Oh my, did I have a terrible experience trying out GU this morning. That stuff is terrible. I gagged and had dry heaves after two attempts to swallow the stuff.
Has anyone out there tried something other than GU to help stay energized during long swims? I am swimming the 8 mile swim across Lake Champlain in two weeks. I'm experimenting with different foods/nutritional supplements that might help me along the way. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Parents
Former Member
Sydne - See below......
Gu has always made me vomit. I remember quite a few triathlons trying to puke off the side of my bike and not screw up my times, or fall off. fun!
I am doing Lake Champlain as well, and what I plan on is just good old Gatorade and Water. I had a coach who said he always recommended Gatorade because it was the one thing that was universally available at almost every race. I did a 6 mile swim yesterday, with just Gatorade, and felt good.
Hopper, I had a question about the navigation tips. How much did you rely on your support boat for navigation aid, and how good were the organizers at letting the support folks know what to do? My husband is unfamiliar with the lake and that's the only part I'm relatively nervous about--both of us trying to figure out. The first year I did the St. Croix 5-mile race, they kept saying we should "head for the V" and I spent my time fruitlessly looking for some abstract land formation that was impossible for me to visualize. No wonder I got stuck on a reef that time!
I relied completely on my kayaker (also my wife) for navigation. While ferrying out, be sure your husband pays close attention to the smokestack, then, when it disappears below the horizon, the notch in the mountains above it.
You also mention "the pack" heading South and then tacking North. Can you elaborate a little more about what the navigation was like for you? How many swimmers did it when you did? It's hard for me to imagine much of a pack when there's only going to be about 10 of us!
I think there were 20 or so when I swam it. I'd suggest you ignore the other swimmers and trust your navigator. We had many, many moments where we questioned our plan, especially when the other swimmers were tacking south, but I got to the beach first.
Thanks for any info!
Sydne
Sydne - See below......
Gu has always made me vomit. I remember quite a few triathlons trying to puke off the side of my bike and not screw up my times, or fall off. fun!
I am doing Lake Champlain as well, and what I plan on is just good old Gatorade and Water. I had a coach who said he always recommended Gatorade because it was the one thing that was universally available at almost every race. I did a 6 mile swim yesterday, with just Gatorade, and felt good.
Hopper, I had a question about the navigation tips. How much did you rely on your support boat for navigation aid, and how good were the organizers at letting the support folks know what to do? My husband is unfamiliar with the lake and that's the only part I'm relatively nervous about--both of us trying to figure out. The first year I did the St. Croix 5-mile race, they kept saying we should "head for the V" and I spent my time fruitlessly looking for some abstract land formation that was impossible for me to visualize. No wonder I got stuck on a reef that time!
I relied completely on my kayaker (also my wife) for navigation. While ferrying out, be sure your husband pays close attention to the smokestack, then, when it disappears below the horizon, the notch in the mountains above it.
You also mention "the pack" heading South and then tacking North. Can you elaborate a little more about what the navigation was like for you? How many swimmers did it when you did? It's hard for me to imagine much of a pack when there's only going to be about 10 of us!
I think there were 20 or so when I swam it. I'd suggest you ignore the other swimmers and trust your navigator. We had many, many moments where we questioned our plan, especially when the other swimmers were tacking south, but I got to the beach first.
Thanks for any info!
Sydne
