Can sports drinks replace h2O?

During my last race, I was conquered by a very challenging choice at the first aid station. Water or sports drink? I ended up drinking the sports drink and showering myself with water.

At the last stop, though, when I was already out of breath, I must have reversed the selection because someone breathed, “hey sweetie!” at the finish line.

And…going back to the title of this entry…

I was never the type who took the ‘8-glasses-of-water’ rule seriously because I hate feeling 'bloated'. Although mom always remind me to follow this simple rule to keep me on my toes the whole day, I was content with one glass for every meal.



But when the high-energy activities started to bug me, water has become my staple food – so to speak. And just when I thought that water was the only thing to keep me smiling all the way to the finish line, a wide array of sports drinks came into the picture, convincing me that they are all designed to give the boosted energy I need, or the sodium replacement I lost, or the sugar requirement that I will crave for, blah blah blah.

These drinks generally contain - as the label shouts it out - carbohydrates, electrolytes, minerals, vitamins, herbs, metabolites, and other less-proven ingredients which might as well get lost under the ‘best before’ numbers or the price tag.

For the purpose of this blog and to educate moi on whether the contents of these sports drinks will help boost my performance (and to avoid encountering another challenging choice on my next run), I head off to the nearest supermarket and chose 6 of the sports drinks that have managed to send off the 'marketing promises' unrelentingly.

And the battle begins…



According to a magazine article, the key to choosing a sports drink is to select the one you find most palatable. In short, if I like how it tastes, I buy.

For most of my treks, I have been used to the taste of Gatorate orange. In fact, my friends and I brought along powder Gatorade on our hike up to Mt. Apo. And the taste buds had quite a party. Ten races after though, the palates were having a mind of their own and took an inkling for Powerade. However, it became more of a ‘drink’ rather than a ‘hydration’. Then, Vitwater cut in the dance. The sugary taste kept me coming back for more of the blue stuff. Until they ran out of booths in races. So far, 100plus is keeping me company.

So, why this entry? I want to know if these drinks play key roles to my performance at all.

I guess the best way to check is to experiment. Testing the drinks will probably help me survive the next race and not just base on the theory (read: the promo pitch) that I need more than just H2O.

So do I really? Starting tomorrow, I will test Exhibit A (Powerade) for a week of training, then Exhibit B for the next week, and so forth. If one of these drinks are good enough (if not better) for a high-powered, high-energy activity such as running, I will keep you posted.

If not, I guess mom really knows best.


Not!

Hot Off The Press!

Read all about it! Read all about it!

I hope it's not too obvious that I miss the "old desk". But getting this teaser from my email got me excited to see what's in store for the runner (and the writer) in me. Can't wait!

Where have all the flowers gone?

I know it's been more than a month (or was it two?) since I tapped the keyboard for a fresh new entry in this blog. My bad! Like everyone else, the holidays kept me loaded (literally and figuratively!).

But I still kept my romance with the asphalt - so to speak. And I had quite a few mileages under my belt - although not something to be proud of as the next runner in line. Squeezed in a few uphills and trail runs, plus some speedwork during the yuletide gaga but still, it was not enough. I know I must keep a program at heart if I want to conquer the skyway come the love month.

So for 2010, no, I am not working on a resolution but I will bend some of my rules. Now I'm lost between keeping you posted and keeping it to myself ;P

TIMEX Run: My First Half Mary

“It’s now or never!” I dwelt on these words as I got ready for the Timex 2009 Run yesterday. It’s my first 21km run and I knew I wasn’t ready after the incident at the Philippine International Marathon (PIM: Run for Pasig) – where I blacked out and had to be taken to the hospital. The corral was not sardines-packed as in last Sunday’s run and I recognized some of the seasoned runners in the bunch. At 5am, Filipino actor Piolo Pascual said a prayer for everyone and Manny Pacquiao, who threw combinations against a ‘dancing’ Miguel Cotto that afternoon at MGM. After that, a video of the route was shown, which never really registered on me as I was busy listening to the cacophony of anxious and excited voices around me – or was it my anxious and excited subconscious?...

And then, just suddenly, it was gun-off already – no countdown, just the gun shot which gave us all a start. “This is it!” Placing my finish time’s fate on the Coach, who kept his peace all throughout the run even if I couldn’t keep the pace at times. Kept pounding on the road en route to the Jaguar showroom where I went on a few seconds walk break as the coach grabbed two cups of hydration for me. I was breathing heavily already after that first aid station and was afraid that there will be a blackout part 2 – which I dreaded. Coach Isko told me to avoid the negative thoughts and informed me that we were on the right track. Earlier he said that we will keep a 7min/km pace all throughout the 10km and then a mixture of jog/walk after that, then he assured me that I will finish this race no matter what. We reached the 9km marker at 1.07 on my Timex watch – the first time I looked at it. Looks like I’m doing better than my 10km race - where my best time was 1.15. We reached the McKinley Hill where I felt numbness on my fingers. The gameplan changed here to ‘walks’ on uphills and ‘jogs’ on downhills – which of course, was amenable for me.

