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Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge.

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Dathlete

Jul 16, 08 8:18

Post #1 of 35 (1403 views)

Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge.	Can't Post

We are looking for 10 athletes to field test our product, specifically 2 female coaches, 2 male coaches, 3 female athletes, and 3 male athletes, that are willing to post feedback on the forum weekly.

We will provide a canister of each Rapidade (energy and electrolyte) and Rapid Recharge (recovery) flavor for you to test at no charge to you.

Please apply at rapidadechallenge@dedicatedathlete.com

Include the following information.

- Name – City – State
- Contact info: phone number, mailing & email address
- Gender - Coach/Athlete - Competitive Category / Division Distance and tell us about yourself and why you race.
- Why do you want to be part of this field test?
- What are your latest results you have achieved and how often do you train and compete?

Deadline: August 1st 2008
John Gamble CEO and Founder

www.dedicatedathlete.com

"You Get What You Give"

(This post was edited by Slowman on Jul 16, 08 9:13)

Slowman

Jul 16, 08 9:18

Post #2 of 35 (1389 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

so that you all know: john gamble and i talked about this prior to his posting. he's a proponent of field testing, and i suggested rather than us write a review, that our forum readers more or less produce the review through a field test.

as you know, this is along the lines of what's already happening with powercranks (there are field testers out there riding with their PCs right now). this sort of community field test is a model that i prefer, in general, over some journalist who may or may not be profit-motivated writing a product review in a magazine -- altho i write them all the time ;-)

so, consider signing up for this. this sort of customer/peer review is really tailor made for the internet. kudos to john for taking the risk that you all will like his product.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

mcdoublee

Jul 16, 08 9:32

Post #3 of 35 (1370 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Do you have the nutrition information and ingredients? I can't seem to find it on your website.

------------------------------------
MC Double E

Dathlete

Jul 16, 08 10:00

Post #4 of 35 (1340 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [mcdoublee] [In reply to]	Can't Post

There are links under the products in the store and on our research pages.

We are currently uploading over 2000 pages of research and hope to have this accomplished by August.

Thanks,
John Gamble CEO and Founder

www.dedicatedathlete.com

"You Get What You Give"

Rappstar

Jul 16, 08 16:24

Post #5 of 35 (1200 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

If I may add another small plug for taking part. I met John through the Timex Team, which he sponsored in 2007. I've used both DA's EP-NO and Athlete's Multivitamin. Both were first rate. I did my own "field trials" comparing EP-NO/Athlete's Multi vs. a standard ferrous sulfate supplement. This was obviously an N=1 "study," but during a month long stay at altitude, I found a significant improvement in both serum ferritin levels and hematocrit levels while taking EP-NO and the athlete's multi vs. ferrous sulfate supplementation (similar time of year, one was 2006, one was 2007). I was very comfortable taking the products as well, as DA is one of a select few companies that has a WADA certification that their products are uncontaminated - (they are produced in a facility that doesn't make or store any banned substances or precursors). So, given the recent scandal that took place with another company, this may or may not matter to you.

John's a great guy, is passionate about sport and keeping it clean, and is a helluva cyclist to boot. (He probably won't tell you the last bit.) Anyway, I have no affiliation with the company other than I think John is a class act who makes first rate product. So that's the end of my spiel on his behalf. I hope people get pumped about his products. He puts a lot of care into them, and he will absolutely listen to your feedback.

Dathlete

Jul 18, 08 11:41

Post #6 of 35 (972 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Slowman] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Just so you know we have had about 50 applicants and we would like to get at least 50 more before we start going through all of them.

Many Thaanks to the Rappstar and Slowman.

John
John Gamble CEO and Founder

www.dedicatedathlete.com

"You Get What You Give"

lwalsh

Aug 30, 08 11:09

Post #7 of 35 (665 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Everyone,

My name is Lindsay and I am a 23 year old female. I'm currently training for a half ironman.

