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Gels and drinks, when and how much?
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05-03-2013 9:49am#1
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Just another point of view to the starvation fans...
If you intend to use gels in your race you need to make sure they agree with your system. Gels are brilliant when used properly but can cause severe stomach cramps if you can't process them.
So make sure you DO try a gel at some point during a long hard run, long slow runs won't replicate race pace feeling.
Possibly of more importance then gels (and sugars) can be electrolytes which keep the dreaded cramp at bay.
No, cramps are not caused by electrolyte imbalances... Just a long standing belief
See Waterlogged or this paper 0 -
No, cramps are not caused by electrolyte imbalances... Just a long standing belief See Waterlogged or this paper
I will be taking dioralyte sachets to stop cramp onset again this year, as I have successfully done for years.
Good luck with ingesting that paper of yours:)0 -
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I take high 5 gels and their advice is ridiculous. That said, I don’t buy it’s a marketing ploy either. They work if you are dependent on requiring calories during an event. Some people have trained so they don’t need them.
Question is whether you need them or not.
In contrast to Enduro, other top guys in ultra running rely on gels, such as arguably the best ultra (trail) runner in the world at the moment, Killian Jornet. He also eats jam and nutella but try sticking them down your shorts.
http://www.irunfar.com/2011/10/race-nutrition-with-kilian-jornet.html
That said, he doesn't take anything during (short for him) 6 hour runs.
Like anything in this sport, it depends on the individual.0 -
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nerraw1111 wrote: »I take high 5 gels and their advice is ridiculous. That said, I don’t buy it’s a marketing ploy either. They work if you are dependent on requiring calories during an event. Some people have trained so they don’t need them.
Indeed! The'r marketing advice will ensure you become dependant on them by training your system to need them. Everyone uses energy when they run, obviously. But you don't need expensive bad tasting sugary gunk as a consequence. There are much better sources to draw on, including your own in-built fuel tank (fat) if you train your system appropriately.nerraw1111 wrote: »Question is whether you need them or not.
In contrast to Enduro, other top guys in ultra running rely on gels, such as arguably the best ultra (trail) runner in the world at the moment, Killian Jornet. He also eats jam and nutella but try sticking them down your shorts.http://www.irunfar.com/2011/10/race-nutrition-with-kilian-jornet.html
That said, he doesn't take anything during (short for him) 6 hour runs.
Like anything in this sport, it depends on the individual.
I doubt you'll find many people to argue that Killian isn't the best ultra trail runner in the world right now! Thanks for the link. A good read.0 -
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The theory, as I understood it anyway, is that 26 miles is just a bit beyond the distance you can run reasonably fast, but fuelled pretty much exclusively by muscle glycogen. You can run slower if you want and burn more fat, but ideally you want to just about run out of glycogen on the finish line. Also, the more glycogen you burn relative to fat, the faster you can go.
That theory sounds to me like someone trying to shoehorn the right question into the optimal answer (possibly from the point of view of marketing sports drinks/gels, or possibly driven by the notion that the arbritary distance of 42.2km is somehow magical in some way). It definitely doesn't fit in with my own personal experience (and whilst one person conforming to the theory doesn't really show anything, one person definitively not conforming to the theory shows that at the very least its not absolutely correct).Did they exist back then? They're no different to sports drinks though really, and I'd be surprised if some top marathoners don't (or didn't) use them. Don't they put their own drinks out on the course in advance? Reminds me, I've a vague memory of Jerry Kiernan talking about it. I think he said both himself and Treacy only used water, and there was something about the '84 Olympic marathon, and some shenanigans with runners stealing each others drinks. Kiernan accused Treacy of stealing his, because someone had taken Treacy's and he knew Kiernan's was just water :pac:
Their lack of existance back then is exactly my point. Ireland's top performing marathon runners ever didn't need to use expensive gunk to achieve their performances. Gels are not required (and in my own opinion are actually counter-productive most of the time). I'm sure some top runners do use them. Nobody's perfect
Good story. Just goes to show that those kind of shenanigans at aid stations go all the way to the top of the pile! 0 -
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@Enduro, would you take on anything other than water at Marathon distance? What about longer races, would you stick to solid fuel i.e. real food?
I generally wouldn't take on water at all, as I'm not a fan of the taste. If I was grabbing a drink I'd go for something flavoured. The last 2 Marathons I did were both off-roaders (Mourne Way Marathon and Causeway Coast Marathon). They had a rule about it being mandatory to carry emergency food and drink. So I had about 400ml of some variety of isotonic drink with me in my hand, and that was all I can remember drinking. I didn't need to stop at the aid stations (I think I still have the course record for both races).
For longer races I try to get as much fuel in liquid form as possible. These days I like proteing shake type drinks. The "for goodness shakes" have tasty flavours and go down easily so I bring along some sachets of those for myself. They're essentially milkshakes, which I love, and also are more likely to make you feel satiated and less hungry as a result. I'm taking less and less solid food these days, but always aim for something "real" if I can get it, so the meats and cheeses available at the UTMB aid stations are prefect, for example. One reason for taking less solids is that it (Hopefully) cuts down on the need for longer "Nature breaks".0 -
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