Energy Gels

jdt242

Training for a half marathon and have read that I should fuel my body at regular intervals. I have run for 90 minutes on an empty stomach quite happily, but do think I could do with a boost after an hour. Instead of lugging around water, I thought I might try an energy gel.

Can anyone give me some helpful info in these. Do they work? What's the best brand? What should I be looking for in terms of electrolytes, carbs etc.

Complete newbie. Help please :-)

Thanks

AJ_G

jdt242 wrote: »

Do they work?

Yes they work, they're just fast digesting carbs giving your body quick energy that you will need. You don't even technically need energy gels. Candy works, I like mini starburst, they're pretty good. Gummy bears work too. It just has to be something that's basically just sugar, no fat or protein.

jdt242

I'm sure I'd choke on a starburst - just my luck!

AJ_G

jdt242 wrote: »

I'm sure I'd choke on a starburst - just my luck!

Get a bag of the mini ones

kwtilbury

jdt242 wrote: »

Instead of lugging around water, I thought I might try an energy gel.

Energy gels are not a replacement for water. In fact, you should drink water after you consume a gel.

I haven't used them in a while by I used Powerbar and GU.

lemurcat12

Yeah, they work. I don't use them in a half (I have in triathlons and am planning to in the marathon I'm training for), but it's worth experimenting with them to see if they help. Start trying them early (even if you aren't up to the mileage yet) as some people have negative reactions to them (stomach issues). You might want to see if just using a sports drink works for you instead.

I agree with the idea to get a bag of different ones to see what you like. I've also picked up a bunch free after races or during biking events.

You need to drink water with them, though. Not an issue at the race, where you will get water, but to try them out you may have to find a fountain or carry some water.

kristinegift

I find them to be helpful. When a half marathon was the longest I was running, they were helpful in races. And now that I run marathons, I rely on them for that distance. If you can, get to a running specialty store and buy a variety that appeal to you, no matter the brand. Try them out on your long runs to figure out which tastes best to you and works best as well. But you MUST take them with water, or else it's bad news. Your mouth would be all sugary and grimy and you'd be setting yourself up for some stomach cramps, I'm sure.

If, however, you find that you don't care for gels, there are chews, sport beans and all kinds of real foods you can try. I like dried fruit (pineapple and cranberries), and I know other people that go for pretzels, dates, gummy bears, and fruit snacks.

dewd2

I like them for anytime I'm running more than an hour. I know 'technically' I don't need them but I find I do (feel) better (even for my slow long runs). I like the GU chocolate and vanilla flavors and also Honey Stinger gels (chocolate ones).

If you are in the US you can find them at Dicks Sporting Goods, many super markets, and of course running stores.

You must drink water with them or your stomach will NOT be happy.

woofer00

Depends on the distance. For a sprint or 5K, it's a quick and easy energy spike. For something longer, I'll probably have some combination of PB, banana, and oatmeal before I head out, with a handful of nuts and either sport beans or candy on hand if I suddenly feel drained, probably an hour or hour and a half into it. The benefit of sport beans or energy gel over straight up candy is that they usually add in electrolytes as well, but you can balance that out with the right pre-run nutrition planning. Experiment!

jdt242

Thanks for all your replies. Have ordered sports beans to save on carrying water with me. Have also ordered a FlipBelt...and I am bizarrely excited!!! Going to test them both out on my long run this weekend. I don't think I'll bother with gels at all. Depending on how the sports beans go down, I may try jelly sweets or fruit as suggested above. Thanks for the education lesson in gels!

amusedmonkey

jdt242 wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies. Have ordered sports beans to save on carrying water with me. Have also ordered a FlipBelt...and I am bizarrely excited!!! Going to test them both out on my long run this weekend. I don't think I'll bother with gels at all. Depending on how the sports beans go down, I may try jelly sweets or fruit as suggested above. Thanks for the education lesson in gels!

You do still need to carry water though. Gels, beans and such will only help with energy once your glycogen levels get low, not with hydration.

grinning_chick

They work but the texture can totally gross me out if I'm in the wrong frame of mind - very mucous-like. And sometimes, the flavor can be pretty disgusting. There was an alleged huckleberry one that I just couldn't and had to spit out.

FatMoojor

amusedmonkey wrote: »

jdt242 wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies. Have ordered sports beans to save on carrying water with me. Have also ordered a FlipBelt...and I am bizarrely excited!!! Going to test them both out on my long run this weekend. I don't think I'll bother with gels at all. Depending on how the sports beans go down, I may try jelly sweets or fruit as suggested above. Thanks for the education lesson in gels!

You do still need to carry water though. Gels, beans and such will only help with energy once your glycogen levels get low, not with hydration.

Quoted for truth. I would be much more concerned about taking water on a long run than I would about some energy beans or gels.

litsy3

Re. the water, it depends - do you drink the water? Or just carry it around because you think you should? I don't take anything on long runs unless it is really hot (which it mostly isn't where I live) because I don't get thirsty.

jdt242

There will be water stands on race day but in training I haven't run for more than 90 mins so haven't been thirsty - it's also very cold so I do have an advantage there. I need my hands free. I'll have to rethink the water thing in summer.

furmickc

kwtilbury wrote: »

jdt242 wrote: »

Instead of lugging around water, I thought I might try an energy gel.

