Tailwind update

Ok so I've used it twice now and I think I'm ready to form an opinion on the product.  One use wasn't enough to convince me either way so I really wanted to be sure I used it the way it was intended and then the way I wanted to, just to be sure my opinion would be solid.  Before I tell you my thoughts, let me take you back to my weekend workouts. (Those include today because it's a holiday.)

     Saturday morning we went for our lovely long run.  Nothing too crazy, we were shooting for 10 - 11 miles and we made it roughly 10.5, so I consider that an accomplishment.  Our plan was to meet in Wakefield and run around there, mostly because the lake is an easy 3 mile loop, so we knew we'd at least have that.  Like fools, we decided to run the lake last and went off on an adventure through Wakefield first.  Not that we haven't run through other parts of Wakefield before, but this was a new route.  Unfortunately, the first road we took once we crossed from the lake was a giant hill.  Nothing like starting off the beginning of the run on a steep uphill! Once we got over that though, the roads weren't too bad, and we just followed it straight for 4 miles into Stoneham.  The plan was 4 out, 4 back and then the 3 around the lake. So I'm not really sure how we came out to 10.5 instead of 11, except that I don't think we accounted for the first .4 or so that we ran down to the giant hill.  Anyways, this isn't about where I ran, it's about the tailwind.  For Saturdays run I decided to try the mandarin orange flavor.  I'm not a huge lemon fan, and I didn't want to use berry or the caffeinated raspberry yet.  I mixed up the TW the night before and put it in the freezer/fridge.  Since the bottle was so full, I didn't want to risk the chance of freezing the whole thing and ruining my bottle, so I switched it fairly early.   In the morning the water was cold, but like all cold things in the summer, it didn't stay that way very long after we started running.
     The very first thing I noticed about the orange flavor was that it was absolutely the saltiest thing I've ever tasted.  On the TW website and the packages it recommends mixing a whole packet with 20 - 24 oz of water.  My water bottle is slightly over 20 oz, so I figured it would be ok.  I was wrong.  Pre-run, it was hard to even think about taking a sip of water.  During the run it got a little easier, because at that point I needed the water and the salt.  Around mile 9 we stopped so my running partners could refill their bottles, and when I did that, the taste finally diluted enough to not be a salt mine anymore.  So, what I learned from Saturday is that if you're going to mix the whole packet, maybe do it in more than 20 oz, maybe even more than 24 if possible.  Aside from the taste though, the performance seemed to live up to it's hype.  But I couldn't be certain because I also ate a honey stinger waffle for breakfast before running, so it could have just as easily been that.  I do know that I did not feel the need for any gels, blocks, or other kinds of fuel in the middle of the run.  This has actually been a pattern lately, where I don't feel like I need more fuel, but I also end up dropping in time a bit towards the end.  On Saturday I didn't feel the need and I didn't drop in speed.  In fact, and this might be the biggest deciding factor in whether or not tailwind works, I will now reveal my splits, as recorded by the trusty Garmin ForeRunner 10.   I know it's huge, I apologize, but the re-sizing options made it basically unreadable.

But really, check out those splits....and that elevation.  Whew.  So, as far as I can tell, the tailwind at least made it more consistent, if not actually better.  I still felt like I couldn't really judge yet though, because the last few miles of our run were downhill and then flat, so I am almost positive that had something to do with the negative splits.  Although, that's a fairly huge difference, so maybe it was partly thanks to the TW.

Anyways, so to be sure that I felt ok about using TW and that maybe it was just my fault the orange was like eating a block of salt, I gave the lemon a try today.  This time though, I only used half the packet in a full 20 oz bottle.  That definitely removed the salt taste, but it also really diluted the entire taste, which one would expect. It was almost as if there was nothing in my water, but you could still taste a hint of lemon. In the end, I probably could have used a bit more, but if that continues, then I'd just have a mess of leftover flavor scraps and nothing to do with them.  So, today I went for a short run and then went to a regular 1 hour Power Hour at boxing.  My run was 2.6, because I wanted to be able to combine it with Saturdays to equal 13.  Now, when I'm by myself I tend to run faster anyways, and usually that destroys my pacing for the later miles.  Since I only went 2.5, I don't really have much to compare it to, except last Wednesdays 4, which was done in similar weather. Hot, humid, sunny, all around miserable, if we're being honest.  To compare, last Wednesday I ran at 3:00 p.m. According to Garmin, the weather was 90 degrees, felt like 95, with a humidity level of 52%. I managed to get those 4 done in 38:22, with my splits going up all the time. I started at a 9:02 and ended at a 10:04, each mile getting progressively slower in between. Like I said, it was gross out. After that run, I did a Power Hour at boxing and I really felt awful.  It was hot, sweaty, and just all around awful.  I took a  lot of breaks during that hour. Just to preface, I usually try to get in a few miles before boxing and then do the Power Hour and it's usually fine.  I eat a banana or a gel in between and then go "hit it hard" if you will.  Usually I don't feel as miserable as I did after that run on Wednesday.
     Today, I ran at 10:30 a.m. with Tailwind. According to Garmin, the weather was 81 degrees, felt like 85, with a humidity level of 74%. I got those 2.6 miles done in 22:13, with my splits staying fairly close to each other.  1st mile was 8:08, 2nd mile was 8:33. My third mile, had I made it, would have been around an 8:50.  So, in that regard, maybe not too much better than Wednesday except I was just all around faster.  The difference for me was the boxing.  I didn't bring anything to eat in between and just kept drinking the tailwind.  I did add some more to the bottle when I added more water, but I still have a fair amount left from the lemon flavor.  This is where I felt the difference.  When it came time to box, I wasn't tired, I didn't feel worn out, and I was able to go as hard/fast as I wanted to, until the club got too hot to handle.  By which, I mean, their a.c. is broken and it was actually getting too hot in there.  And when I left, I felt like I could go run another 4 miles if I had to or if I wanted to.  I didn't, but I could have.
So, faithful readers, who have followed this entire thread with a least half interest, my final opinion so far is that Tailwind is worth it.  Sure, it could be a placebo effect, where I think it works, so it does, but really, does that matter?  In the end, all that matters is that it seems to work and it gets me over the finish line in a timely fashion.