Why I don't wear white running shorts
Here are a few ways you can avoid crapping yourself on a run…
Without the risk of underfueling or bonking.
Back in 2012, I decided I wanted a crisp, white pair of running shorts.
That summer was one of the first where I was experimenting with longer distance runs.
So, I also needed to bring fuel along with me.
At this point, I was pretty new to the whole thing.
One fine, sunny day, I put on my new shorts and took a bottle of orange Gatorade out with me, of which I’d already consumed half.
About twenty minutes in, my gut was churning like an Amish granny making butter.
Except I certainly wasn't bringing my wares to the farmer's market.
I kicked up the pace and sprinted on home...
Good God, why did I wear white shorts! I'm not gonna make it!
That's where I will leave that story.
Let's just say I no longer own white running shorts, and don't plan to ever again.
Here's what actually happened to me, and how you might be able to avoid the same thing happening to you.
So, at a basic level, there are three kinds of sports drinks. “Isotonic”, “hypotonic”, and "hypertonic".
The difference in them is how many carbs and sugars they have…
Isotonic drinks have a higher concentration of carbs and sugar.
Hypotonic drinks have a lower concentration of them.
Hypertonic has the highest concentration.
Why this matters is because of a lil thing called “osmolality”.
Osmolality measures how many particles are in a solution.
Generally speaking, a drink with higher osmolality (so, isotonic and hypertonic drinks) can cause more GI issues than ones with lower osmolality.
If the osmolality is >350 mOsm/L, it’s considered high.
Higher osmolality means it takes your body more work to absorb the solution.
Let’s put this together.
If you are struggling with a crampy gut as you train or race, it could be because of what you’re fueling yourself with.
Check to see whether or not your drink is iso- or hypo-, or hyper- tonic.
If you find it’s isotonic or hypertonic, you can either water it down a bit more before consuming it, OR, switch to a hypotonic drink and see how that does ya.
Isotonic drinks - medium osmolality
Gatorade
Gatorade Endurance
Powerade ION4
Nuun
Isotonic drinks are considered the standard because their composition is similar to plasma. However, some athletes find them tough on their digestive systems. This is the aforementioned white-shorts-ruining, poop-ur-pants feeling.
The problem here is that…
Isotonic drinks drinks often contain a LOT more sugar than what they claim.
The Gatorade orange flavour is a known culprit for this. Bastards!
Some of them have a really high osmolality. High enough that they’re actually considered hypertonic solutions. So, because of this, you’re not actually fueling your body the way you think you are.
That’s why I go with a hypotonic drink.
Hypotonic drinks - lowest osmolalityGatorade G2
Powerade Zero
BioSteel Hydration (my fave)
The low osmolality means it’s much easier for your body to absorb the drink, so you get hydrated faster.
Now, there’s a trade-off here if you opt for hypotonic drinks while you train. Depending on how efficient your body is at using energy while you run, you may find that, while a hypotonic drink is much easier on your belly...
It may not have enough energy in it to support what you're expending as you run.
This means that you will have to supplement it.
Here’s my completely anecdotal evidence on this.
I have a sensitive tummy and isotonic drinks make me feel like I’m gonna take a detour into Dumptown.
So, I try to avoid them.
For shorter runs (less than two hours) my body does fine with a hypotonic drink — I get rehydrated really quickly and don’t see any problems with the lower amount of actual “fuel” in my drinks.
And they feel easier to consume. Gatorade feels so thick and gives me weird, gooey saliva. Sorry to share this but it’s true.
For anything over two hours… I change it up completely.
I don’t drink either isotonic OR hypotonic drinks.
Instead, I bring along plain old water, and a secret mix.
This mix is a little flask of pure maple syrup with salt added to it.
Doesn’t bother my guts at all, supports my energy needs, and is tasty as hell. Only thing is that it’s pretty pricey.
Which is why I opt for a BioSteel on shorter runs — it’s cheaper.
I actually emailed them to get some insights on why their drink doesn’t bug me. Again, I ain’t sponsored by them (I am a total nobody compared to their brand ambassadors). They’re simply a really great Canadian company I want to support.
Here’s what they say:
“Competitor products that contain sugar tend to have a higher osmolality and are hypertonic solutions which means that water is likely not moving into the intestinal lumen which is why many people experience gastrointestinal effects. This is likely why the same gastrointestinal disturbances are not present with our product.”
So, they confirm that hypertonic drinks tend to get in the way of actual hydration. They’re not great to drink while you’re actually running.
More simply:
“Hypertonic” drinks indeed have a much higher concentration of carbs and sugar, like I mentioned above. They can interfere with hydration, so for us runners, they’re best as a recovery drink. Here are a few brands so you know what to look for:
Hypertonic drinks - highest osmolality
Gu Roctane
Lucozade
Sneaky-ass isotonic drinks that lie about how much sugar is in them…
ANYWAY, all this to say…
As you train, play around with the fuel you use. What works for me might be a total disaster for you.
All I can give you is the science behind the marketing of these drinks and what it really means.
Here’s your drink checklist for if you have a sensitive stomach, or are somehow still considering a pair of white running shorts…
Start with something isotonic. If it doesn’t bug you, great.
If it does, water down your plain-ass Gatorade.
If that still sucks, opt for something hypotonic.
If your hypotonic drink makes you feel like you’re running out of energy, add in a source of carbs / sugar like that maple syrup mix I mentioned. It's really gentle on the tums.
Just remember:
Hypotonic drinks are best for rapid hydration.
Isotonics are better for carb release, but the label could be misleading you.
Hypertonics are for recovery.
By fine tuning it like this, you’ll be able to rely on your race fuel. That takes a LOAD of stress off. You have one less thing to psych you out on race day.
It’s a small win, yeah, but small wins add up to a huge success if you get enough of them.
That’s how Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps’ coach, was able to help him become such a champ — small wins. That Power of Habit book I mentioned last week talks about this, really fascinating.
Anyway, if you have a stomach of steel and this post was useless for you, well, nice going.
Have you considered a career in cannonballery?
Love,
Lorri “White Shorts are the Devil” Yurkowski
References:
Guo, Mingruo. “SPORTS DRINKS.” Functional Foods, Woodhead Publishing, 27 Mar. 2014, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781845695927500080.
Marathon Running Coach Certification. North American Academy for Sports Fitness Professionals, 2019.
“Review: Hypotonic, Isotonic and Hypertonic Sports Drinks Compared - PREPD Hydration.” PREPD, 7 Nov. 2018, prepdhydration.com.au/review-hypotonic-isotonic-and-hypertonic-sports-drinks-compared/.
Suzuki K;Hashimoto H;Oh T;Ishijima T;Mitsuda H;Peake JM;Sakamoto S;Muraoka I;Higuchi M; “The Effects of Sports Drink Osmolality on Fluid Intake and Immunoendocrine Responses to Cycling in Hot Conditions.” Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23883691/.