Calling all Princesses! (2014 Princess half marathon board)

[charmed1212]

Have any of you ladies used hydration belts before? Hope about gel packs or chews? I have never run a distance more than 3 miles and was concerned about keeping myself hydrated.

What do you ladies do?

 

[joan4mickey]

Have any of you ladies used hydration belts before? Hope about gel packs or chews? I have never run a distance more than 3 miles and was concerned about keeping myself hydrated.

What do you ladies do?

This will be something you need to work on. I have used a hydration belt, but don't like the bounce. I use a 12oz hand held water bottle-it has a strap so it helps to carry it. If I need to carry something I like the SPI belt. I don't like to carry much..other like to take lots...phone, chapstick, tissues,etc.
On race day I will just use the on course water stops and carry a pack of stinger chews...I really like those. The sport jelly beans are good too. Some love the gels, not me.
This can be very personal as to what you like, what your body likes, how much water you need etc. Good luck

 

[jmasgat]

Have any of you ladies used hydration belts before? Hope about gel packs or chews? I have never run a distance more than 3 miles and was concerned about keeping myself hydrated.

What do you ladies do?

Time to start experimenting! Even though Disney does provide water, 1/2 strength Powerade, and at latter miles, gels, on course, you want to work on YOUR specific fuel strategy. You need to deal with both hydration (liquid) and nutrition (fuel). This should also include replacing electrolytes (sodium, potassium)

General rle of thumb is that for long runs of one hour or more you need to have fuel (carbs). Shorter than that and water or water/electrolytes is okay. And 30-60g carb/hr is a target.

So there are lots of possibilities. You can use water and fuel that has electrolytes, you can use Gatorade/Powerade etc, you can use other foods, salt tablets, etc. It all boils down to what your stomach will tolerate and how often you want to re-fuel. Some people don't want to spend time chewing things (me!), others like the simplicity of all liquid.

Also, the "form factor" of how you want to carry this is something else to figure out. Hand-held, waist pack, back pack,etc.

As for me, I use a Nathan belt with 2 bottles for my water and then use PowerGel for fuel. The gel has sodium /potassium in it. During training, I take a gel every 5 miles (this corresponds to about 45 minutes for me). I sip water when I'm thirsty, and try to make sure I don't go too long without taking some.

Here's a link to a Runners World article "what sports drinks you should be drinking" that's concise.

http://www.runnersworld.com/drinks-hydration/what-sports-drinks-you-should-be-drinking

Hope this helps get you started.

Maura



Maura

 

[joanzie72]

I have a couple of hydration belts. I have a Nathan single bottle belt, I didn't care for. I also have a Nathan 2-12 oz bottle belt. This is my go to belt for long runs. I like my Ifitness water belt attachment that I use on my shorter runs.

It really is trial and error. You may find that you do not like what other people love and vise versa.

 

[PrincessV]

Have any of you ladies used hydration belts before? Hope about gel packs or chews? I have never run a distance more than 3 miles and was concerned about keeping myself hydrated.

What do you ladies do?

It really is trial and error. You may find that you do not like what other people love and vise versa.

ITA! I also have different tools for different runs - I like my Spi belt for short runs near home, when all I need to carry are house keys and a lip balm, but I need to carry a fair amount for long runs, so I go with a more roomy belt for those.

For 2013 PHM, I wore a double-pouch iFitness belt - it held a credit card, room key, $20 in cash, a couple Nuun tablets, Honey Stinger chews, and my iPhone. I used my iPhone's armband to hold a Clif bar and asthma inhaler. I carried a 10oz handheld water bottle, which I refilled from the water tables.

Since then, I bought a couple 10oz Amphipod bottles that I can add to any of my belts... I've found that having one on my waist isn't bothersome at all and I much prefer it to the handheld for long distance. But two bottles on my waist is too much. But, I know people who happily run with 4 bottles on their belt. So, yeah - trial and error!

 

[MaMa3Princess]

Have any of you ladies used hydration belts before? Hope about gel packs or chews? I have never run a distance more than 3 miles and was concerned about keeping myself hydrated.

What do you ladies do?

I would have to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th everyone who says that hydration/fuel needs are something to start playing around with now through trial
And error. I do use a hydration belt because I am
Particular and specific about what my body does well with. During races most of the stuff is powder based and mixed by volunteers who are just pouring and mixing to get the stuff set up and out. So one aid station stuff could have a different ratio from another. Anyway, I like NUUN for electrolyte replacements.
Cliff and GU gels send my stomach into digestive overload so I so better with peanut butter filled pretzels and sports beans toward the end. Even a half of a peanut butter jelly sandwich works for me. But these were things that I had to play around and test with over and over again. I don't mind fuel belts but I have friends who hate them. So you are not going to know what you like or what you need until you road test it!!!

 

[Hk331]

I would have to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th everyone who says that hydration/fuel needs are something to start playing around with now through trial
And error. I do use a hydration belt because I am
Particular and specific about what my body does well with. During races most of the stuff is powder based and mixed by volunteers who are just pouring and mixing to get the stuff set up and out. So one aid station stuff could have a different ratio from another. Anyway, I like NUUN for electrolyte replacements.
Cliff and GU gels send my stomach into digestive overload so I so better with peanut butter filled pretzels and sports beans toward the end. Even a half of a peanut butter jelly sandwich works for me. But these were things that I had to play around and test with over and over again. I don't mind fuel belts but I have friends who hate them. So you are not going to know what you like or what you need until you road test it!!!

Hi! New runner here, are the NUUN tablets the same thing as using a GU or would GU be used in conjunction with NUUN?

 

[longhorns2]

Anyone worried about the Balloon Ladies? Wish you knew more about them? Check out my blog today for an interview with WDW's own Balloon Lady!

http://margaritasmilesandmouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/bursting-balloon-lady-bubble.html

 

[bon2313]

Hi! New runner here, are the NUUN tablets the same thing as using a GU or would GU be used in conjunction with NUUN?

Nuun is a tab you put in a bottle of water. I don't consider it a replacement to my gel (or GU) but rather an addition. My opinion at least.

 

[kathleendsm]

Definitely experiment with the gels and sports drinks. The first time I tried gels I checked the instructions and it said to take one before you start your run. Within a mile I was nearly doubled over with stomach cramps....the pure sugar was NOT good on an empty stomach before the run started! What works for me is to do 1 gel about every 4-5 miles on a run longer than about 7 miles (if that makes sense). On runs longer than 5 miles I bring Gatorade/sports drink. If they're shorter I don't bother bringing water, but nearly every route has me going past either a gas station or grocery store at some point. This morning it was so humid that I stopped during a 3 mile run to get a drink of water....I'd usually never bother on a run that short.

During races I don't carry hydration, but I do carry gels since I can never remember where they are on a particular route. I stop at every water stop and get a sports drink if possible (or 2) and have never had a hydration issue. I don't like the extra weight during a race, so I try to go light and keep it to just a Spibelt with my phone, some cash, room key, etc.

 

[jmasgat]

Hi! New runner here, are the NUUN tablets the same thing as using a GU or would GU be used in conjunction with NUUN?

NUUN tablets handle electrolyte replacement only (sodium, potassium)--they don't provide any fuel, i.e. carboyhdrates.

If you use a GU or other gel product, you will be getting carbs and electrolytes--although the amounts vary based on the product. If you use GU or other gel you may not need additional electrolytes. But it depends on your physiology--how much do you sweat.

Maura

 

[Hk331]

NUUN tablets handle electrolyte replacement only (sodium, potassium)--they don't provide any fuel, i.e. carboyhdrates.

If you use a GU or other gel product, you will be getting carbs and electrolytes--although the amounts vary based on the product. If you use GU or other gel you may not need additional electrolytes. But it depends on your physiology--how much do you sweat.

Maura

Thanks for all the info! I sweat A LOT, even in cooler weather lol. I also find myself to be a very salty sweater as well, at the end of my run last week (6.94 miles) my forehead was lined with salt crystals. Currently I use only GU's but wasn't sure if it had electrolytes (more specifically, not knowing what exactly an electrolyte is, does it deal with salty sweating or just sweating in general.)

I currently wear a Nathan hydration belt with one bottle water, another with GU and water Mixed, should I consider attaching a third smaller bottle with
NUUN tabs?

Thanks for all the tips!! You guys are incredibly helpful.

 

[MaMa3Princess]

Thanks for all the info! I sweat A LOT, even in cooler weather lol. I also find myself to be a very salty sweater as well, at the end of my run last week (6.94 miles) my forehead was lined with salt crystals. Currently I use only GU's but wasn't sure if it had electrolytes (more specifically, not knowing what exactly an electrolyte is, does it deal with salty sweating or just sweating in general.)

I currently wear a Nathan hydration belt with one bottle water, another with GU and water Mixed, should I consider attaching a third smaller bottle with
NUUN tabs?

Thanks for all the tips!! You guys are incredibly helpful.

for me I loose alot of sweat and NUUN works for me better than Gatorade or powerade. I use NUUN instead of those two. Now as far as GU or Cliff shots those things give me digestive problems but most will take a GU packet or 2 per race. When I first getting in to high miles I bought a lot of fuel and would experiment with them each week. So just go into a running store, REI and or Dicks pick up beans, GU, gels and try each one
But hands down NUUN is my must have for electrolyte replacement.

 

[kappyfamily]

for me I loose alot of sweat and NUUN works for me better than Gatorade or powerade. I use NUUN instead of those two. Now as far as GU or Cliff shots those things give me digestive problems but most will take a GU packet or 2 per race. When I first getting in to high miles I bought a lot of fuel and would experiment with them each week. So just go into a running store, REI and or Dicks pick up beans, GU, gels and try each one
But hands down NUUN is my must have for electrolyte replacement.

I think it tastes nasty but everyone raves about it!! are there different flavors? I just was handed a cup at a race and whatever it was was gross! I'm willing to give it another try though. When do you drink it, before/after/during?? thanks!

 

[PrincessV]

for me I loose alot of sweat and NUUN works for me better than Gatorade or powerade. I use NUUN instead of those two...
But hands down NUUN is my must have for electrolyte replacement.

Ditto that for me. I live and train in FL and I'm losing 5% or more of my body weight to sweat on every long run - I don't use plain water at all in the heat, only Nuun. For fuel, I eat Honey Stinger chews and waffles and Clif bars; I'm getting some electrolytes in them, but I need the extra from Nuun.

I think it tastes nasty but everyone raves about it!! are there different flavors? I just was handed a cup at a race and whatever it was was gross! I'm willing to give it another try though. When do you drink it, before/after/during?? thanks!

They have a gazillion different flavors - they all kind of have the same base flavor, though. Honestly, I don't care what it tastes like, so long as it's helping me prevent heat stroke, lol! I'll mix up around 32 oz the night before a long run: I drink 8-16 before my run and fill my 10oz bottle; the rest I drink after my run, plus water. During the run, I break a couple Nuun tabs in half and wrap them in cling wrap; each time I refill my water bottle, I drop a 1/2 tab of Nuun in.

 

[MaMa3Princess]

I think it tastes nasty but everyone raves about it!! are there different flavors? I just was handed a cup at a race and whatever it was was gross! I'm willing to give it another try though. When do you drink it, before/after/during?? thanks!

Princess V gave a great break down and I can imagine living in Florida and the sweat loss during running.
My flavors I lean toward are tri berry, tropical, pink lemonade and grape. Total bombs were kola, lemon lime and tea.
I think the same thing happens at expo. They dump lots of tablet, ice water. I would not call it yummy but it is effective.

 

[Cripey]

I think it tastes nasty but everyone raves about it!! are there different flavors? I just was handed a cup at a race and whatever it was was gross! I'm willing to give it another try though. When do you drink it, before/after/during?? thanks!

LOL, I have to agree with you on that...I have tried really hard to like Nuun and have tried several flavors but I just can't stand it! It tastes like chalky Alka Seltzer to me.

 

[BlazerFan]

Anyone worried about the Balloon Ladies? Wish you knew more about them? Check out my blog today for an interview with WDW's own Balloon Lady!

http://margaritasmilesandmouse.blogspot.com/2013/08/bursting-balloon-lady-bubble.html

Great research! It sounds like they are Galloway pacers who have taken this on to help racers out from the "official runDisney sag wagon". Otherwise there may only be the people on the bikes. I've never seen them but I've seen people at the mile markers announcing that we are XX minutes ahead of pace.

 

[BlazerFan]

I think it tastes nasty but everyone raves about it!! are there different flavors? I just was handed a cup at a race and whatever it was was gross! I'm willing to give it another try though. When do you drink it, before/after/during?? thanks!

The tablets aren't sweet at all which is probably the problem, a bit salty. Last year for the DL 1/2 I knew it was going to be hotter than I'm used to so I dropped 1/2 tab in my water bottle a throughout the day to increase my electrolytes. I don't often take them along during the race because I have another mixture I like instead, but I tend to use them to pre-load. Be aware that they fizz a little so leave a little space in the bottle. I think I have a strawberry lemonade or something and a fruit punch that I like the best.

I tend to mix 1/2 strength so I'm getting the electrolytes but the flavor isn't as strong.

 

[jmasgat]

Thanks for all the info! I sweat A LOT, even in cooler weather lol. I also find myself to be a very salty sweater as well, at the end of my run last week (6.94 miles) my forehead was lined with salt crystals. Currently I use only GU's but wasn't sure if it had electrolytes (more specifically, not knowing what exactly an electrolyte is, does it deal with salty sweating or just sweating in general.)

I currently wear a Nathan hydration belt with one bottle water, another with GU and water Mixed, should I consider attaching a third smaller bottle with
NUUN tabs?

Thanks for all the tips!! You guys are incredibly helpful.

Sweating means losing water and electrolytes--everyone's sweat is different (i.e. differently "salty"). At some point, it may lead to cramping. I've never had this problem, so I'm not really dialed into it.

When you initially mentioned GU, I assumed you were talking gels. But when you mention you mixed it with water in a bottle--are you using the Electrolyte Brew?

Rather than add a third bottle with something else in it--which seems like too much to keep track of--you could try salt tablets, or find a higher sodium/potassium mix product. If you can go to a store like REI and look at their nutrition products (they have a pretty good selection), a local running store, or even Google "electrolyte comparison chart". You'll get some results comparing various products out there.

Yeah, it's a little confusing, but that's why you start now. You'll get dialed in to something that works for you.

Maura