Regular strength or multi hour bottle of Infinit on Race Day
I had my first RR yesterday. I have used Infinit regular strength on long rides and yesterday I tried a three hour bottle. I had a clear bottle, and marked off serving sizes. My goal was to take four plugs off the feed bottle to get one serving an hour. My problem was I couldn't see the mark on the bottle because of all the foam. For a seven hour ride I only used 4 servings. I got behind and drank too much to "catch up" which was a bad idea. I could not really run because my stomach was so upset.
I don't know if I should scratch the multi hour bottle and just go regular strength.
I have used regular strength with no real issues. The only problem I have had is making sure I am drinking enough to get around 20 oz or 1 serving an hour. I sometimes forget.
Those of you that use a multi hour bottle, what is your plan?
If you use regular strength do you bring powder out on the course with you?
Thanks...
Comments
My system is pretty simple. I divide the bottle into three sections via marking it with a Sharpie on the outside. Then, I drink every fifteen minutes and make sure I have finished the allotted amount each hour. Between drinks the fluid settles down so I know how much I have drank with a glance down at the bottle.
I then use an aero bottle for water, drinking one bottle per hour. However with water, if I over drink the worst that can happen is that I pee more.
It is a no brainer system for me - a simple guy who works best with a simple plan.
Last weekend I also used two 3 hours bottle with infinit & an aero bottle with water and setup alerts on my Garmin unit for every 10 min .
Hope this help
The other problem is my bottle is kind of white but not clear. If I hold it up I can see where the level is, but not real clear. I may try to use a clear water bottle with a sports top and see if it helps. Anyway thanks for the responses...
Any one else have the problem with the foam? I have the habit of shaking the bottle before drinking. When I was done with the ride I had a serving left with the rest of the bottle entirely filled with foam. When I would take plugs off the feed bottle sometimes I would get the foam and not the drink, which may have also contributed to the upset stomach.
Tom - Sounds like I'm the only one that prefers the regular strength Infinit mix on race day. I train with 2 scoops per bottle for every long ride I do, focus on 1 bottle an hour, and that works very well with me. I also carry a bottle of water to supplement fluids as needed. That means that I'm carrying 3 bottles of infinit and one bottle of water per half. I just toss the empty bottles as I move through aid stations - maybe grabbing an extra H2O as needed, drink it as I move through the station, and toss it. I do get the foam, but it's not really an issue if you're not using concentrate.
By comparison, I did try the concentrate on race day after one successful race rehearsal last year; but, heat conditions got to me and I wasn't pacing my fluids well. Ended up very dehydrated/dry heaving on the bike. My personal suggestion would be to race with whatever you have practiced consistently, no matter if the majority seem to prefer the concentrate. I don't mind the extra weight of a few bottles. Honestly I lose a full bottle every 60 minutes and don't really carry the full weight all day. Lastly, the set up I use puts an aero bottle up front and I just dump one regular mix bottle up front at a time and replenish when empty - it's mindless and if I'm drinking a little slow or fast, I can adjust quickly because it's diluted.
Good luck on RR#2!
Dominic
I use a concentrated bottle during races to create regular strength bottles. On my seat tube, I have my rocket fuel. In my aero bottle as I approach an aid station (as soon as I can see it) I'll squeeze an hours worth of concentrate into my aero bottle, Grab a cold water bottle on the fly and top off my aero bottle. I now have my fuel for the next hour; its cold and I don't have to leave my aero position to drink.
During training I'll load up the bike with regular strength bottles and bring zip lock of powder if I need more or do loops back to the car.
Vince
The problem with CarboPro is it's just calories, there are no electrolytes in it, so you'll still need to take in Gade or similar on the course.
Me:
Personally, I don't like to do the 15' reminder beeps, etc, as I feel I should be eating and drinking because I'm thinking, not because a watch is beeping at me. I don't forget, but I'm always thinking and checking on my gut and bladder before I take a swig(s).
Kitboo- that is simply hysterical!!!
Tom- I just read your race report too and realized your taking in 270 cals/hr. That's a LOT more than I try to consume/hr- which also may be why you are getting lots of foaming. An alternative to consider is backing down the total # cals in your feed bottle and supplementing it with a GU at the top of each hour. Just be careful you figure out the math so you don't take in too much at any one time without enough H20 to go with it.
"most people I talk to prefer to mix regular strength, and drink a bottle per hour. They find it easier to keep track of, and gives them less to think about. The only ones I run into who prefer the concentrated feed bottle seem to be disciples of Coach Rich"
-Mike
I typically do not recommend multi-hour bottles because of what you experienced. You have to be very conscious about drinking enough water to dilute the concentrated bottles. If you can carry regular strength, that is what I would do. If you are set on using a concentrated bottle, find a way to measure it, reduce the protein (that is what causes the foaming in Infinit), find a way to make it work for YOU.
I'm using concentrated bottles for the first time for the Paris Marathon. I've been training with them and it has been OK. I'm being very conscious about drinking water with the concentrated bottle. It does seem to add a level of complexity to fueling I'm not sure I'd want for more than a few hours.
I miss the old forum that had all the really fun emoticons. . . . .
On the foam: I found I got less when I put water into the bottle first, then added the drink mix. Seems like aerated water from the tap stirring up the mix helps create some of the foam.
I've tried doing multi-hour bottles on two IMs and even with practice, I managed to booger it twice. This last time, I poured too much concentrate into my aero bottle, and really couldn't get things right after that. I had stomach issues on the run, and I think they were partly related to dehydration due to not getting the right balance of water and calories. I'm definitely mixing bottles ahead and not trying to play with concentrate on the fly in my next race. (Chemistry was the only class i got a C on in high school, so that probably explains part of my issues). And if you don't do the multi-hour bottle don't feel too bad about the lost aerodynamics: look at how many pros ride with bottles on the back of their seats.
Eric
I don't have any problems with the foam if I run the water into the bottle along the side and not directly on the powder.
Just to clairfy - the foam IS from the protein per Michael Folan. The night before mix works really well, when I remember to do it.