Water v. Sports Drinks

Generally speaking, water is just fine for workouts lasting less than an hour. At that point, you start needing to do something for carbohydrate and electrolute replacement. If you're drinking sports drink during workouts that last less than an hour, you're just ingesting unneeded calories.

If you are talking about simple off-the-shelf "sports" drinks then you have to remember that these are simple carb based (sucrose, fructose stuff) and your body will only absorb about a 6 to 7% solution of those in a given period.  Remarkably, this is why Gatorade does not really have a high level of carbs.  They figured out that is the dillution that gets absorbed the fastest.

By taking in water AND a sports drink you are dilluting the solution even more which means that the absorption is thinned out and you may not be getting enough carbs in the period of the race/workout (once again assuming a longer workout).  To counter that people will often add gels to the mix, which are usually long chain complex carbs.  These have a longer "release" period for energy and are a more balanced plan for longer distances.

Remember that combining gels and sports drinks can result in too much carbs in the time frame, which often leads to a lot of GI distress.  It is really a balancing act that you have to practice over time and find out what works for you.  Every person is different.

Hope that helps!

No.

I used to ride in the past with just a bottle of Gatorade or Accelerade a few times, and every time I tried to run afterwards I would cramp up. Stomach was just sloshing around. Part of it was my stomach not handling the sugar in Gatorade well (not to mention that I hate the taste with the heat of a thousand white suns) or the protein in Accelerade sitting in my gut like a rock. Either way, I had too much "stuff" in my stomach and needed some plain water to wash it down. It was the right amount of calories per hour for me, but it was just sitting there.

On my long rides (2+ hours) and races (Oly or above) I'll have a dirty bottle (nutrition) and a clean bottle (plain water). I have a concentrated, custom Infinit mix that gives me the calories and electrolytes I've found to work for me, then I have plenty of water to keep it moving through me. I rarely have to pee on rides under 3:30, so it seems to be adequate hydration. I also like the simplicity of not having to mix in gels, beans, salt pills, etc. It's really just a balancing act to find the right amount of both.

If Gatorade works for you, hats off to you. If it doesn't, there are lots of other options out there. It may be "on the course" as the ad says, but don't try to force yourself to stomach something if it doesn't work.

If you are a heavy sweater drinking 20 oz an hour is not very much.

My suggestion is to calculate your sweat rate to first determine how much you are sweating an hour, see if what you are drinking provides the calories necessary to meet your calorie needs. Check in various weather conditions. Average sweat has 400-600 mg sodium per 16 oz so replacing electrolytes is a concern as well.

For a women I sweat a lot...about 45-46 oz/hour on the bike; 55-56 oz/hour run in the summer. Last summer I worked at drinking more running and riding now normally drink 40-46 oz an hour running. If I drank only Gatorade I'd take in way to many calories. 

Thanks Mike!

Nutrition is one of the most misunderstood and misreperesented things in the sport.  This is not as big of a deal with olympic distance and shorter, but as soon as you start to go long it can be the difference between a bad day, an average one and a great one.

We appreciate having people in the industry coming on and posting solid information that can benefit everyone.  Thanks again!