How & When & Why to Hydrate
 

Although Stapfam and a few others may not believe this, summer IS in fact coming -- and with it, come longer rides in hotter weather.

I remember last summer there was quite a spirited conversation on hydration vs sports drinks vs energy drinks... (I think the only thing ANYBODY agreed on was the need for pie!)...

Anyway, here's a video from Cleveland Clinic Sports nutritionist Kate Mone on that same topic:

She says for workouts under one hour, water works well to rehydrate you. However, the tipping point hits after one hour, when you begin to lose more than water, including electrolytes, sodium and glucose. That’s when drinks that contain more than water, such as sports drinks, can help your body the most. However, Mone says to be careful to watch how much sugar you drink so that your glucose levels don’t spike.

What is the perfect drink after a tough workout? Chocolate milk. Surprised? Watch to learn more.

(She makes a subtle distinction between sports drinks and energy drinks)

http://health.clevelandclinic.org/20...0513+hydration

Because I use a camelbak, I don't put anything in it that isn't water. When I'm out, I make sure I eat something that helps replace the electrolytes I've lost.

1 hour rides and it is one water bottle with a taste of fruit juice in it. Longer than that and it is the camelback with energy drink in it and the bottle on the bike with plain water.

And from what I have read, "the research" tells us that if you ARE going to ride for more than an hour it is very helpful to begin drinking an sports drink with carbs and electrolytes right away. Food you eat takes a while to be digested and available to you, less so with electrolytes but the same principal applies. I have no concern about water on a one hour ride. I bring it because if I work hard I may well get thirsty but if I don't have it I'm not concerned. On a two hour ride I will definitely get thirsty and need it but I won't fall over or bonk if I don't have it. Beyond that I run into real problems. I carry a bottle of water and bottle of electrolyte/carbs. Sometimes I prefer water and a chew of something, other times I just want to grab a carb drink. I have learned not to do sports drink plus energy bar. Too much.

This is coming from my old triathlon days (fifteen years worth). FWIW, I don't go by bottles/hr. consumed. For me, it all depends on temperature and humidity. Since I live and train in the heat, I set my watch countdown repeat time option to beep every 5 minutes at 80º and every 4 minutes at 90º. If I didn't use this method, I could easily miss several opportunities to drink and get totally dehydrated before I knew what hit me. If I miss them, I never get enough liquid in me to recover. Bottom line - I go through a lot of liquid, but I stay hydrated.

Just remember that most of the research done that has established our need for sports drinks has been paid for by the sports drink makers.

Water water water - your thirst will generally tell you when you need to drink, and if you find with experience (we are each an experiment of population ONE) you need to schedule your drinking, then use your watch. Personally, I find if I can drink enough that I occasionally need to take a leak, I'm about right.

And chocolate milk is a great recovery drink - just about the right mix of protein and carbs, tastes great, and is cheaper than the sports drinks. Last year my favorite ride had chocolate milk at all the rest stops and at the lunch after the ride. Danged near OD'd on the stuff, was almost like I was in grade school again what with a bike and chocolate milk!

I am sort of with you here. But one hour rides can be rare for me. Still the first hour gets a full 24 ounce bottle. Normally I use Heed. The second hour is another bottle and it might be water or crystal light, I like the taste. If it is very hot both bottles will have Heed and I might have a bottle of water in my jersey. It depends on how much I perspire. The more water I lose the more salt (electrolytes) I lose, believe me my head band and chin straps can testify I am losing salt. If I am reduced to just water then I also carry endurolyte (electrolytes in tablet form) In the military they called them salt tabs. :D

The hard part for me it remembering to drink when it isn't that hot. I have thought about marking my bottles with 4 hash marks for 15 minute levels.:D

Big mistake to pass by those water stops with half empties sometimes. You might be going slower for not stopping.

I've learned this the hard way and agree with your timing / temperatures. I also alternate water / electolytes for rides longer than an hour. And nutrition is also a factor, again rides longer than an hour, I start nibbling at 20 minutes, every 20 minutes, regardless of temperature. Gels, bars, snickers, granola, it all works for me.

I think the nutritionist distinguishes between "sports drinks" that replace fluid, glucose and electrolytes vs "energy drinks" that simply pump you full of glucose. They are not the same. The need to replace fluid, glucose and electrolytes during hard, long work-outs is well researched and well documented independently of commercial interests. Conversely, as the article points out: energy drinks are good to avoid except in certain, rare conditions.

