Introducing gel packs with week and half to go to 10miler

Nules10

Hi
Doing my first 10 mile run on 21st August. Have put the training in and did 10 miles on Sunday just gone in 1hr47 so i was happy with that. One problem i encountered was that i ran out of steam by mile 6/7. Gel packs were suggested to me but i am a bit concerned about using them now with only a week and a half to go, is it too late to introduce them into my training programme. I am on my taper now, 6 miles today 8 at the weekend and a couple of short runs next week. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks

xebec

Try a gel or two out on your run this weekend. I go for High5 but everyone has a different preference. If it doesn't work out don't worry about it - the adrenaline on the day will get you through. If you try it and it works it gives you another option in your armoury.

On that point though, I know I won't be carrying gels for a 10 mile race. I'm not sure many others would either. First time I consider them for a race is from half-marathon up.

Git101

Nules10 wrote: »

Hi
Doing my first 10 mile run on 21st August. Have put the training in and did 10 miles on Sunday just gone in 1hr47 so i was happy with that. One problem i encountered was that i ran out of steam by mile 6/7. Gel packs were suggested to me but i am a bit concerned about using them now with only a week and a half to go, is it too late to introduce them into my training programme. I am on my taper now, 6 miles today 8 at the weekend and a couple of short runs next week. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks

I wouldn't bother with gels for a 10 miler but if you decide that you want some don't leave it until the race. As xebec said try them on your training runs. It may be worth getting the isotonic ones as you don't need to drink with them.

Nules10

Cool thanks a mil. i had run 9 miles the week before and felt great after it and felt i could keep going for another couple of miles easily, but looking back on that run now i was much more hydrated from the day before and that morning. when i did the 10 miles i hadn't drank enough water the couple of days before it. maybe that was it. just a little panic setting in. If i get through the 10 miler i will try them for the half mar!!! Maybe :rolleyes:

RayCun

There'll be water stations on the 10 mile route (at 3 and 7 miles, I think), so just stopping for water there will refresh you.

TFBubendorfer

If dehydration was your problem, then a gel would not help you at all - quite the opposite in fact, it would make you feel even more dehydrated.

In that vein, always make sure you are fully hydrated when you go for a run.

Nules10

Can you advise me on how to hydrate enough before a run without having to go to the loo half a million times before and during the run. Would drinking plenty of water the night before have the same effect???

robinph

The likes of the 10 and the half are possibly good chances to practice with gels in a race if building up to the marathon, but as other said they really shouldn't be needed for those distances for the majority of people.

Corkie100

Nules10 wrote: »

Can you advise me on how to hydrate enough before a run without having to go to the loo half a million times before and during the run. Would drinking plenty of water the night before have the same effect???

Think a 'drip feed' is the way to go. Start early in the week, sipping water a lot, rather than gulping down litres of it- your body will just get rid of it quickly if you take it in quickly. Think of watering your garden with a light drizzle of rain over a few days rather than a flash flood!! By next weekend you will feel fully hydrated and ready to go!
Best of luck in the 10 miler, don't worry at all about running out of steam on a training run, sounds like you have the miles done, so you will certainly get through it on the day, just take your time at the start and settle in over the first mile or two, before you know it you will be hitting miles 6, 7 8 and thinking about the finish line! good luck!

Nules10

Thanks Guys
Did my last long run yesterday, 8 miles. Was well hydrated before and stopped and bought a water en route. I also tried a gel... just to see... stomach felt fine after... probably won't use it next week... not sure it had much effect. Think the bottle of water did me more good. Have started sipping water as suggested on friday before my 8 miles, so i will keep that going. Bring on the 10 miler

SnappyDresser

Do yourself a favour and just bring a packet of glucose tablets in a sweat band if you were doing a marathon but a 10 miler? No need for anything but a bit of water, no gels, no glucose, nowt. I really hate to see all those people with 20 packs of gels, a belt with those little bottles of god knows what, and a bottle of energy drink in each hand with a huge GPS unit tied to their wrists which counts calories, date, time, distance, latitude, longtitude, distance from the sun, pollen counter.:rolleyes:..Geez, old school for me!

robinph

Gels are a million times easier to digest than the glucose tabs whilst running, also once the pack gets a bit damp the tabs will turn wrong and won't be fun to attempt to eat anyway.

Nules10

I have to agree. I can barely carry myself around sometimes let alone all the paraphernalia i see some people with. Only thing i have to have to have with me is my i pod..... oh and a bottle of water now.

RayCun

You're not planning to bring an iPod are you?
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Nules10

I would rather run barefoot than run without my i pod all that puffing and panting from other runners totally freaks me out Don't worry i will keep the volume down

Nules10

raycun.... just figured out why the angry faces.... as i was looking up other races for october... i am new to this... i take it i pods/earphones are not allowed at the race then. I looked everywhere on the race series website and it never mentioned it

kwalshe

Nules10 wrote: »

raycun.... just figured out why the angry faces.... as i was looking up other races for october... i am new to this... i take it i pods/earphones are not allowed at the race then. I looked everywhere on the race series website and it never mentioned it

I did the race series last year and this year and don't recall there being a restriction on music players. It might be for the best to wear one cause I'll be sounding like I have a 90 minute orgasm with a couple of pig squeals thrown in on Sat. and I'll bound to put you an some others off:rolleyes:

I think it's generally ok when the races are on closed roads to wear them.
I find that for 10 mile distances the gels are a little bit pointless during the race, but I like to take one about a hour before to get me psyched and they have settled in my stomach come 10 bells.

Good luck on Sat.

Nules10

kwalshe I will keep an ear out for you on sat. Thanks for info re earphones. Not sure I am ready to part with them on a long run yet. Have abandoned the gel idea during the run. But like the idea of taking one before the race. Took one before my military fitness class and found it a breeze... For once
Good luck sat and thanks everyone for the advice. Feeling alot more confident now about saturday

RayCun

Nules10 wrote: »

raycun.... just figured out why the angry faces.... as i was looking up other races for october... i am new to this... i take it i pods/earphones are not allowed at the race then. I looked everywhere on the race series website and it never mentioned it

I was only joking. iPods are allowed during the race series, and in most races.

They do annoy a lot of people though, because if someone is wearing an iPod they are less aware of what's going on around them and so more likely to step into another runner's line. This can even be dangerous if the road is shared with traffic.

Nules10

Raycun just wasn't sure if you were joking or not I had taken it as a joke at first until I looked up other races and realised that they are not allowed. I really wasn't aware of that. But yes I can see how they could annoy some people. I just didn't want to be breaking some running cardinal sin that I wasn't aware of

Nules10

Oops that should be committing some running cardinal sin/ breaking some running rule way too early for me to be typing

robinph

RayCun wrote: »

I was only joking. iPods are allowed during the race series, and in most races.

People wear them in most races, but I thought that somewhere in the depths of the small print for most race rules it said about not wearing MP3's.