Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped Red Onion or shallott
• 1/2 bag of Arame Seaweed (we use Emerald Cove and can buy single bags in Whole Foods for $5-$6, but any brand will do)
• 2 cups Organic Baby Spinach
• 2 - 3 cloves of Garlic
• pepper/lemon to taste

Directions:

1. Simmer red onion alone until it is translucent.
2. Add seaweed (this should cook until it is soft, which can take up to 30 min.). Keep it on low heat to simmer without onion burning.
3. When seaweed is 3/4 cooked, add garlic. Keep heat low to avoid cooking the garlic too quickly.
4. When garlic is getting dark (we like it crunchy) add spinach.
5. When spinach wilts, dish is done!
6. Top with sesame seeds (Seaweed Gomasio: sesame seeds, sea salt and garlic)

Extras: add shredded carrot before serving; thaw frozen peas and toss in with spinach; add red/yellow peppers with spinach.

The three main causes cited for causing EAMC (Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps) are:

• Loss of serum electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, calcium) because of dehydration.
• Pre-mature muscle fatigue caused by performing exercise at a higher relative exercise intensity or duration, when compared with normal training.
• Inhibited range of motion as a result of tight muscles.

The loss of serum electrolytes happens when you train and neglect to consume enough fluids. This dehydration occurs in all weather, training intensity, or terrains. However, it is most detrimental when you train in hot, humid conditions.  It is detrimental because electrolytes are lost through sweat and perspiration.  Electrolytes are a group of ions required by the body to stimulate multiple neurological reactions. The five primary electrolytes are sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium and calcium. Sodium, potassium and chloride are the most important for muscle contraction.
Many people believe all muscle cramps can be explained by a lack of potassium, but most physiologists do not.

While there is no replicated scientific evidence to date, most scientists believe it is the depletion of sodium and chloride, that causes cramping because of the role they play in maintaining fluid balance in the body. How does depletion of sodium and chloride effect training? As an athlete exercises for an extended duration in hot weather, their core body temperature increases. This leads to dehydration. Blood pressure will decrease, and the heart rate rises. One of the ways the body tries to compensate for this is to release hormones that increase sodium permeability in the kidneys. This, in turn, increases the uptake of water into the kidney. These combined responses slow the decrease in blood pressure, and the body reserves water and sodium for necessary core body functions. When there is a higher percentage of water in and outside of cells than electrolytes, athletes experience hyponatremia. This disrupts the balance of electrolytes inside and outside of cells, causing a decrease in neural signals within the muscle, thus decreasing performance.

The only instance I found that may somewhat support the theory that sodium loss causes EAMC was a case report of an experienced triathlete during the course of the Western Australian Ironman Triathlon. The athlete’s sodium levels stayed relatively the same from before the start of the race to transition number two. However, from transition number two to the end of the race, the athlete lost 2% of his body weight due to fluid loss. “The athlete slowed during the run phase of the race after his core temperature rose to critically high levels.  As he slowed and his core temperature increased, there was an unusually rapid reduction in blood sodium that preceded cramping, despite presenting with signs of dehydration.” (5)

Other studies have hypothesized a decreased serum sodium concentration would cause muscle cramping but have proved to be inconclusive (2, 4). Noakes et. al. studied Ironman South Africa athletes to analyze serum electrolyte levels, and even though the decrease in sodium concentrations was significant, the difference compared to a control group was within the normal clinical range of post-race serum sodium concentrations. They were unable to correlate decreased sodium concentration to an increase in exercise-associated muscle cramping. Instead, they concluded “the increased activity of cramping muscles post-race may reflect increased neuromuscular activity.”(2)

The second hypothesized cause of EAMC, is pre-mature muscle fatigue.  “No mechanism explains how such imbalances in serum electrolytes result in localized muscle cramping. The “muscle fatigue” hypothesis suggests that EAMC is the result of an abnormality of neuromuscular control at the spinal level in response to fatiguing exercise. The development of premature muscle fatigue appears to explain the onset of EAMC.”(3) The diagnosis of EAMC is made clinically, and the most effective immediate management of EAMC is rest and passive stretching. The key to the prevention of EAMC is to reduce the risk of developing premature muscle fatigue. (6)

Hunter Allen, a USA cycling Level 1 coach, agrees that rest and stretching are the best way to prevent muscle cramps. If you exercise your muscles when they are already in a stretched (weakened) state, you will not gain fitness or strength. As you exercise without stretching, your muscles will become tight and they aren’t able to work in the range of motion necessary for optimal muscle recruitment. If you add the extreme conditions and intensity of a race, the muscles may not be able to respond without cramping. He recommends massage and yoga to keep muscles open.

