DIY sports drink?

As I already noted, I only drink Gatorade type beverages after long runs of an hour or more, but when I was training for a half marathon I was regularly reading posts from Runners World, etc. and they were very clear in recommending that during a long race (half or full marathon) that runners do NOT drink only Gatorade but should drink one Gatorade to one or two "glasses" of water. Similarly, the advice was not to rely completely on water since, during a two to four hour race you would sweat out as much as 8 ounces per mile but at least 16 to 17 ounces per hour (that's somewhere between 2 and 6 *pounds* of water in a HALF marathon) with no chance to replenish fluids or electrolytes other than water "stops."

The only reason to run more than 15 feet is a guy chasing you with a big stick.

If not do Gatorade, I wouldn’t be here today. I was massively dehydrated on a 4 wheeling trip in the desert once. Took me a while to realize it because I didn’t sweat and I was drinking plenty of water. I drank 3/4 a gallon in an hour and a half but I was still dehydrated. Once I realized I was in trouble, I drove 30 minutes to the gas station and drank 2 bottles of Gatorade. I was still dehydrated and my head hurt like hell but it allowed me to make the 2 hour drive back to San Diego where I could get on IVs at the hospital. The doctor said my kidneys were not playing well and I had a pretty bad case of heat exhaustion and dehydration. That was no fun. He explained that after a certain point, water doesn’t work and you can eventually drown yourself if you keep drinking. Not a doctor and don’t care to be, I only know what I experienced and what I was told.

Rex R said:

@prfesser , okay I'll bite, how do you get a book with a copywrite date of 2020?
Rex

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That's the publisher's doing, I've never quite understood it myself.

cwbullet said:

The only reason to run more than 15 feet is a guy chasing you with a big stick.

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Or to find better cover from the enemy shooting at you....

rharshberger said:

Or to find better cover from the enemy shooting at you....

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I have to admit that is true. I dive for cover and run from the bid dude with a stick.

grouch said:

If not do Gatorade, I wouldn’t be here today. I was massively dehydrated on a 4 wheeling trip in the desert once. Took me a while to realize it because I didn’t sweat and I was drinking plenty of water. I drank 3/4 a gallon in an hour and a half but I was still dehydrated. Once I realized I was in trouble, I drove 30 minutes to the gas station and drank 2 bottles of Gatorade. I was still dehydrated and my head hurt like hell but it allowed me to make the 2 hour drive back to San Diego where I could get on IVs at the hospital. The doctor said my kidneys were not playing well and I had a pretty bad case of heat exhaustion and dehydration. That was no fun. He explained that after a certain point, water doesn’t work and you can eventually drown yourself if you keep drinking. Not a doctor and don’t care to be, I only know what I experienced and what I was told.

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Certainly electrolyte drinks have their place. One is bound to lose a fair amount of electrolytes if spending hours in desert heat. (The only times I've been to the desert, I didn't sweat either, but that was because of the low humidity and the fact that sweat would evaporate almost instantly. Never felt even damp.) Heat exhaustion and accompanying dehydration surely require electrolytes...but as I said before, a half-hour pickup basketball game is unlikely to cause those problems.

Peartree's description of runners' experiences and recommendations sounds like pretty sound advice.

grouch said:

Surprised nobody has brought up cocaine although it appears Jerry got real close.

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That would be my Adderall XR 30.

Avid road cyclist here; as I type this, I am drinking a recovery drink immediately after a 80 mile training ride (https://www.strava.com/activities/2308407367). Did three 100+ mile events last year and rode 531 miles in 8 days for RAGBRAI last summer. I only say all that to really say: I've learned the hard way what works for me, YMMV. You've kind of got three problems depending on what you are doing: hydration (keep up blood pressure), electrolytes (water is not always enough) and fuel (calories in a form that will not upset your stomach).

I have not DIY'd a sport drink--I think there's a lot of science behind the good commercial ones and they aren't super expensive. Plus, hitting all three needs above isn't simple in a way that you can tolerate. I have found that fueling properly is actually the biggest challenge people have as they progress from casual exercise to something more endurance (more than an hour?) in nature. Too many simple sugars will lead to unhappiness.

There are some powdered drink mixes that conquer all three, like Tailwind Nutrition, which I really like for anything 1-4 hours in length. For 1-2 hour events, Gatorade or Gatorade G2 works well (it's light on the fueling side, but is less costly calorie wise). G2 is also easily available in almost any grocery store.

Hammer Nutrition is my Go To for just about anything. HEED is a fantastic 1-3 hour drink mix that addresses all three needs. For longer than 3 hours, Hammer's Perpetuem is the best fuel, period. I have never bonked with it (bonking really sucks, bad). So, to get at all three needs for long events, I use Nuun tablets in my water bottles. Maybe a few gels thrown in for good measure. I really like Sport Beans (Jelly Belly) and Stinger Waffles too.

I've got my first century ride for 2019 next weekend, so we will soon see if I still have a workable plan! BTW, I am shy on donations to enable riding next weekend (each participant needs to raise a minimum of $200). If anyone is so inclined, this link would be great for anything you all would like to contribute--any $$$ amount is fantastic.

Soo, my deal is to drink Cytomax - a bottle prior and then continuously until I'm within 30 minutes of the finish - then to straight water. At least one bottle every 20 miles. I also use a GU every half hour as well. Why? Competitive cyclists loose A LOT of water thru sweat and respiration. Keeping your sugar levels and lytes up is key to having a good finish. At 30 till, you're really not going to get benefit. Afterward hydrate and eat...pasta with sauce usually has the lytes you need.

Another vote for Tailwind - I end up with a serious case of “gut bomb” from Heed or Gatorade. As far as the science of hydration and electrolytes I’ve read hundreds of pages both ODT and online - not quite sure that I’m a Dr Tim Noakes true believer but my practical experience jives much closer to what he’s written than anything else out there. Best way to figure out what worked for me was to experiment - I tried plenty of variations on training runs and shorter races before deciding what fit me best - drinking to thirst, water for any event (training or racing) lasting an hour or less, half strength Tailwind and real food for longer stuff. Drinking to thirst is one of those simple sounding things that actually took practice and experience for me to get right - took some dizzy dehydrated training runs to learn what my body feels like when I’m actually in need of water as opposed to my brain telling me I’m thirsty. All part of the fun of learning how to solve the puzzle called trail running!