Homemade gels and energy drinks

Regular gummy bears (dirt cheap) work well.

I know of a few very good marathoners from back in the 80's that would run with Swedish fish or gummi bears in their pockets. I do the same and I think they're great. Then again, I'm not setting the world on fire with my times or anything.

If you are over 3 hours you need the gummi penguins (see other thread)

Honey and a bit of salt? I've done it before. Honey has teh same fructose/glucose ratio as all the high-tech gels and sports drinks. Just a matter of figuring out the electrolytes.

12345 wrote:

Honey and a bit of salt? I've done it before. Honey has teh same fructose/glucose ratio as all the high-tech gels and sports drinks. Just a matter of figuring out the electrolytes.

I know biker who used honey, salt, and powdered gatorade mix.

The main ingredient in gels is maltodextrin. You can buy that at a home brewing supply.

I don't have a recipe or have tried one.

Walmart has Powergels for $.83

I really can't stomach any gels and straight honey is way too sweet for me, so I hit upon taking some mini peanut butter crackers. You still get salt and carbs, and it's easier to digest.

You could also check out the bulk bins at Whole Foods or your food co-op for things like the gummy snacks, yogurt-covered pretzels, gingersnaps - whatever floats your boat - and just stick a few in a ziplock baggie before heading out.

For an electrolyte drink without so much sugar, stir 1-2 tsp of apple cider vinegar into 8-16oz of cold water, white tea, or decaf green tea. If you want you can add a squeeze of honey or agave nectar to take the edge off and give it flavor. The concoction tastes like flavorless Gatorade.

What would flavorless Gatorade taste like?

` wrote:

For an electrolyte drink without so much sugar, stir 1-2 tsp of apple cider vinegar into 8-16oz of cold water, white tea, or decaf green tea. If you want you can add a squeeze of honey or agave nectar to take the edge off and give it flavor. The concoction tastes like flavorless Gatorade.

Do you actually do this shit?

I actually use a single Power Bar "Energy". Cut it into 8 small pieces. Then simply eat one every two miles. That gets you to 16. If you plan on going much further (Beyond 20) maybe a couple of extra pieces would help. Not really very expensive.

` wrote:

For an electrolyte drink without so much sugar, stir 1-2 tsp of apple cider vinegar into 8-16oz of cold water, white tea, or decaf green tea. If you want you can add a squeeze of honey or agave nectar to take the edge off and give it flavor. The concoction tastes like flavorless Gatorade.

I've tried something like this before and it tastes... well terrible. I didn't use tea, just a bit of salt instead and some ice tea mix but if anything, real tea would do less to mask the vinegar flavor which goes a long way for a tsp.

running without carbs will teach your body to burn fat more efficiently, and save you money.