I agree that a person doesn't *need* any calories to finish an HM, and that pretty much no one (excepting people on low-carb diets, etc.) is at risk of glycogen depletion during an HM, but that doesn't mean that a person's performance won't benefit from taking in carbs.  There are plenty of studies showing that even in short bouts of exercise people's performance can be improved with carbohydrate intake.  I have no doubt that I could finish a half marathon without taking in any carbs, but if it means even a small performance boost (and assuming you don't usually experience adverse effects from them), why not do it?

^this.

I agree that performance in a half marathon will be helped by consuming carbs.  I do not think it is necessary, or wise, to take in 3 or 4 GU's without the recommended amount of water accompanying them along with hitting every Gatorade and water station.  All that's going to do is leave you feeling miserably bloated the final 3.1 miles.

I agree that performance in a half marathon will be helped by consuming carbs.  I do not think it is necessary, or wise, to take in 3 or 4 GU's without the recommended amount of water accompanying them along with hitting every Gatorade and water station.  All that's going to do is leave you feeling miserably bloated the final 3.1 miles.

It's possible I missed a post in this thread, but I don't think there's anyone recommending that.

 

Daily Mile is way wrong.  If you weigh less, you'll burn fewer calories. Calories are a measure of energy.  It takes energy to move a weight a particular distance.  It doesn't matter how quickly or slowly you move the weight that distance.  It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold (unless it's really, really cold).  It does matter if it's hilly or very windy.  But, assuming a flat course, it takes the same amount of energy to move "x" pounds "y" distance no matter how hot it is or no matter how fast or slowly you do it.  It takes less energy to move less weight and hence a 135 pound runner will burn fewer calories than a 170 pound runner.  A 135 pound runner will burn about 1,300 calories during a half marathon.

 

Of course, you'll sweat a lot more in the heat and you'll need to replace some of the water you are losing.  Plus, if you are going to be out in hot weather that long, you need to take in something with a good bit of sodium to reduce the risk of hyponatremia.

Thanks. I find this to be a very interesting discussion, because although I feel a benefit from taking gels, I have noticed that it seems to provide diminishing returns for me at longer distances. During the Shamrock marathon, I had planned to take a gel at mile 18 and it almost  made me vomit. I couldn't eat it. But I finished up the race just fine and actually felt better after that low point.

For me, I've found taking in ~100 calories per hour works well for events longer than a HM.  For me, those calories need to be liquid or something like a PB&J, chips, Oreos, watermelon, trail mix, etc.  The longer I go, the more I want protein and salt.  More than one or two gels and I'm running off the trail to find a nice port-a-tree.  I learned all of this through trial and error.

For a HM, I can get all the carbs I need through liquid calories.

I make my own sports drink to use at times which is 1 teaspoon of honey (unfiltered) to 3 ounces of water.  If it's warm I'll add a little salt.  My stomach handles the natural honey much better than other forms of carbs.  I also seem to tolerate Gatorade (made from powder) and HEED fairly well, so I will use those for the convenience factor.

We are definitely all different.  Testing fueling strategies in training is the right thing to do and then stick with it on race day.

I want to add: I do eat a full bagel with PB about 2 hours before a race. And I always eat well the day before.

 

Great point.  It explains why chewing gum became less appealing to me the further I ran, to the point where I would spit it out 20 feet in disgust.  I no longer run with any.

 

As for gels, if I get one of them things down during a run I am doing good.  Like B Plus, I experimented with them for the first time this year in prep for my fall marathon, and while they give me no issues and otherwise taste really good, I find it difficult to choke one down the longer I run.

 

For me, it is better if I take one over the course of a few miles, rather than all at once.

I do the same thing. I suck on one over the course of two miles. It's not so overwhelming then.

Most of my LRs and marathons start

at 5-6am so I cannot eat anything prior because my stomach hates me.  So, most of my races have an empty stomach.  When I do destination marathons, I try to eat something.  I even got a full breakfast before berlin.