By Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS

Electrolyte consumption for Ironman athletes is a very popular topic and while somewhat individual, there are some key points to remember that will assist you in your electrolyte supplementation protocol on the big day.  Not known by all athletes is that very important fact that proper electrolyte use begins during your daily nutrition program then “spills” over onto your training and competition day nutrition plan.  There are many mistakes Ironman athletes make before race day and these can be easily avoided with a bit of background knowledge.

Dietary Sodium

It is well known that the average Western diet is very high in sodium.  Endurance athletes are known to go to extremes of adding copious amounts of salt to their foods throughout the day to try to keep up with the amount they lose.  However, if the diet contains a high amount of sodium, the body requires more sodium on a daily basis to remain in balance.  As the amount of sodium increases in the diet, the amount lost in sweat also increases to maintain an even balance.  The body eventually becomes used to this high amount of sodium and requires it day in and day out thus driving the daily need for more and more sodium.  The end result is that you need more daily sodium to keep your body functioning properly both in and out of training.

However, if less sodium is consumed in the daily diet, then it is much easier for the body to remain in balance.  Sodium is still lost through sweat during training but it is easier to maintain these levels by simply focusing on sodium supplementation strategies immediately before and during training and competition.  The ideal scenario is to follow a lower sodium daily nutrition plan and implement a training and competition electrolyte protocol that is centered on improving performance.  After training and competition is finished, follow the lower sodium nutrition plan once again.

The Electrolytes

The five main electrolytes that are often discussed when it comes to athletic performance are sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and magnesium.  While sodium, an extracellular compound, gets much of the attention since it is probably the most important electrolyte, the other four electrolytes should not be overlooked as they all function to support physiological training adaptations and physical performance.  Here is a little information about each electrolyte:

• Both sodium and potassium are important in nerve conduction which helps generate the signals from the central nervous system to the muscles to perform work.  Potassium, found inside of cells, also works closely with sodium and chloride in maintaining the body’s fluid balance.

• Chloride binds to both sodium and potassium and contributes to muscle functioning.  Chloride is always found in combination with sodium and potassium.

• Calcium is the mineral that is mostly associated with bone health.  However, what not all athletes realize is that calcium also assists with muscular contraction, the metabolism of glycogen, neuromuscular conduction and messaging between cells.

• Magnesium is usually overlooked in the electrolyte supplementation program of Ironman athletes when in fact it can be responsible for poor performances because it is important in the generation of ATP, muscle contraction and the transmission of nerve impulses.

As can be seen, the role of electrolytes spans far greater than simply maintaining fluid balance or trying to prevent the “mystery” cramps that Ironman athletes often experience.  There are many other physiological functions that these electrolytes contribute to and all work in concert with one another to support intense physical exercise.  Having a combination of all five electrolytes is crucial for proper physiological functioning and adaptations to training.

Sodium Loading

There has been some research to suggest that acute sodium loading the night before or morning of a race can be beneficial in promoting good fluid balance and acclimating to warmer environments.  Chronic sodium loading (greater than 2 days), common among many endurance athletes, can sometimes produce bloating and weight gain the week leading up to a competition.  However, acute sodium loading has been shown to have minimal adverse effects with maximal performance benefits.  Combining acute sodium loading with low sodium diet can work to improve performance while minimizing any adverse effects.  For more information about acute sodium loading, refer to the First Endurance sodium loading protocol at www.team.firstendurance.com.

Summary

Taking into consideration all of the valuable information presented in this article, the take home messages are:

1.  Follow a lower sodium diet in your daily nutrition to improve health and reduce the amount of supplemental sodium needed during training and racing.

2.  All five electrolytes are important in concert with one another due to their role in muscle functioning, fluid balance and the formation of ATP.

3.  Acute sodium loading may prove as a successful means for improving hydration status for Ironman racing.

These small steps will provide huge dividends for any Ironman athlete but they should be implemented far in advance of the competition date.  Take a few weeks to get your daily sodium balance in check to lower amounts then try the acute sodium loading protocol at least two or three times in quality training sessions before competition day.