You can’t use a “one size fits all” approach to muscle cramping since the cause will vary person to person. A veteran Ironman-distance triathlete could complete in an extremely hot and humid Austin 70.3 and need 2L of IV at the finish, but never get muscle cramps.  However, someone new to endurance racing could race a sprint triathlon in the same conditions and complain of calf cramps during the run.

The best prevention of exercise-associated muscle cramping would be:

• Drink 16 ounces of an electrolyte drink such as nuun before your workout in hot conditions, and sip an electrolyte drink during workouts lasting 60 minutes or longer in hot conditions. To prevent bloating and discomfort, the electrolyte drink should be non-carbonated and have low concentrations of carbohydrate. Carbonation and high sugar content inhibits the digestion and absorption of the electrolytes and glucose.
• If you usually eat a low-sodium diet, speak with your doctor about adding salt to your meals on the days you work out for 60 minutes or longer in hot conditions. If your diet consists of packaged foods and eating out, you consume enough salt to compensate for loss during exercise and should not add it to your meals.Work with a Trismarter.com Sports Nutritionist to create a customized training nutrition plan. They will help you determine the amount of gels, chomps, water, and electrolyte drink you should be consuming per workout.
• Avoid pre-mature muscle fatigue by:
  •  Scaling down your workouts during hot and humid conditions: Don’t force the pace of a run even if it was scheduled to be a sub-threshold workout. Your heart rate will naturally be higher as the mercury rises, so if it’s in the ‘endurance’ zone instead of the ‘recovery’ zone during your warm-up, back-off and adjust the workout even though you feel like your exertion level is low.
  • Staying loose: Befriend a foam roller and use it religiously, attend yoga class, or get a massage.
  • Avoiding weekend warrior syndrome: If you haven’t been riding your bike all summer and decide to head out on a four hour ride in 93’ temps with 90% humidity, you are setting yourself up for muscle fatigue and nail-biting muscle cramps.

What to do when you get a cramp?  Once you get a cramp, you cannot make it disappear right away. This is why prevention is key. Most cramps are relieved through light stretching, massage, and hydration. During a race, walk through the aid stations, sip de-fizzed cola, and stretch the affected area. If you feel a stitch in your side during a run, try to slow your rate of breathing and consciously breathe deeper into your abdominal cavity or reach hands overhead to stretch the affected side.  You can try to run through a stitch if you can manage the discomfort. Cramps in the quadriceps or calves should be slowly stretched and massaged as well, followed by suggested prevention tips above.

Sources:
1.    Laursen PB, Watson G, Abbiss CR, Wall BA, Nosaka K.  Hyperthermic fatigue precedes a rapid reduction in serum sodium in an Ironman triathlete: a case report. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2009 Dec, 4(4):533-7.
2.    Sulzer NU, Schwellnus MP, Noakes TD. Serum electrolytes in Ironman triathletes with exercise-associated muscle cramping. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005 Jul, 37(7):1081-5.
3.    Schwellnus MP. Muscle cramping in the marathon: aetiology and risk factors. Sports Med. 2007, 37(4-5):364-7.
4.    Maughan RJ. Exercise-induced muscle cramp: a prospective biochemical study in marathon runners. J Sports Sci. 1986 Spring, 4(1):31-4.
5.    Laursen PB, Watson G, Abbiss CR, Wall BA, Nosaka K. Hyperthermic fatigue precedes a rapid reduction in serum sodium in an Ironman triathlete: a case report. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2009 Dec, 4(4):533-7.
6.    Schwellnus MP, Drew N, Collins M.  Muscle cramping in athletes–risk factors, clinical assessment, and management.  Clinical Sports Med. 2008 Jan, 27(1):183-94, ix-x.
7.    Hunter Allen’s theory on cramping    http://www.peakscoachinggroup.com/ASPX/articles/articles.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

An overtraining injury is about the worst thing that can happen to a triathlete. Not just because it interrupts your training, but because it is preventable. The first step to avoiding injury is choosing the right coach and following the plan. The reality is that if you communicate with your coach and provide feedback on how your body is doing, you can avoid the following common triathlon-related complaints.