I was selected to be part of the Rapidade challenge and just did my first workout with the Rapidade Jittery orange electrolyte mix. This work out was a 40 mile bike, rolling hills, in a little over 2 hours! I felt absolutely great! I went through a little more than one bottle. However, the drink itself tastes extremely chalky. I'm not sure exactly what causes that chalky flavor, but I got used to it after a couple of sips. I felt better on this ride than I have in a long time. My legs felt really fresh and I did not tire at all.

Now, onto the Rapid Recovery drink (Berry flavor). Unfortuately I really did not like the flavor of this drink. I wasn't able to finish the drink so I cannot comment on the effectiveness.

All in all I definitely recommend the electrolyte mix and you get used to the chalky flavor after a few sips (I'll be sure to post a review on the other 2 flavors, Glacier mist and Go Go Grape soon).

Hope this helps
Lindsay

Spindogg

Sep 3, 08 13:12

Post #8 of 35 (636 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey guys-

I was chosen to do some product testing for the Rapidade challenge. I just received the product yesterday so I’ll be posting my feedback as I go.

I am an age grouper with a focus on long course and do anywhere from 3-5 half irons a year and 1-2 ironmans. I have lofty goals and am constantly trying to hit higher levels of fitness and have some long term goals in the sport.

I used the GoGo Grape flavor Rapidade for my workout on the trainer which had a main set of 3 x 10 minutes big gear work at a best effort. This was followed by a 45 min run at aerobic threshold (about IM race pace). My first thoughts were that the taste is a bit too strong, if it were lighter it would be more palatable. It was too tart. If I was using this in a race situation I would like for it to have more sodium. When mixed regular strength (in 24 oz bottle) it had about 350 -375 mg of sodium whereas Powerbar endurance or Gatorade endurance would be up around 580 mg of sodium per 24 oz bottle. It was very easy on my stomach—no issues with that. I did notice that I had a lot of energy on the run and no bonkish feeling that I had been anticipating after not doing any gels on the bike during a very high intensity effort which burned up a lot of glycogen.

For the run I actually tried a different flavor of Rapidade—the Glacier Mist. Sorry to be to so critical here but this tasted like toothpaste. The flavor is way off. The gogo grape flavor just need to be lighter, this one I hate to say needs a complete flavor overhaul.

After the workout I used the Rapid Recharge recovery drink (Berry rush flavor). I think this is where I was most impressed. This stuff is awesome. It’s similar to Endurox but has minerals and vitamins that help your central nervous system which gets cooked after hard workouts. I felt a noticeable boost after taking this and felt very mentally alert (could be a problem for some taking this at night). I used the berry flavor mixed with 4 scoops which is pretty concentrated so the flavor was a bit strong but that’s typical when mixing it that way. I really think this is a solid recovery drink.

I am also trying out the EP-NO. I’m excited to see if I get any performance benefit. Here’s my metric. My current aerobic threshold (AeT) run pace is 7:10- 7:15 mile pace (about 20 beats below LT). So I’ll keep updating it as I go here.

-----------------------------------------------------------
"The arrow that hits the bulls-eye is the result of the one hundred previous misses."

http://www.johnspinney.blogspot.com

Coached by
http://www.qt2systems.com

tigerchik

Sep 3, 08 13:33

Post #9 of 35 (629 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Dearest Slowtwitch,

Dathlete asked us to write little bios, I haven't a chance to try the products yet - they arrived at my house yesterday, I'm stuck at school. I'll have my paws on them on Friday, and am excited to try it!

I am a senior in college and a kinesiology and physical education major - I've taken every exercise science and sports nutrition course possible here and am looking at more schooling in physical therapy. Exercise physiology is really cool and after reading all the textbook stuff about metabolism and substrate use during exercise at various intensities, as well as nutrition for performance and recovery, it's cool to get to product-test something practical based on all the theory.

My sport background - I'm a fish by trade, grew up as a swimmer and was recruited to swim here. We're a D1 school and I lasted two weeks (didn't like being on such a big team). I'd always run as cross training for swimming (I'm really good at that too!) and my freshman year in college I did the university's sprint tri.

