Gel Eaters

I have a gel every 30-45minutes and take it with a good swig of water!

Congratulations on your first half marathon. There are several brands of gels and you will have to decided which works best with your stomach. I like Gu and Powerbar gels. Gu makes a gel called roctane that I take pre race usually 45 minutes before. Then I try to eat a gu every 30-45 minutes. I also like the Gu chomps. If you are running with a hydration belt (especially for training) you can always put gatorade in one of your water bottles to ensure that you have carbs and calories the whole run. Good Luck and Happy Running!

Yeah the GU Chomps were what I used as well. They were a little sticky to handle sometimes. Make sure to have the bag pre-opened or put them in a ziploc bag before the race.

Hi, I've played around with various fuelling types and strategies over the years so I'll offer my experience.

First, I don't find that I need anything for less than 10 miles, but I have friend s who take some food at 6 and then regularly throughout the rest of the run.

Gels are commonly used but there are also drinks, sports jelly beans, and "normal" foods such as candy, sweets, jelly babies etc. I've even seen people taking a banana part way round. if you feel you need something during a run it is wise to experiment with a few types and brands in training. Do not be tempted to try anything new on the day of the race, I have seen people ruin their chance of a decent race by getting an upset stomach from a new gel or such.

I've used gels in the past and typically just take one for a 13 mile race (at about 9 or 10 miles). I find I need some water straight after to clear my mouth from the claggy gloop.

Having said all that I've recently stopped taking anything other than water on 13 milers. I experimented on some training runs and found that I didn't feel any better or worse whether I took something or not. But I train fasted and on race day I eat a breakfast and snack before the race so maybe that's why I don't need fuel during the race? Who knows?

The bottom line... Have an bit of a play around with a few different options and see what works for you.

Best wishes

The main thing is to try out the various gels, blocks, and food during your training runs. You don't want to start experimenting with them on race day.

Also, make sure to drink water or sports drink after you take a gel or blocks.

Everyone is different, but I love the Honey Stinger organic energy chews.

No gels needed in a half imho.

Just hydrate at some of the water stations and I'm sure you will be fine. No need to over complicate things by stuffing some vile tasting gel in your mouth.

You haven't tried clif shots raspberry then, it's like eating dessert :happy:

I trained last year with gels and used them during the Army Tun and planned on using them during the half I ran in January. The important lesson I learned was that when it's -20C gels become inedible blocks of ice (maybe next year I'll keep them tucked underneath my clothing to stay warm) but also that I didn't "need" fuel for a half marathon - between my glycogen reserves and the fat burned while running I had an adequate fuel supply on board. Having said that I'll probably use them this coming May, I don't like letting my car get down to E .......

I am trying the Honey Stingers energy chews for my 8 mile run in the morning. This will be my first time using them, so I will come back and post how they worked. I have never used the gels b/c most of them say take with water and I don't like to drink or carry water on runs, if I can help it.

I've seen some kind of Jelly Bean too, has anyone tried those?

I thought I loved sports beans until my last two races. When I train I stop to eat them because I can. But racing I found I choked on them. So I ha d a gu with me and tried it I loved it I could hold in my hand take a little at a time and swallow slowly.