My Accelerade Experience: Part One

When I was asked if I would review Accelerade on the blog, I offered to try it at the 24hrs of 9 Mile and provide feedback under race conditions. The challenge is that everything is skewed by the fact that I started the race without proper hydration, found myself quickly behind the eight ball and spent the rest of the race playing nutritional catch-up.

Before a drop of Accelerade hit my mouth, I had already cramped pretty badly and rolled into the pit where the crew and I went into triage mode. I downed a variety of products at that point, including my first Accelerade gel. Smooth, easy to swallow (much easier than the salt tablets I would later gag back up), I didn't feel any immediate rush of energy, but I certainly did maintain. Maintaining, at that point, was more than enough for me. I would come near cramping a couple of times on the next lap, but never truly siezed up.

I took another Accelerade gel on the next lap, ate some tuna salad and went back out and again felt no worse, maybe a bit better.

My next stop Corey transitioned my bottles to Accelerade. Corey set me up with a lighter mix than is recommended on the container. Simply, if any drink is too think, I won't drink it. If I won't drink it, it won't help me. So, I set out on my next lap with a ratio roughly half of what is recommended. The positive is that I was beginning to feel stronger. No cramping, good energy. Revitalized.

Over the course of the next few hours, I was drinking the same lighter mixture of Accelerade and eating small amounts of tuna salad. Continued improvement to the point where, as the race begain to near the last few hours, Corey and I discussed a strategy which would have meant coming off a lap with a very brief pit stop, then hitting the next lap at cross country pace. I was confident in how I felt physically. Not worried about cramping. While nothing happens in a vacuum, Accelerade was certainly played a positive role in overcoming my early race issues.

Key Thoughts:

- If I were pitting for someone, I would feel good about them using Accelerade.
- If someone asked me, "Does this shit work?" I would say, "Yep. Now drink, Dammit!!"
- I won't mix it at the levels recommended. For me, it's too thick. I cut it down on a later ride, in 100 degree heat and it was much easier to swallow. Again, I'll drink an extra bottle with less if needed.
- If I were pitting for myself, I would make sure my dumbass drank some of this the day before the race as well. Too bad I was not that smart last week.

Fire questions if you have them.

Part Two will be a review of Accelerade in my lead up to Swanson, including the race itself if I have enough remaining.

Snob out.