Fuel

Before I started running seriously, I was oblivious to the concept of nutrition on the go.  The idea of eating while running, seemed a bit counter intuitive, but the further I run, the more important fueling becomes.  So far running nutrition has been a bit of a trial and error process for me, and I am always keen to try new things that will give me the energy to go stronger for longer.  I want to write about the discoveries that I have made that work really well for me, as well as the challenges of day to day nutrition surrounding training and racing.

Energy Gels

The staple of my running-fuel tool box, I have a love-hate relationship with Gels.  I think they are fantastic, and I love the energy-hit that they give me.  But, there are also times when I am running for long periods that I would be very happy to never see another slippery, sticky, sweet gel.  I mix up the flavors that I use (Choc Outrage is one of my favorites) and only really eat Gu and Horleys brands.  If I am running anything shorter than a half marathon, or training for less than 3 hours, then I would would rely solely on gels.  If I am running longer/further, then I add in some other fuel sources.  I try to consume 1 gel every 40min of exercise.

Chomps

A great alternative to gels, and gentler on my stomach.  Chomps are like gummy lollies, and not as sickly as gels.  I need to eat three or four chomps to get the same energy input as a single gel.  I like to pop in a chomp in between other energy sources for a little boost of energy.