Nutrition - Training - Runner's World

M..o.use

11/08/2007 at 19:00

Hello all!

Life has suddenly got a bit more serious for me as I've changed my race distances from half mara to mara. With half maras I've just blagged it round on Rowntrees Fruit Pastilles, water and lucozade pouches if they were included as part of the water stations. However, I've decided to up my game and enter a marathon.

The thing is, I don't understand nutrition. Therefore, what stuff should I be eating on the run? Obviously it's these gel things that everyone talks about so please can you tell me a bit about them? What brands are best. How often do you have one. What are the nice flavours? What are the gross flavours? Also, what's all this powder stuff? SIS or something? How do you use that?

Talk to me like a 7 year old, this is all new territory for me.

Thank you!

nsc

11/08/2007 at 19:07

Mouse - I'm no expert, in fact am a bit of an non-understanding numpty about all of this too, and am also just stepping up the milage for a marathon too (think we're doing the same one)

I've just starting experimenting with the sis go gels, whichever flavour you go for they're exceedingly sweet and the texture is, shall we say, interesting! but I have no idea how many, how often, is water ok or should I be drinking other stuff???

awaits answers from those who know...

popsider

11/08/2007 at 19:12

Experiment and see what you like - for me water and a couple of Hi5 energy bars worked well enough - all those gels do is make me feel sick.

Powders are fine to make up a sports drink for training but maybe not possible to use in a race. If you are doing a marathon that provides sports drink then practice using that drink.

It is possible to overdo the nutrition and end up with stomach cramps.

Plodding Hippo

11/08/2007 at 19:15

I cannot even get a gel past my lips

i manage about 300-500 mls sports drink in a marathon and maybe a few sweets

Too much sweet stuff and i get stomach cramps and trotts

you will really need to experiment to see what suits
Some gels you HAVE to take with water, some can be tolerated without
everyone is different

nsc

11/08/2007 at 19:24

so suck it and see or gulp it or slurp it!

thanks guys, I can't tolerate stuff like lucozade sport without it being diluted, so think I will stick to water and experiment with the gels as my long runs get longer....

Plodding Hippo

11/08/2007 at 19:25

ha ha nsc

ha ha ha

you have a way with words

M..o.use

11/08/2007 at 19:46

I have a discount voucher thing Wiggle sent me and I'm ordering some other stuff. Do you think it's worth ordering something like this to get a 'taster'? The voucher would bring the price down from a tenner to a fiver.

nsc

11/08/2007 at 19:49

think that's a good idea for a fiver Mouse, let me know how you go on with it

Plodding Hippo

11/08/2007 at 19:49

maybe mouse, but some of that stuff is recovery drink

a fiver sounds good though

M..o.use

11/08/2007 at 19:55

okie dokie

What's recovery drink?

Plodding Hippo

11/08/2007 at 20:05

well, stuff to help your muscles repair

basically protein/carb mix

slimfast would work

so would a tuna sarnie

In theory you need to eat within 20 mins of a long run-if you cant, then a drink may be helfpul

i dont do either, but then im a shit runner

HerefordshireLass

11/08/2007 at 21:25

Can't offer any different advice Mouse apart from see what suits you best. I confess that I'm a jelly baby, lucozade and water person and extremely slow so, err, you may wish to listen to others!

Good luck on finding what works for you.

Ultra Kazzaaaaah!!

11/08/2007 at 21:39

From what I recall of the article that was in RW around the time of FLM, SIS have the least carbs in them so you need to take them more often than the other gels but you don't need to take them with water. I tried Hi-5 and SIS. Seemed to get on best with SIS altho' I did discover that taking five on a run meant a somewhat unexpected pit stop on the way home and a rather worrisome last half mile back to the nearest loos!

I sometimes use the recovery drink - SIS vanilla one is quite pleasant. But I've found that a cereal bar and some chocomilk works just as well and is a lot cheaper.

SIS also do a drink that you can mix up and have before you go out for your run.

popsider

11/08/2007 at 23:36

Be interesting to know what people did for energy before gels etc were invented. I mean amateur runners were generally a bit faster in the 80s and early 90s - did sports drinks even exist then ?

M..o.use

12/08/2007 at 09:20

So, to summarise, there are, in fact, before, during and after type drinks/products. If nothing else I need to make sure I have the right product!

I read on a tri thread that one of the IM peeps had marmite sandwiches. That sounds like a good nutrition strategy to me - apart from the marmite bit.

Lee-sterine (M.)

12/08/2007 at 09:38

I read a book about Inca warriors a few years back. They would run up to 30 miles a day patrolling the boundaries of their known world. They would eat the leaves of the marijuana plant to sustain them, not that I am suggesting you do that.....

Ultra Kazzaaaaah!!

12/08/2007 at 11:41

Jam sandwiches would work Mouse, so would malt loaf, jaffa cakes. I used to take mini Mars bars out on long runs with me to have while I was running.

Welsh Poppy

12/08/2007 at 11:49

I use gels on long runs because I have been known to flake out on run ..not nice I use SIS as there are isotonic and just some water .

Post run I am using a protien recovery drink again as I am not recovering as well as I should from my sessions.I had used them 2-3 years ago and was then able to run 80 mile weeks so using them.
I am running to work and after work at moment so using an energy bar as breakfast as cant have my usual porridge Power bars and working well.

Each to there own so many products out there to try

I like SIS gels
But Hi five energy or recovery drinks
Power bar enegry bars
As I work for a running shop I have tried lots and know what suits or works best for me.

M..o.use

12/08/2007 at 12:04

Mini Mars bars - now you're talking!!

Thanks for that Poppy - I'll have to pop into my local running shop and just get 1 of a few things and see what I like.

Ultra Kazzaaaaah!!

12/08/2007 at 12:38

Wish I could remember the name of the website that I got my 'intro' pack from or even which forumite recommended it. It was a zip-lock bag that had one or two gels from the diff manufacturers.