On our cross country trip, we stuck to drinking only water until we reached Barstow, California, where a trail angel pulled over to give us frozen water bottles and Monster energy drinks. That initiated an energy drink addiction for the rest of the trip!

On this trip, we have had a few interesting items that we have added to our water. At a cyclocross race this past year, I won some Skratch Labs apple cinnamon drink powder that is supposed to be consumed with hot water. For the first week or two, while Chris sipped his coffee, I sipped that. Additionally, for Christmas, Chris’ brother, Casey, gave him some Skratch Labs mix that was lemon and matcha flavored that is supposed to be consumed with cold water. It took me some time to get used to that particular flavor, but Chris loved it. He added one scoop a day to one of his water bottles until it was gone.

We also have had 4 tubes of Hydralyte tablets, some orange flavored, some berry flavored, that we occasionally add to our water. We obtained these for free from the expo of a marathon that Chris’ siblings, Casey and Charity, and our sister-in-law, Julie, ran. It might be the placebo effect or just the fun of having something else to drink besides water, but we like to think that these drinks have been giving us more energy!