Energy gels are not a replacement for water. In fact, you should drink water after you consume a gel.

I haven't used them in a while by I used Powerbar and GU.

This. I like the Hammer Gels. Not as thick as Gu. I use fuel when I do runs over 10-15 miles. Even with waterstops on race day, you may want to do some runs with water + fuel for practice. It takes some skill to open the package, suck down the gel, and take a gulp of water.

mbaker566

I use Gu chomps. Some belts have a spot for water bottles. I don't like carrying the water
I don't like the gels because of the texture. I do like to use them because they have caffiene, accessible carbs, and sodium. more so than gummy bears or starburst

I keep the chomps close to my body so they don't get cold and hard. I take half a pack before i start and the other half about mile 4, a half from a new pack at mile 8, and the last half around mile 10 or 11.

That being said, it's perfectly fine to do the whole thing without fuel if your body is able and willing.

Asher_Ethan

I did my first half on a completely empty stomach and I was fine. But I did my second half a month later and used those gels and I improved my time by 24 minutes. I'm not sure if it was the gel or not but ill make sure to always use the gels now.

tri_bob

This topic is about as YMMV as it's possible to get. The amount of nutrition you need on any given run is affected by, among other things:

• your existing energy stores
• time of day
• amount of time you're running
• [other things]

The way for you to figure out what will work for you is to ... well, to figure out what will work for you. For runs over 45 minutes or so, I like Gu Root Beer and Gu Salted Watermelon gels, and Honey Stinger chews. To me, Hammer gels taste like somebody mixed sidewalk chalk into Karo syrup and packaged it up. Others swear by Hammer (or Carb Boom!, or Clif Shots, or whatever), and wouldn't throw down a Gu with a gun to their head. You won't know what you like until you try it.

Gels (with or without caffeine), chews, gummie bears, actual Gatorade ... there are countless ways to take in calories during a run. Try a few, and keep track of how you feel. With any luck, you'll have enough time before your half to identify the strategy that keeps you feeling energetic without feeling overly full.

As has been noted, though: don't skimp on water. Gels and water is not an either/or proposition: it's definitely both. Regardless of whether you need calories, you should have water, particularly on longer and/or hotter runs. I happen to like Nuun tablets in my water, because that includes electrolytes with minimal calories. Again: YMMV. Happy hunting, and good luck.

jacksonpt

tri_bob wrote: »

This topic is about as YMMV as it's possible to get.

TRUTH!

What you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat will vary person to person. Go buy a few different ones (different brands, different flavors, some with caffeine, some without... gels, blocks, chews, etc) and see how you like them.



On a related note - water and gels/blocks are NOT the same thing and SHOULD NOT be used in the same way. You aren't replacing water with gels.

jdt242

Gummi bears worked a treat. Thanks all

BrianSharpe

I make my own "gel" (because I'm a cheapskate....) 3 parts honey, 1 part molasses, a pinch of salt and jus enough water to slightly thin it out in a gel flask.

Whatever you decide to do make sure you race with the products you train with (nothing new on race day.....)

pondee629

"This topic is about as YMMV as it's possible to get."

I give up. What is YMMV? Thank you

goldthistime

YMMV=Your mileage may vary. This is a zombie thread, but I want to add that I had been using gels during long tennis matches and found them to be very helpful (I used Clif gels and gummies), but I switched to good old Gatorade, found it to be just as effective and a lot less messy.

StealthHealth

YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary. A play on the mile per gallon disclaimer text used when selling cars. Another version is YRMV - Your Results May Vary.

Its a clause that people add to say "although this happened for me, it may be different for you".

pondee629

goldthistime wrote: »

YMMV=Your mileage may vary. This is a zombie thread, but I want to add that I had been using gels during long tennis matches and found them to be very helpful (I used Clif gels and gummies), but I switched to good old Gatorade, found it to be just as effective and a lot less messy.

StealthHealth wrote: »

YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary. A play on the mile per gallon disclaimer text used when selling cars. Another version is YRMV - Your Results May Vary.

Its a clause that people add to say "although this happened for me, it may be different for you".

Thank you..

CincyNeid

jdt242 wrote: »

Training for a half marathon and have read that I should fuel my body at regular intervals. I have run for 90 minutes on an empty stomach quite happily, but do think I could do with a boost after an hour. Instead of lugging around water, I thought I might try an energy gel.

Can anyone give me some helpful info in these. Do they work? What's the best brand? What should I be looking for in terms of electrolytes, carbs etc.

Complete newbie. Help please :-)

Thanks

Most Energy Gels recommend that you drink water with them. As far as what works you'll have to see what works for you. I've tried Hammer, Gu, but I personally like Pacific Labs the best. And I've got some Science in Sports on order to see how they work for me.

ehine1

I think it's already been mentioned, but I too enjoy GU Energy Gel - Root Beer Flavored. It's got the Root Beer taste (and smell) without being too overpowering. I take one about 5-10 minutes before every run with a few sips of water.

workout_junkee

I carry water and fruit snacks on all my long runs. I can not stomach gels. As a mom of two I always have fruit snacks on hand and they are way cheaper:).