I hated it. So naturally I did my first half-IM at age 19. I've done three others since (and like it now). I've also run two marathons. Currently, I'm training for fall road races up to half marathon distance, swim season, and that university tri again.

much love
tc
_________________________________________________________
noel noel

tigerchik

Sep 6, 08 7:04

Post #10 of 35 (588 views)

report from the Tigerchik lab [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have 2 trials of the recharge drink so far:

Friday Sept 5 - ran 8.5 mi easy (68 min), mixed 2 scoops of Vanilla creme Recharge with 20 oz water, took the bottle with me to yoga class. My main complaint was the flavor. If you like artificial vanilla flavor you're all set; it reminded me of Ensure in taste (not in viscosity). One really good thing is that the powder dissolves quite well in the fluid - not chalky or thick at all. But I didn't like the taste.

Saturday Sept 6 - ran 9.3 mi moderate (71 min), tried 2 scoops of Berry Recharge in 20 oz water. It smelled good - like Kool Aid almost - I was excited. But it didn't taste all that great, sort of a fruit juicy flavor. Because it took me so long to manage to get it all down (like an hour...) I am not sure how much recovery benefit I'm getting from it (muscle glycogen resynthesis is at its peak in the first 15 min after exercise). I like this one better than vanilla though, and am wondering if I'll acquire a taste for it?

Jury's still out on the "mental recovery" part of it. And I haven't tried the Rapidade, the DAbars, or the EP-No yet. Stay tuned!!!
_________________________________________________________
noel noel

RK13069

Sep 9, 08 19:04

Post #11 of 35 (549 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I am a 32 year old age grouper and have been in triathlon for about a year and a half. I dabbled at first with some sprint racing and decided to get more serious and race longer distances. I signed up with a local coach www.thecustomcoach.com last November and have been training consistently since. My coach asked me and a few of the athletes in our training group to participate in the challenge.

I received the products last week and have completed (2) bricks using Rapidade Glacier Mist for hydration. I always fuel on a combination of Cliff Bars, Shot Bloks, and Hammer gel. I have used Rapid Recharge following each workout. Worth noting here that my stomach has historically been a problem since I started training for long course racing. It is sensitive to hard workouts (gas, burping, etc.) and tends to shut down completely if I keep the intensity too high for too long which causes me to bonk my face off.

Here is my training volume leading up to the (2) Rapidade workouts. We will come back to this info later:

Week starting 8/11: Sprint race for kicks w/father-in-law Sunday prior, 12 hrs of training this week
Week starting 8/18: 18 hrs of training this week
Week starting 8/25: 18 hrs of training this week
Week starting 9/1: 7 hrs of training this week, scheduled Patriot 1/2 iron race cancelled due to Hurricane Hanna. Bummer.
www.Athleticore.com is neatest website for logging training!

Work-out #1:
The first reaction I had when I opened the Rapidade Glacier Mist container was to the smell - whoa that is definitely spearmint and I was nervous. Can I drink a stick of chewing gum during a work-out? I mixed three bottles [2 heaping scoops per 20 oz bottle] early and put them in a cooler for later in the day. I live in the south and it was in the low 90s with scattered clouds high humidity by late in the afternoon when we rolled out. I threw the bottles in the cages and hit the road. The ride pace was hard. The average speed was in the 21+ range; we rode for 2 hours and drank 2 bottles. The Glacier Mist went down smooth and I felt great during the entire workout. It left a funny after taste but it did not gross me out. Worth noting it mixes completely with water. I took my first sip before the ride after it had been sitting in my car for 12 hours and the taste was consistent to the last sip an hour later on the bike. I ate 1 cliff bar and took 2 shots of hammer gel during the ride. No stomach problems.

Followed up the ride with a hard 3 mile run. The weather was slightly cooler on the run as a front was moving in. I drank 1/2 a bottle of Glacier Mist before the run and 1/2 after. I felt as good as I could on the run given the intensity. I was foaming at the mouth but had no stomach problems.

While stretching after the run I drank a bottle of Rapid Recharge Berry Rush. I was not was impressed with this product. It foams when you mix it, I'm wiling to bet the protein creates this problem. The taste and consistency was not what I was looking for in a post work-out drink. It was a little chalky and slightly tart. It was not totally gross but it was not as pleasant as my usual post workout chocolate milk. By the way - Berry Rush will stain any clothing you spill it on so be careful!

