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what do you use for calories on the run?

jimmy augustinejimmy augustine
in General Training Discussions

Im getting burned out on power gels and now is the time for me to experiment. So I will throw it out there to the haus:

What do you do for calories on the IM run?

Comments

  • Francis PicardFrancis Picard
    I also got burned out on gels but just discovered these which are like drinking real maple syrup.. dunno if they can ship to the US.

    http://rekarb.com/en/

    I also use this fruit bar

    https://www.xactnutrition.com/?v=3e8d115eb4b3
  • Shaughn SimmonsShaughn Simmons

    Jimmy I typically take the gels every 30 minutes on the second half of the bike with perform, Banana in T2 then Perform miles 1 - 20.  I start employing 1X Caf cliff block shots every two miles on the run from mile 6-7 forward and I switch from Perform to COKE around mile 20 through finish line if the wheels don't come off first.....

  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Margarita Cliff Shot Blocks (1 every other mile). Two packs of those (12 blocks) and maybe a Gel or two will take me through the marathon. Margarita flavor has more sodium than any other so the choice isn't because it's my favorite.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]

    I use exclusively First Endurance products.  Primarily EFS pro on the bike and liquid shot which has 400 calories (plus by far the most electrolytes of any product out there - therefore I never need salt tabs) and then on the run 1 water bottle with 7 scoops EFS pro and 1 liquid shot bottle plus coke and water.  I use plenty of Gatorade endurance to pour on my arm coolers but that stuff never goes in me image I am a minimalist and try to get by with the least amount of calories possible to avoid stomach issues.  

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    I use exclusively whatever they are handing out on the run course. :-)

    I'm all for training with similar, but not exactly the same products so you don't get sick of them, but really....why complicate your life on race day? Unless you CAN'T tolerate the generic sports drink, cola, water, and occasional gel, I'm all about having a general plan of how much to take in but taking advantage of the prepaid feast.

    For training, sure...have some variations, but don't get hooked on something that will be hard to reproduce on race day.
  • Tom GlynnTom Glynn
    I switched up my nutrition for IM Texas this year. I practiced a lot before race day! In T2 I had a bottle of PowerBar Perform loaded into my race belt. I filled it mostly with ice in the morning so it wasn't hot when I grabbed it. If it is too warm in T2, take a gulp before the 1st aid station, pop the top and fill it with ice. I finished the bottle in about 45 minutes and then switched to Coke for the rest of the day. I stopped at the aid station, completely filled the bottle, took a swig to get it down to less than full, put the cap back on and kept running. With a full bottle, you can much more easily manage calories, caffeine and liquids. I ran through every station except the ones I got Coke at. A new bottle every 45 minutes. At all other stations, I grabbed a quick water to drink and ice to fill my tri top with. You need to practice with Coke! Don't fill the bottle or it will leak all over your back and legs. As it bubbles up when you first get it, open and close the bottle top to release the pressure. Took me a couple of runs to perfect the technique, but I'm an expert now! I didn't eat or consume any other calories on the run. I also had about 2200 calories on the bike, so I came to the run with plenty of calories in me.
  • jimmy augustinejimmy augustine
    thx guys. William - I am having tolerance issues in the back 1/2 of the run so I'm trying to be intentional about it but really I prefer your approach. there is enough to worry about over 140.6mi. I'd prefer to carry less not more for sure.

    Tom - I find this very interesting because cola has been the direction that I headed when things went wrong in my part 2 IMs. And in the one prior to that I just went straight to cola and felt ok for the duration. Do you just hand your bottle to the station workers when you get there? Is it a full sized bottle? Do you take any sodium with it? It is really tempting to just go with flat coke and water in November.
  • Tom GlynnTom Glynn
    @Jimmy, when you get to the table to fill your bottle, they want to empty 20 dixie cups into it. I just grab a giant bottle of Coke and pour it myself image. It's a full sized bottle that I carry in the small of my back as part of a race belt.

    I don't take sodium supplements at races, regardless of the heat. I find I just don't need them. I do salt my food a little more heavily race week and will always steal salty fries from my kids image

    I practiced a lot with Coke as I thought the carbonation may bother me. I've done Coke before, but typically much later in the race when I'm sick of gels and other stuff. A typical long run practice this year would be to park my car, run out for 30 minutes, flip and come back to the car. I'd go through my bottle of Perform in the first hour. Once back to the car I'd swap out bottles and grab Coke and then do another 30+ minutes out and then back again. The Coke on the course will not be flat so practicing with some carbonation in it is important.

    In the end, it worked really well for me and I'd definitely do it again.
  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    I've switched to this product for the run: http://untapped.cc/shop/nutrition/packets/

    I can buy their packets, or just pour my own high quality maple syrup into the hammer gel flasks directly. I love it!
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