Favorite energy source?

I'm looking for ways to minimize mid-run "dead" periods, especially in hot weather runs over two hours. On such runs or races I've been eating a Clif Bar before starting, and taking bites of another one every hour along with Succeed S! Caps, one or two depending on heat, and water of course. Not eager to mix electrolyte/energy powder in my Camelback.. A friend gave me a pack of PowerBar Gel Blasts at the start of a rather long & hilly trail run recently, and I took two every 45 minutes or so - they seemed to help me get through it better than most recent runs in similar weather on similar routes. I've used HammerGel before, but found it messy to carry and unpleasant to ingest, whereas these gel chews are appealing and easy to handle. I'm thinking of ordering more of these, but thought I'd first 1ask the community what they like in this area.

Grateful for any advice.

Bob Peitzke
Pacific Palisades, CA
Trailrunnersclub.com

You probably know that Clif Shot Blocks are the same kind of thing. If gel blocks are working for you, might try these just for variety.
If you've already tried gel in the flask and didn't like fooling with the flask, this may be hijacking the thread, but I'm liking a new product called EFS Liquid Shot. It's much thinner than gel, mostly carbo with a lot of amino acids AND the electrolytes already in it. It's expensive. Vanilla flavor and I'm not going to tell you it's just yummy. You can taste the sodium. But it slides down easily and I'm finding that it might really be the only thing I need to swallow (except water) on long runs and races. No more fumbling with pills. Easy on the stomach.
No financial linterest here. Just something new to experiment with.

Hi Bob. I don't live in the States (I live in New Zealand), but I quite like Gu Chomps even though I prefer PowerBar Gels over the Gu Gels! I find them quite easy to eat and a nice change when your stomach is at the point that it's getting a little sick of the usual foods!

http://www.guenergy.com/products/gu-chomps

Cheers, good luck with your running by the way! J
____________________

JAMES STYLER (p.f.t), (b.b)
Columnist for V02 MAX magazine
Interview with 2 x Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington here:
http://www.chrissiewellington.org/media/ironwoman-extraordinaire/

TEL: +6427 5534266
WEB: www.stylerhealth.com

I got a few packages of Clif Shot Bloks, which I'll try in a mountain race next Monday, Labor Day. It's high altitude and should be hot, so it will be a good test.

I'll probably get some of those Gu Chomps too, and try them as well, see which I like better. So far I've already decided that I like any of these chewable gel blocks better than the gooey syrup like Gu or Hammergel - they are more pleasant to ingest, and far less messy. I dislike dealing with the flask that tends to leak, and don't want to mix electrolyte powder in my hydration pack bladder, out of laziness I guess, as with pure water only it's easier to clean. And I haven't wanted to get the individual Gu etc squeeze packets, as they're both messy and wasteful in packaging - I'm fanatic about not littering, thus carry out anything I take in, but hate when the residue gums up the pockets of my pack.

One thing I noticed from the descriptions of several of these energy products is that they recommend you take a couple every 20-30 minutes while running. I've been taking them every 45-60 minutes, so probably haven't been getting enough.

I plan to continue my practice of bringing a Clif Bar (blend of carbs/fats/proteins) on my long runs and taking a couple of bites every hour. I'm hoping the energy gels in-between will keep me going better in the long, hot runs.

BTW, Jimsty, noticing your profession got me to wondering whether you might have any sources of info on maintaining or improving oxygen uptake in aging runners. I've been noticing more & more that I'm limited by how much oxygen I can deliver to my legs, especially in hot weather. I should probably open a separate thread on that topic.

Cheers,

Bob aka "oldtrlrnr"

www.trailrunnersclub.com

Hi Bob,
I'll try and answer not too technically, but the two main things I'd look at would be a good iron supplement and vitamin B12. Use them both together as they will work well with one another, the iron obviously being great for picking up energy and the B12 helping to increase red blood cell count as well as also contributing to increasing your iron stores. More red bloods = greater oxygen deliever around the body and to working muscles. Just to be on the safe side I would get your iron levels checked first, as low iron and high iron symptons both present in similar ways; and it can be dangerous giving an iron supplement to somebody with already high levels!
As a runner I would ask for these panels to be checked when getting a blood test done:

* Complete blood count
* Ferritin (Iron)
* Homocysteine (fasting)
* Cholesterol (HDL & LDL)

Other things you might want to consider are...

