58 replies to this topic

[NvrGiveUp]

Hi folks

This is a question about energy gels/ power gels/ gels etc. Ive seen them around and considered buying them, but not sure on how to use them or when appropriate to use them.

So can i ask..
1) What do you use?
2) When do you use it?
3) Where to buy?

Thanks in advance.

-NGU

Edited by NvrGiveUp, 17 October 2008 - 09:47 AM.

[aura111]

1)   What ?Normally GU in most flavours. Sometimes the very salty and caffiene loaded Powerbar ones when I've been sweating a lot.
2) When ? As per instructions 15minutes b4 then every 45 while running/training. I tried skimping on them a few times in training but the consequences weren't good so now just take as instructed
3) Where ? Rebel, Safeway/Woolies

Is this for a marketing company? If so I want some freebies!

[NvrGiveUp]

No not for a marketing company. Sorry i should of made that clear, i know how the forum views marketing posts..


This is moreso for myself.. ive seen these things around a fairbit and never fully understood why you'd need them unless u doing something like 20km+ run, 100km+ ride, HIM, or IM.

Aura - when you say you take them for ur running training, what type of distances are you covering during the session?

[Leofisio]

I was instructed by a sports dietician to use gels only for training sessions longer than 90 minutes, othewise the body will never adapt to fat burning... additionally it is important to find a gel that suits you (flavour,etc) and this choice must be done in training (how to open, how your body reacted to it, etc...) rather than during races, etc...

My wife tried gels before, and she always get sick using them, she prefers to drink isotonic drinks or having jelly beans for example...

For training/races under 90-100min gels are unecessary (in my opinion)...

Leo

Edited by Leofisio, 17 October 2008 - 12:18 PM.

[NvrGiveUp]

Leo - thanks for your post! just the info i was looking for.

Cheers

[Sunset]

I think gels are a pretty individual thing as to when you want to take them.  The general consensus seems to be that they aren't needed for exercise up to 90 minutes, however I've also seen up to 75 minutes.

If you think you will be exercising over 90 minutes, it's important to start taking them before you get to that 90 minute mark.

Personally I probably overuse gels and if I am going for a long run (about 90 - 100 minutes for me), I will take a gel at about the 50-60 minute mark.  But I'm not aiming for anything special - just to enjoy my running. And gels help me enjoy my running more.

[Leofisio]

[quote name='Sunset' date='Oct 17 2008, 12:09 PM' post='396354']
I think gels are a pretty individual thing as to when you want to take them.  The general consensus seems to be that they aren't needed for exercise up to 90 minutes, however I've also seen up to 75 minutes.

If you think you will be exercising over 90 minutes, it's important to start taking them before you get to that 90 minute mark.

Personally I probably overuse gels and if I am going for a long run (about 90 - 100 minutes for me), I will take a gel at about the 50-60 minute mark.  But I'm not aiming for anything special - just to enjoy my running. And gels help me enjoy my running more.
[/quote

I do exactly the same Sunset, if I go for a 2 hours run, I would have the gel half way (50-60min)...

Leo

[cliffold]

I don't bother with them for training runs under 3 hours - prefer ripe bananas and sports drink
For longer runs take my first at 30k and then as needed

Hated them initially but have now learned just to suck them down in one go and not hold it in the mouth. Need to have lots of water on hand to wash it down

Disclaimer - I am not a fast runner & have not done more than 6 runs over 30k

[NvrGiveUp]

runs for 2 hours????? omg..

ok off topic but what distances are you guys covering? are u training for HIM or IM?

[ican]

I only started using gels in my recent marathon training and marathon run.  I experiemented with heaps and found PowerBar gels the best.  I don't take them for long slow runs less than 2 hours.  I like to get my body used to low fuel/fat burn.  For longer runs or faster long runs I take my first at about 90 minutes and then every 45 minutes if there's available water.  I buy them from Coles, they come in Chocolate or Banana/Strawberry (with caffeine).

[Plazbot]

I have found that something like concentrated Endura powder does better for me than gels. Gels can sometimes overload your gut if you dump them in too quick or without enough water to dilute them. To be safe, for every gel, look to take in 250ml of water (at least). In my experience, overfeeding is far worse than underfeeding.

