Energy Gels

greenplain

Hey,

Just wondering which energy gels people use. I used the Gu gels doing Dublin last year and apart of the fact that you feel like you are swallowing a mouth full of snot when you take one, I really think they did nothing for me.

I was meant to do the conn marathon but my knee had other ideas and I had to side line that one. The knee is all better now and I have signed up for Cork. I do not want to use the Gu again so any ideas ?

Preferable I just want to use a gel where I dont have to take on any water when using them.

rovers_runner

I use the juicy orange high-5 gels.
Don't drink too much water with them and make sure the gel is on the way down before taking on the water.

Going to tempt fate now by saying this but they have seriously helped my itb and groin pains, was told this by a physio also that if you don't deplete carbs too much during exercise that conditions such as itb can be witheld.
More to do with having more carbs to distribute to problem areas during exercise though I'd say.

Is working a treat at the moment as I've not noticed any problems running upwards of 16m, taking gels at 5m,8m,10m,13m.

Peckham

rovers_runner wrote: »

Is working a treat at the moment as I've not noticed any problems running upwards of 16m, taking gels at 5m,8m,10m,13m.

In training? That's a hell of a lot of gel! :eek:

robinph

I can assure you that the gels do work, just if you "normal" people taking them is probably a bit less noticable as far as the immediate effects of them is concerned. Here is a post that I made a while ago in another thread about gels and my reasoning behind me needing to be taking so many.

Krusty_Clown

I had used Powerbar Gels for the last two marathons, and as above, snot sliding down your throat wrapped up in a sickly sweet taste, but they definitely worked as long as I took them with water. At the end of Longford marathon, I was almost dry heaving with the over abundance of sweetness. Just didn't agree with my stomach. Not as bad in Dublin as the water stations were at more predictable locations.

Based on a few pointers here, I recently bought a box of Science in Sport - Go gels - Tropical Flavour (30 gels for 24 sterling from Wiggle.co.uk - Now 30 pounds). They actually taste quite nice!! They go down very easy, and they're isotonic, so you don't need to take them with water.

But: They are heavier than the other gels (I assume because they contain more water), they are significantly larger, and they do not contain as many carbs/cals as the PowerBar gels. But still, I'm a convert. Will still use the powerbars, (as I have a box of them!) but will bring the Go gels to the marathon and not bother carrying a bottle.

tunney

rovers_runner wrote: »

I use the juicy orange high-5 gels.
Don't drink too much water with them and make sure the gel is on the way down before taking on the water.

Going to tempt fate now by saying this but they have seriously helped my itb and groin pains, was told this by a physio also that if you don't deplete carbs too much during exercise that conditions such as itb can be witheld.
More to do with having more carbs to distribute to problem areas during exercise though I'd say.

Is working a treat at the moment as I've not noticed any problems running upwards of 16m, taking gels at 5m,8m,10m,13m.

Eh change physio. Yes if you are overly fatigued you can stop paying attention and your form can slip. Too much of this can aggreviate ITBS. However gels will not deal with the underlying problems can cause problems in form, gait and muscle strength.

Also taking that many gels for a 16m long run, where the primary goal is the development of fat buring energy systems is, imho, counter productive. IMHO if you are properly fueled and running at the appropriate pace then you don't need *any* fuel on long runs. (Until you go over 20 miles or so, well thats my limit).

Clum

Have a read of this webpage. It's from Cranksports. They've a gel called e-gel (not currently available in Ireland unless ordered from the US) which they claim will guarantee PBs, but all boasting aside, the page linked explains hydration and gels quite well (especially in the 'more info' section).

Extract:
Water is the key to proper gel usage, whether you are using e-Gel or one of our competitor's products. Gels are absorbed in your small intestine, and water is the transport vehicle that allows this to occur. If you fall behind on your water intake during longer workouts, you run the risk of dehydration, delayed benefits from the gel and possible stomach irritation.

Me, I got the SIS go gels like Krusty and agree they're quite bulky but very easy to take.

rovers_runner

Tunney, I only take gels on the very long runs when I know I'll be out for 2 and 1/2 hours or more. If running anything from a 1/2 marathon downwards I wouldn't bother with them.
Would not have used them in the past but I do find they help fight fatigue a lot.

You'd be right about the form slipping which probably does lead to the itbs as the left leg tends to get lazy first.

Enduro

I've used many different types of Gels over many years in extremely long races (up to 9 days), and one type stands out as being by far the best... Voom gels. The cycle super store used to stock them, but I'm not sure if they can be gotten anywhere local now.

Peterx

vooma

jlang

+1 on the fatigue fighting effects. I did my first gel-assisted run ever this morning. 2 gels over a 3 hour run - took one at 50mins and another at 2h10 and I was still running well at the end. On a similar length run with similar fluid intake last week, I slowed up quite a bit on the last 2 miles. My legs were definitely tingling more when I stopped last week as well.

