Had a great Ride London today, perfect weather for an almost 6AM start (yawn…).
Not much sleep but that was because the excitement was just too much (and the start time 🙂 )
I was pretty much gone by Kingston (on the RETURN, I hasten to add) but other than Leith and dodgy gears the ride was great and thoroughly enjoyable.
I was surprised by the number of crashes. I must have seen the after-effects of 4. And going in one of the earlier waves that was surprising.
This rather significantly distanced ‘race’ has me spending much of the time in Z3/Z4 and yet I felt great for most of the route.
I put this down to a couple of things (some of which may elevate the HR and hence put me incorrectly I the wrong HR zone, although the power was averaging high Z3 as well most of the time), these are:
– tried baking powder. ie sodium bicarbonate (rather than lots of cake). Supposeldy it reduces the acidity of the blood hence delaying lactic acid (acidosis). Cheap as chips to buy. Seemed to do something positive.
– beetactive (from CherryActive) I tried for the first time. It’s essentially the same as Beet-It but cheaper and in a handier sachet. This seemed to have the same positive performance effects for me as does beet-it.
– curranz loading for a week prior to the event. Again I’ve never tried this loading strategy before either (thanks Fleur). This may have helped with the removal of the lactic acid burn but should also see the effects tomorrow with lack of DOMS. TBH I can’t believe my legs won’t hurt tomorrow! We’ll see.
So lots of nutritional first and there were a few other equipment first as well that I might cover another time. A ‘C’ race so a good time to try these things out.
Last Updated on 25 January 2026 by the5krunner
My favourite kit and nutrition
- Injinji – Runners protect your toes. Avoid discomfort and minor injury. Run more. Run faster. I use them.
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — The small adapter that keeps your charging cables tidy. Essential for race day. I use one.
- Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session. I use one.
- Ravemen FR300 — Front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters. I use one.
- Body Glide – The blue anti-chafe stick that all swimmers and many runners use. I use it.
- Maurten — The race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mixes engineered to be easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Garmin Varia RTL515 — A radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Garmin watch. I use this model.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — The power-meter pedals most serious cyclists choose. Accurate, easy to move between bikes. I use this model.
- Garmin Forerunner 970 — A serious choice for a pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Polar H10 — My daily driver for accurate, waking HRV readings.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3 — The bike computer that has the feature Garmin lacks: usability. I use mine on most rides.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