Work-out #2:
Slower paced solo bike ride on rolling course. Same mixing as work-out #1. I drank 1 bottle of Glacier Mist during the 1 hour ride. Temperature was in the mid 80s and conditions were partly sunny. I must be getting acclimated to the taste and smell as it seemed smoother and without after taste today. I felt very strong on the ride. My only fuel was 1 pack of shot bloks.

Followed the ride with a moderate 3 mile run. I drank 1/2 a bottle of Glacier Mist before the run and 1/2 after. My overall opinion of Glacier Mist has improved after day 2.

Post work-out stretch and another bottle of Rapid Recharge Berry Rush. It tasted the same to me, not my favorite but not undrinkable.

Summary:
So far I like Rapidade Glacier Mist. I have felt incredibly strong during the workouts I used it. Rapid Recharge Berry Rush needs to be made slightly more palpable for it to become a mainstay in my training pantry. I can't attribute feeling great solely to the Rapidade because I usually feel like Superman after a low volume week. That being said the Rapidade did not slow me down or cause any gastrointestinal issues either.

kwatson

Sep 10, 08 12:17

Post #12 of 35 (522 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Good Afternoon. My name is Keith Watson and I am USAT Level 1 Coach and Age Group Triathlete. I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in this challenge.

The first thing I will assess is its taste. When trying a new drink my first question is if the drink is pallatable for Ironman. My initial reaction of the Rapidade Jittery Orange was yes provided it is cold. With most drinks, as soon as the temps rise they become less then desirable. I will continue to test the rapidade over the next few months in preparation of IMAZ to see if it is desired as the length of the sessions increase.

The Rapid Recharge Vanilla flavor was ok. My favorite recovery drink flavor is chocolate so I decided to mix this will half water and half chocolate milk and it was quite tasty at that point.

Its to soon to answer to its performance benefits at this point but stay tuned for an assessment. So far, no complaints.

ZippityDuDah

Sep 13, 08 7:35

Post #13 of 35 (502 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

So I'm another grateful A.G. athlete who was picked for this product review/challenge. 38 y.o. with several years of dabbling in tri's under my saddle. Started life years ago as a runner, found tri's were a good way to incorporate that with a long-time love of bikes. Oh, and there's that swimming thing. Anyway, tri-resume includes several HIM's, 3 IM's, sprinkled liberally with Oly's and sprints. (Definitely just an average dude: crack 11 hrs for IM, squeaked under 5 for HIM, and low 2 hr range for Oly's, FWIW) Off-season events include trail runs, x-c skiing, mtn biking, both races and just for fun. Year-round I stay active, and have tried several hydration/fueling products (hammer, accelerade, gator and powerade, infinit, endurox, home-made smoothies).

Okay, on to the review so far:
Got a big stack of stuff to try.
Bars: great snack, natural ingredients. Like a Lara bar, but less oily. Flavors, texture are good. Use of dates usually not a big plus for me, but I'd buy these as-is.

Ep-No: I see my doc this week, and will get bloodwork done. I'll have a baseline crit then, and will start the 2 month trial of the supplement, and plan a follow up to see if there's a change in hematocrit/iron levels, etc. Been curious about this product anyway.

Rapidade endurance formulas:
GoGo Grape: The fragrance is quite strong, like a grape popsicle. The flavor is much more subdued, which is a good thing. I didn't find it very tart, much more sweet. Very low salt taste to it, but palatable on both a 2 hr mtn bike and 2hr road ride, 70 deg days. No protein, yet I didn't start getting hungry or craving solid food, which I usually do at the 1.5 hour mark on rides with carbo-only food.
Other notables: that color is listed as "natural color", but jeebus is that a bright purple! Also, it mixes faster and cleaner than just about anything else i've mixed. small scoop is easy to dump into bottles. Infinit, by comparison, has that tractor-bucket that i seem to spill all over.
Changes I'd like to see? a little more tartness and saltiness to the flavor. And I didn't spill, but that color looks like a stainer to me.

