At the half marathon I ran last Saturday, I almost passed out at the finish line and again in the shower when I got home. Even though I had hydrated heavily on Friday, the humid conditions on race day just sapped it out of me. and I started cramping really badly in the last two or three miles - all signs of dehydration and salt depletion.

I typically do not eat at all before running. I think that, for any run over an hour, I need to rethink that strategy. But i also have thought about trying a gel like Gu - something with sugar and salt. Articles I've read have said you should take one for every hour of running.

I'm willing to experiment, but I can't find them online in packs of less than 16 or 24. I hate to buy that many and discover I hate the taste or they upset my stomach.

What are y'alls thoughts on gels and where can I get a small number to try then out?

you can buy singles in a bunch of places. The Feed is one.

i hate gels, but i used them back in my road race days. that said, i rarely used them in a half marathon. maybe one at mile 6.

Bike shops or running shoe stores will typically have a variety you can buy singles of to try. Or thefeed.com

In my experience, Maurten gels have been far and away the best, but also the most expensive. I stuff my pockets with them at Ironman events.

When I have to buy for myself, Gu or SiS are my usuals.

If you plan to run a half again. I would drink a full bottle with 100gr carbs, I like skratch high carb. Drop 1-2 NUUN tabs in. Drink that in the hour leading up to the race. Then carry a gel, maybe 2 with you. Unlikely to need them as the bottle plus any water on course should be able to get you to the finish line.

I recommend geling once during a half marathon at the halfway point. And perhaps once before the race starts.

In general, you should consider "fueling" before every run. Either gel or food. Never run on an empty stomach! I try to take that approach for pretty much any run longer than a 5k.

And to figure out what gels work (taste, consistency, affect on your stomach, etc.) just go to a running shoe store. They will have a large selection. Just pick out a few different ones that look good and experiment.

Once you find one you like you can order them in bulk to save money... if you are using a lot of them.

I like SIS regular and electrolyte gels as well as Maurten. All are easy to get down and easy on the stomach. Gu and similar gels are too thick/sticky/sweet to me. Try some different brands on easy long runs to see what works best.
Salt Stick Chews are pretty good too.

fc2112 said:

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At the half marathon I ran last Saturday, I almost passed out at the finish line and again in the shower when I got home. Even though I had hydrated heavily on Friday, the humid conditions on race day just sapped it out of me. and I started cramping really badly in the last two or three miles - all signs of dehydration and salt depletion.

I typically do not eat at all before running. I think that, for any run over an hour, I need to rethink that strategy. But i also have thought about trying a gel like Gu - something with sugar and salt. Articles I've read have said you should take one for every hour of running.

I'm willing to experiment, but I can't find them online in packs of less than 16 or 24. I hate to buy that many and discover I hate the taste or they upset my stomach.

What are y'alls thoughts on gels and where can I get a small number to try then out?

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TheFeed.com will sell you sampler packs like this one https://thefeed.com/products/ultimate-gel-pack that will let you try different gel varieties and several brands also sell a variety pack of 4-6 gels so you can try their various flavors. Something to consider is using isotonic gels for your carbs (like the SIS Go recommended above) and something like NUUN in your water for electrolytes. That way for hotter races, you can drink more water for hydration and electrolytes instead of risking stomach upset by overdoing it on carb rich gels to get your electrolytes in.

For cycling, I like the Gu Roctane gels, but the Gu gels are very thick and viscous, and you need some water with them to help wash them down. Not sure how they would settle in your stomach while running.

Noob here, about to run my first half in a week. I trialed both Gu Gel and Noog gummies on my last 2 long runs, as both will be available during the race.

I think this is super personal so I would suggest trying both. I liked the ability to squeeze out some gel and let it melt in my teeth the rest of the long run, I had no issues running while doing this but damn that gel packet becomes super glue in your hand. I liked the Noog gels but ultimately they were too large. I let them melt a bit and then chewed them. Both were fine on my stomach and I definitely noticed a difference in energy.

