Gear - Motortabs

I discovered Motortabs at the end of my triathlon season last year. Motortabs, a fluid replacement system, uses an effervescent delivery system much like an alka seltzer. Instead of powders and scoops, Motortabs are served in foil packets and begin to dissolve when they hit water. In a matter of minutes the tablets, or tabs, dissolve completely in the bottle or cup that they are placed in.

The Motortabs product is available in three easy to drink flavors, lemon-lime, fruit punch and orange. Each tab is 16g of carbohydrates (65 calories per tab) allowing for easy estimation of nutrition needs. Additionally, sodium (250mg) and potassium (75mg) are also a part of the product.

Here’s where I see the Motortabs advantage. The tabs themselves are easy to carry. They taste good. The formula is really simple allowing for easy combination with other nutrition sources. Tabs can be carried and mixed on the fly in aero bottles according to need with water on the course, as there is nearly always water on the course.

That last point was made especially clear to me on a past race. I had premixed bottles of nutrition sitting waiting for me at mile 60 of 112 and after four hours of baking on the hot pavement the stuff was nearly undrinkable. What was missing on my part was the desire to drink as much as I had to to stay hydrated and to keep my energy stores up. All over the course was Gatorade, which for me needed to be cut down a little with water, and cold water. On a hot day nothing, and I mean nothing, sounds or feels better than a bottle of cold water. If I had had an aero bottle and Motortabs I would have been able to mix my drinks as I went, adding cold water and which ever flavor tab suited my fancy as I went. Instead I had to discard over three hours of planned nutrition and do my best with what was on the course. Not what I had planned and far from ideal.

On a personal note I’ve tried several products, am not sponsored by any of them (YET, hint hint!), but have found that this product allows me the greatest amount of nutritional and logistical flexibility over the long course. Couple that with also liking the flavor and not minding the tenth bottle of the stuff over the course of a workout or race and I think I’ve found my product. I’m going back to Ironman this summer and Motortabs are a key part of my nutrition plan for training and racing. With any luck at all, there will be a new PR for me out there. I can’t wait.

Gear - Perpetuem

First up is Perpetuem, a fine product from Hammer Nutrition.
Hammer has come a long way in engineering their products to work for distance athletes for the duration.

One serving of this stuff, was 260 calories from 54 grams of carbohydrates, most of that from maltodextrin, a long chain carbohydrate. I mixed almost 1.5 servings per 22 oz bottle and found that it dissolved with a little work and stayed that way for the duration of my workouts. I liked the mild flavor and could handle it repeatedly over a long workout, sometimes 5-7 bottles worth.

A note here, there is 6g of protein per serving. Now we've entered in to some dicey ground. The debate over whether or not protein should be a part of your nutrition regiment during exercise or race is a hot topic of debate. Personally I'm not sure. See, honest. Dean = not sure about protein. Some people say that it increases active recover or feeds muscle. Some people say that it throws a monkey wrench in to the digestive process. Some people say that it does nothing.

Dean still = not sure.

Perpetuem remains on my shelf as a staple product for 2-3 hour workouts. The jury is still out as to whether or not it causes some level of problem in my stomach or if it is any of a hundred other factors including but not limited to stress, over training, poor combination of solid foods, improper pre-workout nutrition, sleep deprivation, stress (oh, did I say that one already), heat, and the list goes on and on.

If there's one thing I can say about all of this it is this, think about it. Yes, you heard me right, think about it. Read what you can get your hands on. Try the free samples. Buy small bottles of concentrate or single serving pouches, and try it out. What works for one person may not work for you. You may thrive on nothing but fructose (fruit sugar) based sports drinks. You may reject protein completely. You may discover, like a friend of mine, that vitamin water though carb free, and gu's with a power bar thrown in are the perfect mix.

You have to try it. In the meantime Perpeteum gets a 4 our of a 5 rating in my book for being good, but with a small reservation due to something unknown. Plenty of carbs, salts, and a nice mild taste, a little like vanilla if you ask me.

Links:

• Hammer Nutrition
• Deep link to Perpetuem

Nutrition

When you talk to distance athletes, long course triathletes in particular, you find that beyond physical gear the conversation will drift towards nutrition. "What do you eat/drink", "How much do you take with you", "What do you use?" The answers and solutions vary even more widely than the products available. Combinations of products often work better for individuals as different people metabolize and burn nutrients at different rates. Scientific studies also prove and disprove concrete training methodology every year. So what do you take?

Me personally, I've tried quite a few products and here's what I look for:

• Calories per bottle (as this will help me calculate total calories sustaining me over the distance)
• Carbs per bottle (major source of fuel)
• Type of carbs in the drink/food/gel (different sugars have properties that lend themselves to easier, slower, faster, absorption rates and may have an effect on one's digestive system)
• Flavor (All the above properties are meaningless if you don't want to or can't drink/eat it)
• How mixable is it at the concentration I need it?
• Does it still taste good when it's been baking in a plastic water bottle for four hours?
• Very important!!! (See Flavor)

See then next few posts for my reviews on selected nutrition products and their virtues