Drinking/eating while running troubles!

[VeloVT]

I trained for a marathon this spring, then got injured 4 weeks before the race and couldn't run... But here's what has worked for me: for runs 12 miles or less, I rely on hydrating before and after the run and don't bother bringing water. For runs of 14 miles or more, I'll bring my camel back, and I do take small sips often. I have not had a problem with side stitches. However, I haven't raced yet (I have another marathon planned next spring -- same one I was going to run this year), and I know I'll have to practice taking larger drinks at some point because I don't plan on carrying water with me, so I'll have to rely on aid-stations. Bear in mind, most of the serious training I've done has not been in extreme heat -- if I were to run in hotter weather I'd probably start carrying water starting at 10 or 12 miles (but prob not much shorter than that).

Basically I think practice is the key, experiment and see what you can tolerate. I think I read somewhere that it takes about 20 minutes to absorb water, and that drinking more than 8 oz every 20 minutes or so is likely to cause stomach distress for runners... and unfortunately this means that on hot days/long runs, it's impossible to keep up with your fluid loss. However performance begins to drop at fairly low levels of dehydration, so you have to find out where that line is for you!

I also don't bother with gel unless I'm running 16 miles or more. The average person has enough glycogen stored in his or her muscles to fuel a couple of hours, so you really shouldn't need to worry about bringing GU on an 8-mile run. But sometimes I think beans/gels provide as much of a psychological boost as a physical one, and if that helps, go for it -- but if you have a sensitive stomach, may be better to skip it if you can. I find I can use some brands of gel but not others -- GU, strangely, bothers my stomach when I run, but I'm fine with Powergel and Hammergel. I have found that I can take these "in one gulp", too. But that's another thing that you just have to try and see what works for you -- it will likely be different than what works for the next person.

Good luck!!!!