Last Ultramarathon I did I really didn’t have a good plan. I ran out of gels 1/2 way and started experimenting at the aid stations. Boy was that ever a bad idea. I still can’t eat pretzels. Anyway I have decided to go with e-gel and cliff bars for this race. Both are products I have used before and have minimal stomach problems with. I like e-gel better than drinking on course liquids for electrolytes as gatorade and the like tend to give me gas for a mile or two afterwards when racing.
My question is how much how often? I think I am looking at 10-11 hours for the 50 miles, possibly longer because the terrain is tough in spots. We get 2-3 special needs bags so I will not have to carry everything. I just don’t know how often to eat. On the bike I eat every 1/2 hour or so for longer rides. Here is the nutritional info on both products.
I know I should train with this stuff and adjust accordingly but I don’t have a decent starting point.
Not that I’m an expert by any means, but I have completed 2 ultras this year - a 30 miler and a 50K. The 30 miler had a lot of steep up and down s so I walked a lot and therefore could eat anything I wanted and not pay the price with stomach issues.
The 50K involved much more running - figured about 95% of the time I was running. It was also hotter. I like pretzels but can’t seem to get the hang of chewing and walking without managing to get pieces caught in my throat. I primarily relied on water, gels & a couple PBJ sandwiches until the 3 hour mark. Then the heat kicked in and I did water/gels (about every 45 min for the gel) and then 1-2 cups of cola at each aid station (they were approx 4-5 miles apart). This served me well for the final 3 1/2 hours of the run and while I was very sore I felt that I had energy to get me through it. My pace for the 1st 3rd and last 3rd of the course was identical so I felt that I had nailed my nutrition pretty well.
And yes, you need to practice this in training! Although i winged it with the coke and was fine. I do run with water/gels for all my long runs so knew I could tolerate them.
