Nutrition Issue Solved!

Let me start by saying that I take precautions leading up to a race or long workout and cut out things that may bother my stomach. Although, there's not much out there (besides sugar) that upsets my stomach and makes me feel sick. I use hot sauce like it's going out of style and eat more than my fair share of fruit/veggies and high fiber foods. And my stomach is never an issue...until I get well into a long workout. 

I have tried everything…gels, bloks, chomps, dried fruit, fruit snacks, soft pretzels, electrolyte tabs, no food at all, blah, blah, blah. It ended the same way almost every time. Either I ended up in the woods, didn't make it to the woods, or made it home and had problems the rest of the day. It wasn't pretty or fun and I was starting to think I was destined to live a life full of crapping myself. It sucks, when every time you want to do a long run you try to think of a route that includes a wooded area or a Starbucks so you have options.

I got really sick of my stomach issues during 70.3 training. After using several different products (which shall remain nameless) I found some Perpetuem lying around which I used during Ultra training. Since it had been a while since my days of 30 mile training runs, I sort of forgot I had this stashed away. (For those who don’t know, Perpetuem is made by Hammer and is designed for extreme endurance events lasting several hours to days.) The first time I used it for a long ride; I made it through 3 hours with no issues. But once I was off the bike and running, I downed a gel (non Hammer gel) and my stomach went to shit.

After a few workouts with Perpetuem and no issues, I started doing some research on Hammer's site.  The more I read, the more I liked what they were about and what they were putting into their products. I won't go into the science behind their products but if you have time, its worth checking out their site. There's a ton of info on it and I learned a lot. I also did some googling and found positive reviews where others with stomach issues had found success with Hammer products.

So, over the past few months I made some changes, kept some things the same and am no longer scared to head out the door for a long run. Here's a break down:

Dinner: I still eat the same pre long run dinner which consists of brown rice, chicken, mushrooms and soy sauce. I'm not sure when or how I came up with this concoction but after trying other options; this seems to work best for me.

Pre Run: I learned over the summer that my stomach doesn't really like solid foods prior to working out. I can tolerate a banana before a short to mid length workout but anything longer which requires me to eat something more substantial, can't be solid. I now stick to liquids only and drink an Ensure about an hour before heading out. 

Before/During: I now also use Endurolyte capsules/Fizz tablets. Endurolyte capsules/Fizz tablets are an electrolyte supplement and probably the thing I was most weary about. I typically steer clear of supplements and vitamins because being a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, well, let's just say I prefer statements to be evaluated and products I'm ingesting to be regulated.  But after giving it enough tries that I feel strongly any placebo affect would have died off…I can't believe it, but I'm sticking with them! I take a capsule the night before then again an hour before I start my workout. I'll then take another capsule every 1 -1.5 hours or add an Endurolyte Fizz tablet to my water bottle. 

During Run: I've known I can't handle high doses of sugar while working out which is why I only ate little bits at a time in the past. Well, when I found out Hammer gels are made without simple sugars or artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, it's another reason I wanted to make the switch. Maybe that's what all the other products had that were making me so sick??? Where I used to hate taking in food during my workout because of the bad side effects, I'm now able to easily eat as many Hammer gels as I need without ANY issues. Not bad coming from a girl who could only eat one shot blok every 2.5 miles because of stomach issues.

Post Run: Keep this part simple...chocolate milk. And I have to say, not only have I not had any embarrassing stomach issues since I started using Hammer products exclusively, I feel so much better during and after my workouts. I don’t have what I used to refer to as "runners stomach" all day after I run and I feel like my energy level afterwards is much better than what it used to be. While this energy may not be related directly to the products, I do think it has something to do with the fact that I'm now able to eat, and keep food in me, while working out.

It took me 3+ years to figure out what worked for me and it has made such a difference. I'm just not sure how I didn't stumble upon Hammer stuff before. No one I run with uses it so I guess I just fell into the trap of using what I saw others using. That's really the reason for this post. I wasn't contacted by Hammer or asked to write this; I'm doing it because if I can help one other person stop crapping their pants, then I did my part.