Advice please!

[Reggiegirl]

What fluid/fuel do people use on longer runs? I’m slowly building up to HM distance and thought I probably need to start replacing electrolytes. Also do people prefer belts or vests for storage? I under that it is individual choice but wanted some opinions 🤞. Thanks everyone 😊

[Cmoi Marathon]

Hi Reggiegirl , there was a very similar post a day or two ago so you might find that a helpful starting point : healthunlocked.com/marathon...

I'm little use to you or Lucyintheskywith as I run trails rather than roads, don't race, and rarely bother with sports nutrition products. I also loathe gelatinous textures so don't use gels or snack on jelly babies etc. I prefer to take small snacks of real food such as dried fruit, nuts, chocolate or air-dried sausage, though I do like Decathlon almond paste bars.

As for sports drinks, I only ever used them for my trail marathon, otherwise it's just plain water.

On longer runs (so HM+, not that I've done any of those recently) I use a Decathlon trail hydration pack, which I find more comfortable on longer runs than an overstuffed flipbelt. Their soft bottles are good too.

If I ran in urban or suburban environments and events where there are water and feed stations all along the route, I guess my approach would be different.

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

I second the Decathlon soft flasks! I’ve got the 250 and 500 ml ones 👍

[Reggiegirl 10 Miles in reply to Cmoi]

Thanks Cmoi. Lots to think about and I appreciate your response 🏃‍♀️

[RunWillie Marathon]

Hi Reggiegirl

For trail running - I use a hydration vest as I’m carrying more kit and like Cmoi prefer proper food. We always take a picnic.

For road running (anything over 90mins+) - I keep it really light and just take a gel and a small bottle of water that fits in my flip-belt.

Hope that helps. Try everything. You will work out what works for you😍

[Reggiegirl 10 Miles in reply to RunWillie]

Great! Thanks, RunWillie. I like the idea of a vest . As you say I’ll work out what works for me 😊

[nowster Metric Marathon]

For me it's Robinson's Orange Squash (diluted as usual, with a small amount of table salt added) in a 1L bladder in the Decathlon hydration backpack. And lots of jelly babies.

I have invested in a single gel from Sainsbury's just to try one out. They were on an introductory offer. I notice that the calorific content is about the same as the number of jelly babies I normally eat when doing a HM.

Cheap fudge (the squishy sort you often get from overpriced souvenir shops) works well, too. Decent fudge tends to be too dry in the mouth.

In cooler weather I'd take along about 500ml of fluids for a HM, but in the current weather I'll be taking along the full litre. In cooler weather, I wouldn't bother taking anything for a run that's under 90 minutes. In this warmer weather, anything over an hour needs fluids.

And different people have differing tastes. Some find that gels give them the runs (and not in a good way).

[Reggiegirl 10 Miles in reply to nowster]

Thanks for your reply, nowster. I dislike the idea of gels but squash is a good idea. Currently using dried cranberries/ apricots but definitely need fluids 👍

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Hi. There's a pinned post here with lots of HM info, including a link to fuel and hydration healthunlocked.com/marathon...

I use a running vest with a bladder for training runs of over 16k, under that distance I just use a bottle (or two) in my Flipbelt. During events I usually use the water stations, possibly supplemented with a bottle.

[Reggiegirl 10 Miles in reply to linda9389]

Thanks for your reply,Linda. I’ll take a good look at the details 👍

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

I use Tailwind - nutrition and hydration all in one.

tailwindnutrition.co.uk/

I prefer to use a belt but do have a hydration vest. On the odd occasion I have used it, I find it quite warm and I think I just feel less encumbered by a belt! Might try it again in the cooler weather…

Good luck with your progression to HM!🙂💪

[Reggiegirl 10 Miles in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you Sandaj39.I will check out Tailwind so much appreciate the link. A colleague had offered her backpack for me to try but I know it’ll be to cumbersome 🥵. Off to a specialist running shop today so will trial both belt and vest 🏃‍♀️. Happy running