1. Shin Splints Shins splints are an aching or throbbing pain in the front of the leg. They usually get worse while you run. In general, shin splints are cause by one of two problems: increasing your running mileage too quickly or faulty bio-mechanics. Having one leg longer than the other or over-striding are common causes. Running on concrete surfaces or hills can also lead to shin splints. Always tell your coach if you think you are getting shin splints.
2. Metatarsal Stress Fractures Stress fractures in the foot are one of the most feared injuries among runners. The metatarsal bones are the ones most affected by stress fractures. Stress fractures usually start as a mild aching pain while running. If you ignore the pain and keep training, the foot will hurt while merely walking. It might even throb a little while resting. A sudden increase in running mileage is almost always associated with metatarsal stress fractures. This is why you must stick with your coachʼs plan.
3. Achilles Tendinitis The Achilles tendon attaches the powerful calf muscle to the back of the heel. It is the largest tendon in your entire body. Interestingly, it is also the one most vulnerable to injury. Of all workouts triathletes do, speed work (such as short, high-intensity intervals) poses the greatest risk to the Achilles tendon. For this reason, you have to treat speed work with respect! Never run harder or do more intervals than you coach recommends. If you get any soreness in the Achilles, tell your coach and get it checked out.
4. Illio-Tibia Band Syndrome Illio-tibial band syndrome (ITBS) is probably the most common cause of knee pain in triathletes. ITBS happens when the thick band of tissue along the outside of your leg pops back and forth across a bump at the outside of the knee. This leads to inflammation and pain. If you discuss your running shoes, running style and the surfaces you run on with your coach, you might find a simple cure.
5.   Patella-femoral Syndrome Pain directly under the knee cap (the patella) is common in cyclists and runners. For this reason, triathletes are at risk. It results from irritation of the cartilage between the patella and the end of the femur (thigh bone). The key is to make sure the knee is aligned properly with a correct bike fit. The fix can be as simple as adjusting saddle height or shimming the pedal cleats to slightly tilt the knee in or out while riding. Your coach might be able to view a video of you riding on a trainer to get an idea of the proper adjustments.

The one thing that all of these overuse injuries have in common is that they are preventable. You cannot change your bio-mechanics or the way you are built. But the right triathlon coach can help you avoid all of these injuries by taking note of your aches and pains and creating a training plan that works around these potential problems.It takes many years of experience to develop the capacity to make these sorts of decisions and recognize the warning signs of an impending injury. Because triathlon coaches have all of that experience, be sure that you express any minor soreness or unusual stiffness, before it turns into an overuse injury.As an athlete in training, you have to trust your coach and the plan your coach creates for you. By the same token, your coach relies on you to give feedback about your workouts. If you put just a little effort into communicating how your body feels after your various workouts, your coach will be able to keep you on track and get you to the finish line.

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Dr. Christopher Segler is a multiple Ironman Finisher and a foot and ankle surgeon in San Francisco. He has published over 70 scientific articles and abstracts, including a chapter in a sports medicine textbook. He has also won multiple awards from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and the American Podiatric Medical Association for his foot and ankle research. To learn more about triathlon related injuries visit the Ankle & Foot Center

At Trismarter.com, we love to celebrate PR’s along with our clients. On July 18, 2010, we had pleasure of doing that a few times. With clients racing in both the Ironman Racine 70.3 and the New York City Triathlon, it was a solid day of celebration! The following race report from Tri4Life client, Henry H. was one of those celebrations.

Henry has been a client and a friend for several years now. Watching him improve and getting to occasionally training along side him has been an amazing experience. His energy and excitement about the sport of triathlon is very contagious. Henry is typical of many of our clients at Trismarter.com in that triathlon, although a big part of his life, is only one piece of the puzzle that makes him who is. He’s also a husband and father, and works hard daily as a trader at an asset management firm in New York City. He spends his early mornings and weekends, before most people are awake, out on the roads and in the pool perfecting his skills and fitness. Helping Henry find a balance between his work, family, and sport lives has been a particular challenge, making this performance last Sunday very special for both Henry and me. 

