I spent $407 trying to fix my Mondays. Here's what I should've packed first.
Sunday long runs, sideways Mondays
I love my Sunday long run. Ten miles of gravel road, a few cows watching me go by, and a full pot of coffee waiting at home.
Monday is another story. One hand on the rail, sideways, one step at a time, while the kids ask why I'm walking like that.
So I bought things. Gadgets, tubs, jugs. Every one looked great on someone else's feed. Every one left me taking the stairs sideways.
$407 later, one bottle rides in my race bag. Here's what each fix did, and what I wish someone had told me before my first long run.
Fix 1 of 3The foam roller and the massage gun
I did the whole routine, every Sunday night, wincing on the living room floor while the dog watched like I'd lost my mind.
It felt good while I was doing it. Then I woke up Monday, put one foot on the top step, and grabbed the rail.
Fix 2 of 3Ice baths and Epsom salt
A friend from running club swore by ice baths, so I bought a stock tank for the back porch. Ten minutes of pure misery after every long run, and my husband took pictures.
When the weather turned I switched to Epsom salt baths, which were a lot friendlier. They were lovely. My legs still woke up Monday like they'd been through something.
Fix 3 of 3Tart cherry juice: right idea, wrong jug
Ask around your running club and somebody brings up tart cherry juice. That reputation has research behind it. In one study, 54 distance runners drank tart cherry juice twice a day for a week before a long-distance race and on race day. Their post-race pain scores rose much less than the placebo group's: 12 points versus 37 on a 100-point scale (Kuehl et al., 2010). In another, 20 marathoners drinking tart cherry juice got their leg strength back faster after the race (Howatson et al., 2010).
Both were juice studies, a glass or two a day. I liked the cherry fine. The fridge space, the sugar and remembering a second glass every evening wore me out by week three.
The $407 receipt, and what every fix had in common
When I finally added it up, the pattern was hard to miss.
Jen's recovery receipts
Three different fixes. Same Monday every time.
I was treating Monday on Monday. Every fix started after the run, or needed a habit I couldn't keep. The runners in those studies took their cherry every day, starting about a week before the hard effort.
I didn't need more gear. I needed the cherry, in a form I'd actually take every day.
The one I should've packed firstOrchard Tart Cherry
Then I read about the freeze-dried version. Researchers at Texas A&M gave 27 endurance-trained athletes 480 mg a day of CherryPURE tart cherry powder or a placebo for 10 days around a half marathon. The cherry group reported 34% less quad soreness than the placebo group (Levers et al., 2016).
Orchard Tart Cherry is made with that same CherryPURE powder, 750 mg in every two-capsule serving. Same cherry the half-marathoners took, minus the jug.
Two capsules with zero sugar. No fridge, no second glass to remember. It lives on my nightstand: two capsules within an hour before bed, every night.
Why I kept it, #1It goes where the long run goes
Here's my old lineup next to the one that stuck.
Juice needs a fridge. Capsules need a pocket. They ride along to the race hotel, the cabin, the in-laws' house, wherever this week's long run happens to be.
| Capsules | Cherry juice | Roller + gun | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cherry from the half-marathon study | ✓ | × | × |
| Sugar | 0 g | ✓ | None |
| Needs a fridge | × | ✓ | × |
| Fits in a race bag | ✓ | × | Barely |
| Daily effort | 2 capsules | 1 to 2 glasses | 20 minutes |
Why I kept it, #2I could read every dose
Flip the bottle. Every amount is printed, per two capsules.
Where the cherry comes from: the skin of USA-grown Montmorency tart cherries, the deep red part of the fruit, gently freeze-dried so heat never touches it. It takes about 50 pounds of cherries to make one pound of that powder. Vegan, gluten free and stimulant free, encapsulated in a USA GMP-certified facility.
Why I kept it, #3I did the math on my sideways Mondays
Try yours. I didn't love my answer.
Mine came out to more than fifty workdays a year spent grabbing the rail. That's the number that made me stop buying recovery gear and start planning recovery.
Why I kept it, #4My first training block, from my calendar
- 10 days outCircled the long run on the calendar. Started two capsules at night, within an hour before bed.
- Every nightKept it daily. Daily matters more than timing it to the minute.
- SundayTen miles of gravel. Coffee on the porch after.
- MondayTook the stairs facing forward. The kids didn't ask a single question.
Why start early: in both CherryPURE recovery studies, people took the cherry every day for about a week before the hard effort, then kept going after it. Tart cherries also carry a little melatonin, the amount nature puts there, part of why the cherry is known for restful sleep. That's one more reason the capsules go with my bedtime.
Made it this far? Make it the last recovery fix you buy.
Orchard Tart Cherry
After $407 of fixes that started on Monday, I was skeptical too. Buy 2 bottles and the third is free on the next page, enough to cover a whole training block.
Start my training blockFrom members who keep it in the training plan
Really helps my "old man" aches and pains. Also helps with workout recovery.
I have been taking this Tart Cherry capsule for 2 weeks now. My joints and muscles feel less achy and I sleep better at night.
This is a great supplement. I got it for support with exercise, also discovered that it helps for better sleep.
I've noticed a big change in my soreness and stiffness since starting on these. Much, much better! Very happy with them and will continue to use.
I sleep like a rock when I take these. And my muscles feel good.
Advertorial. Jen is a character we wrote from our members' stories; her receipts are illustrative. Reviews are from verified buyers.
