How far do you run, before taking on liquid/food?
4 watchers
Apr 2012
1:28pm, 10 Apr 2012
619 posts
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HermanBloom
At the risk of repeating myself from my blog, I have never run further than 10k in one go. This changes tomorrow when I start upping my mileage for the New Forest 10 in July, and the Stockholm Half in September. A thought occured to me this morning though. When I go for training runs I never take any water/gels with me. I've never felt I've run far enough to really need them. Yet in a race I always seem to take the water on offer during the run, I guess simply because someone is stood there holding it out for me! But the point is I run 10k without usually taking anything, so therefore have never given this much thought. At what point further down the running track does this become a bit silly? Should the body really be getting some kind of fluid or food in it after, say, 60 minutes running? Or 90 minutes? I know everyone is different and so on, but I would assume that there is a general rule of thumb that says "after running this far/long, you really should take on a little water". I've never had a gel in my life either. Got one in a goodie-bag at the end of the Brill Hilly 10k and thought it seemed excessive, but maybe I'be been a bit blaise about it all and should be having something at around that distance. What experiences have you guys had? |
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Apr 2012
1:30pm, 10 Apr 2012
620 posts
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HermanBloom
I should also mention one guy had a belt on loaded with gels at the Brill race, so he was clearly expecting to use some an hour's running. Hadn't really seen that before for a 10k.
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Apr 2012
1:31pm, 10 Apr 2012
6,044 posts
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Mrs Winkle
I only use gels for marathon training runs of 18+ miles. I take one every 6 miles (same during a marathon). Similar applies for water, I don't bother taking any for runs shorter than 15 - 16 miles. But that's what suits me, different for different people. 
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Apr 2012
1:33pm, 10 Apr 2012
621 posts
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HermanBloom
It was my first thought Mrs W. Assumed I was doing nowhere near enough mileage to worry about such things, just wasn't sure if I had got it very wrong!
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Apr 2012
1:34pm, 10 Apr 2012
11,195 posts
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Ted
Herman, the body is perfectly capable of running 10Mi without water/gels. Especially when you know at the end of it you are going to drink anyway. You shouldn't need to worry about training with water for a 10Miler unless you want to mimic race conditions and then take a little where you know the water points will be during the race. Not forgetting to get some down your front and some up your nose. They are true race conditions. Don't over think it, maybe the next step from 10 to 13.1 is when you should start considering it. |
Apr 2012
1:34pm, 10 Apr 2012
10,591 posts
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FRU (KeepTheFaith)
I can clearly remember several stages to be honest. I guess my rule of thumb has always been simply if I am going up a distance for the first time I would take something with me. As a rule now I only take water with me for a distance of 10 or more, OR if it is really hot/warm and I think I should be sensible (6miles or more). Gels I only use on 13 or more. But again, back when I started to rise to that distance I may well have taken a gel with me just in case for anything over 6. I also learned quite early on that I have a sensitive run stomach and cant bear anything like jelly babies, lucozade or anything orange or sugary sickly. I can hack kendal mint cake, love Nuun's kola and also haribo are ok.
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Apr 2012
1:35pm, 10 Apr 2012
908 posts
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WobblingTime
I can run quite happily for about 90 minutes without water or fuel, in the winter. Once it's gets a bit warmer, I have my camelbak with me for runs over an hour. Anything 10 miles and over, I use gels. For a ten mile run, I'll have one gel around 5 miles, over 10 miles and I have a gel every four miles. It might be over-kill but it works for me, probably fulfilling more of a mental need than a physical one. Gels aren't the only fuelling options tho. You can use sports drinks, shot blocs or jelly babies. I didn't find I got enough energy from drinks tho and they were way too sweet for me. I liked shot blocs, but they didn't like me, giving me stomach cramps, and again not enough energy. I also found anything that needs chewing was pretty much a no-no. I'll take jelly babies if they're on offer during a race (why wouldn't you?) but I don't use them in training as I found they get all hot and unpleasant in my pockets. |
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Apr 2012
1:39pm, 10 Apr 2012
91 posts
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thekingofcarrotflowers
10 miles or less in training i dont do water or gels. Longer runs i do water every 3 miles. I dont do gels in training (which i think is a mistake) In a race of 10 miles i will take on water once,in a half every 3 miles and for the one marathon i did every 3 miles but i probably should have done it more. To be honest its a totally individual thing. I try to mimic what i will face in a race so i refuel when water would be offered but you should do what you find comfortable |
Apr 2012
1:42pm, 10 Apr 2012
1,396 posts
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Bru-Bru
There has been a post on this before, I think. Received wisdom, I believe, is that you cannot go for more than 90mins on stored carbohydrate and sugar so need to refuel avery 45' or so (to allow time for digestion) if the race is longer than this. However, some of us have - ahem - more ready-stored food reserves available to be broken down into sugar and glycogen (i.e. FAT) than others. Personally, I never bother with food for a long run of less than 15m or a race of half marathon or less (though it takes me a lot longer than 90') and don't take water when training unless it is at least 10m and sometimes go much longer without. However, you sometimes find yourself tripping over gels in the road and see people festooned with belts on even races as short as 10k so it depends what you want to do (and how much psychological boost you get from gadgetry) I suppose. It's never the thin ones that seem to need the extra food, is it? |
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Apr 2012
1:46pm, 10 Apr 2012
909 posts
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WobblingTime
At mile 8 of the GSR last year, I spotted a girl who had 6 gels left on her belt. I did spend way too long trying to work out how many she'd set out with.
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