Nutrition

itsalltrue

Hi All,

i know its been discussed before but i'm looking fro some help on this. I have started increasing my mileage for the marathon and am up to 17 miles. I have tried the Gels but just can't get used to them. On my last long run i eat 2 jaffa cake biscuits every 30 minutes and was ok.

Do you think this could work going forward or should i try gels again?

tunguska

itsalltrue wrote: »

Hi All,

i know its been discussed before but i'm looking fro some help on this. I have started increasing my mileage for the marathon and am up to 17 miles. I have tried the Gels but just can't get used to them. On my last long run i eat 2 jaffa cake biscuits every 30 minutes and was ok.

Do you think this could work going forward or should i try gels again?

It'd be a little awkward carrying a box of jaffa cakes around the marthon with you so you should give the gels another shot. Plus all that chewing is a pain in the ass. What gels have you been using? The Isogels go down very easy, no water required.

http://www.highfive.co.uk/isogel_INT.php

RubyK

I'm in the same position itsalltrue - gels don't seem to suit me.

This evening, I'll be trying out energy drinks, plus jellybabies, and glucose sweets. Fingers crossed

anotheronebites

google colostrum

it's the only nutrition you need

RayCun

some of the people on the gaelforce thread were talking about these
Look a bit chewy to me, but might suit you if you don't like gels

Babalons

I did the Gael Force West and used Clif shot bloks, amongst other gels and stuff. I 'borrowed' one bar of shot blok off a friend. Each bar should last about an hour or so. I found them to be an excellent pick me up and eaiser to take than some of the nasty gels.
My buddy got them on Chain Reaction Cycles:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=39953
They are €53 for a box of 18, which seems a bit excessive to me. Anyone know where else I could get a hold of these bad boys?

tunney

anotheronebites wrote: »

google colostrum

it's the only nutrition you need

Very expensive. I've tried it for a good while during key periods and I can't say it worked. Can't say it didn't either.

Seanie_H

itsalltrue wrote: »

Hi All,

i know its been discussed before but i'm looking fro some help on this. I have started increasing my mileage for the marathon and am up to 17 miles. I have tried the Gels but just can't get used to them. On my last long run i eat 2 jaffa cake biscuits every 30 minutes and was ok.

Do you think this could work going forward or should i try gels again?

Might sound like a silly question but do you mind me asking how you're taking them? I assume you're taking them with water and the right amount too?Seems basic enough but you never know.

I was very against them when I first started but wouldn't go without them know. I've seen some articles which suggest that the discomfort in the belly is caused by the fructose in the gels and energy drinks. Have you tried a fructose free gel?

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6677

yaboya1

Where can you buy these gels?

Babalons

yaboya1 wrote: »

Where can you buy these gels?

Ive seen them in some of the health food shops like Evergreen or Holland & Barrot. Alot of bike shops seem to carry them also. They usually sell €1.75 to €2.00 ea.

Krusty_Clown

yaboya1 wrote: »

Where can you buy these gels?

20% off sale on Wiggle at the moment on nutrition products, but this is really only helpful if you are buying a box of gels. Better off to go to a shop and buy a selection first though, to try and find out which ones you like. I have bough gels before that I couldn't stomach (honeystinger, High5) and ended up giving them away.

hunnymonster

it's such a personal thing isn't it. Krusty can't get on with stingers and they're about the only gels I can stomach. I very, very rarely take gels as i find them hard on my stomach. It's very much a trial and error exercise to find the optimum nutrition for each person. Some things to try include

- gels (isotonic, concentrated & water)
- shots (clif shots although a block of un-made-up jelly is almost as good and 1/10th the price!)
- energy drinks - This is what I rely on almost exclusively for anything up to 5-6 hours
- milk
- solid food - the options are endless, stuff that is popular includes museli bars, jaffacakes, fig rolls, bananas....

Seanie_H

Milk mid run or as a recovery? I love it after a run but mid run would be tough I'd have thought.


http://running.about.com/b/2010/06/09/chocolate-milk-the-perfect-recovery-drink.htm

hunnymonster

Milk is ideal after a run for recovery but it can also be very useful mid-run. It's a mix of macro nutrients so probably only useful for low intensity stuff (the fats and proteins might be tough at high intensity) but sometimes when all else isn't tolerated, a pint of milk will go down and stay down.

