Besides dropping coin on easy to buy gels, drinks and bars for IM what are people using that is a bit more cost effective, readily available and natural such as nuts, dried prunes/dates, PB&J sandwiches, etc???
I didn’t use any gels at IMFL.
Nuun in waters w/ carbo pro x 2
Everything else was pb&j’s, snicker bars, banana, chicken broth and flat coke.
Lots of people use bulk maltodextrin and table salt with a little juice for flavor.
I have used the bulk gel in a water bottle with some sports drink like first endurance. I can get 1200 to 1500 calories in one bottle and top up with on course nutrition.
I use whatever the course provides for the run. And I don’t eat during the race. Only liquids
http://shop.honeyville.com/maltodextrin-50lb.html
Works out to a little less than $1/lbs including shipping. Will last a typical AGer over 2 years, even if used weekly, and generously. Stores well in paint buckets you can get at the local hardware store. It’s the same stuff as carbo pro (essentially.)
/endthread
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http://shop.honeyville.com/maltodextrin-50lb.html
Works out to a little less than $1/lbs including shipping. Will last a typical AGer over 2 years, even if used weekly, and generously. Stores well in paint buckets you can get at the local hardware store. It’s the same stuff as carbo pro (essentially.)
/endthread
It always makes me laugh when I see someone say “end thread” and there feedback wasn’t that great.
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I really like honey as a replacement for gels, but you certainly need to augment it with electrolytes. I mash up whatever the cheapest version of NUUN tablets I can find and mix it with a little water and then put it in the honey.
Check out Allen Lim’s rice cakes. I’ve found those pretty effective, especially when I can get the rice done right.
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I definitely wouldn’t go with prunes.
I use bulk maltodextrin (the stuff lightheir posted about). It is cheaper, but mainly I haven’t had GI issues with it. I also use gels. I eat some real food on my long rides, things like bananas and Allan Lim rice cakes, but I’ve never tried real food in an IM. I imagine you’d probably end up with GI issues trying to eat things like nuts and dried fruit.
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So for those of us that are new to the whole bulk Maltodextrin buying, what is your recipe?
For say a standard 24 ounce bottle.
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I put the malto in the bottle, add water and shake it up. That’s it. I don’t add anything. I’ve mixed up to 1000 calories in a 20 oz bottle and not had any GI issues. I bought a small food scale so I put the bottle on the scale to weigh the malto so I can figure out the calories (varies by the ride - I’d say I usually do 250-500 per 24 oz bottle).
The malto is pretty much flavorless. I’ve tried mixing some flavor in it like adding a packet of Propel or some Crystal Light. That works, but I don’t mind if plain so I usually don’t bother adding anything. I use Salt Stick for electrolytes. I like having that separate so I can adjust my electrolyte intake easily depending on conditions. Plus, I usually have some gels and/or Powerbars so I don’t usually just use maltodextrin.
The nice thing about having a 50lb bag of malto is that you get to practice your race nutrition a lot. No need to conserve.
I have been successful using honey/molasses/peanut butter/salt/water in varying proportion as a gel replacement.
So for those of us that are new to the whole bulk Maltodextrin buying, what is your recipe?
For say a standard 24 ounce bottle.
Have not used it in a race yet but have been using it the past few months mostly on the trainer but a few outside ride, some of this is based on what i read here and elsewhere.
Scooper from some HEED I had is 100 calories per level scoop as it was dead on 25 grams
3 scoops of the malto so 300 calories, 1 level teaspoon of cal/mag, halfish teaspoon of the mortons lite salt (has potassium… I hate plain bananas), halfish teaspoon of some course mortons sea salt I’ve had around for a while but didn’t use. Full half teaspoon of each was a little salty for me.
I have mixed in some lemon juice but actually prefer it with nothing at all it isn’t too sweet but super sticky when you do spill it.
