Gels etc for a half marathon?

G-Money

I'm due to run the Half Marathon in September and it will be the longest distance I have done yet.

With that in mind, I've never really had to worry about taking on any fluids or gels or anything during a race, except the Great Ireland Run where I (and everyone else I reckon) were parched with the heat and needed water.

Should I/Would I need to take on something during the half marathon? If so what? I was listening to marathon talk and they were talking about these gels that are like small bite size pieces and easier to take. But perhaps I could just get away with drinking some water if I got thirsty?

Anyway, I will need to ramp up my training soon as it won't be long until Mid September.

Thanks!

tHE vAGGABOND

I think I used 3 gels during the connemara half - and at that I really did not need the last one [at 9 miles] and took it more for the sake of it. [the fact it was a manky flavor did not help!!]

At the clontarf half in a few weeks I would think I will take 2, as Im taking them every 5 to 6 miles on long runs these days.

Really depends on the person and the nature of the race I guess.

G-Money

I will be shuffling along pretty slowly I imagine, sub 3 hours would be nice :eek:

ThePiedPiper

Personally, I don't think there's any real need for taking on any gels for a race distance less than 20 miles. Your body should be able to have glycogen reserves to keep you going for around 17-22 miles if you train properly.

The important thing would be to keep hydrated but assuming it's the Dublin half you're running, there will be plenty of water and energy drinks available enroute.

Woddle

RunForestRun wrote: »

Personally, I don't think there's any real need for taking on any gels for a race distance less than 20 miles. Your body should be able to have glycogen reserves to keep you going for around 17-22 miles if you train properly.

The important thing would be to keep hydrated but assuming it's the Dublin half you're running, there will be plenty of water and energy drinks available enroute.

I would normally agree but 3 hours is a long time to be out there.
I'd recommend you experiment while training. Maybe try 3/4 gels on your next 2 and a half hour run and see how the last couple of miles feel.

elvis jones

Also take some beforehand as they can play havoc with some people and you could end up in the ditch if you know what i mean.

I used 1 on the half i did last yr and thought it did nothing for me. Eat well and drink well before you race and all should be fine.

ecoli

Woddle wrote: »

I would normally agree but 3 hours is a long time to be out there.
I'd recommend you experiment while training. Maybe try 3/4 gels on your next 2 and a half hour run and see how the last couple of miles feel.

+1 on this. glycogen depletion is a process which is based in time not distance as such a 3 hour half is not different to a 3 hour full in terms of fueling.
My advice would be start introducing energy drinks/ gels for runs of over 90 min. From here its a personal thing figured out through trial and error. Perhaps try 1 gel per 30-40 min running and see how you get on from there

G-Money

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm basing the 3 hour mark on how long it took me to do the GIR which is half the distance, and it took me about 93 minutes, although I did walk 3.5k of it.

It is the Dublin half I will be doing.

Any recommendations for gels then? Something easy to swallow and which doesn't taste horrible. I like the sound of those small bite size ones but I don't know what make they are or anything.

elvis jones

I used the Power Bar brand, i think it was banana and strawberry. Packaging was small and easy store on the run.

huskerdu

G-Money wrote: »

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm basing the 3 hour mark on how long it took me to do the GIR which is half the distance, and it took me about 93 minutes, although I did walk 3.5k of it.

It is the Dublin half I will be doing.

Any recommendations for gels then? Something easy to swallow and which doesn't taste horrible. I like the sound of those small bite size ones but I don't know what make they are or anything.

In the next few months, you will have to do some long runs in preparation for the half marathon. Use these runs to get used to your hydration needs on long runs. Then worry about gels etc.

Maybe buy a few and try them out, but water is the most important need.

G-Money

I think these are the things I heard of:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/clif-bar-shot-bloks-box-of-18-x-60g-sachets/

metamorphosis

Id echo the sentiment that your body doesn't really NEED gels for a half, i can understand though that there is a placebo effect in terms of some who think that they do need something and so set themselves up for a bad run if they don't get anything on boards. Just water, maybe a simple saltwater solution but water should be fine. Never really need anything myself until im hitting over 2.5hrs, then il plan to take on something

G-Money

I suspect it make take me more than 2.5 hours though.

A saltwater solution. Isn't that what people take to make themselves be sick?

Rantan

personally I wouldn't use gels for a half as I believe I dont need them - I have done 2 fulls and taken a gel around 18m and 22m for both and they defo helped then. Drink plenty of water and maybe a sports drink and you should be fine without gels

metamorphosis

adding lo-salt to water with a little squash and you have yourself a drink that will repelenish ya!

TFBubendorfer

I found that taking a gel around mile 6 or 7 even in a 10-mile race can be helpful. Obviously you don't need it for glycogen depletion, but it always gives me a boost. Maybe it's pure placebo, but as long as it works that's perfectly ok with me. The head is just as important in running as the legs.

