I started seriously training for triathlons in November 2009, doubling my training hours from 6 to 12 hours a week. The increase in training volume and intensity was gradual, but still didn't go too smoothly. I went through few episodes of over-training and low energy, and it took almost 6 months for body to eventually settle into this new rhythm.

Looking back, what helped the most were recovery drinks and good sleep.

First recovery drink that really worked was Hammer Nutrition Recoverite. It allowed me to go through 2 sessions a day without fatigue and with enough energy. This drink quickly restores the glucose levels in the bloody, it has added protein for recovery, which helped, but I was still getting lactic acid buildups and it hasn't been helpful after long sessions (3h on the bike or 1.5h runs for me). After long sessions, it would restore my "tank" back to 25% (if I have to choose the number!), but no more than that. So, it's not meant for recovery after endurance sessions.

A month ago I started Balance Ultimate Recovery Stack and that stuff rocks! I am ready to go in few hours, I feel so much stronger and all my lactic acid buildups are gone. Although, I've getting more cramps than before with Balance, I've been managing them with magnesium and stretches, so hopefully they will go away. (Update on 21/July/2010: cramps are gone). Overall, this recovery drink makes my 12 hours/week feel easy. According to the advertising, it takes 12 weeks to get the full effect of it, so we'll see. I'll update this post in about 2 months.

I experimented with energy drinks, food, etc and settled on Replace Hydration energy drink for anything longer than 1.5h.

Everybody likes different things, so I am not saying what I am using is the best. It's just the best for me and I wanted to share my experience.

Have a good training,
Tanya

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