Shot Bloks, GU, Accelerade, Oh My!

[Bikingmomof3]

As some of you know I am throwing myself feet first into running. Now I need advice, suggestions, personal prefernces, etc., please.

I need to stay very hydrated. Yes, I am aware everyone needs to. I need to a tad bit more. I dehydrate eaisly and sweat profusely. If I do not stay almost over-hydrated, very nasty things happen (severe migraine, sugar bottoms out...).

So, I have been looking online and have found many seemingly wonderful products. Which is best? How do they taste? I can figure out when and how to take these suppliments, I just need some advice as to which is worth the money and which are not. Also, which are decent tasting verses tres nasty.

Right now I am looking at:
Clif Shot Bloks
Clif Shots
GU
Accelerade (I assume this could be made up and carried in a bottle?)

The only one I can buy locally are the Clif Shots. So, I cannot taste test anything, without spending a fortune on S/H to try one little package. Such is my lot in life.

Any and all advice is as always greatly appreciated. TIA!

[Bluetree]

I'm not a big fan of the gels, mainly because when I'm on the bike the stuff seems to end up everywhere: my chin, hands, handlebars... (same with my fluid replacement drinks). Plus, if there's no trash can handy there's no way to get rid of a sticky, used gel packet without shoving it back in your back pocket. I like the shot blocks a lot because they're easy to pop in and not messy at all... You can also adjust your caloric intake by the number of blocks you injest (each one is about 33 calories). Several of the flavors also come caffeinated. The only downside is they can stick to your teeth (like gummy bears) and you have to wash it down with something.

For my fluids, I have taken a liking to MotorTabs. They are tablets that dissolve in water, so you can keep extra tabs handy. They taste like (not so sweet) fruit punch and best of all, if they spill on me there is no stickiness involved.

[Grog]

Clif Shots - the lemonady taste - is awesome, but I get pretty much the same result with $3/can lemonade (diluted at less than recommended strength) from the grocery store with a pinch of salt. Both taste great and have carbs + electrolytes.

[Bella]

I've tried all the gels it seems. Running is particularly hard on my digestive system - but Accelerade gels are the easiest (a thinner consistency than others, so it feels you can drink it). It is also the only one recommended for activity over three hours. Others are designed for a quick burst for an hour's workout or two. Accelerade is also gentler on my stomach and it claims it is good for those that are hypoglycemic.

As for your electrolyte loss, try supplementing with tabs in addition to your gels.

[KSH]

The only one I can buy locally are the Clif Shots.

I love the Shots over the gels.

Now, I have only cycled with them... so not sure how they sit on a tummy 8 miles into a run... but they are easy to handle (no sticky gel everywhere!), and yummy. I get the cran-razz... those are good. The orange is GROSS (although my boyfriend prefers them?)... and the strawberry are so-so.

[limewave]

I like the Apple Cinnamon Hammer gel--especially this time of year.

[colby]

I am mostly a gel girl when running because of ease of consumption, ease on my stomach, and ease of carrying them. I did carry bloks once or twice, and they seemed fine, I just had to eat them more often.

Bloks, I liked Cran-Razz. Lemon-Lime tasted a lot like gummy gatorade. Easier to control what you take in in finite amounts, but I usually go by the clock and not how I feel anyway (or I'll eat too little and it'll be too late).

Gels... I'm not sure about the caffeinated ones. I'm not sure I really need the caffeine, let alone throughout some of the longer runs. It didn't seem to have any adverse affect when I tried it, but generally I try not to consume it unless I need/want it...

Clif gels: I like Razz which tastes like syrupy raspberries, Vanilla tasted like vanilla icing, strawberry was really good but caffeinated, orange cream tastes JUST like creamsicles (which I hate, but if you love creamsicles you have to try it), and I haven't tried chocolate yet.

Gu gels: I like banana a lot, the texture doesn't make me want to spit it out first thing in the morning (kind of mushy, like a banana!). I tried their tri-berry, which is good but caffeinated, and I think most of the rest are caffeinated as well. So far I haven't spent a lot of time in the chocolate/vanilla/mocha flavors in most brands, I'm just getting to trying them (fruit seemed easier to stomach to start out with).

Hammer gels: I've only tried one or two Hammer flavors, but the raspberry was really good, better than Clif's Razz. Too bad my local REI doesn't carry hammer, I'm going to have to buy them online. I would like to try more flavors.

I have not tried Accelerade's gels yet, but might to get some protein in on my longer runs.

I did not like PowerBar's gels at all, they tasted too much like PowerBar bars.

