MARATHONERS: Which pack should I buy?

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  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    The de facto fueling recommendation for a marathon RACE is 100 calories every 45 minutes. That's one gel pack every 45 minutes. It's quickly soluble so that it absorbs into your system. Any more calories than that and the body has a hard time metabolizing them while running.

    For training, I don't believe that anything is necessary. It's called deprivation training. I do all my training runs, up to 22 miles, without fuel on a regular basis. The only exception is I will do a couple test runs with the gel that I intend to use during the race. The purpose of the long run is to train the body to use a higher percentage of fat stores for fuel during the effort. When you introduce an more easily accessible fuel source, like a gel, you are defeating one of the main purposes of the workout.

    I suggest you get Fitzgerald's book and read up on this before you design your own program. Most of the research has already been done for you.

    ^this

    I'm pretty sure this guy and I have disagreed and argued about other topics a few times before on the boards here, but not this time, because I completely agree with everything he just said. OP, I strongly recommend that you read every line he posted and give it some serious consideration. Good luck.
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
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    I seem to be weird (I have only made it up to 16 miles in training so far but I always feel sick if I exercise on an empty stomach or if I eat something that feels sloshy (yogurt, cereal with milk, smoothies and I feel SICK!) I eat something like toast and peanut butter and a piece of fruit or some oatmeal before hand and then I use shot blocks as needed. For me I have found that one about every 10 minutes past the first30 minutes works well for me. I may need something like a few dry pretzels later on. I also drink a lot of water when running (side affect from a med I take) and I plan on using a belt that holds two small water bottles (one with water and maybe the other with gatorade?) and supplementing with water stations and maybe have my support team have a refill of each bottle for me some where along the course because I'm not a fan of drinking out of the cups. I train with a pack because there is nobody along my way to refill me but I don't plan on using it in any races.

    I guess that may not be much help. If you haven't tried any of the gels and such, I really think you should give them a try as they are specially designed for runners and other endurance athletes.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
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    I would go with this guy. Join the long distance runner group too. You will see him a lot on there.
    The de facto fueling recommendation for a marathon RACE is 100 calories every 45 minutes. That's one gel pack every 45 minutes. It's quickly soluble so that it absorbs into your system. Any more calories than that and the body has a hard time metabolizing them while running.

    For training, I don't believe that anything is necessary. It's called deprivation training. I do all my training runs, up to 22 miles, without fuel on a regular basis. The only exception is I will do a couple test runs with the gel that I intend to use during the race. The purpose of the long run is to train the body to use a higher percentage of fat stores for fuel during the effort. When you introduce an more easily accessible fuel source, like a gel, you are defeating one of the main purposes of the workout.

    I suggest you get Fitzgerald's book and read up on this before you design your own program. Most of the research has already been done for you.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    I'm not doing a half... I'm doing a full...

    Nevermind... I should have known not to ask this here...

    Experienced distance runners have given you very reasonable (and might I add, free) advice. Sorry you didn't like it. By all means, keep buying trendy crap you don't actually need.
  • amandalj
    amandalj Posts: 28 Member
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    I would go with this guy. Join the long distance runner group too. You will see him a lot on there.

    How do you join the long distance running group? I'd be very interested! :flowerforyou:
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    I would go with this guy. Join the long distance runner group too. You will see him a lot on there.

    How do you join the long distance running group? I'd be very interested! :flowerforyou:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/111-long-distance-runners
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    The de facto fueling recommendation for a marathon RACE is 100 calories every 45 minutes. That's one gel pack every 45 minutes. It's quickly soluble so that it absorbs into your system. Any more calories than that and the body has a hard time metabolizing them while running.

    For training, I don't believe that anything is necessary. It's called deprivation training. I do all my training runs, up to 22 miles, without fuel on a regular basis. The only exception is I will do a couple test runs with the gel that I intend to use during the race. The purpose of the long run is to train the body to use a higher percentage of fat stores for fuel during the effort. When you introduce an more easily accessible fuel source, like a gel, you are defeating one of the main purposes of the workout.

    I suggest you get Fitzgerald's book and read up on this before you design your own program. Most of the research has already been done for you.

    ^this

    I'm pretty sure this guy and I have disagreed and argued about other topics a few times before on the boards here, but not this time, because I completely agree with everything he just said. OP, I strongly recommend that you read every line he posted and give it some serious consideration. Good luck.

    Another thing we CAN agree on is that you are actually Walter White. :laugh:
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    I'm going to be a contrarian and say that depending on pace, Larabars can be fine fuel for a marathon. If you are running 8-minute miles then you probably want to stick with easily-digestible gels or maybe shot blocks if you don't like gels. But if your pace is closer to 12-minute miles, you are going to be out there for 5+ hours. That means you are really approaching the event more like an ultramarathon. Ultrarunners eat lots of solid food during races and it works out just fine for them.

    Unfortunately i don't have any advice on race vests that aren't also hydration packs. You might consider getting a very lightweight hydration pack that has lots of front pockets. If you don't feel like you need the bladder for the race, just remove it and use the space for storage (or leave it empty).

    I'll be contrary with you. I'm a slow runner. Did my half in 2:51. A full marathon would be nearly 6 hours running. I would eating my arm by 3.5 hours LOL. I wouldn't eat as much as the OP is proposing, but if it's working for her training, why wouldn't it work for the marathon? In my 3 hour half, I only ate some crackers with peanut butter and some gatorade at one of the stations. But afterwards, I wanted to eat everything in site. They had chocolate milk and cookies at the end and yes, I ate a bunch!

