C2C April 7

[Yichus]

Hi, Cynthia:

Likewise.

Gatorade also upsets my stomach! Now I know that I'm not the only one who experiences ill-effects from drinking too much of this sports drink. (Another reason I no longer drink Gatorade is that, according to my dentist, the drink is terrible for the teeth. In fact, he said it's even worse than soda).

You can purhase coconut water at either Henry's Market (in La Quinta) or Clark's Nutrition and Natural Foods Market (in Rancho Mirage). I really like the Henry's in La Quinta; it's a lot bigger than the one I usually go to (their Rancho Cucamonga store), and the selection of organic food products is exceptional.

The ZICO brand of cocunut water comes in several varieties, including passion fruit, mango, pineapple, and, I think, strawberry. Henry's carries the Harvest Valley brand, which, as far as I know, comes in only two flavors: plain coconut water and acai. Clark's sells the "Amy and Brian" brand. It's good, but I prefer the other brands, since they come in tetra packs, not aluminum cans.

Intiallly, I was skeptical about trying coconut water, especially since I don't like raw coconut--but I'm glad I gave it a shot because, as noted, the stuff has boosted my hiking performance.

I hope to see you on the trail soon.

Rob

[KathyW]

I freeze a couple of small containers of apple juice and bring them along on my hikes these days instead of using sports drinks.

[Cy Kaicener]

Orange or grapefruit juice is a good thirst quencher (my two cents worth)

[Yichus]

Hi, Cy!

You're right: orange juice works great, too.

[LeslieL]

Interesting tip on the coconut water. I've often wondered how my food/drink affects my energy on the trail. It seems many things can affect performance so it's hard to pin it down. Gatorade also upsets my stomache... so when it's hot I rely on lots of water and salty snacks. Is there any flaw in that?

I've heard that the best trail snack is high in carbs and water and low in fiber, fat and protein - suggesting GORP is all wrong (requires more energy and fluid to digest). Go figure. I know what I like - what do others think?

Leslie

[zippetydude]

I asked the same question a couple of years ago, and a fellow trailrunner gave me the best solution I have heard. He suggested I mix maltodextrin with any drink I like, and let it supply a more complex form of carbohydrate than the simple sugars in typical drinks. It works great, and I usually don't eat anything unless I'm on the trail more than 3 or 4 hours.

If I do eat, it is usually an Accelgel, which has 5g of protein, and helps me more than any other gel I've tried. If I eat much at all, I feel like I have a chunk of iron in my stomach. If I only get carbs, I get hungry after a few hours. That's where the Accelgel comes in real handy, I don't get ravenous, but it's easy on the stomach.

I'm no purist, though. Sometimes I'll pack along a burrito or a slice of pizza, and eat that when I get to the peak. I've been thinking about getting a piece of dry ice this summer when it's hot, and packing it with a couple of Otterpops in my pack so I can have something cold and refreshing along the way.

z

[cynthia23]

Thanks for local coco-water tips, Yob, I'll try Clark's or Henry's ... as for the overall subject of nutrition that works on strenuous long hikes, I'm at a loss, I feel like I"m still not sure what works. I'd like to put in my two cents for FAT, though. I find that after several hours, I feel like I really need some FAT. Cheese and avocado seem to be strongly needed/eaten. Eating just carbs seems to make me feel shaky. Maybe I should carry a tub of lard? Or eat my sunblock?

Anyone else find themself in Phat City?

Strangest thing I witnessed being eaten on Skyline: Carl (frequent Skylie) munching on Pop Tarts at 4000 feet. No, he didn't bring a toaster ...

[KathyW]

I usually just eat Hammer Gel when hiking because it easy and does the job. I'll throw some trail mix in the pack, but I rarely take it out. Hammer Gel doesn't have frutrose in it - too much frutrose makes me sick.

[Ellen]

For endurance acitivities, the primary nutritional concerns are water, carbohydrate and sodium. I'm a sports dietitian and completed the Hawaii Ironman triathlon twice back in 1982. Sports drinks contain all three and help simplify my hiking nutritional plan.

Research indicates that consuming 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour improves endurance perfomance (you can maintain the same pace longer and/or sprint harder at the end).

Drinking water and consuming salty, carbohydrate rich snacks such as pretzels, baked chips, or higher sodium carbohydrate gels also works.
Bottom line, experiment and find a nutrition plan that works for you.

I'll try coconut water sometime. For this Saturday hike, I'll stick to Gatorade Endurance. I generally also consume one carbohydrate gel per hour (Gu or PowerGel) in addition to the carbs I get from the Gatorade. At hour 2 (somewhere past Shade Rock), I take a caffeinated gel

Like Kathy, I find that cosnuming a food source containing protein and fat (baked Dorritos, 1 oz of cheese) helps stave off the hunger pangs and maintains my blood glucose better than pure carbohydrate on hikes over 4 hours. Getting to Flat Rock takes me 4 hours or more.

I like baked Nacho Cheese Doritos (which are primarly carbohydrate) because they're salty and have a small amount of fat (3 grams) and a small amount of protein (3 grams) per ounce. The protein and fat aid satiety and help maintain my blood glucose. I don't consume any solid food until Flat Rock (and not much even there) due to the rigors of the last section.

Wish I was as fast as Zippetydude -- who is probably at the San J summit when I hit Flat rock

On my last C2C hike, I sat on the rocks at the notich and ate a turkey and cheese sandwich before heading to the tram. Best darn sandwich I'be ever had.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[Cy Kaicener]

I find that after the half way point I cant swallow anything like sandwiches or nutrition bars except sushi which I buy at seven eleven. I find that coconut water, vitamin water and orange or grapefruit juice all work for me.
More important, get more than four hours of sleep if you can.
I know of about twenty people doing Skyline this Saturday including the Outdoorsclub and the five weekly regulars starting at times from 3.30 am to 6.00 am. If you are slow like me (8 hours to the tram) I would recommend starting before 5 am to beat the heat.