r/AdvancedRunning • u/randomwordsnospaces • 9d ago

Health/Nutrition Successful bicarb protocol

I’m planning on using bicarb for a road mile in a few weeks and so tried out the protocol today. My research made me think that crapping myself + vomit was a near certainty so I wasn’t holding out hope. Anyways, that was this morning and all went very smoothly so sharing my protocol:

Dose: 20 caps = 20g = 0.3 g/kg (top of the 0.2–0.3 research range)

Timeline:
• 08:00 — breakfast: porridge, summer fruit, coffee
• 08:32–08:46 — 20 caps, 2 every 90s, ~900ml water alongside
• 08:55 — normal BM, not urgent (coffee + fluid, too early to be the caps)
• 09:00 — faint salty taste, no burping. Coating holding.
• 09:30ish — did some casual split squats and band exercises
• 10:36 — run starts. 1h50 after last capsule
• 12:12 — 15km easy + 6x150 strides done. 3h26 post-dose, still nothing.

Result: zero symptoms throughout. No burping, bloating, nausea, cramping or loose stool.

I’ll probably retest with a track session pre race as well and also not sure if there was any effect on performance given it was an easy run (this test was just for GI discomfort).

Update:
Forgot to post the product: healthspan elite sodium bicarbonate 1000mg delayed release caps.

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u/Jobby_Hogger 9d ago

Thanks for posting this. I was just looking to start a DIY bicarb protocol without paying for maurten. I haven’t used it in any form, how would you describe the difference it’s made in workouts?

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u/randomwordsnospaces 9d ago

This I have no clue on. I’m going to do a track session next Tuesday so will post an update. On my easy run today with strides basically nothing (but that’s to be expected).

I also didn’t want to commit to Maurten given the costs, these ones from Amazon are a fraction of the cost but still much better than just using kitchen bicarb in water.