Babalons

hunnymonster wrote: »

it's such a personal thing isn't it. Krusty can't get on with stingers and they're about the only gels I can stomach. I very, very rarely take gels as i find them hard on my stomach. It's very much a trial and error exercise to find the optimum nutrition for each person. Some things to try include

- gels (isotonic, concentrated & water)
- shots (clif shots although a block of un-made-up jelly is almost as good and 1/10th the price!)
- energy drinks - This is what I rely on almost exclusively for anything up to 5-6 hours
- milk
- solid food - the options are endless, stuff that is popular includes museli bars, jaffacakes, fig rolls, bananas....

A block of jelly…. Interesting. Have you tried this, and if so did you find it helped? Id imagine it may would be quite hard to chew, and you’d need an electrolyte in addition?

Thanks for all the good info. Just what im looking for at this stage in my training.

petergfiffin

Would taking mid-run gels or any form of calories help on a 1/2 marathon or would it really only be for longer? I'll more than likely be running for around the 2 hour mark.

Had been wondering if glucose sweets might help.

Krusty_Clown

petergfiffin wrote: »

Would taking mid-run gels or any form of calories help on a 1/2 marathon or would it really only be for longer? I'll more than likely be running for around the 2 hour mark.

Had been wondering if glucose sweets might help.

Try them both in training. Certainly a gel wouldn't hurt, but it generally isn't deemed necessary. Sometimes, the psychological boost is more important than the nutritional boost!

opus

Seanie_H wrote: »

Milk mid run or as a recovery? I love it after a run but mid run would be tough I'd have thought.


http://running.about.com/b/2010/06/09/chocolate-milk-the-perfect-recovery-drink.htm

Same for me as a recovery drink! Never tried it during a run though.

Been munching on a fruit bar so far at around 8km intervals in conjunction with a gel around the halfway point for a 20m run which seems to work ok.

silvermints

Finished my first marathon with the aid of crackers and cheese, yop and bananas at the 9 mile mark. Not very scientific but this was a time when there was no Gel in runners, never mind in small energy packs. Even so got some strange looks from fellow runners.

metamorphosis

Im not too hung up on gels. Jaffa cakes for the win. I can use a LSR as an excuse to open a pack andf then finish them off after!

pistol_75

What do most of you eat after a long run?

shotgunmcos

pistol_75 wrote: »

What do most of you eat after a long run?

Either a recovery shake (chocolate PSP rego recovery) made with milk
or
Crunchy peanut butter and jam on wholewheat toast and glass of milk

if it was a hot day, heavily seasoned poached eggs on toast and some juice

I usually slice some tomatos and cucumber and dip it into houmous while I'm at it

On a really bad day... copius amounts of nutella in between digestive biscuits X 3,4,5,6.....

Krusty_Clown

Must resist temptation to reply...
Must bite tongue...

Seanie_H

I'd a 32km last night and had some eggs, brown bread and a yoghurt when I got back..... the fact that I was STARVING before and after breakfast and lunch (chicken curry) and I'm hungry again now, suggests I should've considered what I was going to eat. Silly really.

Pretty much took on about 2 litres of water today too.

sideswipe

**BUMP**
Just wanted to bump this thread to get some opinions on when people think is best to take gels?
Did LSR of 21 miles on sat and felt great for the first 12-13 miles hit a bit of a dip and took a gel which seemed to perk me up a bit for a few miles, started to flag again at 17 miles so took another one but really struggled the last couple of miles.
My question is do people generally think it best to chose a time to take gels before you set out i.e. 1@6 miles, 1@12, 1@18 and so on even if they don't feel the need at the time or do you think it best to go on how you feel at the time?

Krusty_Clown

sideswipe wrote: »

**BUMP**
Just wanted to bump this thread to get some opinions on when people think is best to take gels?
Did LSR of 21 miles on sat and felt great for the first 12-13 miles hit a bit of a dip and took a gel which seemed to perk me up a bit for a few miles, started to flag again at 17 miles so took another one but really struggled the last couple of miles.
My question is do people generally think it best to chose a time to take gels before you set out i.e. 1@6 miles, 1@12, 1@18 and so on even if they don't feel the need at the time or do you think it best to go on how you feel at the time?

I reckon if you wait until you feel you need them, then it's possibly too late. I don't bother with taking one before the race, as I reckon gels are really only a substitute for when you can't get proper food/drink into your system. So I would take my first at around 6-8 miles, and approximately every 6-8 miles after that. My gels are isotonic though, which means:
1) They're not as carb-rich as other gels
2) I can take them between water stations.
If your gels need to be taken with water then you had better align your gel-taking plans with the location of the water-stations.

sideswipe

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I reckon if you wait until you feel you need them, then it's possibly too late. I don't bother with taking one before the race, as I reckon gels are really only a substitute for when you can't get proper food/drink into your system. So I would take my first at around 6-8 miles, and approximately every 6-8 miles after that. My gels are isotonic though, which means:
1) They're not as carb-rich as other gels
2) I can take them between water stations.
If your gels need to be taken with water then you had better align your gel-taking plans with the location of the water-stations.

