At what point do I need GUs, etc?

WandaVaughn wrote: »

I'm training for a half marathon and so far my long run is up to 8 miles. I have to start my early morning running while fasting (meds). Up until now I've been fine to wait until the run is finished to eat something. At what point do I need to bring something along for while I run?

It's very individual. For my first HM I experimented with gels and chews in training, then opted for gels on race day. Essentially I didn't need the gels in training, which led to an added boost in the race.

For a HM I'll take an SIS gel every 30 minutes, after a bowl of porridge after getting up.

For training runs up to 16 miles I don't bother now, but will carry a couple of gels for longer runs and take them at about 45 minutes on those sessions.

You just need to experiment to find out what you need.

Fwiw training for that first HM I only experimented on runs of more than 10 miles.

I prefer to run on an empty stomach. For all of my training runs that are 8+ miles, I would take gummy bears or those Gatorade chews with me to have after an hour or 6 miles or so. Apparently your glycogen reserves are supposed to last about an hour; not sure how true this is, but seemed about right for me. Also, might be a good idea to find out if your race offers any GU along the route, and at what mile. Then, you can try it for yourself on a training run. The Half that I did offered them at mile 7 or 8.

Any run longer than about 8 miles, I find that some sort of fuel makes a pretty big difference for me. My theory on this is that I'm kind of small, so my immediately-available energy stores are limited. I know plenty of people who can and do run half marathons without any special fueling, so it just depends on what works for you.

I wouldn't say there's a point at which you NEED to start fueling. But as your runs get longer, if you start to feel like you're hitting a wall at mile 9 or 10, for example, try a gel or something after mile 6 or 7, and see if it helps.

Over 15 miles for me.

If you eat well before your race, you probably don't actually need anything for a HM, however it can give a real psychological boost during your race or more difficult long runs. I usually take a gel for runs over 12 miles. It is also very good to practice ahead of time if you intend to take them during your race. I had a very hard time finding ones I liked and that didn't upset my stomach too much. (The first time I took one, I had horrible cramps for about 10 minutes.) I also learned that it's better to take them earlier rather than wait until you are exhausted because a) they take about 10 minutes before the sugar/carbs helps much, and b) they are harder to digest if you take them on a completely empty stomach. That's why the package says to take one just before the race and then one every 45 minutes. Your stomach is always working on something, and never completely empty.