Dan Runs this x 1000. I started with gu then I heard vfuel was the bomb. Cruel did nothing to me. I’m back on gu forever but I feel the best fuel is the food the day before
Great vid, Thank You so much. I set an alarm on my watch and eat to a schedule for runs over 15km. I carry cramp pills that I don't need to mix in water and so take my Gels every 45 mins and an anti-cramp pill from 20km every hour for Marathons and Ultras. On race day I take mouthfuls of the magic bullet, Coca Cola, which is normally provided and then a full cup of water at aid/refreshment stations.
A really cheap option is buying a pack of jelly (the stuff you are supposed to put boiling water with) from the shop (20p) and then splitting the squares up wrapping them in cling film (leaving a little edge to easy unravel them when needed)
Concentrated cherry juice from Holland and Barrett in my smoothies has been a revelation Ben. I have used it for a week now and had my best running week in a long time.
On my long days out, I try to keep my hr down in zone 2, usually take a trek peanut bar, but I feel like I'm becoming fat adapted, I'm not an expert but I don't have to eat like I used to when I first started, I keep hydrated with carb powder in the water.
Seeing you always smiling made me realize I was pushing myself too hard and always ended up injured on pushing myself too hard. I've since been taking it slow trying to focus on enjoying the run and my stamina has increased since. Thank you.
That's great to hear! Finishing a run with some energy left in the tank has to be a good thing. And remember, running has to be enjoyable.. we do this for fun, so it's great to hear it's working well for you now. All the best!! :-)
Thanks Ben. Preloading an electrolyte drink 90 mins before long runs really helped me (but difficult to do if you are out the door at 5am for run). Do you ever have issues with stitch on higher intensity long runs? I'll be fine in training but come race day when I really push it sometimes I get a stitch - guessing I can't absorp the glycogen quick enough from the gels?
Orange juice and water mix beforehand and then a multi fruit smoothie post run. Nothing during. I've learnt to not feel parched/thirsty through nasal breathing alone...a great revelation. I do make my own energy balls too as part of my nutrition experimenting ahead of planned marathons. Thanks for the vids and keep up the great work!
Yes I do.. it’s good to build it into your routine. But this video was about long runs specifically.. and I would personally only do a fasted run for up to about 90 mins. So for those I’d tend to just have some water.. run easy and tap into the fat stores for fuel during the run! All the best
An De - the main ingredient we take gels for is sugar (simple carbs that the body can quickly process). The manufacturers claim that their specific combination/ratio of glucose & fructose is best, but I’m pretty sceptical! Some gels also contain other useful ingredients such as electrolytes (salts) and caffeine. You can easily get these in other foods & drinks. Most sweets/candy will give you the carbs. The biggest attraction of gels for me is their convenience. If I’m running fairly hard, a gel goes down a lot easier than anything I have to chew. And they are light and non-bulky in comparison to a lot of alternatives. Finally, my experience is that for races of half marathon or less, I don’t need any extra fuel. As long as I’m well fuelled and hydrated at the start, all I like to take on is a few swigs of water. (I haven’t run one in hot/humid conditions - I would probably take on more water and maybe some electrolytes in that case.)
@@Jameswmin Thanks for the replay. I appreciate your opinion. I guess I'll have to take a detailed look at these gels. I'm running my first marathon in 4 months and I'm unsure about the diet/hydration for these longer runs. I've ran 2 half-marathons before, but I did it by just drinking 2 cups of coffee with rice milk in the morning. I didn't eat anything or drink anything, until afer I've crossed the finish line. For the full marathon I'm definitely going to supplement and try not to die. It's just that I don't want to spend a shit ton of money on these gels. Let's say I go for a 4 hour marathon, that's 7 gels or $15-$20. That would be ok, if it was just a one-time payment, but let's not forget about all the long practice runs. It quickly adds up.
I do my 23km tempo on a Thursday fasted. I do my 35km Sunday long run practicing race day nutrition. During marathon I consume a Maurten drink before the start. SiS gel every 6km. Salt tablet every 12km. This seems to work work great for me.
I do the opposite. I do my long runs fasted to maximise the benefit I get from glycogen depletion, and use my medium-long marathon-pace runs to simulate race day as closely as possible, including nutrition. Always interesting to see how other people do these small things differently.
After trying a High5 gel provided by a race, I found the taste was so bitter and disgusting...I've tried a multitude of gel makes since then and found Torq to be the most palatable...I just stick with those now...For longer runs I do prefer to include something a bit more solid...I recently started using the Clif Bloks in training and I've used the Etixx Energy Nougat in races (although, I imagine any nougat would work just as well) So I mix up some solid food sources with gels...I tend to find I don't perform very well on an empty feeling stomach...
