Long Distance Runners

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Fueling for long runs

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lporter229
lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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I have always used those little packets of Welch's Fruit chews for fuel on runs over 16 miles. They are 80 calories a packet. I have tried the Cliff shot blocks and sports beans with okay results and have never tried the gels because I have a pretty sensitive stomach. But my preference is still the chews. Can anyone tell me what, if any, advantage the performance specific gels, chews, sports beans, etc offer over regular old fruit chews? Are the fruit chews a sufficient option?

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  • ZenInTexas
    ZenInTexas Posts: 781 Member
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    I am no expert, obviously. But I think the chews and beans and stuff have sodium and electrolytes as well? Plus some have caffeine. If you are going for pure carbs and aren't worried about sodium loss I don't see why fruit chews wouldn't be a good option.
  • suetorrence
    suetorrence Posts: 163 Member
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    I use the GU brand gels for my long runs. When I was preparing for my first half marathon I had severe cramping in my calves and found the gels helped to eliminate the cramping. Not everyone needs to fuel however. For me it was a matter of trying several things until I found one that worked. On my last half I ran cramp free and felt great crossing the finish line. It is possible that bein older (67) contributes to my need for some fuel too.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
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    I was going to say what Jen said. You're really just looking for a quick absorbing sugar so the fruit chew would work. I like the shot blocks as one of my options though.
  • CodeMonkey78
    CodeMonkey78 Posts: 320 Member
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    ZenInTexas wrote: »
    I am no expert, obviously. But I think the chews and beans and stuff have sodium and electrolytes as well? Plus some have caffeine. If you are going for pure carbs and aren't worried about sodium loss I don't see why fruit chews wouldn't be a good option.

    ^ This.

    Personally, I have transitioned away from gels/chews to regular food (raisins, single organic fig bars, oatmeal bars, jelly beans, etc.) during my long runs and target about 100 Calories per hour. If it is a really long run and I need to maintain sodium and other minerals, I rotate in bottles of Skratch with my water. Like everything else, it's a personal preference and what works best for you.

    Good luck!
  • schmenge55
    schmenge55 Posts: 745 Member
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    I know a guy who was an Olympic race walker for the U.S. back in the 70s. No gels or Gatorade back then. He said he'd take a couple cans of Pepsi and let them go flat then drink that during his long races. Water, sugar, caffeine.
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    Gels have a balance of different types of CHO. One of the advantages of a product that's high in simple sugars is that they get in the bloodstream very quickly but they require more water for digestion than a substance that consists of more complex sugars.
    Best advice I can pass along is to visit this site and spend some time reading up on the topic:
    http://www.energygelcentral.com

    I've used their energy gel mix and haven't hit any issues. As always, as an experiment of one, it's impossible to determine what impact it did actually have. :smile:
  • jturnerx
    jturnerx Posts: 325 Member
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    I hardly take anything up to about 20 mile training runs. I always carry something either a package of chews or a gel which I may or may not use.

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