I took a stab at some new fueling methods for long runs and distance races this past weekend. As I discussed in a previous post, I have serious digestive issues that make eating a major problem. It has recently become very clear to me that I need to sort out midrun fueling if I want to get back into racing full swing (I do) since the re-onset of my gastric illness. My main issue is vomiting and delayed digestion. I am determined to find out what products, traditional or not, are able to keep me running, no matter how much experimentation it takes! Running fuels my psyche, I just need to find out a way to fuel my running.
I am documenting this trial and error process not just for my own records, but to benefit other runners with digestive problems or sensitive/nervous stomachs too. If just one person benefits from this dirty work (besides myself, because I sure as hell intend to), I would be truly happy. I know how frustrating it is to be a runner with tummy problems, and how hard it is to get applicable advice to help you out of a fueling rut. Stay strong, gastrically (look, I invented another word) affected runners of the world! I'm looking for some answers!
Here is what I had lined up to try out:
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Honey Stinger gel, coconut water, and crystallized ginger |
Why I chose these items:
This gel has some of the simplest ingredients of those I have read, and is really just made of two main things: honey, and some b-vitamins, as you can see in the picture below. I figured that the honey would be quickly absorbed and would be simple enough of a substance not to upset my stomach. Honey stingers cost the same as your average gel, between $1 and $1.50 a pop in the store.
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Nutrition info on the gel |
Crystallised ginger
Ginger calms the stomach. Sugar gives fast energy. Good combo to make up running fuel for a person with an easily disturbed tummy. Again, very simple ingredients: baby ginger root, and pure cane sugar. Here’s the package pictured below if you’ve never seen/heard of crystallised ginger. This package cost about $2 at Wegmans.
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Ginger packaging |
Coconut water
I figured that this new “natural sports drink” fad was worth looking into. I have found that gatorade helps me out on tough runs and that I can keep it down if I am careful (and am not pushing myself to my absolutely limit) so I figured that something that claims to do the same thing as gatorade drink, but has none of the added sugar, would be worth a shot. 17 fl oz cost $2.25 at Wegmans.
When getting ready for my run in the morning I assembled all these tidbits together and decided to crack open the coconut water for a taste before distributing it into my fuel belt. Well, I’m glad I did give it a try before filling up because I found it to be absolutely rank. The taste of it actually turned my stomach a bit. So I decided to forgo the coconut water for this run. I also realized at this moment that introducing three new substances on one run would not be wise, as it would be more difficult to pinpoint the culprit if something went wrong. Too many variables. I will probably try out the coconut water on some mid-distance tempo runs later on, so I’ll be able to give my two cents then. I may try some flavoured varieties then as well.
Mmmm, breakfast!
So yeah. It’s obviously important to get something in you before a long run. Back in my healthier days I would have a serving of oatmeal before every single long run, but there is no way I could stomach that now. Right now, this is what I turn to when I need some nourishment:
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Instant Breakfast (powdered) and Lactaid milk |
Carnation Instant Breakfast is a lifesaver and is the staple of my diet at this point in my life. It is the only thing that I know I can always digest. On days when I know I will be running long or hard, I have a larger glass of it than I would normally. As my intensity and mileage goes up, I will probably switch over to Ensure shakes, which pack more calories and vitamins and such than Instant Breakfast. I will probably be incorporating both equally into my diet very soon.
Oh, by the way, to make things more awesome, I am also lactose intolerant. I alternate between soy milk and Lactaid, as pictured. Lactaid is great because it varies up my protein source, as I usually get most to all of my protein from soy. Though it tastes like crap on its own, so I use Lactaid whenever I’m mixing up a health shake or instant breakfast, and I have soy milk whenever I just want a glass of it.
The Run!
So, not wanting to go out for too long a week after that tough half last weekend, I set out to do ten miles. This is not a distance for which I would usually fuel midrun, but time is of the essence before my next few distance races and I want as many test runs with various gels and such as I can have, so that I have at least some idea of how to better fuel myself for these races (though I think I'll be on this fueling journey for much longer than one racing season).
But anyway, the weather was nice and I was feeling somewhat of a spring in my step, so I decided to stretch it out to 12 miles. Again, typically not a distance I would fuel for formerly, but times have changed and my energy stores are a bit more depleted in my “normal” state, so I need to really step it up and try and give my body a little bit more when I am expelling energy on a run.
Bzzz. Sting!
I squeezed out the first half of the honey stinger at approximately mile 4. Early, but I wanted as much time of this run as possible to be devoted to fuel experimentation.
Initial reaction to the stinger: “what the f&*^? this is disgusting.” I’ve only ever used honey itself in moderation in my green tea, and having a mouthful of it was not pleasant. Obviously I did not expect any flavour other than honey, but this was just too much and toooooo strong. I shot a good bit of water in my mouth to dilute the taste and felt my stomach turn as it went down. But I did not feel any stomach pains and continued to run.
