A Taste of Marathon Training: Gu Power Rankings
Over the past month, I have come to truly appreciate the men and women out there who have trained for and raced in multiple marathons. I'm ridiculously inspired by the stories of runners ranging from elite level, like Kara Goucher, to a back-of-the-pack masters grandmother running in her who-knows-what-number-marathon. Having now experienced the rigor of marathon training along with the quirks, I can say that I am duly impressed by distance runners. No matter what drives them to run, the time and effort put into the training is immense.
One of the main aspects of marathon training that I was excited but also VERY nervous for was nutrition- namely, race nutrition. Before January 4th, 2016, I had never experimented with nutrition during runs. To clarify that even further, I never took gels, chews, I never even drink water when I run. I have a lot of fear of upset stomach on runs, and so had a lot of fear about beginning marathon nutrition in training. My mornings usually start with a blurry 5:30 alarm clock dinging, at which point I slap my phone to turn off, slide groggily out of bed, throw on whatever running clothes I have clean, pull on my socks and shoes and roll out the door. Recovery days and regular runs, I am normally completely satisfied to run on an empty stomach. Putting any breakfast in can occasionally shake up my system a little too much, so I focus instead on good post-run breakfasts and normal, quality intake throughout the day. I've never been much of a pre-run snacker, so it's something I was hesitant to work on in training for LA. The women's race at the Trials begins at 10:22 a.m., so I've been adjusting some weekend run times to get myself used to more midday workouts. I'm usually done by 10, so this was a big change.
Likewise, using gels or chews was completely foreign. Let alone drinking water- wierd. But, as I have discovered the past few weeks, this process of experimenting on what settles in my stomach, what fuels my body adequately, what tastes good- it's been fun! I have enjoyed the uniqueness of trying out different flavors and methods of marathon fueling, along with adjusting some run times and routes. Using gels and planning to take gels along your route makes a long run go by much faster and breaks the run into sizeable mental chunks as well.
All of this trying and testing has resulted in a few funny moments. When you wake up an hour before your 5:30 run start so you can hide water bottles covered in tape all over the city of Charlotte (after strategically planning the route the night before), then persuade your two training partners that we need to run this very specific route around town (sorry, no uptown loop today!), it gets a little hectic. When it's so cold out that you're slightly worried your water bottles will freeze, don't worry- only your hands, after spilling really cold water all over yourself as you attempt to simultaneously open cheap plastic bottle and run. If anyone in Charlotte is wondering why there are plastic water bottles covered in pink duct tape hidden in every single Little Free Library around town- sorry, they make great hiding spots. Or, to whoever stole my blue water bottle hidden under the picnic table on the far side of Freedom Park- I hope you give it as much love as I did. I'm still mourning the loss.
I have to send a big thank you out to my boyfriend Sal, who has patiently been helping me by joining me on the second half of long runs for company and putting out water bottles for me. This past weekend, he even drove out and parked at a nearby 2-mile loop where I planned my workout/long run, and would hold out gels and water for me as I circled by. I can definitely say that his help has made this process much, much easier and enjoyable.
Over the past four weeks, I have used my long runs to test out taking gels and water at the same intervals as there will be stops on the Trials course in LA. Having tested out a couple different timing plans, and receiving advice from a few of my much more experienced Oiselle teammates, I've settled on taking my first gel somewhere between 3.5-4.5 miles (1st bottle stop will be at 3.5 to pick up), and then every 5-6 miles for gels after that. I'm going to do half a gel at a time, as that sits much better in my stomach than taking the entire gel at one go. I am planning to use a gel with caffeine for #1, and the final gel, with non-caffeinated in between. If I hit every gel exactly as planned, that will total about 2-2.5 gels. Every 3 miles, there will be a water stop, so I am also going to plan to sip plain water at those stops. It's hard for me to remember that I need to be hydrating during the race, particularl the early portion. I just don't normally think about taking in fluids, so one of my goals for the Trials is to focus on getting in adequate hydration during the race. I'll also stick with water, as I have not practiced with gatorade or other sports drinks, and take Gu gels. I practiced only with Gu Energy Gel and Gu Roctane on my long runs.
SO, without further ado, I present to you.......
A Definitive Ranking of Gu Flavors (As Tasted & Tested by Yours Truly)
***Some notes: These flavors are ranked according to several factors- overall taste, edibleness, and aftertaste. In ranking, I did not factor in length of run in which I used the flavor, but allowed for some bias based on how that particular flavor settled in my stomach on the run. I attempted to try a large range of flavors, as reflected in the rankings.***
1. Salted Caramel (caffeinated)
2. Strawberry Banana
3. Vanilla Orange (Roctane/Caffeinated)
4. Big Apple
5. Lemon Sublime
6. Strawberry Kiwi (Roctane)
7. Lemonade (Roctane)
8. Tri-Berry
9. Root Beer
10. Chocolate Outrage
11. Vanilla Bean (caffeinated)
12. Blueberry Pomegranate (Roctane/Caffeinated)
13. Hammer Gel Apple Cinnamon (random purchase at local running store in addition to Gu brand)
14. Pineapple (Roctane)
Flavors I did not try, and why:
Jet Blackberry, Espresso Love, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Salted Watermelon, Caramel Macchiato, Tastefully Nude, Maple Bacon, Mandarin Orange
Roctane: Cherry Lime, Sea Salt Chocolate, Vanilla Spice, Chocolate Coconut
I didn't get to these flavors primarily because I couldn't find them at the local stores I went to. I'm off the coffee, so no espresso taste- I keep it that strict. I was afraid to try peanut butter because I absolutely love eating peanut butter (often out of the jar) in real life, and was envisioning having a traumatic experience with a PB gel and being haunted forever by it.....Maple Bacon is terrifying, and I don't really want to eat something named "Tastefully Nude."
And the winners are.....Salted Caramel and Strawberry Banana! Salted Caramel appears to be a fan favorite, and definitely was my number one pick. Just sweet enough but not overwhelmingly strong, with a nice caramel flavor- this one really did taste just like a extra-gooey caramel candy. When you hear about Gu gels being basically candy for marathoners, this flavor makes that statement come true. Strawberry Banana was my runner-up because of the nice fruity taste. It was easy to get down, didn't smell too strong, and overall was a sweet but not sour gel. (Also, I love all things fake-banana flavored. Like yellow Laffy-Taffy, a flavor that deserves more love in the world).
Things I have learned about marathon nutrition:
- It's hard to drink water and breathe at the same time.
- Regular gloves make it much easier to locate gels from back pocket, open gels, and sip water. Wearing socks on your hands makes this much more difficult.
- Gels that are supposed to taste like real food- ahem, Chocolate Outrage- do not taste like the real thing. Run, eat dessert. Do not combine.
- Oiselle Moto Lesley Tights and New Gilman vest make great vehicles for gels (but do not send wrappers through washer post-run; this is inadvisable)
All in all, the experience of testing different gels and running nutrition has served a dual purpose for me. One, preparing mentally and physically for the LA Trials, and Two, practicing once again facing and overcoming fears. Bonus- nothing makes you feel more legit than sucking down a gel on your long run and hearing a jogger ask your boyfriend (who has just handed you said gel and bottle), "Wow- what is she training for?!"