Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Got Tailwind? Tailwind Nutrition Review




Got Tailwind? I'm an ultrarunner and Tailwind Nutrition is a drink mix fuel for people like me (and you, since you're here). I run for hours and hours and hours and hours...at a time. Accordingly, I need a product that simplifies nutrition. If you get behind nutritionally or get dehydrated in an ultra, you had better prepare for an epic sufferfest, if you can't turn things around quick.

The Basics of Tailwind Nutrition
It was in an effort to avoid the almighty bonk that I sought out Tailwind Nutrition. Tailwind offers a mighty punch of nutrition that promises to be "All you need, all day. Really." The product was designed by Jeff Vierling, an ultra-endurance athlete himself, in an effort to make a product that will taste good AND sustain you all day. In other words, for Tailwind, taste and nutrition should not be mutually exclusive. Three things make Tailwind Nutrition unique among the myriad of options you could choose from. First, it has loads of sodium and potassium (see below). While these levels dwarf other sports drinks, according to Tailwind, the product is designed to match the electrolyte levels found in sweat. Makes sense. You're replacing what you are losing, in proportion, if not in volume. Second, when so many folks are touting the benefits of long-chain carbohydrate sources, Tailwind has opted for straight dextrose. Nothing complex here, folks. Just simple sugar. The idea is that scientific evidence has yet to demonstrate consistently the performance benefits of complex over simple sugars as fuel.
Photo Credit: Tailwind Nutrition

The result of the electrolyte and simple sugar is the third unique factor: it has a really delightful, if surprising, flavor that is more savory than sweet. I'm told that it reminds several folks of the original Gatorade compound...that is, before they turned it into a syrupy, sugary mess.

Before I get to how Tailwind performed in my own experiments (n=1), I need to include a word about the level of customer support. I have never experienced anything like Tailwind Nutrition from another product manufacturer. What, good reader, do I mean? I'll give you an example (or two). This is company is small. Really small. The result is that they become your friend and take a genuine interest in your training and your progress. When I deviated from the recommended dosage of Tailwind in the Palo Duro 50 miler in October (and bonked hard as a result), they took the initiative to contact me and help me zero in on what went wrong, what I did right, and how I might best move forward in race management, daily nutrition, etc. I asked tough questions of the physiological benefits and biochemical mechanisms of the product... and got real answers from Jeff himself. It's this sort of thing that makes lifelong customers. And this is sorely missing from the big companies. It's also the reason that these companies are losing to the real winners like Tailwind Nutrition. But I digress... So, what do I actually think of Tailwind Nutrition? I thought you'd never ask!

Benefits
Tailwind is RIDICULOUSLY simple to use. I'm mean a monkey could use it. It mixes into your ~20 oz bottle (or whatever size), so all you do is drink whenever you ordinarily would. That's it. All day. In ultra events, it's great to not have to think too much (Did I take a gel or not? And what about salt? How long has it been since I popped an S-Cap?). And with Tailwind you can really go on autopilot and rest assured that you've got all you need all day. Just keep the bottle(s) full. That's it.

Tailwind also tastes SO good. And it only gets better as the miles and hours tick by. It really tastes better at 5 hours than at 1 hour—and that's saying something because it's a perfect blend of savory and sweet from the first sip. It comes in Mandarin Orange, Berry, Lemon, and Naked. The lattermost still has the savory-sweet taste but without the added (organic flavoring). You can mix and match to your heart's content—which is a fun component in the whole process of planning your fueling. It also allows you to change things up considerably in those late hours of a 50 mile or 100 mile race where "nothing" tastes good. That said, plenty of people report that Tailwind never gets to that point.

Anyone who has followed the discussion surrounding Tim Noakes' book Waterlogged (see iRunFar's brillant summary and interview articles here and here) knows that there is considerable discussion on whether or not we actually need sodium during endurance events, even for 24 hour efforts. In fact, Noakes mentions a study that demonstrates that blood sodium actually goes up in athletes that run purely on sugar and water. That said, he also acknowledges what we ultrarunners (and Noakes' himself is an ultrarunner as well) have long known... many of us feel better with sodium. There may be a physiological reason for this, as well. This is not the place to get bogged down in the details (and I'm not qualified to address this), but what's important to realize is regardless of a your view on whether we "need" sodium in ultras to keep us from bonking, Tailwind has got your back. I can attest to feeling like I could run forever, even at the end of a 15 mile tempo run (which for me is a long tempo run).

In sum, this is a highly customizable nutrition bomb in your water bottle. Simple enough to go on autopilot, and complex enough to cover your nutritional needs all day long.

Possible Shortcomings
The only potential shortcoming that I find in this product is one that is shared by every drink mix: it requires significant planning for proper use in ultra trail events. You need to know how long it will take you to go through your bottle(s) before race day and have your crew keep you fully loaded with individual sized, pre-measured baggies of Tailwind so you can keep that bottle full. Don't be afraid to dump the last four ounces or so as you come into an aid station. If you stop drinking or run out, your toast. But, like I said, this is nothing specific to Tailwind. It comes with the drink mix territory.

What is the Ideal Product for you?
It just may be. But you'll never know if you don't try it. If you are a fan of drink mixes, you really MUST try Tailwind. It's that good. They even have a "Tailwind Challenge" package. Buy enough Tailwind to train with it and dial in your system. Once you get to race day, if your race collapses because of Tailwind, they will refund your race entry fee. Period. If you are a gels and water sort of athlete, you should still give Tailwind a shot. The flavor beats gels every time. Personally, gels don't upset my stomach at all (I'm one of the fortunate few, I suppose). But I rarely enjoy the taste. With Tailwind, every sip is a pleasure. Really.

Tailwind Nutrition is a great product from an unbelievable company. Give their product a shot and, the chances are, you won't be sorry. Unlike the bigger companies, you can even get specific feedback from the product designer, president, and ultra-endurance athlete, Jeff Vierling, as well as his wife Jenny. The service is unparalleled amongst the competition. And, with the proper planning, the performance benefits of Tailwind might just be without parallel, as well.

Dislclaimer: Some (but not all) of the Tailwind I used for this review was provided gratis by the good folks at Tailwind Nutrition.

4 comments:

  1. This stuff is amazing! I used it at the Antelope Island Buffalo run and finished in 21 hours! Only 7 behind Karl Meltzer! This was my 4th 100 and the best I have felt at the end!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What dosage did you use in your 100 miler? I have been using 300 calories per bottle and drinking about 1 bottle an hour. Is that what you would do for a 100 miler? Did you also eat real food?

    ReplyDelete
  3. SEND ? It's 100% cheap and Inbox Delivery.

    Visit: Sendouter.com at Just $29/month.

    - You can ADD UNLIMITED CONTACTS
    - You Can SEND UNLIMITED EMAILS without limits.
    - Custom HTML editor, Web forms, Follow ups, and Auto-Responder.
    - 99% Inbox Delivery and Real time.
    - Simple and Easy.

    In other network, they are charging +1000 USD for unlimited email / contact. But in www.sendouter.com is cheap.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UNLIMITED SMTP / Email Relays? It's 100% Cheap and Inbox Delivery.

    Visit: Sendouter.com at Just $29/month.

    - You can send Unlimited Email without Hourly and Daily limits.
    - Works with Any Email Sender software like Interspire, Sendblaster, Atomic mass mailer..,
    - 99% Inbox Delivery and Real time.
    - Simple and Easy.

    In other network, they are charging +1000 USD for unlimited emails, But in www.sendouter.com is cheap.

    ReplyDelete