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Racing with your owe bottle and food for the Marathon. (Read 859 times)

RunFree7


Run like a kid again!

    Has anyone ever raced with his/her own bottle. I've been thinking of running Columbus with my own bottle because drinking out of the cups is a pain. I figured I would get water at a couple of spots but also worry that the gatorade may not be mixed right or something. I've always drank what was on the course in the past but was really thinking of running with my own bottle. What do you guys eat while running your long runs? I have been eating these things called cliff shots but I think that along with the gatorade is too much sugar. I do drink water with the cliff shots but I have a big thing of gatorade and a small thing of water. So mostly I am drinking gatorade. I've done okay with them but I almost feel like I would like something with less sugar. Any thoughts on this?
      2011 Goals:
      Sub 19 5K (19:24 5K July 14th 2010)
      Marathon under 3:05:59 BQ (3:11:10 Indy 2010)
      I always carry a re-used Poland Springs half pint bottle with me, I switch hands from time to time and the size and weight don't bother me at all. I like carrying in hand better than having a belt of some sort bouncing around on my waist. I find that it's usually good for about 7 miles of running, which is perfect for my base route. At seven miles I'm passing by the homestead, and I just reach into my Jeep for another bottle or refill for the one in hand. I pass a public water fountain at just the right intervals on the out-and-back loop that I add to my base, and stop for a quick refill. For short races, no refill is required. For HM or better, I just hit the next water station and pinch the edge of the cup to funnel the water into the bottle. It's a LOT easier to drink from the bottle on the fly, if I use the cups I wind up choking half the time. I run/walk at 6:00/1:00 ratio, and my walk interval never seems to line up with a water station. Carrying the bottle lets me take a quick drink at the start of every walk interval. For runs of 18 miles or more, I also eat two or three Sport Beans on each walk interval starting at 9 or 10 miles. I don't need them at that point, but start a gradual refueling process that seems to be working so far.

      E.J.
      Greater Lowell Road Runners
      Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

      May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.

        I've been running with a hand held water bottle for the last couple of months - training and races. It lets me skip the crowds at the first couple aid stations if I want. Still not decided whether I will use it at my marathon next month. Foodwise - I use gatorade a lot - also Powerbar gels and rice crispie bars. I don't have a problem with too much sugar - it's what my body seems to want for longer runs.

        When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

        db7


          Bearcat I did all my training with my camelbak. I used a weakened mixture of gatoraid. You can buy the big gatoraid mix at Sams or wherever. I ran the Mthon with my camelbak so I wouldnt have to stop at all the water stops. I was glad I did because it was very humid\hot and I drank a lot. I need to stress, I did ALL my training runs with this method. Including the gatoraid mixture. I used various snacks for my runs. I think whatever works for you is what you should do. Find out if they will be using a certain brand of gels or specific snacks for your race and incorporate them into your training. As you have probably been told before, dont do ANYTHING on race day that you havent done in training at least a few times. Good luck and let us know how it goes. DB

          Tougher than most, dumber than the rest. "You can not count the miles until you feel them" TVZ

            I run with something like this (just one for anyone about to be funny saying I run with all four!!): The pocket is perfect for gummie bears and has a little latch for my key.

            Michelle



              As you have probably been told before, dont do ANYTHING on race day that you havent done in training at least a few times.
              SERIOUSLY. Don't try something new!! My stomach taught me a lesson I won't soon forget when I ran my first (and only) marathon. I tried watered down Gatorade in my water bottle instead of water, and apparently, this was not a good thing.

              Michelle



                I run with something like this (just one for anyone about to be funny saying I run with all four!!): The pocket is perfect for gummie bears and has a little latch for my key.
                UD makes great bottles. I use this one: Same as Michelle's but has the neoprene part where your hand touches the bottle.

                When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?


                #2867

                  I ran my 50k with a water bottle like the ones Mississippi showed; you can get them for $10-$12 at Sports Authority, although I'm told that the ones at EMS are better (both EMS and Olympia Sports were sold out when I tried getting one). The advantage of using it on the trail race was that they had pitchers of water which made it easy to refill the bottles. I can't say that I'd bother carrying it during a road marathon with good run support. It is nice to have water whenever I want, but if there are aid stations every few miles then it is not really necessary. If you are having trouble choking while drinking from paper cups along the route, then take a look at this article: http://news.runtowin.com/2007/08/09/how-do-you-drink-water-during-a-race.html The biggest challenge is just getting some practice in until you have it down, so that you don't have trouble during your marathon.

