Endurance Nutrition

OK.....so today I really gave the Tailwind a workout.

I ended up being out for 13 hrs......11 hrs actually pedaling.

Mixed 3x 24oz bottles with 3 scoops each, as well as an extra individual packet. I took only a pack of Clif Bloks as a "just in case". Otherwise I had no food with me.

I never felt hungry....I never cramped. Felt like I had a good amount of energy all day.

Finally at hour 8.5/9 I did stop at Circle K, more so for fluids, but still got a bag of peanuts and a Payday bar.

Supplimented water when the TW ran out of each bottle.

It worked really well for me today.

Ended up burning 7400 calories and only put about 1500 back in.

Now I am home, I am eating everything in sight.
 
Did 60 mi on only a single 20 oz. bottle with my formula mixed in today. Didn't really drink much of it all during the ride, just short sips here and there. It wasn't until a long break that I decided to finish it off, but was still fresh for the final 1 hr leg back home. Don't think I will see plain fresh water the same way for hydration again. Going to see about making a dose for my hydration pack, to see how long I can go on that.
 
Wow, you guys don't drink much fluids! I suggest increasing to one bottle per hour. Here is what their website states and I generally follow it.

How much Tailwind should I be drinking?

What’s important to understand is that even though you may be burning 500+ calories/hour, your body physiologically can only process 200-300 calories per hour. So, in general, we recommend starting off with 200-300 calories/24oz of water/hour for 2+ hour workouts, and 100-200 calories/24oz of water/hour for activities less than 2 hours. Listen to your body. If you are feeling hungry dial up the amount of calories, if feeling overly satiated/full, dial it back. The right amount may also vary based on the conditions (think temperature and humidity) and length and your intensity (how long, how hard, how far). When it’s hotter than your usual training temperature, keep the same calorie rate per hour, but increase water to thirst.
 
Fijirob said:
Wow, you guys don't drink much fluids! I suggest increasing to one bottle per hour. Here is what their website states and I generally follow it.

How much Tailwind should I be drinking?

What’s important to understand is that even though you may be burning 500+ calories/hour, your body physiologically can only process 200-300 calories per hour. So, in general, we recommend starting off with 200-300 calories/24oz of water/hour for 2+ hour workouts, and 100-200 calories/24oz of water/hour for activities less than 2 hours. Listen to your body. If you are feeling hungry dial up the amount of calories, if feeling overly satiated/full, dial it back. The right amount may also vary based on the conditions (think temperature and humidity) and length and your intensity (how long, how hard, how far). When it’s hotter than your usual training temperature, keep the same calorie rate per hour, but increase water to thirst.
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I know what they recommend...but I can't take that many fluids in.

I did end up using 4 bottles yesterday, but again, they were over mixed.

I also ended up drinking 5x 24oz bottles of water for the day.

I just don't drink that much on my rides...I was almost 3 hours in and was only 1/2 way through the first bottle...but it was nice and cool early in the morning.

It is just what you are used to.
 
Mikie said:
No Camelbak J? Just waterbottles?
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Yup...just bottles. Cannot stand wearing a pack anymore.

2 bottles on the bike and a bottle in my jersey pocket.

It is all about knowing where I can top off my bottles.
 
I can see letting the hydration rate slip when it's cool... I'm guilty of this all the time. When it's warm/hot, though, I try to do a bottle per 1.5 hours. The Garmin timer helps keep me on track.

Any less and I feel the beginning twinges of cramps... I really can't see how some guys can go all day on a bottle! I'd be dead.


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Results since making my own formula, starting some time in July.

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Probably not enough to conclude that there's some endurance boost coming from it, but based on my first impressions, I will not be going back to plain water. Recovery time is greatly reduced. Formula can really be boiled down to 1/2 tsp salt and 6 tsp sugar per liter (33.8 oz) of water, no real fancy stuff needed.
 
Off the bike for a month, and not really cleared to get on it now...

I only had my normal coffee and a small banana before I headed out today.

I mixed up two 24 ounce bottles of Tailwind, with 1 scoop each (100 calorie dose), and headed out on the road to Whiting, which is about 7 miles and 500 feet of warmup. It was in the 90s when I climbed Dreaded and Mustard... No issues.

I refilled the empty bottle at 4 Corners and mixed in a 200 calorie dose of Tailwind for the ride home... I felt good enough to climb Modjeska Canyon Road and Modjeska Grade as extra credit.

I'm sold on this stuff... I'm coming to the end of my single serving packs. I will most likely order a large pack of the Naked and the Lemon. :)
 
Faust29 how log did it take to arrive? I'm going to try it, today it was really hot, I had a glass of and almond milk, banana and granola on the nutribullet, ate 2 cliff Bloks and water mixed with powerade.. and I was ok. but want to really try this tailwind, does it left a nasty residue on the camelbaks? sometimes Im too lazy to wash the bladder of the camelbak and 2 o 3 days later is sticky in the inside..
 
jaime said:
how log did it take to arrive?
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I ordered some last Sunday night....was delivered to my doorstep on Weds. via USPS.

They process the orders pretty quick.

They are in Colorado

Personally i would not put it in your Camelbak bladder....especially if you do not clean it out each time. I have found that it is a lot stickier than other drink mixes. My bottle tops leak during the ride and the amount of gunk on the frame after the ride is quite a bit.

Best to use a bottle.

Fortunately, it still tastes pretty good when it gets warm. However, with the really hot temps this week, it isn't great.

The first time you use it, it is a mental thing to eat on the ride....because you think you have to. After a couple of rides, it is not an issue.
 