Jittery orange: Also a strong fragrance, almost like Tang, but a better flavor (than Tang or the GoGo grape. Better color, too.) I could substitute it for OJ some mornings even. Again, no worries of bonking with 1 20 oz bottle on a 2 hr workout.

Glacier Mist: Again with the smell. Think Crest toothpaste. I plan to try this one today, but i'm bringing a backup bottle in case the flavor isn't palatable. Supposed to be in the upper 80's, doing a 35 mile ride, long sustained hills (5 mile climbs).

Recovery drinks to be tested this weekend as well.
_________________________________________________________________
"911 Operator: WHat is your emergency sir??

Someone call a whaaambulance, there is an AG'er here seriously injured and in great pain!!!!!! He doesn't get to go to Ironman......." ---Monty

tigerchik

Sep 13, 08 8:01

Post #14 of 35 (500 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Spindogg] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'm finding that these products are an acquired taste. I'm getting used to it - and was REALLY looking forward to the berry rush recharge drink after my workout today. I swam 4,500 yds, ate a banana, drove to the gym (20 min drive or so) and had a REALLY good run - 8.3 miles in 59:50. But that shelled feeling was setting in and it disappeared when I gulped down the drink in the shower. They work... once you can get used to the taste.

I keep forgetting to mix up the one to use during workouts, I'll try to get on that this week :P
_________________________________________________________
noel noel

Spindogg

Sep 19, 08 10:18

Post #15 of 35 (436 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I've been on the products for 3 + weeks or so now.I agree with Tigerchick that you get used to the taste. I actually like the taste of the go go grape r-ade and the berry r-charge now whereas at first I didn't. The Orange r-ade is awesome, flavor is great and I love that it has caffeine in it.

I think the r-charge works as good as if not better than Endurox R4. I feel like it's doing a great job of speeding recovery.

The EP-NO, my resting HR went from around 43-44 to 38 in one week. Go figure--maybe I was Iron deficient??

I also just took 6 minutes off my half iron best and did a 4:11 (granted it was on a very fast course). I have no idea if any of the products helped with that or not. I do think the EP-NO does help.

The glacier mist r-ade and vanilla r-charge really need flavor overhauls.

-----------------------------------------------------------
"The arrow that hits the bulls-eye is the result of the one hundred previous misses."

http://www.johnspinney.blogspot.com

Coached by
http://www.qt2systems.com

tigerchik

Sep 21, 08 12:41

Post #16 of 35 (401 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Spindogg] [In reply to]	Can't Post

The Go-Go-Grape reminds me of Dimeatap, only not quite as sweet. I took a bottle of it today to my workout (6 mi run + 2,700 yd swim + 50 min water run... had planned to swim more but my shoulder hurt, so I switched to water running). Didn't drink it during the workout :P but I had it after, and liked it. Would be more likely to use this post-workout just to get some quick CHO, it tastes a lot better to me than the Recharge flavors.
_________________________________________________________
noel noel

jenfrank

Sep 21, 08 17:55

Post #17 of 35 (391 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [tigerchik] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I am an age-group triathlete and coach who focuses on half ironman and ironman races. I come from a running background and enjoy the variety that triathlon provides. I was asked to be a part of the Rapidade and Rapid Recharge Challenge.

9/13- 4 Hour Trainer Ride/4 Mile Run Brick, warmed-up the first 1 1/2 hours at around 140hr. Did 2 X 30 mins at half IM effort (155-160 hr). My average heart rate for the ride was 148 and I burned 1703 calories according to my polar watch.

During the ride I drank 3 bottles of the Go Go Grape flavor, 120 calories each (mixed with 2 scoops and 20 oz. of water) and 1 bottle of the Jittery Orange flavor, 120 calories (mixed with 2 scoops and 20 oz. of water). I also took 3 succeed-caps because I need a lot of sodium. I like the flavor of the Go Go Grape. I don't know if I could use it in a race though because it is a little on the sweet side. I also like the flavor of the Jittery Orange. It is a mild orange taste. I also like the that Jittery Orange has caffine. I don't like to use caffine the entire training session, but it is nice to be able to use some towards the end of the session. By the end of the ride I could tell that I was getting low on calories. I am used to taking 300 calories each hour, 150 per half hour.

