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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I have done eight half marathons, one full & a tri. I am currently training for another full & an ultra. In no way am I a believer in the deprivation training for myself, especially w/ the high heat & humidity. My body needs liquids & fuel for these long runs. I drink watered-down Gatorade & use Gu gel because through trial & error I've found this is what works for me. One of the big things w/ your training runs is to find out what works best for you. You can find a big variety of gels, sport beans, bars, etc. at sporting goods or running stores. Get what sounds good to you & try them out on your runs. I will Gu every 45 minutes on runs lasting longer than 90 minutes. Good luck to you!

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.

Interesting that this article showed up today

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/The-Benefits-Of-Running-On-Empty.htm?cmp=17-1-3165

"Researchers have found that training in a carb-depleted state helps the muscles adapt to burning more fat and boosts your body's capacity for stored carbohydrate by as much as 50 percent. "

"Researchers have found that training in a carb-depleted state helps the muscles adapt to burning more fat and boosts your body's capacity for stored carbohydrate by as much as 50 percent. "

Not to completely hijack the thread, but...
Is that necessarily a good thing for people with body composition related goals?

Probably not. But then again, training for a marathon with the goal of achieving the highest level of performance possible, is probably not a good idea for someone who has body composition related goals.

b

The chews sound great. What are stingers? Are they like yellow jackets? Those are awful.

They're a honey based version of GU and they also make a wafer type of fuel.

http://www.honeystinger.com/