Disclaimer: I received a generous supply of Gatorade Endurance to trial as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews.
As I shared in a recent post, I am training for both the Chicago and the New York City Marathons using Gatorade Endurance Formula. Both races will be providing Gatorade Endurance Formula on the course, so with these races on my calendar, the opportunity to train with Gatorade Endurance Formula over the summer has worked out perfectly. I have been training (that in itself being a shocker) using both the powder mix and the individual gel packets. I have a large tub of powder which I generally use when I am home, but since I travel so much, the powder and gel packets are a convenient way to assure I fuel consistently when I am on the road. I just throw a few packets in my carry-on bag and away I go!
I have mostly been training with the powders and have been trying several flavors. They are all pretty tasty, but the watermelon is my favorite. The individual powder packets pack a mean punch with 23 grams of carbohydrates, 20 mg of calcium, 310 mg of sodium, and 150 mg of potassium per half packet. I drink a ton of water and I don’t like real sweet flavors, so I mix a half packet with 20 ounces of water, but the mix can be titrated to taste. I’ve also been using the Energy Gel squeeze pouches which provide 20 grams of carbohydrates, 100 mg of sodium, and 35 mg of potassium per pouch. I’ve tried several flavors, and my favorites are in this order: blackberry, mango, apple pear, vanilla. Like the powders they all taste good, but given my druthers, I would go with the blackberry every time.
One of the (many) things I have realized I was doing wrong during both training runs and during races was drinking too much water. I would carry a liter bottle of plain water, which I would go through about every five miles. That is more than a gallon of water over the full marathon distance! Needless to say, by race end I would be waterlogged, not to mention the fact that I would have to stop to pee at least twice during the race.
Now that I have been playing around with fueling, I think I have a pretty good system down. For runs seven miles or less, I mix a half packet of powder with 20 ounces of water, and take slow sips along the way. For runs lasting 10 or more miles I will take a Gatorade Endurance Energy Gel every five miles, and sip the powder mix in between.
So far, so good. A few weeks ago I ran the Chicago Mag Mile 10K, finishing in two seconds under goal. As the temperature rose I did slow down, but I felt my fueling was spot-on.
I will continue to fuel my journey with Gatorade Endurance Formula with the upcoming New York City Marathon being my true ‘big goal race’. Quite honestly, I am nervous about the elevations of the five bridges we will cross, and I am hoping both my training and my system of fueling will get me to the finish without a major bonk.
How do you fuel your endurance activity? Do you use Gatorade Endurance formula? What’s your favorite flavor?
Upcoming races on my calendar include:
October 13: Bank of America Chicago Marathon
October 19: Urban Bourbon Half Marathon (use code BourbonRave2019 for 10% off!)
November 3: New York City Marathon
November 16: RnR Las Vegas 5K (use code 19RNRBRP16 for $6 off the 5K/10K distances!)
November 17: RnR Las Vegas Half Marathon (use code 19RNRBRP16 for $16 off the half/full marathon distances!)