Gu/gel (Read 295 times)

 

The thickness is precisely why I like the Gu the best.  I absolutely cannot just take any variety of gel all in one bite, and swallow it, it makes me nauseous just to think about doing that.  I have to squeeze them out a little bit at a time, and eat them that way - in fact I even sort of "chew" them a bit before I can get them down.  Easier to do with something a little pastier like the Gu.

 

In a lot of ways, I prefer the Gu Chomps or something similar, but I find it more of a hassle, space-wise, to carry 20 chomps than it is to carry 5 gels.

+1. I can handle powergel alright (w or w/o caffeine) but GU gel are kind of just gooey enough, like melted chocolate that you tend not to take too much in one shot and therefore dont get an overdose of "sweetness" whereas it has happened to me a few times with powergel.

Also, i have generally heard from a few runners here that the gel takes about  atleast 15-20 minutes to be absorbed in your gut and the calories be made available to you for your working muscles - so there isnt much point to try and take one AFTER you have already hit the wall - you need to do it just before so that you can push hitting the wall out. YMMV.

Thank you for all the info!! I think I will try some of the GU and go from there!

 

 

My least favorite example of this was the good ol' Portland Marathon.  I dunno what they are doing these days, but for a couple years they offered up a lethal combo of ultima and a gel called "liquid gold" which no one had ever heard of and which could not be obtained easily... meaning practically everyone was trying it for the very first time during the race.

This is funny...Liquid Gold was my energy gel of choice until I found Honey Stingers! I think I was 1 of 2 people in the world that loved it.

I like Stingers best because they are simple sugars (versus complex carbs that needs to be broken down). This helps take out a lot of the "when" for me, because whether or not it's a placebo, it works for my like spinach works for Popeye, immediately (though they are so sweet they hurt my teeth, but not my tummy).

 

This is funny...Liquid Gold was my energy gel of choice until I found Honey Stingers! I think I was 1 of 2 people in the world that loved it.

I like Stingers best because they are simple sugars (versus complex carbs that needs to be broken down). This helps take out a lot of the "when" for me, because whether or not it's a placebo, it works for my like spinach works for Popeye, immediately (though they are so sweet they hurt my teeth, but not my tummy).

Honey Stingers are TOO honey-ish for me.  I can handle one as a change-of-pace, but if I eat more than a couple in a day, they make me gag.  Doesn't bode well for using them in ultras.  Also, you know how the squeezie bear of honey in your cabinet crystalizes if you don't use it quickly enough?  Well, if you keep Honey Stingers on the shelf too long, they do this too.  And lemme tell you, that's not a happy texture in the middle of a race.  Bleh.

Meanwhile, Honey Stinger also makes chews.  And these are the bomb diggity... my favorite of all the chews.  They are awesome.  And totally NOT honey-ish.

 

Honey Stingers are TOO honey-ish for me.  I can handle one as a change-of-pace, but if I eat more than a couple in a day, they make me gag.  Doesn't bode well for using them in ultras.  Also, you know how the squeezie bear of honey in your cabinet crystalizes if you don't use it quickly enough?  Well, if you keep Honey Stingers on the shelf too long, they do this too.  And lemme tell you, that's not a happy texture in the middle of a race.  Bleh.

 

Meanwhile, Honey Stinger also makes chews.  And these are the bomb diggity... my favorite of all the chews.  They are awesome.  And totally NOT honey-ish.

I might have to give these a try too!

"Gugel" was also my first brain's response to the subject line.  Gugel just has the look of a great word. I didn't know what it meant, but it had to mean something cool, and this is awesome. I have no use for Gu or Gel, but NOW I WANT A GUGEL!

Here's my analysis of various energy gels - http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Comparison_of_Energy_Gels

I've tried to combine some nutritional analysis with some subjective evaluation. While I have some gels I'd recommend over others, I've also tried to give enough information to help you evaluate the gels based on your needs. (BTW, I have a couple of extra gels I'm planning on adding to the list soon, plus some measurements of viscosity.)

As for gu being the thing you see in road races... they do have a big presence in road racing, but you will encounter races that offer up other brands.  (and a lot of races that won't offer gels at all)  But there is indeed a whole lotta gu.

Can't let this obscure Hill Street Blues reference go by unnoticed.