At the camp’s entrance, we ran into the trailblazers who were already going back and finishing off at an hour and a half – someday guys…

When we reached the end of Bayani Road, turning left to Heritage, I felt like I was already slogging into unknown territory and everything I learned on training day was conquered by psychological musings of “tap out now”, “you can’t do this,” “your eyes are getting heavy, you are getting weary…” and so forth. Coach Isko, who also took the liberty to be my ‘support’ for the day – handing me chocolates, 100plus and water all throughout the race, would every now and then take me out of the hypnosis and send me back to reality by pushing me further with, “just a little bit more,” “yes, you reached your farthest mark, just 8 more kilometers!”...and I’m still breathing heavily…

With all of my energy (and spirit) waning on the way back, Coach didn’t stop pressing on the positive. Every aid station became a shower station and I welcomed the cold and wet water against my nape and over my head. Somehow it washed away the negative thoughts until we reached the 18km marker. I don’t know what happened but the thought of the finish line at an arm’s reach made me think of slumping at the pavement with a Maynilad hose drumming water against my back, pigging out on a bucket of Haagen Dazs, sleeping right there and then. But Isko was more persistent, persuading me to get the cup of cold water from his hand as he ran off meter by meter until we reached the last two kilometers.

The last kilometer was the hardest. I was panting, my legs were heavy, my arms were not swaying aggressively – man, I don’t even remember if they were still swaying at all! My shoulders seemed like somebody dropped 10 tons of cement on them. With the Coach constantly talking to me, “do you believe in yourself?!” “you’ve gone this far, don’t stop now,” “motivate yourself!” I looked at my left and tried to understand why there was a crane there – they must be fixing the road or the sidewalk or something; at my right – nothing interesting there; and thought of anything that will keep me off the pain and the exhaustion. Motivate myself……check!......this is my first 21k……20 meters……happy thoughts……15 meters……couldn’t read the timer above……10 meters……why is there a ‘blonde’ lady shouting in front of me?......5 meters……chip mat!...yes!

Crossing the finish line at 2.51 tops a Maynilad water shower and beats a bucket of Haagen Dazs. And receiving the finisher’s medal was just pure bliss.

SIM: Behind the Heels

It all started in BDM. When Isko requested a support team for his take on the 102km challenge that was the Bataan Death March in April of this year, I got hooked to the 'support the runner' idea. Thus, on Oct 24, when the boys needed support for the 42km Subic International Marathon, I immediately geared up into planning mode.

October 24, 4:30 pm. Our white support van inched its way after other support vehicles as soon as the runners took off. Like a huge python snaking to the left lane to Subic, the road warriors sped off to beat the setting sun. One by one, I recognized some of the runners who were both ecstatic and excited to hit the SCTEX asphalt for the first time. It was just contagious. If I was not in the support vehicle, I could have been one of them too. Nah, maybe next year ;)

However, the ecstasy lost its vigor when we noticed waterless aid stations. It didn't bother us (of course, it won’t bother us – we’re not running! Duh!) until we got to the next station. Still no agua!…poor runners! With 16 more kilometers to Subic, how does one survive? Ask the lovely ladies in the white van if they can spare water. And that was how our support vehicle was converted to a mobile water station for the next or so kilometers. And like the drug, the frenzy that started at Floridablanca turned into a nightmare when darkness overwhelmed SCTEX. One by one, runners come up to us for water and we have to offer what we can and what we have – water, bananas, Gatorade, eggs, wheat bread, chocolates…until our very own supplies ran out. With only 7 kilometers left to the finish line, the runners had to accept any hydration that was being offered – refilled Gatorade, half of another runner’s bottled water, oxygenated water (?). It was here that I wished we had brought more water than the two 6 liters of water that we had. At 5 hours and 10 minutes, Ian and Isko crossed the finish line dehydrated, exhausted but triumphant. Eugene came in 24 minutes later. Jeff and Gene – who were both BDM veterans – finished under 4 hours. It was late and I was also tired – supporting this race was, in fact, more tiring than during BDM in April. Maybe it was the fact that we had to provide supplies, not only to our runners, but to everyone who asked for it. At least, my fatigue slowly shook off when I saw the runners crossing the finish line while the boys were still having their own proud (mary) moment…



ADIDAS KOTR: Up on my Heels

The thought that I will claim another PR at KOTR dwindled away when we left Subic at midnight. Without enough sleep and rest, I bet that I will only be walking the whole 10k stretch. Still, with the addiction gradually controlling me at every race, I got ready at 4am, downed half of a hotdog, took my vitamins, and stretched.

At the 6am gun start, I was unbelievably up on my heels and eating everybody’s dust. Ian, who became my constant pacer from the starting line, albeit his weak state, made sure I was not inching away from the 7min/km mark and breathing like a cadet. Eugene would keep the stories coming and then break away every once in a while whenever he feels leg pain from the 42k run they had 9 hours before.

