Thanks so much for the advice on my problems yesterday!
I found some running pants with pockets! But let’s call them what they really are: tights. And when I put them on, it’s not a pretty sight. They will be motivation to get up early and run under the cover of darkness. I got them from the Brooks Outlet at the Supermall (thanks for the suggestion, Kris!) for $30. Not bad, especially considering the pants I saw at The Sports Authority were between $50-$70. (Are they out of their minds?)
I have yet to tackle the jeans, but the running pants issue was urgent because I will be testing them out tomorrow on my VERY FIRST 7-MILE RUN. I am nervous about it, too. I don’t think I would be if I was running with Heather because she is so easy going and fun. I always forget how far we are going when we are together. But I will be by myself, and I will be on a different trail or road than where I normally pound out a longer run.
I first did five miles not that long ago, and six was only a couple of weeks back. But five and six didn’t seem so far. Seven feels like A LOT of miles. I sort of wish I had a fuel belt now. Yeah, now that I finally found pants with pockets, of course.
Last weekend, when we were at REI, I looked at this belt:
Anyone use this one? Anyone see any reason why this one would suck?
Anyway, the woman who was helping me there is a runner (she prefers half marathons), and she was showing me this belt and saying it was better than another belt because it has the nice little bottles and they don’t get in the way. And, she was talking about GU like I knew what it was. She was all, “I like the GU, but sometimes it gives me a tummy ache, but you get used to it. You could get the Honey Stinger, I’ve heard they’re more gentle on your tummy.”
I nodded and agreed, but I felt like such a noob. Sure, I’ve read about GU on other blogs, but I wasn’t really paying that close of attention because I don’t run that far, I don’t need anything like that.
At what point do I need to take GU, or another energy gel? And, what’s Nuun all about? Why is that better than water?
4 comments
I hope I can help you with some of these questions!Gu, or any gel, is basically liquid/gel carbohydrates without any “junk” per se in it. It is easier to digest than say, a bagel or something, because when you are running your digestive system tends to slow down. that said, yes they really do a number on some peoples stomachs, mine included. There are countless different brands of gels out there, so I would reccommend that you experminet to see what you like. I use them for usually only half marathons and marathons, and I take them every 4-5 miles. Again that's a personal preference. They make gels, chews, “jelly beans”, all sorts of products for this purpose, so my suggestion is just get a handful and try them out on long training runs (never on race day!!)Next up..Nuun. I LOOVE the nuun! It's electrolyte replacement…minus calories. So basically it's the same idea as gatorade, minus the sugar and other stuff. All of the sugar in gatorade and sports drinks messes with my stomach (can you tell i have an irritable stomach when I run, lol!) and so nuun works great for me. When you sweat, you loose salts/electrolytes and long story short, over time your body (brain, muscles, etc) don't function as well without a proper balance of these. This is why on distance it is important (more so for some people than others) to drink thinks like nuun or gatorade in addition to water. The hydration belt…I have a similar one by Nathans, and i'm not going to lie, I hate it. It bounces around and I can't stand the “sloshing” of the water around my waist. instead, I use a hand held bottle (this one: http://www.amphipod.com/385/385.html ) But some people don't like to hold things when they run. Oh and the spi belt I mentioned the other day, you can find it here http://www.spibelt.com/ I like it because it doesn't bounce around like the hydration belt I carry.Hope some of that helps!!
p.s. sorry my comment was as long as your post, haha! I am relatively new to this sport (i've really only been running for 3 years minus 2 pregnancies) so I still have a lot of questions too!
I am a WAY newbie runner, but I am running in my first 1/2 marathon on November 8th. I started doing Gu when I went to 8 miles (I did 11 miles this past Saturday). Now I do Gu every 45 minutes of running. I also tried Gu Chomps (like fruit snacks) on my last run, and loved them. I will say this, the Gu gives me gas, so it does mess with your stomach.Good luck!!
@Heather: I don't mind the long comment at all! Thanks so much for all the info. I think you have a good idea, just trying out all the GU and GU-like products. I'm not sure I could do the hand-held water bottle. @Amy: Congrats on your mileage! Are you nervous about the half? I've heard about the Chomps; good to hear you like them. I wonder why GU messes with tummies.