I envy folk who can eat and then run at pace - gives me an upset stomach. I run early morning on nothing but half a pint of water and a Science in Sport gel.
been kind of in a rut with running and this video has really helped. Just been so frustrated with the heat and anxiety to push myself. thanks for being so inspiring
Hey Jack. The heat does make things way harder for sure..and can be frustrating. Getting a plan in place will help.. and remember it’s no problem to stop for a bit and take onboard drinks. All the best!
I have been using belvita soft bakes ( blueberry ) very cheap, and when you compare the nutritional information with the styrkr bar, they are very similar. And they are so cheap. Honestly are so good. Highly recommend......i got 10 boxes for £20
Thanks, but i am having a few questions: I am always reading/hearing that training is to give the body a stimulus for adopting to a new situation. This is basically what makes you run farther, makes you faster and so on. So wouldn't you want to hit the wall in training (at least a few times), so your body will adapt and get better at fat-fueling instead that it knows it can expect carbs for short energy after 30/45 minutes and in regular intervals? If you "train" hitting the wall (i.e run in the morning before breakfast, when you're already low on glycogen, so that you don't have to run 20 miles, but only maybe half), wouldn't you hit it at a later distance the next long run? And even later after that? .. and so on? And once it's pushed out enough the odds of hitting the wall during the race would be minimal as your body is just much better in fat-fueling, especially if you then actually do add some carbs in form of gels as you'll just be extra energised? I also know that there are the muscle-glycogen stores (hitting the wall - unable to move the legs) and the liver glycogen stores (which fuels the brain, hence the bonking/feeling dizzy effect if they are depleted), so that should be separated. To my understanding the liver has the ability to store much less glycogen and once it's in the muscles it can't be released anymore to the rest of the body (i.e back to the liver). If you haven't trained the body on being more efficient at fat-burning, i assume the gels need to replenish both, liver and muscle-stores, whereas when the body burns fat better, you'd basically reload more of the liver glycogen-storage, and stay "sharper/clearer" mentally, as the muscle-storage will still be fuller? And the less stores you need to refill, the less gels/energy drinks you require to actually take with you?
I rely on and like Clif Bloks a lot, but for longer runs (10+ miles) I like to get in some more real food sources. The Spring Energy gels you mentioned are great for me and I also really like Picky Bars. There are lots of tasty Picky Bar flavors, they're compact, and about 200 calories each.
Great advice Ben, apart from all the different gels and electrolyte drinks I find I crave salt after a couple of hours and I have found baby pouches really good.
Hi Ben, I noticed in previous videos that you have used SIS Beta Fuel so was surprised that I didn’t see it here. Any tips on using it? i.e. how much to drink? The guidance is mainly based on cycling. :/
Yeah.. I’ve used it. But tend to just use what’s sitting in my cupboard as I just buy what’s on offer! Didn’t have any when I filmed this.. I only have it before races, not during, as prefer gels and water in races. So just mix it up and sip it over the hour or so pre-race.
Hi Ben. Just a quick word about running in the heat. Apart from the usuals that you've mentioned your body doesn't metabolise fats efficiently in the heat and relies even more on carbs. I had a run this afternoon in 38°c heat and replaced my usual water/electrolytes mix with a sport drink for the added carbs and i certainly felt the difference. This tip applies as well for low intensity runs. So more heat = more sugar
For water you can always just stopping at a pub and ask for some tapwater I did this a lot during marathon training around London and found landlords to always be very supportive especially if you're wearing a charity vest!!
Hi Ben. If I only have about 30 minutes before my long run, what would you recommend I can eat? Having a bagel or a full breakfast might be too heavy. I'm starting your level 2 half-marathon plan on Monday. Gonna reach out to you via e-mail on some things I am unsure of how to do. Great video, again. I usually just run with a bottle of water with my for all my runs including long runs. 13km is my current long run and it was hard because of how humid it is here. I might have to switch out the water with gatorade or something.
@@gregoryking4796 Hey man. Thanks for the reply. Yeah, that would be a good quick snack. I tried applesauce when I did my most recent long run. Then I brought GU just in case i really need it during the run.
Useful video at the point I'm possibly trying something crazy as town to town (52,7km) on asphalt without ever running marathon. I've got some long hikes and one 16 and half hour mountaineering experience in my previous life. I guess it's all about pacing and fueling, feeling +140HR is my unknown fueling zone but even biscuits goes easily at 130-135HR.
You talk about High5 and Maurten gels, and that the later one is more expensive. But is it really better Ben? Do you feel a greater "rush" of energi when you use Maurten gels? I'm curious to know. Cheers mate!