But I do wonder if there's a bit of a psychological factor too. I know I was taking the gel, so I may have pushed a bit harder. And I knew I wouldn't be doing BHAA cross-country tomorrow morning. I think I'll have to do another gel-free run to compare.

Reading the back of the sachet, it says don't go over the daily recommended maximum of 4 gels at one every 20-45 minutes. I presume these are the kind of daily limits you can push every now and then if you're actually using up the sugar/salt, rather than the ones that could kill you like on medicines.

One more question for gel experts, now that I know I'm not going to throw up if I take a gel. Can it be more beneficial to train without gels and race with them to get your body used to running on empty? I'm not trying to lose weight, if that's relevant.

shels4ever

Just wondered how many gels people took on training runs for a marathon, Planning on testing htem at some stage prior to a marathon but dont want to over do it. From what Tunney mentioned )(fat buring energy systems)it seems that they would only be used on race day and training runs should be done without ? or do you just take the odd one during training to see if they are ok then use them race day?

hawkwing

i took 3 SIS blackcurrant in last year's marathon,at about 6,13,18 miles--don't know if they did much,i died away badly in last 6m but that could be from several reasons.they taste ok to me though.

Krusty_Clown

There's the Macmillan school of thought, where you need to teach your body to run on fat, rather than carbohydrate reserves. In these cases he (Macmillan) advocates drinking only water and electrolytes. But he still advocates bringing a gel with you for emergency purposes.

If you're going to race with gels, you have to train with them too. Awful to find out during a race that you couldn't stomach them.

I generally carry two, but take one on 20 mile runs, usually around mile 8 or so. You should probably do a dress rhearsal where you take gels at the same intervals as you're planning to take them in the marathon, just to be sure!

shels4ever

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

There's the Macmillan school of thought, where you need to teach your body to run on fat, rather than carbohydrate reserves. In these cases he (Macmillan) advocates drinking only water and electrolytes. But he still advocates bringing a gel with you for emergency purposes.

If you're going to race with gels, you have to train with them too. Awful to find out during a race that you couldn't stomach them.

I generally carry two, but take one on 20 mile runs, usually around mile 8 or so. You should probably do a dress rhearsal where you take gels at the same intervals as you're planning to take them in the marathon, just to be sure!

Very good reading there thanks, and food for thought or not as it maybe.

newie

Hi Guys, training at the moment for my 1st marathon(Cork june 1st). Done 14 mile yesterday. Legs were ok but felt drained inside. One reason is had no intake of water during the run so would ye recommend a running belt and are these awkward to run with also Ive seen the talk of gels. Are these good and which ones are the best. I know everyone would have their favourites but any info would be great thanks.

TFBubendorfer

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

There's the Macmillan school of thought, where you need to teach your body to run on fat, rather than carbohydrate reserves. In these cases he (Macmillan) advocates drinking only water and electrolytes. But he still advocates bringing a gel with you for emergency purposes.

If you're going to race with gels, you have to train with them too. Awful to find out during a race that you couldn't stomach them.

You can satisfy both requirements by doing most of your long runs without gels to teach your body to run on fat, and then use a gel on one or two runs closer to the marathon. Which, incidentally, is the strategy I tend to follow.

I still very nearly threw up the one gel I took in Dublin, but that wasn't directly caused by the gel itself but by my already upset stomach.

shels4ever

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

There's the Macmillan school of thought, where you need to teach your body to run on fat, rather than carbohydrate reserves. In these cases he (Macmillan) advocates drinking only water and electrolytes. But he still advocates bringing a gel with you for emergency purposes.

If you're going to race with gels, you have to train with them too. Awful to find out during a race that you couldn't stomach them.

I generally carry two, but take one on 20 mile runs, usually around mile 8 or so. You should probably do a dress rhearsal where you take gels at the same intervals as you're planning to take them in the marathon, just to be sure!

I've actually based my training on this article so I'll see how it goes, I'm lucky in one way is my stomach can handle gel's ok. I will do one long runs that I'll use gels again but other then that it's water for all the way. I do find at the moment i'm going through buckets of water for some reason

trotter_inc

newie wrote: »

Hi Guys, training at the moment for my 1st marathon(Cork june 1st). Done 14 mile yesterday. Legs were ok but felt drained inside. One reason is had no intake of water during the run so would ye recommend a running belt and are these awkward to run with also Ive seen the talk of gels. Are these good and which ones are the best. I know everyone would have their favourites but any info would be great thanks.

I'm in the same boat newbie, training for Cork too, will be my 1st marathon as well.

I did approx 17 miles on Saturday without fluid, I went out not expecting to go over 13 miles and so didn't bother bringing water. Felt good when I was out so went that bit further and ended up doing about 17 miles. I should have brought water with me as I was wrecked towards the end and didn't feel too good as you can imagine!

I'll be investing in a water belt this week and taking it out on runs over 13 miles. But like you I'm a bit weary about the comfort factor too I'm used to running without anything hanging off me.