Personally, I just go water for anything in training up to 3 hours if easy stuff. What I have noticed is that for hard sessions of 60-90 minutes, if I drop some carb in be it a gel of drink, I recover in the legs much better for the next day. Gels get pretty expensive though if you train with them and powdered stuff is much the same. You can even just get maltodextrin from the home brew area of your local Coles and mix them up yourself.

You would be surprised just how far you can go on nothing if you take it fairly easy. I did a 60km night time run/survival event (8 hours) on 2 fun size mars bars and 500ml water but did a big time carbo load before. I had the fuzzy vision at the end but still did not keel over. Also did a 36km run on water alone just to see what would happen....... I blew up real bad and had to have a sit down at about 34 kays though.... hmm.... maybe should have had a gel.


This topic is a real can of worms and usually ends up with many different angles. I think the key points are that for 90 minutes or less, you don't need anything BUT if you want to back up, some carb during or immediately after (the following 20 minutes) is essential for your muscle glycogen stores. Also, yu have to take fluids with any carb (gels powders etc) an that has to be 6-8% concentration in a perfect world (I find 10% is OK). What this % is is the amount of carb in the gel (most are 22-25 grams per gel) to water. 25 grams in 1 gel, 250 ml of water = 10% concentration. the rest is just personal prefecrence.... unless you are going to use High 5 gels as they are absolute junk.

[robbo22]

Plazbot, on Oct 18 2008, 05:39 PM, said:

I have found that something like concentrated Endura powder does better for me than gels. Gels can sometimes overload your gut if you dump them in too quick or without enough water to dilute them. To be safe, for every gel, look to take in 250ml of water (at least). In my experience, overfeeding is far worse than underfeeding.

Personally, I just go water for anything in training up to 3 hours if easy stuff. What I have noticed is that for hard sessions of 60-90 minutes, if I drop some carb in be it a gel of drink, I recover in the legs much better for the next day. Gels get pretty expensive though if you train with them and powdered stuff is much the same. You can even just get maltodextrin from the home brew area of your local Coles and mix them up yourself.

You would be surprised just how far you can go on nothing if you take it fairly easy. I did a 60km night time run/survival event (8 hours) on 2 fun size mars bars and 500ml water but did a big time carbo load before. I had the fuzzy vision at the end but still did not keel over. Also did a 36km run on water alone just to see what would happen....... I blew up real bad and had to have a sit down at about 34 kays though.... hmm.... maybe should have had a gel.


This topic is a real can of worms and usually ends up with many different angles. I think the key points are that for 90 minutes or less, you don't need anything BUT if you want to back up, some carb during or immediately after (the following 20 minutes) is essential for your muscle glycogen stores. Also, yu have to take fluids with any carb (gels powders etc) an that has to be 6-8% concentration in a perfect world (I find 10% is OK). What this % is is the amount of carb in the gel (most are 22-25 grams per gel) to water. 25 grams in 1 gel, 250 ml of water = 10% concentration. the rest is just personal prefecrence.... unless you are going to use High 5 gels as they are absolute junk.

High5 gels are absolutely crap.


Sessions up to and including 60mins, water only.
Up to 90mins, I'll take a banana only and eat it about the halfway mark, or whenever really. I dont like the aftertaste tackiness in my mouth or lack of ease with refilling sports drink with carbs in it mid ride (electrolyte solution: salt stick capsules! amazing), but if i did, i'd ditch the banana in favour of a powerade/similar.

2hrs +, i'll try not to eat within 2 hours of exercise, but will have a banana 15mins before, then will have 2 gels per hour usually.  But 3 hours of nothing but gels makes me want to cry, so in place of a gel, i'll chuck in an energy bar (carbo shotz make the best flavours), or banana. So 3 hours will normally mean 4 gels, a banana and a bar (plus the banana or gel 15mins before).
But if i've had a substantial meal within the 2hrs, like breakfast, or a social cafe stop mid-ride (essentially splitting the ride in 2), i won't eat for the 60-90mins on the bike.

I've tried basically all the popular brands of gels (including all flavours), and carbo shotz come in #2 to GU, for me.  The only thing I don't like about carbo shotz, is i can't have a second gel of the same flavour on any given session - massive flavour fatigue... tastes like ass the second time round.  Doesn't happen with GU for me.


In my experience, cyclists/triathletes are big on gels, runners not as much.  Probably because most runners don't go out for more than a 16km run at any one time, which is probably equivalent energy wise to 90mins on the bike, which as most people (myself included), don't really worry about anything.
I can't decide, when i'm running, if it's better to mix a GU gel in with 200ml of water in my little water bottles and drink that over the 30mins, or do as i do when cycling, and take it all followed by a mouthful of water, followed by 30mins of normal water exercise drinking.

