Bizarro sports drink craving...

Hi all,

Decided to do my "sports drink trial" (pre-Mooloolaba tri) early on
Sunday morning during my solo training ride (50km around the BrisVegan
southside)...

Back in my Previous Life, lemon SportsPlus was my poison of choice, but
it seems to have disappeared entirely since then. So I opted for lemon
Powerade, on the highly scientific basis that it was on special at the
local supermarket.

I always stick to water only during all my rides. Mainly because I am
still in a 'weight loss' phase (gotta get rid of the lard @rse!!). And
I am sticking to "old school" weight loss principles:
1. eat less, move more;
2. less kilojoules in, more kilojoules out.
Anyway, I digress......

So in the first hour of my ride, I drink the half a litre of water I
have in my first bidon. Then move onto my 2nd (sports drink) bottle...

I had one mouthful while stopped at traffic lights near Holland Park,
and it was like my body went into this bizarro intense craving for
sports drink. WTF?!?!?! I had another couple of mouthfuls (because I am
weak of mind!) and I felt kinda supercharged...

Ended up drinking the remainder way too quickly (because my body seemed
to be calling for it!), and finished the rest of the ride (only half an
hour!) with a 'sloshy stomach' filled with sports drink!

Bizarro... Powerade doesn't have nicotine or some other addictive
additive in it, does it?? (no, I'm not a smoker...blecch!). Has anyone
else experienced such unusual effects?

Cheers,
Absent Husband (who has sore hammy's from gardening on the weekend, and
hasn't ridden since Sunday...)

Absent Husband Wrote:

Bizarro... Powerade doesn't have nicotine or some other addictiv
additive in it, does it?? (no, I'm not a smoker...blecch!). Has anyon
else experienced such unusual effects


You weren't hungry were you? I've had similar (but not quite a
urgent!) cravings for sugar (well, something sweet at least) when I'v
not had enough to eat after heading out for a short ride and ending u
staying out for longer than expected

cheers
al

--
alison_b

Absent Husband wrote:

Hi all,

Hi AH!

Decided to do my "sports drink trial" (pre-Mooloolaba tri) early on
Sunday morning during my solo training ride (50km around the BrisVegan
southside)...

Back in my Previous Life, lemon SportsPlus was my poison of choice, but
it seems to have disappeared entirely since then. So I opted for lemon
Powerade, on the highly scientific basis that it was on special at the
local supermarket.

I always stick to water only during all my rides. Mainly because I am
still in a 'weight loss' phase (gotta get rid of the lard @rse!!). And
I am sticking to "old school" weight loss principles:
1. eat less, move more;
2. less kilojoules in, more kilojoules out.
Anyway, I digress......

There are many reasons why sports drink is better for you than water. At
a higher intensity, you burn more carbs, and you also burn more fat.
(The fat is a lower percentage of overall energy but it's a higher total
than at low intensity)... if you don't have enough carbs then you can't
work at a high enough intensity to burn the fat. Also, especially in the
morning, especially if you don't eat breakfast first, a lot of glycogen
has been used up by your brain, so you need carbs. Also carb intake is
linked to better water retention in endurance exercise.

Sports drinks also contain sodium which is needed to keep the
electrolyte balance. Ever done a ride, peed clear at the end, thought
you were well hydrated? Not necessarily! Chances are, your body is
expelling the excess water so that the electrolyte balance is achieved.
And anyway, carbs you consume during or within 2 hrs after training
doesn't really count... because it just recharges your muscles for your
next session!

So in the first hour of my ride, I drink the half a litre of water I
have in my first bidon. Then move onto my 2nd (sports drink) bottle...

I had one mouthful while stopped at traffic lights near Holland Park,
and it was like my body went into this bizarro intense craving for
sports drink. WTF?!?!?! I had another couple of mouthfuls (because I am
weak of mind!) and I felt kinda supercharged...

Sports drink tastes good but the salt in it also makes you thirsty.
Which makes you want to drink more. Which makes you want to drink more,
and so on. I usually carry sports drink AND water, so I can stop the
craving if I want to by drinking more water. Also remember that when
you're training you often don't want so much sugar and it's a bit
intense, so you can mix the sports drink with a bit more water and you
won't get such huge cravings, and it'll keep your fluid intake and
retention up.

Ended up drinking the remainder way too quickly (because my body seemed
to be calling for it!), and finished the rest of the ride (only half an
hour!) with a 'sloshy stomach' filled with sports drink!

Fluids should be absorbed really quickly while you are exercising. The
fact that it was remaining in your gut indicates that it was probably
not dilute enough.

Bizarro... Powerade doesn't have nicotine or some other addictive
additive in it, does it?? (no, I'm not a smoker...blecch!). Has anyone
else experienced such unusual effects?

