energy gels, etc

alf1163

My husband and I are training for a half marathon in Nov. Now that we are jogging longer distance we are obviously experiencing some loss of energy. I would like your opinion on the energy gels, chews, blocks etc. I went to our local sports store and bought an assortment of samples. I got GU chomps, accel gel, GU energy gel in strawberry banana, Power Bar gel Refuel step 2 and quench gum. Our next long run will be this Saturday. Thanks in advanced for your help! :flowerforyou:

Nich0le

I'm not a marathoner.......yet But I have read that gels and such items can contribute to post run stomach problems etc.

I would recommend hitting a website like runnerworld.com and do a little research on performance training food in their nutrition and weight loss section. There is a ton of info on what to eat before, during and after long runs that will probably do you better in the long run (no pun) than gels and protein bars.

good luck! :flowerforyou:

jules1984

Quench gum makes your mouth water - not going to hydrate but GREAT if you get that whole dry-mouth thing while running!! MMMMMMM :drinker:

nicolet04

i like 5 hour energy shots or orange speedball pre workout energy pills(all natural) and u get those at bodybuilding.com....100pills for $10!

Chenoachem

As you can see by my ticker, I am training for a half also. I have a hard time with the Gels and the Gu because of the consistancy of them. You also have to make sure you take them near water or I have a hard time breathing as it makes my mouth all sticky. I have settled on sports jelly beans with caffeine. An entire package (which has lasted me weeks) is only 110 calories. Has a good amount of sugars and carbs to keep you going. They are little so you can portion control easier based on how you feel.

Another thing that worked is find your favorite power bar and cut it up into little pieces. That way you can get protein and stuff too. I like the chocolate endurance powerbar. However, depending on your climate it can become a big clumpy mess.

A lot if it is playing around with it. I can go 6 miles without eating or drinking anything. After that I have to. I have a problem with low blood sugar, and I found things like Cliff shot blocks, gu's and gels were good for cycling but was too much of a sugar "punch" on a run. I would get sick to my stomach fast.

I met a marathoner recently that only chewed gum. Didn't eat anything.

I hope this helps.

LandBsdotingchauffeur

Jelly belly makes some energy jelly beans, usually found near all the other energy items and they are delish!! I had a real problem with the texture of gu and those syrupy packets--reminded me alot of ...ummm, yeah, rhymes with umm...anyways, the jelly beans were really great! Just another thought!

jules1984

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

annaliza

The energy beans have caffeine in them....not good if you are trying to stay away from that. Sport beans do not have caffine and work fine from what I hear. I've heard a lot of people complain about the texture of gels.

Kechiemc is a world of knowledge when it comes gels and stuff about running....she's in the MFP runners club or send her a pm (lol, sorry Kechie, but you are the greatest! )

jessmomof3

Jelly belly makes some energy jelly beans, usually found near all the other energy items and they are delish!! I had a real problem with the texture of gu and those syrupy packets...anyways, the jelly beans were really great! Just another thought!

I like the Jelly Belly Sport Beans also. I used Vanilla Gu when training for a marathon, and got soooo sick of it. I've also tried CarbBoom (comes in Apple cinnamon flavor, which tastes a little like apple pie filling w/out the apples), but they just taste too sweet.

Find out what the half marathon will have on hand. Some races are sponsored by different companies so they will hand them out during the race also! Let me know if you have any questions, Annette!

alf1163

Thank you sooooooo much guys for all your responses. I wish I had sent this before I bought all those little samples. :grumble: I am going to try them and have my husband try them and see what he thinks. To tell you the truth for me drinking water is enough but I think my husband can use a pick me up. :laugh: That is why I wanted to try some of this stuff. Last time we did 13 miles we were out there for 3:35 hrs! We are going at a very slow pace. My husband doesnt really care about time he just wants to finish it and not quit in the middle of it. I am more like a "give me a challenge kinda girl" but I want to support him since he decided to sign up for it. Is there anything, real food, that we can take, that will be ok in the heat? Jess, I am going to find out what kind of products they will hand out. Thanks again!!!! :flowerforyou:

stephcheers

Quench gum makes your mouth water - not going to hydrate but GREAT if you get that whole dry-mouth thing while running!! MMMMMMM :drinker:

I like Big Red gum. Cheap and keeps my mouth watering for over half an hour. :bigsmile:

SHBoss1673

I have no idea what's in these products, but if it's any kind of stimulant (caffine, phentremine, effedrine...etc.) I wouldn't use them, they can raise the Heart Rate and blood pressure.

All you need is an energy drink with low (but some) sugar and a decent amount of carbs and electrolytes (don't need to go crazy on either). Add to that about 200 grams extra complex carbs about 2 hours or more before the run and you should be fine. Worst case if you couldn't get the carbs in, have a piece of white bread about 20 minutes before you run, just one piece should be enough, that should keep you going for a good hour to an hour and a half.