By Kris Walker MD

Sports gels are increasingly popular to use during exercise due to their convenience, ease of consumption, and quick delivery of energy.  Many sports gels contain gelling agents, which are food additives based on polysaccharides or proteins.  They are used to thicken and stabilize foods.  Some examples of gelling agents are guar gum and other natural gums, pectin, gelatin, and starches.  Gelling agents are found in many sports gels, but may actually be detrimental to the performance of the supplement.…†

During prolonged endurance exercise, your muscles need more fuel than is readily available as stored muscle glycogen.  Glucose is the fuel of choice for working muscles, so an easily consumed and digested form of glucose is ideal.

Let’s follow an energy gel’s path through the digestive process.  The journey starts in the mouth where saliva starts the process.  It then passes through the esophagus to the stomach where it is mixed with digestive juices and then slowly released into the small intestine.  Carbohydrates and liquids empty more rapidly from the stomach into the small intestine.  Breakdown of starches into usable particles, in particular, glucose, happens here.  The small intestine is where most of the digested molecules are absorbed and released into the bloodstream.  Then, the undigested particles and waste products pass through to the large intestine and then to the rectum and anus.

Once the glucose gets into the bloodstream, our bodies have mechanisms to keep blood glucose within a very narrow range.  The pancreas secretes both glucagon and insulin to regulate blood glucose levels.  Insulin is secreted in response to hyperglycemia and it takes glucose out of the blood and puts it into cells where it is used or stored.  Glucagon is secreted in response to low glucose and takes stored glucose and glycogen out of the liver.  Sudden spikes in glucose in sedentary people can be detrimental because of the sudden insulin response and possible rebound hypoglycemia.   During exercise, however, insulin output in response to glucose decreases because exercise activates a non-insulin mediated glucose transport system and also increases the efficiency of the insulin.    In exercise, a glucose spike will not cause detrimental effects, and in fact, is the desired response in order to quickly fuel working muscles.

So, how do gelling agents affect the glucose delivery of sports gels?  Many studies have been done using guar gum as a gelling agent, due to its beneficial effect in diabetics at slowing or lowering the blood sugar spike after eating.  Guar gum has been shown to decrease glucose absorption in pigs by increasing the viscosity of the meal.  (Cherbut 1990, Ellis 1995)  Adding guar gum to a 425 kcal liquid meal reduced post-prandial blood glucose at 30 minutes.  Adding guar gum to a solid meal produced similar results. This was due to increased viscosity, slower gastric emptying, and decreased absorption of nutrients. (Torsdottir 1989, Leclere 1994) The decreased absorption may be due to reduced access of pancreatic enzymes to substrates or by increasing the resistance and/or thickness of the unstirred fluid layer in the small intestine, which is the rate-limiting factor of glucose absorption.  (Johnson 1981)   Pectin also reduced glucose absorption and decreased post-prandial glucose levels by increasing the unstirred layer thickness and resistance. (Flourie 1984)   Some studies, however, have shown no or varying effects on gastric emptying and no relation in glucose absorption to viscosity. (Van Nieuwenhoven 2001)  These conflicting conclusions may be due to study designs and to the use of liquid, semi-solid, or solid substrates. (Rainbird 1986)

In summary, gelling agents are not ideal for use in sports gels, where quick delivery of fuel to working muscles is the goal.  They have been shown to decrease blood glucose levels after ingestion by several possible mechanisms:  prolonged gastric emptying, decreased intestinal uptake of nutrients, slowed glucose absorption by the unstirred fluid layer in the small intestine, and reduced access of enzymes to substrates.  Prolonged gastric emptying may contribute to gastric distress, especially during high intensity exercise.  EFS liquid shot uses no gelling agents to increase its viscosity and slow gastric emptying and/or digestion.  The absence of these gelling agents also increases solubility, which increases its versatility.  The liquid shot can easily be mixed in an electrolyte drink or with plain water to customize your calorie intake.

…†Dietary Supplement regulations allow the use of GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) ‘processing aids’ to be added to formulas and do not have to be listed on the label.  Some market products use ‘gelling agents’ to thicken their formula and create a viscous mouth feel.  These same products may not necessarily list a gum on their label.  The EFS Liquid Shot does not add any gums or processing aids.