Was that ramble enough?    

[NvrGiveUp]

thanks again for the replies everyone.

[rohan]

following the recommendation of the legendary plazbot (in a thread on transitions), i started ordering in endura gels from http://www.sportyshealth.com/  when you get them in bulk they work out to $1-70 each, and that's delivered to your door.

i only use gels on runs over two hours, and then i use them more sparingly than i would use them in a race.

for longish rides i use real food. (for me that's 90km +)

[NvrGiveUp]

rohan, on Oct 19 2008, 10:40 PM, said:

for longish rides i use real food. (for me that's 90km +)

Rohan - what food do you use? bananas?
My current weekly long session of approx 11-12k is < 1hr so havent had the need for gels etc, but iam trying to increase my cycling from 70km max - to 90ish.. which is why i originally put the post up in the triathlon section.
For 70km rides i get pretty hungry.. heck.. even for 50km rides i start to feel abit hungry!

[Sunset]

I've been getting back on the bike lately and doing some 50 - 60km rides with cycling groups.

I normally have something light before I go - banana or piece of toast, and then have a little bit of sports drink along the way.  I've noticed that no cyclists are using gels and some don't even have sports drink.  I've been finishing the rides being ravenous and sometimes a bit shaky too.

Are these other cyclists eating bigger breaky's or they are just strong and tough?
I would like a gel or a banana along the way but don't want to look like a wuss.

[NvrGiveUp]

with the food thing - i think its all depednant on the person. I'd eat a small-med banana 1hr before a 50-60k ride and wouldnt get shaky. but would get hungry depending on what else ive eaten throughout the day.

ive got a friend (a grad racer) who only eats a couple of bikkies before heading off to do 70-100km rides.

i figured if i increase the kms to 70+ id need something otherwise my stomach would eat itself LOL

about the sports drink: i found that pre-bottled sports drinks leave my mouth too sticky and even more thirsty on rides.
Speaking with some of the bunch i ride with, this is the same feedback i get. So am now saving the sports drinks as a post ride thing.

[easyhalf]

  How about is the new issue of Runners World Mag, they have an arttical on gels and in states that Lance Armstrong in his first marathon had 15 gels in his 2 hr 59 min debut !!!!!!!!!!!
Hungry boy !

[DontStop]

I guess it helps when you've got an entourage running alongside you.

Imagine carrying 15 gels...

[alisonjc]

Sunset, on Oct 19 2008, 08:04 PM, said:

I've been getting back on the bike lately and doing some 50 - 60km rides with cycling groups.

I normally have something light before I go - banana or piece of toast, and then have a little bit of sports drink along the way.  I've noticed that no cyclists are using gels and some don't even have sports drink.  I've been finishing the rides being ravenous and sometimes a bit shaky too.

Are these other cyclists eating bigger breaky's or they are just strong and tough?
I would like a gel or a banana along the way but don't want to look like a wuss.

I reckon eat what you need (even a bit more sometimes) What you need is more important than what other people think.

Edited by alisonjc, 06 November 2008 - 01:30 PM.

[NvrGiveUp]

some feedback on this..
ive yet to get hungry enough to warrant any food/supps on my rides.. but then again, my max rides are 50-70km-ish.. ive found that fun sized milkyways.. or a small banana helps just incase..

however i still need to look into this topic for tri-races..

[Mick]

NvrGiveUp, on Nov 11 2008, 12:47 PM, said:

ive yet to get hungry enough to warrant any food/supps on my rides..

perhaps hunger is like thirst, if you wait for this signal it is too late and your performance is already sub-optimal ?

But yeah, if only doing 2 hours, I wouldn't worry about calories during either.

[NvrGiveUp]

ok
need to revisit this subject.

for a race.. what gels would u use? and for what distances?

Yesterday i did a sprint.. 750swim, 20cycle, 5k run.. i took 2 gels during the cycle leg. I dont know if it was because of this, or because of the meal i had 4hours earlier.. but i suffered with stitches approx 200m into the run leg..

[rbsmith]

Plazbot said: "...unless you are going to use High 5 gels as they are absolute junk."

Robbo22 said: "High5 gels are absolutely crap."