                  Run to Win
                  25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)


                  #2867

                    UD makes great bottles. I use this one: src="http://www.ultimatedirection.com/product_images/73_photo1_large_1161710705.jpg" Same as Michelle's but has the neoprene part where your hand touches the bottle.
                    One of the gents that I ran with at the Pisgah 50k had had a problem when he ran a race in 100 degree heat with the water in his hand-held being too warm to be potable. I bet that that would have kept some of his body heat away from the water!

                    Run to Win
                    25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)


                    Imminent Catastrophe

                      After the ING Georgia Marathon, where water stations were missing and there was NO sportsdrink, plus other races where the sportsdrink was poorly mixed, I started carrying my own drink at all races, either in a UD bottle or an Amphipod fanny pack. I put concentrated Hammer Perpetuem in there so all I need from the race is plain water. It works well for me.

                      "Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"

                       "To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain

                      "The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.

                       

                      √ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015

                      Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016

                      Western States 100 June 2016

                        I run with something like this (just one for anyone about to be funny saying I run with all four!!): The pocket is perfect for gummie bears and has a little latch for my key.
                        Just bought something like this for my next marathon. Got tired of not only the chaffing from my camelback but adjusting the straps throughout my run. I ran with a water bottle on my 17 miler and even though it was harder to drink out of a bottle while eating shot blocks (ended up walking to do it) my back was thanking me for it later.

                        Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

                        va


                          After the ING Georgia Marathon, where water stations were missing and there was NO sportsdrink, plus other races where the sportsdrink was poorly mixed, I started carrying my own drink at all races, either in a UD bottle or an Amphipod fanny pack. I put concentrated Hammer Perpetuem in there so all I need from the race is plain water. It works well for me.
                          Hi Perfesser: I haven't settled on my marathon race fuel. I have tried Sport Beans. They are OK, but cause me a bit of indigestion, and take a while to chew. I've tried Clif Shot gels. They aren't bad, but I had trouble opening the packets with sweatty hands (I sweat a lot). I like the idea of carying a concentrate and using race supplied water, so I'd like to try it. How many ounces of Perpetuem concentrate do you carry for a marathon? What concentration do you use (i.e., ratio of powder to water)? How is the taste? I am currently using a fuel belt with four 8 oz bottles. Thanks,


                          Imminent Catastrophe

                            Stephen, A big reason I've gone with Perpetuem is that after a couple hours running I can't even think about eating something sweet, just the thought of it turns my stomach. That obviously rules out bloks, gels and beans. I was finishing races undernourished, with pocketsful of uneaten blok shots. Perpetuem has a very mild and barely sweet flavor, even when highly concentrated. Plus it's maltodextrin which is absorbed quickly, and it has electrolytes. The only drawback is that it's a bit of a hassle to carry a bottle, but worth it to me. If you don't mind the taste of blok shots (which are really delicious most any time other than the second half of a marathon) you could cut the packet open, fold it over and close it with tape. Works great, and is easy to open with sweaty hands. Same thing for gels, although you might get some leakage. Yuck. To answer your question, here's what I do for a marathon: It seems that you can absorb a maximum of about 200-250 kcal/hour during aerobic exercise, so anything more is not going to help you during the race. Since I generally run around 4 hours Sad I need 800 kcal, which is just over 6 scoops @ 130 kcal/scoop. I put 7 scoops (910 kcal) with enough water to fill my 20 oz bottle which will last the entire race. That's what Hammer refers to as a "multi-hour bottle". Each squirt is around an ounce of fluid so approaching each water station I take a squirt or two from the bottle (depends on how many water stations the race provides) then a cup of water to dilute the concentrated solution. I expect that this "formula" would work for just about any sports drink powder but might be sickeningly sweet for some sugary drinks. It's not an exact science but seems to work for me. Also, I ran a 50k this summer which was three 10.5-mile loops, and that afforded me the luxury of getting a new bottle on each loop, so figuring on a 6-hour race, I mixed up 1200 calories worth (~9 scoops) and distributed it among 3 bottles. It worked great. You would mix up 32 oz. of this mix for your 4-8 oz. bottles. Also, it's not the easiest stuff in the world to mix. Use a blender if you can to get the lumps out, or mix it up in a ziplock. And of course try it out on a couple of long runs before the race. Hope this helps. (No financial interest in anything I mentioned)

                            "Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"

                             "To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain

                            "The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.

                             

                            √ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015

                            Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016

                            Western States 100 June 2016

                            va


                              Russ, Thanks for all of the info and ideas. I am going to give the Perpetuem a try, as well as the shot bloks.