Cure Your Gastric Distress and Race Faster

Like many runners, our coaching client Linda has difficulty tolerating sports drinks during training and racing. The severe stomach cramps they cause her has ruined many long runs and has dashed race plans. It makes fueling during long runs and races very challenging. Well, a solution may be at hand. Alex Hutchinson writes in his Sweat Science blog -- over the past nine years, several research studies have shown that swishing a sports drink in your mouth and spitting (not swallowing) boosts performance in endurance events longer than 30 minutes in duration When and Why to Swish-n-Spit Your Sports Drink. It may be hard to believe, but it's hard to argue with... as the evidence mounts. A recent study at the University in Central Lancashire on cyclists pedaling for 30 minutes showed that the longer the subjects swished, the further they cycled and the easier it felt. What's going on? 30 minutes is way too short for any carbs to be absorbed and oxidized. Muscles don't get a chance to utilize additional carbs for bouts of exercise one hour or less in duration. What's going on is that the brain is affected by rinsing with a solution containing carbohydrates, regardless of taste. Hutchinson writes that fMRI studies show that parts of the brain light up when carbs are present in the mouth. Solutions containing artificial sweeteners (carb-free) do not have the same effect. The longer the carbs are in the mouth, the stronger the effect... whether carbs are ingested or not. This research finding mirrors my own experience. I often feel a boost of energy within minutes of drinking a sports drink. Clearly, the extra carbs cannot be utilized within minutes. Maybe the jump in energy is actually due to the presence of carbs in my mouth and its effect on the brain? Makes sense. A review of various studies on this subject by Anders Jeukendrup (author of the original study) concluded: •These findings are consistent with Central Governor Theory. This theory asserts that the brain interprets signals from your entire body (including your mouth), as well as your mental and emotional state. Your brain processes all of these inputs and renders a decision: If the sum of inputs is "positive", your brain programs your body for optimal performance. If the sum of inputs is negative, your brain perceives that you are entering "dangerous" waters, setting into motion physical events at the muscular level that cause you to slow down or pack it in for the day. The brain considers carbs in your mouth as a positive input. •Improvement in performance from swishing seems to be influenced by the amount of carbs already in your system. The strongest effect from swishing is experienced by those who had fasted overnight. •You can't fool the brain forever. For exercise beyond 2 hours, your muscles really need more carbs. The author recommends if you're 30 minutes away from the finish line, there's inadequate time to benefit from additional carbs. However, swish-n-spit can help you kick it up a notch as you approach the finish line. **************************************************************************** These research findings beg the question... a positive answer would be a godsend to those in gastric distress (from sports drinks). Will swish-n-spit give them a performance boost without the gastric distress caused by ingesting sports drinks? I don't know... but it sure is worth finding out! My challenge to anyone whose GI systems revolt on contact with sports drink - try "swish-n-spit" for 3 runs - one longer than 30 minutes, one longer than 60 minutes and one 90 minutes or longer. Does swish-n-spit upset your stomach? Did you experience an increase in energy?