Runners: gel/drink of choice? Energy struggles

I don’t get on with gels, and also I like to have some food I like eating so I have something to look forward to during my long runs. I usually go for jelly babies or Soreen (though find it impossible to eat the latter without getting wodges of it stuck in my teeth!).

^Sometimes I just go for old school sweets though. Jelly babies, squashies, strawberry laces 😆

I'd forgotten about this sort of thing for energy. We used to bring jelly cubes back in the day when hiking.

Cola does hit the spot! Agreed!

I can't eat anything much when running as it makes me too nauseous.

It's a real life saver isn't it. I honestly didn't get why aid stations had coke until that time I dragged myself in feeling depressed and then left skipping like a newborn lamb. I am a massive convert now!

@AHugeTinyMistake on my last half one of the stations had cups of coke. It did really hit the spot!

Lucozade sport is surprisingly good I find. And available in 99% of corner shops. And if you are really really struggling good old full fat coke is a winner. It totally saved me on an ultra, filled my soft bottles with it at an aid station and sucked on them like a starving baby - got me round the final 10 miles.

For a normal training run I like the flavours of Torq gels, but Maurten is a bit gentler on the stomach (v expensive tho)

Sometimes I just go for old school sweets though. Jelly babies, squashies, strawberry laces 😆

I listened to a really interesting episode of a podcast about building up your tolerance to energy gels/drinks. If you're not used to them often they will make you want to 💩

So consume them slowly from the first one (difficult with gels I appreciate but Maurten are much less sticky than most), once you hit the point where things start to feel dodgy STOP. Next time you're on a run try and take another quarter or half a gel more than you did last time. It's a slow, frustrating process. So don't expect to able to swallow 5 gels on a run for the first time with no issues. Even pro athletes have to practice.

I resisted gels for a long time and still only use them on the longerst runs, but I like the High5 Aqua gels. They're not as gloopy as most.

One of the best runners I know just carries Hartley's jelly blocks and the little packs of salt from McDonalds....

I use Tailwind. If I need gels, I use Mountain Fuel.

I really like the tailwind powders, they give a bit of a boost and actually taste nice. They're also really gentle on the tummy and I've never had any adverse effects.
When I did a solo half marathon I also took along some glucose tablets and banana chips for when I was flagging

Forgot to mention over training syndrome, that can cause the type of exhaustion she mentions in the opening post.
Another good one to have a look on line for

You can get away with a poor diet for quite a long time, and very small changes to intake of one macro nutrient or other can soon make a huge difference.
it’s not what she used to do, it’s what she is doing now that affects muscles and thus performance
Her current diet as she posted, shows a low carb intake that is not suitable for long distance running

I don’t run as far as you but I do run/ gym/ hiit/ box and I find lucozade sport does the job. Readily available from any shop and tastes good unlike some of the more specialist gels I’ve tried.

I don't get on with artifical sweetners so drink weak full sugar fruit squash. A bag of crisps before long runs, possibly during... I had some halfway through the marathon and felt much better a mile later. Nakd bars. For really long runs, Kendall mint cake for the later stages. I also have a timer every 30 mins which is a signal to consume something regularly and avoid being depleted.

For HM+ it means using a vest, but it's better than making myself ill on gels.

When losing weight, I 5:2 and use carb cycling so I have enough fuel for longer/ harder runs, and reduce consumption on lighter days.

If OP is eating how she always has, why are her times & energy levels declining now? Why does she need more carbs now than she used to?

I don't run, but DH is an ultra marathon/fell/mountain runner. He uses Mountain Fuel, you add it to water and put it in your bottles/hydration pack

I'm a distance runner. I usually start to get hungry about 10 to 12 miles in. I can't manage much real food when I'm running so I find gels work for getting calories in without the feeling of having eaten.

SIS gels don't get me far, and taste really sweet. I like Rawvelo, but they're not as widely available as SIS and cost more. I really rate Tailwind nutrition and electrolyte mix, which you just add to your water. I can get 5 or 6 miles more out of one of those.

I think you probably have to experiment and find what works for you but I cant see any way you can run long distances without fuelling properly, including the days before and after your run, and as others have said, include carbs.

There's a good book about exercise for women heading into menopause, I really learned a lot from it .

If you have a local evans cycle shop, they sell gels individually for a £1 or so so that you could try them and see what works for you...sis gels immediately make me need the loo and I hate the lumpy texture. High 5 are the ones for me...like tasty fruit juice. I also quite like cliff shot bloks which are like jelly sweets. High 5 also do an energy drink powder which I find good for a more constant energy top up or I use electrolyte tabs in my water if I don't think I'll need the extra carbs. I use all of the above for running and cycling but try to make sure I only use flavours with added caffeine for cycling as it tends to raise my HR too much for running.
Also once you find what you like, wiggle website sometimes have good deals to buy in bulk...I just look out for my favourites going on sale.

I think the low carbs is good for you has spread everywhere, and it is not at all a good diet for an athlete who trains a lot. Athletes need a lot of carbs to literally fuel their muscles.

Good luck with your research and your training and racing

Sort your training diet out first with enough carbs. I just did a search and found several sites that have good sound proper advice on training for half marathon, or marathons.
You may not then need gels and electrolytes.
Small cartons of fruit juice are a tiny fraction of the price and are almost as easy to carry

I buy the SIS gels when they're on offer from Sainsbury's or Amazon. I bought tabs and gels once, not long ago, from Home Bargains (if you have one of those nearby) quite cheaply, around £5.00 for a box of gels, mix of flavours though (I prefer cherry).

And traditionally carbs in veg are not counted, except for potatoes

Not enough carbs, you need a lot more than that.
You can use something like my fitness pal, or carbs and cals apps to work out how much you are currently eating. I would think you need at least 200g carbs a day.
Look up carb loading which is a way to maximise glycogen stores before a race.

Your protein intake is fine