Gooooo Dooooo!

i prefer hammergel by hammer nutrition. my favorite is raspberry i use it for swims and triathlons. long burning if you need anything semisolid with protein i prefer their prepetuem which is what i use on long bike rides. i have used just the gel for long swims their staff is great and their website is www.hammernutrition.com mary

Janet, When swimming the 8-mile Champlain swim a couple of years ago, I relied on Hammergel (2 packets) and a lot of plain old water. Another small piece of advice: most of the pack will veer south towards an island, then tack north to Burlington. While on the ferry ride out, keep your eyes on the smokestack, then the notch in the mountains above it. Use the notch as your sighting and it will bring you straight to the finish. Good luck, Hopper

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! 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! Thanks for any info! Sydne

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! I'll be at Lake Champlain! Looking forward to it. I use Hammer Gel also. I really like the Espresso and Apple Cinnamon. I'm not crazy about GU. I also try to drink Accelerade mixed with Red Bull. Here's our web site that we made for the swim. See you there! teamlunachixdc.com/8-miler

:cheerleader: Go, Julie, Go! :cheerleader:

I use e-gel and/or e-fuel when I race. Made by Crank Sports www.cranksports.com I really struggled with other products. E-gels work great for me. They taste good (any flavor) and I feel a bounce shortly after downing one. For long swims, I use the e-fuel. It is mixed with water so you simply drink it from your bottle like any other drink (far better for you than gatorade). No need to futz with gel packages or trying to force the strange gel consistancy down your throat while treading water - ugh. Check out the website. The science is explained well. Hope this helps and good luck.

I love GU from the first time I've used it. My favorite is Expresso Luv. I've used it on the bike in Tri's and on the run during marathons. I ripe the top off, bite it and squeeze the GU out using my teeth swallow and chase it with a drink. I've never tried it swimmming.

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. I am trying different things and it seems like good old gatorade and cliff shot blocks seem to work for me. I will NEVER do gu again! Hopper, thanks for your advice about navigating the course. Congrats on finishing first! How long did it take you???

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

I like Honey Stinger Gel: www.honeystinger.com/products.html I am also doing the swim and going to stcik with the honey gels, Orange gatorade/Red Bull and water. See everyone soon :)