I ate a banana quick and went out for my 4 mile run. I run over to a course that is marked so that I can watch my pace and heart rate. My first mile was 6:52. My stomach felt good but I could tell that I was low on calories. My legs didn't have the normal energy that they do after my bike.

Overall I like the Go Go Grape and Jittery Orange flavors. For me to use them soley during training and racing the products would need to provide more calories. With products that I have used in the past I have still had to add extra sodium, so the sodium content in the product is fine.

After the run I mixed a bottle of Mixed Berry Rapid Recharge. When mixed with ice the taste is ok. The product has a fruit punch taste with a strong aftertaste. I will continue to post as I try the other products during training sessions.

Jen Frank
www.athleticorecoaching.com
www.athleticore.com

ZippityDuDah

Sep 22, 08 7:54

Post #18 of 35 (376 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Another week, another set of powdered-drink consumption.

The warm ride I did included warm Glacier mist Rapidade. Oh my. The smell had me worried, but I mixed up my bottle and headed out on my challenging canyon climb anyway. At the starting temperature, the drink was fine. Strange flavor, but I wasn't avoiding drinking it. As it warmed, however, things changed. The sweetness seemed too sweet, and the minty-ness really tasted like toothpaste to me. The warmth made it feel like I had just brushed, and needed to spit. I was trying to be optimistic. It may be a bit of an aquired taste, so I'll keep using it. As our weather begins to cool, it may be a good one, actually.

As for the carb content, I think the formula works for me just fine, on bike rides and runs. I have been using these drinks on outings longer than an hour. Seems to empty from my stomach well, with no GI issues, and I keep a steady-state of energy.

The recovery drink that I've been using is the vanilla. I think again, it's an aquired taste. It mixes really well for a drink with protein in it, with very little foaming when stirred. I used it after a tough 15 mile run at a moderate pace. I needed to get home, and pushed harder than I originally intended, and began getting really getting sore in the legs. I took 20 oz of the recovery drink. The remainder of the day, into the next, I was feeling a little stiff in the legs, but not bad. I could climb stairs, push a wheelbarrow, etc, without the "reminder burn" in the quads. Recovery drink, or being trained, I can't say after just one test, but that's why we continue using these, right?

EpNo: Got my baseline crit, it's 42. I'm going to take these for the 60 days, as per the instructions, and re-test my hematocrit then. We'll see if all that iron, beet root, and dessicated liver do something for me.

That's it for this week!
_________________________________________________________________
"911 Operator: WHat is your emergency sir??

Someone call a whaaambulance, there is an AG'er here seriously injured and in great pain!!!!!! He doesn't get to go to Ironman......." ---Monty

ZippityDuDah

Sep 27, 08 17:47

Post #19 of 35 (351 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [ZippityDuDah] [In reply to]	Can't Post

(edited the end of the post for the recovery drink update.)
This week: Planned saturday bonk ride.

Okay, i'm really digging the go-go grape and the orange. the grape really reminds me of those popsicles i had as a kid, but i'm gonna play with adding a touch of lemon juice to make it a bit more tart. i've used them during the week, and today i tried to create a "bonk" situation and see if this stuff would pull me out of it.

Had a low cal breakfast and lunch, then a couple hours after lunch went out on a challenging ride.

The air was as thin and dry as a paper cut. There was a deep roar from a train in the valley below my house. The lighting was bright. Through a non-bulletproof window my wife rolled her eyes as i rolled my insignificant shape down our driveway.

My plan was to hit my 5.5 mile climb at about the 1 to 1.5 hour mark, with nothing but water. So all was going fine, and halfway up the climb i started getting those familiar shaky/hungry feelings. I don't have a PM, but i betcha my watts were dropping. you've been there, you know that feeling.