REFERENCES

Cherbut C, Albina E, Champ M, Doublier JL, Lecannu G. (1990). Action of guar gums on the viscosity of digestive contents and on the gastrointestinal motor function in pigs. Digestion, 46(4): 205-13.

Ellis PR, Roberts FG, Low AG, Morgan LM. (1995). The effect of high-molecular-weight guar gum on net apparent glucose absorption and net apparent insulin and gastric inhibitory polypeptide production in the growing pig:  relationship to rheological changes in jejunal digesta. Br J Nutr, 74(4): 539-56.

Flourie B, Vidon N, Florent CH, Bernier JJ. (1984). Effect of pectin on jejunal glucose absorption and unstirred layer thickness in normal man. Gut, 25(9): 936-41.

Johnson IT, Gee JM. (1981). Effect of gel-forming gums on the intestinal unstirred layer and sugar transport in vitro. Gut, 22(5): 398-403.

Leclere CJ, etal. (1994). Role of viscous guar gums in lowering the glycemic response after a solid meal. Am J Clin Nutr, 60(6): 976-7.

Rainbird AL. (1986). Effect of guar gum on gastric emptying of test meals of varying energy content in growing pigs. Br J Nutr, 55(1): 99-109.

from Andrew Yoder..

This past weekend I made the short trip to Maryland to compete in the spring classic Columbia Triathlon. I always look forward to racing Columbia for its challenging course and strong competition. Going into the race, I was lacking a bit of confidence from a DNF two weeks earlier and then getting sick, which knocked me out for 5 days. Not the ideal lead up to a race but my coach Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness assured me that I would be ready and I still was capable of a good result. The goal was just to go back to basics and enjoy racing.

With a non wetsuit swim and no super swimmers in the field, I was aiming to have a fast swim and be near the front. The swim start at Columbia is very wide so there was hardly any contact. I ended up not having a great start and settled into a long line of swimmers. I attempted to move up throughout the swim but was never able to reach the front. I exited the water in 4^th position just off the leaders which included Tim O’Donnell. I held my own in transition and was in striking distance at the beginning of the bike.

The bike course is gently rolling for the first few miles and then has three challenging climbs and with the wet roads, descents. I moved into 1^st by mile two and rode as hard as I could up the first climb to get out of sight. My Trek Speed Concept felt absolutely amazing on the climbs and I was able to open up a gap on the chasers. After surviving the sketchy roundabouts and twisty descents during the first half of the ride, I picked up my effort to see if I could increase my lead on the back half. Typically on this course I slow the last 20k but my main goal was to keep the pace and effort high. I ended up riding very solid the entire 42k and came off the bike with a 4:15 lead on Tim and 4:45 to the next group.

From the beginning of the run, my legs just felt empty. They didn’t feel tired just no power which was disappointing considering the run training I had been doing the past few weeks. The constant up and down was making it hard to find a tempo but I just tried to stay steady and focus on the present and not finishing. I held my form to the finish, claiming my first professional and Columbia win. It was great to bounce back at a race that is very special to me and come out on top on a very challenging day.

I want to give a special thanks to Brian Shea of Personal Best Nutrition for coming down and supporting me during the race. Thank you to my sponsors Team Trek/K-Swiss, Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness, 1^st Endurance, Oakley, and AquaSphere for the support and giving me a chance to pursue my dream.

Below is my nutrition report which I have developed with the help of Brian Shea and 1^st Endurance.

