Happy Friday, y’all! And welcome back to the Friday Five 2.0. Today’s topic is beverages. And isn’t it fitting that I recently posted about how to carry your hydration with you on the run? Well today I’ll tell you what to put in those bottles and packs for your run. Just as there are a lot of choices when it comes to the types of gear to carry your beverage in for training runs and races, there are just as many beverages. They’re all designed similarly but not all created the same. Join me as I give you five different kinds of beverages to carry with you on the run.
Five Beverages to Keep You Hydrated and Happy
1. Water
This one’s the obvious choice. Water, in the truest sense, is perfect for quenching thirst and keeping you hydrated on the run. It’s delicious, it’s not sticky, and you can’t get tired of the flavor during an extra long run. But sometimes we need more than just water. And that’s when the tricky stuff comes in.
2. SOS Rehydrate
SOS Rehydrate touts itself as being an IV in a stick. It’s doctor-formulated to give you the maximum benefit without an actual IV drip. I use SOS on almost every long run. If I run without it, I notice my hands become swollen and sausagy. What I love about it is it comes in convenient single-serve sticks. They’re easy to stash in my pack, they’re easy to open and use at home, and there’s literally no mess of power anywhere. My favorite flavor is mango but coconut comes in a close second (which is nuts because I don’t even like coconut!).
3. Tailwind
Tailwind is another product I really enjoy. Some people swear by it for all their nutrition needs — and for good reason, too. It’s complete nutrition, hydration, and electrolyte replacement in a drink. Tailwind boasts “no gut bombs” and I can attest that it’s true. I personally found myself to still be hungry even when drinking Tailwind but I know others who train with it exclusively and never need to eat a bite of food. Even with some food, Tailwind has never given me a gut bomb. Tailwind comes in a sample pack of sticks as well as 50-serving sized bags.
4. EnduroPacks
A favorite of mine is the EnduroPacks electrolytes spray. It literally tastes like nothing. You spray five sprays into your beverage of choice and voila — instant electrolytes. I use it on those days I need electrolytes but don’t want added flavor. I also like to spray it into a post workout smoothie for an extra hydration boost. (EnduroPacks also makes all sorts of supplements like BCAAs, L-Glutamine, and other vitamins and minerals.)
5. Skratch Labs
One that I have not tried personally but hear wonderful things about is Skratch Labs Exercise Hydration Mix. I haven’t heard one person say a negative thing about Skratch Labs which definitely piques my interest. This mix is on my list of things to try. I think I’ll try the raspberries flavor first.
Like I said, there’s a lot to choose from. These are just five of the wonderful hydration options available to runners today. Tell me… What are YOUR favorite beverages to keep you hydrated?
Don’t forget to link up with Fairytales & Fitness and me today for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup. Have an amazing weekend, friends!
xo
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Now, forget running… what adult beverages do you love (if any!)?
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48 Comments
I’ve never heard of Skratch Labs or SOS rehydrate- both sound great. I like Tailwind, Enduropacks, and Nuun, and of course water is good as well!
Water is by far the best. But sometimes you need a little something extra. 🙂
Nuun has been my go to but I’ll have to try some of these others!
One of my friends loves Nuun. I should ask her for some!
You forgot beer and margaritas!!! ;D
Those were implied, girlfriend. And mojitos.
Oh the Mango Rehydrate sounds good! I’m always trying to stay hydrated so thanks for the recommendations today!
It’s delicious! One of my faves. Obviously. Haha
I’ve tried Skratch before and it’s ok. I’ve definitely added SOS to my list (I already have Tailwind on the list). I need to find a new product asap because it’s already warming up here. And then I’m going to join Susie for beer and margaritas. 😉
I’ll give Skratch a try. Why not, right? SOS and Tailwind are great.
I’ll meet you guys, too. Where shall we go? 😉
Great choices! I have used the SOS before and love that- I am also a huge fan of Tailwind. Then there are after running beverages ………..:-)
And THOSE are the most important if you want to get technical. 🙂
I know everyone love tailwind but I find it way too salty for me. I have not tried SOS thanks for the recs and the link up today!
SOS can be salty. I found the mango and coconut to be least salty. The citrus is super salty, but when you mix it with berry and make fruit punch it’s really amazing.
I primarily use Nuun to stay hydrated, but I have been wanting to try Tailwind. My local running store doesnt sell it, so I’ll probably order it online.
