Up North Running is where I share my running experiences with those of similar interests.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Healthy isn't Necessary Better
This past winter I switched electrolyte drinks in an attempt to be more "health-conscious". The Gu2O that I have been using has very little sugar in it. Gatorade has quite abit more. I figured if I can eliminate a little sugar from the drink than this should be good. Well, I did a little discussion with one of the docs I work with and he mentioned that for maximum absorption of sodium (which Gu2O has more than reg. Gatorade, plus I add more salt) you need to have glucose present aka, sugars! I don't have the proof, but it is very interesting that I had a super race at Grandma's 2006, in which I used Gatorade, and this year I used Gu2O and had not so good of a race. Now this could be just a coincidence, or the sugar really makes a difference in my body. I think you can guess, but I sure as hell will be using Gatorade in my next marathon unless someone can put the "bull shit" stamp on this whole topic. All this is so frustrating because a lot of my competitors just use the water tables and a little ultima and feel just fine. I just seem to rid my body of sodium easier then the next guy. There will be some research into this whole topic, but the basics is true: you need glucose to absorb sodium.
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3 comments:
But "studies show..."... hmmm, the best study of what you need is you. In fast marathons I used to drink higher-than-recommended concentration of staminade which I think is not unlike gatorade. Every drink station. But extra sugar did nothing, and I NEVER added sodium. I did well on cold days & on ONE hot/humid day. But race preparation is more important, I think. Good luck.
Gregg, are people that fast (sub-2:40) only taking liquids? I seem to run better 'thons when I take gels instead.
Thanks for the input... I did a little research at work today, (on my break that is) and found a couple of articles to back up what I was referring to in my post. It was not intended to say "add more sugar" to the drink but to utilize electrolyte beverages with sucrose in it. Gu20 has little sugar. The extra salt idea came from a nutritionist at a sports medicine conference I attended last year and she mentioned they were drawing blood from runners out at the KONA triatholon and testing the runners at various stations. They found that the estimated amout of sodium replenishment (you'll never replace what you burn) was up to 8 times LOW. that means a person, not all, may need to add salt to their drink of choice to keep sodium levels up. I did that last year at Grandma's and had my best race under "black flag" conditions. Speedygeoff hit it right on the money. The best study is you. What works for one may not work for another.
chad-
I use Power Gels, and have seen a lot of men and women sub 2:40 use gels as well. I took 2 1/2 power gels down at Grandma's but couldn't stomach my last 1 1/2.
Nice chatting with you guys!
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