* Cellfood (an oxygen rich add-in to your drinks)
www.cellfood.com
* Altitulde training (or simulated altitulde training if you can't afford regular trips to Colorado)

Thanks Bob, hope some of my waffle helps you? Feel free to dop me an email if you need any more information on anything, cheers J.
____________________

JAMES STYLER (p.f.t), (b.b)
Columnist for V02 MAX magazine
Interview with 2 x Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington here:
http://www.chrissiewellington.org/media/ironwoman-extraordinaire/

TEL: +6427 5534266
WEB: www.stylerhealth.com

Hi, James,

Thanks for these helpful suggestions. I had a blood test panel done in my recent annual checkup - I'll ask my doctor for the numbers. I do recall that my total cholesterol was lower than last year, and my HDL:LDL ratio was good. I guess my ferritin count will tell me whether I need iron & B12 supplementation beyond my daily multi-vitamin/mineral tablet.

Altitude training is hard to get here at close to sea level.

I did a little research on cellfood, and found a lot of skepticism, sounds like a scam to many, including me.

Regards,

Bob

I generally use a sports drink (Ultra / Clip mix in bladder on long runs and races, Cytomax in bottle on shorter stuff), but for more solid stuff I use chewables (Powerbar gel blasts and Clif shot bloks), energy bar (usually clif bar or a "pemmican" bar from REI) cut into 1/8ths (bite size), trail mix, wheat thins (get my sodium also), and maybe a few other assorted things that I've used but aren't a main staple anymore (fig newtons, dried fruit, peanut M&M's, Sharkies, gummi bears, etc). I'll also have chocolate slimfast (my mind thinks it's a chocolate milkshake) in a 10-oz flask to sip a little every couple hours to counterbalance all the fruity stuff.

I like the lemon gel blasts a lot but prefer the compactness of the clif shot blocks and their dispenser / package. The packet the blasts come in is nice, but the sharp edges are irritating in a pocket, so I repackage in snack bag.

I generally use wheat thins and margarita shot bloks for sodium, but use S!caps when I need more on hot days.

I generally haven't been able to tolerate gels and find those packets a real mess. One packet usually is about 3 "servings" for me. I haven't tried a bottle for dispensing, but might if I ever experiment with a gel made from ultra/clip.

I've been using the Clif Shot Bloks for several long runs now, and they really do help me get through them with more energy, feeling better & walking less. I take one or two every half hour depending on the weather. I use S! caps too, one or two per hour, and take a couple of bites of a Clif bar every hour. This regime has really helped me, and I've also noticed that I have better balance and agility late in runs.

Good to hear you're finding stuff that works well for you Bob. Jeez, those old Cliff bars & blocks are popular in the States! Don't really have them over here.
I did a long(ish) 30km hilly trail run this morning, I used:

2 x PowerBar Gels 220cals
1 x Ems Power Bar 300cals
1 x litre sports drink 400cals
TOTAL 920cals

Also had a good sized bowl of muesli with a scoop of protein powder and a banana before the run. Felt really good today, 3hr17 all up but a bit of it was along pretty un-runnable terrain as I went slightly off track! I guess people can give advice but it's always a little trial and error until you figure out what works well for you; we all have quite different nutritional tastes, requirements and metabolisms. J
____________________

JAMES STYLER (p.f.t), (b.b)
Columnist for V02 MAX magazine
Interview with 2 x Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington here:
http://www.chrissiewellington.org/media/ironwoman-extraordinaire/

TEL: +6427 5534266
WEB: www.stylerhealth.com

I am a huge fan of Hammer products, especially the espresso gels. What I like to do is consume about 500-600 calories 1 hour prior to my run and then I consume 1 hammer gel right before my run. I consume 2 hammer gels per hour along with 16 oz of an electrolyte drink every hour (NUUN is my choice). One thing I have noticed that also helps me with energy on hot days is soaking my buff with water and wearing it on my head. then I flip it around every hour to ensure that my head stays nice and cool. This has helped allot when running in hot weather.

Well since I started this thread I've started using the Clif Shot Block energy gel lozenges. I take one or two every 20-30 minutes, depending on how hot it is. They definitely help me avoid those mid-run bonks. I use them in all my training runs of two hours or more, and in races. I also carry a Clif bar and take a bite every hour. I like gel lozenges rather than the thick syrupy stuff like HammerGel or Gu. I used to use HammerGel, which I bought in the large bottles and refilled the little flask, but it tended to leak and gum up the pockets in my hydration pack. Gu I avoid because I consider its packaging excessive. I like the simple packaging of the Clif Shot Bloks. Still avoiding mixing electrolyte in my hydration pack, just b/c it would complicate my cleaning ritual. I use the S! caps in these long runs, one or two per hour depending on heat. I'm awefully slow these days, but this regimen has helped some. I improved my time on the Double Dipsea this year vs last year by 24 minutes, and since my fitness was probably not as good as last year I attribute it to better energy management. I was not using any energy gels last year, just the Clif bars.