questions and stories

[ultragirl]

So today as I was running my 18 miler,as I approached cardiac hill(all you Nocal/auburn/sac peeps know where I am talking about) I heard a LOUD rustle in the bushes.I told my hubby "wow did you hear that, hmmmm?" so my hubby looks over the tiny little cliff where all the blackberries were and what is looking back at him?? a bear.Yep a bear.I think he was like "what the hell are you doing here?"

This came after the regular run in with some rattlesnakes and deer. So it was a visualy stimulating run.The bear did throw me off a bit.

It was hot and I ran out of water.Between us we had 160 oz of H2o,but still ran out of Gu2O & water.

I still STILL have not nailed down my hydration.I felt ill and couldnt get GU's and cliff blocks down....so I felt crappy for the last 7 miles so I ran and fast walked it. I did take a break to jump in the river and lay in the rapids which felt amazing......It took me longer then I had planned 4 hrs & 21 mins. I was on great time but those 7 miles where I had to go slow pace and walk a little more due to feeling crampy and nauseated...aw well thats what training is all about...learning.

Ok so here is my deal and I hope it is not TMI !!!
I cant stomach GU2o,Ive tried various sports drinks and many of them upset my stomach. I like to drink water mostly,but I have noticed that when its hot it REALLY messes with my GI track. I already have issues with GU and such making me get cramps and have to use the toilet wayyyy too many times. I searched online and found out that warm water cause laxitive effects. Well obviously when I am putting on all the miles training for our 50 miler, we are running in the heat.Its summer so my water gets hot and I tell ya I am suffering. My questions are: 1. Any other recommendations for sports drinks besides the usual GU2O,cytomax,etc? 2: Is immodium before a run worth it and does it have constipation like effects aftwe you take it? I have a touchy GI system. I am having trouble battling these issues and it has made some of my 15+ mile runs uncomfortable to say the least.

Sorry I know its too much info but hey you all are trail/ultra runners and I KNOW this is a common issues.

[trailtrekkersteve]

Hey Ultragirl,

Cool story! Never seen a bear on any of my runs, maybe someday.

"1. Any other recommendations for sports drinks besides the usual GU2O,cytomax,etc?"

Each person's needs may be different and so the need for trying a variety of options might be necessary depending on your needs and GI tolerance.

[RAPID FIRE RAP MUSIC: ON]
"Hammer Time! CAN touch this"
[RAPID FIRE RAP MUSIC: OFF]

Sorry for the corny intro, but I use Hammer products with great success. I've tried a variety of sports drinks and subscribe to the idea of taking in complex carbs and Hammer Perpetuem and Sustain Energy have fit the bill quite well. I interchange the use of Clip2 from SUCCEED! periodically as well.

I also have a friend who drinks Spiz pretty much exclusively and loves it. Personally, I think the taste is okay, but I got an upset stomach the only time I ever tried it and wrote it off. May have done so too soon, but I'm happy with Hammer products, so no need to switch.

Though you didn't ask about this I'll throw it in, no extra charge I also use EnduroxR4 Recovery drink and it seems to work VERY well.

Finally you mention experiencing an upset stomach. Are you taking in electrolytes? In sufficient electrolytes can have a negative impact on your stomach as well. At least it has on me and a few others I know.

Hope this helps!

[ultragirl]

I take salt tabs now,which is a recent thing I have started doing and I have found it to help me. I used to and still do now and then get HORRID stomach slosh,it sounded like a monster in my tummy hahaha and I had read to try salt tabs,and I found it helped out with that. Also I was starting to get cramps in my calves and hams and found it helped with that also. I attribute all of this with my hydration level. I still have yet to find a perct system. It seems like I drink to much and I am going to the bathroom every two mins or I dont drink enough and then its too late(Like yesterday) and you cant catch up. I can tell I need some sort of electrolyte replacement,something more then what a block shot or GU will give. I just have such a touchy GI. I know its all trial and error.I just felt awful yesterday.It was the worse I have ever felt on a run.It didnt help we ran out of water and it was awful to run next to the beautiful rapids of the american river as it teased me with that refreshing looking water..hahaha i took it personal LMAO....

