I read somewhere recently that gummy bears were a good alternative.  I love them so that is what I will be trying soon on my longer runs.

Come on, people, don't you know that you're all supposed to give the same answer, so that I will know what to go out and buy/use?  Jeez.  So unhelpful, you guys. ;-)

 

I am a slow runner, so a HM will take me almost 3 hours.  For me, that's a long time to not eat anything, so for those of you who only drink water, that's nice, but it's not going to cut it for me. =)   I guess I'll just have to experiment and stop wishing someone would have all the correct answers for me.  *sigh*   Seriously.  Don't ya'll know that I need written instructions? =)

I'm a fairly slow runner and a pretty new runner, so the fuel thing is something I'm still working on.  My longest run to date is 15 miles.  Until my 14 mile run, I wasn't fueling in anyway including water.  I decided on that 14 miler that some water would've been nice, so for the 15 mile runs I put out some water bottles with Gatorade in them.  I don't think it really helped energy wise, but not feeling thirsty for the last 3 miles was nice.  I also tried some jelly beans.  Didn't like them.  Hard to eat and run at the same time.  I'll just keep using liquid fuel until I fall over dead.  Then I'll change my strategy.

Just did a 20 mile long run today.  I made it to Mile 14 before I stopped and guzzled 24 ounces of water.  Then I ran the rest of the way with no other stops.  No "fuel."  There is just no need for it on a typical run unless packing on the calories is a goal.  In races, I just grab the Gatorade.  At race effort, solid food is difficult to digest while Gatorade is nothing but sugar, salt, and water which is exceedingly easy to digest.

 

I have no idea why people ingest solid stuff around Mile 10 of a half marathon.  It takes 30-40 minutes for whatever is in there to be of use to your muscles.  In other words, you have done nothing to improve your race performance although your cool down may be slightly easier.

If I race or run first thing in the morning, I find that I need more fuel than I do if I race or run in the afternoon or evening.  Since most races are in the morning, I end up taking a GU (have you tried the strawberry banana flavor?  I LOVE it!) about every 5 or 6 miles.  My stomach only handles small amounts of food at a time, so I only eat maybe a 1/2 bagel with peanut butter before a morning race.

My experience when running later in the day is totally different.  I normally run in the afternoon/evening after work.  I have found that I can run 11 or 12 miles without needing anything else because, I assume, of the amount of food I've already eaten throughout the day.  Everything just goes much better for me if I run later in the day, fueling included.

Too bad we can't all do it like Kilian does.  From an article:

Born into a Catalan family, Jornet grew up in the Spanish Pyrenees at 6,500 feet, and his gifts are literally in his blood. “When you are born and bred at altitude, you tend to have a higher blood volume and red-cell count for oxygen-carrying capacity,” which translates to better endurance, says Stacy Sims, a researcher at Stanford who holds a doctorate in exercise physiology and nutrition science. Years of daily running and skiing up mountains have further bolstered this advantage. This helps explain why Jornet sweats so little. During exercise, the bodies of very fit people quickly act to disperse heat by, among other things, vasodilation — expanding blood vessels at the skin’s surface where the air can cool the body. A body that sweats less loses less precious liquid from its circulatory system, a major factor in fatigue. In moderate temperatures, Jornet says, he can run easily for eight hours without drinking water.

He's a beast!