It's a physiology thing, the body digests a specific amount while on the run. A certain mix can be digested efficiently while excersizing. Read something like Lore of Running. It's in there. But yes, it should be water. Sports drink would make the mix too carb rich and slow down digestion on the run.

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You have poopie pants.

sport drinks != gels+water if you factor in electrolye. because every 50 calories of sport drinks like gatorade contains 4%RDA soliudm and 1%RDA potassism and every 100 calories of sport drinks like gatorade contains 2%RDA soliudm and 1%RDA potassism.

Of course this may not be the reasopn one carry gels but not sport drinks. Gels are easy to carry on the course like if you run past several state parks where tap water water is available.

I've been using Ultima as an electrolyte replacement drink. It has a low carb count. While the taste isn't the greatest, (I think the orange isn't bad.) it does seem to do what it intends. It's not filling, which makes sence with little carbs. I've been using it since this is what will be available at the Portland Marathon in Oct. It would make sence to me, to carry the gels, (maybe in a flask) wash them down with water, alternate the Altima. I know I need a plan to replenish about 150-200 oz of fluids and to consume a number (yet to be determined) of gels. This is my first marathon. And I thought all I would have to do is be able to run 26.2 miles.
Fail to plan, plan to fail. It's all a little overwhelming........

quote:<HR>Originally posted by TechTee:
Sports drink = gel + water. (no matter what the brand)
<HR>

oops, i disagree.

the types of carbs in gels are usually more complicated than the ones in sports drinks. the idea is that simple sugars, like those in sports drinks, can only be absorbed by your stomach when in a 7% solution, mixed with water. if you add sugar to your gatorade, your stomach won't absorb the extra sugar, and it will be digested more slowly. some gels, including my favorite hammergel, contain maltodextrin and/or other more complicated polysaccharides. these can also be absorbed quickly by your stomach, but they don't need to be diluted in solution.

so the entire reason i switched to gels is that i don't need water. it's hard to swallow a gel at race pace, and it takes practice, but there's no biological reason to take water immediately. the complex sugars will be digested properly even without extra fluid.
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hydration is still important, but it really is a separate issue.

cheers,
mc

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To the OP if Gatorade works for you than I would go with just that.

The difference btw gels and Gatorade is that Gatorade provides more electrolytes than MOST gels(power gel is the exception).

Gels do offer more complex carbs as opposed to Gatorade's simple(sugar) carbs. My opinion is that calorie needs during a marathon is wayyy overrated.It's just not that long of a race that the importance of complex carbs comes into play(during the run). So gels or blocks may be the way to go if the event is longer. If you know how to eat properly you won't have to worry about calorie intake during the marathon. I hate to say it but I see gels as just another quick fix, pop a pill, presto energy propanganda. It's the companies that sell this **** telling you you NEED it.

To my knowledge most people who prefer gels over gatorade are those who can not stomach gatorade. Thats OK, than these people need gels.

Gatorade is the perfect blend of Carbs, electrolytes, and H20 for races of 4 hours or less. You don't have to mess with sticky packets, than worry about proper water intake(ever not get enough water after taking a gell)etc.. Athletes have been using it successfully for years and it's the very reason it's served at about every marathon. So hit up a cup of gatorade at every station and you will be fine.

Folks like you and I are lucky we have a tolerance for such a drink like Gatorade. It takes the "work" out of all that gel stragity BS.

quote:<HR>Originally posted by runawayjesse:
. My opinion is that calorie needs during a marathon is wayyy overrated.It's just not that long of a race that the importance of complex carbs comes into play(during the run). So gels or blocks may be the way to go if the event is longer. If you know how to eat properly you won't have to worry about calorie intake during the marathon. I hate to say it but I see gels as just another quick fix, pop a pill, presto energy propanganda. It's the companies that sell this **** telling you you NEED it.<HR>

i used to think that way. gels make a huge difference for me, although according to noakes i'm in the minority. i suffered from hypoglycemic-like bonking in marathon races. i'd run 3 1/2 hour "training" marathons no problem. i'd run 1:45 marathon paced hard runs no problem. but when i'd get to 2 hours at marathon race effort -- bonk. tunnel vision, a little disorientation, and i couldn't mentally run. it felt like my brain shut down.

in addition to the energy your muscles use, from stored glycogen or fat supplies, your brain and central nervous system (cns) also use energy in order to send signals to coordinate your movement. your brain and cns can burn up to 240 cals/hr of glucose this way. the only supply of this glucose is stored in your liver or your blood volume. some unfortunate people, about 2% of all marathoners according to noakes (see section starting p148) can only store about 500 cals of glucose in their livers. i'm one of those people, rats.

in three bonks where i had heart rate and pace data, i slowed down after two hours, until i started walking at about 2:10. computing the deceleration, it's consistent with me depleting my liver glucose stores at 2 hours, and then burning through my blood volume supply for those last painful 10 minutes.

your stomach can digest about 300 cals/hour; so i planned to take a gel about every 25 minutes to replace my blood glucose. i got to the two hour mark in phoenix in january, and i sped up, finished in 2:58. in boston i used the same gel plan: no bonk! (although crummy 3:05 due to poor training)

i've been racing for almost 30 years, and have run 16 marathons and one ultra... but never reached my marathon potential. in past marathons i've had sports drinks at all rest stops, but i was unable to get down the 1.5 liters per hour required to provide my cns with the calories it needed to run 6:45min/mi pace. during the past three years i have focused on marathon training, and after averaging 45 miles per week (peaks at 85) with 2 speed workouts, the answer to my marathon racing problem was that little packet of maltodextrin. not quite a quick fix... took me three years to figure it out. magic bullet?... well, sort of.

so while i agree that in terms of muscle energetics, gels don't make much difference, that's only part of the story for some of us. i can have well-trained, glycogen-loaded muscles... but if my cns can't tell those muscles to fire, ummm, i'm stuck. or bonked.

http://This message has been edited by mcsolar99 (edited Sep-07-2007).