{"id":17604,"date":"2012-10-16T12:36:48","date_gmt":"2012-10-16T16:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/?p=17604"},"modified":"2020-09-30T16:04:18","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T20:04:18","slug":"energy-gel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/energy-gel\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to Energy Gels: The Who, What, When, Where, and Why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Post written by Doug Hay.<\/em><\/p>\n

I will never forget my first energy gel.<\/p>\n

It was junior year of high school, 10 miles into my first half marathon. I was a complete distance running novice, clueless as to what I was getting myself into. The entire race was spent mimicking the more experienced looking runners around me to figure out things like when to drink, when to make a move, and of course, when to grab this weird goo from one of the volunteers.<\/p>\n

After watching others do the same, I grabbed the unusual packet and squeezed it into my mouth. It felt like I had just inhaled a mouth full of Nickelodeon\u2019s green slime, and it didn’t taste much better.<\/p>\n

Since then, gels have come a long way, and while they’re still pretty slimy, the taste and variety of flavors have certainly improved. But if you’re a new runner, the wide array of workout nutrition<\/a> options and guidelines can be confusing. (And if you’re vegan, even more so.)<\/p>\n

To understand anything, I like to start with the basics. Today that means covering the 5 W’s — who, what, when, where, and why — of energy gels, so that you can decide if they’re right for you and, if they are, understand a\u00a0 little more about how to use them.<\/p>\n

Who should take energy gels?<\/h3>\n

Before getting into the specifics of what and when, you should probably know if you really even need an energy gel.<\/p>\n

As endurance athletes, we turn toward energy gels to replace the depleted carbohydrate energy stores burned at a fast rate during endurance exercise. Once those stores are fully depleted, the body starts using fat for energy<\/a>, which metabolizes at a much slower rate. Because an athlete wants to burn energy faster, not slower, it is important to sustain your carbohydrate levels throughout the workout or race. Gels are formulated to do just that.<\/p>\n

The body stores enough glycogen (carbohydrate energy) to last for an hour to an hour and a half of running. If your run is shorter than that, you’re probably not burning through your carbohydrate energy store to a point where you need to replace it. You’ll finish your workout with glycogen to spare, and you’ll be able to replenish what you expended through your normal diet.<\/p>\n

If instead you’re working out for longer than an hour and a half, you may start to feel your body losing that energy and slowing down as you near that mark. It’s these workouts where you need to think about replenishing your carbohydrate stores, and gels are a compact, portable, and efficient way to do it.<\/p>\n

What makes up an energy gel?<\/h3>\n

Energy gel companies combine a few main ingredients in most gels:<\/p>\n