Cheers KC.
Great point about the isotonic gels, I used to use the SiS ones and changed to power bar because they were easier to carry (smaller), completely overlooked the need to take them at water stations on race day which could possibly through my planning off.
Must check the water stations for DCM to see if they are at suitable intervals.

RayCun

sideswipe wrote: »

Must check the water stations for DCM to see if they are at suitable intervals.

Every 3 miles. I'm doing the same calculations myself - "First one at 6, then 12, 18? Or 9, 15, 21? Or 6, 12, 18, 21?"

az2wp0sye65487

Just on the gels, I've a couple of questions if the more experienced don't mind sharing their knowledge.

1. The only ones I've tried so far are these which I bought in Tesco.... from reading up on them I'm thinking that they're possibly not the correct ones, as they have other types available ie. these.... however the first ones are the only ones I've ever come across on the shelves.

Where else can you pick up gels? Sports shops?

2. During a race, is it acceptable to throw empty gel sachets on the ground once you've used them? I know people throw empty water bottles/cups to the side, so am I ok to do this with gels too?

3. Carrying gels - What way do you carry your gels/jaffa cakes/jelly babies/whatever you use...I picked up a marathon belt - but I don't like wearing it very much. I find it very uncomfortable. None of the shorts I wear have pockets in them.... so do you just carry everything in your hands or what?

menoscemo

Eli Thoughtless Sky wrote: »

J
3. Carrying gels - What way do you carry your gels/jaffa cakes/jelly babies/whatever you use...I picked up a marathon belt - but I don't like wearing it very much. I find it very uncomfortable. None of the shorts I wear have pockets in them.... so do you just carry everything in your hands or what?

If you don't like carrying a belt, then the easiest solution would be to get shorts with pockets.

sideswipe

Thanks Ray, just looked at the course map online (6,12,18,21 sounds about right)
The other thing I noticed is that they have Energise Sport and high 5 stations marked but from reading another post I thought they weren't doing them this year.

sideswipe

Carrying gels - What way do you carry your gels/jaffa cakes/jelly babies

As Meno says, shorts with pockets are good or an arm wallet.

With regards to Jelly Babies, I have to laugh when I think back to last year when I spent the last couple of weeks avoiding people who showed signs of having a cold so i wouldn't catch it, when somebody would cough or sneeze I'd hold my breath and walk away, then on race day I remember taking a handful of sweat, snot and god knows what covered jellies from a kid who was holding a plastic container with illuminous
green snot coming from his nose at the 20 mile mark!

ThisRegard

Eli Thoughtless Sky wrote: »

2. During a race, is it acceptable to throw empty gel sachets on the ground once you've used them? I know people throw empty water bottles/cups to the side, so am I ok to do this with gels too?

IMO both are a big no no. You probably get away with getting rid of bottles in the marathon as there are clean-up crews afterwards but there's nothing worse than running a nice scenic route in the hills and coming across discarded gel sachets. Why go to the effort of running somewhere beautiful if you're going to ruin it for the following person ? (Not intended at you OP, but just in general). When I use mine they all get shoved into the arse pocket of my shorts.

Krusty_Clown

Eli Thoughtless Sky wrote: »

Just on the gels, I've a couple of questions if the more experienced don't mind sharing their knowledge.

The ones you have been taking are caffeinated, the other ones do not have caffeine. I would go with the ordinary gels (which you can buy from wiggle.co.uk or sub4.ie) and if you find that the caffinated versions work for you, then bring one two of them with you for when you need that extra kick.

I'm sure you've noticed that the SIS Isotonic gels are slightly larger than other non-isotonic varieties. I wouldn't like to be carrying four or five of them in my pockets as I would be afraid that my shorts might end up down around my ankles. I use a gel belt. Cheap and cheerful.

Yes, it's ok in a city marathon to throw your gel packets on the ground, but hold onto them and dump them at a water-station / mile marker or dustbin. Obviously in rural marathons you need to leave them in a bin or carry them in your pocket, and on hill or country-side races never throw away your gel packets. In a country race I would generally leave my bottles at mile markers too. Never throw anything into fields, which you often see happening in the Connemarathon. Bold runners... Bold..

RayCun

Eli Thoughtless Sky wrote: »

J
1. Where else can you pick up gels? Sports shops?