I think I shall give hammer a try.Ive tried there gels and they were ok.Taste is a huge thing for me.If it doesnt taste good, I cant just choke it down, ya know.

[esen]

I like Ultima as an electrolyte drink. It has zero sugar and uses stevia (a natural sweetener). I find this easier to digest on long runs. I also prefer "just plain" gu as well...tastes like vanilla without the over sweetness of some of the other flavors.

[ultrajegi]

I find that through the races is that what I like keeps changing - it's totally weird. What works well in one race doesn't necessarily in another. Plus in a 100 miles, this changes for me during the run. I now bring for a hundred miler multiple different drinks with me. On my list are - Amino Vital (that grew on me bigtime, for some odd reason), Clif (certain flavors), Heed, Perpetuem (that stuff is hard to get used to though), First Endurance EFS (not sure about that), trusty Cytomax, to name a few. Others (like Ultima, PowerBar drink, and WORST of all GU2O) just don't work with me - right now. What I find is that in a long race I need to mix up some flavors (and the strong tasting Cytomax for example can be quite good when you're getting sick of the same old light citrus flavor ...). Another thing I don't like is when the concentration of the drinks keeps changing - often aid stations will wildly vary in how concentrated the stuff is, that can do you in as well. Now I try to keep it pretty level.
For fast energy, I also like to mix it up - SportBeans (good flavor, especially when you're a bit sick), Clif Blocks, Gels ... others again like Chocolate Milk (yum) and Ensure (keep both of those cold, otherwise - yuck). Candy bars are also nice (Payday, Snickers - but beware the melting chocolate), since sometimes you just need something that doesn't taste like - well - those "sports" foods taste. Surprisingly, later in the race Powerbars (Chocolate) do well with me. Who knows why!
All I can say is - small sample sizes Some of it you can get used to. I now have the advantage that I can usually drink most electrolyte drink that are being served at the aid stations, which is a bonus.
Even so, you probably should use good salt tabs (I heard and experienced bad things with Endurolytes, because they have WAY too little sodium!).
Anyways, your body can adapt to what you take in ... keep on trying, don't give up too easily.
Some people are pretty scientific about salt intake, but as soon as you start eating it's very hard to really keep track of how much you take in, so learn how to read your body for signs of different hydration problems (too little salt, too much salt, too little water, etc ...) and adjust accordingly.

Oh and btw, did you know what Hans-Dieter Weisshaar (just finished his 100th Hundred miler at Hardrock I think) sometimes takes for a snack at aid stations? Half & Half. Pure. Go figure

Ciao,
Beat

[ultragirl]

Yes I swear by paydays!! wonderful stuff for me.
I use saltstick caps which I do like and have done wonders and I am not suffering from stomach slosh as much. I was not a fan of the sports beans so I never used them again. I stick to cliff blocks,cliff choc GU,and GU strawberry banana. I am gonna give cytomax a try again, I didnt give it a fair chance before....

I now drink choc. milk as a recovery drink or I drink muscle milk lean,which is a choc protein drink that is delicious.

I think my main issue is figuring out my hydration. Also the whole GI issues which could be related to my hydration prob...

I will eventually nail it down.

[rickgaston]

Ultragirl, I use a product called Carbo Pro. It dissolves quickly and has very little taste, it's almost tasteless. Two scoops will give you 224 calories per 20 ounce bottle. You could theoretically just mix it a little stronger and get all your calories from that. Personally I still like to use it with gel for my 300+ calories per hour. When it gets hot I just stick to that combination plus salt. I carry extra powder with me in plastic baggies and have some sent up on drop bags.

Rick

[ultragirl]

thank you