So I start downing the go-go grape, mixed to directions. got about 10 oz of it into me over the course of 15 mins or so. i gotta say, the sugar did what it's supposed to. i lost the fun shakiness, and finished the last mile strong. i'm not saying a lot of things wouldn't do the same thing, i'm just saying that you can add this to the list.

the recovery drink this week was the Berry rush. Again, they nailed the flavor on this one. It smells and tastes like cherry lifesavers to me. Mixes fine with stirring, even in cold water. I'll report on the recovery effects later, as I did this mid-afternoon hill ride with a mild bonk, and tomorrow may be doing a 3-mile "fun" run. I figure that'll be a good test to see if the legs are fresh. usually if i mess up the nutrition on a ride, i can feel it the next day.

Summary: me likey the results, flavors, and ease of use so far. I'd buy the orange, the berry rush recovery, and likely the grape.

Sunday update:

well, no one really reads this thread, but i'll update the recovery status anyway, since i did a 5k-ish race this morning.
Legs felt fresh, not stiff, as often happens if i ride hard or under-nourished. Ran the 5k, and won the thing. (of course, this is a very small town, "fun run", barely competitive except the top 4 guys). but still, fun to lead a race and win. only did that once in my life. in college. and threw up 5 steps past the finish in that one.
again, took the berry rush recovery drink right after, so tomorrow i should be good to race at least a half-mary!
alright, til next week....
_________________________________________________________________
"911 Operator: WHat is your emergency sir??

Someone call a whaaambulance, there is an AG'er here seriously injured and in great pain!!!!!! He doesn't get to go to Ironman......." ---Monty

(This post was edited by ZippityDuDah on Sep 28, 08 13:03)

Dathlete

Oct 2, 08 5:57

Post #20 of 35 (321 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [ZippityDuDah] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey guys and girls,

I wanted to say thanks for the input so far. I have been reading all of your posts and I wanted to chime in just on a few things.

As far as flavor, which seems to be the first thing everyone looks at, this is exactly what we were expecting with mixed reviews. Some of you prefer one to the other and that's exactly why we are makinig several flavors. I do want to let all of you know that we only use natural flavoring, colors and sweetners, this is very important to us as I believe it is to all of you.

Digestion seems to be very good among all of you and the affects of the products are also on the positive side. Let us know if you have any of your own suggestions on how we could improve the products.

I also want you guys to keep in mind that when you are using and testing Rapidade and Rapid Recharge if you are mixing them with other products they may not work as we have intended. What i mean to say is; if you bump up your calorie intake too much with other products your digestion is going to slow down and you may have upset your stomach and it wouldn't be a true reflection on the products itself.

I saw a comment on EP-NO, and I want to make sure that we are not misleading anyone. EP-NO is designed to increase your serum ferrittin and hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of the blood, not your hematocrit,; however it may raise indirectly due the B-12 content.

EP-NO was designed because when we were working with all types of endurance athletes and coaches there was a trend that showed a lower hemoglobin and ferritin level, some due to pseudo-anemia but most to true anemia.

Keep posting so we can collect more real world data, I love hearing feedback, it's the backbone of our company.

FYI: To all of you Ironman types, we are going to be developing an Ultra Endurance formula and will be putting a heavy emphaisis on what you have to say about the product before it ever hits the market. I will let you know when we are ready for you to start testing.

Until next time,

JohnnyWG
John Gamble CEO and Founder

www.dedicatedathlete.com

"You Get What You Give"

tigerchik

Oct 7, 08 13:42

Post #21 of 35 (295 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have tested: the Jittery Orange Rapidade, and both of "Da Bars." I would like to know why they say "project black label" when the label is white... hee hee!

Jittery Orange - mild taste, didn't mind it nor love it. This is the caffeinated one, which I was hoping would wake me up a bit yesterday morning. It seemed to work, though I was REALLY tired.

Lemon Cranberry "da bar" - these are like Lara bars in that they're dates/nut, except they have some flaxseed, brown rice syrup. This one tasted like sweet (but not over-sweet) lemon... and also a little bit of maple syrup? Wasn't bad. I had one post elliptical and another post-swim yesterday and the sweetness hit the spot.