In what way? Performance?

Is this just your personal preference or do you have any evidence?

The reason that I ask is I have recently bought a box of High 5 gels. I have tried various brands of gel over the years and I find High 5 as good as any in terms of performance.

[Nate]

NvrGiveUp, on Dec 7 2008, 06:45 PM, said:

ok
need to revisit this subject.

for a race.. what gels would u use? and for what distances?

Yesterday i did a sprint.. 750swim, 20cycle, 5k run.. i took 2 gels during the cycle leg. I dont know if it was because of this, or because of the meal i had 4hours earlier.. but i suffered with stitches approx 200m into the run leg..

I use gels for anything over 20k. I'm usually doing these 20k runs hard so will down one at about 40-45min just to keep me going. For training runs longer than that (20-60k) I try to stick to having one every 50 minutes. I use GU because of the size and how easy they are to take, always have with water. I also have Caffienated Gu and Non-Caffienated GU, try to use non-caffiene ones mainly and then a caffiene one (Espresso or Plain) towards the end of a run when I need a kick.

Depending on the timing of your sprint (how fast you were going) 2 gels might have been too much. I'm not that experienced when it comes to tris but if you did the swim in 15 minutes, then the Bike in 40 minutes and the run in 25 minutes then you'd be due for a gel towards the end of the bike (45-50 minutes into the race). I used to always just have sportsdrink on the bike during my tris (never did longer than a sprint) and that was sufficient.

Practice makes progress

Nate

[PhilN]

rbsmith, on Feb 19 2009, 01:10 PM, said:

Plazbot said: "...unless you are going to use High 5 gels as they are absolute junk."

Robbo22 said: "High5 gels are absolutely crap."

In what way? Performance?

Is this just your personal preference or do you have any evidence?

The reason that I ask is I have recently bought a box of High 5 gels. I have tried various brands of gel over the years and I find High 5 as good as any in terms of performance.

I am with you rbsmith I have tried many different types of gels and found the High 5 easy to swallow than the thicker ones and liked the taste.They can be hard to find though. GU has a good range of flavours so they were my second choice. Others were a bit sweet or to thick and stuck to the roof of my mouth. As Maltodextrin is the main ingredient I did not find any no major difference between brands in the "help" they gave me on my long runs some just tasted bad.
I worked out my Gel Strategy by trial and error on my long runs and tried to take them at the same points as I would my race pushing the first one out as far as I possibly could, even trialled Gel/Sports Drink/Gel at various intervals to see if this upset my stomach.
So as mentioned previously try a few brands, and work out what is best for you

Edited by PhilN, 19 February 2009 - 09:19 PM.

[Andolate]

I read with interest that nearly everyone mixes their gels up with water.
I only use the PB sports gel that I get from Safeway in the lemon lime flavour. I have no trouble swallowing it without water at all. Not even after having the gel do I have water.

does anyone else here use or have tried the PB Gel. Having read the difference between the PB and others there does not seem to be much of a difference nutrition wise.

Andolate

[StellaBella]

Andolate, on Feb 20 2009, 11:59 AM, said:

I read with interest that nearly everyone mixes their gels up with water.
I only use the PB sports gel that I get from Safeway in the lemon lime flavour. I have no trouble swallowing it without water at all. Not even after having the gel do I have water.

does anyone else here use or have tried the PB Gel. Having read the difference between the PB and others there does not seem to be much of a difference nutrition wise.

Andolate

I dont mix mine with water... i think it tastes foul! I do however chase the gel with some water bce let's face it, even the nice ones don't taste that fabulous!
I've only ever used Gu & Carboshotz... prefer the former for convenience/size/flavours but can get the latter at a discount! Never had PB but am about to head off to Safeway... I mean Woolies (18 months on and I still get it wrong) so will have a look if they have them.

[Suzy]

Gels are designed to be washed down with water because otherwise they would be too concentrated and likely to cause stomach problems when exercising.
I tend to not use them much during training (try to teach my body to burn more fats), but during a race I use them. For tri's I always have a gel 10mins before the swim start, then use sports drink on the bike and either sports drink or gels on the run.  There are some good race nutrition plans on the High 5 website for various race types.  I've tried lots of different gels and I find High 5 as good as any other, but I particularly like their taste and consistency.