Onset of the energy kick: I am not sure if it was psychological, but I felt like that stinger hit me not even a minute after swallowing it. I felt a boost of energy, but I also felt lightheaded, as if it was a “fake” boost; the kind you got after you had too much cotton candy at the fair as a kid. The lightheadedness was an immediate concern to me, due to my history with hypoglycaemia, which I have had run ins with after a huge spike and dip in blood sugar levels following consumption of sugar. But this lightheadedness was not enough to make me feel as if I needed to stop running.
Two miles later I did not feel like I had had a gel. In fact, I felt a bit off. So far, not so good with the honey stinger.
I felt that it was a good time to try some ginger.
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Size and appearance of the ginger |
Now, let me first tell you, I used to HATE ginger. But I grew to like it paired with my sushi and eventually started using it in powdered form in almost everything that i cooked. So I expected the crystallised form to not be a problem to get down, taste-wise.
Initial reaction to the ginger: I first took a bite of about half of one of those chunks and after a few seconds of fighting it, I had to spit it out. The flavor was too strong. Not ready to give up on the product, I tried nibbling off tiny corners at a time, taking them immediately with mini-mouthfuls of water. This made the taste bearable and almost pleasant, and I had about one and a half ginger chunks total.
Energy kick onset / my stomach's reaction: I do not think that these gave me a real energy kick. If anything, they gave me a mini version of the lightheaded hypoglycemia worry that the stinger had. What they did do was settle my stomach a bit. That was noticeable. It (my stomach) felt less jumbled up for the next few miles, and that was rather nice and allowed me to push myself a bit more, even though I wasn't feeling a real energy kick from the ginger, or from the stinger at this phase.
Bzzz... yuck.
Three miles later (approx. mi 9) I had the rest of the honey stinger. To be perfectly honest with you, I was dreading downing the rest of it. The taste was too horrid to me and the thinner consistency, which I thought might be nicer, but turned out the be nauseating.
But, I was feeling a little bit beat up and tired on this run. I hate to say it, because I love my long runs and pride myself on stamina (if only because it is my saving grace for my lack of speed at shorter distances =P), but I was tired and knew I needed a kick of some sort.
So I gave the stingers another shot, knowing this time to squirt the water IMMEDIATELY. It was still unpleasant, and instead of squeezing out every bit of energy from that packet that I could, I left a good bit of residue in there to chill with the garbage bin.
And THEN, almost immediately, I got super dizzy and lightheaded. I will say, I felt the kick of energy and was able to finish the last 3.5 miles with a bit of gusto, but my head was not all there. I did NOT like that and it greatly concerned me.
Overall findings Points and conclusions based solely on what I, individually, am looking for in my fuel sources. Basically just the deciding factors based on my preferences and needs are bulleted.
Honey Stinger
I do not think that I will be using honey stingers again.
- Athough they did not make me vomit on this run, I suspect they would have on a longer distance at a higher intensity.
- The taste just did not suit me. I know they put out other flavours to offset the strength of the honey taste, but I did not like the gel enough to play around with them.
- The lightheadedness that these gels made me experience was extremely undesirable. I thought that the simple ingredients here would lead to faster absorption, which I assumed would help my paralyzed tummy, but the spike of energy was not safe for me. I don't know how to really explain this, but the energy that I got off of these gels did not even feel like “real” energy. I just do not want to go there again.
Crystallised ginger
Not likely to be a staple of every long run, but will be a valuable occasional tool as needed.
- Although I was not experiencing extreme distress, the ginger did calm my stomach nicely. If I ever run into immediate trouble on a training run or race, I feel that the ginger root could be an important part of overcoming that trouble and not letting it hinder the outcome of my run.
- The consumption of the ginger is a bit tedious, as I could not handle the taste of too much at once and had to spend time nibbling at each piece and babying it with a lot of water. Not ideal for racing, but would likely worth it to slow down to nibble when stomach calming is necessary to continue at a strong pace.
- I did not think that the ginger gave an energy kick, but this just may not be its purpose. It might be meant to be a soother rather than a booster.
I am excited about the next gel that I hope to try. I ordered a trial pack of Chocolate#9 gels today. I am not sure when I will try these out. I may or may not be running long this weekend; I have racing plans up in the air for that will determine that. The latest that I will be testing these gels out will be a week and a half (ish) from now, the 22nd.
Chocolate #9 does not use refined sugar and is a low GI supplement, claiming slow-release energy (no spike; no hypoglycemic shock!). It is something different from the regular gel out there, so I think there might be some promise in it. Let's hope!
If I end up running (or racing) long this weekend and my trial gels do not turn up in time, I may test out Powerbar gels this week instead. I am not entirely sure, I might opt to give GU another go instead. All well, we will see!
Thanks for reading! I can't imagine why anyone would read all of that without having a purpose for their interest, so let me know if you happen to be a similarly situated runner to me and are looking for fueling options. I'd love to know a) that I'm not alone and b) that I am helping out another soul.
Have a happy week, folks.
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