It has been really hot here in Phoenix over the last few days. On Sunday, I left the house at 6am (no daylight savings here so the sun was just coming up) and did a 3 1/2 hour ride. It was really hot. On my ride, I drank 3 bottles of water and 3 bottles of gatorade (I am out of my Infinit), ate a Clif Bar and had a bag of Clif Shots, which I figure gave me about 700 calories. I also had a Clif Bar and a PBJ sandwich before I left. I ended up going about 62 miles, but the last 10 were not good. When I got home, I was covered in my “salt” from sweat. I read here of people using salt tablets and other electrolyte supplements during their rides. I am still experimenting with my nutrition on the bike, but it was apparent yesterday that I didn’t do something right. Any suggestions?
Regular Gatorade only has about 10mg/oz of Sodium. So you were averaging 5. I’m a white line person and I need 20-25mg/oz.
I would guess that Sodium was a factor.
I’m one of those that used to be covered with that dried salt gunk after every race and long training ride. I got a bottle of thermolyte capsules and my life changed for the better. I break them open and pour the contents into my gatorade. On a hot day I’ll use three per bottle, on a cooler day two. I’ve never felt fresher after a long workout and no salt on me. Last week, I did a 100 mi bike. The last portion of the bike was in 87 degree temps. I got off the bike like I had just ridden ten miles. Even my wife questioned how far I had really gone because I felt so fresh. The key is to figure out how much sodium you need to replace, then between the electrolyte drinks, gels, and salt tabls, figure out how much you need of each to take in. I have got it down now to the point that I know each hour on a hot day, I need one bottle of gatorade, three salt capsules, and one bag of cliff shot bloks. Good luck!
*no salt on me. *
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Why would taking in more salt result in less salt on your body? You will still be covered in it, but just have more in you so it’s not all lost ---- or am I not thinking this correctly?
I’m a fan of SaltStick tabs. Their website states that they did a study of the average elecrolyte content of sweat and they formulate their pills to put in what is coming out. Not just sodium but I think potassium, calcium, and maybe magnesium. They also have pretty cool dispensers that fit in many aerobar extensions.
During the Boulder 5430 Long Course HIM I took one every 30 minutes on the bike and one every 20 minutes on the run. I took them with water instead of Gatorade, even though I drink Gatorade on course for the bike. I am a pretty heavy sweater, so your needs may vary.
During offroad races when I just have Gatorade in a camelback and no water I will only take one every 40-45 minutes.
A previous poster mentioned that they put the pills in their water bottle. I have not tried it with these, but in my experience with other pills the powder can clump up a little bit and not want to stay in suspension, which then runs the risk that the clumps stick to the bottle and never come out. Some people may say - if the pill does that in water, why wouldn’t it happen in your stomach? My answer is that most water bottles don’t have stomach acid in them. grin
I’m also a fan of the SaltStick caps as well as Thermotabs. I am messing around with ELoad for a drink and Elete Tablytes, which seems to be working pretty well overall. It’s pretty easy to digest and gets me enough salt and potassium. It’s definitely a balancing act. One thing to check, and I do this religiously, is your pre and post workout weight. In the sauna of Floriduh I went through 4 full NXT waterbottles in 50 miles and still lost just over 3lb. At the end I was toast and had to softpedal back the last 2 miles. Of course exceeding my previous wattage record for that route by 10% couldn’t have anything to do with that.