Tailwind

[Tasha99]

I keep hearing about this stuff. I have some qs:

So you don’t need extra fuel with this? Really?

Which flavour is best?

Could I supplement with a gel if I needed to?

I feel I need a lot of fuel but don’t like to eat.

What’s better - the packs of sticks?

And how much would you need to add to a litre of water?

Like how many ‘servings’?

Oh and how much do you need to drink in how long a time? I fuel every 5k after 7k.

Thanks 🤣

[Ripcurlrana71 Half Marathon 10 Miles]

Hmm I’ve taken tailwind on my 17k run with no gels/food and felt good. I’ve just bought the caffeinated version to try. For me the caffeine shots/drinks have worked much better then gels. Maybe a mixture of both?

Sorry can’t help too much as still sussing out fueling. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to Ripcurlrana71]

I’m the same! Tried so many types now 🤣 Thanks Xx

[mrrun Ultramarathon]

You don't need Tailwind for shorter runs. Normally you'd start sipping it after at least an hour or so (visit their comprehensive website with FAQ). I used three 500ml bottles for the marathon, carried two and picked up the last one on my return during the last 10k. I tried all flavours and ended up with one without flavouring. One scoop is sufficient for one bottle but you can add more if you wish. You won't need any solid food with Tailwind (that's the whole point). l didn't feel hunger at all and was sufficiently hydrated. Two friends who ran London marathon both got sick after having gels and chocs, but hey, we are all different. I tried jelly babies during training and my stomach didn't like it, hence Tailwind.

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to mrrun]

It sounds good stuff. I think I’d have to carry my hydration pack with me for my marathon if I chose it but tbh I like running with it anyway - it makes me feel safe! Thanks for your input. I think I’ll try it. I’ll look at their website - great idea.

[Rebounder in reply to Tasha99]

I’ve just bought the Tailwind trial pack of endurance fuel sachets. Have tried the green tea buzz during a treadmill 10k (due to current heatwave). Taste is absolutely fine and subtle. Not over sweet or cloying. It got me through without feeling sick or overloaded. Felt pretty energised and found run easy. So much better than those heavy, sickly sweet gels (recently tried a Science in Sport one - nasty). I think you have to drink a good chunk before you go out) then fuel up accordingly

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to Rebounder]

Yeah SIS gels are gross! I can’t decide whether to order orange, lemon or caffeinated raspberry. I’ll see what my friend fancies.

[Rebounder in reply to Tasha99]

The trial pack is worth buying.

[limberlou Half Marathon in reply to Tasha99]

Strange. I really like the Sis gel orange flavour and I use the Lemon tablets in a diluted drink too. First one I tried and liked it so stuck to that - no “side effects” either

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to limberlou]

I do like the lemon tablets. It’s the consistency of SIS gels that’s vile 🤣

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

I think Tailwind is great. If you're happy with a bladder, it's the perfect solution I'd say. I have the green tea one too. Best to get a sample set first and once you know what you like, you can buy it in large bags. Seems expensive, but actually it goes a long way. You can mix it to varying strengths depending on how much fuel you want/how you feel about the taste. I suspect it's entirely personal then whether or not you need anything solid to go with it. So it comes down to trial and error, and then maybe carrying a spare snack of something you know you can stomach, just in case.

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Thanks! It sounds like good stuff 👍🏽

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon]

I have been trialling Tailwind in my HM training runs and love it! Cannot really stomach solids well on runs. On my longest runs to date I have supplemented with a couple of jelly babies in the last couple of km (for the 18 and 19k runs), but I think this was more for psychological effect! Green tea with caffeine is my favourite. 👍😁

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon]

PS start with a taster pack of sticks I’d say, find a flavour you like!

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to Sadie-runs]

I don’t know if I’ve got time to test the variety pack out 🤣 Think I’ll just have to take the plunge. Thank you 👌🏽

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon]

I mix the berry with the lemon (half and half) and really like the flavour of the combo. I have a bag of each and use 1 1/2 scoops apiece to add to 1 litre of water. Not too sweet but good fuel. I start sipping after a couple km and sip a bit every couple of km to minimize any large amounts going in at once. I carry food with me as well, but they are for back up only. My last run was 3 3/4 hour and I was flagging by the end but I hadn't drank all my Tailwind either. I carry my Tailwind in the soft flasks on the front of my vest and have water in my hydration bladder but I only ever really use the water to swish water around my mouth for when it is dry or if I do need to eat something to wash it down. I run on isolated trails so need to carry extra for safety and "just in case". I had a crappy run last time but started my run hungry and just never got on top of it. My tummy stopped growling but I had no energy (I've done that twice now - once at a race and then last week; I've got to do better on my next race day!). I've used gels before but find them too sweet and am always worried about tummy upset (did I drink enough water, too much water, can I stomach another gel). There are no bathrooms where I run and would hate to have to deal with diarrhea on the trails 😬.

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

That’s great - thanks!

[Hidden]

I take a large hand bottle of Tailwind - diluted a scoop per 12 fluid ounces I think. It tells you on the packet anyway. I also eat half a naked bar every 5k. I’ve tried the berry flavour and orange, and both are really nice. Beware having it too strong. I did that on my 17k run and had fluid retention and puffy face hands and ankles for three days after.

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Ok thanks Flick - I think we’re going to try raspberry caffeinated

[Sqkr Half Marathon]

Here's my two pennies!

You don't need extra fuel with Tailwind if you mix it at full strength, but I generally have a gel and/or Revvies just as a psychological boost in an event. If I'm training I don't bother, I just fuel via liquid. I like the green tea one best, it doesn't taste anything like green tea but I find it less cloying than the others. (I'm not a fan of sweet things so much when I run, I don't like the sticky mouth feeling! Green tea seems to be the least sticky-mouthed of them for me. They asked for flavour suggestions recently and I said more clean or savoury things like mint, or basil, or cucumber. They went with cola ) I have a big bag of green tea now, but I got the sticks at first to test the flavours. There's a scoopy thing in the bags, and instructions for dilution on the back. The sticks are premeasured, I can't remember quite how much is in each. But you can vary the strength easily depending on how you like to hydrate and fuel, I tend to do one scoop in my small bottle for events and take a bit of plain water from the stations when offered.

If you buy online and need to make up the postage then their Rebuild is alright too. I use the vanilla one, I don't like it too much by itself (all protein shakes are pretty gross in my experience), but put a scoop in a big foamy coffee with oat milk when I go home. Perfect!

All that said, I've segued quite heavily into using Active Root for hydration now, it's my new favourite..! Tailwind still in second place though.

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to Sqkr]

Oh thanks so much for that! We’ve gone with the raspberry caffeinated one so I’ll try it next long run. I got it on Amazon and I’m prime so didn’t need to worry about postage. Now I’ll look up Active Root!