Training Tip of the Week - Hydration and Fueling Part 2:
Sports Drinks Hopefully, if you read Part 1 on Hydration and Fueling, you caught on that sports drinks are recommended for training sessions over one hour (some say even a half hour) in duration. The reason they are so important is that they contain the proper percentage of carbs (6-8% carbohydrates) and are mixed with the electrolytes sodium and potassium. Electrolytes are minerals that are lost through sweat and important for fluid retention. Because of this, sports drinks are more quickly absorbed by the body than water and they will provide your body a constant and proper amount of energy (carbs) so that you avoid “hitting the wall” or “bonking” on your run or walk. “Hitting the wall” or “bonking” means that you have depleted your muscles primary source of stored energy – “glycogen”. After about one hour of training, the muscles start to deplete their stores of glycogen. When that occurs, the body is forced to burn fat to produce energy. However while burning fat may be good for weight loss, it is difficult to run or walk doing this because it is a much less efficient means of providing energy. Thus, your performance suffers greatly and you hit the wall!
So the goal is to keep your energy supply constant and to hydrate while training longer than one hour. That way we avoid dehydration as well as hitting the wall. The easiest way to do this is by drinking a sports drink which provides a constant source of energy – carbohydrates. The goal is to consume the right of amount of sports drink per hour based on your individual needs. Generally this would require drinking between 5 to 12 ounces of fluid (typically 8 oz is recommended) every 15 to 20 minutes during your run or walk – depending on your sweat rate. The only way to determine your sweat rate is to weigh yourself immediately before and after your training session. (Note - I can bring a scale to a Group Training, if you want to do this!)
What’s considered a sports drink? To be considered a sports drink it should have about 6-8% carbs (14 to 20 grams per serving) and electrolytes. A sports drink should contain about half the carbs that you find in soda or juice. The most common one out there is Gatorade, but the specialty running stores also have Accelerade, Powerbar Endurance, Cytomax, GU Brew and others. Powerade can be found at the supermarket along with regular Gatorade.
Gatorade has recently repackaged their product line featuring three drinks: 01 Prime (for before training), 02 Perform (“Regular” Gatorade) and 03 Recover (a post training recovery drink – see below) You may also find Gatorade’s Pro series drinks which again have the three drinks: 01 Prime, 02 Perform and 03 Recover. Generally these are the specialty running store. Gatorade’s Pro series is designed for longer endurance activities such as training for a marathon. The 02 Perform sports drink, which is used at Go St. Louis, was originally called Gatorade Endurance Formula. It has a higher dose of electrolytes than regular Gatorade – and most other sports drinks. If you are a heavy sweater and have problems recovering from long training runs, I’d recommend trying this product.
Most half and full marathons will provide a sports drink on the course. At Rock N Roll events in the past (and last year) they had Cytomax (Citrus flavor) on the course. I am attempting to confirm the sports drink for this fall and whatever brand will be on the course is the brand we will train with for the remainder of the season.
What is not a Sports Drink? There are several products on the market such as Propel and G-2 (by Gatorade). These products are great to drink between training sessions in order to keep hydrated, but they do not contain the proper amount of carbs to keep you fueled when training. For this reason they are lower in calories.
What about Energy Drinks? These are drinks such as Red Bull and Rock Star that have been popular for some time. They may have caffeine and a high dose of sugar. Stay away from these during your run as they are not designed to be used as a sports drink.
What is a Recovery Drink? Recovery drinks should be consumed after a long hard training run to help you recover more quickly. Recovery drinks typically include both carbs and protein on a ratio of 4:1. Protein helps your muscles repair damage from the long run and these drinks also speed the restoration of glycogen within the muscles. These drinks should be consumed immediately following your workout if possible. Many of the sports drinks now on the market have recovery versions including Gatorade (Regular and Pro Series), Accelerate, Gu Brew and can also find Muscle Milk or similar products at the supermarket which is the same idea. However, just a word of advice, if you want a cheaper alternative to these products – just try good old fashioned chocolate milk.
If you're interested in reading more about all different sports related drinks, you may want to check out the following article that was published in Runner’s World Magazine. Here is a link to the article:
What about gels?
To supply energy (carbs) with some electrolytes, you may want to consider gels (such as GU, Powerbar Power gel, Hammer gel) and water as an alternative to sports drinks. Most gels have between 100-200 calories per packet. Typically you will want to consume a gel every 45 minutes to one hour plus water (typically 8 oz every 15 to 20 minutes) while training to maintain proper energy and hydration levels. Again, If you choose to get your energy from gels, I don’t suggest drinking sports drink as well, just drink plain water at the recommended amount.
While I typically recommend training with a sports drink, the choice of gel+water vs. sports drink is really a personal decision. Remember that on race day, you will want to stick with what you trained with. Thus, if you train with gel, you will need to bring them on the course with you (plain water as well as Cytomax will be available on the course). If you train with Cytomax, you will be good to go and you shouldn’t need gels too – but again the key is to try everything out during training.
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