Longer rides and "bonking"

[ny biker]

Thanks for that. I don't have a sodium sensitivity that I know of. I think I just don't much like the taste and avoid it for this reason.

I read the article and that really helps me get the bigger picture, so thanks again. I think I need to keep with my shots I have left over from last year (the clif ones). I will also try a couple more options and try to see the sports nutrition place in town for some recs. I know now what I need to look for (something with electrolytes BEFORE a ride and something for during to drink). I think my biggest issue is that I don't get enough of what I need before I get started and then I feel crappy and don't want to eat/drink more. The next day, I'm not feeling great because of the choices I made pre/during/post ride. I would like to stop that from happening this year!

You can make your own sports drink. I think the Nancy Clark book has a recipe. Orange juice, a bit of table salt, a few other ingredients.

You can also try having a saltier-than-usual dinner the night before a long ride. Soups tend to be pretty salty, as do some kinds of cheese.

I have friends who eat potato chips and drink V8 juice during rest stops on hot days. My stomach would not tolerate that (I can't drink tomato juice under any circumstances without getting sick). But they find that it helps a lot and they prefer it to gels and electrolyte tablets. If you do go with gels, I've found that Gu Roctane and Power Gels have more sodium than some other brands.

For after the ride, drinking juice can be a good way to get some quick calories if you don't feel like eating. They don't have protein, though. Yogurt is good, a smoothie with juice and yogurt would be good, cereal with milk can also work.

[OakLeaf]

I don't like my food salty either, plus I'm a heavy sweater, and it took me literally DECADES to figure out why I would get sick for days at a time, unable to eat much or drink almost any water, to the point that I ended up on an IV once (when they finally found a vein, which wasn't easy, as dehydrated as I was). Doctors never figured it out, because they think no one ever eats anything that doesn't come out of a box with several grams of salt already added.

Any more, I don't even drink much plain water in hot weather or when I'm in a heavy training phase. I toss a Nuun U Naturals tablet in almost every bottle.

Gatorade is actually kind of light on electrolytes when you really need to replenish them, but it'll help, and it's what most organized rides use. Personally I just can't tolerate fructose during exercise (not even natural fructose from fresh fruit or honey), so drinks with HFCS are right out for me.

[colorisnt]

Yeah, HFCS makes me sick in high concentration, so I water it down to almost nothing. It doesn't help all that much then. I will try the Skratch Labs or the Nuun U Naturals stuff.

The main issue I have is I also have a citric acid intolerance. I can only take a bit of citric acid (tomato juice would kill me, too, for that reason). I have have about a 6 oz glass of juice after which point, I will start to have issues and develop sores on my scalp, mouth, and in "sensitive" areas, which is a shame because I LOVE smoothies and I LOVE pineapple/banana/orange juice best of all. I've tried to see if it still happens periodically and it does. So, smoothies (depending on what's in them) are a great thing, but maybe not something I can do depending on what is in them.

I know I should live in a bubble and I sound difficult but I think you guys are right in that Sodium is just not "there" for me. I don't eat a lot of processed stuff. My cooking is sodium-light. So, I could see why I'm not getting enough. I'm a pretty healthy eater most of the time.