Question for Those who Add Carbs to Ride or Run

[cooked]

The one time I decided to rely on Gatorade for a marathon, I was plagued by cramps from about Kilometre 30 onwards, stopping every kilometre due to the pain. Coconut water seems to be ideal, containing as it does sodium, magnesium, potassium and a small amount of sugar. If I time it right I can get it to ferment in the fridge, turning the sugar into alcohol, which I haven’t noticed impaired my running as yet.

[scaperdude]

The one time I decided to rely on Gatorade for a marathon, I was plagued by cramps from about Kilometre 30 onwards, stopping every kilometre due to the pain. Coconut water seems to be ideal, containing as it does sodium, magnesium, potassium and a small amount of sugar. If I time it right I can get it to ferment in the fridge, turning the sugar into alcohol, which I haven’t noticed impaired my running as yet.

LOL. Thanks for that. The only thing about coconut water is that it oxidizes fairly rapidly once opened, and pretty much needs to be drunk… no, not that kind …lol.

[scaperdude]

Is the calcium lactate for the calcium or the lactate ion? I think of lactate as a Bad Thing - or a Not Necessarily Good Thing - due to years of talk of muscle pain coming from lactic acid buildup.

That used to be taught until about 30 years ago, but it is now known that lactic acid does not cause the muscle soreness. It is actually recycled in the liver to be able to make new ATP. It is typically gone from the muscle long before muscle soreness sets in. The liver transforms it into pyruvate, which can either go on to form ATP molecules, glucose molecules or other precursor molecules. The soreness seems to be attributable to micro-tears to the muscle fiber or muscle trauma, although the cramping can be caused by lack of nutrients, which may be part of the general soreness picture. Lactate can actually buffer the muscles against acidosis or acid build up, and does not cause muscle soreness. The “burn” felt in intense exercise is the result of an acid buildup, but it is because of free hydrogen ions released in the ATP consumption process. When oxygen is low, and the demand for ATP is high, glycolysis becomes anaerobic. The end product ends up being lactate and a free hydrogen ion, which builds up in the muscle. So, the lactate from calcium lactate is actually going to probably end up being converted to energy in your case… All I know is that it works good for me.

On normal TMAD or fasting days, I supplement with a mix of 1/4 tsp each of potassium and sodium chlorides, and 200 mg of Magnesium glycinate lysinate (tablets). Sometimes I just mix the salts in water and sometimes I’ll mix it into lemonade. I can’t say it’s always the case, but I tend to have two glasses of that on fasting days and one on normal (TMAD) days.

Unfortunately, we don’t really run around with stores of needed minerals. Once they are used up in chemical processes in the cells, we typically need more. Which means constant supplementation… and our foods in the US are generally depleted of most minerals now due to the mass farming practices. So, I use magnesium glycinate too every evening… except when I use magnesium taurate. For muscle recovery, you might also try calcium AKG. I try to get most of my calcium from my food and water, but I do supplement with very small amounts of calcium bisglyciate and calcium 2aep on a daily basis. I rarely get muscle cramps, but do not do endurance things like you. I get our coconut water from Costco. You may want to try it on your next practice.