Last week I ran/walked 10 miles with a friend. She usually takes a gel at about 5 miles, having tried various different ones before finding which one suits her best. I tried one at the same time - not as unpleasant as I'd expected but I wouldn't want to eat them for fun. I didn't notice any particular boost in energy - but then, I don't know how I would have been without the gel. About half an hour after finishing the run I got a horrible, bloated sort of stomach ache that lasted a couple of hours - it's not something I'm prone to so I wondered if it might be an effect of the gel.
This week we attempted 12 miles ! It was much hotter than last week so it was more difficult. I'd read that a lot of people rate Jelly Babies for an energy boost on long runs so, as there were some in the house anyway, I thought I take some along and try those when my friend took her gel. Soon after consuming a few Jelly Babies, I started to feel a bit queasy, I couldn't get rid of the taste of them in my mouth and just wanted to drink water. I tried to only drink little bits so I didn't take in too much water. I didn't really shake off the feeling in my stomach for the rest of the run. At the end of the run we stopped for a cup of tea - that was nice to start with but I had too leave some as it was adding to the sick feeling. Our lift home turned up and I hopped into the back of the car but by the time we'd crossed the car park, I had to get out again to be sick I felt a bit better after that and went to the pub too meet BH - after a pack of salted peanuts and a glass of soda water I was feeling human again.
So, definitely NOT jelly babies on a run ever again !
Since reading that bananas are as good as many sports drinks, I've wondered about just taking some banana chips with me in case I need a boost.
Has anyone else experimented with gels etc or have recommendations for more...er..natural..alternatives as I'm a bit sceptical about the gels/sports drinks etc.
I also don't want to sabotage every long run by experimenting with gels !
Any advice would be appreciated !