Race fuels that you like!!!!
tropic_runner
Posts: 31 Member
Hello fellow long distancers! I am running the Honolulu Marathon and would like race fuel ideas!!! I have tried a couple of the gels but they are just sickeningly sweet, I currently have hammer gel mountain huckleberry and honey stinger chews that I will be trying on my 12 miler this Monday, but I think I may lean more towards chewy fuels, but I just wanted some input of good ones that you all have tried! Thank you!!!!
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I have been using Gu Chews and I like them because they are not too sweet. There are some that have caffeine and some that don't. I typically have one with and then the next one without.
Good luck and definitely use them on your training runs before using them on race day! 0 -
I like the GU peanut butter. I really love peanut butter though!0
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For Marathons I like the vanilla bean and mocha love GUs. Just past the halfway mark I shoot a 5 hour energy.0
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The only thing I can tolerate is Mike n Ikes. At least they are cheaper than real fuels.0
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Honey Stinger for me. I can do Gu, but heavily prefer the former.0
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The Hammer Mountain huckleberry is pretty good. I actually dislike the texture of gels- I prefer the powerbar energy blasts. For times when I don't feel like I want to chew anything or deal with wrappers, I do the following: take freeze dried strawberries from Trader Joes, smash them into a powder, and add honey along with a tiny bit of water. Mix it all up and pour into a 3oz GoToob. It's meant for travel, but made of food grade material. Flip the top and squeeze some out! Tastes a bit like strawberry jam...you can alter the strawberry to honey ratio to make it more or less sweet. If you are looking for something less processed, it's nice to know that you will only have honey, strawberries, and water as ingredients. 0
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I don't like the consistancy of the gu's and started using the chews. I started with the Clif Shot Blocks as they were a little more natural then some of the other chews, and easier on my stomach. But I have recently found the honey sticker chews, which I love! They are easier to chew and don't bother my stomach. I generally eat half a pack at each fuel. I try to fuel every 5 miles (now that I'm training for a full) just not sure how I"m going to carry all those chews during the race
on my training runs I stop at my car. 0 -
I'm a cheapskate and make my own...... in a gel flask 3 parts honey, 1 part molasses (tastes like to old Halloween candies that pulled your filling out) a pinch of salt and a bit of water to thin it out a bit (makes the equivalent of 4 gels or so in 1 flask at a fraction of the cost)0
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I like to eat blocks. One every other mile. Keeps the cals coming in small dosages to lower the chance of GI distress.0
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For Marathons I like the vanilla bean and mocha love GUs. Just past the halfway mark I shoot a 5 hour energy.
Im going to have to try that!0 -
Thanks for all the good advice, I can't wait to try mine and some GU's, even the mike and ikes sound good, but do they provide enough fuel? How often should I fuel during a marathon? I've heard a lot of different ranges!0
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I like Hammer Gel Vanilla but I found them to be a bit pricey, I tried Honey Stinger this weekend and found them to be decent also.
For timing of fuel, there are a lot of differnt recomendations out there. I normally go ~10 miles before I take my first gel then again around 15 and 20. If I am feeling weak I might take one earlier and if I am feeling strong I will delay on the second and third gel. I usually take 4 with me for the race and I will snatch a couple of whatever they have on course for emergencies; even if I don't need them someone else might bonk that you can give it to.0 -
I just use pure honey. It's the only thing my stomach has been able to tolerate. I've carried a 6oz honey bear bottle with me throughout my last 2 marathons & training. This season, I'm using GoHoney! packets I bought online. they come in a 3.5 oz packet.0
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I've tried all of these and it seem to work for me. I just can't handle the consistency and sweetness of GUs or GU chews. Too much for me, and I prefer "real" food to the sports jelly beans, etc. So here's my list:
- M&Ms (plain and the pretzel ones)
- Gummy bears
- Plain flour tortillas (I know, I know, crazy bulky and weird, but it works for me)0 -
Seriously. The organic baby food that comes in pouches are excellent ways to get fuel naturally without all the sugar. And they taste good. You can get them at just about any grovery store.0
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I don't like taking the gels straight so before I run I pre-mix a gel with water in those little Nathan fuel belt bottles. My favorite gels were the e-Gels from Crank Sports but we currently have a bunch of GU due to getting a great sale price a while back.0
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I love the Vega endurance gels! No refined sugar in those puppies. They're great.0
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One thing to watch for with foods you need to chew: It's tough to do when your are out of breath! In a marathon typically you're not, but in a half, you're going to be breathing heavily and it will be difficult to chew. Personally I use vanilla GUs at the start of the race and then switch to lemon-lime when I can't handle the sweetness any more.0
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Hello fellow long distancers! I am running the Honolulu Marathon and would like race fuel ideas!!! I have tried a couple of the gels but they are just sickeningly sweet, I currently have hammer gel mountain huckleberry and honey stinger chews that I will be trying on my 12 miler this Monday, but I think I may lean more towards chewy fuels, but I just wanted some input of good ones that you all have tried! Thank you!!!!
