lol!

Use your teeth!

I think the point to take from these posts is that because everyone is different, everyone needs to find what suits them best, which may mean a lot of trial and error, unfortunately. Remember to adjust for temperature, time of day etc.

I am in the middle of Marathon Training and I dilike the gels so much that I stick to sports drinks.  I do carry some raisins with me and will occassionally take some, when I remember, so far not having gels has not affected me at all

I think I'm repeating what a lot of people have already said, but I think for a half-thon it's not really neccessary and risks upsetting your stomach. For marathon training it's essential though.

I don't bother with gels, etc for a half as a good breakfast usually suffices. However it's different for a full marathon as you need to replenish lost energy, and I've been experimenting on my long runs and come to the conclusion that suits me are normal gels at 5, 10 and 15 mile then a final high caffiene gel at 20 miles. The gells are supplemented by jelly beans and water but I do find that jelly beans do tend to get stuck in your throat which is not ideal, I might try barley sugar but I think they will be sticky and somewhat the same.  

Gunslinger or bandalaro style Trev?

Well, tI think they worked.

The packet states 9 x tablets = 1 serving. (Didn't quite get the jist of what this actually meant but nevermind)

I took 4 before I set off, and took another 4 on the run with me. They were a little bit crunchy but once I got through that initial crunch they dissolved really easily in my mouth. Quite tastey too.

I took the other 4 tablets at mile 6. (Not because I felt like I needed them. but just to prepare myself for the later stages)

But, I didn't take any fluid of any kind on my run and found the tablets did add to the dehydration which I began to experience at mile 8. But I'll put that down to bad judgement on my part for not taking any fluids.

All things considered, I acheived a decent time.  Did the tablets help..??? The jury is still out. I'll try them again next thursday on my 8 mile run and then decide.

But what I did discover is that as I approached the final 200 mtrs, I was able to really put some effort into a sprint finish without really feeling knackered or gasping for breath. So was it the tablets kicking in ? - or was I just having a good day ?     Time will tell !

I've tried the Lucozade energy tablets and to my surprise they dissolve very easily. I expected them to be a little chalky but they're not.

And...BONUS...they actually taste nice too.

I went into the supermarket today to buy some more as tomorrow I'm schedule for a 10 miler. But they were out of stock. So I found an alternative called "XXXTREME"..........19 tablets for 20p !!!! BARGAIN !

I'll report back tomorrow to let you know if they work or not.....(thats providing I dont get carted off to A&E with to a dose of rat poison inside me)

Hi Trev, if you need to eat you will be probably better off with a carb drink or sugary sweet such as jelly babies and the like. I've not seen as yet anyone packing a couple of banana pistols, although I have seen someone dressed as a banana. Then again you could start a new craze.

Like I mentioned previously I purchased the gels with a little screw on top so apart from the gloopyness I was relatively clean.