Drinks for Marathons

Sainttoff

Hi;

Just a quick question here, does any one wear the fuel belts when running the dublin marathon or they jsut for training?

Saint

RoyMcC

If it works for you in training why change?

Sainttoff

Jsut wondering because there seems to be water stations every 3 miles!

RoyMcC

OK if you just carry water in training then yes. But don't expect your usual sports drink, energy bars etc.

And what if you get lost...:)

Sainttoff

Would the usual sport drinks and gels be gone by the time an average runner gets to them?

shels4ever

I''ve only run one marathon and wouldnt wear a drink belt as i find i jsut need some water and the water station was godo enough for me. If you have yru own drink you like and dont mind wearing the belt then go for it.

For long runs in training i used a 4-5 mile loop so could leave the water at my car so all was good, but for long laps run the belt maybe great.

RoyMcC

Sainttoff wrote: »

Would the usual sport drinks and gels be gone by the time an average runner gets to them?

To be fair I'm not sure what the Dublin Mara provides. However, as a slower runner I wouldn't like to be relying on there being much in the way of Lucozade, gels etc left by the time I came by :mad: If you have the ability to survive on water alone then no problem.

But really you hardly notice a fuel belt once you're used to it, so I'd play safe.

Sainttoff

Thats grand so! Thanks a mill!


One other question!
Are the gels worth the investment?

RoyMcC

You gotta try them and see if they work for you. I've personally found them to be of limited use but....Perhaps there are other views out there which I'd be interested to read.

shels4ever

If you do take Gel, use them in training prior , i took one during the chicago marathon but had never tired them, was nearly sick.. i think the best advise i got was never do anything out of the norm on race day or during the race.

Sainttoff

Thats the plan Shels4ever! Scehdule is going into long runs now so want to try new things out and see what works and what doesnt work!

geoff29

shels4ever wrote: »

If you do take Gel, use them in training prior , i took one during the chicago marathon but had never tired them, was nearly sick.. i think the best advise i got was never do anything out of the norm on race day or during the race.

you did the chicago marathon!?! how was that?

shels4ever

it was a great event but not one to run a time , about 30, 000 people and fo rhte first 3 miles i was running in and out of people , didnt have a great run got to half way in 1:42 but endup with a 2 hr second half. But atmosphere was great. Will do another marathon someday (maybe this year) but i'm not sure.

Racing Flat

Just picked up some gels on the way home. Will take one tomorrow on 19mile run and all the long runs from here on in up to Berlin. I would definitely recommend taking them. It will enhance your performance, no doubt about it. I think sometimes people take them and expect a sudden burst of energy, but rather than that happening you just don't die as much as you would without it. And you recover quicker.

When I did Dublin, they were handing out water every 3 miles and and energy drink every 6 miles. Then at 20 miles they handed out some gels. But I always bring my own gels to be on the safe side. But no way would I advocate a belt. One year I used one in training, but it just rubs etc. Plus it's heavier and every second counts. So I'm lucky that I can park in Phoenix Park on long runs and pick up fuel at the car every lap.

But you will have to get used to taking the gel. It's not something I enjoy, gulping the sticky stuff down. So practise opening them on the run, popping it in your mouth and then drinking 200mls of water (this is important, so it's the right concentration, NB for powerbar gels anyway it's 200mls can't be sure about other brands).

For the race itself, I just wear usual shorts which mostly have a key pocket and I can fit 2 gels into the pocket, usually have someone waiting at 8 miles (Chapelizod gate of Phoenix Park in Dublin) to hand me one, take that one then, roughly an hour in, then take the next one at about 1 hour 45 and the last at 2.30.

shels4ever

Are you going to Berlin with a crowd of people , i know one or 2 people going there also

Racing Flat

going with some family and friends but I'm sure more will come out of the woodwork closer the time

Pherekydes

Moving this thread to the marathon forum.

aburke

Racing Flat wrote: »

going with some family and friends but I'm sure more will come out of the woodwork closer the time

I'll be there -- but my training is shocking at the moment. The bad weather isn't helping...

Peckham

Each to their own, but here are my musings....

I use gels and isotonic drinks in training (not at the same time though, that's a mistake!). :eek:

I have two fuel belts which I pick between depending on the length of the run and the mood. I bring a fuel belt out on all runs over 10 miles

For longer runs of 13 miles+ - I use the one that has two bottles, one 600ml and one 150ml. The 600ml I will generally fill with isotonic, and the 150ml with water, and will also bring a gel with me. I'll generally sip on the isotonic at (roughly) mile 3 and 5, take the gel with water at mile 8ish (which is 1 hour into the run) and revert to isotonic from mile 11 and every now and then after that. I don't drink isotonic 20 mins before/after taking the gel as it plays havoc with the stomach.

The other belt I use on shorter runs, which has 4 x 100ml bottles - sometimes I'll fill two with water for a gel, and 2 with isotonic.

Having only run marathons in Dublin, I've been fortunate enough to have co-operative family/friends willing to stand in designated places and hand me whatever it is that I have tasked them with.

I also take bottles of water at the drink stations, but the isotonic comes in paper cups which are incredibly difficult to drink from unless you slow down or stop (although I've read stuff showing that the benefit gained in the later stage of marathons by stopping at drink stations is greater than the time lost by stopping - i.e. you are stronger at the finish and pick up all that "lost" time again, plus more).

It's very much each to their own, but the crucial thing is to work out what your "own" is, and practice it so it's routine on race day and you're not trying anything new on the big day.

