Life conditioner, eveningness and maple syrup

Hi all,
Is there anything in life that works as easily, as inexpensively and as effectively as hair conditioner? If you have short hair this may be lost on you, but those of you with long hair know, you come out of the ocean and can't even get your hands through, but then you wash, condition and a comb goes right through. What is this magic potion and can we get a conditioner in other areas of our lives? 

I have been doing some deep shower thinking about what is conditioner for our life. I thought maybe I can figure it out and let everyone know, HEY EVERYONE, WE HAVE AN EASY FIX, RIGHT THIS WAY. Then I looked up how conditioner works. Well, it is something about positively charged surfactants and negatively charged hair ions and sealing of cuticles and I realized, it only seems easy because it happens quickly to my eyes. Just like it seems easy for some people to get in hard workouts or how it seems easy for some people to eat all million grams of protein we should be getting each day. You are likely doing something that other people think seems so easy for you. 

I hope you can all pour on some life conditioner right now and get through dark workouts, family drama or anything that feels tough. 

If you need an escape on Wednesday night, you know you have one! Join us for Strength Training for Runners, 5pm Pacific. You will need weights, mini bands and 30 minutes! 

EVENINGNESS
The article, "Late-night tendencies linked to slower marathon times" from the Journal of Sleep Research reports connections between marathon runners’ circadian preferences and race performance. "Runners with an evening-oriented circadian preference, or “eveningness,” were found to have slower marathon completion times compared to their morning-oriented counterparts." The study asked 936 runners from the 2016 London Marathon if they identify as morning or evening types, with responses ranging from “definitely morning” to “definitely evening.”  "The data showed a linear trend, with increasing eveningness linked to progressively slower completion times. This difference was not trivial—runners with a “definitely morning” preference finished approximately 13.9 minutes faster than “definitely evening” runners."  While it seems that these preferences can be modified, it is important to remember that this is one or many factors in performance. 

JUMP ROPE
Most of my coached athletes are jumping rope (or jumping an imaginary rope!) Usually just 6 minutes or so, pre-run as a warm up. This Physical Therapist just posted about why he is jumping and recommends it for masters athletes. Jumping rope will stave off the decline in calf power and help keep injuries away. Also, it is fun. 

MAPLE SYRUP
Maple syrup isn't just for pancakes. If you are having a hard time stomaching gels and other performance fuels but want to take in high carbs during your long runs, maple syrup is worth a try. Athletes with sensitive stomachs are using syrup as a way to cut down on ingredients and it is pretty cheap if you buy a home sized container and put it in soft flasks. If you prefer you can also get maple syrup in gel sized packs that are not only good for racing but for taking backpacking.