[bigbaz]

Ok so i was looking at GU in rebel the other day, and it is majority sugar, i have little to no sugar in my diet so i do not think my stomach would react well to this on all my runs (admittedly shorter runs i only have water, never a sports drink as once again it is full of sugar and dehydrates me. If i need an energy kick i take no xplode 15 minutes before training, this takes an hour to kick in for me, if i was to start longer runs this would not work for me later in the run, are there any low sugar alternatives people would use? or should i just give gels a go and see how i react, but also worried about the sugar dehydrating me so would rather some low / no sugar alternatives

[kezza13]

bigbaz, on Mar 4 2009, 04:35 PM, said:

Ok so i was looking at GU in rebel the other day, and it is majority sugar, i have little to no sugar in my diet so i do not think my stomach would react well to this on all my runs (admittedly shorter runs i only have water, never a sports drink as once again it is full of sugar and dehydrates me. If i need an energy kick i take no xplode 15 minutes before training, this takes an hour to kick in for me, if i was to start longer runs this would not work for me later in the run, are there any low sugar alternatives people would use? or should i just give gels a go and see how i react, but also worried about the sugar dehydrating me so would rather some low / no sugar alternatives

I used the GU gels whilst training for Melb Mar last year but only for my 20km + runs.  I don't have a lot of sugar in my diet but found these gels went down OK.  I felt the caffine ones made a differnce but I didn't feel much different with the ones that didn't have any caffiene.  I am not one to need to drink much during my runs and I can't say that these gels made any difference to hydration to me either.

As I don't like to run on a full stomach, I have also used them prior to a 15km+ run (I'm a morning runner) and have felt good doing this.  This time I don't need the caffeine ones, just need some calories in my stomach to keep me going.

Everyone is different - I suggest that you try a couple in a couple of different scenarios and see how you go - certainly DON'T wait 'til race day!

[KT26]

bigbaz, on Mar 4 2009, 04:35 PM, said:

Ok so i was looking at GU in rebel the other day, and it is majority sugar, i have little to no sugar in my diet so i do not think my stomach would react well to this on all my runs (admittedly shorter runs i only have water, never a sports drink as once again it is full of sugar and dehydrates me. If i need an energy kick i take no xplode 15 minutes before training, this takes an hour to kick in for me, if i was to start longer runs this would not work for me later in the run, are there any low sugar alternatives people would use? or should i just give gels a go and see how i react, but also worried about the sugar dehydrating me so would rather some low / no sugar alternatives

Hi bigbaz

Do all types of sugars dehydrate you? You might like to experiment. For example, the sports drink Endura only has fructose in it, and no lactose or sucrose. Different gels have different types of sugars in them as well. Clif gels have brown rice syrup only, whereas Gu gels have sucrose and fructose.

I tend not to use gels much either, and prefer to go with whole food and Endura. However, I do like to have a gel before a race! They definitely give you an extra kick.

[Gandhionaharley]

Hi everyone, (late comer to this conversation)

I am training for my first HM this year. So far my longest run is ~1hr 20min. The diary I'm following will eventually get up to about 2hr runs on Sundays.

So far I have no real desire to use a supplement and from what has been posted I'm probably not needing to either.

It seems also from the conversation so far that even once I hit 2 hrs it is not a requirement for training runs, but would it be recommended to perform well on race day? If so should I start trying different gels / etc now so I can work out what I like?

[Gandhionaharley]

TKR, on Mar 16 2009, 07:41 PM, said:

Dear GHH,

I'd be trying now, to work out what suits your requirements, I think that it is important to remember what you've eaten the day before , the day of your long run and your hydration intake. I too am working out what makes the long runs more comfortable, and despite the general opinion of very little intake during a half M, I'm finding that some supplements are making a huge difference to how I feel whilst running. ( This could be due to inadequate nutrition on my part, still a work in progress)

As an example last week was my longest run 17K at 1:47 i needed 1 L 1/2 strength gatorade, 10 glucodin tablets  ( total 240kj) what felt difficult at the end was not so much energy levels but knee issues. I will try a gel one week but am uncertain how tolerant my gut will be.

All the best

TKR

TKR,

Sounds like a good plan, I am totally clueless about all the supplement options so will have to have a closer look at it all based on what has been said here....

I know what you mean about nutrition, I feel like I do ok during the week, but then the weekend can be terrbile. Then at the end of my worst two days nutritionally I go for a big run

Still part of me feels like I'm cheating by eating stuff while I run.....