I bought Gu gel at Walmart and borrowed a packet of Noogs.

Gels are highly personal choices and would recommend one of the mix packs from thefeed.

My go to right now are the Victus gels, but in the past I've also gone for beta fuel or maurten, The biggest issue I have with gu is that a single gel is only 22g of carbs, and when you're trying to hit 100g+ an hour it makes for a lot of gu

I'm a slow runner (2:16 half) so I'm out there for longer than some people. I eat a thin rice cake with a little bit of peanut butter and honey on it about 30m before a run. If I run at least 8 miles, I will fuel every 4 miles. My favorite gels are the Bare Performance Nutrition ones - they're basically applesauce or berry-applesauce. I didn't hate the unflavored UCAN Edge gel but it's really liquidy. None of them are the most delicious thing you've ever eaten but they get the job done. If I'm going to fuel twice on a long run, I'll take Nerds gummy clusters or some Skratch labs gummies to mix things up.

Oh and the Salt Stick chews are magic pills after a long run! Skip the watermelon - tastes like salty cardboard. Berry, lemon-lime and orange are all pretty good, though.

thanks for all the suggestions. I will try the starter pack.

And I have been running fasted forever, but perhaps adding a little fueling on longer runs could improve performance.

I don't like eating before exercise either. But it is important to be ahead of fueling. That is why I suggest the high carb drink leading into the activity. 100gr carbs gets you banked 400 calories with water. So you don't feel heavy from solids but gets you a jump start in being ahead.

My "long" day right now if Saturday morning. 1:30 bike ride and :30 brick run. I usually do two bottles on my bike at 500 calories and nothing on the run following. This gets me through the run with ease and able to run with pace.

i'd work up to 100g of carbs if you are going that route. Otherwise, you are asking for stomach problems. High carb fueling is all the rage, but a lot of people can't handle it.

My recommendations:

SIS Beta (I prefer neutral flavor) - On the more liquid side and 40g carbs. Far and away my favorite gel.

Precision Fuel and Hydration - My favorite caf gel with 100mg. easy to take. I have their non-caf gels I use (PF90 on bike).

Salt: There's a brand called SaltStick that has chews. tastes just like a smartees. Highly recommend these as they are easy to take (will want water with it), and I've had no GI issues.

Ragoo said:

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I don't like eating before exercise either. But it is important to be ahead of fueling. That is why I suggest the high carb drink leading into the activity. 100gr carbs gets you banked 400 calories with water. So you don't feel heavy from solids but gets you a jump start in being ahead.

My "long" day right now if Saturday morning. 1:30 bike ride and :30 brick run. I usually do two bottles on my bike at 500 calories and nothing on the run following. This gets me through the run with ease and able to run with pace.

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Ragoo knows his stuff. I followed his hydration and electrolyte advice for my last (and final) 70.3. I hate the feeling of fluid sloshing around in my stomach during a run as well. Truth be known, I hate running. But that's besides the poing. Getting dehydrated, however, is worse. I got a bladder contusion 8-9 miles into the run and was pissing pure blood the rest of the day. Scared the bejeesus out of me. I probably have one soda a year, but Coca Cola during the run can also be pretty helpful when you feel you are about to bonk.

fc2112 said:

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thanks for all the suggestions. I will try the starter pack.

And I have been running fasted forever, but perhaps adding a little fueling on longer runs could improve performance.

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One banana goes a long way. And is super easy on the gut.

As far as gels, I've been a Gu guy for over a decade. Jet Blackberry (w/ 40mg caffeine) is my goto. But as others have said, figure out what works for you.

Lastly, never try something new on race day. I had a buddy doing 70.3 Galveston. We were talking nutrition prior to the race. I told him I always did a Gu pre-swim. He thought that was a great idea.

He tried it on race day and proceeded to stop and puke at every single buoy on the swim. Turns out gels didn't sit well with him.

Isn't rule 1 pretty clear?

Never try something new on race day?