Since I cannot tolerate milk I use Endurox R4 for recovery, Fruit Punch flavor. Miraculous stuff is it..........

The last time we had a sports drink thread, after two pages there was blood flowing in the streets.

Speaking of blood, goat's blood (left over from ritual sacrifices) makes a good sports drink. it's electrolyte balanced and has protein in it. It does take some time to get used to the taste.

Ha,:D I think you have slipped up. I now have reason to believe you are the poster that was run out of El Paso and had to settle in Looo-vill. wasn't your old forum name Chupacabra?:lol:

nonsense. what craziness. seriously?
 

Oh give me a break. Goat's blood? Seriously? I've tried a lot of sports drinks but never goat's blood. I have found Lamb's blood to have less pure sugar and better complex carbs and the potassium levels are more appropriate for cycling as compared to Goat's blood. As a sports drink only a complete fool would prefer Goat's blood. What kind of doofus would prefer Goat's blood over lamb's blood? Sheesh.

No one gets too torqued if you off a goat or two, but lambs have a huge PR lobby. They are hard to come by. You can get artifical lambs blood at Krogers but it's flavored with fructose.

Bud, I know what is wrong with Dudel :twitchy:, you must have gotten brain freeze up in the Great White North:winter2:.

Bill

When I'm not drinking goats blood, I alternate a bottle of electrolytes (nuun tablets seem to work best with me) and a bottle of water, refilling at every stop. I get nervous if I have less than one full bottle at any time. I start sipping about 15 minutes into the ride, and start with the electrolyte bottle first.

I have found that this seems to work, and besides, most SAG stops run out of goat blood too early.

I'm not sure why you found it necessary to trash this thread. But, as others have said when people don't like a particular thread or topic, ' If you don't like it, don't read it'.

I'm not trashing the topic, my friend. I think it's a great topic, and with summer upon us I think it is very timely.

It just seems to me that sports drinks have joined chain lube, saddles, and carbon vs. steel as quasi religious issues.

The bit about goats blood is just a joke.

Personally I use plain old Pure Tap and salted peanuts. I've tried G2 and I like it a lot.

This is best of both worlds:

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...pse0000959.jpg

Thats what I'm talking about.

Don't take it personal my friend. :D You could just as easily have revived the old thread and we could have started where we left off. After a few years people have said where they stand on this subject and few if any have changed their minds. After a year or two some subjects just run out of gas faster than they used to. Brooks saddles, steel is real, how people dress, waving on a MUP, night riding, clipless or not. They are all interesting but they just don't have the legs they once did. :D

The traditional wisdom is now and has always been, drink before you are thirsty and eat before you are hungry. what we drink and what we eat becomes the debate. Those of us that use electrolytes, shot blocks, and Gel don't care if water and apple chunks work for anyone else we only care they don't work for us. Those that only drink water and only eat whole foods don't care if sports drinks and shot blocks or Gel work for us. Once someone says the other is wrong the whole thread goes to heck in a hand bag and we get to where we always get to or where we got to in the thread you mentioned earlier. ;) Just be glad some are still being civil so they don't move it.:D

This is normal behavior for the poster in question.

Isn't the taste dependent on what they eat? I've heard that range fed goats........:) Everyone needs to take a deep breath.

And exhale half a breath before pulling the trigger on the free range goat...

FWIW - depending on the heat, humidity, how hard I'm working it may be a bottle of water an hr with a CamelBak Elixer tab in it. Goats blood doesn't do well in the heat.

Your Wattage May Vary.

+1, thank you, NOS.

Bill

I have no personal experience here, but everything I know tells me this statement has to be true...

Fine then.

I just make sure to drink my 8 glasses of water every day. That's in the Bible, or the Book of Mormon, or Poor Richard's Almanac, isn't it?
Edit: 8 glasses of water plus one dark beer every day.

Edit 2: Drink when thirsty. Adjust as needed.

The chocolate milk tip was widely published at least 15 years ago--you can get it at any convenience store, it's palatable and doesn't cost much. I don't do nearly the miles I did back then, but it always worked for me.

I mix beer and chocolate milk. Takes some getting used to but it's better than goats blood.

OK, that was totally uncalled for, given how we're all trying to have a dignified discussion on an important subject.

I'm sorry.

Dudlesack, are you getting out enough these days?