Grahamgl Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 What is the view on drinking Red Bull and taking ProPlus to help staying awake? If recommended, how much and how often?Thanks Graham ( Team 139) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy thompson Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Best to keep such stimulates to trying to stay awake when driving - rather than navigating - there is always a car or satnav to follow but navigator sleep is essential. For the record I managed 18 red bull and countless ProPlus in 2002 with Jimmy Elliott's team and ended up very psychotic at Lands End 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 As Andy said,on my first RBRR in 2012 i tried to do too much driving,by Saturday night going towards Oakhampton after many coffees and Pro-plus tablets i was going 30 mph and hallucinating.Luckily Bill Goodwin my co-driver insisted on taking over.Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TedTaylor Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 To be honest if you are getting that tired should you be driving?I was seventy when I did the RBRR in 2014 and only had one incidence of tiredness (we were driving two up) because I decided to do a double shift rather than changing at every control as we had planned. Once it was obvious my driving was being impaired we swapped IMMEDIATELY and set ourselves up for a couple of each doing short stints to sort the problem out.MUT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Strongly agree with Ted!Chemical assistance only to 'get you home', not suitable for the RBRr, or 10CR.Even short sleep can restore you, so shorten the stints, and ensure the driver can find way alone.John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
npanne Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Having never done an endurance run I don't can't comment on what works best in that situation - but I have had experience of having too much Red Bull before - on an evening when I was the designated driver, and I maintain that I was more impaired on that stuff than I would have been on alcohol.Everyone's different, but there's no substitute for kip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llessur Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Quoted from npanne Having never done an endurance run I don't can't comment on what works best in that situation - but I have had experience of having too much Red Bull before - on an evening when I was the designated driver, and I maintain that I was more impaired on that stuff than I would have been on alcohol. I remember this night fondly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferny Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 It also takes away your ability to relax when you need and want to, so you end up feeling destroyed.Keeping hydrated helps keep you awake. Plus, have you ever tried getting to sleep when you need a wee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shed66 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 i've tried the red bull and it did extend my driving time but then i couldn't sleep when i needed to...so in the long run it didn't help..best thing is to know your limts ..drive to them then swop and get some rest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mole42 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Avoid chemical stimulants. Water is essential as are regular driver changes. Last time we changed every two hours.We're going 3-up which allows the back-seat sleeper to return to driving refreshed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulB Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I've got to agree with comments above, water not red bull. This is my 5th RBRR in a spitfire so a crew of 2. Get as much sleep as possible Friday night and try and get sleep during the late afternoon early evening on Saturday. Saturday morning the roads are too much fun to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Wilson Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 my first RBRR I took a good few tins of red bull stuff with me. Think I drank one or two, just stuck to water and coffee at the check points, when feeling tired we just swapped over. We started off swapping at the checkpoints but later on changed when we felt we needed to. As others have said, if you both feel tired stop and both have a sleep. Remember it's not a race Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogie Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Hi Folks, some very wise stuff there.Keep hydrated - mainly water but coffee and tea when appropriate.Try and get your stint ofsleep - however this can be very difficult at the beginning and things get worse afterwards. You shouldn't need any pills potions till the last knockings.On the 2014 on the run from Pimperne my lad should have been driving but he had a long stretch from Scotlandshire into Wales and that caught up with him.So I did the Dartmeet to Enfield legs.All was oK until shortly after Pimperne then the shutters went down. My lads shutters were not responding.So I had a can of RedBull - nothing was happening. So after about ten minutes I took two Pro-plus and within a minute the shutters were up my eyeballs were out on stalks and the brain was buzzing like an angry bee hive - Boy did that work.I was still wide awake after the finish and till apprx midnight.I slept well on the Monday.A few years ago you could get slimming pills that were based on amphetamine - but you needed a Vespa or Lambretta to get the full effect.There is a time and a place for stimulants - use them wisely.Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 The only time I've ever drunk the horrible sickly stuff is when they were giving it away free at the start. Can't remember which year that was, they seem to have gone on to promote bigger things since then. I ended up throwing most of it away.I always followed Les Mills advice and took some glucose tablets to keep sugar levels up along with a flask of coffee to keep hydrated.There's only one cure for tiredness really, and that's sleep. Doesn't matter how long or short a stint you do, if you're tired, you change over, if you're both tired, you stop. Even 15-20 mins of proper sleep in a layby can make all the difference.Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpbarrett Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Quoted from Keith ......, if you're both tired, you stop. Even 15-20 mins of proper sleep in a layby can make all the difference.Keith Keith is right, if you are both tired stop and have a break, better to finish late than have an accident....Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I've usually found enough slack in the timetable for an hour or so kip in a layby on the leg down to Land's End and still ended up waiting in the queue for them to start breakfast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 In 2014 we made good time between Morrisons garage and Tebay and managed to stop for a rest at some services around Gretna area, we were still early getting in to Tebay. But that really set us up for the run down to Lands End. Make time where you can (safely!), but take every opportunity to rest and recover! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TedTaylor Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I always have in my car a small bottle of drink as a matter of routine, usually the added glucose type, for a quick sip when thirsty (and safe to do so). Even when opened it stays safe to drink for a long time - up to a week I have found.Also has everyone read the entry regs and about not driving when tired? Just think of the repercussions if there was an incident due to tiredness during the event ........ would not reflect well on the Club or the event.The guys organising the event have gone to great lengths and put much thought in the location of the controls (I know because I was involved in them on one occasion) and they are spaced to give people a nice maximum time at the wheel though of course doing a swap mid section is reasonable. Try a double stint and as we found out it can bite you unexpectedly. Also the main reason we are going three up this year having found a third driver who would fit in with us, was that I have back and knee conditions (I see the specialist after we come back about another knee replacement) and should I have a problem which impairs my driving it means that Gordon is not in the position where he has to do a double stint at the wheel. We took a gamble last time because we were two up 6 months after my first knee replacement but made sure that we had covered things by arranging with a couple of three up teams to borrow a driver for a while should it be necessary - this is allowed in the rules provided the adopted driver has done all the route up until then.MUT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthesnail96 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 "Caffeine is just a means of borrowing time that should be rights belong to your slightly older self"- I think that's actually from a Terry Pratchett book but it's pretty much on the mark, the key word being "slightly". Avoided energy drinks until the last day, although I did grab a few coffees as we went, especially before a driving stint (clip on travel mug holders fitted to both front doors assist there), as I normally have a few over the course of the day anyway. The effects of high caffeine drinks aren't infinite and the crash as they wear off is often leaves you in a worse place than if you had gone without. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Quoted from mole42 We're going 3-up which allows the back-seat sleeper to return to driving refreshed. After 8 hours solid sleep, the back seat passenger was certainly refreshed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radders Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 take Davemate with you as a co-driver. You certainly wont fall asleep while he's snoring! 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemate Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Bancroft Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Steve, has by far the biggest phobia to snoring I have ever encountered, hilarious!Water and frequent changes as the events goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny-Jimbo Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 On the 2012 event we used nothing chemical wise to keep going - if you're tired, don't drive, it's that simple. Well, I say 'no chemicals' we had tea at some of the stops, but by no means all of them.It's also absolutely crucial that drivers are honest about their tiredness levels. One of the reasons that my Dad isn't on the Fallowell team anymore was because he was too stubborn and saying he wasn't tired when he clearly was.Also, to help sleep, if you can, get your head below the window line - I found if I could get my head down the noise wasn't as bad... except you could hear the broken diff mount knocking more!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPearce Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Not much to add to all the wise advice already given, except perhaps...Get plenty of sleep before the event so that you're not even slightly close to tired when you start.Take the breaks when you need to... but don't waste time when you don't (e.g. hanging around chatting at control stops) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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