My kids were out of the baby/toddler stage a few years before fruit purees started appearing on store shelves in what very much resembles a large energy gel packet with a plastic top. You've all seen them I'm sure. Numerous baby/kid food companies have launched their own versions, from Gerber's, to Sprout, to Plum Organics, to etc, etc, etc.

I know I'm late on this post and have been meaning to get it out for weeks now. Sorry this information is finding you late in the waning parts of the popular fall half-marathon season. I've been wanting to address the issue of "how many gels to take and when" as it is a common area of interest (and questions) for both novice and advanced runners. This topic is discussed in a more general manner on the 'Timing and Dosage' page of this site and you'll certainly find no shortage of advice doing a search online, but it can sometimes get confusing. Because some folks are looking for more specific details, included below is an energy gel plan based on predicted running pace for a half marathon, and gives gel recommendations for both low (~30g/hour) and high (~60g/hour) carbohydrate intake rates.

December is here and although some of you may be putting your feet up to rest for a bit others are still in the thick of heavy training, or looking to begin a serious plan after the holidays. To the competitive endurance athlete the wintertime always presents a challenge of delicate balance: trying to ensure the intense workouts still get logged (often during cold, dark mornings/evenings) while trying to avoid the increased risk of picking up a sickness. The image below (figure 1) often pops into my head during this time of year.

I recently wrote a short article for the Atlanta Track Club's Runner's Blog regarding recent carbohydrate research and how it may relate to runners participating in the upcoming 42nd annual Peachtree Road Race, the largest 10K in the world.  You can read it below....

Can just a teaspoon of sugar help your Peachtree time go down?

A 10K isn’t typically thought of as a distance that requires too much of a race nutrition plan. Strategies involving carbohydrate ingestion are usually the focus of runners competing in half marathon distances and above, but recent research over the past few years has revealed that ingesting just a sip of a sports drink during short term intense exercise (like a 10K race) may also lead to improved performance.^1-6 Here’s the real kicker…you don’t even have to swallow the drink to realize the benefit—simply swishing a carbohydrate solution around in your mouth and then spitting it out is sufficient. Read more.....

With the enormous popularity of Chris McDougal’s book, Born to Run, I figured it was only a matter of time before a chia seed energy gel hit the market. I happened to run across it during a recent trip to REI. Made by Vitalyte, Chia Surge energy gel made its debut this spring and comes in a 1.3 oz packet in two different flavors: Pineapple Orange and Raspberry.

On Sunday, August 5, women will toe the line in the Olympic Marathon for only the eighth time, exactly twenty eight years to the day since the women's event was first run in Olympic competition (August 5, 1984).

Want the nitrates without so many beets? Consider trying my recipe for ‘Rocket Salad’ containing spinach, arugula and roasted beets.  It tastes great and delivers an estimated 500 mg of nitrates.  Note: The dressing can be refrigerated for up to a week and makes enough for 4 servings, perfect for a 4 day nitrate trial (I don't recommend eating this 2.5 hours before your event though!)

I’m typically pretty cautious when reports of a particular ingredient or 'super' food are linked to boosts in athletic performance, but like others, I’m intrigued by the possible endurance benefits of drinking beetroot juice. If you haven't been following the topic and this is the first you're hearing about the potential power of beets, here's the quick gist: A handful of studies performed over the past several years have found that consuming beet juice lowers the oxygen cost of exercise, due to the high concentration of nitrates found in beets^{(1-3, 5-8, 15)}.

The full brunt of summer has finally arrived, bringing high temperatures, stifling humidity and lots and lots of sweat. Over the past few weeks I’ve seen a large amount of carbohydrate/ electrolyte sport drinks in the recycle bins at our neighborhood tennis courts as well as clutched in the hands of many runners and cyclists, who have been told time and time again to, “Make sure to replace those electrolytes in this heat so you don’t cramp”. But is this really necessary? Are you putting yourself at risk by skipping the electrolytes and just drinking plain water or a simple carbohydrate beverage? No, actually. Contrary to what you’ve seen advertised on TV and billboards for decades, the scientific literature doesn’t contain solid evidence supporting the notion that electrolyte supplementation during exercise prevents muscle cramps.

 When Geoffrey Mutai crossed the finish line at the 2011 Boston Marathon in the fastest time ever run (2:03:02) he gave a glimpse of the unthinkable. Although his performance was aided by a tailwind, the fact that Mutai was only a few seconds from 2:02 territory more solidly shifted the possibility of a human covering 26.2 miles in less than 2 hours from a question of 'if?' to 'when?'. While some people think we're still generations away from witnessing the feat, others envision it happening much sooner. I'm on the latter side of the fence and believe we'll see it occur in the next twenty years.

In response to numerous requests, complete energy gel recipes are now available! This addition, by way of a digital book titled Secrets from Inside an Energy Gel: Learn how to make homemade energy gels using industry-based recipes, now gives athletes looking to make their own homemade gels two DIY options - 1) a 'cookbook' with tips and recipes for making energy gels completely from scratch, or 2) a pre-mixed unflavored gel base ready for personalized flavoring.

In addition, several new energy gel supplies are now available in the Store: energy gel flasks (4 and 6 oz sizes), gel belts, gel flask holsters (for attaching to bikes and shorts) and various raw ingredients for making homemade energy gels (maltodextrin, fructose, etc).

Hope you like the new expanded choices!

I recently received a question about Gu's Roctane Ultra Endurance Gel concerning how it compares to a typical gel. I don't currently have Roctane's info included in the Energy Gel Comparison table because it really fits into a separate (and lonely) sub-category of 'ultra energy gels' (Roctane has been the lone player in the arena since 2008, until recently).  Roctane seems to have been fairly popular with the ultra endurance crowd based on the simple fact that there are currently 6 flavors available (versus just 1 when it first debuted).  But a new competitor (at least via their product name) by way of Pacific Health Lab's 2nd Surge Ultra Energy Gel arrived on the scene last year. So, with this doubling of the sub-category size (from 1-2 products!) it seems appropriate to do a short dissection of the two and show how these 'ultra' energy gels compare with a standard energy gel.

After posting lots of information for athletes to dig around in on Energy Gel Central, I realized the site was missing a key feature....a central place for readers to ask questions and be interactive.  Although I certainly don't promise to have all the answers (hopefully a few though!), my hope is that this Q&A section also creates some interesting discussions.

So go on. Ask away...the lines are open.

Energy Gel Central was an idea I had several years ago and my hope is that it continues to evolve into a resource that endurance athletes can come to for up to date information on the ever changing sport nutrition market, specifically in the area of energy gels and other cutting edge fuels. I'll also be including interesting topics that encompass the endurance sports world.