I’m doing IMC for the third time this year and have been considering going to cola at some point on the run. I know I need to experiment with this in training (which I have done in the past and will again this year) but this will be my first time using it in race conditions.
I understand that once you start on cola you can’t stop.
My question is, once you start using cola, do you supplement it with anything else like gels or…?
In the past I have had the best result from using gatorade, water and gels exclusively throughout the race.
I bonked the other day on a long training ride, got to a country store, bought some cola and was amazed at how quickly I felt better. That experience really has me thinking that cola may help solve some of the recurring problem I have in the last 8 miles of the run.
*I understand that once you start on cola you can’t stop. *
**
That’s bull. I started with cola for the first half and switched to primarily gatorade for the second. I’m pretty sure I negative split. But I was definitely told by many people that once I started I needed to keep at it. I think you just take in what looks good and you have a taste for. Cola perked me up for sure when I started, but it just didn’t look good to me anymore towards the end. If I’ve learned anything about nutrition in the past year, it’s don’t listen to what people tell you. Listen to your body.
ok…so now that you have done a ironman… you are a specialiste of triathlon or something??? what s next, you will start giving advice and start a coaching buissness??? I hate newbies!!!
ok…well, jodi is perfectly right… the cola thing about not stopping make no sence and isnt true… drink it if you want and stop if you want… it s a matter of taking calorie in and you can take them anyway, there is nothing magical about coke that will send you too hell if you stop taking it…
and like jodi the EXPERT said… listen to your body, it might ask you funny things in races like eating banana or something else!!!
ok…so now that you have done a ironman… you are a specialiste of triathlon or something??? what s next, you will start giving advice and start a coaching buissness??? I hate newbies!!!
ok…well, jodi is perfectly right… the cola thing about not stopping make no sence and isnt true… drink it if you want and stop if you want… it s a matter of taking calorie in and you can take them anyway, there is nothing magical about coke that will send you too hell if you stop taking it…
and like jodi the EXPERT said… listen to your body, it might ask you funny things in races like eating banana or something else!!!
Yupitty yup yup. 'Tis true batman. At a certain point in the race, it is whatever you can get down you.
The whole “problems” mixing of sugars is bunk IMO.
I was soooo sure I would love cola on the run…actually stopped drinking caffeine a few weeks out hoping to get even more of a boost…what a disappointment, I took one sip and said, ugh…which is surprising because I loved it during training. By the time I got to the run I was really tired of sweet stuff. the chicken broth was a nice change and I alternated with sips of gatorade and water. I took a couple of gels on the run as well. I wound up with a great run split at IMFL even with walking through most of the aid stops so I would be sure to get enough fluids. You just will have to see how the day goes…
start coke at mile one and don’t worry about it. you can supplement with gels too but makes sure you also take in water and maybe only half a gel at a time unless you want a stomach bomb.
In IMLP a couple of years ago they ran out of coke for 4 or 5 miles so i supplemented with gatorade and was fine - it’s still sugar, just lacking the caffeine boost.
start coke at mile one and don’t worry about it. you can supplement with gels too but makes sure you also take in water and maybe only half a gel at a time unless you want a stomach bomb.
In IMLP a couple of years ago they ran out of coke for 4 or 5 miles so i supplemented with gatorade and was fine - it’s still sugar, just lacking the caffeine boost.
Much of the cola talk stems from when Mark Allen used in in the 80’s. Coke was make from sucrose. Now it is HFCS and not all that great for you. Some of the benefit has been lost with the new formulations to cheaper sweeteners. It still works, but HFCS is not exactly rocket fuel and it can irritate your gut. I cannot take it personally, but again, it is what tastes good late in the day.
I tried non-diluted Cola during my last marathon after 12 miles.
I felt an immediate burst of energy and felt great BUT few miles later I had major leg cramps (the day was hot but I never never have cramps usually).
I read that Cola may cause leg cramps.
Maybe I should have taken it diluted.
This doesn’t directly relate to triathlon but more for ultra cycling. For my buddy (n=1) he drinks coke during an entire 24 hour road bike race. At some national competition last year he drank twenty 24oz bottles of coke during the race, among other things, w/o any problems. Of course, he wasn’t doing any running which is often a bit ‘tricky’ for the stomach. I use coke all the time and don’t have problems…I like it w/ fizz!