3. Carrying gels - What way do you carry your gels/jaffa cakes/jelly babies/whatever you use...

1. Cycling shops or running shops, they usually have a variety.

3. I have one of these, find it really handy.

TFBubendorfer

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I'm sure you've noticed that the SIS Isotonic gels are slightly larger than other non-isotonic varieties. I wouldn't like to be carrying four or five of them in my pockets as I would be afraid that my shorts might end up down around my ankles. I use a gel belt. Cheap and cheerful.

Truer than you think. For the first few miles in Dingle I had 2 SiS Isotonic gels, 2 granola bars and my car key in my pockets and I was basically pulling up my shorts every minute or so. Once I started tucking into my provisions, the problem went away.

Krusty_Clown

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Truer than you think. For the first few miles in Dingle I had 2 SiS Isotonic gels, 2 granola bars and my car key in my pockets and I was basically pulling up my shorts every minute or so. Once I started tucking into my provisions, the problem went away.

You would probably also lose a significant amount of girth during a 50 mile run, making it harder to carry a gel belt (shorts!) during a race of that length, without adjusting on the run!

RedB

sideswipe wrote: »

I remember taking a handful of sweat, snot and god knows what covered jellies from a kid who was holding a plastic container with illuminous green snot coming from his nose at the 20 mile mark!

What an image! I know the feeling though Thank you for giving me a good belly laugh on a Monday:) Nutrition....you can't beat it.

rainbow kirby

RayCun wrote: »

6, 12, 18, 21

Pretty much what I'm planning on doing this year. Planned 5, 10, 15, 20, 23 last year (yes, slow kirby is slow) but couldn't stomach the 5th gel and ended up eating half a Mars bar that I grabbed from a basin someone was holding out near the RDS.

earnyourturns

Ran 4:22 at the weekend, started off with a 750ml bottle of Powerade in my hand and sipped from that. Took a gel at the 8 mile marker, picked up another bottle of Powerade at the 15 mile aid station, and took a second gel at the 18 mile marker. Drank about three quarters of the first bottle of Powerade and half of the second one. Kept a steady pace throughout, ran first half of race in 2:11, second half in 2:11 as well. Firmly attribute this to steady supply of sugar!

earnyourturns

sideswipe wrote: »

**BUMP**
do people generally think it best to chose a time to take gels before you set out i.e. 1@6 miles, 1@12, 1@18 and so on even if they don't feel the need at the time or do you think it best to go on how you feel at the time?

Personally I'd planned to take the gels at the 8 and 18 mile marker and stuck to this even though I didn't feel in need at the time.

opus

menoscemo wrote: »

If you don't like carrying a belt, then the easiest solution would be to get shorts with pockets.

I got a Hilly belt for < €1 using the voucher that Wiggle gave me for joining but when I tried it out with two High5 Gels last weekend they both plopped out after a mile or two. Might do some diy work on it with safety pins to tighten up the loops or else it's back to the old reliable of sticking the gels in the pockets of my shorts.

Lot to be said for testing out all the bits & pieces you're planning to use before the race day for sure!

yaboya1

Does anyone know what gels they give out in the Dublin Marathon?
Is it the Isotonic gels or just the standard ones?

Thanks in advance

sideswipe

yaboya1 wrote: »

Does anyone know what gels they give out in the Dublin Marathon?
Is it the Isotonic gels or just the standard ones?

Thanks in advance

I saw someone mention in another thread that they contacted the organizers to ask and were told it was only water being supplied this year- no gels or sports drinks.

menoscemo

sideswipe wrote: »

I saw someone mention in another thread that they contacted the organizers to ask and were told it was only water being supplied this year- no gels or sports drinks.

Yeah but someone came back and said it was not true.
Hi5 Gels and Club energise will ge bahnded out on varous points as per the Route map

sideswipe

menoscemo wrote: »

Yeah but someone came back and said it was not true.
Hi5 Gels and Club energise will ge bahnded out on varous points as per the Route map

Cheers for clarifying that, couldn't find the thread/post again.

yaboya1

Does anyone know whether they are handing out the isotonic high 5 gels or the standard ones???

RayCun

yaboya1 wrote: »

Does anyone know whether they are handing out the isotonic high 5 gels or the standard ones???

Isotonic in previous years, but I haven't seen a definitive statement about this year

jaytobe

RayCun wrote: »

Isotonic in previous years, but I haven't seen a definitive statement about this year

Bump...can anyone clarify that?

RayCun

why not mail the organizers, and post their response?

jaytobe

RayCun wrote: »

why not mail the organizers, and post their response?

done, will post the response