–Coach Lee Gardner

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The day for the 2010 Nautica NYC Triathlon was quickly approaching and the week leading up to the race gave the racers a hint of what the conditions were going to be like on race day… HOT!  [Editor’s note: 2010 proved to have record temperatures on race day. ] In typical fashion, I went to pick up my race packet on Friday, this time with my brother (he was also participating in the race).  Saturday, the plan was to come into the city, drop off the bikes and head back home to relax and get ready for Sunday.

At 4:30 Sunday morning, my brother and I grabbed our bags and headed into the City to begin our day.  After setting up transition, we headed over to the swim start.  Typical race jitters and even some doubt about how the day would unfold crept into my mind.  I knew I just had to go for it though.

The start time approached quickly, and I jumped into the water to wait for the gun to go off.  I heard the announcer say that the current was strong and in fact it was.  I was holding on hard to the rope on the barge and it actually began to feel like an eternity as we waited for the announcer to let us go.  Finally we were off!  I started out hard to try to get away from the majority of the pack and that seemed to work at first, but then I had to slow a bit.  I kept as strong and as steady a pace as I could until the end.  Approximately 2/3 of the way in, it felt like the current faded.  As I exited the water, I gathered myself and began to make my way to T1.

My bike fitness had improved over last year, so I was relieved to be on my way to the bike.  I instantly felt good in the saddle, and I started making some ground on my fellow AG’ers.  The climbs didn’t seem to phase my legs, but I did notice that my HR was higher than it should be.  I tried to bring it down but it just didn’t happen.  There were 2 other riders who I was dicing with and made the out leg of the bike pretty fun.  The turnaround came and we made it there in about 32 minutes.  I took advantage of the descent to take in some of my Liquid Shot.  This would be the only time I would take a gel.  The rest of the time, I drank my EFS / Carbopro drink.  On the way back, I maintained the intensity and made up even more ground on the field.  It started to get pretty crowded though and a few sections were pretty tight to get around as the riders were not respecting the “ride on the right” rule.  I had recently watched the Hy-vee replay on TV, and noticed that as the racers approach T2, their way of taking off their shoes involved no hands. I thought that was pretty cool,  so as I approached T2, I tried the same thing. It worked!!  It made life a lot easier, and I will be definitely doing that from now on. I used to put my hands down and take my foot out, but that got hairy with bike handling.

T2 went by super smooth, and not having to turn on my foot pod, which I usually race with, made life much easier as well.  However, I hated not knowing the pace I was going.  At times, it felt like I was running too slow and other times too fast, and it made it very difficult to gauge the pace.  I kept a solid pace given the conditions and ran the hills as strong as I could.  I would try to make up ground on the downhills, noticing that a lot of my competitors would take it easy on the downhills.  I hit up every aid station for water (didn’t drink at every aid station, but did throw water on me every time).  At mile 3, I took in a couple of sips of Cytomax and threw water on myself.  It was hot, and flashbacks of Eagleman 70.3, which I raced only a few weeks before, were in my head. Eagleman ended up being a very hot day, and I suffered throughout the race from it. Right now, I wanted to walk, but something kept pushing me to go, and go faster.  Mile 4 approached, and I felt rejuvenated.  I thought to myself… “Only 15 more minutes…” Someone from behind saw me look at my watch and asked what pace we were going and I responded that I had no clue.  Next thing I know, he goes by me but doesn’t gap me.  He was in my AG.  Mile 5 marker was in sight… I gunned it.  I gave it all I had and decided to maintain that pace until the end.  It hurt, but it was a race.  This pace was much faster than a lot of my competitors, as I passed a lot of people in the last 1.2 miles.  Suddenly, there was the finish line.  I look down at my watch one last time and see 201 bpm (5 beats lower than my max!).  I crossed the finish line happy, and tired.  I hobbled through the crowd and took as much cold water and 2 towels to cool down.  I tried to eat, but only managed to eat fruit and drink some recover drinks they had for us.  I could not eat anything else.  I found a spot on a bench and slowly started to get my body back.

I had finished 12 seconds faster than in 2009. I moved up 8 spots in my AG by finishing 18^th (2009 I was 26^th) and had the 81^st fastest bike split. Despite only a 12 second improvement, I was extremely happy because this race was much more difficult than 2009.  The heat was ridiculous, the bike was windy (headwind on the return leg) and had a questionable current during the swim.  All in all, a good day!

