Gels, gummies or mixes???

geeksrule

Hi, was wondering if any of you have tried (I'm sure you have) the gummies, gels, bars etc.... (electrolyte replacements) out there for longer runs. I am at the 2 hour mark on some of my runs now and finding that after about 1.5 hour I really need something to give me a pep up. I have a 2:15 - 2:30hour ish run this weekend and thought I might try something. Thoughts and suggestions would really be appreciated!!

tnrunningnurse

I prefer the jelly beans.

arc918

Carbs are good as you get a few hours in. All these things are a matter of personal tastes. The various brands of gels have distinct flavors and textures. Just a matter of what you like. Sports drinks work too.

I like Margarita Clif Bloks. Easy to carry 200 calories in my pocket.

Make sure to take water with gels & blocks.

BKR1977

Every 3 to 4 miles I take in something. I like the taste and constancy of PowerBar vanilla gels. Tastes like sugar cookies to me. I Also prefer ShotBlocks. 6 per pack, take 2 per 3 to 4 miles. Mountain berry, black cherry, and cranrazzberry are nummy. Any time I go out for more than 10 I use them.

geeksrule

Carbs are good as you get a few hours in. All these things are a matter of personal tastes. The various brands of gels have distinct flavors and textures. Just a matter of what you like. Sports drinks work too.

I like Margarita Clif Bloks. Easy to carry 200 calories in my pocket.

Make sure to take water with gels & blocks.

I actually looked at the Margarita today - but thought I would put the question out there first!!! Thanks for the input!!

geeksrule

Every 3 to 4 miles I take in something. I like the taste and constancy of PowerBar vanilla gels. Tastes like sugar cookies to me. I Also prefer ShotBlocks. 6 per pack, take 2 per 3 to 4 miles. Mountain berry, black cherry, and cranrazzberry are nummy. Any time I go out for more than 10 I use them.

Do you only use them on runs over 10 miles? And do you do sports drinks or just water??

trijoe

For running, I prefer gels, preferably GU, most preferably GU rocktaine. I also like Clif gels. I try to avoid the chocolate ones, as they feel like cake batter in my mouth, and that gets pretty disgusting after a while.

Can Not STAND Hammer products. They make me dry heave after a run and they've given me the Johnnie On The Spot Trots on race day (Boy oh boy will that wreck a finish time!) Sometimes I'll eat sport beans, but not too often. Pretzels are good on race day, but I usually don't train with them.

I don't mind gatorade for the shorter workouts, but for reallllllly long workouts, it can play havoc with my stomach. So, I forgo all liquid calories, and instead put NUUN tablets in my water bottles, then work on gel or solid cals.

I'd strongly advise you to decide your opinions about caffeine. For or against, unnecessary or can't live without it. It can play a crucial role in your long run and/or race day situation. And, depending on your wants/needs, could dictate what you train/race with.

Hope this helps.

BKR1977

Every 3 to 4 miles I take in something. I like the taste and constancy of PowerBar vanilla gels. Tastes like sugar cookies to me. I Also prefer ShotBlocks. 6 per pack, take 2 per 3 to 4 miles. Mountain berry, black cherry, and cranrazzberry are nummy. Any time I go out for more than 10 I use them.

Do you only use them on runs over 10 miles? And do you do sports drinks or just water??

If I used them for every 6-10 mile run I would go broke, so yes, just runs over 10 miles. I'm one of the strange ones, I don't hydrate unless it's over a half marathon. But when I do I use an amphipod 20oz bottle and alternate shockblocks with GU Brew razzberry.

*Disclaimer* It's what works for me. I've done a couple marathons and 50ks. Take it for what it's worth. I'm not a speed demon.

Still_Fluffy

I use gels on my long runs. I like the hammer gel apple cinninon. I've done the gummies but they always stick in my teeth.

trlrnrgrl

It's really very individual - what works for one person doesn't work well for the next. So it ends up just being lots of trial and error. For me, I start to need some carbs if I'm going to run longer than 5 or 6 miles - otherwise, I start losing energy (I also run on trails, which usually burn more calories than roads). If I'm going to run longer than about 10 miles, I start to need a little bit of protein, too. For electrolytes, it really depends on the weather for me. I'm in Texas, so in the summer, I suck up electrolytes like crazy. But in the winter, I rarely use electrolytes (except what is in a Gu).

The carbs that work for me: Gu, Newton fruit crisps, Oreos, M&Ms are my favorites. Pretty soon for my longer long runs, I'm gonna try pop tarts, rice crispie treats, tortillas, and boiled potatoes

Protein: Justin's chocolate almond butter (they have small portable packets)

Electrolytes: I love Nuun in the summer.

thepetiterunner

As others have said, it's a matter of personal preference and what you can "stomach" so to speak.

I like real foods as opposed to gels and GUs (frankly they gross me out, but I can see their caloric and handy packable appeal). I've tried gummy bears, tortillas, M&Ms, GU chomps, sports jelly beans. The gummy bears, jelly beans and chomps were WAY too sweet for me, but I liked the tortillas and M&Ms (peanut and pretzel varieties).

I usually take one at 4 miles, and then every 3-4 after. I find that I start losing energy right around the 8-9.5 mile mark. If I don't fuel up with adequate time for it to hit my system before then (hence starting at 4 miles), I'm toast.

Good luck!