UKH

I was wondering what people advice for hydration  on longer runs as I'm looking to step up from half marathons. 

I don't  normally ake any extra fuilds on the runs over  13 miles. 

On my 13 milers  I normally get one  gel every 30 mins. 

If you’re just talking about long runs rather than races, slow down and ditch the gels. I usually have a decent meal the night before. 

Water depends on the individual and the weather. I now have a race vest for water, but a pint of water when I wake up is usually sufficient on cool days. 

I subscribe to the 2.5 hours maximum time for a long run. For me this is about 16ish miles. Anything that requires being out for longer than that and I’ll do a 10mile run the day before to break them up. 

Whilst I  dont really plan on doing any races, there is still goals I would like to hit... it soundasilly but I get to feel best when I'm 8-8:30 min miles. 

I guess as with most things it's just a case of trail and error.  I would to top out maybe 20miles which I reckon should be 3 hours or so.

The simple answer is that if gels are working for you, use gels.

However, realistically you do not need “nutrition” for a half marathon distance run. Your body will easily retain enough glycogen to fuel a run of that distance, probably further. Conventional wisdom, says that this becomes an issue at 16-18 miles.

Try running half distance without, or at least significantly reduce your intake, from say three during the run to one after an hour. Your body has more than enough energy to run much further than a half marathon, but sometimes you have to trick it a bit. Remember a standard gel only has enough energy to fuel you for about a mile, so its effect is as much psychological as it is physical.

Swilling and spitting out an energy drink is a good trick, as it fools your brain for a bit whilst minimising the risk of GU issues.

I have raced 20 miles (2:10) without any additional nutrition during the race and have done the same and further in training, sometimes up to four hours if off road. My wife ran a 25 minute marathon PB (3:24) without any additional nutrition, or indeed water. I am not suggesting that you should necessarily try this, but it is to demonstrate that it can be done other ways.

I personally have a bit of a problem with gels, I get GU issues pretty quickly if I take them, so have adopted other strategies. When I look at the guidance that the gel companies produce in terms of how much of their product you should take during races, it really makes me feel quite ill.

I just use water gatorade and gus. Then grab bananas if available.

Others cant touch gus or gatorade,

You just have to try and see what works.

In longer runs, 50k-50 miles I find flat coke to be awesome as well. I generally find sweet stuff is good for 6-7 hours of hard running but then I need more savory food.

On longer mountain days I'm a huge fan of PB&J sandwiches. 

I will have to try this. Because it will definitely  save me some money from the gels aswell. I do  agree the realistically what difference  will 240 odd calories make in the grand scheme  of 13.1miles.   So maybe I'll have to trick my head into  the benefits of it  while stepping the  milage up. then cut down a bit..once I have used my stock up.