This eliminates the client from having to act as a messenger between several specialists, and avoids clients from being put in the awkward position of questioning  the doctors and therapists they visit. Instead, it allows us to ask questions that will assist us in planning and implementing therapy within their workouts.

As a client of Trismarter.com, if you need to see a therapist, podiatrist, orthopedist, or bike fit specialist, talk to us first. Let us do the research, so we can connect you with the most experienced and qualified professionals. We live in a world of certifications and qualifications, but sometimes real-world experience trumps that. We know the right questions to ask, to get our clients on-track and on-time for their events.

I ran on a relatively flat trail to pamper my hamstring, and was trying to be patient while my body recalled how to run. After 1.5 miles I passed a woman who was walking. She was about 30 pounds overweight, but she still looked like an athlete. She was dressed for the hot, dry weather, carried hydration and was walking with purpose. I continued on my run and at around 3 miles I turned around. The trail headed uphill and I could feel soreness in the belly of my hamstring. I looked up and saw the lady jogging downhill. As she approached me she took out her iPod ear buds, and began to say something. I turned off my iPod to hear her: “…you inspire me! You make it look so easy.” My response was, “No way! You’re crazy. You are doing it…”  We both put our headphones back in and continued jogging, and I realized I had just missed an opportunity to encourage someone and spread the karma we all share as athletes.

I kept thinking to myself she was paying me a compliment, but I was too engulfed in my hamstring issue. As far as I was concerned, I was shuffling along at a pace that was barely a jog and I did not feel strong at all. However, she saw me differently.

I kept looking back, hoping I could give her a thumbs up or some form of encouragement, but realized I lost my chance. I wish I said, “Thanks….but look at you!  You are doing great - keep up the good work.”  At that moment, she inspired me. Even though I was feeling my hamstring during the rest of my run, I didn’t complain about it in my head. I thought of her instead. She was out there, putting in the time and energy to make a healthy change. She was not self-involved, but instead spreading good karma. I want to be more like her.

I wonder who inspires you?

Not exactly a scholarly publication, USA Today recently published a poorly written article by Maria Cheng of the Associated Press that was brought to the attention of our Eat2Win Sports Nutrition team by our own Bill Nadeau, MS, RD. The article highlights recent evidence (from a lab at the University of Birmingham that was supposedly published in the journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, from the American College of Sports Medicine) that demonstrates increased fat burning during exercise after an overnight fast (though we cannot comment specifically on the design of the experiment as so few details are given). However, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to locate the original report based on the information provided in Ms. Cheng’s article. The writer also erroneously suggests that “athletes like Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps scarf down enormous amounts of food before a race”…clearly Ms. Cheng has never completed such a race.

The article does begin to redeem itself near its end with the following bit of commentary:

“”I think it’s actually a pretty bad idea,” said Dr. Alexis Chiang Colvin, a sports medicine expert at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York who has worked with professional football and hockey teams. “If your blood sugar is low, you could wind up getting dizzy and you might not be able to exercise as well as if you were well-nourished,” she said. Colvin recommended having something small like a banana before training. She also warned the strategy might make people more prone to injury and that eating was important so the body would have enough nutrients to recover from a bout of exercise.”

But, of course, it ends with advice from a sage personal trainer, “If you train on an empty stomach, you’ll see that six-pack a lot sooner.”

And what do you suppose will happen when said empty-stomach cyclists return from their morning workout? Do we have follow-up date on their energy consumption throughout the rest of the day? Did any of the 7 (a huge sample) lose weight during this “trial”?

It’s media like this that confuses and frustrates the general public and keeps our clients at Trismarter.com who seek to lose weight and train for a triathlon coming back for our expertise and guidance.

A few years ago, Bend ultramarathoner Jeff Browning had heard so much buzz about energy drinks, he decided to try one in his next race. About a third of the way into the 50-mile race, he grabbed the drink he had stashed away in a drop bag and quickly downed it.

“It just made my stomach squirrelly,” he said. “Normally my stomach is solid. I’ve done over 40 ultramarathons and I’ve never thrown up. That was definitely one of the worst races as far as stomach issues that I’ve ever had.”

