no smoke just vapor.
I have found it makes an IMMENSE difference to my overall sleep quality when i need to use it. Sleep like a mummy and wake up incredibly rested. I do all of my rides at 5am so that I can get 75-90min done before I begin work, and I have felt no ill effects. There is no hangover feeling, no groggy or cloudy feeling like melatonin or other prescription or over the counter sleep aids. Sorting out my sleep has helped me stay consistent, recover properly, and therefore better quality training.
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I’ve experimented with Marijuana use when riding mostly in my younger years. When I did consume THC I noticed that my heart rate would increase about 10 beats per minute compared to when I didn’t consume THC. This response seems to only happen with THC and not CBD dominant products. I also noticed a similar response (with my resting heart rate) with alcohol.
After discovering this pattern I decided to stop consuming THC in and around exercise time - especially when I was doing more demanding activities that caused my HR to above tempo. My thinking was that THC could be putting undue stress on my heart and may not be a good thing long term.
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I’m a user really only when i ride, ski or really do anything active. Mostly a small micro dose single or double puff out of a pipe or (valve extender) one-hitter. It has similar effects of beta alanine for me in that it raises my HR and gets me a bit more warmed up for the ride. Some of this is habitual i realize but i can take it or leave it now. I have stopped smoking before races. For some people its more of a sedative and some a stimulant of which it is for me. I can not sleep on it except maybe if its pure indica and i take a small amount. I do take CBD now and then and helps my sleeping and recovery but does nothing and actually hurts my riding.
In terms of lung distress i’ve heard that most of the lung distress comes not from the smoke but from the heat. If you micro dose or use a bong or vaporizer it does not have the heat. Small doses work well for me. Getting super blazed before a ride is not good because once you get high you gots to stay high and an hour later you need to redose or (me anyway) my head and riding go down hill.
I asked the question on the podcast and it actually got answered (early episode… a big thrill for me!) and they gave a real neutral answer even though that very week was about to become legal in NV (which it now is). I understand that they (esp. Johnathan) do not want to promote it but c’mon man…its gonna be legal very soon nationally. They said they would follow up an maybe I’ll propose a follow up to it.
Surprised there is not more research into this
Doubtful, but I’d like their perspective. I think it would take a focused athlete who is open to using it regularly and has experience with it. I’m gonna guess that no one on the pod cast is a daily or regular user. I think they referenced it vaguely once but it wasn’t a serious attempt at finding value with the effects, more like, “yep I got high”
I’ll try and find my question on MJ on an early podcast…like i mentioned earlier they gave no real insight. Actually really disappointing being that its basically legal. They need to address this being that this topic is on fire in the forum Chad, Johnathan, Amber and Co…give the people what they want!
Who knows? He should do a long decoupling HR ride if he really wants to know. Do one now, quit for a week, do it again. It effects me, and I enjoy smoking occasionally but I notice a difference in how my lungs feel after a day or two of smoking. No surprises there I think, how can it not effect lung function? Although this is just my “feel” - anyway, as I’ve promoted many times already, use tinctures or infusions. Once you figure out dosage and timing, it’s awesome. I don’t miss smoking, except for the social reasons. Vaporizing is probably better but I’m not buying that it’s harmless either, better, still you’re putting tar into your lungs. The big negative with ingestion is that it’s absolutely a multiple day journey (at least) to figure out the lowest effective dose, and taking too much is fucking terrible. So you have to be up for taking some with little to no effect and working your way up. The other way is not advised.
I think we might be in the minority of AACC listeners interested in this subject. I’ll be shocked if they allow a deep dive on the matter. I welcome being wrong!
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