Murphy’s Law says if something can go wrong, it will.  When it comes to a race, problems with delivering a carefully chosen sports drink ,  gel, or blok are common.   This is not a laughing matter when you’re in the middle of a 100- mile bike race, or a half-Ironman tri. 

Here are a few of the bloopers I heard about from athletes who thought they were well prepared: 1) new camelback, used only once during training.  Turned out this camelbak was longer, and made it impossible to strap a waist-pack that was going to hold liquid gels.  Bad mistake, and cost this 100 mile mountain back rider a bad bonk.  2)  Switching from a sqeezable gel, to a blok for quick energy.  Different packaging made it very slow to access the bloks, which were great, once opened. 

Choosing the right sport product is only the first step in race day nutrition support.  Consuming it is the next.  Don’t get caught unprepared.  Have a plan, test it out, and have a back-up plan.  That’s what makes a successful and fun race.

            It’s RACE DAY! And your little ones are excited to be part of it.  To make the Little Rock a rockin’ good time, follow these hydration guidelines.

 Children do not feel the sensation of becoming thirsty as easily as adults. 

Parents:  Make sure your young athlete is prompted to drink, and have fluids readily available. 

Children become dehydrated faster than adults.

Parents: Keep an eye on the color of urine.  Pale yellow indicates “well hydrated”, beer bottle brown is very dehydrated.  Teach your kids to do a “pee” check.

Children drink more fluids if they like the flavor.

Parents:  Most kids do not drink enough if all they have to drink is water.  In hot weather, sports drinks, lemonade, fruit punch drinks are fine. 

Children participating in activities for >hour OR in very hot conditions may need to boost sodium losses with a sports hydration drink or salty snack.

Parents:  Do NOT give children salt tablets.  Use sports hydration drinks in hot weather and offer salty snacks like pretzels or baked chips.

 Children – and adults – become irritable when dehydrated and overheated.  Stay cool, stay hydrated and everyone will have more fun, and a safer race!

Fructose has been getting a lot of bad press recently, with excessive amounts linked to rising obesity rates and cardiovascular disease in the general population.  Current opinion by health experts suggests that athletes may be protected from the adverse effects of fructose because it is used for energy during exercise by working muscles. Avoiding fructose by using a glucose-only sports drink may be one way to eliminate the negative effects of fructose.  When this idea was tested with nine well-trained cyclists performing a 100-km time trial using a glucose-fructose drink, and then a glucose-only drink, the results were clear.   All 9 cyclists completed the 100-km time trial significantly faster using the glucose-fructose drink.

Identical twin studies can provide the control to demonstrate the effect of diet and training.  Take the case of these two brothers. They are identical genetically.  One of the brothers trained as a runner, the other, a weight lifter.  Both are lean…but guess which one is the weight lifter?

Lifting weights without providing the right diet won’t get you maximum gain.  Building muscle is a combination of nutrient timing and training. 

In order to build muscle, it takes a stimulus, like weight lifting, and some fuel.  Does that mean devouring a 10-oz T-bone steak?  Not exactly.  It only takes 7-10 grams of essential amino acids to provide enough fuel to get the muscle building machinery ramped up. To realize significantly more gain, include some carbohydrate with the protein, and eat before exercising.

What does 7 g of essential AA + carbohydrate look like on the training table? Try some of these food choices: 

Prep Time: 10 minutes                                           1 large servings or 2 small

             This is burrito is a great “emergency” meal when you have been running around like a crazy person and had no time to think about what to eat for dinner.  Keep the fish on hand in the freezer, stock Mexican flavored black beans and a jar of salsa in the cupboard and low fat soft burritos and low fat cheese in the refrigerator.  All of these items will “keep” for several weeks so have them in ready reserve at all times.

1 4-oz. individual frozen fillet of Alaska polluck  or other mild fish
¼ cup Mexican flavored black beans
(save rest of can for a vegetarian burrito, or side dish)
½ tsp olive oil
4-6 Tbsp mild salsa
1 oz low fat cheddar cheese (about 2 Tbsp)
1 low fat soft burrito (to reduce carbohydrate in meal, use 8” size instead of 10”)
Food oil spray

Toppings recommended for flavor and antioxidants: