Do You Gu, Which Gu Do You Do?

[gatorphipps]

I am assuming we are talking about longer training sessions/races. I take nothing but H2O for anything 10 miles or under....but for longer....

I am a Hammer Gel girl myself. I like the vanilla and apple cinnamon (SP?). I take a few of these, but after 20 or so miles, my tummy says no more, so I also do HEED. It is a mix. You can make it as thick as you want. I make it a drink. I like the orange-vanilla.

I start at mile 3 and take 1/2 a gel pack....then alternate a sip of HEED and gel every other mile on the odd miles. I do this b/c it seems that the even miles have drink stations. I take the H2O there.

It does take some getting used to so try anything new out during practice runs. Nothing new on race day.

These products seem to be the least upsetting to my stomach.

As to caffeine, I drink a cup of coffee in the morning. Maybe a diet coke if I need something to get me through the hard times in the afternoon at work. I do not use them in my running products anymore. It upset my stomach....and that is putting it mildly. I have a low RHR (around 40 something) so I do not see much diff unless I take in a lot of caffeine. Then my heart goes crazy.

That's just what I do and it has taken lots of practice to figure out what works best for me....so I say try different things and timings on your longer runs/bike/swim...or whatever you do.

Good Luck!

 

[mla1977]

What brand did they have during the Princess half? I plan on ordering some of the flavor that I had during the race. It was much better than the clif blocks or possibly even the jelly belly sport beans.

 

[sunshine girl]

I like to use Vanilla GU. I do notice that I feel a little better after having the GU while running (more energy, a little more pep) but this may well be psychological for all I know. Never tried the berry flavors but I want to!

I am interested to hear what more people have to say about caffeine. I used to quit caffeine while training for a big event, but lately I've gone in the opposite direction... !!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

wow..$2.75 a packet?! I go to Road Runner Sports and they're $1.25 for individual packets. My friend also goes on Amazon and buys the variety pack of 3 packets of each flavor for $25-ish.

I have yet to try them all but heres my thoughts so far...

Vanilla: probably the best so far
Chocolate: good...very sweet though
Tri-Berry: good..
Lime: horrible
Strawberry banana: horrible
Orange: acceptable if that's all I have left

I've heard espresso is good as well.

I also tried the Berry Clif Shots and couldn't even get past one taste. I had to throw the whole thing out b/c it was pretty nasty.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Oh and as for caffeine... you just have to see how your body reacts to it. For some people it's a strong diuretic so umm...you wont want caffeine if you're running a long race.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Do you find that you only use 1 or 2 for a half marathon? I am still trying to work on the hydration. I know that at the WDW half there are many water stops, I have trouble with drinking too much while running-side stitches and that dreaded "sloshing" feeling. Guess I have a bunch of things to work on!

I use an energy gel/block for any run longer than an hour and a half. For a long run, I will take one at 45 minutes, and then 1:30, 2:15, etc. So, for a half marathon, I would take two. Remember that it takes about 15 minutes for the sugar to get into your system, so there's no value in taking anything within 15 minutes of finishing. Oh, and I always carry my own gels/blocks during a race and turn down the offered ones, unless I'm using the same brand. You don't know how your stomach is going to react to a new product while running, and you don't want any surprises during a race! Disney uses Cliff Shots and lemon-lime Poweraid, so you can start using that during your training if you want to be used to it!

As far as hydration, I don't carry water for anything shorter than 5 miles - often longer if it's raining out, as it is so frequently in Seattle. If I am carrying water, I "sip" about every 30 minutes and then finish the bottle off during my cool-down.

As far as the frequent water stations in the half marathon, I am going to repeat the advice that was given to me by my fiance's sister, who is an Olympic cross-country skier. Take a cup and drink something at EVERY water station, but NEVER finish the cup unless you really feel you need it. For example, during the WDW half marathon, the only cup that I finished was the one after exiting the Magic Kingdom, because there is quite a gap in water stations there, but I took a cup and took a sip at every station.

Again, this is only my experience, and you're going to have to experiment to see what works for you!

 

[VernRDH]

Sarah_Rose that was exactly the kind of info I was looking for!! I know that everyone is different, but not having done a race like this before, I want to get some ideas from others as to what they do.

We start the training schedule for our first half (in sept) on June 1. So I won't get into runs that are too long for some time yet. I am currently running close to a 10 min/mile pace. I am a type A planner, so I like to figure out what I need to take out with me when I run.

I really appreciate all the responses-you guys ROCK!! And I am looking forward to meeting many of you at the half in January.

 

[wfloyd]

I have used the Gu's and PowerGels in the past and tend to prefer the PowerGels. My favorite/tolerable flavors are Strawberry Banana, Green Apple, Orange, and Raspberry Cream. I didn't like the other flavors for some reason.

Both Gu and PowerGel seem to tweak their formula everynow and then and once when they did it, it totally changed what everything tasted like I couldn't stand it. Then a few months later it got better so they may have gone back again. Definately try one of each flavor and see what you like.

 

[ironz]

Haven't seen it mentioned, but I really like the Carb-boom gels, specifically, the apple cinnamon flavor. Tastes like apple pie filling to me.

Caffeine can be good for some and not for others. I have several friends whose stomach gets upset with the caffeinated gels. I drink a decent amount of Diet Coke every day, so a little caffeine in a race isn't a bad thing for me. Try it in training first!

 

[MomofCKJ]

I don't Gu, I don't like the constistancy of it, however I do use the Jelly Belly Sport Beans and I LOVE them!