If you're interested in rolling your own, check out energygelcentral.com
Lots of excellent information (including when to fuel up).
I've used their premixed powder - pour it into a saucepan, add a little water, stir over medium heat for a few minutes, and let it cool. After that, pour it in an empty water bottle in the fridge. With about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, it tastes like lemonade gel!
Why a premix instead of just honey or other "sweet stuff"? There's more info on the site but, in short, the more simple the sugar (glucose is a very simple sugar), the more water it takes to get the sugar into the bloodstream. IIRC, glucose takes 8 times as much water as a very complex sugar. Also, a blend of sugars (there are three types of carbs, based on the "length" of the molecule) gives a more even delivery of glucose - pure glucose is digested very quickly and then the more complex carbs are broken down and absorbed over a longer period so there's an even supply of CHO to the system.
My last batch was lemon flavoring with a little blueberry syrup - tasted great!0 -
Seriously. The organic baby food that comes in pouches are excellent ways to get fuel naturally without all the sugar. And they taste good. You can get them at just about any grovery store.
It's gonna be sugar, regardless.
Yes, the bees might have listened to Brahms but it's still C6 H12 O6 just like we learned in high school.0 -
I usually put a GU in my water and then munch on caffinated Sport Beans throughout the middle/2nd half of the run. I like them because they aren't nasty when warm.0
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Gu chocolate outrage w/caffeine is my current favorite. In my training runs lasting more than two hours, I pop one at 45 minutes or so and another one an hour later. Pre - run, i eat a banana and drink 8 oz of biotta beet juice. I am a newbie at all this, so I am just playing around with different combinations to see what works. I am pretty hungry when I finish, but not unbearably so. I finish with ghiardelli hot chocolate as soon as I get home. I mix the chocolate and put it in a container in the fridge before I go out. Then I pour it over ice. That's the best part of the run!
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I'm not a fan of all the gels and chews and whatnot - they all taste bizarre to me, and make me curse life for at least half a mile.
So, I invested in this book called 'Feedzone Portables' and am very pleased!
It has, besides some good insides on when and how much 'fuel' to take, some very good recipes for 'on the run' food - I particularly like their rice cakes, both the sweet and the savory ones.
it takes some time cooking and preparing, but at least I know Im getting 'real' food, that actually tastes good0 -
Accelerade (protein-laced sports drink, more filling) and Gu, but only on >2hr runs. Anything <2hr is banana and OJ. Maybe a handful of Skittles as I zip out the door.0
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I don't like the consistancy of the gu's and started using the chews. I started with the Clif Shot Blocks as they were a little more natural then some of the other chews, and easier on my stomach. But I have recently found the honey sticker chews, which I love! They are easier to chew and don't bother my stomach. I generally eat half a pack at each fuel. I try to fuel every 5 miles (now that I'm training for a full) just not sure how I"m going to carry all those chews during the race on my training runs I stop at my car.
That was my concern too how I would carry all my fuels, but I found this lightweight thin Nathan belt basically a tiny fanny pack and it's barely noticeable while running yet holds all the chews!!!0 -
I like Hammer Gel Vanilla but I found them to be a bit pricey, I tried Honey Stinger this weekend and found them to be decent also.
For timing of fuel, there are a lot of differnt recomendations out there. I normally go ~10 miles before I take my first gel then again around 15 and 20. If I am feeling weak I might take one earlier and if I am feeling strong I will delay on the second and third gel. I usually take 4 with me for the race and I will snatch a couple of whatever they have on course for emergencies; even if I don't need them someone else might bonk that you can give it to.
Thank you for the advice!!!!!0