Browning, 38, said he suffered through another 10 to 15 miles of stomach troubles before it finally eased up. And he’s never touched another energy drink again, to avoid what he calls the pit-stop factor.

“Basically, what it does is make you hit the bushes quite a few times,” he said. “In a race like that, it’s definitely not something you want to do.”

Still, thousands of competitive and recreational athletes are lured by energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster or Rockstar that promise to give an extra kick, an additional edge or metaphorical wings on race or game day. While research suggests there can be some performance benefit from an energy drink, experts warn there can be considerable downsides as well. And with better alternatives providing the same gains, energy drinks might not be worth the risk of ruining your event.

“Unfortunately, in so many of the products, people don’t want to look beyond the label,” said Leslie Bonci, a registered dietitian with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and nutritionist for the Pittsburgh Steelers professional football team. “The assumption is that because it says ‘energy’ it will provide energy to me.”

/ Caffeine /

Most of the performance benefits attributed to energy drinks are thought to come from its caffeine content. A number of studies have shown that caffeine at a dose of about 2.5 mg per pound of body weight can improve performance in aerobic events — such as running, cycling or swimming — lasting more than five minutes.

Competitors using caffeine in those studies showed an average of 3 percent improvement over their non-caffeine race times.

That means a 125-pound athlete should consume about 300 mg of caffeine per day.

“Keep in mind that a grande Starbucks contains more than that amount,” said Bill Nadeau, a dietitian with Trismarter.com, an Internet-based triathlon coaching and sports nutrition service. A 160-pound athlete could go as high as 400 mg per day. Some energy drinks on the market exceed that amount in a single can.

Researchers aren’t sure exactly how caffeine helps with endurance. The prevailing theory is that caffeine helps the body tap into its fat stores earlier, sparing more of the carbohydrates in muscles for use later on. Studies that measured how long athletes could go before reaching exhaustion support that notion.

It’s why many endurance athletes have turned to caffeine. A survey of 140 athletes competing in the 2005 Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon World Championships found that 89 percent intended to use caffeine on race day. Many drink flat colas before or during the race to get their caffeine dose.

Colas, however, have half the caffeine per ounce of energy drinks, minimizing the chance that the athletes will exceed the 2.5 mg per pound recommended intake.

“There’s no performance-enhancing benefit from consuming more than that amount of caffeine, but it can be detrimental to your health,” Nadeau said. “The problem with caffeine is that the same things that enhance it can also tip the scale and send you in the other direction.”

Indeed, there have been several reported cases of caffeine overdose, where healthy individuals with no underlying heart problems died as a result of ingesting too much caffeine.

“Don’t get me wrong, this is not common,” Nadeau said. “But it has happened.”

And at higher levels of competition, excessive caffeine can be a violation of the rules on performance-enhancing drugs. The World Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees the drug-testing policy for the International Olympic Committee, considers athletes to be doping if they exceed a certain level of caffeine in their urine. Authorities estimate this to be the equivalent of drinking 8 cups of coffee containing 100 mg of caffeine each.

Many people also believe that caffeine is a diuretic and can lead to dehydration. Studies suggest caffeine will not necessarily increase the volume of urine excreted but can make you want to go earlier. Energy drinks may not interfere with hydration levels, but they don’t seem to help much either.

Bonci said there is no evidence showing that caffeine will help with shorter duration events, such as a sprint, or stop-and-go sports like football or soccer.

“It’s a different utilization of fuel sources, so it’s of pretty limited use,” she said.

/ Other ingredients /

Many athletes associate the high sugar content in energy drinks with energy as well. After all, muscles rely on glucose, a form of sugar, for fuel. Most energy drinks contain at least 18 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving, and many contain more than 25 grams per serving. Sports drinks such as Gatorade, on the other hand, contain about 14 grams per serving. That’s because a high sugar concentration can slow the absorption rate.

“The more concentrated something is, the longer it takes to empty from the stomach, so you don’t even get that available energy,” Bonci said. “It’s not in the muscles, so it will not optimize performance.”

It may be that the sugar adds little to the performance benefit attributed to energy drinks. Tests comparing sugar-free energy drinks with full-sugar versions, for example, showed no difference in performance.

