Not only will you aid recovery times by using gels on your training runs but your stomach will get used to the pattern of absorption. The more you follow an energy gel nutrition plan during your training, the better it will go on race day. This way you still get some energy benefit without your stomach being overloaded. Once your stomach starts to recoil from gels, try taking a quarter of the gel every 15 minutes, rather than pushing it down all at once. If your stomach tends to shut down in the later stages of a long race, try to take on gels before that happens, so you have some stores to pull on. Note there is a limit to how much carbohydrate the body can absorb – if you take too many gels, you won't be able to absorb the energy but just have a stomach full of energy gel (which isn't so nice). Most races provide water, so it is safer to rely on your own gels rather than hope what’s offered at a race suits your needs. If you get 40grams of carbohydrate from a 500ml energy drink, one additional energy gel of 25 grams will take you up to the 70g target. It depends if you are also taking on energy drinks. One or two energy gels every hour of training / racing can be an effective way of meeting your carbohydrate needs. A 70Kg runner can absorb 70 grams of carbohydrate in an hour. As a rough guide you can take on 1 gram of carbohydrate per Kg of bodyweight per hour. It is always best to check the manufacturer's recommended suggestions. Taking gels during longer training sessions will help to maintain your energy and performance. How many to take? / When to take? / Different types / Pitfalls / Brandsįor periods of exercise under an hour it is unlikely you will need extra carbohydrate, your body’s stores will be sufficient. Exceptions are Isotonic gels that are less concentrated but also provide less energy. Otherwise, you may find yourself becoming dehydrated. (The body needs water to digest carbohydrate). Therefore they need to be used diluted with some plain water. Most energy gels are based on maltodextrin which directly provide glucose to your blood stream and provide an easily absorbable form of carbohydrate.Įnergy gels are effectively concentrated energy drinks. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.Energy gels offer a concentrated source of energy, making it easier to replace lost energy stores whilst training and racing. My legs will do the rest.īuy Skratch Labs Sport Hydration Drink Mix, $35 for a pack of 16 individual servings on AmazonĪll products featured on Healthyish are independently selected by our editors. I plan on carrying a small water bottle filled with Skratch this weekend to keep me going for the first part of the race, and I'll give some to my spectating family members to hand off to me during the later miles. Skratch tastes like a saltier, less sweet version of Gatorade, which is what your body craves when it's pushing itself to the limits: enough sugar that keeps the motor running but not too much that you cramp up, and lots of salt to replace what you've lost in sweat. I mixed a serving of Skratch Labs Sport (80 calories, 21 grams of carbs) with 12 ounces of water and put it aside to drink towards the end of a 16 mile run, right before the last three miles called for a faster pace. I'm not exaggerating when I say drinking this made me feel like I was in a Super Bowl commercial. The end goal? Find one that gets me through a marathon without causing stomach cramps. Ahead of my next marathon this weekend, I tested five different sports drink powders, some with enough carbs per serving to kill all keto dreams, others heavier on salt. I've had my fair share of Gatorade while running races, but it often ends in a sloshy stomach. The stomach isn't as ironclad as usual when put under the stress of a marathon-you can't just chug any old sports drink and sprint to the finish. You need two main things: sugar because it's such a fast-acting carbohydrate, and salt to keep your blood sodium levels balanced as you sweat. The solution isn't just to hydrate and consume carbs before exercising (carboloading is one of my strengths), but to continue doing so while you're running, so you never let your tank hit empty. According to Runner’s World, the body stores about 1,800 to 2,000 calories worth of glycogen by the time you hit, say, 20 miles, you've used up all that energy. I had just begun mile 21 and, having run a marathon before, I was expecting the last 10K to be tough but not so tough that my legs would turn into cement pillars barely capable of moving forward, or that I would cry and lose all will to go on.īonking, or hitting the wall, is what happens to endurance athletes when the body has depleted its glycogen stores. I didn't believe how awful hitting the wall was until it happened to me.
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