I don't think it has an additive like that but not sure. I tend to use
maltodextrin based gels and drinks because they provide a more continual
supply and are quickly absorbed.

Cheers,
Absent Husband (who has sore hammy's from gardening on the weekend, and
hasn't ridden since Sunday...)

Cya
Tam (who had sore everything from Sunday's half marathon followed by
standing up all Anzac Day, but got a rub yesterday and rode her bike in
today despite the rain!)

Cheers,
Absent Husband (who has sore hammy's from gardening on the weekend,
and
hasn't ridden since Sunday...)


"Cya
Tam (who had sore everything from Sunday's half marathon followed by
standing up all Anzac Day, but got a rub yesterday and rode her bike in

today despite the rain!) "

snip

Thanks Tam - now I'm feeling like a total wuss!!! I think you *may*
have more claims to legitimate soreness than myself... Then taking me
out with a TKO by riding in... In the rain... *sigh* although I did go
sw_mming this morning in the rain!! (although the whole getting wet
thing kinda cancels it out...). Last training sw_m - hooray!! No more
icy morning water, or 'stealth nuts' retreating for cover when I dive
in :O

Not sure what the correct code is to slide this question under the a.b
radar, but - how did the Lest We Forget r#n go??

Oh, and thanks for the tip - I might try going with a 50:50
water/sports-drink ratio for the future. That powerade buzz was kinda
nice at the time though.....

AH

Absent Husband wrote:

Cheers,
Absent Husband (who has sore hammy's from gardening on the weekend,
and
hasn't ridden since Sunday...)

"Cya
Tam (who had sore everything from Sunday's half marathon followed by
standing up all Anzac Day, but got a rub yesterday and rode her bike in

today despite the rain!) "

snip

Thanks Tam - now I'm feeling like a total wuss!!! I think you *may*
have more claims to legitimate soreness than myself... Then taking me
out with a TKO by riding in... In the rain... *sigh* although I did go
sw_mming this morning in the rain!! (although the whole getting wet
thing kinda cancels it out...). Last training sw_m - hooray!! No more
icy morning water, or 'stealth nuts' retreating for cover when I dive
in :O

But it's only Wednesday! Why aren't you swimming tomorrow or Friday?! :P
Think of me on Friday when I have to swim for the first time in about 6
months. It will not be pretty. Nor will transition be a tidy event for
me.

Not sure what the correct code is to slide this question under the a.b
radar, but - how did the Lest We Forget r#n go??

Hehehe well, I did 1:50:17. Almost posted a race report but was worried
about the backlash, but seeing as you asked so nicely...

About the 13km mark my hip flexors decided to let me know in no
uncertain terms just what they thought of me entering a half marathon
with no lead-up training whatsoever. This translated to a rather nasty
ITB incident at around 18km and the need for me to pull over to the side
and have a stretch. Fortunately when your ITB is that close to snapping,
it's pretty easy to stretch, so I was on my way again soon. But not
before a few people had passed me, so I had to run and catch up to them!
I had a great time anyway.

Oh, and thanks for the tip - I might try going with a 50:50
water/sports-drink ratio for the future. That powerade buzz was kinda
nice at the time though.....

I bet it was!

Tam

"But it's only Wednesday! Why aren't you swimming tomorrow or Friday?!
:P
Think of me on Friday when I have to swim for the first time in about 6

months. It will not be pretty. Nor will transition be a tidy event for
me. "

snip

The pool I'm swimming at ("Hibiscus" complex, on Klumpp Rd, Upper Mt
Gravatt) is currently (already!) operating on 'winter hours'. So they
are only open on Mon-Wed-Fri (how flexible!!) for a few hours in the
morning and at night. The 50m pool is unheated (brrrrrrrrrr!) - they
have a heated 25m pool, but its only 4 lanes wide, and is inhabited by
oldies walking up and down doing rehab work. And training for a 1.5km
sw#m in a 25m pool just sucks!!

Figure Friday is too close to the race to pump out a final session.
I've almost convinced myself I'm in a 'mini-taper' period (but then I
laugh at myself for being such a tosser...).

Don't think there are any heated pools that are close enough to be
'convenient' - I think Yeronga is the only one (used to do squad
training there, but its probably a bit too out of the way). I remember
there being a big pool complex down towards Springwood, but not sure if
its heated or not...

Oh, and nice work cracking the 2 hour mark!! Great effort, especially
given your lead up work...

We'll have to compare notes on worst transition - this'll be my first
swim-bike transition in about 10 years - so at least I might be able to
amuse the crowd with a few slapstick slips and curses amongst the bike
racks!! Haven't practised the "shoes already on pedals - slide the feet
in while riding" thing for a long time either.... Better make sure my
helmet is secure...

