Gu Recovery Brew vs. Infinit Repair Formula

About a month ago, I wrote a quick write up about the first recovery "supplement" that I every tried. I really liked Gu Recovery Brew as far as taste and convenience. Like I said in that post, I prefer whole foods whenever possible. However, it is not always convenient to bring along a cooler with you to the gym and there is quite a bit of research about needing nutrients quickly after a workout. Although I liked Gu's recovery, I wanted to try a few others as well. The next one I tried was Infinit's Repair Formula.

For whatever reason the Lemon Lime Infinit Repair Formula is not currently available on Infinit's website. Trisports.com had a few Infinit Nutrition products that are the same price as they are on the Infinit website. Overall, I thought it was pretty similar to the Gu Recovery Brew. Here are my thoughts:

Taste:
I liked both just fine, but I think I prefer the taste of the Strawberry Watermelon Gu over the Lemon Lime Infinit Repair Formula. It is just different than most sports drinks I have had before, which may be why it stuck out a bit. On the other hand, Infinit is available in Orange, Fruit, and Lemon Lime from Trisports.com and in Chocolate flavor on the Infinit Nutrition website.

Cost:
Going off of the list price on Trisports.com, the cost per serving for Gu is $2.29 and for Infinit it is $1.58. Considering the serving sizes are bigger with Infinit Repair Formula, the edge definitely goes with Infinit.

Nutritional Components: 
Per serving, Infinit has more calories and pretty much more of every measure. Gu's serving size is 16 ounces and Infinit's is 20-24 ounces. If you make a 24 ounce bottle of Gu, the numbers become quite comparable.

Gu Recovery Brew

• Calories 250
• Sodium 160 mg
• Potassium 70mg
• Total Carb 52g
• Sugars 17g
• Protein 8g

Infinit Recovery Blend

• Calories 300
• Sodium: 375mg
• Potassium: 108mg
• Total Carb 65g
• Sugars: 22g
• Protein: 10g 

Overall:
Well, I have bought one of each kinds, which one will I buy again when they run out? Although I like the taste of Gu's Recovery Blend a bit better, I think I'll side with the value of Infinit Repair Formula. I like Infinit's business model, and have always used their products on the bike leg. I think I'll stick with what has worked for me in the past. That is of course unless I find another one to try in the mean time!

Treadmill Running: Love/Hate Relationship

During the Iowa winters, I often am sequestered indoors for a majority of my training. Many people prefer training for the bike leg indoors, which I certainly understand. It is much safer for one, and you can be much more efficient with your training. Repeats and intervals are much easier and you can get a constant resistance for FTP testing, etc. I also don't mind the longer rides being I can catch up on movies/tv shows that I've been missing out on. I typically plan my long rides during the winter around the Vikings games. It is interesting to see the heart rate spikes when AP breaks a long run (or more commonly when the defense lets up a big play).

However, I hear a lot of people complaining about the treadmill (or Dreadmill as it is often referred to as). Personally, I don't mind it. In previous years, I dreaded the treadmill time but typically moved there when there is snow, ice, or high wind chills. Now, during the winter I tend to do all of my run training indoors until the temperatures rise and stay there. There are really no hills around me, so it is a great place to be able to do hill repeats. I have also found it helps me push a bit harder on fartlek and longer repeats as well. Finally, most of the races I do are in hotter and humid environments so it helps me get used to the amount of fluids I will use during the races. Certainly there are downfalls as well. Waiting in line is one. Another is the distractions from people talking to you during your workout. Also, the fact that you are staring at the same spot on the wall for the entire workout is another thing I struggle with. I typically cannot read the captions on the television when I run on the treadmill, so I stick with the headphones and Ipod. I have found that going through audio books while running passes the time really quickly.

Despite the drawbacks, I'll keep using the treadmill as an important training tool. It typically doesn't take me any time to hit my desired paces when I make the transition back outdoors. I am looking forward to getting back outdoors, but with the 20 inches of snow we are supposed to get tomorrow that may not happen for a while. Until then, I will continue to try to make gains indoors!

Extreme Winter Festival Indoor Triathlon

Well, mother nature tried to shut us down this weekend but we were still able to host our event. We had just under 50 participants for the Extreme Winter Festival Indoor Triathlon hosted by the Buena Vista Univeristy Human Performance Program along with Storm Lake United. Unfortunately, we had about 30 less participants than last year. The ice storm prevented quite a few people from being able to make the trip to Storm Lake. Who would have thought that weather could affect an Indoor triathlon as well?

We are very lucky to be able to host the event at Buena Vista University. They have a beautiful pool and a 200 meter indoor track. The overall environment is really fun. The bikes sit inside of the track so all of the spectators are either in the pool or up at the track watching the other two legs. I was really impressed by how many people stuck around to cheer on the other competitors after their wave was over. I was also really impressed by the volunteers who came to help us out. We had 20 volunteers who stuck around the entire day and helped out any way needed. We definitely could not have run the event with out them!

I am looking forward to continuing the event next year. Hopefully, we can continue to make the event grow. I have some ideas to try to bring in a few more youth participants next year, stay tuned for more information on that. It was really fun to see how many people came back and participated again in our second year. Hopefully the Extreme Winter Festival Indoor Triathlon will become a regular part of their race schedules!

Visit www.bvu.edu/triathlon for all 2013 results. Also, check back for updates for the 3rd annual Extreme Winter Festival Indoor Triathlon which will be posted soon!

100 Day Challenge

Shortly after I found out I was going to be sponsored by TriSports.com, I decided to try to go 100 days without taking a day off. I was just coming out of my "off season" recovery phase, so I started with a fairly low volume. I have been slowly increasing the weekly volume the last three months. During this 100 day span, I have noticed quite a few gains, especially in the pool. I am training much different than the last few years. Higher volumes, higher intensities. It is stressful at times to try to fit everything in, especially as work stress increases. I have adjusted pretty well to the higher volumes and am slowly getting over the constant soreness! Sitting about 14 weeks away from IMTX, hoping to keep the momentum going!

Total distances during 100 day span:
Swim- 148500 yds (~85 miles)
Bike-1190.8 Miles
Run- 427.7 miles