Runners-when do you REFUEL and what type do you use?

mamafish2313

Adding miles every week to do my first half. Going for 10 this Sat. Got my hydration belt and wondered if and when I should incorporate a GU or some other type of fueling to get through the mileage or if I should save that for a full marathon?

eiha

Hi,
I did a 10 mile race last Saturday and didn't eat use anything just drank water at the water stations. I think for 10 miles there is no need to take anything. Just make sure you eat before the race, I ate about 2 hours previous to the race and had a granola bar when I finished and ate later. One tip to I found useful also, lets say the race is in the morning it would be advisable to go for a walk in the afternoon. We did that and felt the benefit of it the next day as we wern't as achy as we expected.
The main thing is to enjoy it I enjoyed every second of the race, I hope you enjoy yours too!
Hope this helps.

madmickie

No extra fuel needed for a half marathon distance. Some people like a gel or something just to make them feel like there's more in the tank.

If you eat well leading up to the event you will have no probs.

LesliePierceRN

I just use simple jelly belly jelly beans. I don't see any point in paying ridiculous money for essentially the same thing, and something that doesn't taste nearly as good. They are carb fuel, and it' works for me.. I eat about 100 cals every 5 miles or an hour.. I ran a half marathon, and all the training days leading up to it doing this and never ever hit the wall.

mamafish2313

ok that sounds do-able. I don't know much about GU or anything- have you tried any of that?

wolfgate

If I'm going to be running for more than 90 minutes, I'll take something about 40 minutes into it. There are different theoretical schools of thought on how long you need to be running before refueling in needed - IMHO, this falls into the "you're an experiment of one" category. (Within boundaries). Nobody physically needs refueling if running less than an hour. Some are fine up to 2 hours. With experience you'll figure out where you fall in that category.

As far as what to use. I do tend to use gels because they are so convenient and easy to carry. GU and Clif are what I would usually get. Jelly Belly's are ok, but gels are quicker to ingest. When I did my two 50 mile races, I went with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (LOL!) Mentally they were just satisfying and I tend to have an iron stomach.

jacksonpt

How long will the run take you? 10 miles... you may not need anything. Assuming you are properly hydrated/fed going into the run, most people don't actually need calories until at least the 60 minute mark, and generally not until 90 minutes in.

But to your question, it really comes down to knowing your body, which in your case is going to require some trial and error (i.e. going as long as you can without anything to figure out when you need something. Then, you have to figure out what your body likes best, liquid cals, gels, chews, etc).

Everyone responds differently, so you're just going to have to get something and try it. I'd start with whatever is easiest for you to get locally. No sense having to order something just to find out your body doesn't like it.

That said, if you need recommendations, I like heed for liquid cals and both rice crispy treats and clif shot gels for "food" cals.

jacksonpt

No extra fuel needed for a half marathon distance. Some people like a gel or something just to make them feel like there's more in the tank.

If you eat well leading up to the event you will have no probs.

Maybe, maybe not... depends how long the run takes her. If she's looking at 2.5 hours and a steady, decent pace, she may very well need something. If she's talking about 1.5 hours, then you may be right.

Distance isn't the determining factor... effort/intensity and time is.

jacksonpt

I just use simple jelly belly jelly beans. I don't see any point in paying ridiculous money for essentially the same thing, and something that doesn't taste nearly as good. They are carb fuel, and it' works for me.. I eat about 100 cals every 5 miles or an hour.. I ran a half marathon, and all the training days leading up to it doing this and never ever hit the wall.

Not necessarily true. Yes, some "energy" products are simply sugars and carbs, but some are a lot more than that (electrolytes, caffeine, etc.). Those most definitely have an advantage over sugary foods.

Ke22yB

I did 8 miles last sunday and had a little extra cereal for bkfast about 90 minutes before I went out and a little coconut water and then drank about a half gallon of water when I finished and had a chicken breast when I got home for protein other than that nothing different

SassyCalyGirl

if you are going to try anything-do it BEFORE your race, so you know if it agrees with you or not. I carry a Prolong Endurance drink mix in my water bottle-helped me tremendously. It has carbs-electrolytes and protein in it. Running my second half in October. Good luck to you.

wolfgate

LOL! Great minds think alike...... and ours too. LOL! Wish you'd posted first - i could have simply posted 'what he said".

How long will the run take you? 10 miles... you may not need anything. Assuming you are properly hydrated/fed going into the run, most people don't actually need calories until at least the 60 minute mark, and generally not until 90 minutes in.

But to your question, it really comes down to knowing your body, which in your case is going to require some trial and error (i.e. going as long as you can without anything to figure out when you need something. Then, you have to figure out what your body likes best, liquid cals, gels, chews, etc).

