Is taking a gel during a 10 mile run going to help at all?

Is it a race/all out effort? Then sure, take one at the start and another halfway

No.

Also no.

If you believe that it is worth it, then yes.

Well maybe, but only if your pace is 10 min/mi or slower, because then the duration is long enough to possibly require refueling. If your 10-mi run is 90 min or less, no need to refuel imho.

Not an expert, just an old guy who remembers a big difference between 80-90 min run versus 1:40+

One obvious way to find out.

During? As someone said, unless you're out there for 90+ minutes, don't bother. But pretty much regardless of the distance, I'll pop one 30-40 minutes before the start to make sure it's digested by the start. Do I think that's a difference maker? Tough to say, but why the hell not top things off just to be sure.

we need to get elizabeth MF clor on letsrun to answer matters such as this. has anybody invited her yet

It can help recovery and will improve performance slightly. Most people won’t find it financially worth it, but if you have unlimited funds and your film crew can hand you one during your run go for it.

Pace and duration doesn't matter as much as total work output. So it really doesn't matter if you are running 7-min per mile or 10-min per mile pace. You are covering 10-miles and moving your body weight that distance. Basically the same work being done.

The faster runner usually requires more power (same work being done in less time).

But for all intensive purposes if one is running (or heck walking) 10-miles on a flat road at sea level they should have a plenty of glycogen stores to cover the distance without needing to intake any carbs/gels. The slower they are going the more that can utilize body fat as fuel actually as the relative intensity is less.

Now there could be an argument that if you were slowly walking 10-miles in like 3 hours that you might "get hungry" just because of the sheer duration of being on your feet between meal times. Others running fast might want a caffeinated gel or some sort of stimulus to "trick and stimulate the mind" so that the perception of fatigue is less. There could also be an argument that because you are dipping into at least some glycogen stores you don't want the brain to even think you are "getting low on. fuel" so topping off the carb stores can be good (for others it is more of a GI risk and hard to take in if breathing hard and running say 5:00min/mile pace or near Lactate Threshold).

Back in the day I ran a 1:04 half marathon on a couple sips of water. I don't think a gel was going to help improve my time ever, but i was also breathing so hard running 4:55 mile splits it was hard to even take in fluid. Faster runners would look for more liquid calories on the fly (i.e. grabbing a few sips of Gatorade at an aid station so they don't have to carry anything), but usually that doesn't come into play (taking in gels and more carbs) unless the race is over 15-16 miles +

I've found taking some kind of calories is beneficial during any run over an hour, in that it helps speed recovery after the run. It doesn't really feel that different, but after doing it consistently for a few weeks at higher mileage, I notice the recovery speedup.

I'll try to eat a small handful of gummy candy maybe 6 miles into anything 9+ miles. The way I see it, I'm not gonna get better by being depleted, so I'll try to avoid depletion as much as possible.

will it help performance? not really

will it help you get used to taking gels while running at a faster pace? sure, if you're running fast. Not a big deal for many, but worth practicing for some.

run.outsideonline.com

How Many Carbs Do You Really Need to Run Your Best?

Alex Hutchinson

When it comes to the amount of carbs runners should consume during training and racing, new science brings a new perspective to the table.

Link:run.outsideonline.com/nutrition-and-he...

The science has evolved since then, mainly with the realization that mixing different types of carbohydrate (like glucose and fructose) in specific ratios enables higher absorption rates. Current recommendations top out at 90 grams per hour, but recent studies have suggested that it’s possible to take in 120 grams per hour—and top athletes in ultrarunning, cycling, and other sports are reportedly going even higher than that.

menshealth.com

Why Runners Need More Carbs Than They Think, Per Surprising New Study

Research on elite runners shows that higher-carb fuelling can boost efficiency

Link:www.menshealth.com/uk/nutrition/a65869...

Ah right, that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification, Sage.

Many moons ago, when doing moderate summer mileage as a 400-800 runner, I used to bonk on (what was for me LSD) runs at around 1:40-45 but was always fine to cruise comfortably thru 90 min with no problems.

Of course, total work output and energy burned is the only sensible explanation. In my head, I knew my non-fueling limit was around 90 min duration and so over time I conflated the concepts a bit.

I appreciate the correction!

What's up with all you old heads being so anti-fueling? Runners are so afraid of new tech advancements and are stuck in the stone age. Amateur cyclists are fueling 60+ grams of carbs per hour on even on their easiest of rides. I have been doing 50g/hr for normal runs and 80-85 for long runs and workouts and it's been a gamechanger for not only performance but recovery. At this point with all the information that's out there, if you're not fueling during runs you're missing out on gains.

Also, before you guys say I am some hot shot knocking back multiple $4 maurten gels, I use either white sugar or country time lemonade. Anyone can do this

This seems about right. The boost in simple carbs might help a tiny bit in races under 90 mins, but you may not even notice.

There is some evidence that a sugar hit has a kind of placebo effect but personally, I've never experienced it. Just try it, it's not like it would be an expensive experiment

If you're adequately fueled going into the run, then it won't help you at all, but that's a big if. Most people are pretty good about making sure that they've carb loaded prior to big runs, but they may be less attentive to their diet during the rest of the week. If you roll out of bed and do an easy 10 before having any breakfast, and you didn't get a great meal the night before, then a gel could definitely help.

One mistake a lot of runners make is thinking of their carbohydrate stores like a car's gas tank. In reality, carbs are stored throughout the body, and it isn't that easy to move them around. Blood sugar and liver glycogen are the most easily transported, but they are fairly small stores. With muscle glycogen, you can experience localized depletion, where some fibers are running low before others. This is part of the reason that performance drops off long before anyone reaches true depletion (though not the only reason).

It's also worthwhile (for marathoners and ultramarathoners anyway) to practice taking down carbs while running, and if you only do that during your monster long runs, well, that's not much overall practice. Doing it during an easy 10 is just more practice.

Intensity is also a big factor. At easy paces, you can get 50% of your energy or more from fat, but if you're doing some kind of a workout, the ratio shifts pretty hard to carbs.

You should take a gel in the middle of an 800.