Funky Smells & Drinking Well

While it's true that runners and stink go hand in hand, I've recently learned that not all stinks are created equal.  If you smell like ammonia after a long run, you might need to adjust your fueling plan.

Apparently, when our bodies start to burn protein (i.e. the stuff that makes up our muscles), the process creates ammonia, which then seeps out of our body in our sweat.  We begin to burn protein when our body runs out of carbohydrates for energy, so if we are getting that ammonia smell, we need to be ingesting more carbs.

I know that last summer I experienced this phenomenom during a few longer runs in the heat.  I also wasn't very good with fueling - I hadn't yet tried Espresso Love GU to know that it was actually quite tasty and easy to get down.  Had I known that this ammonia smell was not just part of being a runner, I would have adjusted everything sooner.

But now I know.  So I guess I better stock up on some GU soon.

While I'm thinking about fueling, I thought I would mention that I recently ordered some Nuun electrolyte tabs.  I had heard great things about these tablets, and I loved the fact that they only were 5 calories for 16 oz of drink.  (Leaves more calories for drinking beer . . .)  The short review - they are great!  The flavors are light - not very sweet, so they are very easy to drink during running.  But they are tasty enough that I will mix up a bottle to drink during the day to make sure I'm staying hydrated.  I have found my go-to drink.

My favorite flavor is tri-berry, but citrus fruit and kona cola is good too.  I have a lemon-lime I haven't tried yet.  If you are interested in trying Nuun, Feed the Machine has a great sale going on right now - 1/2 off the regular price.  

Happy fueling.