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.
|
Check out
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.
Hybrid Mode