It's trial and error - some gels will agree with you, some won't; you'll like some isotonics, you'll dislike others.

One thing I did learn last year was one of the side-effects of too much isotonic...it's got a lot of salt in it (i.e. the general purpose of it!), and pushed up my cholesterol level. Have been using it sparingly since then.

Racing Flat

^^^^ +1

And the enrgy drinks are apparently deadly for your teeth

ZiggyStardust

Racing Flat wrote: »

Just picked up some gels on the way home. Will take one tomorrow on 19mile run and all the long runs from here on in up to Berlin.

Racing flat.....Doing Berlin as well. There are 5 of us altogther doing it. Your up to 19 miles already. Impressed. Doing 14 miles on Sunday.
Looking forward to it. Going out the Thurs and coming back the Tue.
Regarding the thread. Wouldn't run with a belt either. Plenty of drinks on most marathon courses. Did NYC November and there were drinks every mile.

bo-sco

It's going to take you from Thursday to Tuesday to run 14 miles?!
Surely you can run a bit faster than that?

Racing Flat

ZiggyStardust wrote: »

Racing flat.....Doing Berlin as well. There are 5 of us altogther doing it. Your up to 19 miles already. Impressed. Doing 14 miles on Sunday.

I want to get about 5 20's in and I'll be away for a few weeks soon, when I won't do more than 10miles. So when I come back I'll just have time to get the long ones in, so I don't want the 20's to be a complete shock to the system.

Sitting here now after the porridge, plucking up the courage to undertake this 19miler...

copacetic

I have reasonable experience with the sis isotonic go gels, they are heavier than normal gels but mean you don't have to have water available. Thinking about relying just on them and water for training and see how it goes.

They have a new one with caffiene too which I may put in the mix rather than trying pro plus..

Racing Flat

copacetic wrote: »

They have a new one with caffiene too

I usually avoid the caffeinated gels as I don't drink much coffee. When I do, my heart beats really hard and I start to sweat :eek:. However, when I stopped 65mins into my 2hr30 run yesterday, I noticed to my horror that I had picked up a caffeinated powerbar gel by accident. I took it anyway, and felt really great, best long run ever!

Anyone know much about the difference betwen the caffeinated ones and non-caffeinated?

Something of note aswell. Normally I hate taking the sticky bolus. But yesterday I had the gel in my back pocket, so by the time I took it, it had heated so much, it was much less viscous and went down much easier.

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

I use gels and isotonic drinks in training (not at the same time though, that's a mistake!). :eek:

Is this because it causes you stomach issues or is there another problem associated with it? On my long runs (20 miles), I take two gel packs and a bottle of lucozade sport, and generally take the gel packs with the Lucozade Sport. I presume if it hasn't caused my grief in the past, I shouldn't need to worry about it.

Racing_Flat wrote:

NB for powerbar gels anyway it's 200mls can't be sure about other brands).

Think it's actually 400 mls for some of the Powerbar gels and 200mls for others (possibly the new formula?), so make sure you read the labels when buying them.

Peckham

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Is this because it causes you stomach issues or is there another problem associated with it? On my long runs (20 miles), I take two gel packs and a bottle of lucozade sport, and generally take the gel packs with the Lucozade Sport. I presume if it hasn't caused my grief in the past, I shouldn't need to worry about it.

Yes, just because of stomach problems. You must have an iron stomach to be able to process such a high concentration of sugar! :eek: Mixing with lucozade is not really dilluting it. But if it works for you....

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

Yes, just because of stomach problems. You must have an iron stomach to be able to process such a high concentration of sugar! :eek: Mixing with lucozade is not really dilluting it. But if it works for you....

Yes, I guess that makes sense. My drinks belt accomodates only one bottle though. Any recommendations for an alternative? I still have three 20mile runs and 8 weeks to train with a slightly tweaked regime..

Peckham

I use this one or the PowerBar fuel belt here, both of which allow me to mix and match.

The hydration waistpack takes a bit of getting used to as it's bulky, but I don't notice it any more.

Alternatively, if your run passes any shops you can just take cash and buy a bottle of water when it is needed for gel. I've done this a few times, but always feel strange when standing in the queue in the shop with people buying their Sunday papers and me hopping from foot to foot trying to stay moving!

--amadeus--

Refueling is a really personal thing and probably the biggest area where you need to experiment for yourself, no two people are teh same.

Personally I don't use a belt - the bouncing of teh bottle or the rubbing would drive me mad. For most of my long runs (up to 18 - 20) I don't usually bother but if it's hot or whatever I just carry a bottle. In Rotterdam in April I carried a 750ml bottle of home mixed MaxiMuscle Viper in my hand and it was fine, races before that it's just been a 500ml bottle.

If you want to carry a lot of water a camelback might be an idea? Also if you struggle with gels (I do) then maybe glucose tablets might be worth a look?

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

I use this one or the PowerBar fuel belt here, both of which allow me to mix and match.

Thanks Peckam. The Nathan Elite looks just the job. I'll give it a go.
I have also done the petrol station shuffle, probably losing as much liquid as I'm purchasing, while queueing in the line. I'd prefer to carry everything I need, as sometimes my long runs can get very rural, so might as well get used to it.

Amadeus: I just googled your MaxiMuscle Viper. :eek: I wouldn't sleep for a week!

--amadeus--

Well I haven't fallen asleep in the middle of a marathon yet!

Seriously though there are two - Viper (which I use) which is a fairly good but standard carb drink and then there is Viper Extreme which is teh same thing but with a gazillion tonnes of caffine. Wouldn't want to get them confused!