Workout/Sports Drinks

[hightree]

Interesting. I've never seen a 4hr rule until you pointed that out, hightree. The usual rule that I hear is 90 mins. I'll have to keep digging.

I said 4 hours, someone will say less. I personally think that sport drinks might not be needed even for a marathon. Of course someone wants to drink it because of taste and to get some sugar for energy. A woman who died after the Boston marathon in 2002 due to water intoxication, was drinking Gatorade. And the exact idea of sport drinks is to provide sodium and thus prevent water intoxication. But if you drink too much of that, you still get more water than sodium and you are in danger.

 

[hightree]

He contradicts himself by posting a link that says:

Fatigue can be reduced by adding carbohydrate to the fluids consumed so that 30–60 g of rapidly absorbed carbohydrate are ingested throughout each hour of an athletic event

I am reading this thread as "do you need sport drinks?" which, for me, means, do you need to replace sodium during exercise? I believe, there is no need to replace sodium in exercise lasting for less than 4 hours by drinking sport drinks. Carbohydrates give you energy, yes, but you may want to have them or not - many marathoners drink plain water.

 

[RagingBITCH]

I said 4 hours, someone will say less. I personally think that sport drinks might not be needed even for a marathon. Of course someone wants to drink it because of taste and to get some sugar for energy. A woman who died after the Boston marathon in 2002 due to water intoxication, was drinking Gatorade. And the exact idea of sport drinks is to provide sodium and thus prevent water intoxication. But if you drink too much of that, you still get more water than sodium and you are in danger.

There's articles on both sides of the fence, some arguing for >60 minutes. As a marathon runner myself, that lady died from hyponatremia. I cannot find any articles that stated she was drinking Gatorade, only that she took in too much water. You can take in too much of anything, but to say just drinking Gatorade caused her death is grasping for straws.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I do early morning running and occasionally race 10+ miles. It's important for me, especially when doing 12 miles+ to replace my sodium. Since I'm 6'4" and 220, it makes it a delicate challenge to find the right balance between water and Gatorade, but those are my 2 drinks. I'll settle for PowerAde if I must...

Typically, I just drink 8-10oz 10 minutes before a race or run to help wake up and give myself fuel for my workout...I'll eat a banana and then do my workout. Race days, I'll drink a cup or two of coffee a few hours before running and Gatorade closer to race time. If conditions are hot and I'm pushing hard, I'll plan ahead and carry a water belt....

I only drink G because I want the sugar and carbs, so I don't bother with G2. I burn around 1000 calories an hour doing my running workouts or around 850/hr doing elliptical or swimming laps. I don't typically hydrate when in the pool because I swim indoors on my lunch break and do the other workouts between 4-6am.

A lot of other athletes I know drink chocolate milk after a run because it helps them recover. I never could bring myself to do it because I'd rather chug water to rebound and then spend those calories on a few beers.

 

[Scarpozzi]

There's articles on both sides of the fence, some arguing for >60 minutes. As a marathon runner myself, that lady died from hyponatremia. I cannot find any articles that stated she was drinking Gatorade, only that she took in too much water. You can take in too much of anything, but to say just drinking Gatorade caused her death is grasping for straws.

Marathoners can be fast or slow.... Some of them are done with the race in 3ish hours and some take 7+...so there's typically a 4 hour differential (depending on sweep times) in most marathons.

I think everyone who's posted at least agrees that there are a lot of fitness fads and between water and Gatorade/PowerAde, they are both not fads....Hydration and replenishing lost electrolytes/sodium are important. How much water someone needs varies a lot and depends on heat, relative humidity, effort, and the person. In races over a 10k distance, I try to drink a few sips to 3-4oz at every water station. I ran a snowy half marathon in March where I ended up paying the price in mile 12 because I skipped the first few stops. I was reluctant to drink because 30 degree temps and a fast start kept me from wanting to risk spilling water on myself.

 

[hightree]

There's articles on both sides of the fence, some arguing for >60 minutes. As a marathon runner myself, that lady died from hyponatremia. I cannot find any articles that stated she was drinking Gatorade, only that she took in too much water. You can take in too much of anything, but to say just drinking Gatorade caused her death is grasping for straws.

Yes, it was reported she died from hyponatremia caused by water intoxication. According to the Boston Globe she was drinking Gatorade. My point is that drinking a lot of fluid, even if it is some common sport drink with relatively little sodium in it, can cause water intoxication. I am by no means saying Gatorade by itself was harmful.

 

[TallBill]

Amino Energy, Gatorade, Xtend