6:45 Swim Start

3:45 – 1 serving of Ultragen, 1 bagel w/ PB

4:00 to 5:30 – Sipping on 24oz. of EFS Lemon Lime

6:00 to 6:30 – 16 oz. of EFS Lemon Lime mixed with one scoop of Pre Race

6:30 – 1 serving of Liquid Shot w/ water

On the bike – 20oz. of EFS Lemon Lime w/ 1 scoop of Pre Race

Start of Run – 1 serving of Liquid shot w/ water

from Laurel Wassner

I’m very happy to report that I won my first big pro race on Sunday at the Columbia Triathlon in Maryland.  I was determined to keep the title in the family as Bec won the race in ‘09 and ‘08.  Since her foot isn’t quite ready for a hard 10k, I knew I had to step in and defend!  It wasn’t easy since the course is very challenging and it was pouring rain. I did my best to not let the weather get to me and had a little PreRace in my water bottle before getting in for a swim warm up.  It really helped me get going, especially since the race started at 6:55am!  I had a decent swim, and hopped onto my bike wearing my speedsuit.  After freezing at Rev3 Knoxville, I decided to keep an extra layer on, and it worked!  I wasn’t cold at all and was in the lead with Bec until I got passed by a very fast riding Margie Shapiro after about 21 miles.  I just tried to keep her within 30 seconds.  I knew if I could do that I could run myself back into first place.   About a mile and a half into the run,  I could see Margie and that I was gaining on her. The course is extremely hilly so I wasn’t able to just crank out my pace and zoom by. I had to be conservative since there were many more hills to come.  I got a little sick of waiting so at the 3 mile mark I made the pass and got into the lead.  At this point the lead biker turns to me and says, “Are you even in the race??” Apparently there was some twin confusion!  Margie hung with me for a mile and then at mile 4 I went for it. It hurt, but I was confident that I could run the day’s fastest 10k and that is what it took to win.  I was so happy to see the blue finish chute and then to have my entire family greet me at the finish line.  It is the best feeling in the world to make the people you care about most so happy (especially when they have done so much stressing/worrying about me!). It was a big win for all of us.  After a little celebrating, I went right to the car and mixed up an Ultragen Cappucino smoothie.  I packed a little to-go container so I could get in some important recovery calories after the race.
Congratulations to Margie and Natascha for their strong efforts and to Andrew Yoder for crushing the men’s race!  Great to share the podium with such a talented athletes.  Next up is Rev3 Quassy in Connecticut.  It’s a long one for me so, better start training!

By Sally Warner, PhD

Introduction:

The main differences in how to fuel for different duration events are the intensity and the total calories used for the effort.  Realistically, the duration of the effort will define the intensity or at least the average sustained level of effort.  Clearly nobody can sustain their 1 hour race pace for 8 hours.  For any of these you want to be sure to have as much fuel available before starting and then be smart about fuel replacement during the event.  The amount and kind of calories used depends on the intensity level of the sustained effort.  All of this technical information is helpful, but the ability of the body to utilize what is consumed is an important regulator of this whole topic.  Effective fueling requires knowledge, planning, and practice.

Available energy stores:

Certainly there is an advantage to making sure energy levels are “topped-off” prior to the exercise session, but there is a limit to how much glycogen we can store. Our maximal carbohydrate storage is about 1,800 calories for a 150 pound athlete including glycogen stored in blood, muscles and the liver.  After an hour of endurance exercise stored glycogen levels become compromised with significant depletion beyond 2 hours of sustained endurance exercise.  Glycogen is the source of energy most often used for exercise. It is needed for any short, intense bouts of exercise and supplies energy during the first few minutes of any sport. During long, slow endurance exercise, fat does help fuel activity, but glycogen is still needed to assist the breakdown of fat into something muscles can use for fuel.

Total energy required during exercise:

The total energy required for endurance exercise will depend on the type of exercise and associated exercise efficiency.  Results from a VO2 max test with oxygen consumption measured or standardized metabolic equivalents (METS) can be used to estimate the number of calories your body uses for a given exercise intensity.  Likely most of you are using somewhere between 600 and 1,200 calories per hour.  It is not realistic to assume that endurance athletes will be able to replace all calories used during exercise, but to maintain health, body weight, energy levels, and repeat performance, this caloric deficit will need to be filled within 2 hours post exercise.

Types of energy:

It is true that intense efforts (starts, sprints, hill climbs, etc.) will require anaerobic metabolism and nearly 100% carbohydrates.  However, a long duration sustained endurance effort will depend mostly on aerobic oxidative metabolism which requires a mix of carbohydrates and fats for fuel.  Assuming an athlete was averaging about 70% of maximal oxygen capacity, approximately 50% of their energy would be from carbohydrates and the rest from fats (oxidation of free fatty acids).  Endurance training can increase the proportion of energy derived from fat but not the total amount of energy used at a given workload.  As exercise intensity decreases, a larger proportion of energy comes from fat (mostly muscle triglycerides) and less from carbohydrates.