Mocha java - had this one after a 6500 yd swim today, trying to keep my blood sugar from dropping as I rushed to physics class. It tasted lightly of cocoa. It was a little dry - but not bad. All in all I like Lara bars better, but these were OK.

So the only one I haven't tried is the Glacial mist.

tc
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noel noel

tigerchik

Oct 13, 08 6:32

Post #22 of 35 (271 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Okay - ten points for Gryffindor on the Jittery Orange stuff. I used a bottle of that for a 7.7k swim workout this morning (OH YES IT IS SWIM SEASON), and it was magical. Started off feeling not so great - once the caffeine kicked in, I felt good. Would've swum longer but the swim team appeared on deck and I got kicked out.

Doesn't taste like orange to me, more like strawberry banana- but I like it. My usual swim "snack" of choice is a chocolate outrage Gu (which are better than brownie batter), this worked equally as well if not better. I'm impressed, as I've always been partial to Gu.

Dathlete, would be interested in trying the recovery shakes once you've tweaked the flavor again.
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noel noel

Spindogg

Oct 14, 08 13:21

Post #23 of 35 (250 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

After almost 2 months on the products, here's my 2 cents:

EP - NO is awesome!! I've hit PRs in half iron and my open half marathon. I have no idea if it's helped but you never know. Recovery seems to be great and my resting HR is lower when I'm on EPNO.

The Rapid recharge is an amazing product. I really think it is one of the best if not the best recovery drink out there. It's got everything that's in Endurox but also has some nutrients that boost your central nervous system which gets cooked after hard workout. The berry flavor is great but the Vanilla needs flavor improvement.

The rapidade-- I like all of them except the glacier mist (tastes like toothpaste). The others work as well as the other reputable sport dirnks on the market like Powerbar endurance. I would love it if they increased the sodium on the rapidade (like powerbar). The orange rapidade with caffiene is awesome!!!!

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"The arrow that hits the bulls-eye is the result of the one hundred previous misses."

http://www.johnspinney.blogspot.com

Coached by
http://www.qt2systems.com

Spindogg

Oct 30, 08 13:29

Post #24 of 35 (203 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Spindogg] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I want to add that since taking EP NO I've noticed that it "backs you up", i.e., constipation. I don't "clear out" in the morning like I used to. I had a bad situation recently at a race due to this "not clearing out". I'm not sure if it was specifically from the EP NO but when I looked back at my log book I noticed that I've had some similar problems on some training runs since taking the EP NO.

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"The arrow that hits the bulls-eye is the result of the one hundred previous misses."

http://www.johnspinney.blogspot.com

Coached by
http://www.qt2systems.com

ZippityDuDah

Oct 30, 08 19:48

Post #25 of 35 (188 views)

Re: Rapidade & Rapid Recharge Challenge. [Dathlete] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Still enjoying the products, and using them as the primary nutrition on my longer workouts, and for recovery as well.

Since my last post, I've been using the Go-go grape, jittery orange for workouts, and the Berry for recovery. Last weekend was a challenging 11 mile trail run, and the Rapidade fit the bill perfectly. I like that it doesn't foam up, even with the bouncing in the bottle.

As for flavors, the orange and berry required no "getting used to" at all. I've made them a little more concentrated for some of my longer rides (3 hrs), and have had no GI issues from that, even if i forgot to drink water along with it.

The berry recovery is almost like a dessert. It still tastes like a liquid cherry lifesaver to me.

I expanded my own reviews, to having a couple others sample the jittery orange, and the berry blast recovery. As for flavor and effectiveness, they each found them very good, enough that they would have no qualms about buying them "as-is". (this was as a "loaner" drink, when my friends had forgotten their bottles before we left, i'm not recruiting fellow reviewers)

The only difficulty at this point, is that in the NW, the days are getting shorter, and cooler, so the volume of training is going to go into a lull. When the snow flies, I'll be using the products snow-shoeing, xc skiing, and running primarily, and will have more to comment about, regarding their effectiveness.
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"911 Operator: WHat is your emergency sir??

Someone call a whaaambulance, there is an AG'er here seriously injured and in great pain!!!!!! He doesn't get to go to Ironman......." ---Monty

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