On the trainer I’ve just been squirting honey right from the bear into my mouth to test that and I seem to like it so going to find some honey packets before my next race. Will probably do a ride this weekend with the honey bear in my jersey to test it out if I can’t find a gel thing in time. Think I’d rather deal with honey packets in a race though for some reason not sure why.
Drink: sugar, water, salt…adjust amount to meet your electrolyte/carb plan.
Eat: right now it’s Cliff Bloks (commercial, I know) but looking at replacing with some simple fruit snacks.
I have found this sustainable (both on the wallet and endurance) on even 135-mile Leadman bike legs.
I like dates with a little PB inside, jelly beans, and dried apricots.
Check out Allen Lim’s rice cakes. I’ve found those pretty effective, especially when I can get the rice done right.
X2 I use them on the bike, have used honey stingers on the run in the past
+1
I used exclusively Lim’s rice cakes and his salt & parmesan potatoes for the bike at IMFL. Savory foods aren’t for everyone, but I liked them a lot better than eating sweets for half a day. On the run, I reverted to whatever they had at aid stations.
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I posted a few of my favourite recipes, including gel over here in the womens:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=4786615
Can’t comment on more cost effective or readily available, but probably more natural and more yummy.
+1
I used exclusively Lim’s rice cakes and his salt & parmesan potatoes for the bike at IMFL. Savory foods aren’t for everyone, but I liked them a lot better than eating sweets for half a day. On the run, I reverted to whatever they had at aid stations.
I’m interested in experimenting with this approach this season. How many food items did you carry with you, and did you have any issues in eating on the fly? I presume you restocked with the special needs bag? Do you know what your calories per hour were during the bike?
Thanks in advance for answering all these questions!
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As best I can recall, I started the race with two of the rice cakes (1/4 cup of rice each) and two or three of the small potatoes. I’d eat a potato, then 30 minutes later a rice cake, then 45 minutes later (longer because rice cakes were larger) another potato, and repeat. I found that alternating the sweeter rice cakes and the very salty/oily potatoes kept me from getting any sign of rotgut. Sometimes I’ll split the rice cakes in two and have half every 20-25 minutes, as I did on a ride today, but I usually like to eat a whole one to feel like I’m getting a mini-meal instead of just trickling in carbs and feeling hungry all day. I also had a caffeinated gel around the half-way point, in place of one of the rice cakes or potatoes.
Yes, I had resupplies at special needs. These foods take up more space than commercial bars, so I’m not sure you’d want to carry it all. The rice cakes are about 225-250 calories, and I’ll take a guess that the potatoes were around 125-150. My drinks were Skratch mixed at about 120 cals/bottle, drinking about one bottle per hour. I also had a bottle of Ucan super starch in there, which is as unnatural a food I can imagine, but I wanted to have multiple textures and flavors, and it probably didn’t hurt to have a different type of carb in the mix. All drinks also resupplied at special needs.
So I’d guess the calories were around 400-450 per hour on the bike, which is more than most folks can handle. I should add that my intent was to ride fairly easily and save as much energy as possible for the run, as I’m a better runner than cyclist. It worked for me, but that might be too much food for someone who’s hammering the bike. As always, I practiced extensively in training to get the formula down. On the run, it was a gel every 30-45 minutes, plus sports drink or coke at every aid station, so maybe 250 calories per hour on the run, which is about the max I can handle. The plan really paid off on the run, as I felt like I started the run as carbed-up as I could be, and did not feel like my reserves were fading until around mile 24-25, by which time I could finish on adrenaline alone.
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Wow, great information. I just pasted this into my file of important information about nutrition. If I can get 400-450 calories per hour in without bloat or nausea I’d be really happy.
Your comment about practicing extensively in training is absolutely right on. It’s really easy to get away with less nutritional intake during training as the workouts are shorter than a long course race, and people then get into trouble by taking in more in a race situation than what they’ve practiced in training.
Congratulations on a very well thought out and executed race nutrition plan.