RJC

I use SIS Go gels. I also have a box of 24 from Wiggle. Take them every 30 mins religiously in a marathon.....except for the last 30 mins where there is no blood flow to the stomach anyway. I will normally have 3 with me at the start line and have somebody at the halfway point with 3 more or will hide 3 out on the course in a hedge or somewhere else convinient. I will also hide my own energy drink at miles 16 - 22 - it can be a good mental focus for stopping you panic if you have run out of sugar or don't like the marathon supplied carbo drink.



I agree with all advice about training with them so you don't suffer any fatal gastro problems.

thirstywork

I think Tunney is spot on about gels !!!
Taking that many gels can't be good ....
It really depends on how long you are aiming to run for !!!
I gave Martin Fagan some enervit gels for his first marathona and he told me after his stomach was messed up.
if you do plan to take gels id advise you to practise taking them in training and don't just decide to take them on race day....

john mayo 10

Would taking energy gels for a 10k be of any benefit

Itziger

john mayo 10 wrote: »

Would taking energy gels for a 10k be of any benefit

Only psychological I'd say. Pop one in at the start line to give you a "boost".

lynchieboy

john mayo 10 wrote: »

Would taking energy gels for a 10k be of any benefit

All this gel crap is a substitute for hard training, marketing bullst*t slowly programming people that you cant get through a 5k race without them, just get out there and run FFS.

john mayo 10

lynchieboy wrote: »

All this gel crap is a substitute for hard training, marketing bullst*t slowly programming people that you cant get through a 5k race without them, just get out there and run FFS.

I hope u feel much better after that rant. It was à simple question that didnt deserve à response of that nature

menoscemo

john mayo 10 wrote: »

Would taking energy gels for a 10k be of any benefit

10k should be pretty much balls out.
Taking a gel should cause you to puke, if it doesn't you probably aren't running hard enough (my opinion).

BeepBeep67

Agree with TFB, don't use them early on in the training phases, build up your ability to use fat as an energy source, then do 2-3 test runs in the last cycle, particularly the LSRs where you're finishing at MP.
BTW - Blackcurrant SIS for me, can only stomach isotonic ones, find the others too difficult to stomach towards the end of a race. I only took 3 in Kildare, 6-12-18.

Itziger

lynchieboy wrote: »

All this gel crap is a substitute for hard training, marketing bullst*t slowly programming people that you cant get through a 5k race without them, just get out there and run FFS.

50% of me agrees 100% with this. The other half is the part that orders said gels on the Internet.

Sometimes a fella has to say what he wants bluntly. We can't be all polite and hand-holding ALL the time.

lynchieboy

Honey is a lot cheaper and more natural, mix it with a little bit of water and it's like rocket fuel.

bifl

Perfect timing to see a thread on gels. Did my first gel assisted LSR today (32k) in preparation for the DCM. I didn't take any water during the run and took a Kinetica gel at 19k. No issue with a dodgy stomach or the like which was good but didn't I feel a huge bounce from it either tbh but that could be from the lack of water.

Up till know I have been avoiding gels preferring to get used to the distance unaided as it were. I think having read the Cranksports link in post #7 I will be taking liquids on board in future not only to stay hydrated but to allow the gel to kick in as well.

It got me thinking though today in terms of a LSR/Marathon hydration strategy. Are gels + water all you need?
They have carbs covered that's for sure, I reckon I'll take 3-4 on-board during the marathon, but what about the salt/electrolyte/minerals part of the equation. Would it be advisable to add in an electrolyte zym or salt tablet into the water bottles being handed out.

ThePiedPiper

Bifl,

I wouldn't worry too much about adding salt or anything like that. If you take a gel every 6 miles or so, and take the odd drink of sports drink, you'll be fine.

My normal strategy would be one gel at 6, 11, 16 and 21, washed back with water. Then, if there's sports drinks to be had, take a drink of that instead of the water. Try to find out in good time how often the water stops are in the marathon, and adjust your fuelling strategy accordingly, in order to have a gel at the same time as a water station.

I'd also advise on taking on a small amount of water at every station, maybe every three miles. But, only a couple of mouthfuls.

Regarding not getting a bounce from taking the gel, that'd be pretty normal. If gels are taken at 30-45 minute intervals throughout the race, they are adding to your energy reserves and extending your optimal performance as long as possible. The only time you might feel that boost you're talking about is if you've gone so far into a run as to be completely energy-depleted and the gel would take you back to normal levels for a few minutes.

There are only between 80-120 calories in most of the gels that you buy. You'll burn that in a mile.

As an aside, wiggle have a great deal at the moment, 2 boxes of 20 High5 gels for €23 delivered.

TFBubendorfer

With regards to electrolytes I sometimes take salt tablets and they do make a difference. I have a tendency of cramping late in a race and salt tablets seem to be the one thing that stops me from cramping.

As for water, there are iso-gels that do not require water. Having said that, I can't take them, they give me stomach cramps, but on the other hand I know a couple of runners who can only take iso gels and cannot stomach the normal ones.

I have taken "normal" gels without water and was fine, which is against the usual recommendations.

The real answer is, find out what works for you in training.