Cheers,

Clinton

[NvrGiveUp]

this whole issue seems to be a hit and miss thing with me... i did another sprint tri .. but this time no gels during the race... i also didnt overeat before the race.. which helped me avoid almost puking my guts out during the swim (which is what happened in my previous tri that i mentioned)..

anyhows... havent had the need for gels yet during my runs.. as they are only 8-12km max.... iam more concerned about water though..

for my bike rides.. i done a few rides around 80km mark.. but have found that i get pretty hungry if im doing anything more than 50km first thing in the morning.. so i tend to take a few jelly beans and gulp them down about half way into the ride... dunno if jelly beans are the best thing (they are basically clumps of sugar, close enough to a gel)... im careful not to take tooo many... and try to take in abit of water to help absorption.... im still trying to suss out exactly how many jelly beans is the right balance for me, as i have felt as though ive bonked out on one or two of my rides that were 80km..

keen to hear other peoples experiences..

Edited by NvrGiveUp, 27 May 2009 - 08:10 PM.

[bruncle]

Have never taken gels ever. I've done quite a few 30k long runs before breakfast on nothing at all (big dinner the night before). This is about the point of bonking for me and I think if I went longer than that I'd need to take something. Cycling wise, I find I last about 120k before bonking (I eat a big breakfast before leaving). I generally take along some energy bars of my own creation (involving massive amounts of golden syrup, treacle, rice malt syrup, cocoa and other yummy/sugary things) and find that works pretty well.

Did a 15hr double century last Sunday and took along 9 sandwiches, 6 energy bars, 2L of dilute gatorade, 3 bananas and 2 apples. It was too much and I ended up puking at the end because my stomach couldn't handle it. Energy wise it worked well though.

[KRW]

Here's a link to an excellent eBook if you're interested in educating yourself on the 'How', 'Why', 'What', 'When' of fueling with gels/powders etc

Fueling Handbook

Despite it being a massive sell for Hammer Nutrition, the science and principles are very sound (NB - I have absolutely no affiliation with Hammer Nutrition).

[NvrGiveUp]

i think i need to start eating more the night before and atleast eat something before ducking out for a 70k+ ride..

[Rico]

I've run up to 42.2kms in the past and do almost 2 hours each Sunday morning and have never used any kind of gel or ever had anything more than a mouthful of gatorade on the run.  And I don't eat for 10-12 hours before a run (have a big dinner and then run early in the morning).

I have a sensitive stomach that I like to keep empty when exercising.

But since refueling seems to be taken for granted by most long distance runners I'm obviously intrigued by the possibility that my long runs could be either easier or faster if I took it up.  Especially as I'm eyeing off a couple of marathon distance events in the next 12 months.

There seems to be a tradeoff between using them in training (since I'd never do something on race day that I wasn't used to in training), vs using the training sessions to teach my body to run on empty/use fat stores.

[KRW]

Rico...

Don't think there is an doubt you can perform without powders/gels etc.

The real question is 'Can you perform at your maximum potential without proper fueling through powers/gels?'

The short answer is No.

Any long distance endurance athlete worth their salt can vouch for that...

[bruncle]

Rico, on May 28 2009, 12:17 PM, said:

There seems to be a tradeoff between using them in training (since I'd never do something on race day that I wasn't used to in training), vs using the training sessions to teach my body to run on empty/use fat stores.

Hey Rico,
you raise an interesting point regarding training sessions designed to maximise fat burning. I used to think the same thing and actually viewed a session where I completely exhausted my glycogen stores as a good thing for that very reason. I read a study recently (don't have a link sorry), which said that bonking/running on empty actually predisposes you to bonk earlier in the future. It's kind of like the 'memory' effect of nickel cadmium batteries. Your body brings in protection mechanisms to stop you getting so low in glycogen and your usable reserve of CHO diminishes each time you go past the point of bonking. Point I took out of it is that it's good to get close to CHO exhaustion, but crossing that line is a bad thing. So it may be wise to take along some kind of sugar supply on your long runs to top up your stores towards the end of the run.

I know my pace definitely declines towards the end of long runs when I feel like I've run out of fuel. Legs still feel fine, but there's not much left in the tank.

[sticko]

I have opted to using fruit bars - They come in a pack of 25 for around $4.00, they are moist and easy to carry, more so on the bike - dont melt like other bars.