Allyson

 

[Kirsty-Leigh]

Hi everyone, its interesting hearing everyone talk about the caffiene, I am HIGHLY sensitive to caffiene and have to eliminate i completely from my diet!!! My HR goes out the roof even if I am not excersising, and I get almost an instant migrane which can last for weeks after and I start seeing colors, I have to be so careful with what they hand out at a race because that would be the end of it for me I have never taken any gu or anything similar because of this problem and was unaware that they had caffiene free ones, does anyone know if they are completly caffiene free and if they are which of them do you prefer

Thanks Guys

Kirsty

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I have never taken any gu or anything similar because of this problem and was unaware that they had caffiene free ones, does anyone know if they are completly caffiene free and if they are which of them do you prefer

Hi Kirsty! I use Cliff Shot Blocks and I know for sure that their lemon-lime and cran-razz flavors are always caffeine free. Some of their other flavors (orange, strawberry, and cherry come to mind) come in caffeine and non-caffeinated versions, but I just avoid them because I don't want to get a caffeine package accidentally. As far as the actual Cliff Shots, a lot of them do have caffeine, but a few of the fruit flavors are safe. All the ones with caffeine on them say so on the packaging, so if it doesn't say, it's completely caffeine free!

I can't speak for Gu or any of the other brands - I've heard vanilla Gu is caffeine-free. I picked up chocolate to try it a couple weeks back and it definitely DID have caffeine in it.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

A lot of the Gu's are caffeine free. Right below the rip off tab top it says either "No Caffeine" or "w/ Caffeine". Just be careful which ones you grab! I can't remember off the top of my head which one are caffeine free but I remember when eating them, I definitely didn't feel any 'jolt' from them.

 

[syko]

I use Cliff shots, the ones that are caffine free are:
Blocks: Lemon-lime,cran-razz, Strawberry, Margrita, Mountain berry.
Shots: Apple pie, Chocolate, Razz, Vanillia, Mango.

 

[Kirsty-Leigh]

thanks everyone, might give them a try, hopefully they will start making me run like a kenyan ok maybe not but it might help for the long distances

Kirsty

 

[VernRDH]

thanks everyone, might give them a try, hopefully they will start making me run like a kenyan ok maybe not but it might help for the long distances

Kirsty

If you find one that makes you run like a kenyan, please let me know ASAP.

 

[cryssi]

I love GU. I've tried the clif shots and the powerbar ones and they are DISGUSTING. I know that I do not like the "organic brown rice syrup" in the clif shots. It comes up on me and makes me want to gag. Powerbar shots are just ick.

My favorite GU is Chocolate Outrage. It tastes like chocolate pudding! If you look at the ingredients, it has belgian chocolate in it. My second pick is Vanilla Bean. Tastes like vanilla ice cream. I have also tried Just Plain and it is surprisingly good. The Vanilla Bean is caffeinated, btw. The only GU I've had that didn't have caffeine in it was strawberry/banana, which is kind of flavorless and gross. I saw somewhere that a pack of GU has 25mg of caffeine. That's less than a cup of tea (about 40mg), and definitely less than coffee (about 100mg). I've been cutting back on my caffeine, but I think 25mg is ok. I can't drink coffee before a run, it comes up on me. Ew. I have noticed a definite energy boost on long runs after I take a caffeinated GU, though.

I GU at every 4 miles, which is about ever 45 min. This has worked well for me through 2 halfs and one full, and all my long runs. I also intersperse with shot bloks just to change things up.

 

[VernRDH]

Okay, one more question (for now). Doing the half marathon;

If I am running a 10 min mile (hopefully able to maintain that through the race), I could anticipate using 2 gels based on the every 45 minutes theory. But what about at the end? Do you find that you need a boost when you get to say mile 11 or 12? Or does the adrenaline rush of knowing that you are almost done carry you thru? Is that when you might use the Sport beans or a shot block or candy type of thing?

I have really appreciated all the responses-I know I am asking a lot of questions, but I am getting very excited about starting my training and want to know everything!

Again, my thanks and gratitude for the information from experienced runners.

 

[cryssi]

When I did DL last year (my first half), we GU'd at every 4 miles. I was running with my friend, and experienced marathoner, and we took one at mile 12 for an "extra boost." I have heard since that you wouldn't get a boost that fast, but it seemed to work. I suppose you could also just start taking the powerade at the end, if you have been drinking water throughout. I always take 3 GU or shot blok equivalent with me for a half.

 

[SAHDad]

Okay, one more question (for now). Doing the half marathon;

If I am running a 10 min mile (hopefully able to maintain that through the race), I could anticipate using 2 gels based on the every 45 minutes theory. But what about at the end? Do you find that you need a boost when you get to say mile 11 or 12? Or does the adrenaline rush of knowing that you are almost done carry you thru? Is that when you might use the Sport beans or a shot block or candy type of thing?

I find that it typically takes a mile or so before I start to feel the effects of Gu - so about 7 or 8 minutes. If I am within 2 miles or so of the finish line, I probably wouldn't take a Gu, since it would be kicking in right about the same time as I am crossing the mat. If I have 20-30 minutes left (3 or 4 miles), then I would take one.

Since you are planning a 10 minute pace, and taking one every 45 minutes, you'd take one at about miles 4.5 and 9, and you would be coming up on the other (13.5 - not much past the finish line of the half). But -every runner is different, so you'll want to experiment on your long runs to determine how helpful a Gu is in the final couple of miles.