I am a fan of the Science in Sport gels. They are bigger but you can take them without water which I like. They have been super easy on my stomach.

For a marathon I also like having a package of Skratch gummies to take along the way. It keeps a feeling of hunger off me.

I destroy the porta potties post half marathons I figured it was the 2 gels I take. I switched it up to regular food now.

Your body has around 2000 calories of glucose available first thing every morning, I haven't looked at how many calories are burned during a half marathon but your body has enough to do it without eating before.

But…the reason you eat before is it helps regulate your glucose levels and on race day you often go out of your fat burning zone and into glucose burning. For a half you don't need much, Ensure Plus or a Probar are easy to travel with and very small volume wise. Banana with a spoonful or two of peanut butter are easy to come by. Really just need something with simple carbs and some fat to help regulate your glucose levels.

As far as during the race I am a fan of keeping it simple, train with what will be available during the race or something you can put in your pocket. Dextrose based stuff is easier to digest than fructose or maltodextrin but harder to come by and more expensive. They are also slower burning.

I think for the most part triathletes and marathoners overthink nutrition and feel they have to get the best thing out there.

Unless it was my A race I always tried something new on race day, I used those as practice on various nutrition and gear items.

Roughly 100 calories per mile regardless of pace, so people burn about 1300 calories in a half.

Thank you sir. Easy rule of thumb to follow.

Just my .02 cents but I am really sold on Hammer Nutrition products. They have great gels in delicious flavors, and their hydration powders and recovery powders are excellent. I've tried a lot of other competitor products over the years but I always seem to go back to Hammer Nutrition. Check 'em and try if you get a chance.

Something to keep in mind is that most gels are pretty weak on electrolyte content. If it is hot and you are sweating alot, electrolytes may be more of an issue than carbs. I am partial to the hammer endurolytes as something small and portable to take with water if you don't want to use an electrolyte drink mix. https://hammernutrition.com/products/endurolytes

Yall should look up the "Saturday" app. Its pretty cool to dial in nutrition.

The key to endurance fueling is understanding you need enough water, salt, and carbs to properly fuel and some caffeine at strategic points With regards to carbs, I've learned to be careful how much glucose/ fructose i take in and if I take in too much it causes my stomach to hurt. So, I use tailwind drink in bottles (glucose) and SIS (maltodextrine) gels. You can get SIS with no electrolytes, some electrolytes, or 75 MG caffeine. The tailwind has carbs & sodium, so that is really effective, but in the summer you still need a bit more salt than is found in tailwind.

Ive also used organic maple syrup for carbs. Its great, but I've found its also glucose, so it can hurt my stomach when combined with tailwind. But its a cheap gel.

So I tried this energy gel this weekend.

https://krononutrition.com/en-us/products/us-citrus-energy-gels-box-of-24



I think the electrolyte shortage is what caused my struggles, so I wanted more of that. Also wanted moderate sugar and a decent caffeine boost.

Felt good, but only ran 6 miles as I'm still recovering from the half. I'll keep using this on runs longer than 5 miles.

fc2112 said:

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I typically do not eat at all before running.

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This is impossible for me. I have to eat something before running. Otherwise my blood sugar crashes. Even if it's just a few mile I have to fuel up. I was the opposite when I was a teenager. I would never play sports on a full stomach.

After 20 years of marathoning I've gotten accustomed to fuel up with pretty much anything. I like Gu for long runs and races. For marathons I'll take one every 5 miles. That schedule helps my mental game too.

Just did a Half with no food, no gels, only coffee before leaving the house, and a good amount of water before the race. Just shows how different we all are. Would have had a banana prior, but it was beyond ripe.

Brought Pop Tarts with me but didn't get to eat them. Read the label, lots of carbs and sodium, even if the sugars may not be the preferred kind.

I used a gel in my Hyrox race and it helped to have a bit of a boost around 1 hour in. Make sure you test your glucose gel BEFORE competing as some may not agree with some people's digestive process