That's right ladies and gents... I've signed up for the 2014 Ontario Ride to Conquer Cancer solidifying three in a row!
With the outdoor riding season coming to a close as fall sets in, the indoor "studio" riding season is ramping up. Now, I'll be the first to admit that going to a spin class is VERY different to being on the open road. For one, you don't need to worry about streetcar tracks, motorists, etc in your path keeping you on your toes. Studio riding changes muscle groups as often as every 15 seconds so you're always paying attention to your form, and what it is that you're trying to accomplish. I find that because of things switching so often, I tend to forget to rehydrate during my workout and end up drinking up to 1.5 litres of water (50 fl oz. give or take) in a single shot on my walk home.
Now you might think that water = hydration and stop there. Right? Wrong!
Think of how much salt is pouring out of your body while you work out. I don't know about anyone else, but when I go to a spinning studio I leave it ALL on the floor. If I'm not 100% out of breath and feeling like hot death after my workout... I haven't tried hard enough. My goal is to push myself literally as hard as I possibly can that way when I hit the road, it will be a piece of cake no matter what I face.
For the last two years, I've unabashedly been a Vega Sport kind of guy. The first product I'd ever used was the orange zest flavoured endurance gel. It had a strange gritty texture to it that I wasn't too keen on and it didn't taste the greatest diluted or at full strength. I know that comes with the whole zero added chemical crud concept, so I didn't really mind. I really liked the concept of a plant-based hydration solution since it didn't contain a boat load of gross chemicals or 'taurine'. What's taurine you ask?
"Taurine, or 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is an organic acid widely distributed in animal tissues. It is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine and accounts for approximately 0.1% of total human body weight"Mmmm, now that sounds like something that you want to be ingesting now doesn't it? It's supposed to help regulate the level of water and salt in your blood. Really though, your body does that anyway even via plant-based solutions... So... You keep your bile juice... I'll be over here.
Recently I've been reading up on a company called Skratch Labs. I'd never heard of them before, but they seem to have promise. I found out about them thanks to a facebook post by the folks at Duke's Cycle. They seem to be very much like Vega, but tinted with the whole new-wave Old Spice edgy marketing spin.
They boast that their hydration mixes have
- All natural ingredients you can actually pronounce: cane sugar, dextrose, sodium citrate, real fruit, citric acid, magnesium citrate, calcium citrate, potassium citrate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
- Only real fruit for flavour
- A light and clean taste profile
- No artificial “anything”
- Less calories and more electrolytes
Seems pretty good no? I haven't had the opportunity to take a few packs out with me during my rides or into the studio... but I'm looking forward to it! I recently had a crash on my way to work (I'm fine!) so I've been spending the last few weeks letting my muscles recover. I'm sure that I've lost a HUGE portion of my baseline... Whoops.
In any case, I'm sure that I'll let you guys know how it goes. It's well-priced, sounds tasty, and is readily available right in my area.
Next up, I need to start figuring out the incentives for fundraising for the 2014 ride! Keep your eyes peeled!
See you at the finish line!
K