Cheers,
Absent Husband

Absent Husband wrote:

snip

The pool I'm swimming at ("Hibiscus" complex, on Klumpp Rd, Upper Mt
Gravatt) is currently (already!) operating on 'winter hours'. So they
are only open on Mon-Wed-Fri (how flexible!!) for a few hours in the
morning and at night. The 50m pool is unheated (brrrrrrrrrr!) - they
have a heated 25m pool, but its only 4 lanes wide, and is inhabited by
oldies walking up and down doing rehab work. And training for a 1.5km
sw#m in a 25m pool just sucks!!

Hehehe I remember one time heading for a heated pool near the army
barracks, finding it closed to the public and trying Newmarket instead.
Couldn't figure out why my 400s were so slow and getting progressively
slower. Finished my session and rolled onto my back to do some cooldown
backstroke. Got very dizzy and nearly passed out. Oh, I get it,
hypothermia. Oops.

Figure Friday is too close to the race to pump out a final session.
I've almost convinced myself I'm in a 'mini-taper' period (but then I
laugh at myself for being such a tosser...).

LOL each day out of the pool is a day your technique gets worse! Not
that you have to pump out a 1500 just 2 days out, but ... really Friday
is not too late...

Don't think there are any heated pools that are close enough to be
'convenient' - I think Yeronga is the only one (used to do squad
training there, but its probably a bit too out of the way). I remember
there being a big pool complex down towards Springwood, but not sure if
its heated or not...

Isn't there a pool at Chandler as well? I don't know if that's heated
though. If you're riding in the mornings, QUT has a heated indoor pool,
so you don't even have to worry about the cold air above!

Oh, and nice work cracking the 2 hour mark!! Great effort, especially
given your lead up work...

Thanks. It was a bit of a poo time compared to last year though.

We'll have to compare notes on worst transition - this'll be my first
swim-bike transition in about 10 years - so at least I might be able to
amuse the crowd with a few slapstick slips and curses amongst the bike
racks!! Haven't practised the "shoes already on pedals - slide the feet
in while riding" thing for a long time either.... Better make sure my
helmet is secure...

It's not the sliding the feet in bit that's tricky but rather the
getting on the bike in the first place, surely. How long will the swim
take you? I'll try and be there to have a laugh! Hehehe. I always wanted
to do a Mooloolaba Tri because the swim is in the ocean beach, and I
like the surf! I wanted really big surf so people would freak out a bit
and I'd get a good swim time.

Tam

"Tamyka Bell" wrote in message
...
snip

Hehehe well, I did 1:50:17. Almost posted a race report but was worried
about the backlash, but seeing as you asked so nicely...

Great time, well done considering the muscular & ITB problems. I was
marshalling at the 21km mark so I probably did offer you encouragement in
your last 100m . When will you step up to the 42.2km?

snip

Back in2IT wrote:

"Tamyka Bell" wrote in message
...
snip

Hehehe well, I did 1:50:17. Almost posted a race report but was worried
about the backlash, but seeing as you asked so nicely...

Great time, well done considering the muscular & ITB problems. I was
marshalling at the 21km mark so I probably did offer you encouragement in
your last 100m . When will you step up to the 42.2km?

snip

Were you one of the people near the tunnel, where I complained about the
hill? Or maybe one of the people at the finish chute... did you see that
guy fall over?

Hehehe, well, I've said my first 42.2 is going to be after a 3.8 and a
180.2 and I'm going to stick by that. Remember, I'm not in training at
the moment! Ahem...

Thanks

Tam

"Tamyka Bell" wrote in message
...
Back in2IT wrote:

"Tamyka Bell" wrote in message
...
snip

Hehehe well, I did 1:50:17. Almost posted a race report but was worried
about the backlash, but seeing as you asked so nicely...

Great time, well done considering the muscular & ITB problems. I was
marshalling at the 21km mark so I probably did offer you encouragement in
your last 100m . When will you step up to the 42.2km?

snip

Were you one of the people near the tunnel, where I complained about the
hill? Or maybe one of the people at the finish chute... did you see that
guy fall over?

Just after the tunnel, you possibly could have complained to me, or I may
have been taking money for parking (I'm just so multi-talented). In any
event you weren't the only person who complained about the hill . One
fellow did fall over just past where I was marshalling, he was coming in to
finish the marathon and I directed my "watch your step" comments
specifically at him as I know how ^%$&ed you can get towards the end of such
an effort, I guess it wasn't enough

Hehehe, well, I've said my first 42.2 is going to be after a 3.8 and a
180.2 and I'm going to stick by that.

Good plan, you're already hurting so what's an extra 42.2km's? I had the
same plan, only mine had "I don't need to do a Half IM before the real
thing" . I finished even though it wasn't stellar time.


Remember, I'm not in training at
the moment! Ahem...

Thanks

Tam