Those Gel things to take before running

Jeidi

Whats the general ideas on these? Should you be of a particular ability before you need to take these or if you run 6k twice a week would you still take them?

My running partner suggested them. We run between 6 - 8 k twice a week. We both have very hectic full time jobs and young babys/kids, all we talk about is how tired we are during the run!

joconnell

It's pretty much just a pack of sugar that your body can absorb within a few minutes and start using as fuel - if you have a proper meal you could be waiting 2 hours or so for it to digest - with these you can take them while running and they'll kick in fairly quickly. I suppose it depends on your schedule and what time your running / eating at during the day?

hunnymonster

They're not so much ability based as distance/time based. If you are going to be on your legs for a long time then you might benefit from them but I think it's highly unlikely that is the case for 8km runs.

If you are tired during runs, there are a number of things to consider:
1. quality of your sleep
2. hydration
3. nutrition (don't eat just before running, or 6 hours before. 3 hors before for a meal or 60 mins for a light snakc are good benchmarks)
4. stress
5. pace
6. fitness

Jeidi

hunnymonster wrote: »

They're not so much ability based as distance/time based. If you are going to be on your legs for a long time then you might benefit from them but I think it's highly unlikely that is the case for 8km runs.

If you are tired during runs, there are a number of things to consider:
1. quality of your sleep
2. hydration
3. nutrition (don't eat just before running, or 6 hours before. 3 hors before for a meal or 60 mins for a light snakc are good benchmarks)
4. stress
5. pace
6. fitness

Great info thanks. 8km is a long time for me though!!!
I sleep like a baby, generally go to bed at 10 or 10:30 and get up at 7. luckily baby sleeps thru the night.
I drink at least 2.5l of water every day, without fail
I eat good food (most of the time) but I eat lunch at 1 and run at 6 so might try something around 3ish - but I suffer from stitches too!
Stress - shure who isnt stressed!
Pace - Its slow in the grand scheme of things and probably to you too , but I usually come in at a 9 minute mile.
I would consider myself to be fairly fit. I am 5ft 2" and 8st 12lb. I'm not skinny, do have a nice belly on me, but thats my baby trophy. I've always been sporty, ran/walked a lot before baby arrived and used to do gymnastics/basketball/athletics etc.

hunnymonster

based on that, I would say the first thing to try is something small to eat about an hour before running. I would suggest something like a banana or glass of milk or half a bagel, that kind of thing. Something light is unlikely to cause a stitch. Also have a read of
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/aa053100a.htm

Jeidi

You're a star thanks a mill.

Krusty_Clown

On top of HM's suggestions, try running at 10 min/mile, and see if you are as tired during the run. Are you tired throughout, or just towards the middle/end of the run?

Gels have a place, but to use them as an energy source before a short/medium run (no offence intended, just contrasting run lengths in terms of time, rather than distance) is really not the right place. They are a convenient energy source when you have no alternatives, e.g. during a marathon, lengthy triathlon, or adventure race. If I'm running in the evenings (7/8pm) and the run is going to be around an hour, I'll eat a bagel and some fruit in work at around 5/6pm.

RayCun

What about during long runs? Should you/would you take gels on a 2/3 hour LSR, or save them for races?

Krusty_Clown

If you re planning on taking them during a race, you should most definitely practice with them during your long runs. But once you know that they will not cause you any problems (and provide you with some benefit) then the choice is yours. A couple of schools of thought:

1) Run lean - get the body used to running efficiently (while still taking on water)
2) Take them as needed - it's important to have suitable nutrition during your long runs.
3) These things are horrible and unnecessary and ultimately damaging to your health (high sugar concentration, tooth decay).

My own POV is that you should take as few as possible during training runs (once you know you can tolerate them), but take then at regular intervals during a marathon.

rainbow kirby

RayCun wrote: »

What about during long runs? Should you/would you take gels on a 2/3 hour LSR, or save them for races?

I take them on runs longer than around 2 hours. Just gives a bit of a lift along the way, plus it's best to get used to the gels in training that you're going to use during your races.