Refueling.

Taken On One Of My Runs In Cambridge

I know, you're probably thinking that I'm referring to an automobile running on fumes pulling into a gas station to refuel with overpriced petrol (I used to live close to the Canadian border and loved how they called it petrol instead of gasoline. Sounds so much more chic and interesting). The need to move the needle from Empty to Full. You would be pretty close I guess.  It was the Shell sign that through you off wasn't it?  Instead of refueling my car with 87 octane Shell V-Power gasoline, sorry, petrol, I'm talking about refueling during training runs and races with energy gels. Same concept but with different fluids. You cannot run at peak performance if you running on empty and do not properly refuel during runs.

Whenever I think of refueling and the gels that I used to use last year during my training runs and races it literally makes me... (sorry it's starting, give me another second or two) gag and want to hurl. The problem is that I went with the old standby, the "tried and true", the go-to for any runner. GU Energy gels. It's the kind that is prominently displayed in every running store and is the de facto gel. I learned during my training for Boston that there are many other choices out there that taste better and that are better for you. I'll only buy gels that are designated as "All Natural" from now on. Gone are the days of GU for me. It was the end of the race season last year and I had found myself mid-way through my first marathon gagging trying to get the GU gels down at the allotted times (every 45 minutes). Dreading the next refueling was not one of the items on the top of my list of things to want to worry about while trying to stay focused.

I decided after that that I would need to find alternatives that I would look forward to consuming and, more importantly, better for me. I've tried five different options and will post my reviews here so that others can refuel smartly too while they clean their intake valves, sorry, while powering their high octane activities.

Let's start with 5th place:

Don't Let The Cool Flavors Fool You

GU Energy Gel.

The main issues that I have with GU are the thickness of the gel, the after taste and the fact that it is not all natural (ex. Sodium Benzoate). The viscosity of this stuff is what I would think it would be like drinking 10W40 motor oil.  This stuff is thick even when it is warm outside (of course this is on experience from last year when I used it throughout the summer and into the fall- it would probably be a block of goop if I tried to use it outside now with how cold it has been this winter).  It is very hard to try to get the thicker gel down when you are running and trying to keep your breathing in check.

GU definitely has a lot of great sounding flavors which makes you want to try them all.  Salted Caramel.  Who wouldn't want to try it?  I did and the initial taste wasn't bad.  The aftertaste however, left something to be desired.  It seems that all of the GU varieties have a strange medicinal taste that stays with you for a bit afterwards.

The final item for me is that GU gels are not all natural.  There are several other options out there that are, some are even organic, so why would I want to put something into my body that wasn't natural?

I have two packets of Tri-Berry GU from my late last year training for the first taker.  I understand if you're... sorry, gag reflex is kicking in again, not interested though.  I wouldn't be either.

Until next time, keep on runnin'!