FYI, carbo-loading doesn't really work, it does kinda, but not like we would like it too, a lot becomes fat, which doesn't translate very well to distance running, it takes to long to convert fat to energy for it to be of immediate use during high endurance exercise. Carbs are best for long distance runs. get carbs into you and keep your mineral levels balanced and you should be fine.

KatWood

Thank you sooooooo much guys for all your responses. I wish I had sent this before I bought all those little samples. :grumble: I am going to try them and have my husband try them and see what he thinks. To tell you the truth for me drinking water is enough but I think my husband can use a pick me up. :laugh: That is why I wanted to try some of this stuff. Last time we did 13 miles we were out there for 3:35 hrs! We are going at a very slow pace. My husband doesnt really care about time he just wants to finish it and not quit in the middle of it. I am more like a "give me a challenge kinda girl" but I want to support him since he decided to sign up for it. Is there anything, real food, that we can take, that will be ok in the heat? Jess, I am going to find out what kind of products they will hand out. Thanks again!!!! :flowerforyou:

I am in the same situation and I too went out and bought a bunch to try. So far I have only tried one of the gels and it almost made me puke. It was sickly sweet and was the consistency of toothpaste. I had a hard time swallowing it. I am hoping the bars or jelly beans are better. I also have yet to really find an energy drink that I like. I don't care for Gatorade. I find it is too salty.
Good luck on yoru marathon!

KatWood

Oh and I just want to add that I have also found chewing gum really helpful while running. It keeps my mouth moist and I think (hope) it makes me look less foolish (in terms of running with my mouth wide open and breathing heavy):laugh: When I pass people while I am running I try to act like I am just going for a leisurly run casually chewing gum :laugh: I don't know if it works or not though. Maybe I just look more foolish/:blushing:

Chenoachem

For drinks I use the packets of propell and dilute a small amount in water. Adds enough electrolytes and sugar to keep me going without feeling sweet and salty.

Caffeine products effect different people in different ways. "It increases production of plasma catecholamines that allow the body to adapt to the stress created by physical exercise. Catecholamine production increases probably, in turn, the availability of free fatty acids as muscle substrates during work, thus allowing glycogen sparing. Caffeine is able to increase muscle contractility, has no ergogenic effect on intense exercise of brief duration, but can improve the time before exhaustion. " I has been used for years by olympic althletes with asthma. Others, caffeine just makes them sick.

This article is very technical, but there are a lot of interesting studies going on that suggest cafeine in endurance sports can be helpful.

http://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/sportsmed/doi/10.1055/s-2007-1021049

jessmomof3

I have no idea what's in these products, but if it's any kind of stimulant (caffine, phentremine, effedrine...etc.) I wouldn't use them, they can raise the Heart Rate and blood pressure.

All you need is an energy drink with low (but some) sugar and a decent amount of carbs and electrolytes (don't need to go crazy on either). Add to that about 200 grams extra complex carbs about 2 hours or more before the run and you should be fine. Worst case if you couldn't get the carbs in, have a piece of white bread about 20 minutes before you run, just one piece should be enough, that should keep you going for a good hour to an hour and a half.

FYI, carbo-loading doesn't really work, it does kinda, but not like we would like it too, a lot becomes fat, which doesn't translate very well to distance running, it takes to long to convert fat to energy for it to be of immediate use during high endurance exercise. Carbs are best for long distance runs. get carbs into you and keep your mineral levels balanced and you should be fine.

There is no caffeine in the sport beans, but I think they do make some that *do* have caffeine! I prefer to drink my coffee an hour pre-race. :drinker:

And thanks for posting about carb-loading. I try to tell my running friends the same thing, but they can't seem to realize that they can't eat like ultra-marathoners and expect not to gain weight. I know, I learned my lesson training for a marathon and *gaining* 5 lbs. :grumble: Too many carbs! It's also in *when* you eat your carbs. Pretzels are good pre-race also, a little salt and carb to get you going.

alf1163

Thanks again!! Now I am afraid to use the stuff I bought. :noway: :laugh: As I mentioned earlier I really dont have a lot of problem running out of energy myself. Water really helps me. I also get up early enough before we run to eat breakfast, usually oatmeal and sometimes drink a cup of coffee. Then I run about 1 hr to 1.5 hrs later. My energy level stays pretty high. It is my husband I worry about. He does lose his energy, usually ends up walking the last 2 miles or so of 12 to 13 miles. I will have him try some of these products I bought and see what he thinks. I do love to chew gum while I run. Thanks!!! :drinker: :flowerforyou: