INFINIT Nutrition on IM (Page 2)

Are you saying that training and racing with the on course nutrition products is "a disaster for most" and "a crap shoot at best"? 

I think something got mis-interpreted somewhere.
Fred was saying that living off the course (and training with the stuff prior, I assumed) works for some people. This is a valid statement. 

If someone has never trained with what's offered on the course and decides to rely on it come race day--- definitely risky. But I don't think that's what was implied.

I think someone has been drinking the Kool-Aid.....er, Infinit.

word.

I used to have alot of respect for Infinit. That has just gone out the window.

I train on infinit, but race on the course provided fare...

I switch probably a month prior to make sure I'm good with it.

I have been using Infinit for the last 18 months and it's the first product I've used that hasn't churned my stomach during use.

I have no issue with people training with and then using the course issue drinks etc but here's the reason I don't.

I have 4 races in the the next 10 months, a 150k adventure race, 2 x 70.3's and Melbourne IM. each one of those races has different sponsors, hence different drinks on the course.

I just don't like the idea of changing drinks after every race and hoping my stomach copes. For me it's easier and more beneficial to stay with the one product.

I think that a combination of on-course nutrition and nutrition that you carry is maybe the best way to go. Most races will tell you in advance what type(s) of race-day nutrition they will use, giving you a chance to try it out in race simulation(s).

I personally began using Infinit last year, and for my one and only IM used two 600 calorie concentrated bottles, then on-course water for the remainder of the bike, and on-course nutrition for the run. For a HIM I use one 800 calorie bottle of Infinit (which I sip every 4 miles) for the bike, then use on-course water and nutrition for the remainder of the day. It's worked so far.

I've used Perpeteum for 2 out of 3 of my IM's.  I found it worked well for me, nutrition wise.  But you're right- it gets warm really quick and it's hard to choke down.  I think I was just used to drinking it warm since I live in the south and trained in the heat, but it was difficult to want to drink it.   What I found that works well was to freeze the bottles (tried it in training and it worked so I was able to do it for the race) so it wouldn't get so icky so quickly in hotter temperatures and that seemed to help.  Usually for the IM the bottles on my bike would be almost thawed by the time I got to the bike portion.  And the ones I stashed in SN were already unfrozen by that point, but cool enough to still taste ok 1/2 way on the bike course.

The biggest problem I had with Perpeteum was being very gassy and bloated for the run.  I had major belching and GI issues as well.  I had to drink PLENTY of water to help break it up in my stomach which helped, but never elminated the problem.  I finally figured out that the soy protein in the Perpetuem was causing all my GI issues.

After that I decided to mix up my own sports drink.  I used GU2O since I handle that best solo, and added in my whey protein that I used in protein shakes.  And I must say- that combination tasted pretty darn good!  Orange flavored GU2O + vanilla whey protein= orange creamsicle.  What worked well is that I could adjust the amount of protein I needed on my own for each ride, as well as the concentration of the GU.

I have thought about switching to Infinit, but so far the Gu2O and whey protein mixture works well for me and sits good in my stomach.  And it's a heck of a lot cheaper and I can adjust the mixture for each long ride according to the duration/weather conditions.  I can mix the bottles different as well- timing a bottle with more protein or GU (if it got hotter so I'd get more electrolytes)  throughout the ride, so that I wasn't bombarding my system all at once with the amount of protein.  By doing this, I get the same good performance results as I did with Perpeteum, minus all the GI issues and nasty tasting once it gets warm.  So I prefer to have the freedom to adjust on my own and not have just a set fomrula for every ride every day.

Definitely try different things.  Everyone is different and what sounds weird for one person may be the "diamond in the rough" for someone else.

Also one more idea- you can try Carbo Pro if you're looking for an easy way to get extra calories.  It's tastless and basically it's just extra cals (no additional electrolytes)  to add into a sports drink.  You can always try mixing that into your sports drink if you want to cut back on taking in solids or gels on the bike.  Another favorite product of mine that gives you more nutrition options!!!