Ah, 2 hours into an 8 hour mountain bike ride, and still feeling fresh. I’m eating and drinking well, and have a beautiful pace. Until I don’t. Around the 3 to 4 hour mark, I realize that I can’t stomach any more sweet, gooey gels, or hypersweet drinks anymore. This is well past the point that calories and hydration become critical. I think everyone that’s done any type of endurance event, has hit that obnoxiously sweet, proverbial wall. The problem is, once you stop eating or drinking, you’re setting up for some fail. Combatting this all too common scenario is crucial for not only enjoying your chosen activity or race, but for performing at your best. Severe lack of hydration and nutrition can also lead to blood pressure issues, dehydration, nausea, and increases your chances of getting hurt.
I’ve recently had the opportunity to advise several endurance athletes, on their nutrition options, and how to set themselves up for a great day. While I believe whole heartedly in everyone needing to test things on their own, as a self proclaimed guinea pig, I’m always happy to share my experience and preferences. There are great new products on the market that address your energy, hydration, and electrolyte needs, as well as whole food options that will keep you going strong.
Stomach Tolerance
The first thing you should assess is your tolerance for different foods and drinks. This can take a bit of trial and error (sometimes a lot) before you hone in on what works for you. This is the number one reason you never try something new on race day. Unless of course, you’re feelin crazy, and the aid stations are just too amazing to turn down. While I consider myself to have a pretty strong stomach during both mtn bike and running endurance events (hello beer and pizza mid race), I realized that I just can’t stomach anything with whey. I find myself 3 inches thicker in the waist, doubled over, and miserable, within the hour. So my personal recommendations will generally steer clear of those products, both pre and during, events. If you have found that it works for you, there are several companies carrying quality products that contain whey protein. I would advise you test it out, and emphasize finding a high quality product.
Real Food Works
While gels, drink mixes and bars, flood the market, whole foods can (and do) provide all that you need, at a fraction of the cost. Medjool dates, raisins, bananas, salted potatoes, and numerous recipes from this book, have usually kept me eating and happy. This way, I can fuel with food, and use my liquids purely for hydration. It’s easier to get away with more extravagant foods, with sports like biking, ultra running, hiking, and those that are at a lesser impact or lower intensity. On race day however, I recommend keeping it simple, with foods that will quickly convert to fuel. Higher impact sports, and higher intensity require a more careful approach to your consumption choices. High carb, low fat and fiber, will allow your food to be assimilated more quickly, and thus be used for fuel. .
Gut BOMBS 
Which brings me to a great product that I’ve recently been trying out. While it’s not new, it’s still finding it’s place on the shelves and I find many of my clients and friends have not heard of it before. Tailwind nutrition is a carbohydrate rich powder that can be used easily, to stay on top of your nutrition needs. If you have problems getting in enough calories, or you simply prefer this method of nutrition, it’s definitely worth a try. Tailwind has 100 calories per serving and 27 grams of carbs. It’s also rounded out with electrolytes, which are extremely important to replenish during intense or long duration activities. What’s so special about tailwind is that it’s extremely gentle on the stomach. People with sensitive stomachs, or those that find other commercial products leave them with gut bombs, will be pleasantly surprised by this product.
They have several flavors, a caffeinated blend, and a naked blend, that has no flavoring. I generally opt for the latter, because after years of gels and drink mixes, my taste buds have had enough. I’ve used tailwind on 3-6 hour runs and I’ve been extremely happy with how evenly fueled I’ve felt. I don’t use liquids exclusively, and tend to eat most of my calories, but I find it’s a great insurance policy for getting in some nutrition and hydration at the same time.
My professional recommendation is always to eat some real food. Find options that makes you happy, and keep you eating. For some people though, this is much easier said than done. It’s easy to forget, get caught up in the speed of a race, and miss a critical refueling point. A slow drip of some liquid nutrition can help to buffer the effects when that happens. And if you’re one of those people that is constantly battling stomach issues when you’re out there, this product could be the game changer you’re looking for.
Anyone else have some tried and true, easy on the stomach secrets, or amazing fuel ideas?
