Product review Tailwind Nutrition

YToday my training plan said 20 miles long run so I decided to do Parkrun.

Trying to up my mileage to 60+ miles a week to prepare for Equinox24 is proving tricky. There are not many really nice run routes where I live so I decided to drive back to Ripon and run some of my old routes. I planned to park at Studley Deer Park and run around to Fountains Abbey for the Parkrun, complete the Parkrun and run back to the car to get my bottle and then run 15 miles around the area.

Coming back to the car about 7 miles to refill my bottle for the next 8 miles.

I arrived in good time, ran to the Fountains Abbey Parkrun start 0.9 miles away. I ran the parkrun feeling strong, I enjoyed being back running inthe Abbey grounds. I finished and my watch said 26:19, wow that was good, better than I thought, must be close to my PB. 

I chatted with other runners and walked to the visitor centre before running 0.7 mile back to the car.

Now for the main event, a 15 and a half mile mixed terrain undulating run, powered by Tailwind.

Tailwind is an energy source that you mix in your water and drink, rather than getting sticky with gels or getting that sickly sweetness of  jelly babies or jelly beans. 

The claims; below is taken directly from the company's US website 

WHY TAILWIND

All you need, all day. Really.

I created Tailwind for racing the Leadville 100. It’s designed to overcome the nutrition problems faced by endurance athletes in events like 50's, 100's, 24-hour, and multi-day epics. Tailwind combines complete fuel, hydration, and electrolytes in a tasty drink that won’t turn your stomach into a brick. Read on to learn how Tailwind helps athletes get endurance nutrition right.

Complete Energy+Electrolytes+Hydration

Ditch the gels, bars, chews, and pills and go all day with just Tailwind.

Tailwind mixes with water to meet your calorie, hydration, and electrolyte needs, no matter how big a day’s in front of you. Deliberately mild, customers describe the flavors as “clean” and “light” with a mouth feel as close to water as you can get while still meeting your nutrition needs.

Your hydration pack will love Tailwind too. Tailwind dissolves completely on contact with water and cleans up with a quick rinse. No film, no lingering aftertaste, no gooey mess.

Better Absorption

Tailwind’s glucose/sucrose fuel takes advantage of how our bodies absorb nutrients. The combination of Tailwind’s fuel, electrolytes, and water has a synergistic effect, allowing the body to absorb more of each. Once in the bloodstream, the glucose in Tailwind fuels muscles directly, allowing athletes to go longer at higher intensities.

Tailwind’s electrolyte profile mimics what you’re sweating out. Tailwind is all you need. Go ahead and donate those electrolyte pills to a good cause. You won’t need them anymore (and you won’t need to buy them!).

Easy on Your Gut

The three most traumatic moments in my stomach’s career: Spring Break Palm Springs ’91, Lechuguilla at the bottom of the Copper Canyon ‘93, and Gel #6 Leadville ’04. No more! Sipping Tailwind is like having the wind at your back, not like a kick in the gut at mile 45.

Not all stomachs can handle the sticky sweetness or hard-to-digest molecules found in most nutrition products. We’ve been there, and we’re just grateful there’s only one. Sipping Tailwind provides steady, small doses of fuel that pass right through the stomach. The composition of Tailwind’s fuel matches what the gut is made to absorb, so Tailwind enters your system quickly, without taxing the digestive tract.

Did we mention that Tailwind is made from all natural ingredients and organic flavors? It mixes crystal clear and tastes light and clean, so you can drink it all day. Artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives are so 1992.

Sounds good, I am a nightmare when it comes to nutrition, I don't like gels and so whilst I am training I often just don't take them, or keep putting them off until I'm desperate. I decided to try Tailwind.

I ordered a box of sticks of nutrition on Wednesday evening and they arrived yesterday morning, great service. I had a mixed pack, 4 x lemon, 4 x naked ( no flavour) 1 of mandarin and 1 of berry.

I packed a naked in my bag along with a 500ml bottle of water for later and made up a lemon sachet, this was simple just add to a bottle of water, I would use this first. So after Parkrun I got my made up bottle of lemon Tailwind and set off, it was an unusually warm morning but beautiful.

I set off for the woods, it was lovely and cool though muddy underfoot, it was a great day for a run. I sipped the Tailwind as I fought my way up overgrown tracks.

Soon I was back in the open but shaded by high hedges, I kept sipping, I was keeping a low heartrate for this run, between 130 and 140 was my aim and I was managing it nicely and the miles passed by as I ran up and down and round the Fountains Abbey area. At 7 miles I still had half a bottle left and stupidly decided not to go back to the car for a top up, but to continue. I felt comfortable, I'd be ok.

I continued on up a biggish hill which was quite open and I began to realise how warm it actually was, I ran to the highest point of my planned run, a folly with stunning views right over the Vale of York to the White Horse on the hillside above Kilburn.

I then ran down Whitcliffe Lane for miles 9 and 10, the Tailwind was going down quickly now, but I kept on running, still feeling ok I did a loop and headed back to Studley. I was regretting not going back to the car now, I had been out over 2 hours and the 200 cal drink was recommended for an hour, but I was doing ok until about 14/15miles when I started to feel tired but I also more or less run out of drink.

I rationed the last drops to keep my mouth moist until I got to the car. 

I had run 17 miles, far more than recommended and had been running nearly 4 hours. I had maintained my heartrate at between 130 and 140 bpm. I had an emergency gel with me, but never felt that I had to take it, so I didn't.

I drank some water as I stretched and treated myself to an icecream.

My Verdict. 

Easy to make up, just add to your water bottle.

Stick packs handy, you could carry them an refill your bottle at water stations or pubs/shops/cafés on route, and add the Tailwind to it.

In my opinion Tailwind worked for me, it drip fed the calories in as I ran, it had a gentle lemon flavour and I never felt sicky or got that sickly sweet feeling that sometimes stops me taking on nutrition. No gut cramps nothing just a nice long run.

If you want to try it here is the UK site http://www.tailwindnutrition.co.uk

Lesson learnt. I need to stick to my plan, and not risk running out of either drink or nutrition. Particularly on such a warm day.

Oh and when I checked my phone there was a message from Parkrun. They had my time as 26:21 and it was a PB. Get in.

If you don't push your limits, how do you know where your limits are?