How do I migrate from 'on course' to 'Infinit'
Over the last few years I raced and trained a good amount, and since joining EN (this is my 3rd season here), I've definately raced smarter with help of coaches and you all. The one factor that seems to be a thorn in my side on long course events (HIM, IM, and sometimes long training sessions), is my nutrition. Almost always at some point during these races, nutrition seems to become an issue for me, whether it be nausea, cramping, gastric distress or bonking, I rarely get it right. Yes I have practiced throughout training and as prepared as I feel on race day, something seems to go wrong at some point.
I have always used some sort of on course fueling, usually consisting of whatever drink is being offered at aid stations (usually Perform or Gatoraide) along with a combination of gels and bars that I bring with me (lately perform brand gels and bars). It is frustrating to put in all the time training and feeling well prepared physically and mentally only to fall short of my potential on game day due to nutrition/gastro issues.
For this reason, I'm considering making a move Infinit. I need something that takes the guess work out of the equation, constant, and also very easy for me to use and carry. I'd be interested in hearing who has or has not had success with this product. Also, what is the best way to move from what I'm currently using to a catch all nutrition system like Infinit?
Thanks!
I have always used some sort of on course fueling, usually consisting of whatever drink is being offered at aid stations (usually Perform or Gatoraide) along with a combination of gels and bars that I bring with me (lately perform brand gels and bars). It is frustrating to put in all the time training and feeling well prepared physically and mentally only to fall short of my potential on game day due to nutrition/gastro issues.
For this reason, I'm considering making a move Infinit. I need something that takes the guess work out of the equation, constant, and also very easy for me to use and carry. I'd be interested in hearing who has or has not had success with this product. Also, what is the best way to move from what I'm currently using to a catch all nutrition system like Infinit?
Thanks!
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Comments
Using Infinit adds to the guesswork. I'd assume you would use some concentrated mix (the Three Hour Bottle) for the Infinit. You have to drink/dilute it with the right amount of water to get the proper CHO% and osmolality. That's the beauty of a product like Gatorade Endurance or Perform. It's mixed in a near perfect solution already. For Infinit to work properly you need to really pay attention to how much water you're taking in so that you get the right solution in your belly. I moved away from Infinit because I had a sneaking suspicion I was not taking in enough water. I had much better tummy results going to on course nutrition.
You mentioned using Perform or Gatorade and supplementing with bars and gels. Were you drinking enough water with those bars and gels or were you washing them down with more Perform or Gatorade? That's a very important question. Since Gatorade and Perform are already mixed in a near perfect solution, adding calories or carbs to that solution throws the solution out of whack. You would have to drink about 8-10 ounces of water for a gel and probably double that for a bar to get the CHO% and osmolality right. If you either weren't drinking any water with that stuff or not drinking enough... that's more than likely the main source of your GI issues. That's exacerbated by not realizing you've went into a GI distressed state and continued to push your effort which only compounded the GI distress. Remember that effort vs absorption have an inverse relationship with each other.
Brad,
My experience with Inifinit was really good. I sweat a lot and the sodium content of my sweat is high. Customizing an Infinit formula to my specific needs was awesome. I found that it also replaced any need for supplemental calories from solids or gels while I did my long runs. I will also note that I have a pretty solid gut that doesn't get upset very easily, so that is a plus for me, but may not be the case for you. BUT...
I decided not to race the IM distance on Infinit. I am a firm believer in using course nutrition whenever possible. It takes so many variables and risks out of the equation for me. Like Bob mentioned below, when you start making concentrated bottles of the stuff, it really becomes a guessing game about how to dilute it. You may have a fool-proof system for that, but I don't, and with the sodium levels that I was using in my Infinit formula, I really needed to get it right. So, I switched my training to course nutrition early on, so I could get used what would be available.
On a side note, I had a friend that decided on using her preferred nutrition during IM Texas, and she lost both of her bottles going over train tracks on the course. She thought she could handle the course nutrition until she made it to her special needs bags, but it caused major GI issues and hampered the rest of her race. Just another reason to learn to make due with course nutrition.
Question for you: Do you write up a nutrition plan before your races? If so, maybe you can identify if it needs tweaking or if you unintentionally stray from it during races??? Just some thoughts. Good Luck!!!
I have used Infinit also and i have run into a similar issue that Bob and Michael were speaking about. The 3 hour bottle of infinit and water ratio was off. Thus causing lots of issues for me from belly issues and complete Bonking because i just did not get enough infinit.
Sorry i am no help on solving your ultimate problem. but if you are patient and are able to concentrate, i say give Infinit a whirl.
Jonathan
I started with Infinite back in 2011 when the then current advice was to go all liquid nutrition. At the time I had the Speedfill 40oz aero-brick in the triangle which gave me a 3 hour bottle that was only slightly concentrated and had water separate. Once I got the mix balanced to my liking, I had no issues and still use it for all bike wko and TM runs. Outdoor runs I typically use water and gels.
My method (Speedfill 40) was 5 sips Infinite every 15 minutes on Garmin alarm, and drank water between as needed based on heat/humidity. Hotter > more water between, cooler > less water between. BSN had 40oz premixed in large mouth jug for fast refill which worked great for my 2 IM's.
Last summer I caved into pressure from the aero-geeks and lost the Speedfil brick and used the Speedfil A2 BTA and a feed bottle. While I did not do an IM I did use it for many 4+ hour bikes and a 70.3. My approach was to use a concentrated feed bottle and water off the course to mix an isotonic solution on the go. The 24 oz feed bottle was 3x and after an hour, just before an aid station, I put 8oz concentrate into the A2. At an aid station, I'd toss my last empty on approach, grab a full water, fill the A2, and rack the remainder for just in case.
This way I only drank isotonic solutions and had cold water to mix with. The feed bottle was in my jersey pocket to prevent launching nutrition bottle. On a few training rides I even went with 6x concentration to simulate a 6 hour bottle and seemed to work fine. That is most likely what I will be training with for IMLP this year.
For racing I use this Speedfill (http://www.invisciddesign.com/standard.htm) that Steve West mentioned above. It is 40 ounces plus I have 2 more normal bottles behind the seat for an IM and only one for HIM.
For an IM I have 4 bottles in Bike Special Needs (2 behind the seat and to refill the Speedfill — I just drink the rest). In addition I have a gel every 45 mins.
For the HIM run I have 1 bottle of Infinit (I use a different flavour and some caffeine compared to my bike mix) and live off the course for the second half of the run.
For the IM, I use old Gatorade bottles with the correct amount of Infinit powder in them. I have 3 in T2 and 3 more in Run Special Needs. I just put the empty bottles in my back pocket and fill the empty one at the first aid station I come across. When it is empty I discard it at the next aid station and fill the next empty bottle. For the run, I have a gel every hour (each new bottle).
So yes there are lots of moving parts but I don't want poor nutrition to hurt any of my races.
One thing I've been a lot of consideration is that maybe my problems aren't stemming from my raceday nutrition, but rather what I am eating day to day leading up to the race. I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of day to day nutrition isn't what it should be and I need to work on that.
Also, the point that Bob McCallum makes - about washing down bars/gels with sport drink...I do this on the bike and that could be a big mistake. I generally take in no water on the bike, only sport drink, and bars/gels. On the run, I begin to take in water. This could also be a factor.
I guess I need to make a decision one way or another so that I can commit to it. First distance race is Quassy half which is 7 weeks out or so.
Thanks again for all the valuable input and I'll followup with how things turn out.