Energy drinks also pack in plenty of other ingredients. Their contents are considered dietary supplements, and as such aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as long as they don’t claim a medicinal benefit. As a result, there is scant evidence whether those other ingredients add much to the mix.

“Speaking generally, there’s a lot of stuff in there, and we don’t know a lot about it,” Nadeau said. “That’s why we have to proceed with caution.”

One of the more common of the other ingredients is taurine, an amino acid found naturally in meat and fish. Some studies have suggested that taurine can boost performance, while others conclude it is effective only in combination with caffeine. Neither finding is considered definitive.

Many drinks add B vitamins or herbs, such as ginseng or ginkgo biloba. Neither has been proven to affect performance.

“Vitamins are a critical component in getting the maximum out of the food that the body ingests,” Bonci said. “But by itself, it doesn’t do anything. It’s more there to drive the cost up and as a marketing ploy.”

When it comes to athletic performance, “it doesn’t make a difference,” she said.

/ Alternatives /

Neither Nadeau nor Bonci routinely recommend energy drinks to athletes.

“The only time I might recommend Red Bull to clients during a race is at the very end of the race,” Nadeau said. “The last three miles of a marathon, if they’re really hurting and they need something quick, the sugar and caffeine might be appropriate for them.”

But Nadeau, who also runs competitively, said he relies on caffeinated energy gels instead. They provide both carbohydrates and caffeine and should be washed down with water.

“They provide that boost you need,” he said.

Otherwise, he advises clients to continue their normal daily intake of caffeine on race day as well. If you don’t normally consume caffeine, adding some on race day could prove disastrous. But if you do have coffee every day, there’s no need to cut back on the day of the event either.

Bonci suggests making sure you get liquids along with your caffeine, without too much sugar. That could mean an espresso followed by a sports drink. Or if that combination doesn’t sit well with athletes, an iced coffee before the race.

“They could do something like a latte, with a relatively small amount of milk and a little bit of sugar. You get the volume of liquid you need, the caffeine would be there, and maybe two packets of sugar at most, would give somebody the carbohydrates,” she said. “Chances are, it’s not going to be at the start line, so you need to bring your barista with you.”

The race started with a .25 mile run up the dirt road to allow some room to gain position before getting on the single track trail.

Then a bit of single track turned into double track for about a mile. At about 2 miles in, a steady climb up the cool, lush valley as the trail crosses the stream 11 times. The climbing continued for about 2 miles.

“By the first real climb, I had settled in with a group of guys. We were all looking at each other and thinking ‘here we go!’,” reports Lee. “I quickly decided that attacking on this climb was suicide. I settled into a brisk walk, and actually gained a few positions by the top. Even walking those hills had my effort jacked way up t0 11!”

Regina concurs: “I was already red-lining when we got to the first big hill. My lungs were burning, and when I finally got to the top, all I could think was ‘Holy crap! The next climb is supposed to be bigger!”

At mile 4, the trail started down hill for two miles. Mostly uneven jeep trails, this descent was extremely rocky and technical.

“After the first climb, I wanted to settle back down, knowing that I had a ways to go. I took the jeep trails easier to prep for the next climb. A few people passed me going downhill, but I felt I was good enough on the climbs to catch back up,” said Regina.

The jeep trails turned back into single track, and began the second of two big climbs for the day. This one starting at 8000 feet, and ascending to 9250 feet in just over two miles, with the last half-mile feeling almost straight up according to Lee:

“Ya, that second climb was no joke. One guy who had passed me on the downhill was just in front of me for the longest time once we started climbing. I was reeling him in inch by inch, but our pace was down to nearly a crawl. I finally caught him about 10 feet from the top. I was feeling the altitude, and that last 10 feet seemed like a mile.”

The remainder of the course was down hill with the exception of a small climb at mile 10 to 11. The single track was back for the technical downhill finish, making the the last miles fast and dangerous. If you had anything left in the tank, this was the opportunity to make up some ground.

“Starting the downhill after climbing to over 9000 feet was scary! The terrain was real technical, and I was feeling the altitude. There was no way I could go fast and still feel in control. Once the we hit the single track section and the switch-backs, I got going again, and really made up some time, but it was still pretty dangerous.”

Lee summed this race up as, “the toughest 12 miles I have ever run! It was awesome!”

* Official results are pending, but will be poster here.