Fueling for the Long Run

David and I completed our long run together last weekend when I was in Maryland and we both tried a new racing fuel to get us through our 16 miles of fun in the blazing sun. We tried an energy gel called eGel.

I’d received samples of this gel a while back but hadn’t gotten high enough in my mileage to need it until last weekend. We both really liked the gel and noticed how different it was from our staple Gu. As I thought about this new gel I thought back to all of the other gels and chews and bars and beans and drinks I’ve tried in the past.

Learning about Fueling & Hydration

Back when I was training for my first half marathon I didn’t know what you were supposed to eat during your long distance runs. Actually, I didn’t know that you were even supposed to eat during your long distance runs! My training plan for my first half had me scheduled to run up to 11 miles as my longest distance. When the day came to do that longest training run, I endured it in total misery and came home feeling a bit sick. I took a shower, had some water and almonds, and then laid down. Soon after the room was spinning and not too long after that I was throwing up almonds. (So gross... so so gross.) I was somewhat alarmed and started looking online for an answer to my sudden illness. I posted a question on the fitness section of the craiglist message board asking if anyone knew why I would feel sick after such a long run.

The responses came in quickly.

How much did you hydrate and eat during your run?

How often did you do so?

Huh?

Drink and eat while running? How would that have happened? I was training out in my “desert preserve” community in Cave Creek, Arizona. Where would I have stopped for water and food? I responded back to the helpful message boarders with my answer of “nothing” and was immediately admonished on the boards. It was obvious to everyone except me that I was dehydrated and underfueled, and it was totally not surprising that I got sick!

Monika Meets Gu (ewe)

I talked to a friend of mine who had run marathons in the past and she recommended Gu to me. I had never heard of this product and her description of the chocolate Gu tasting like chocolate pudding sounded appealing. I tried one out during the actual half marathon and agreed in my head that chocolate pudding was probably the closest thing you could compare chocolate Gu to, but the distinction between chocolate pudding (which I like) and chocolate Gu (which tasted a bit off and had a thick, hard to swallow texture) was obvious.

After my first half marathon I was hooked on distance running and quickly set my sights on a full marathon. The idea of running twice as far was so daunting to me, and I felt that I needed more guidance than just downloading a schedule from the internet like I did with the half marathon. I searched around online and found a local training group that trained mostly marathoners and triathletes. In this group I finally learned about hydration and nutrition for distance running. What to eat before a race, during, and after. How often to drink, when to drink, and when to choose water or Gatorade.

Bringing the Fanny Pack Back

But sadly not Sexy Back...

I found out about Fuel Belts, these great waist belts that hold 2-6 small water bottles to help you bring your water with you on long runs. Over the years I’ve bought many variations of these belts. I’ve had a 2 bottle + pouch belt, a 4 bottle belt (soo heavy when full), a 3 bottle + 1 gel flask belt, and now my favorite a 2 bottle + puch belt. (Great to keep keys, chapstick, tissues, etc.) Wearing a Fuel Belt on my long runs solved my hydration problem, but I still struggled with the various fueling options.

The problem was that as much as I looooooove to eat, eating while running or right after running is the last thing in the world I wanted to do. I tried the various race foods and found that energy gels were the most palatable.

Foods I’ve Tried That Didn’t Work

Power Bars
I first tried carrying a power bar with me and eating it at two points in my long run.

Pros: I like power bars!

Cons: They take some work to chew and are hard to chew while running. Walking while eating a whole Power Bar wastes too much time.

Sports Beans
The idea of eating Jelly Belly jelly beans which include electrolytes sounds like a great treat! Until you try popping a few while you’re running.

Pros: I like jelly beans!

Cons: Can I just say choking hazard?! They also get stuck in your teeth which bothers me.

Higher Calorie Sports Drinks

Pros: Drinks go down easily and you don’t have to worry about chewing.

Cons: I don’t know what they put in those drinks to add carbs, but they taste terrible. I’ve tried a few variations and don’t really like anything but plain old sports drink.

Foods I’ve Tried That Did Work

Energy Chews/Gummies
Clif Shot Bloks were the first gummy chews that I came across. They were chewy cubes that tasted like gummy candy. Recently Gu has come out with their own chews called Gu Comps. (Cute name!)

Pros: Taste good, easy to chew.

Cons: Its hard to carry more than one or two of the packs on a long run due to their bulk.

Energy Gels
Something about eating goop out of a packet has always bothered me a bit, but energy gels by far are the winner in the fuel category as far as I’m concerned.

Pros: You can easily carry multiple packets with you, the gels go down easily and can be consumed while running, there are a variety of flavors available.

Cons: The consistency of the gel is hard to swallow (har har) sometimes. The gels are usually fairly thick and sometimes I feel like I have to drink sooo much water to wash it all down and clear the pasty goop out of my mouth!

I discovered a new energy gel recently that has solved the consistency problem! eGel!

A month or so ago I received a sample pack of eGel. Two samples of each of the four flavors. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to try them (due to the low miles I've been running) until last weekend. Prior to trying the gel I read a comparison online of how eGel stacks up to the other energy gels and it really looked like a clear winner. Taste, consistency and portability would be how I would rate the gel compared to others and I was curious to see how the eGel would compare.

Pros: The “thin consistency” was great! The eGel went down so much easier than all of the others I’ve tried. (And I’ve tried them all!) The flavors were unexpected but after getting past the initial surprise I really liked them. Most energy gels are flavored like pudding. Vanilla, chocolate, berry, kiwi-strawberry, etc. eGels on the other hand came in mysterious flavors such as Mountain Rush and Tropical Blast. What does that mean? I soon found out it aligned with similarly named products and flavors … eGel tasted like sports drink! It was a bit tangy and had a tart fruity flavor like Gatorade and Powerade.

Cons: The gel packs were bigger than most other energy gels, but each pack contained 1.5 times as many calories so technically carrying 4 eGels would be the equivalent of 6 Gus. I was afraid that the packs wouldn’t fit into my Race Ready shorts but they actually did! They just barely peeked out the top which was great!

So net Cons = None!

I have two packets of eGel left which should be great for my long run tomorrow. After this I'll probably have to place a bulk order to have enough gels to get David and I through the next 10 weeks of our training up to our first marathon together the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25th. 70 more days left!

Anyways, if you’re looking for an energy gel, you should try out eGel! I've tried many products over the years and this is by far my favorite energy gel.
http://www.cranksports.com/products/eGel/

Also, if you too want to look like a running nerd with a fanny pack and are looking for a way to carry your water with you while on the run check out Fuel Belt. These belts are awesome and I can't do a long run without one. http://www.fuelbelt.com/