How to Use Energy Gels

Hi Georgina, You won't need gels until you work up to an hour of exercise - your body will have fuel for shorter runs / gym sessions. If you need a snack before you do your run or gym session - you should eat something within 2 hours of exercise, so if lunch was at 1 and you're working out at 5 you want a snack so you've got enough energy to make the most of your session - you can use a gel but I'd go for half an energy bar (Clif bar or Maurten solid). For gym sessions (assuming these are mixed sessions and not an hour on a treadmill), I'd keep with water, that should be all you need as long as you're not hungry going into the session. For runs of over an hour - treadmill or streets - you can take a gel at around 40mins and then every 30mins after that. If you're carrying water with you, any of the gels will work well. If you've not got water, stick with the isotonic gels as they have a balance of energy and rehydration. When it's hot and you're more in danger of dehydration, even if you're on a 2 hour plus run, I'd take a mix of isotonic and pure energy gels so you're getting enough salts to support hydration. Everyone is different, so experimenting with the gels is the solution. Try a couple of different ones and see what appeals to your tastebuds (this is important - if you like the taste you will welcome the nutrients into your body better) and what sits well in your stomach. You can use caffeinated gels for any distance. They work best if you don't have much caffeine in your diet - if you have 3 cups of coffee a day you're barely going to notice these gels, if you don't drink coffee they will give you more of a buzz. None are intensely caffeinated, so you're not going to get the shakes! I don't drink coffee, so I use these gels in rotation with others - if I'm out for 3 hours I'll take 2 gels with caffeine and 2 without. Experiment with them and follow your gut instincts. Your body will show you what it wants.

Hi Karen,

Fantastic, you must be full of excitement and probably some nerves! It’s important to take food in during the marathon as you’ll need it to maintain your energy to the end, and you’re doing exactly the right thing in using the SIS gels during your training as your body will be used to accepting this energy source. Everyone’s stomach is different and the best advice I can give is to listen to your body through the race – you can take the gels as frequently as every 30min, but only if that appeals to your body. Some get hungry during the Marathon; others (like myself) get less tolerant of any kind of gel/food/energy snack. If you get hungry then that’s actually a good thing as you’re less likely to get tummy upsets and can take the gels. If the race offers snacks along the route you can take a little if it seems appealing and isn’t too foreign to your usual diet, in this case you’d probably want to carry 8-10 gels with you, taking them at the hour and then roughly 45 minute intervals.

If you find your body feels like it’s shutting down your stomach then aim for a gel at 1 hour, then try every 50 minutes afterwards for as long as you can get it down you. I’ve never managed more than 5 gels in a Marathon so I concentrate on getting them in before 15 miles when I know things get tougher on my digestion.

The other thing to consider is fluids. Check if the Marathon has regular water stations. If it’s a big field you’ll probably have a good and regular supply but make sure the race doesn’t have a history of running low on water. If it’s a smaller field the water stations may be sparser so it’s crucial you know what miles they are stationed at. Hopefully you’ll not need to carry any fluids yourself as you want to avoid that extra weight and hassle but if your friends will be supporting you maybe they can take a bottle for you? If you have any trouble with digesting the water quickly enough (which can be an issue for those of us who are guzzlers and need to drink more than others) then I’ve found the Active Root sachets wonderful to keep the stomach calm, the fluids going down, and quick absorption. The bit of ginger really helps.

Good luck and I hope you have a fantastic experience.

Hi Reg,

Usually we wouldn't advise gels for children as the sugar content is on the high side, also if a child is getting fatigued during sports it's an indication that they are over-extending themselves and need to pull back a bit.

I would advise having a word with the coach but also look at what else fatigues him. If the other kids are also getting tired then there's probably less to be concerned about and a snack at half time should do the trick. Of all the gels, the Torq are the ones I'd suggest as they taste pretty nice and the ingredients are good, but I reckon he'd prefer the taste of the Lucho Dillitos Guava Paste which is full of natural goodness. If he can manage a banana or maybe some dried fruit at half time then that would be perfect.

All the best
Shankara

Hi Vanessa,

Once you've found a gel that works for you – gives you the energy you need and your stomach is happy with – then there's no reason to change. Though you can always experiment with new ones on training runs well away from a race, see if there's something out there that works even better for you. I'll often use a combination of an isotonic gel (H5 Iso Gel) and a higher energy gel (Torq or Honeystinger) as I can't always get enough of the energy gels down me and the Isotonic ones work well especially as I easily get dehydrated. It's such a personal thing, you just have to experiment till you find the right fit.

Torq don't give specific advice on how much water to consume with their gels. The mix of carbs in the 2:1 ratio plus key salts – sodium, potassium, etc. – provide a good balance that should digest quickly but I'd still recommend at least a mouthful of water to ensure your stomach doesn't have to pull in water to aid digestion.

I don't suppose there's a reason a 2:1 gel can't be isotonic, it's a question of dilution, but I'm not aware of any at present.

Happy Running

Shankara

• VanessaSeptember 19, 2016 at 10:16pm

  Hi Shankara,
  Thank you for your answer. I have tried the Torq bannoffee (with caffeine), worked really well and no upset stomach. Thank you again for this great article :) Reply

  • Shankara SmithApril 29, 2019 at 1:15pm

    Hi Vanessa,
    
    That's great news, thanks for letting me know.
    All the best with your training.

    Reply