Marathon advice needed

Posted this on main board and was redirected here... great forum...  I'm sure I'll get loads of great tips once I dive into the posts...

Had my RNY April 17th 09 and have started training to run a Marathon on April 25th.  Topic came up of "gels", foods, and energizing drinks during the run... Obviously I cannot do the gels as they are loaded with sugars... does anyone have suggestions as to what to pack with me to take?  Would need to be small and pack a punch. 

Any advice from past marathoners??  Currently running 16 miles a week but will increase according to a schedule. 

Thanks :-)

It's not obvious you cannot do the gels... Try one on a friday night at home and see what happens. If nothing, try em on your training runs and see how you react. Cliff makes gels that are sweetened with evaporated cane syrup / juice which is not a refined sugar, so you might do well with those. A lot of it will be trial and error, so experiment now and NOT on race day. Best of luck and congrats on your health and fitness goals!!!! (FYI small and pack a punch interms of food usually equals hi sugar content and or carbs...LOL)

Thanks... I had never heard of gels until my run on Saturday... I actually hadn't even thought about needed to eat anything during the run until she was talking to me about the 1st marathon she ran and what I should expect.  Anyway... when I looked at her gel it had like 49 grams of sugar.  I have avoided sugar like the plague.  have not experienced dumping or anything... but truth be told I was scared straight by my doctor and OH members when I was first out of the hospital.  I wasn't even wanting to try Gatorade... for fear of the sugar in it. 

I was thinking peanut butter and B-6.  But... honestly I am really ignorant when it comes to what I need or how I should do this.  So, any and all advice is great!  Thanks :-)

I know alot of people on here do go ahead and do the gels, you are not going to be able to avoid sugars in order to get something small and with great nutritional energy, they are all going to contain lots of carbs as that is the entire point of those supplement things.  I have been using Cliff ShotBlocs which are gummy like cubes.  They are portable, tasty and I haven't had any problem with them.  The good thing about them for me is that 3 blocks are the equivalent of one Gu gel thingy which enables me to spread them out by only doing one block every 20 minutes or so on my longer runs.  This worked for me for my first half marathon and for training for my second half which is this weekend.  Luna Moons are also good and they are lower in calories but you do eat a whole package over 1 hour instead of half like the shot blocs.  It kinda depends on how sensitive you are to sugar/carbs in general, since I don't really have a problem with any of those things, the blocks have been great for me and I really feel like they give me boost when I use them.  I also use powerade zero as my drink during my runs for the sodium content in addition to rehydration.

Rebecca

Thanks!  I'll have to look into getting soemthing like that.  By the way... where do you get this stuff?  I currently live in England... but will be moving back to the states next month... 

i use clif shot mocha gels, it has some cafeine in it as well, no issues for me.  i use it every 45 minutes or so during long rides/runs over 2 hours in length.

I'll have to look into those.  Thanks

I was able to use gels for my first marathon in Jan 07.  Gradually though, they didn't work out so well for me.  What worked for me was sport drinks that I would carry on runs.  I don't like the pressure that the belts put on my stomach so I just hold water bottles in my hand.  If going far enough, I would drive out and place more bottles to pick up on the run.  Other things that I have used are pretzel sticks, oatmeal cookies, ham on wheat bread, and other stuff I can't remember. 

Thanks!  I was thinking about pretzel sticks... and peanut butter on bread. 

I use gels, but I mix them with my water so they aren't as concentrated.
You can buy them in individual foil packages or you can get a bigger bottle of them.
Some people don't like the consistancy of the gels either.  That is another reason I mix/dilute mine in my water. 

There are also the gummy gel blocks, or sports beans, or a number of other products out there, you really need to experiment with them and find what works for you.  Just remember lots of food in the stomach can make it hard to run, so you have to balance your nutrition with dumping with being able to run without cramping etc, etc, etc.  Trial and error unfortunately.

You may find different results from different vendors.  Not all gels are created the same.
G.U. happens to upset my stomach, but Hammer doesn't.  It might be the other way around for you.

Like Dan said, try some at home where you are safe and close to your bed or restroom.
Then progress to short runs, then longer runs.

For the most part anything under 2 hours and you can most likely do it without any form of nutrition, just fluid and electrolytes.  However you are probably not running a 2 hour marathon, so you are correct in researching what to do now.

I wish you all the best.  Keep us informed on your progress and what works for you.  You may find that perfect product that helps out some other people.

Scott