Nutrition - Training - Runner's World

Trudi Carmichael

18/02/2013 at 19:23

Hi running buddies! I am training for the Edinburgh marathon in May and have been experimenting with my nutrition when doing my long training runs. I have been using energy gels but am wondering what other people use? Do any of you take sweets with you? I tried jelly babies but they were quite hard to chew! My sister uses these jelly fruits with real fruit juice which she thinks are good. What does everyone else take with them? Be good to know. Thanks Trudi

chazzersdad

18/02/2013 at 19:53

Hi Trudi. I pinched some of my wifes "York Fruits" she bought for Christmas. They're about 4 times the size of a Jelly Baby. I just tuck one between my back teeth and the inside of my cheek and let it dissolve, no chewing needed and lasts about 10 minutes. I've done the box now so I need to find some more. My mate, who's a dentist, rightly took a dim view of my new found nutrition habit though!

Trudi Carmichael

18/02/2013 at 21:14

Yeh they sound a bit like the fruit jellies my sister uses. Do you just take sweets on your long runs?

chazzersdad

18/02/2013 at 23:32

I'm doing the Hogweed Hilly Half in a couple of weeks, so I've been experimenting with the sweets and SIS gel sachets. The sweets I like. The gel, I feel, is natures way of getting back at me for making my kids try new food!

I'm not sure either do that much for me to be honest, I'm only running for 90-120 minutes and if I have a great run that may be down to an extra hour in bed or the banana in my porridge.

To answer your question though, I wont buy any more gel when it's gone, but I will get more sweets!

Trudi Carmichael

19/02/2013 at 19:46

Yeh I felt like the jelly babies and sis gels weren't doing much for me either. I could feel that my stomach was getting hungry! I've had some gels from holland and Barrett but I can't remember what they are called. Think they were powersource or something similar. These I felt did work. Do you think I should have both gels and sweets in my running belt on the day of the marathon or one or the other?

chazzersdad

22/02/2013 at 01:14

Hi Trudi, by the time you get into the second half of the marathon you will have run further than I have ever done, so it would not be fair of me to convince you with my opinions.

The more I experiment with gel/sweets/drink the less certain I am. None of it upsets my stomach, but the benefits are vague in so much as I haven't tried running on empty to compare the effects. That is, after all, what we are trying to avoid.

Perhaps someone else out there reading this can share their experience with us and what works/doesn't for them.

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