Ben - care to comment on Tim Noakes research ref fueling - he was the one who started the carb loading craze but later admitted that its a terrible thing to do as an athlete.. Yes hit the wall if you are carb burner - if you are fat adopted this does not happen as the body will use both fuel sources but mostly FAT which we have plenty of on us
Gu Vanilla Bean is the only flavor that tastes good to me AND sits easy on my stomach. (I've tried some other Gu flavors and they range from bad to awful ;-) The small amount of caffeine adds a bit of a boost too. Some of the Cliff Blocks also taste fairly good and seem to digest well.
For me just a sip of water normally I pick up my soft 250ml flask. No food. For the 2 50k trails I did this spring just some nuts, peanuts, dates and pick some food at aid stations
Oatmeal porridge and protein powder 2 hours before long run. For fuel during the run I go for raisins. The stomach handles it, lots of carbs and fits easily in a pocket. Havent landed totaly on a post-run meal, but the soy chocolate milk is really good
Hi Ben after my last trip to the dentist he's advised me not to stick to gels.... too must sugar (killing my teeth) So do you try any gels that aren't so packed with sugar ???
Literally 😂 I can do a half marathon fasted, with only drinking coffee and water before the run and no water or food during the run no problem... but when I started hitting the 30ks then I need some serious water... and the marathon some good carbs throughout the run
I thought for your long slow runs in training you werent meant to fuel that much? Train your body to burn fat a bit better and ease off the pace? Granted you need to practice race fuelling but isnt this a bit much for all long runs?
My trick is to do half marathons on the regular, it'll fall into place pretty quickly then. Still can't figure out toilet breaks, that one seems to be out of my control
i hate gu. it feels like you are eating paste. ive become a big fan of the hi5 gels. granted they are huge, but they are nice and liquid and really easy to get down.
What works for me is peanuts, I really love having a few of them in a zip-lock bag and munch on them when the time is right. On race days and in key workouts (very long runs) I use Cliff bar peanut. I love them! They are sweet but not overpowering. I wouldn't able to handle too sweet stuff, and not too much at once. Two bars lasted me the Stockholm marathon, taking a tiny piece every 5-8 k. I've tried flapjacks but they are just to dry and makes me more thirsty, and that doesn't create a nice mental state of mind (feeling thirsty).
I do see lots of trail runners use baby food.. someone will come along soon and make a high calorie version, there must be the demand for it in the running community! Hope you find something that works for you soon..
Nibbling things is great for all endurance.. awesome that the nuts work well for you Lukas! Flapjacks can be dry and fall apart.. which is nightmare if you're running fast, then it falls on the floor!! Lots of clif bars to explore too to try different flavours! Good luck with your running!
@@BenParkes Thank you for your vids btw, so happy every time I get to see you run! :D I have tried different cliff bars (the vegan ones) but peanut is just my favorite ;)
How similar are the Huma gels to Spring energy gels? I have got on really well with Spring energy but they are a pain in the back side to buy in the UK
I kept on getting headaches after runs, particularly on hot days and assumed it was my hydration, but still got them despite necking loads of water. Eventually worked out it was probably electrolytes. Don't really like the idea of gels etc, as favour more 'natural' foods etc. After a bit of a Google Ive ended up having a glass of coconut water after a run and if I'm taking water with me I put a bit of lemon juice in it. Not 100% sure on the science behind it but that seems to work for me. The next challenge as I start to try and do longer runs is food. Might have a look at the chia bars. Thanks for the great videos.
Thank you for the video. I am a vegan and take dates and boiled potatoes on my runs. Since you are on a plant based diet too I wonder which gels are suitable for vegans. I prefer gels because the food I carry with me are bulky and are inconvenient during runs that last more than three hours.
One time this guy went to the gym and deadlifted something that was heavy as shit. Then he noticed there was shit on his pants. Then he had to go home.
The new Mountain Fuel flapjacks are by far the nicest thing I've eaten on a long fell race, the ginger one especially. Their jellies go down a lot easier than gels as well. I also make my own snacks of oats, chopped dates, dark chocolate and peanut butter and a drop of honey rolled into balls for longer races
My morning runs tend to be 7am or earlier so I tend to have to go for something really light to start with. Some nuts and seeds, but I'll need to try out new things as the runs get longer
Hey Isaac. All I would say is don't go off too quickly and stick to the pace of your goal time. Many people run way too fast at the beginning and burn out. So start slow.. have some nutrition if you feel comfortable with it every 45 minutes or so and drink little and often. Plus remember it's a huge achievement just to finish a marathon!! All the best and sending you lots of positive vibes!
