Gatorade Testing at the Boston Marathon

Chances are if you're an athlete, you've sipped Gatorade before, during or after a workout. The catchy slogans, celebrity endorsements and partnerships with more than 70 college athletic teams (which use it as their official sports drink) make it one of the most popular products for those looking to enhance their athletic performance.

Why? Because it works.

As a fitness editor and marathon runner, I've had the opportunity to sample many sports drinks, power bars, protein shakes, gels, gus and electrolyte replacements in all forms (powders, pills and gummy treats).

But, when it's time to race, I'm a Gatorade girl. And, yes, I'm neurotic enough to avoid races where the drink isn't offered. The only time I raced at a marathon fueled by another product, I hit the wall around mile 19 and writhed in pain to the finish. I'll pass on a similar experience.

My prejudices notwithstanding, when Gatorade offered to let me participate in their mobile Gatorade Sports Science Institute, I was skeptical. I'm not an elite athlete. A doctor had to sign off on my participation, and Morgan Uceny, the U.S. mile champion, would be working out alongside me. I run a three-hour, 25-minute marathon, but in a 45-minute treadmill test next to a speedster, I'd look like a huffing, puffing ape.

Three days before the marathon, I crossed my fingers, threw on my running gear and hoped that my flight to Boston wouldn't be delayed. If I landed on time, I would have less than an hour to get to the hotel, leave my suitcase at the front desk and find Gatorade's testing center at the Expo. With a few minutes to spare, I introduced myself to the two GSSI scientists, Kim White and Magie Lacambra, who conduct elite-athlete testing. They took my height and weight, and analyzed the urine sample I provided (that brown paper bag I was carrying around at the expo wasn't my lunch!) to determine whether I was hydrated.

They also hooked me up to a machine that monitors the calories my body burned at different exercise intensities. The device included a nose clip, which made breathing difficult, and a tube that fit like a football player's mouth guard and made me gag. They handed me a towel, explaining that I would start drooling almost immediately once my workout began. They also reminded me that I wouldn't be able to talk, and would rate the difficulty of the exercise by flashing finger ratings. Starting the treadmill slowly and building to a 7:03 pace, they watched my heart rate skip along and max out at about 80 percent effort.

Within minutes, a photographer was taking pictures, another woman was explaining via microphone what I was doing and listing my splits and a crowd gathered. Luckily, Uceny had been delayed so at least I could lumber along by myself.

"You're doing great," both scientists told me.

Children stopped to wave, adults wanted to know my time -- I felt a little like a zoo animal. On race day, I would pass many more people, but none -- even those who cheered for me -- would be watching me for long.

Once I had sufficiently splattered the front of my tank top with drool and had pushed as hard as I could, they analyzed my results. My body, the researchers said, behaved just like an elite athlete's. My heart rate jumped immediately when I started working out and whenever they increased the treadmill's speed, but leveled off quickly at each new intensity. The ratio of carbohydrates and fat I burned at various intensities mirrored an elite athlete's trends and, with the exception of my too-pale urine sample, they told me I was set for the race.

They also walked me through a pre-race meal plan. Early morning, they encouraged real food like a turkey sandwich with fruit, which have both protein and carbohydrates. They warned that peanut butter, which many runners reach for, wouldn't cut it. With a 4:15 a.m. wake-up call and a 10 a.m. start, I grabbed two power bars, one bagel, a banana and two 32-ounce Gatorades. White also encouraged taking in calories throughout the marathon, which I did with Gatorade, gus and orange slices.

"Taking in calories is really important for performance," White said. "Athletes say that they feel better and can perform at a high level with less energy while they're working out."

She gave me tips to avoid hitting the wall, which haunts many racers post-Heartbreak Hill by getting Gatorade with its easy-to-digest carbohydrates before and at many points throughout the race.

"There are a lot of factors that influence hitting the wall," White said. "When you don't have enough carbs, the muscles don't contract correctly. Marathon runners may wait until they are an hour in before drinking Gatorade, but by then you've already used glycogen."

We discussed the stomach problems that occur when you can't use all the carbs that you're taking in; but, how sports drinks offer additional benefits like sodium, which triggers thirst mechanism reminding athletes to drink, without which, they would become dehydrated. It also helps runners avoid port-o-potty detours at mile 14, by allowing the body to hold on to fluid instead of excreting it through the kidneys.

Post workout, White recommended eating more carbs, which gets to the muscles quickly, and protein, which aids in muscle recovery. And for those who can't eat right away, she recommends protein recovery shakes.

"Sports nutrition needs are very different than regular nutrition needs," White said. "You need carbs before, during and after you put in that much effort. Women who worry about fat want to make sure that the fats that they get are healthy fat."

Looks like I officially have an excuse to avoid low-carb, low-fat diets -- as long as I can get enough iron.