LDR and Running Questions - 4 Miler DONE!

I did a 4 miler today in 92 degree heat!!! GOOD GOLLY MS MOLLY!!!  Now it took me 1 hour and 4 minuites, but I finished....Very proud. My question is this... for ya'll runners and walkers, how often do you take your gu's? Or hydrate, eat before, during and after a race?  I tank about 2 - 3 miles and Im wondering if I need to take gus more often because my tummy isn't as big to hold things... Thoughts? - A

First of all, congratulations on your 4 miler!  It is very cool to reach goals. But as far as your question goes, honestly, I never use gels when I train.  I have only used them when I did a marathon, and I only used 2 - one at mile 15, the other at 22.  I eat a banana or yogurt and coffee about an hour or so before any race or workout and it seems to tide me over just fine. I know lots of others use them, but I have no idea what their scheules are. As far as hydration goes, I tend to get sick to my stomach if I drink when I run or when my workouts are high intensity.  I do sweat a lot (I'm pretty well soaked when I'm done) but I only drink when races are longer than a 10k.  I didn't drink when I did either of the triathlons and didn't get any cramps.  Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe I've trained my body that way (who knows for sure), but that's just how things work for me. On another note, I probably eat 1800 calories or more on most days.  I also snack at night partly because I do my workouts in the morning.  I do drink right away and generally eat within an hour of any workout. Our bodies are all different, and I think it just takes trial and error to figure out what's going to work best for you.  It may also be a good idea to work with a sports nutritionist to help you get it all worked out. Not sure if this is helpful at all, just letting you know what it is that I do. Linn

I'd say that Linn and I are on about the same page.  For my first marathon, I used gel in training and it worked okay except for the gastric issues that it caused.  Now I pretty much rely on sports drinks and an occational granola bar or oatmeal cookie.   As far as shorter races, most of the "experts" say that you should use gu for exercise over an hour.  That is about how long it takes for the carb stored to start to deplete.  Like Linn, I don't do anything special for a 5K.  For a warm 10K, I will take a drink on the run.  Otherwise, I will just use the water stops.  I do like to have more control over my drinking, though. Congrats on the finish in the horrible heat.  Heat running sucks so way to go!!!

I ate a couple of packets of those gels in a race this weekend, and, as I said in another post, they are lethal.  If you dump, DON'T USE THEM.  If you don't know how they'll affect you, you might want to try one, but only if you can get to a bathroom in a hurry.  Take the others' advice and stick with peanut butter, bananas, cookies, or protein bars (I've used Zone bars - they come in a snack size - without a whole lot of trouble.) And hydrate before, during, and after the race.  Or plan to wear Depends when you do race.  (Only kidding - I think.) Marcia

Oh, and good job on the 4 miler!  Can relate to the heat.  Ugh! Marcia