Everyone responds differently, so you're just going to have to get something and try it. I'd start with whatever is easiest for you to get locally. No sense having to order something just to find out your body doesn't like it.

That said, if you need recommendations, I like heed for liquid cals and both rice crispy treats and clif shot gels for "food" cals.

jacksonpt

If I'm going to be running for more than 90 minutes, I'll take something about 40 minutes into it. There are different theoretical schools of thought on how long you need to be running before refueling in needed - IMHO, this falls into the "you're an experiment of one" category. (Within boundaries). Nobody physically needs refueling if running less than an hour. Some are fine up to 2 hours. With experience you'll figure out where you fall in that category.

As far as what to use. I do tend to use gels because they are so convenient and easy to carry. GU and Clif are what I would usually get. Jelly Belly's are ok, but gels are quicker to ingest. When I did my two 50 mile races, I went with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (LOL!) Mentally they were just satisfying and I tend to have an iron stomach.

lol... nice - I took PB&Js with me on the bike during my half ironman this summer.

bluefox9er

I just use simple jelly belly jelly beans. I don't see any point in paying ridiculous money for essentially the same thing, and something that doesn't taste nearly as good. They are carb fuel, and it' works for me.. I eat about 100 cals every 5 miles or an hour.. I ran a half marathon, and all the training days leading up to it doing this and never ever hit the wall.

totally going to try this!

Faeriegirl74

Whatever you do, practice now with it and not on race day...never do anything differently on race day than you would on a training run. My favorite is peanut butter gu - I take one every 45 minutes, and my second choice is the cherry blossom honey stinger chews - I eat 3 pieces every 45 minutes. Typically in my hydration bottle I drink only water... then at the water stops I have a gatorade.

Good Luck!

MiloBloom83

I ran 10 miles that Sunday(in a downpour) and my fueling was this: 1 Gu 15 minutes before i started, 1 Gu at 45 minutes in. I run an out and back loop, so i carried a 16oz bottle of water that i dropped after 3.5 miles. That's it. I drink a whey protein shake afterwards, within 30 minutes. Ran at a 9:48 pace, 1:38 total time.

sevsmom

I've used the Clif brand energy gel before out of curiosity. On my 11+ mile runs, I tried them at the half way point just to see. I enjoyed eating what tasted like chocolate frosting while on my run, but I don't know if it really improved my endurance. Perhaps it was just a 100 cal treat. Some people swear by it, but I can take it or leave it. Staying hydrated is more important, in my opinion. I struggle with that because I HATE carrying my hand held water. And I haven't popped for a belt yet. One of these days. :-)

2617954

I also use jelly beans. A couple every 5km or so. I practiced with them on my weekly long run first. Now I bring some with me for any runs over 10km. Love the red ones!

laureltn

I use something for 10 and up (training for my first 13.1 and ran a 13.1 a few weeks ago and now bouncing around on my long runs to maintain and taper. My pace is just under a 2-hour half) I had not done anything with fuel until about 3 weeks ago and bought GU and Sports Beans. I don't like the stronger GU -- Just Plain and Vanilla Bean work for me. TriBerry was too intense and I wanted to be ill. Sports Beans are great tasting but they end up all over the place and takes more attention to consume. I do find for me personally when I don't use a GU at the 6-mile mark I don't have that little kick on the last couple miles. If I do take some fuel, the last couple miles I am often ready to go run another 5 so it seems my body likes the extra energy.

My hydration, I've experimented with coconut water packs, nunn tablets and HEET. all work but I like the later two best.

Definitely a novice on all this so listen to the pros here if anything I say is contradictory to what they're saying.

jessmomof3

I've done 9 half marathons, 2 half Ironman triathlons, and lots of inbetween races. I agree that you need to find what works for you. I found that I was really underfueling myself after talking to a tri coach. Of course, a half IM is a LOT longer than a half marathon. I've run half marathons w/ no fuel which I can do, but the recovery seems harder. I've been using Power Gels now instead of Gu. The electrolytes and sodium are really what you need, not just the carbohydrates. And refueling after is very important.

Just my opinion!

76tech

Gearing up for my first half next weekend. I eat a small meal a couple hours before a long run, one gu packet after an hour or so, and a second at hour two.

For me, I fade like crazy after seven miles if I don't fuel up.

BobbyDaniel

For my longer runs (over 6 miles for me) I will usually try to get up a little earlier so that I can eat something and allow nature to take its course before I take the course. If I plan on being out for longer than an hour I will take water and enough Gu to get me through the run. After the run I will drink water as soon as possible, 2-3 cups, and eat a snack...banana, protein bar, etc. For shorter runs where I don't eat breakfast first I will go ahead and eat that after my run, usually oatmeal.

