So this has happened to me a few times, especially on race days and brick training, and it just happened to me again a few days ago. During the bike, I think I’m hydrating just right, but at some point my stomach just won’t let me put anything else in. During the run, my stomach feels full and bloated, but I strongly believe I’m under-hydrated. Proof is how long it takes me to recover to normal pee-rates after the workout (don’t know how else to describe that). Also, happened once during an Oly and nearly blacked out at the 2-mile mark on the run – stopped and drank lots of Gatorade, then recovered and finished fine. So, what’s going on? Am I really dehydrated? If so, why won’t my body let me get fluids in?
BTW, I normally don’t take in any solids on my brick and race days: a Full Throttle before and some Gu during, Gatorade on the ride.
There’s some good reading about this in the training archives in the non-forum part of Slowtwitch here. Something along the lines of your stomach losing its ability to process fluids when you’re dehydrated, in effect the Catch-22 of getting behind on hydration. The further behind you are, the worse your stomach gets at processing the precious fluid you’re now gulping. The first place I’d look to change something would be the Full Throttle beforehand.
I’m no expert by any means, so take this with a grain of salt.
It sounds to me like you might not be getting enough electrolytes in.
Do you sweat a lot? Have you only tried gatorade?
If you sweat a lot, regular old gatorade might not have enough electrolytes for you.
More electrolytes helps you absorb more water. If your cells are low in electrolytes, they will counterbalance by absorbing less water (I think. Haven’t taken bio in a while).
when your working muscles demand blood at high exertion levels, your body often diverts blood away from the stomach used for digestion and sends it to the working muscles. This can cause your stomach to “shut down”.
Other reasons your stomach might shut down is taking in too many calories, or taking in too much sports drink or sports drink at too high a concentration. Your stomach empties faster depending on what’s in it… seems that carbs at a 6% solution to water works best according to the nutrition literature I’ve read. Too many carbs and your digestion slows, causing a backup in your stomach, bad enough at rest but even worse when your working muscles are demanding blood, oxygen, and water.
So, manage your stomach better, watch your water/carbs ratios, and when you get bloated slow down, take a salt tab, and sip water.
You sound like you may be overthinking this business. Hydration during an Oly should be really simple; assuming your are starting out fine then all you really need to do is drink 16-24 ounces on the bike. Your stomach just can’t absorb more than that. 16 oz an hour is a pretty good general rule.
As for the Full Throttle, how far out are you drinking it? An hour before is fine (as long as it is the sugar-free type), but I would not take in that much water or carbonation any later than an hour from the start.
I make sure I am well hydrated the night before and then drink a Diet Coke an hour before the start. You should not have to pee a bunch of times before the race or you are over-hydrated.
Chad
There’s some good reading about this in the training archives in the non-forum part of Slowtwitch here. Something along the lines of your stomach losing its ability to process fluids when you’re dehydrated, in effect the Catch-22 of getting behind on hydration. The further behind you are, the worse your stomach gets at processing the precious fluid you’re now gulping. The first place I’d look to change something would be the Full Throttle beforehand.
Thanks, I’ll check the training archive area. My stomach does seem like it shuts down…not sure if that’s just dehydration or all the time. I’ve been doing some experiments during workouts. Maybe just pre-hydrating and sipping on Gatorade during the bike is sufficient.
As for the Full Throttle…I’m physically hooked on those, but worth a try to see if it makes a difference.
Along those lines, I realized I was out of Full Throttle that day and drank a Rockstar instead. Changed my routine.
I don’t have any way of knowing if you are properly hydrated or not, but I’m not sure returning to normal pee rates is any indication.
you are SUPPOSED to lose water over the course of an endurance event. your body wouldn’t perform as well if it didn’t.
So this has happened to me a few times, especially on race days and brick training, and it just happened to me again a few days ago. During the bike, I think I’m hydrating just right, but at some point my stomach just won’t let me put anything else in. During the run, my stomach feels full and bloated, but I strongly believe I’m under-hydrated. Proof is how long it takes me to recover to normal pee-rates after the workout (don’t know how else to describe that). Also, happened once during an Oly and nearly blacked out at the 2-mile mark on the run – stopped and drank lots of Gatorade, then recovered and finished fine. So, what’s going on? Am I really dehydrated? If so, why won’t my body let me get fluids in?
