txRUNNERgirl wrote:
I'm training for a marathon right now and even though I've run 11 or 12 (depends if ultra counts), I still question fueling strategies. I've never run a negative split and have always crashed the last 3-4 miles at least, even in my best races. I sweat a lot compared to most people I run with, but I also drink a lot of plain water throughout the day, which makes me think I should take more fluid, but also likely a lot more sodium than I have been during long efforts. I've generally taken 4-5 gels, but only swigged water at aid stations during a marathon. I've never really paid attention that different brands of gels actually have different amounts of carbs/sugar/sodium and that I should probably figure out what I specifically need. I didn't really want to be that obsessive about it, but then I recently saw a YouTube video of a guy who went from a 2:52 marathon to a 2:27 just by calculating his sweat rate and determining how much fluid and fuel he individually needed. He also switched to carrying his own during the race, something he (like most competitive runners) was opposed to in the past because of the extra weight, etc., but the difference it made in his performance was enough to change his mind. Of course there are other variables that can affect an improvement in race times, but this has really gotten my attention.
I'm trying out different brands of gels/chews, one of which is UCAN. My sister (also a marathon runner) swears by it. I tried the original powder mix a long time ago and didn't like the taste, but recently got the Edge gels. I tried one yesterday (10 miles) and had to take fluid + electrolytes and some GU Chomps on top of it because I was fading. Long story short, everyone is different.
I have been trying UCAN lately. Goes down way easier than Gu, but the electrolyte content is inferior to Maurten. Ideally the objective isnt to take whatever goes down easiest, its to get the good stuff into you by whatever means possible. So I am ending my UCAN experiment and moving to something like Maurten. Have also been trying Untapped maple syrup, liking those but not sure if it would work for a thon.