600-800 calories? That's insane. There is no way in hell your stomach can process that much if you are running at marathon pace intensity which is roughly 70-80% of VO2max for us hobby joggers. You're talking about the equivalent of anywhere from 2-3 QUARTS of Gatorade. You can handle that caloric load but you'll have to slow dramatically to do so.
Elites are able to get those calories in a much denser formula, no one knows what is is though because it's rarely ever shared with the public.
For recreational runners the 100 calories that gels contain is often the best option but as I originally stated, not the only option.
The chapter on this topic in the Hansons book is a simple read and relatively straight forward. There they state that in general elite level runners run a marathon at 80% of their VO2 max. Advanced runners run at 70% of VO2 max and beginners at 60%.
Former Bad Ass
Yes, but some of us are out there for twice as long as the elites. Or more.
Damaris
Of course, which is why they would need twice as many calories. There are not many people concerned with consuming calories during a marathon though. For those that are however, there are a few very simple formulas to figure out what they store, expend and need to consume in calories for 26.2 miles.
Many people can race without worrying over any of this as my coworker would say back in his day (the 70's) they ran marathons in cotton shirts, canvas shoes, had only water and had no watch to give them their pace and did just fine so there is that.
Of course, which is why they would need twice as many calories. There are not many people concerned with consuming calories during a marathon though. For those that are however, there are a few very simple formulas to figure out what they store, expend and need to consume in calories for 26.2 miles. Many people can race without worrying over any of this as my coworker would say back in his day (the 70's) they ran marathons in cotton shirts, canvas shoes, had only water and had no watch to give them their pace and did just fine so there is that.
I suspect there were no 5 hour marathoners in the 70s....
Like I have said, I have run marathons with nothing but water and done well. Still, it depends on the day. Why leave it to chance? If I was working 80 hours a week that week, forgot to take enough water, gels, carbs, etc., I need all the help I can get.
Labrat
My plan for my Fall marathon will be 4 half packs on shotbloks. One before I start, then at about 5, 10 and 15 miles.
I probably won't have many when training. Though I did pop a full pack midway through a recent 50 mile bike ride.
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
Why leave it to chance?
Precisely. I know I can run it without anything other than water because I have done it. This time however, I want to try something different.
Last time I only practiced with gels once, and that was on my longest MP run. I don't do this for every long MP run, because I would normally like to have the sports drink as well so I can try to simulate race day, but that also means I will need to carry water in addition to sports drink. That means wearing a dorky an encumbering hydration belt.
Ok, thanks. I'll probably buy some of the stuff one day, and in one of my longer long runs, load up on gatorade and try the gel/gatorade mixture. See how I like that. And if I don't like it, I won't go mad over it.
Chase the gel with water.
Mmmmm...beer
I used Powerade gels for my marathon, seemed to work well for me. I had used Gu gels in the past, but found that I need to drink too much water to wash them down. So I switched to the Powerade gels, which are more liquid than the Gu brand, so they take less water to wash down. I want to try Island boost next, some folks in my club have had good success with it (one fast ultra runner in particular), it's straight liquid, no water needed. That being said, I'm in the club of nothing during my training runs (some water if it's hot out and I'm running in the sun, but no gels). I did try out the Powerade gels on a couple of long runs just to make sure they agreed with my stomach.
-Dave
My running blog
Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!
It's a fallacy to say that if you are out there for twice as long as the elite runners you need to take in more calories. Let's start with this. Whether it takes you 5 hours to cover the distance or 2:10, you'll burn the same number of calories (assuming the same body weight). The number of calories you burn is not related to how long you are out there. Since hobby joggers are running at a lower intensity than the elites, they are deriving a higher percentage of their energy from fat than the elites and you have an essentially limitless supply of fat. The person out there for 5 hours will use less glycogen than one who covers the distance in 2:10.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
Have you seen my ridiculous looking face lately? I do not have a limitless amount of fat.
I understand your point though, and I am hoping to be around the 80/20 glycogen to fat ratio for fuel based on my intended pace and thus am looking to supllement that.
race obsessed
yeah... I always miscalculate and end up with saliva being my only aid...
I hardly ever take water with my gels. I either don't have an aid station for another mile or need to run to the next water station. I've never had a problem either.
delicate flower
QuinntheEskimo in the L&O forum ran a 2:45 marathon this year downing a gel every half hour, as well as taking in Gatorade and a Gu energy drink. That had to be 800-1000 calories. It seemed to do ok by him.
For my marathons, I take a gel every 40 minutes and I drink Perpetuem. That's about 600 calories total.
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