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Thanks for the advice J !! I'll try it as soon as wifey gets back from vac. since all my funds are going straight to my 2 princesses and my better half. 1 bottle with tailwind and some on a ziploc as I go...
 
Apparently, my mix doesn't prevent heatstroke from straight up being in 100+F for 5 hours. Had to manually control my body temps for a while after that one, since my body thought normal body temp was 104F, and was warming it up despite being at rest. My error for presuming that I would prevent heatstroke by simply staying well hydrated, as you apparently can get heatstroke without being dehydrated. That or it was some other temporary issue related to my hypothalamus, as I noticed I had no appetite and was up just sponge-bathing for a while in the early AM...
 
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@jaime- I've only ordered once, but it came in about the same amount of time as it did for mtnbikej.

I mixed it in a Camelbak with no issues on one occasion, but I only mixed at a 1/2 dose- 100 calories per 24 ounces.
 
Varaxis said:
Apparently, my mix doesn't prevent heatstroke from straight up being in 100+F for 5 hours. Had to manually control my body temps for a while after that one, since my body thought normal body temp was 104F, and was warming it up despite being at rest. My error for presuming that I would prevent heatstroke by simply staying well hydrated, as you apparently can get heatstroke without being dehydrated. That or it was some other temporary issue related to my hypothalamus, as I noticed I had no appetite and was up just sponge-bathing for a while in the early AM...
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I have to ask... How much fluid did you use during this time? Based on your other long days and low fluid intake, I'm curious if you were under hydrated.
 
I brought 2 20-24oz bottles of my mix. Had 2 bottles refilled with fresh water; there's a fountain at the back of Harbor Freight and by the bathroom at Jenson that I sipped from too. Only refilled 1 each time since the other was still full with my mix, and I was trying to meter it out, using the fresh water merely to cool down. Cooled down at 3 spots with AC, the third being some pro shop at the Gen Old golf course. Had over 40 oz of fluid prior to the ride, spread over the morning and midday. No obvious sign of dehydration, like a dry mouth, and my piss was still a normal yellow color (was a slight struggle to hold it in when I got close to home). Forearm by my glove still coated with a sheen of sweat most of the ride.

Seriously, I didn't know you could get heat stroke/exhaustion without being dehydrated either. I purposely planned to expose myself to the risk of it, betting on avoiding dehydration to combat it.
 
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No worries in that regard. This was merely an experiment that I was prepared for. I don't think I had high enough concentration this time, since I wanted to tune down the electrolytes like sodium citrate, since it was messing with my smelling. I cruised through specific areas to see how sharper my smelling still was, in fact. Before, with a strong mix, I was able to smell my formula's dry scent through my fresh sweat, which was quite odd.

I guess what they drill into you into the military does no good, in regards to downing fluids to prevent heat stroke. Good thing they have those "red and black flag" status things, where the temps are so high that you're forced to limit your outdoor exposure time.

High humidity in the mornings can still get you, despite fair temps. I remember having a rough morning, riding from Ft Walton Beach to the far side of Eglin AFB for PT, waking early for it, but not getting breakfast, then doing 20 mins of calisthenics and 20 mins of running, riding straight to work to get enough time to shower and change, and then getting summoned to a commander's call. While standing at attention, it finally caught up to me. I had drank fluids on the bike and at the track, to the point that I had to force myself to sip more, since I felt "full" (no more urge to chug). I was caught swaying and leaning at attention, and was pulled out to sit in AC and given a drink. I think it was more not having breakfast in this case, though (breakfast is a good source of electrolytes, esp if you're only on fresh water). Not having lunch before the experiment likely contributed, but I didn't want to do intensity on a full stomach, since my muscles would be competing for blood flow and oxygen.
 
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That's funny that you mention the issue while standing at attention in Florida... Every year during our school's NJROTC inspection, we would have the same issue with the kids. Some would skip breakfast, not hydrate properly, and go down like a ton of bricks during the inspection. We kept paramedics on stand-by each year, and without fail, a dozen or so would go down... Thankfully, nothing serious.
 
Faust29 said:
That's funny that you mention the issue while standing at attention in Florida... Every year during our school's NJROTC inspection, we would have the same issue with the kids. Some would skip breakfast, not hydrate properly, and go down like a ton of bricks during the inspection. We kept paramedics on stand-by each year, and without fail, a dozen or so would go down... Thankfully, nothing serious.
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Lesson learned from that is that breakfast > sleep. I've read that you can go a loooong time (over 18 days) without sleep, reading up on a world record attempt that was monitored by researchers. The kid who did it knew that it wouldn't be a problem, and they continued to monitor him afterwards and discovered that he merely slept in longer to catch up on sleep, sleeping 14 hours at one time, naturally awakening, then 10, then steadily tapering back down to about 6-8.

Try to keep count of how many times you regret trying to sleep in a little longer. :D
 
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I've been using Tailwind on rides over 2 hours. Found that it works best for me in about 1/2 strength, don't need any gels, and get to consume as much water as I usually do.
When used full strength, it made me feel too full/bloated, which effected my riding due to discomfort.

I found that I like it so I don't have to stop and take in a gel, keep the energy up, and not as dehydrated at the end of the ride.
Of course, I'm not doing the little beginner rides that MtnBikeJ is doing. :rolleyes:
 
I went back and re-read the beginning of the thread. I thought for sure at that time that I would need to supement with food from a mental perspective. That hasn't been the case so far.

The other thing I'm noticing is that I feel better after the ride ends. I don't have the urge to run in the house and eat everything in the fridge. I'm sure this is due to the steady intake, as opposed to pulling over mid-ride at odd intervals and eating. Time to order more, and I'll use Jaime's coupon code!
 
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