gu, blocks, and more!

Now that we are entering into running for over an hour I wanted to give you a quick lesson in a few things to try to keep filled with energy!  You maybe have heard the terms "gu", "beans", and "blocks" used for this. Here is a quick description of all of these in case you needed a little help here...

Gu, energy gel. This stuff actually works. I promise! This is my personal favorite that really seemed to make a big difference in my body.  I had to play around with a few flavors though. I could not eat any of the chocolate flavored ones myself.  My fave... vanilla bean and orange. there are tons of flavors to pick from. You can find these at Scheels or on-line. I recommend buying by the box.  You will save yourself a few dollars and you will use them! I liked to use a big safety pin and just pin them along my shorts waist line. Remember to take this 20 minutes before you will actually need it.  I usually used them for anything over 6 miles, just to be safe.

Sports beans, energy supplement. These come in a variety of brands. The ones made by Jelly Belly taste the yummiest :)  I didn't use these often. Usually on super duper long runs (16 and over). I would use them in between my gu's when I got bored or needed a little something.  Some use them as their main energy source. Try it out. Also found at Scheels.

Shot blocks. My second fave, personally. These are like big chewy pieces of candy. However, if you store them in the inside of your shorts they get really warm and sticky and hard to chew. I recommend eating them with water, something to wash it down and out of your teeth.  These store nicely in a skinny running belt. I also would stick these in a snack size ziplock baggie and pin them to your waist line on shorts. My fave flavor: orange :) Also found at Scheels.

With all these energy supplements remember to take them with water, not Gatorade. Too much sugar at once.  I've heard bananas and oranges are good too, but I never tried those options. Was afraid my digestive system would get going...if you know what I mean?!?!

Running belts...  I personally used the skinny one up top.  I liked it because it was very light weight, skinny and laid along my waist, didn't rub, I could fit a lot in it, and could pin my gu's to it. I used this for the marathon and a couple long runs. $19.99 on amazon. I'd be happy to let anyone try it on, use it for a trial run, or just see it.  

I don't know that a belt is necessary for everybody.  I liked feeling like I could take a few essentials with me... wet wipe, ibprofin, gu's, chapstick, woman stuff (sorry guys), my hotel room key, my chat list for my running group (your brain starts to freeze after awhile and some topics are nice to pass the time!), some verses written on a small sheet of paper.  If I had really wanted to I could have taken my cell phone, but opted not to. Hey...I like to be overly prepared :)

So, here are a few running things to think about. Please share if you have other tips or things that work for you!  Please ask if you have questions and good luck choosing your energy treats!!!