BTW, I normally don’t take in any solids on my brick and race days: a Full Throttle before and some Gu during, Gatorade on the ride.
x2 on salt tablets. Taking those like candy when I feel the same way you do (although admittedly on longer course races) really helps move stuff from the stomach and allows me to drink more to quench thirst. Otherwise all the liquid just sits in the stomach, filling me up but not hydrating me either.
yeah but for an olympic if you need to resort to anything other than a bottle of gatorade something is probably medically wrong
or you are just pushing too too hard to drink anything
x2 on salt tablets. Taking those like candy when I feel the same way you do (although admittedly on longer course races) really helps move stuff from the stomach and allows me to drink more to quench thirst. Otherwise all the liquid just sits in the stomach, filling me up but not hydrating me either.
BTW, I normally don’t take in any solids on my brick and race days: a Full Throttle before and some Gu during, Gatorade on the ride.
–Chet
your stomach will both shrink in size and slow in digestive processing during heavy activity. Smaller amounts of fluid more often, closer to body temp than cooled will absorb better.
What is the reasoning behind the full throttle? Or do you like working through a sugar crash 45 mins into a workout?
I agree with Chad. In a higher intensity, shorter race, your gut can only take so much. If you have a higher osmolar or higher calorie drink right before or during the race, your gut can’t take it. The only thing that I drink in the last 1-1.5 hours before a race is Pedialyte with PreRace.
I drink a lower calorie, lower osmolar Infinit for Olys. I could substitute dilute gatorade with some extra salt.
Regular Gatorade give my a stomach ache in races or hard workouts.
I do believe Tim Noakes about the salt, but I’m just not acclimated to a no-salt race or long workout.
To expand upon my prior comment: I have been in the same situation and realized that I was screwing up my sugar, clear water balance. By shifting to an approach where I drink more water to balance the concentrated sugars (GUs) that I take. I have noticed a positive result where my stomach does not lock up from having a too much sugar in it. Formerly my stomach was actually drawing water out of my body to compensate for the strength of the solution in my stomach thereby creating the lock-up situation. So try more water especially if you are drinking a strong soda like-heavily caffinated beverage before the race. .
x2 on salt tablets. Taking those like candy when I feel the same way you do (although admittedly on longer course races) really helps move stuff from the stomach and allows me to drink more to quench thirst. Otherwise all the liquid just sits in the stomach, filling me up but not hydrating me either.
BTW, I normally don’t take in any solids on my brick and race days: a Full Throttle before and some Gu during, Gatorade on the ride.
–Chet
your stomach will both shrink in size and slow in digestive processing during heavy activity. Smaller amounts of fluid more often, closer to body temp than cooled will absorb better.
What is the reasoning behind the full throttle? Or do you like working through a sugar crash 45 mins into a workout?
John
Never tried keeping the drink closer to body temp – live in AZ, so the instinct is to keep it as cool as possible, but definiitely worth a try on my next long training day. Thanks.
Full Throttle seems to last about 5 hours for me, I assume that’s the caffeine.
BTW, I normally don’t take in any solids on my brick and race days: a Full Throttle before and some Gu during, Gatorade on the ride.
–Chet
your stomach will both shrink in size and slow in digestive processing during heavy activity. Smaller amounts of fluid more often, closer to body temp than cooled will absorb better.
What is the reasoning behind the full throttle? Or do you like working through a sugar crash 45 mins into a workout?
John
Never tried keeping the drink closer to body temp – live in AZ, so the instinct is to keep it as cool as possible, but definiitely worth a try on my next long training day. Thanks.
Full Throttle seems to last about 5 hours for me, I assume that’s the caffeine.
–Chet
I live in Az as well.
The body temp thing came out of a study they did with rehydrating firefighters in Florida when they were wearing full turnout gear. Fluids that were nearer body temperature were absorbed quicker than ones that were cold, since the body had to waste time/energy warming it up before absorption.
Cold fluids over the head/body, lukewarm down the hatch.
Caffeine, or guaranine (I don’t know if FT has guarana or not) has a half life of about 5-6 hours in the body, but caffeine is also a diuretic. Kind of cross purposes to hydration.