When training for the Hartford Marathon last year, I was fortunate enough to talk with a seasoned marathoner who offered me training tips. One of these tips proved to be very important and I thought I would share it with the other folks planning to run the Hartford Marathon this fall. What he suggested was that I experiment during my long runs to see if my body could handle the energy supplement that would be available during the Hartford Marathon. Therefore, my buddy Chris and I bought a box of GU and tried it during our 22 mile run. Thankfully, I had no problems but he experienced the other outcome. He became very ill and vomited around mile 12. He then cramped up and had to be driven home by one of our chase vehicles (don't worry Dan, we were using a Hybrid!)
Anyhow, I would recommend that you both at least try using GU once before the marathon so that you don't experience what Chris did when it really matters. If you don't like GU or it doesn't work for you, you are going to have to carry whatever other supplement you want for race day. On the same topic, you might want to try using the same sport drink that will be suppled. I found it tasted awful to me so I stuck with water and GU.
I will share some of the other tips I learned last year in future posts!
1 comment:
Thanks, Geoff. Dan and I tried Accelerade and PowerBar Gel during our 13+ mile run in Rhode Island. I was sick to my stomach with GI problems for a couple of days following. I don't know that it was the Gel alone or a combination of both that caused the problem, but I suspect that GU won't sit with me.
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