Nutrition - to gel or not to gel?

3 watchers

SamanthaMartini Jan 2014 8:41pm, 12 Jan 2014 3 posts	0 SamanthaMartini Hi everyone - I booked my place on the Trafford marathon last week - I've been gearing up for the race since August last year - I've lost 16lbs between Aug and Dec to get extra lean for the training (eliminating potato, pasta and bread from my diet and eating clean), took up core strength training and generally ticked over the miles until settling in to a training plan this month. I'm on the intermediate runners world plan and ran 12 miles today fairly comfortably. I had always hoped not to have to resort to use anything 'artificial' as I have been eating clean for a while now and feel fab, but when I got to 10 miles today I felt the start of my 'tank getting empty' - I was hungry. I had a bowl of porridge before setting off, but clearly if I am going to get to full marathon I need to think about how to top up. Thirst played a part though. Is there anyone who can suggest great ways to refuel on the road? Any tips people swear by for me to try? I can see that when I start going beyond 13 miles it's going to be a problem. Clearly one solution would be to stop and eat something from a shop say, but my goal with the marathon is to just keep going with no stopping so want to replicate that in training now. Cheers! Jane
cackleberry Jan 2014 8:48pm, 12 Jan 2014 345 posts	0 cackleberry Hello, well done on your training so far, sounds very solid. There are some low carb runners on here, and I think a Paleo thread. They will be able to give you better advice I am sure! I believe low carb runners will use Babybel, nuts, homemade flapjack type things for running. Personally, I use Haribo type sweets or Cheddars! You don't have to eat gels, play around with items that are convenient to carry/eat on the move and find out what works for you. And definitely make sure you drink enough if you're getting thirsty, making sure you drink well before the run is just as important. Hope that helps!
JohnnyO Jan 2014 8:54pm, 12 Jan 2014 17,109 posts	0 JohnnyO In training I eat proper food, fruitcake or biscuits, but in races I use gels. On race day you will need something, very few people can run a full marathon at pace without some intake, and gels are what most use as they are easier to digest than almost anythng else. Some gels cause stomach upset though, and different people use different ones due to this and their pattern of intake. For example, I use isotonic gels (SiS and others) as I know they dont give me gut rot and I can take them to a schedule that doesnt involve water stations (most concentrated gels need you to drink with them). Its trial and error finding what works for you, and some people probably do take dried fruit/cake/jelly babies etc on race day, but they aren't for me.
DerbyTup Jan 2014 8:55pm, 12 Jan 2014 8,948 posts	0 DerbyTup Shot Bloks are a great alternative to gels wiggle.co.uk
jacdaw Jan 2014 9:15pm, 12 Jan 2014 518 posts	0 jacdaw Pouches of banana baby food? Dates? Paleo types use bacon I think! Or is that just for ultras?
Fitz Jan 2014 1:25pm, 13 Jan 2014 642 posts	0 Fitz I used to use gels for LSRs but now try to use them only for races, as I still have enough flab that I think I should be training my body to burn fat rather than loading up on quick carbs for energy. For LSRs I make sure I have a good breakfast beforehand and a decent dinner the night before. If all else fails on a LSR, I'll stop into a shop for one, some or all of: Flapjack or an oaty bar like Nature's Harvest Lucozade Sport drink Jelly babies
Jon_T Jan 2014 1:50pm, 13 Jan 2014 3,813 posts	0 Jon_T I haven't used gels since being quite sick during VLM in 2012. I do mix up a bottle of Viper Active sports drink which has carbs in it and take that with me. I was also lucky that I was able to leave a bottle on Fetchpoint at Abingdon to collect at 20 miles. Carrying a bottle isn't for everyone though, especially for very long distances so I would experiment with different strategies and see what suits you.
daviec Jan 2014 3:41pm, 13 Jan 2014 3,615 posts	0 daviec Can I make a different suggestion? Have you tried slowing down? This should mean a higher percentage of your fuelling will come from fat than carbs. You don't have many races on your profile, but you ran that 12 miler at roughly your half marathon pace. That's going to be a pretty hard run and will take a lot out of you. What is your target pace for the marathon? You want to be a good 60-120 seconds per mile slower than that. You'll find it easier to get through the run without feeling hungry that way. As JohnnyO says you'll still need to work on nutrition for the much longer runs, but 12 miles shouldn't really be an issue for fuelling especially if you've eaten before you run.
Lorraine Jan 2014 3:54pm, 13 Jan 2014 872 posts	0 Lorraine As everyone has said you will need something during your marathon but it doesn't need to be gels. There are plenty of alternatives, it's really down to you personally. Also as daviec said I think you may need to slow down. It is a hard mind set but really pays off in the end. Personally I only use gels in races but I always do my LSR with a sports drink.
SamanthaMartini Jan 2014 8:24pm, 13 Jan 2014 4 posts	0 SamanthaMartini This is brilliant everyone, thank you so much for your advice. I am realistically looking to do the marathon between 4 and 4.30 hours (closer to 4.30). Really interesting comments on slowing down - I hadn't thought about that - I thought that perhaps I wasn't fast enough! Definitely going to give jelly beans/babies and haribo a whirl, for the incentive after 12 miles if anything! Still wary of the gels - sounds like a minefield, but never say never, trial and error! Need to plan ahead and look at hiding water bottles on longer routes. Like the flapjack idea too. Will let you know how I get on! These comments are brill, thanks everyone Happy running!