[Johnso]

bruncle, on May 27 2009, 09:22 PM, said:

Have never taken gels ever. I've done quite a few 30k long runs before breakfast on nothing at all (big dinner the night before). This is about the point of bonking for me and I think if I went longer than that I'd need to take something. Cycling wise, I find I last about 120k before bonking (I eat a big breakfast before leaving). I generally take along some energy bars of my own creation (involving massive amounts of golden syrup, treacle, rice malt syrup, cocoa and other yummy/sugary things) and find that works pretty well.

Er, does bonking mean something different in Australia than it does in NZ? I hope so  

[windcrusader]

Like most running topics there seems to be a lot of hearsay and anecdotal evidence regarding the use of gels.

In much of the stuff I have read, they indicate that you should try to avoid using gels, energy drinks etc during training because this prevents your body from going into 'fat burning' mode and hence you are compromising your training and your natural adaptations. However, I haven't seen too much of the science behind this and am not totally sure if it is true or not.

Does anyone know what the research says regarding this? Does using gels in long runs really compromise the benefits of your training? And if not, how much carbo should you take in and when? I don't know the answers, so I would be really interested if anyone has the researched facts.

[tmg74]

I use Accel Gels for runs only over 32 km, and for half marathon and full marathon but haven't been able to find them in Oz.  

Generally I consume about 250-300 calories of food before a race and won't start taking gels until 70 minutes into my run.  

I only usually take 2 gels for the full marathon distance and very little fluid replacement drink -  my stomach just can't handle anything more.

[penfold]

Hi,

I have only just started testing gels in the last few months.  My wife bought a powerbar
gel from Coles that I tried it just before a long run in training for the Cadbury Half.
It tasted OK and I had no worries digesting it with about 200ml of water as a chaser.

I tried a triberry GU Gel just before the Cadbury Half as these were in the goody pack
for this event.  This was REALLY yummy, and it went down well again with a few
mouthfuls of water as a chaser.

As I am now training for a debut marathon I looked online and saw a website selling
20 packs of Endura Gels for $34 and free postage for orders over $40 so I went for
1*vanilla and 1*raspeberry for $68.  So far I have only had one of each but have
liked both.  I had one with water during a break of a 30km run and 1 without water
about 10ks into a 25km run.  Both went down OK.

I probably will stick to 1-2 gels for long runs over 25kms except for probaly one
training run where I will try a few more just to see whether I fell any benefit or
get any stomach troubles.  I am hoping that my cast iron stomach will continue to
hold its own.

One question I have for more experienced CR's is how do you carry Gel's with
you if you dont want to wear a training belt?? The only ideas I can come up with
are to leave them to pickup on the run (takes some planning) or carry them in
my hand or tucked away in my sock or jocks - all of which doesn't sound very
comfortable !!

Cheers
Penfold

just before the CAdb

tmg74, on Oct 16 2009, 06:34 AM, said:

I use Accel Gels for runs only over 32 km, and for half marathon and full marathon but haven't been able to find them in Oz.  

Generally I consume about 250-300 calories of food before a race and won't start taking gels until 70 minutes into my run.  

I only usually take 2 gels for the full marathon distance and very little fluid replacement drink -  my stomach just can't handle anything more.

[Waverider12]

penfold, on Feb 14 2010, 04:11 PM, said:

One question I have for more experienced CR's is how do you carry Gel's with
you if you dont want to wear a training belt?? The only ideas I can come up with
are to leave them to pickup on the run (takes some planning) or carry them in
my hand or tucked away in my sock or jocks - all of which doesn't sound very
comfortable !!

Cheers
Penfold

just before the CAdb

I fold the very top and pin them to the inside of my shorts, or I just carry one in my hand.

[aDrain]

I'd suggest that leaving them for a pickup is a very charitable act

Try an SPI Belt, you can fit a few in there. However it can get a little bulky with several so I tend to wear to the side so it doesn't jiggle around and annoy.

[penfold]

aDrain, on Feb 14 2010, 05:28 PM, said:

I'd suggest that leaving them for a pickup is a very charitable act

Try an SPI Belt, you can fit a few in there. However it can get a little bulky with several so I tend to wear to the side so it doesn't jiggle around and annoy.

Hi aDrain,

I took your advice and bought a SPI belt from my local running shop.  I felt a bit strnage with hit inititally but I am sure thaat I will get used to it the more I use it.

Cheers
Penfold