Quote:
Originally Posted by craigepo
I have taken to solely running trails when running. LOTS of hills on my various routes.
I must be getting old, but when I get near the ten-mile mark, I am dragging. I am wearing a water bottle, which helps, but not enough.
I am curious if anybody has any experience using these energy gel things. Specifically:
(a) which brands/flavors don't make you vomit when running;
(b) which brands actually work by keeping energy levels up;
(c) should caffeine be avoided in the energy goo(several of the brands add caffeine);
(d) what is good timing for taking the stuff;
(e) would I be better off filling my water bottle with Gatorade-type drink.
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Hammer Nutrition (out of Whitefish, MT), they have a lot of good educational material on their site that will answer a lot of your questions. They also have some very knowledgeable people manning the phones - I've gotten some really good answers from them that way as well.
I would stay away from Gatorade, it will create an acidic environment that you are trying to avoid, especially in endurance events. I typically don't do gels unless it is a multi-hour run (even then I will eat real food as Mtn Goat alluded to above), but I do take Hammer's Endurolytes, which are extremely helpful. You can do capsules, mix a powder, or do a fizz type of thing. The electrolytes may be the first thing to try, it will make a big difference if you are usually using just plain water.
A good resource for endurance fueling is Tim Noakes' book
Lore of Running. I personally stay away from gels, because most of the runs I do are at an aerobic pace that doesn't require additional carbohydrates - if you run at the correct pace you will preferentially burn fat stores. Phil Maffetone has some good stuff on his website that will explain this far better than I.