    I have a very small spibelt that I used for my half. But it wouldn't hold anything like you need. I also don't carry water at all.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
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    As a side note (sorry if I derail), is it bad that I have been known to carry my debit card with me and hit up a gas station for a can of coke and snickers bar while mid run?

    Back on subject, I have a nathan gel pack for anything under 8 miles to just carry my phone for music, ID, "personal protection device"

    For anything longer I have a camelbak dart for water and phone, cars, etc.

    I love the camelbak, as an added bonus I feel like it adds a bit more weight to help with my training....until that weight gets in my belly.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
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    As a side note (sorry if I derail), is it bad that I have been known to carry my debit card with me and hit up a gas station for a can of coke and snickers bar while mid run?

    Back on subject, I have a nathan gel pack for anything under 8 miles to just carry my phone for music, ID, "personal protection device"

    For anything longer I have a camelbak dart for water and phone, cars, etc.

    I love the camelbak, as an added bonus I feel like it adds a bit more weight to help with my training....until that weight gets in my belly.

    You don't look like you need a personal protection device :noway:
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
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    I'm not doing a half... I'm doing a full...

    Nevermind... I should have known not to ask this here...

    Fine, you're doing a full, but you asked marathoners for advice and marathoners are giving you advice AND it even answers your question. You want to know what pack to buy, and they are telling you that you don't need a big pack to run a marathon.

    And then you got mad because dammit, you want a big pack.

    So fine. Go buy one. The company that sells them will appreciate your money.

    No I got irritated b/c they were telling me I was fueling wrong... the fact of the matter is that THIS fueling method is working JUST FINE for me, and there was no reason to argue it. I simply wanted to know if anyone knew of a pack that would hold that much stuff - regardless of whether my method of fueling was "textbook" or "other people's experiences" tested/proven/approved or not. I simply wanted input on a pack. Nothing else.
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
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    I don't run with a pack, but I've seen a number of marathon and running events not allowing packs or Camelbaks in their races. You may want to verify your event(s) before investing in a pack for training that you may not be able to actually use on race day.

    I will check. Thank you.
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
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    I'm going to be a contrarian and say that depending on pace, Larabars can be fine fuel for a marathon. If you are running 8-minute miles then you probably want to stick with easily-digestible gels or maybe shot blocks if you don't like gels. But if your pace is closer to 12-minute miles, you are going to be out there for 5+ hours. That means you are really approaching the event more like an ultramarathon. Ultrarunners eat lots of solid food during races and it works out just fine for them.

    Unfortunately i don't have any advice on race vests that aren't also hydration packs. You might consider getting a very lightweight hydration pack that has lots of front pockets. If you don't feel like you need the bladder for the race, just remove it and use the space for storage (or leave it empty).

    I will be one of those 5 hour peeps. My 18 miler took 3:43:and some change.
  • armychemguy
    armychemguy Posts: 1 Member
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    While I agree with the above posters, if you are set on getting a pack and want one that doesn't bounce/slosh around as you run, check out the Salomon S-Lab Advanced Hydro 5. We have one of the previous models of this pack and it rocks on trail runs.
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
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    While I agree with the above posters, if you are set on getting a pack and want one that doesn't bounce/slosh around as you run, check out the Salomon S-Lab Advanced Hydro 5. We have one of the previous models of this pack and it rocks on trail runs.

    Thanks. I'll check it out.
  • runnergrlfl
    runnergrlfl Posts: 82 Member
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    The horse and buggy worked just fine too.

    Until someone had a better idea.
  • jturnerx
    jturnerx Posts: 325 Member
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    If you are looking for a super light weight race vest (no hydration bladder) look at the Nathan HPL #028 (http://www.zombierunner.com/store/categories/bottles_and_packs/hydration_packs/product4665.html). It might fit your needs. I have used this before for trail ultras where I opted to used a handheld instead of a bladder for hydration.
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
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    If you are looking for a super light weight race vest (no hydration bladder) look at the Nathan HPL #028 (http://www.zombierunner.com/store/categories/bottles_and_packs/hydration_packs/product4665.html). It might fit your needs. I have used this before for trail ultras where I opted to used a handheld instead of a bladder for hydration.

    That looks handy! Thanks!

    And it's on sale! Even better.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    I've never run a marathon (longest race was 10 miles, without any fuel except water stations). Won't you get sick eating so much??? I can see 1 bar??
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    The de facto fueling recommendation for a marathon RACE is 100 calories every 45 minutes. That's one gel pack every 45 minutes. It's quickly soluble so that it absorbs into your system. Any more calories than that and the body has a hard time metabolizing them while running.

    For training, I don't believe that anything is necessary. It's called deprivation training. I do all my training runs, up to 22 miles, without fuel on a regular basis. The only exception is I will do a couple test runs with the gel that I intend to use during the race. The purpose of the long run is to train the body to use a higher percentage of fat stores for fuel during the effort. When you introduce an more easily accessible fuel source, like a gel, you are defeating one of the main purposes of the workout.

    I suggest you get Fitzgerald's book and read up on this before you design your own program. Most of the research has already been done for you.

    ^this

    I'm pretty sure this guy and I have disagreed and argued about other topics a few times before on the boards here, but not this time, because I completely agree with everything he just said. OP, I strongly recommend that you read every line he posted and give it some serious consideration. Good luck.

    Another thing we CAN agree on is that you are actually Walter White. :laugh:

    I really should buy this shirt:
    IamNotH.jpeg

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