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12-Miler and Fuel Reviews

After the normal oatmeal breakfast (with almonds, flax, dried cranberries, and fresh strawberries mixed in) I  got ready for this week's long run. No, Tuesday is not a typical long run day, but lately it has been for me. I managed 12 miles in 1:56 (9:40 pace) which was right on target as far as I am concerned! I have to really remember to run my long runs sloooowly, otherwise I burnout half-way through.
I'm always a little unsure about what to do for fueling during long runs. Often I just stick with water, but as my long runs increase in distance I know I need to play around with what will keep me going. A trip this weekend to Rock/Creek meant a chance to buy some new goodies to try out.
Today, I tried 2 new things:
1. GU Chomps (Cranberry Apple w/Caffeine)
2. Nuun electrolyte tablets
Cran-Apple Flavor

The GU Chomps I really loved! I'm wary of the normal gels because the consistency kind of grosses me out. Plus, these look like gummy candies so I was excited! I ended up eating half the pack (4 gummies--90 calories) during the run. I ate them at mile 4, 6.5, 8.5, and 11. It wasn't hard for me to chew these and run, although I can imagine if you are running a lot faster it would be tough. 

Nuun--Lemon+Lime Flavor

These tablets were great! They are basically calorie-free (6 per tablet) so I guess they don't technically count as "fuel". But they are chock full of electrolytes and really hydrated me better than water. The tablets fizz up in water and keep it semi-carbonated, which sounds weird for a run but somehow works nicely. The hubster actually had one with his lunch, just as a soft-drink replacement and liked the flavor too. 

I'm pretty happy that this combination worked, I felt like I drank a bit less water than normal but felt just a hydrated, which is a good thing. I also avoided any, um..."G.I. issues". Let's just leave it at that. 

How/when do you fuel for long runs?






Comments

  1. Running RicigMarch 30, 2011 at 8:41 AM

    I love Chomps, but can't eat them while I'm running. I usually eat them before or after or if I'm just training, I'll stop for a sec to eat them. I HATE the consistency of the gels, but I've found that when you really need fuel during a run, you don't even notice the consistency because you swallow them so fast and they work really well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vanessa @ Gourmet RunnerMarch 30, 2011 at 9:36 AM

    Hmmm...I may have to retry a gel and see how it goes!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emily @ eat.drink.run.March 30, 2011 at 12:52 PM

    I love chomps too! Its hard for me to stomach much when I run, but I know that if I don't I'll run out of energy. Sometimes when my running fuel (chomps, GU, etc) runs out I use other replacements that are less expensive and you can get them anywhere: gummy bears and swedish fish work really well! Basically you're just trying to replace the carbs you're burning, so sugar does that quickly! I've also used honey packets (or made honey water which is a good alternative to sports drinks) and fig newtons before.

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