One of my colleagues (also a runner) jokes that I treat the lunch room at the office like an aid\u00a0station. While infinitely amusing – it’s kind of true. When I got back from my rainy run on Thursday…I had a Cup O’ Noodles. There are a stack of them sitting on the counter. I would never eat one of those unless I was electrolyte and calorie deprived and craving salt… but it’s perfect food if you’re running long. Warms you right up.<\/p>\n
I developed a bad habit last summer after coming back from\u00a0lunchtime runs in Forest Park of chugging a Sunkist orange soda – they are on hand and ice cold. The high fructose corn syrup fired me right up for any afternoon meetings. I’ll try not to do that this season.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.strava.com\/activities\/132040473<\/a><\/p>\n Sometimes the runs are fun and the legs are snappy, other times you get into a rhythm and the miles click by, other times it just feels like work. This one didn’t quite feel like work, but I had just been through most of this section on Thursday, so it was really just a matter of rolling through the trails and getting back home.<\/p>\n I used Tailwind<\/a> for the first time – changing it up from Cytomax<\/a>\u00a0which has been my fuel of choice for the past 15? years. \u00a0The distinction is that it contains more calories so you can reduce\/eliminate food and consume xx\u00a0oz. per hour. I ordered the sample packages\u00a0that include all 4 flavors. Berry was what I was drinking on Saturday. It’s got a super-mild taste and no sweet aftertaste like Cytomax. It also has no coloring so it mixes clear… kind of nice. The only annoyance were the directions that gave instructions for a 48oz bottle or a 24oz bottle. Most single serving bottles are 20oz. Not a big deal… maybe cycling bottles are 24oz?<\/p>\n I mixed two 20oz bottles and took the rest of the mix with me. I tried to drink regularly after the first hour. I still ate a Clif shot and a Hammer gel – and then refilled my bottle at Marquam shelter and mixed the rest of the power. I felt zippy after I had a good drink and got back on the flats for the last 3 miles. Never felt hungry, had good low end power and definitely felt like I got a second wind around mile 17. \u00a0I’ll try the other flavors and\u00a0then order in bulk.<\/p>\n