SLOWTWITCH QUESTION ONE: If you were to compete in a half-Ironman, what would be your nutritional regimen during the race?
Half-Ironman races require solid and semisolid foods as well as sports drinks. A good form of salt supplementation in hot weather would also be advised. My personal nutritional regimen would include eating some solids—e.g., potato, figs, banana, sports drink and water in the early portion of the bike leg. Toward the end of the bike I would consume more gels and sports drink to keep my energy levels up for the run. In hot weather I would chew up and rinse down a salt tablet or capsule about every hour on the bike. This would keep my hydration and body Ph under control.
During the run leg, I would carry approximately 6 ounces of energy gel with a belt/gel-flask combination. Maybe some salts every 40-60 minutes followed by a lot of water if it's hot. I'd drink both water and sports drink as well as oranges provided by the aid stations. After 6-7 miles in the run I would include Coke if available for the sucrose and caffeine buzz. I am a big athlete,190 pounds, and my body needs more fuel to run than the average-sized athlete.
SLOWTWITCH QUESTION TWO: Why are gels typically sold in 100 calorie packets?
Energy gels are sold in one-ounce packets because the consumer likes the convenience of the individual serving. Squeezy energy gel was the first. The other companies have only copied Squeezy—they are not original at all.
A 200-calorie packet would work. Some companies are offering larger portions.
Consuming too much carbo energy gel too fast will suck all the water out of our small intestine to digest the gel, and then you dehydrate—i.e., a friend of mine once mixed his sports drink super-strong and drank two large bottles of this mixture during the race. He still needed three IV bags to bring him back from dehydration after the medical team picked him up off the side of the road during the bike portion of a half-Ironman.
Leppin Squeezy energy gel offers, along with the 45-gram sachets, three bottle sizes for the athlete and training arenas. Our formula is designed to hold up and not spoil like some of the other gels.
SLOWTWITCH QUESTION THREE: Are there new or different delivery systems on the horizon?
New technology is on the way in packaging and delivery systems (trade secret).
Powder is available from some companies, but the consumer demands convenience. The powder would be a big mess. High Five in Europe and some others offer the powder. A good point about powders is that powder is cheaper for shipping than water-mixed energy gels.
SLOWTWITCH QUESTION FOUR: What is the life of a gel in its plastic container?
Our shelf life is about 2-1/2 years dated packaging. Keep it out of heat and direct sunlight. Our preservatives are our electrolytes—we don't use sodium benzoate like many others (too hot for the oral and throat membranes).