Sport Beans: good, but I don't like the sugary feeling on my teeth. I guess I have a similar problem with the bloks, while they are both more satisfying to eat than gels, I still get the feeling of stuff on my teeth. That's okay for shorter runs, but the longer the run, the more irritated I get by that feeling on my teeth that just won't wash away with water

As for water, I carry the Camelbak Flashflo, which will also hold gels/beans/bloks along with my cell phone and ID/credit card. I usually carry it for any run longer than an hour (6 miles or more, assuming 10 minute miles), and for shorter runs I consume gel and plenty of water beforehand. I do miss the Camelbak sometimes on those 4-6 mile runs, but it's a lot of effort for less gain than on the long runs where it's really necessary. I tried carrying bottles, and I hated it. Haven't tried backpack style Camelbak yet, or a fuel belt which is another similar option (the Camelbak is a little more easy to access, but some of those fuel belts might carry more, and let you vary water/electrolytes).

I was a skeptic about experimenting with what I eat during training, but it has really helped to try different brands, flavors, and items during some of my runs. I'm going to run the distance anyway, might as well try something new.

Happy running

[tattiefritter]

Another Camelbak Flashflo user here, I use it on most runs as I like to sip all the time and get an annoying dry mouth otherwise. It takes approx 1.5 litres of water plus space for keys/gels/phone/stuff. It doesn't bounce at all but I have it cinched down as much as I can and still breathe. Because I am short (5ft 4) it feels a little big on my back initially but I forget about it once running.

I don't think it sloshes that much, but I do suck all the air out a Camelbak bladder before doing anything.

Have only just started experimenting a bit with gels - like the High5 lemon Cola one (its caffeinated), the PowerBar Vanilla one was a bit yuck though, I have a strawberry one (I think) to try. I don't want to use them all the time but I thought it would be good to carry one or two in my Flashflo as my long run mileage increases. When I was doing eight mile runs at the beginning of the year I would start to feel like I was in need of some calories (I run at lunchtime before lunch) and gels could be a convenient way of doing this. Also thought they would be useful as emergency rations on hikes/long mtb rides.

[Eden]

I just started experimenting with flavoring my own plain GU's. I got some soda extracts at a brewing store and started mixing cola and ginger-ale into just plain GU. I must say I like the results. Maybe I'll try rootbeer next Otherwise the only flavors I find tolerable are bananna and vanilla.

[colby]

Clif gels: I like Razz which tastes like syrupy raspberries, Vanilla tasted like vanilla icing, strawberry was really good but caffeinated, orange cream tastes JUST like creamsicles (which I hate, but if you love creamsicles you have to try it), and I haven't tried chocolate yet.

I forgot to post that I tried the chocolate flavor... I had to chew it, it was a little too thick for my tastes. Tasted chocolatey, just too thick I'm still a little mixed on the vanilla, I find it less strong than the raspberry and banana, but it's not my favorite. Good to have around I think for something different.

[Bikingmomof3]

Wow, thank you all for your opinions. This thread is so very helpful. Thanks.

[roadie gal]

I'm getting in on this thread a little late, but...

I need a lot of water, too. I use a Camelbak Flashflo - a fanny pack that holds 45oz of water. I put a clip on the tubing so it's right up near my shoulder and I don't have to fiddle with it or go looking for the end when I'm running.

For some calories I use Amphopod flasks hooked onto the belt of the Camelbak filled with Hammer Perpetuem, Gatorade or other liquid. It looks goofy, but it works really well.

I've found that I can't coordinate opening GU on the run. I suppose you could put it in a flask in your pocket, but the liquid works better for me.

[Fredwina]

Roadie Gal,
Have you tried Using Hammer Gel in a Flask? I've just got some, and will be expermenting over the weekend...

[colby]

I tried some more gel flavors and thought I'd report back.

REI had Gu Strawberry-Banana... MMMMM tasty! It has a lighter texture than the banana flavor, and when you burp it back up (as is inevitable) it's really not noticeable. It's a really gentle flavor.

I also decided to try some of the caffeienated flavors. I can't really tell about the caffeiene, but it's pretty low on the list of ingredients.

Gu Tri-berry: better than Clif Razz. All of the Clif ones have that brown rice syrup flavor, and Gus and Hammers don't seem to. Cliff Razz is caffeiene-free though.

Gu Espresso: tasted like espresso. It was actually better than I expected. I wasn't sure about the coffee flavor, but it turned out to not be so bad. If you like coffee and can tolerate that taste while running, it would work well.

I also picked up Clif Mango flavor and Gu Vanilla flavor, maybe even Gu chocolate, but I haven't tried them yet. Strawberry-banana is my new favorite, though I got as many regular bananas also so I have a little variety. I like having one or two that I know is good to come back to every so often. Hopefully strawberry-banana is a regular flavor.

[Fredwina]

without getting too much over my (and everybody else's) head, Clif is organic, so they can't can't use Maltodextrin (which is modified corn starch, not to be confused with the infamous High Fructose Corn Syrup), The different manufacturers will vary the mix of the sugar(s) according to their theories (i.e, Hammer doesn't believe you should ingest anything ending with -ose)
Read the links that Indy Steel provided, Good Stuff