I've not been using gels on ANY of my training runs! Now, with a marathon coming up, I'm in a panic about it. I stopped at a shop halfway through my run today and bought a couple of High 5 gels. The one with caffeine really gave me wings
I thought they tasted great but there's a problem.
The packets say you take these every 20 mins. For me, that means taking about 12-13 gels! Seems a bit excessive! What do you guys recommend?
Comments
It's good that you've tested out the gels before the race to make sure you're ok with them - but they should definitely give you a nice boost in the race itself, particularly if you're used to doing most of your training runs without them! I also like the High5 ones - I find they have a nicer consistency (less gloopy) than some.
Khanivore - I use High 5 gels, they're the only brand (and only one flavour) that my stomach can cope with. I take 6 and always at 6, 10, 14, 17, 20 & 23 miles. This means that I'm taking them at regular intervals, but slightly more towards the end of the race. Being consistent with it means that I have a plan that I can follow, even when tired and falling apart. If you're taking quite a few gels, think about how you'll carry them, and make sure they don't get dropped accidentally. I wear a really lightweight belt and loop the gels around this with a little bit of duct tape so they can't work loose. Some race starts are covered with dropped gels!
Find one you like and buy a box online, you'll save a fortune, e.g.- High 5, usually about £12 for 20-off in a box.
Training runs are always fasted.
They would say that on the packet, all about getting you to buy as many as possible.
A good breakfast is usually sufficient and then some carbohydrate just before the start perhaps (my PB Mara was run on porridge, with a slice of fruitcake about 1/2 an hour beforehand)
If you really want to take gels then perhaps every 5M or 10K should be OK - any more is just carrying unneccessary extra weight!