15k in the bag 🎒 🛄 🧳 💪

[Tessie66]

Went to the gym 🏋️‍♀️ 💪 this morning did arms and shoulders a little warm up before the main event 💪. Straight after went down to the canal at Slaithwaite and run 15k my furthest run to date it was a lovely run 🏃‍♀️ and I could of gone a lot further. Quick question if I may when do I start taking gels? I took a bottle of water with HI 5 today.

[misswobble Marathon]

Well done! 😀👏

hi5 are easier to get down than gels I find You don’t have to do gels if you don’t want to 🙂

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

Thank you yew I'm finding they work for me

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

Congrats on your furthest run - fantastic!

I used to use just Tailwind on my longer runs (a powder you mix with water that contains carbs and electrolytes). However I have recently started using thr High 5 Aqua energy gels. I take one at about 5.5/6 k and another at about 11k. They are easy to take as not as thick as normal gels. The thing I have really noticed is how much more quickly I recover after the run - no dips of tiredness!

On my recent HM, I used two gels plus I took some Tailwind with me too. I think it’s about finding what works for you - I avoided gels for years but now wish I’d tried them sooner. There are loads out there - good luck in finding what works for you.🙂

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you just looking through them and have just booked a half marathon in December

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon in reply to Tessie66]

Fab! Which HM?

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Heaton Park half Marathon December 1st .Going to try and get to a parkrun before hand

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to Tessie66]

Heaton park is a park in North Manchester that holds parkruns so will definitely take a trip over

[Cowladyrunning Marathon]

I tend to start thinking about gels and electrolytes on distances of 10 miles and above. However, if I was doing a 10k race I might take 1 then... I think the more you try things then more you know when it helps / you need it as we are all different. Personally I like the precision hydration gels and a few medjool dates 😃 I use precision hydration electrolytes too. Happy experimenting 👍

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to Cowladyrunning]

Thank you will start experimenting soon

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

Great distance! Well done. Your 10 mile badge is waiting patiently…

You might find this useful as there is lots of information about fuelling on long runs.

healthunlocked.com/marathon...

The main message is that everyone is different and so you need to experiment on what works for you. Gels is one option only and lots of people don’t like them. I’ve never taken one and prefer Tailwind tailwindnutrition.co.uk/?sr... and real food ( dates, homemade flapjacks)

rockrun.com/blogs/the-flash...

Remember to start taking fuel before you think you need it as it takes time to work through your system and benefit. For example, for a run of 10 miles I start taking fuel at about 6K and then every couple of K’s but again, you should practice this and see what works best for you.

You want to make sure you have the fuel thing cracked during training so that you're not trying anything new on race day 🤢

Good luck and happy training!

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

Thank you so much for this a brilliant read and will be a lot of help

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to Irishprincess]

I make those flapjacks and wrap portions in foil and keep in the freezer. I nibbled one at intervals after 5k during my 10 miles this month plus I sipped on high5.

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

That sounds a great idea and really tasty

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

Mine never make it to the freezer 😋

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to Irishprincess]

😂😋. Thats a lot of flapjack !

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

My husband helps me out 🤣

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

Mine wouldn't either if I was honest

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Wow. So close to the 10 mile run now. Congratulations 👏

[Tessie66 Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Hoping to get that soon to be honest I could of carried on and got that