No. I don't believe I'll ever put menthol in my mouth again. :)

There are probably creams/swabs / other applications that are emerging in product form with scant research. I've not read the menthol-related research thoroughly.

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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Dr Alex, I’m seriously working toward being a sugar water groupie,….. lmbo ….. when talking about bonking and ‘don’t stop fueling’ …. I assume after training and racing the idea is to simply eat food … but after a 5-6 hr IM bike leg of the sugar water, are you suggesting the same level of sugar (errrrr. CHO intake) for the run, or are you perhaps suggesting just keep taking in CHO as best as you can tolerate for the duration of the run? (Which, is pretty much what I’ve always done with my other nutrition game plans…)…… love your vid’s btw.

Did a quick google search

There is a lot of different things gum, cough drops etc

The latter! Gut tolerance definitely drops a bit on the run. Max out what you can tolerate.

That said, there are some folks who can run at very high intensities and still fuel at very high rates. Play with it.

Anecdote: I just did a detailed consult with a 2:13 marathoner who increased his carbs from 99g/hr to a little over 100g/hr and PR'd by a minute doing it. No GI issues. (also tripled sodium intake)

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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Thanks…. That’s a precise calc, i think I’ll be more toward 5-9% margin…

@DrAlexHarrison

have been following a few of the home DIY nutrition thread on this forum and your replies for a while. They have inspired me to make my own DIY energy drink at home for the past two(2) season. However, i realised recently that although i do not get serious GI issues on long session (3hr+ ride and maybe 30min brick run), I tend only to have stomach discomfort and needing the toilet after the ride ends (not during the ride or run).

In a 3hr ride, i'm doing:
- Two bottles of 590ml DIY sugar water
- One bottles of 590ml water
- between three-four salt tablets
- One 24-30g gel or chew

My DIY sugar water is water with
- 3tablespoon maltodextrin
- 2tablespoon + 1teaspoon fructose
- Juice from half a lemon.
My workings is that this give me approx 77g of carbs at about 1:0.74 ratio. The lemon is to make the drink more palatable for my taste as without it, i find the taste too sweet. Also, if switch to table sugar to get the same approx 77g of carb per drink, its also too sweet.

Any thoughts on what could causing the stomach discomfort and urge for the loo after the sessions?

I bet it’s the salt tablets. They seem to give a lot of people the runs (while others tolerate them very well).

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"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

This didn't age well ;)

Use 10-50% that amount of lemon. Add salt instead to block sweetness.


In general, it also looks like you might benefit from more sodium and fluid. What is your hourly total sodium consumption now? Seems very low.

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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📱 Check out our app → Saturday: Pro Fuel & Hydration, a performance nutrition coach in your pocket.
Join us on YouTube → Saturday Morning | Ride & Run Faster and our growing Saturday User Hub

Noted on the lemon. What are the potential effects of too much lemon juice?

I previously added 1tsp of salt to my sugar water bottles. But on the sun, sweet salt lukewarm water wasn't very palatable.

I take about 4 salt tabs. Tts 215mg sodium each, so a total of 860mg.

I've just purchase some sodium citrate. Gonna mix 1.5tsp of it with each of my 590ml bottle to see if it helps.

You should try the Saturday Nutrition app. I makes mixing up home brews very simple. It even takes into account supplements.

Too much lemon juice = too much acid.

1 tsp of salt = 2000mg sodium. Adding that to 590mL bottles is >>3000mg/L. That's double most folks upper limit when using only table salt as their primary sodium source.

From what I'm hearing you've gone from a very high sodium solution to a zero-sodium solution and are now operating with too low of sodium.

Reading the 4th line of your message you seem to be swinging the pendulum back a bit. 1.5tsp sodium citrate with your 590mL bottles puts you at >2500mg/L sodium. Much too high again.

Is there a chance you struggle like the rest of the triathletes in this world (and most humans) with a case of "all-or-nothing" thinking? :) Speaking from personal experience of course. 👋

I recommend a bit more nuanced approach. Try 3/4 tsp sodium citrate per bottle and nix the sodium tablets for now.

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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📱 Check out our app → Saturday: Pro Fuel & Hydration, a performance nutrition coach in your pocket.
Join us on YouTube → Saturday Morning | Ride & Run Faster and our growing Saturday User Hub

Guilty as charged...

Ok, will adjust to 3/4 tsp of sodium citrate per 590ml of sugar water bottle with just a quarter of a lemon's juice and see how it goes! Thanks the advice!!

I have similar symptoms as the previous poster. Usually only bathroom issues post long ride (3+ hrs) and while it isn't an "emergency", it will be if I don't go before I start the run. When I first read the posters issue I thought it was similar to mine and I have always thought it was my meals leading up to the ride (dinner the night before or breakfast the day of). Are there certain symptoms that make you think workout nutrition over pre-meal issues? I've had my fair share of workout emergency bathroom stops and this never feels like that (unless I ignore it and go out for my run).