i dunno about you guys, but when im running balls up in a 1500, i kinda feel sick by the end. so if ive got an upset stomach already from shitting the past hour or so (or if im burping like mad), the whole puke instinct might overcome the desire to kick as hard. maybe im in a select club, but i dont particularly like puking or the shits. id rather feel the burn in my legs than in the anus. though my buddy rico suave the mexipole tends to go for the other combo...
Actually then, this stuff may help you. That pukey feeling you get in races is your digestive system responding to the increasing acidity of your blood. The change in pH both in your blood and inside your stomach cause nausea in some people. Having large amounts of citrate or bicarbonate in your system will help keep your stomach acid to a minimum and also help keep your blood lactate levels down. Double whammy against nausea. Of course, with this stuff, you need to try it in practice first. I don't recommend trying it in a race.
I'm at work right now and so don't have the research in front of me, but I thought loading was only beneficial in races where LA is the deciding factor (400-1500) The water tretention and the upset stomach/gas/shits negated the positive effects. Why would anybody use it in a road race?
I read somewhere that taking Tums before the race would be beneficial, and have tried it, and it did seem to help, at least with that queasy feeling during and afterwards.
You could get away with it probably up to the 5K if you had the timing down. Basically, you take the megadose of soda, and the 30 minute clock starts before the stomach problems hit (as I understand it). Less of an performance impact over 5K than for 800-1500, but I think there is still a benefit.
too high a level of sodium bicarbonate is on the banned substance list i am almost certain (at least it was as my college prof told me it was illegal). i tried it twice in college after learning about it in an exercise physiology class. i was no super star by any stretch so. any aid in performance wasn't going to qualify me for any meet i hadn't already qualified for. the first time i ran a pr in the 1500m by about 4 seconds. the second time i had to drop out, only time i ever dropped out of a race, of a 5k with severe stomach cramps. to tell you the truth i am pretty sure that the stuff was more of a mental boost than anything. i think when i ran the 1500 pr i was in the best shape of my life and it was going to happen anyway. although i did not feel the normal accumulation of lactic acid in my body during the final stages of the race. i say that using it in a race is cheating, but using it in workout - if your stomach can handle it - may allow you to do more anaerobic work thus resulting in faster performances maybe even allowing you LT to rise???? (not sure about this at all).
Owen Anderson produced a report on Sodium Phosphate in his Running Research News analysing the results of various research studies rather than anecdotal info.
After a brief search on the subject here is the best condensed article I could find that non-scientists would understand as well. Please read the entire article before jumping to conclusions. It addresses dangers and drug bans as well as dosages.
http://www.asep.com/supplements/content/viewnotes.cfm?sid=28
pillsbury bake-off winner wrote:
I think baking soda will aid performance (sodium bicarbonate)in events with high levels of lactate buil-up. Not sure about baking powder...although my cakes come out better with powder than soda...go figure!
Even if you don't run any faster, at least you'll make a lot of dough.
Some research: