June 15, 2008 I will just take a regular water, thank you There has been a lot of attention given to the importance of water and how much is really necessary for a runner. Runners talk about all the aspects of water, such as is it better to have ice-cold water or air-temperature water, water before a run, during a run or after a run and whether it comes in plastic cups or paper cups. With all that you can think about water, it is still a common commodity in the runner’s circles; and no matter where you go, water was still water throughout the various races runners attended. It seems that in an never-ending desire to improve on a perfect product, manufacturers and business have now made water better than it has ever been. You can now buy water that has vitamins, fiber, immune properties, caffeine, relaxation ingredients and even water to improve life and your strength. How can a runner go wrong with all these great additions to just water out of the faucet? Bottled water in plastic bottles is convenient to carry around and can be refilled out of a fountain when you run out. Some people like to carry around the gallon jugs full of water to make sure they get the necessary quantity of water throughout the day. I always look at that person and wonder how much that gallon of water in the plastic jug weighs, and think that, at least while they drink out of the jug, they are also getting some great bicep muscle exercise. Nothing like big biceps to make a runner look fit. Reading the Nutrition Action Health Letter about some of these additions that have been put into water, it makes you wonder how gullible some people are. The Vitamin Water B-Relaxed sounds like an easy way to get out of swallowing a vitamin pill; and you can get B-6, B-12, Vitamin C, pantothenic acid, niacin, jackfruit or guava as some of the ingredients. You also get about 125 calories of sugar in 8 ounces of water in a serving (the serving is only about 40% of the bottle; so unless you include drinking the whole bottle, than it is about doubled in calories). Sodas have 150 calories in 12 ounces, so vitamin water is right up there with Coke, Pepsi and the rest of the soft drink selection. The fiber in water is not the kind that you get from whole grains, but a digestion-resistant maltodextrin that is taking long chains of carbohydrates from starch and breaking them down into smaller chains that can’t be broken up by the body. It is a soluble fiber, so it won’t keep you regular. You have to drink the artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium to find out if it works for you. Propel has that kick you get from caffeine in it to boost your energy level. Propel has 50 mg of caffeine per bottle; Infused Water Energize has 85 mg; Vitamin Water Energy has 50 mg and Snapple Antioxidant Water Awakens has a nice 63 mg in it. That is roughly equivalent to 2 to 6 ounces of Starbucks coffee, or 5 to 12 ounces of Folgers. The little label on Propel again lists a “per serving” which is for 8 ounces of the 20-ounce bottle; so if you drink the entire bottle, you are really taking in about 125 mg. What happened to a glass of iced tea as a pre-run drink? Antioxidants are the big news item these days for health benefits and anti-aging benefits. A person has to wonder how water, sugar, citric acid, natural flavors, fruit and vegetable juices (for color), modified corn syrup, grape seed extract and a few vitamins and minerals protect you. If you just want to try plain Vitamin Water without all the extra added benefits, you still get 125 calories of sugar in a 20-ounce bottle; and that is about half of what you get from a glass of orange juice. The catch is that vitamins do not replace good food, and they contain no protein or any of the naturally occurring phytochemicals in fruits. After reading all of this information, I think I will just stick to ordinary water on runs and maybe add a little iced tea for variety. The best part of water out of a faucet is that it is basically free in cost, and I can provide my own reusable plastic bottle. Nutrition Action Health Letter is the source of this information and they have a take-home message for you. “The only thing these enhanced waters protect are their manufacturers profits.” Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. His column on running and fitness appears each Sunday in the Sports section of the San Marcos Daily Record. • Recent “Running With Moe” Columns • Home • About the Club • Current News • Club Runs • Places To Run • TX Running Clubs • Running Links • Useful Stuff Upcoming Races • Race Results • Country Roads 10K & Kids Run • ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon • “Running With Moe” Contact Us!