BrianSharpe

Adding miles every week to do my first half. Going for 10 this Sat. Got my hydration belt and wondered if and when I should incorporate a GU or some other type of fueling to get through the mileage or if I should save that for a full marathon?

If you plan on taking fuel during your marathon it is definitely advisable to try the brand you plan on using well before race day - I've never experienced any gastrointestinal problems (hey, I survived on my own cooking for years....I can eat anything) but I know some runners who don't tolerate certain varieties as well as others - you don't want any surprises race day.

I also need to add that I'm a cheapskate, I make my own "gel" out of honey, molasses, a pinch of salt and a little water to dilute it (if you have a fuel belt you can buy gel flasks for it). One flask of home made gel costs me about the same as one packet of a commercial product and is the equivalent of about 4 packets.

rybo

You don't really need anything working up to a half. Much of it can be personal preference though. I generally try and not take any fuel on my long runs all the way up to 20 milers. I'll take a couple runs to see what my stomach likes for raceday(marathon) but I try and do all the rest of my runs on only water.

mamafish2313

Where does everyone purchase their fuel? On line or at sports stores? I've seen some on Amazon.

mnstrpc

As you can see by the replies, I think it varies a lot! I am training for a half and up to 13.5 on my long runs. I didn't need to carry anything to hydrate until I was running more than 6-7 miles, and didn't really feel a need to be refueling until around 9-10. My pace is on the slower side; I'll probably finish my half in about 2:10, maybe 2:05. The challenge for me is that I do NOT have an iron stomach, and typically on short run days I run first thing in the morning on a totally empty stomach (just a little water before heading out the door). I was going on long runs on an empty stomach at first, too, but then when I got to around 9ish miles on the distance I found I was running out of gas and needed something. But if I ate a protein or cereal bar right before leaving on the run, I'd cramp up. So now I eat a protein bar (about 175-200 calories) first thing when I wake up. I actually leave it on my nightstand the night before and eat it before I even get out of bed, while I'm laying there trying to wake up and watch the news, LOL. Then by the time I get up, dressed and out the door it's been about 20-30 minutes since I ate, and I don't cramp.

On the run itself, I carry the Honey Stinger energy chews with me. I like the Cherry Blossom and Fruit Smoothie flavors. I like that they're really portable and easy to chew, and that they are small "doses" if you will, which makes me a little less likely to cramp after eating them. I usually eat 2 at a time and may have 2-3 during the course of 13.5 miles. Lately I've been eating the first 2 chews at about mile 7-8.

mnstrpc

Where does everyone purchase their fuel? On line or at sports stores? I've seen some on Amazon.

I actually am stopping by ****'s this afternoon to get the Honey Stinger chews.

LOL! Didn't realize it would edit that out - D1ck's Sporting Goods!

jacksonpt

Where does everyone purchase their fuel? On line or at sports stores? I've seen some on Amazon.

Like I said before... start out by getting stuff locally. Grocery stores are carrying more and more of this kind of stuff, sporting goods stores usually have some, and specialty shops often have some too (bike shops, running shops, etc). Until you know what you like and don't like, go with what's easier to get/try.

Once you find things you like, then you can order online for better selection of flavors, prices, etc.

CarsonRuns

I'm a proponent of deprivation training. I don't use any fuel on a run of any distance (up to 21 miles, currently). This trains the body to more efficiently use it's own energy sources. Same thing with fluids. I don't use any sports drinks. I rarely take water as it's just not necessary unless it's really, really hot. There is no performance degradation until around 5% of body weight lost in fluid, and no real physical signs of dehydration until you get closer to 10%. Most of us are never even going to come anywhere near that rate of loss. My last 20 miler, I weighed before and after and I lost 5.5 pounds on a mid 70°F day. That's about 4.5% of my body weight. I finished with negative splits, running the last two miles faster than any other mile.

All that being said, I will do one or two long runs with the gel that I plan to use in a race. For a HM, I will take one gel at an hour. For a marathon, one every 45 minutes. So, I test this on my long run, just to make sure they settle well on my stomach.

ibanez450

Typically, I run 4-8 miles at a time... I've never carried water with me. If I do a race, I'll drink at the water stations, but when I run on my own, I never carry anything. Even on 10+ mile runs, I've never carried water... I run till the tank is empty and then go home lol.

BrianSharpe

Where does everyone purchase their fuel? On line or at sports stores? I've seen some on Amazon.

You can get them through Amazon or pretty much any running / sporting goods store or you can make your own (and save $$$$$$)