Coming from that, 1 or 2 gels in a half marathon can be useful, even if you don't "need" them to get you through. As for the brand, try it out beforehand and see what you like.

ger664

In training we do our long runs at a slower pace, we benefit more by getting our muscles to deplete their glycogen reserves and train the body to use other forms of fuel more efficiently. Certain training runs will require you to take on extra energy otherwise the body will totally shutdown but I think it should be kept to the min to gain the most benefit from the training run. How long one can go without having to refuel is based on time and will vary for each individual. There after you need approx 40g of carb/hour running.

As for energy gels, I use 150ml Honey + 5ml black-strap molasses + pinch of salt. You can add a few drops of Vanilla essence for flavor. Makes the equivalent of 5 Gels. Will hold for a week and probably longer if you stick it in the fridge.

Rantan

ger664 wrote: »

In training we do our long runs at a slower pace, we benefit more by getting our muscles to deplete their glycogen reserves and train the body to use other forms of fuel more efficiently. Certain training runs will require you to take on extra energy otherwise the body will totally shutdown but I think it should be kept to the min to gain the most benefit from the training run. How long one can go without having to refuel is based on time and will vary for each individual. There after you need approx 40g of carb/hour running.

As for energy gels, I use 150ml Honey + 5ml black-strap molasses + pinch of salt. You can add a few drops of Vanilla essence for flavor. Makes the equivalent of 5 Gels. Will hold for a week and probably longer if you stick it in the fridge.

apologies for diverting from original post - but that sounds intereesting - I would like to try that out, how do you pack and carry that on a run? Re commercial gels - the sceptic in me thinks that the only benefit is the shot of caffeine that you get from them - I have used the orange HI 5 ones a couple of times and even though I was glad to have them I would wonder was it just placebo affect?

Clearlier

ecoli wrote: »

+1 on this. glycogen depletion is a process which is based in time not distance as such a 3 hour half is not different to a 3 hour full in terms of fueling.
My advice would be start introducing energy drinks/ gels for runs of over 90 min. From here its a personal thing figured out through trial and error. Perhaps try 1 gel per 30-40 min running and see how you get on from there

Solid analysis and advice here by and from ecoli. If you're not pushing yourself you can last longer than 2 hours but if you're running this to do the best that you can then 1 gel every 30 - 40 minutes is appropriate. Try some in training before the race to make sure that you get one you can tolerate.

Sorry to essentially repeat ecoli's post but there were quite a few posts saying that you wouldn't need them where I think the poster was actually saying that they didn't need them rather than taking your circumstances into consideration and I was concerned that the volume of those kind of responses might influence you. ecoli's advice is spot on.

Good luck!

G-Money

I should probably point out that I'm not really desperate to try gels or anything, I was just trying to figure out if I needed to take anything else on board during a half marathon other than water.

TFBubendorfer

G-Money wrote: »

I was just trying to figure out if I needed to take anything else on board during a half marathon other than water.

No, you do not NEED anything. Water is perfectly sufficient to get you through a half marathon.

Clearlier

The fact that it's a half marathon is irrelevant. If you're pushing yourself to go as fast as you can then you're going to run out of glycogen by about the 2 hour mark. You expect to take 3 hours so you'll need to take something on board or you'll hit the wall and have a horrible finish to the race. It doesn't have to be gels - sports drink will help, I know a 2:48 (full marathon) guy who uses flapjacks, flat coke used to be really popular 30 years ago and there are loads of other products that you can use instead.

I should emphasise that it is possible to run for 3 hours without taking anything. It's possible to run for 5 - 6 hours without taking anything too. It won't optimise your performance though and it's likely that you'll end up in a lot more pain is necessary. So I suppose I actually agree with TFB but I think it's important to point out the consequences.

Rantan

G-Money wrote: »

I should probably point out that I'm not really desperate to try gels or anything, I was just trying to figure out if I needed to take anything else on board during a half marathon other than water.

i discovered during Kildare marathon training that the little small sesame seed and honey bars fit perfectly in the pouch on my hydration belt, I also brought a couple of squares of dark almond chocolate with me on my long runs - I really liked the thought of a nice square of choccie when feeling low later inthe race - and they taste better than gels..

ger664

Rantan wrote: »

apologies for diverting from original post - but that sounds intereesting - I would like to try that out, how do you pack and carry that on a run? Re commercial gels - the sceptic in me thinks that the only benefit is the shot of caffeine that you get from them - I have used the orange HI 5 ones a couple of times and even though I was glad to have them I would wonder was it just placebo affect?

Herself buys a 100ml drink optifit colesteral drink that has a screw cap. I half fill them and turn them upside down in my pocket so the guop is near the top.

Rantan

ger664 wrote: »

Herself buys a 100ml drink optifit colesteral drink that has a screw cap. I half fill them and turn them upside down in my pocket so the guop is near the top.

thats a great idea, thanks for the info - I'ill try that out for DCM training when I get myself off my arse and stop eating and drinking - though with the sun shine and the long weekend coming I think I will have to wait another bit!!

rom

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

No, you do not NEED anything. Water is perfectly sufficient to get you through a half marathon.

A few jellies before the 2nd water station so you can wash them down is all you should really need.