It was remarkable that I kept on running until the aid station after the Buendia flyover – where I walked and counted 10 seconds while waiting for Ian to get me a cup of Gatorade. I ran off again until after Makati Avenue where I had to take another walk break - at 20 seconds this time. This went on until I reached the Buendia flyover back to the Fort. I crossed the finish line at 1:15:30 - 2 minutes and 30 seconds better than my last one and 30 seconds earlier than my best one. Whew!!!

QCIM: Pulled it off until the sandman came.

The game plan was NOT to do a PR on Sunday’s run and just to take it easy and enjoy my first time to run the wide Commonwealth road – which I only traverse while in a vehicle. Although I am a morning person, having zero sleep for two consecutive days left me so tired and weary when I landed at Quezon City Hall. The cool weather and the early morning darkness - as I came in before 5 am - didn’t help either that I had to rob forty winks before the 10k gun off.

After the 42k warriors were sent off, I swept through the crowd and was tapped by Pat, who was a pacer for 21k, met with Mina and Perry, who were also running the 10k, and sized up the mood. It was festive and upbeat. Save for the sleepy policemen behind the stage, everyone was up and ready to hit the road.

The bluish atmosphere sent a chill through my spine after the gun off, along with the thought that I will be running through a car-free Commonwealth. And it was not hard to miss the bands and the cheerers near PNB, UP, and Tandang Sora. I expected the first 3 kilometers to go through the academic oval in UP – as indicated in the map, but alas, I was a bit disappointed to learn early on that the route is just the whole stretch of Commonwealth from Philcoa. After the first kilometer, I noticed that the kilometer markers for the 10k were in blue background…hmmm, looks like they’re color-coded – nice touch. The aid stations on Km2 were posted on two lanes – which provided enough hydration for runners plying the 8 lane road. Every now and then, I get remarks from my left and right which I acknowledge despite the trickles of sweat and the panting. To “ayan, malapit na tayo sa paakyat – good luck sa atin!” I would reply “yessir!” “jog lang, lapit na turnaround” – a smile. “hi!” “hello!” “dito ako, para may inspiration” – a smile again. And these kept me going until I reached the horde of 5k and 3k runners on my way back to the elliptical road.

Going back was not as grand as I had to bump into some walkers along the way, good thing my ‘christmas shopping skills’ worked overtime. I half expected to see the finish line at the same jump-off area near the city hall grounds, and was relieved to find that we were turning left smack into the heart of QC circle, where the activity area was – the same venue where the CLP was held Friday night. A band was there to greet the finishers when I clocked in at 1:18 on my watch, along with a number of long queues of runners lining up for freebies. Satisfied with how the race turned out, from the aid station to the marshals to the kilometer markers, and to the route, I rehydrated with a bottle of 100plus. Contented, I waited for a couple more hours at Max’s and recharged with a combo meal and halo-halo. When I got home, took a refreshingly hot shower and my much needed (and wanted) ZZZZ’s.

Happy Thoughts

While I was huffing and puffing on the way up to the Philippine Army HQ during my training at Mckinley last week, coach kept on saying, “Think happy thoughts…inhale, exhale, happy thoughts lang. Humps lang sa atin yan…” A cacophony of images ran through my head. It was difficult to point on just one happy thought when you’re breathing hard and propelling harder. I had to focus on the uphill attack – fast and furious! And then I have to think happy thoughts???!!!

How can two extreme emotions be happening at the same time? I know it happens in another set of exercise which is equivalent to one flight of stairs but while running???!!! With pain and a happy thought mixed together, all I could think of is a burst of energy – then, I guess, it really works.

So, this time I went through my desktop and captured every “happy” image I could browse through. I have more but this will do for another week of training…

Green Revenge

Everything I learned from Isko’s training program, I applied at today’s Milo race. And I’m so glad I did. After the gun-off at 6am, I told myself that I will maintain a 7min/km pace – in order for me to beat my former Milo 10km finish time last July.

As soon as I heard the ‘chip’ squeaked, I pressed start on my Timex watch and ran off. The first kilometer read 7:13 on my watch. Crap. 13 seconds too late. Bid Grace goodbye and went off. Propelled harder on the second kilometer and timed faster – 6:45. Yeah! I maintained the 7 min pace for the next 5 kilometers, all the while making math computations in my brain. As an English major, you must understand how difficult that is for me.

Unfortunately, I trickled off to an 8 min pace at km 8 and was already huffing. “Push! Wag mo pansinin sakit sa katawan. Sa finish line ka na mag-reklamo…konti na lang!” Sprinted off at the last 500 meters and finished at 1:16 on my watch. Sweet! Got my revenge against my last Milo 10km of 1:27! (And a 4 minute improvement against my last 10km) Yeah!


the coach after his 42km