There’s a new running aid that’s helping runners perform better. It’s not a sports drink, gel, or powder — it’s weed.

Runners are beginning to use cannabis to prepare them for and get them through their runs. And before you start imagining a scenario where a group of runners are passing around a joint, let us stop you — runners who use weed to run aren’t partaking to get high for the race — they’re using the drug to indirectly help them perform better.

Amanda Feilding, director of The Beckley Foundation, a non-profit in the United Kingdom that examines consciousness and drug policy research, says that many runners are using weed to relax before (as in the night before) or after a race. “Athletes seem motivated to use cannabis due to its effects on anxiety, well-being, and its promotion of better sleep before a race, research finds,” reports R29.

Cannabis also helps runners because it increases impulsive responses. This can allow runners to take more risks on their run without harming their decision making skills. Other studies have revealed that weed can “increase oxygenation of tissues, improve vision and concentration, help athletes forget previous traumatic experiences related to the activity (like falls or injuries), reduce muscle spasms, and aid in pain relief.” Since smoking isn’t the ideal method for runners to get a dose (they’ve got to protect their pristine lungs), many are using edibles, vaporizers, or oral medicine to get the same results.

While all the above sounds pretty amazing, it should be noted that the research in this field is very limited. And weed affects everyone different, so a person needs to do their research (and possibly consult a physician) before they toke and run. Also of note on the con side of running with weed: it’s banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. So, professional runners: We don’t suggest using this method to encourage a chill run just yet.

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Image of medical marijuana from Shutterstock

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On the subject of e-cars: We’ve had back to back to back news, so I thought it good to let the topic bake for a bit while we wait for the public reception of the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, and others.

But”¦

This is way too cool to pass up. Just in from the Great Green North: an e-car made of pot! (Well, hemp, but you know the drill. Hemp, pot, same diff when it comes to headlines!)

Says CBC News (and, of course, 420 Magazine), the car, which will be made into a prototype this month by Calgary-based Motive Industries, is called the Kestrel and is doubling down on the green factor. Its body will be comprised of “impact-resistant composite material” made from mats of hemp – which, by the way, will be locally harvested in Vegreville, Alberta. (Gotta love the homegrown.) The car will be a compact designed for four dudes/dudettes, including the driver, and will top out at just over 55 mph. Its range will vary from 25 miles to 100 miles, depending on the type of battery.

The Kestrel is part of Project Eve, a Canadian non-profit collaboration aimed at increasing that country’s production of electric vehicles and components. And guess who’s gonna be helping out with the pot car? College kids! Students at polytechnic schools in Alberta, Quebec and Toronto will help roll these babies out the door and into the hands of parktakers sometime next year when the first twenty are due to be dealt.

Using hemp to build a car is “not an original idea,” says Motive Industries President Nathan Armstrong. Henry Ford, in fact, experimented with the not-so-evil weed in 1941 when he created a hemp-bodied car. The vehicle – pictured below – was fueled on the stuff, too. CarDomain has a video of the indestructo-prototype.

Today, however, with a renewed emphasis on reducing weight while not giving up on strength, hemp makes sense. It doesn’t take a lot of energy to make (sunshine, soil and a little love, bra) and isn’t as fancy pants as fibreglass and carbon-fiber-based racecar material, which requires all kinds of heat and chemical wizardry to produce.

“As a structural material, hemp is about the best,” says Armstrong. The CBC notes: “It [hemp] has about twice the strength of other plant fibres. It doesn’t require much water or pesticide use, and grows well in Canada, providing a high yield per hectare.”

“Plus,” says Armstrong, showing some true patriot love, “it’s illegal to grow it in the U.S., so it actually gives Canada a bit of a market advantage!”

Yeah, well, I live in Northern Cali, man. You wanna talk advantage?

Images: dwhartwig and Hugo90

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Dear readers: Sara and I stumbled across this and six days later we’re still not sure what to think of it. When you come across a green product as useless as this, it’s easy to be rendered speechless. Fortunately, at least for us, this doesn’t last long. Here, we share our thoughts. Please do share yours.

We present to you the Umbrella Pot by Kyouei Design. It claims to conserve water by reusing the rainwater cast off by your umbrella to nourish the plant growing in a small pot at its base.

Kim: I’ll say it until I’m green in the face. Useless objects manufactured using sustainable materials are still…useless. You can twist and turn it a million eco-friendly ways, but I’ll continue to ask the same question. Why use the resources, waste the energy, create the carbon emissions to create and sell an unnecessary, frivolous product?

Sara: I didn’t realize this was a problem that needed solving but it makes sense if you think about it. Now I’m wondering what else around my place needs help. What if I’m letting stray dust bunnies escape when they could be of service? I think I get them all but there is that space behind the fridge. Perhaps there’s a special implement to help capture these wayward fluffaluffs? Eco-friendly of course.

Kim: The Umbrella Pot is a “low-maintenance way to keep a small plant”, but only if rain is falling and your umbrella is wet. It won’t help you in the least when the weather is dry. Yes, it’s made of eco-friendly and non-toxic ceramic. Spectacular. It also costs almost $800, which is a lot of dollars spent to capture a few drops of water. Has anyone tried putting indoor plants outdoors during a rainstorm and letting them catch the rain all on their very own? Brilliant, no?

Sara: The only challenge I see with an umbrella stand like this is that unless you plan to sport an equally pricey umbrella, you’ll just feel lame. It’s like parking your Porsche on Van Ness and wondering why it keeps getting dinged. (This happens to me all the time. So annoying!) The contents have to fit the container. Which means a Chanel umbrella at least. What’s Gucci doing for spring showers?

Kim: Have we lost all sense in our attempt to go green? Has the ozone layer fried the sector of the brain in charge of discernment? Or maybe we’ve been waterlogged by acid rain?

Sara: You’re so in luck! Could I interest you in a very stylish eco-friendly pot to catch your acid rain?

Kim: Here’s a suggestion. If you can say kitchen pot, you can save rainwater”¦the old fashioned way. Put one of your pots outside with your umbrella draining in it. Already own an umbrella stand? Let your umbrella drain in it, then pick it up and pour the excess water into any of your plants.

Sara: Kim, as an employee we value your contributions. Your idea has been submitted to management and will be reviewed, possibly this year. In the meantime, we recommend purchasing an umbrella stand that is eco friendly, like the Umbrella Pot.

The verdict: Waterlogged. If your current umbrella stand still functions, use it. If your life lacks an umbrella stand, well, TRAGIC is not the first word that comes to mind.

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