I ordered the stick pack to try. We have a store near me-ish that sells the bags but I wasn’t about to spend that kind of money on a product I wasn’t sure I liked. 🙂
Well, if were simply talking drinks….I’d go with a margarita or Bloody Mary LOL As far as hydration while on the run, though, I probably go with water more than anything else. I’ve tried Tailwind, and LOVED it…but it was too much “hydration,” if you can believe it. I typically need a swallow or two every couple of miles, and really struggled with trying to drink the entire serving (?) in the allotted recommended time (hello? potty-stopping 101). I’ve tried Nuun, but I just couldn’t get past the fizzy-ness of it, though I did like the flavors.
Yeah, the amount of Tailwind can be overwhelming. I agree. My friend told me Nuun was fizzy. I forgot until you just mentioned it. I’ve never tried it myself, though.
I’m a big fan of Mojitos. I don’t drink often but when I do I gravitate toward that. 🙂 Might need to make a homemade one this evening…
You know I love me some Tailwind!!! Nice review of the primo products out there.
Indeed! It’s good stuff. I wish I didn’t get hungry when I drank it. I feel like I defeat its purpose.
I use Nuun and love it. They just released a new formula called Nuun Performance that has carbs as well as electrolytes. I haven’t tried it but I will next time I shop! I also started using Nuun Vitamins throughout the day to stay hydrated (Disclosure: I’m a Nuun Ambassador).
Thanks for hosting!
Haha, awesome. 🙂 I’ve never tried Nuun. I did get some of the vitamins in a stride box recently, though. I should try them!
I like Tailwind because it has a plain flavor, which is great way to get calories in during longer events if you want to eat food too. I drank the naked Tailwind and ate at the aid station so I could get more calories in.
My favorite adult beverage is still hard cider 🙂
The one flavor I did NOT like of Tailwind was the naked one. I could taste something metallic and it was no good! But I like the orange one and raspberry. Mmmm.
Really, I just drink water & take Saltstick Fastchews. I’ve done Nuun in the past, but I don’t like sweet tasting stuff on a long run. Wendy gave us Tailwind & I know it works well for her — which kind of surprises me; it’s got a ton of sugar (and that’s why I haven’t tried it).
The water seems to work for me. Of course, I’m also eating. It seems like every walk break I’m eating something . . .
I munch throughout my runs, too. If you’re good with water and the sticks, no reason to change. I use SOS most of the time to avoid the swollen hands. And strangely enough, it happens more often during the winter than during the summer.
Thanks for sharing these! I haven’t tried any of them (except water of course) so I may need to start experimenting!
Who knows, you may find one you love!
I have never tried any of those drinks you mentioned. My friend swears by Tailwind though. Maybe I will need to give it a try.
There are a lot of options to choose from, that’s for sure!
Other than water, I’ve never tried any of these. I know that Wendy loves Tailwind. She always raves about it.
She sure does! It’s good stuff. Definitely worth a try.
Maybe I need to check out SOS if I’m running in humidity. My fingers swelled up during my last half, in Florida, and I knew I needed salt, but didn’t have any.
I love SOS for that very reason. You can make it as salty as you need to, or dilute it if you prefer. I enjoy it.
I’ve used tailwind in my last three marathons and it’s made all the difference for me. Sometimes I use it exclusively but other times I eat dried fruit (mango or dates) with it and it works like a dream. I love Nuun for shorter runs as well!
I haven’t tried Nuun yet! I can’t believe it myself.
I drink water during a run, but afterwards I like Nuun (lemon lime and strawberry lemonade!). After my run this morning I tried UCAN hydrate as I had a sample. I didn’t care for it….. too sweet. Tailwind I would like to try and the Enduro Packs sounds like something I would like. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve heard mixed reviews on UCAN but it seems like a lot of people like it. Never hurts to try new things, right?
SOS Rehydrate is awesome – I love Berry myself. I also use lots of straight water! Check out “what’s in my cup” and enter to win my awesome Hydro Flask (hot/cold) tumbler!
Awesome! We couldn’t have planned this better. 😉
I do like Nuun… I haven’t tried those others. I do have a pack of the vega hydration in my cupboard, I’ve yet to try it since the nuun works well for my needs.
That’s great. Don’t mess with what works, right?
I normally care plain water but do use electrolytes before and/or after my runs and heavy workouts. I have used DRIP DROP in the past and it is a medical grade rehydration product. Great, but I cannot buy it in Canada, so now I am using nuun tabs pretty much all the time. They seem to do the trick for me.
I’ve never heard of Drip Drop! I’ll have to check into it.
I am a Skratch Labs girl. I am intrigued by Tailwind though being an endurance athlete.
I liked it but I needed food with it. I may try again this summer without.
These are all great options! In use Now foods endurance powder!! It’s awesome!
I’ll have to try that!