The primary goal for nutrient consumption during exercise is to maintain blood sugar (glucose) levels.  Not only does blood sugar provide readily available energy to working muscles, but it is also important for maintenance of clear thinking, coordination and responsiveness (brain and central nervous system). Current research supports the benefit of carbohydrate consumption at approximately 30–60 grams per hour (approximately 120-240 calories per hour).  This can be achieved by consumption of a sports beverage containing about 6%–8% carbohydrates.  Carbohydrate availability also helps prevent protein from being used to make glucose for energy. Protein is the main building block for muscles and other tissues, so it is important to spare its use as a fuel.  Additionally, the breakdown of protein puts stress on the kidneys and can put the body at risk for keto acidosis.

Another factor important to success of endurance performance is hydration.  No matter what macronutrients you provide the body, dehydration (water deficit in excess of 2–3% body mass) will decrease exercise performance.  Thus, adequate fluid intake before, during, and after exercise is important for health and optimal endurance performance.  This supports the use of a sports nutrition beverage to fulfill carbohydrate and fluid requirements together.

Regulators of energy availability:

There are many components that can regulate the use and availability of during exercise nutrition.  These start with the portability and palatability.  Most experienced endurance athletes have figured out their strategy to facilitate the portage of their supplements (hydration pack, water bottles, feed stations, etc.).  The next is making sure that you like the flavor and texture of the supplement and that this will be true for the whole duration of your event.  The mixed concentration and tolerability to your GI are things that also need to be worked out during training and not a surprise on race day.

Once you have figured out how to deliver calories to your body during exercise, the next ‘regulator’ of fuel availability is how well your body is able to absorb these from the gut.  Higher sodium concentration of a supplement encourages gastric absorption of carbohydrates which during ultra distance events is a win-win approach.  An optimal mix would include complex carbohydrates with high glycemic index carbohydrates to enable digestion and provide immediate energy during long and intense workouts.

Slow absorbing nutrients like fiber, fructose, gums found in gels, fats and whole food proteins can reduce nutrient absorption and cause GI distress.  Consuming products that have slow nutrients can be very detrimental to your absorption rate and can cause you to bonk prematurely.  Delays in gastric absorption shift your fuel dependency to stored glycogen while the gut tries to absorb.  As such, relying on fast absorbing nutrients like various high glycemic carbohydrates allows use of these calories immediately and spares your stored glycogen.

For ultra long endurance efforts, nutrition is a bigger determinant of success.  There is little difference in the type of fuel needed to go ultra long except for a greater need for electrolytes and amino acids.  The total caloric deficit and subsequent fatigue are certainly bigger risks with ultra endurance distances and hence appropriate pacing to assure a greater reliance on stored fat as a fuel source is key.  If you go too fast you quickly use up stored glycogen.  At a slower pace your body can efficiently break down your stored fats as a fuel source and spare your stored glycogen.   More time and careful planning should be considered.  Beyond fast carbohydrates, Ultra distance athletes should also focus on the addition of amino acids, electrolytes and replacing a more significant caloric deficit.

Timing of fuel consumption is also important.  Starting too late or not replenishing regularly enough can be detrimental to performance.  Using liquid sports nutrition products can help to encourage regular replenishment of tolerable amounts of calories.  For longer events at lower intensity, athletes should consider including solid supplements (bars, etc.) to add variety as well as caloric density required to complete long distances.

Fueling for endurance needs to start before you exercise.  Make sure your glycogen stores are optimized.  Prepare and bring enough of the right calories appropriate for the duration of exercise.  Make sure you choose your fuel wisely and practice your approach before any important events.

by: Zack Vestal

I’m a huge fan of First Endurance Liquid Shot energy gel and Electrolyte Fuel System (EFS) drink, and not just because they sponsor the BMC, Bissell, and HTC-Columbia professional teams. I just like the electrolyte content, flavor, and consistency.

But things just got even better, now that First Endurance reformulated EFS and modified the flavors. Grape, Fruit Punch, and Orange add to the Lemon Lime flavor to make a family of four, and all of them offer EFS’s 1160mg (per 96 Calorie, 30 gram serving) electrolyte content. Plus, the new formula adds malic acid to the existing profile of amino acids and carbohydrates for claimed better fuel delivery. A 25-serving container costs $25.