Quick Question on Gels / drinks

[Monolithic]

I have seen a few people wearing the "Ammo belts" as they run...I am assuming that these are for gel & water and that brings me to my question:

Are gels/water enough to keep hydrated or are they for energy boosts only?

[Jwolf]

I'm not sure what you mean by the "ammo belt"-- the fuel belt? That is for carrying both water and gels (or gatorade, or whatever).

Gels are for energy (carbs-- mostly sugar) instead of the sugar you get in sports drinks like gatorade. They also have some electrolytes. If you use gels (about 1/hour), you should still be drinking about 500 mL of water per hour of excercise. Not only for fluid replacement, but you can't digest the gel properly without water. You shouldn't need any energy (carbs/sugar) during your workout if you are excercising less than an hour (I usually don't take anything less than 1.5 hours), but you still need water.

Some people prefer to eat energy "bars" or other food because they also contain some protein. Also remember to refuel (with a combination of carbs and protein) after a hard workout, within a half-hour.

[Monolithic]

thank's for the info...I'm trying to figure out how I can carry enough fluids without carrying a bottle...I tried my camel back that I use for MTB but didn't like it for a run...

[ultraslacker]

on that note, I was in the RR the other day and noticed what I think is a new style of fuel belt... at least I hadn't seen it before. It had the full-sized angled water bottle, PLUS two extra little bottles for gels. It looked awesome. But it's $50!!

[Monolithic]

$50?!?!

I remember reading about a velcro handle or somthing along those lines that helps to run with a bottle...maybe I'll look into that.

[RayMan]

I love this topic because everyone has a different answer - based on their own running style and perceived needs.

I carry neither water nor gel unless it is really hot or longer than 14K. But my LSD group yesterday, everyone else had a fuel belt with water, gatorade and some Sharkies or Gels.

I tried a Sharkie and it tasted great but I can't say it made any difference on a 14K run.

[Monolithic]

As I am still out of shape, I sweat alot on a 5k run...I drink about 2-3 litres per day and before a run usually have a couple of pint glasses of h20 before a run...by 3 or 4 k I need water!

I experienced the chills the other day and from what I've read that could be a sign of mild dehydration...I was at the tail end of 8k and had nothing to drink during the run...

[RayMan]

I experienced the chills the other day and from what I've read that could be a sign of mild dehydration...I was at the tail end of 8k and had nothing to drink during the run...

Yep sounds like you need something - I just carried a 500 ml bottle with me in one hand while running this summer in Toronto. It was soooo fricking hot!

Somewhere else in this forum, someone said that weighing yourself before the run and after will show you how much water you lose...and how much you need to take in during the run.

You are an experiment of one.

[dgrant]

"Ammo belts"

Hahaha, that's what I think when I see them too.

I know you can buy the little bottles with their own little clip to clip onto your existing water belt, if you already have one.

[RA.]

i've got to try experimenting with this too now that my runs are longer than 15k. yesterday i ran 16k (1hour40min) and i had about 400ml of water. it was all jostling around in my stomach by the end of the run. it was annoying, and made me a bit nautious. i am going to try gatorade diluted next time and maybe sip a bit more consistently. i think i drank too little early on, then too much late in the run.

[RayMan]

I think when I try them I will try to follow race conditions, and from what I understand the water stations are usually about 2-3 kms apart. If you do 10 and 1s (run 10 minutes, walk 1) that is the time to take a drink and chomp a Sharkie...that way you won't take in too much at a time.

I will let you know how it goes for me this Sunday on my long run!

[Jwolf]

I carry neither water nor gel unless it is really hot or longer than 14K.

Me too-- my cutoff is usually about 16K. I usually carry water after 10K, mostly to get used to it, though.