Let's Raise A Cup to the Preferred Beverage

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You're almost two miles into a 4- to 8-mile marathon training run on a cool morning in Mission Bay when you hit the first of two aid stations. You have a choice between a berry-flavored electrolyte replacement drink, which we call ERG, and water. Which do you choose?

If you were part of today's Rockin' 'n' Runnin' training program, chances are you went with the ERG. And that surprised me.

Because we're running in tomorrow's half or full marathon, a number of us volunteered to work an aid station today. Daughter Alex also pitched in to help keep people hydrated. During set-up, the two guys claimed we needed far more ERG than water; the other woman and I disagreed. But as the run progressed, we watched the red cups disappear at more than twice the rate of the clear ones. Now, keep in mind, it was rather cool (lower sweat rate) and most people were running 50 minutes at 10:30 pace or faster. And there was another water station ahead.

And just in case you're wondering, coming back, when the ERG cups were farther down the table, folks still went with the red stuff.

The guys claim there's no reason to drink plain water when you can have enhanced water with flavor. Are they right? I certainly understand replenishing lost sodium and other minerals and carbs during long runs, but two miles into it?

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