>> Charlie: Hello and, um, welcome back to the Cook Eat Run podcast with XMiles. We are kicking off with a bit of a back to basics episode on how to choose the right fuel for your running. Because let's be honest, it can be a little overwhelming. I fueled for my first marathon with Harry Bow and leukocade light because I had no idea what I was doing.
And I meet so many people that are under fueling for their long runs and race is people posting on Instagram about having one gel or a couple of sweets or even nothing. And, uh, not only could this be hindering your performance, but it makes running so much harder. Back in October 2022, I ran one of those weird autumn London marathons. I kind of loved it because I love summer running. So, yeah, it kind of worked for me. But I just had one of those days where everything felt
incredible. The course, the crowds, my pace felt easy, and I just felt like I was floating through the 26.2 miles. I also nailed my nutrition. I took like seven gels on course, had Rice Krispy squares at the start. I finally carb loaded properly in the days leading up to the race, and surprise, surprise, I never hit the wall. I didn't feel hungry or sick as I have done in many other marathons. And I actually ran another marathon seven days later, the Chicago Marathon, which I do not recommend.
I mean, I recommend the Chicago marathon. I just mean I don't recommend doing two back to back within a week. But I was able to do this, and I think that was partly because of the way I fueled for both marathons and my recovery in between. I got to that stage after spending every long run over the summer taste
testing gels. I've posted this as a highlight reel on my Instagram, which is at, uh, the runner beans, if you want to have a look at and see me kind of gagging on some gels, enjoying others, struggling to get into other packs. Anyway, um, I basically ordered every gel, chew, carb, drink, et cetera, in the range of flavors from X miles, and would work my way through
them on each run. It was actually really fun, kind of setting everything out in the morning, planning what I was going to have, making sure there was some that I knew would be sort of well tolerated and some that were brand new to me. It was a really good distraction for me on the long runs, and it helped me find the right gels. Personally, I landed on precision fuel and hydration
gels. I like the thicker texture, the mild flavour, uh, high carb content, and I use that for the London Marathon, although there are others that are thrown to training runs to keep things exciting. I mean, yeah, I'm that cool. And I'm regularly testing new products that appear on the XMiles website. Now, I've done the dirty work so that hopefully you don't have to and you don't have to be in the situation where you have to get a taxi home from your run because you've chosen too high of a fiber
gel. Um, and we don't want you to have to order boxes and boxes of gels and bars that might not work for you. I'm going to give you a bit of an overview today on how to find the right fuel for you. With that said, it is definitely a bit of a trial and error situation, especially when it comes to flavor, texture and caffeine content. But hopefully today's episode gives you a bit of a starting point. You could also try the xmart's monthly nutrition boxes or energy gel selection boxes.
There's even a high carb option, which I definitely recommend you go for. You can get 10% off everything on the Xmiles website as a listener, uh, of the cookie run podcast with xmars with the code capital C E r po d ten. So that's c e r pod ten with no spaces. Our bodies rely on two fuel sources to feed our muscles, carbs and fat. And when it comes to endurance events, carbs are king. They're our primary fuel source. Due to the ease of availability, our body doesn't have to work
that hard to get the energy. However, we can only store a finite amount on our body and, um, not enough for us to complete a marathon at, uh, top performance anyway. So the current research suggests that carb replenishment should be around 40 to 80 grams/hour for the average runner. People like Elliot Kachovi can take about 120 grams/hour but they also have their race nutrition on the course without having to carry 25 gels. So there is that.
How many carbs our body can utilize depends on our size, our running intensity, our pace, and, um, just personal digestion. Fueling during the run is something we need to train for just as much as clocking up the actual miles in the build up to your marathon or half marathon. So just as you're training your legs and your lungs, you need to train your gut. It, uh, sounds a bit gross and it kind of is.
It's literally getting your gut used to being plied with sugar carbs while you're running and, um, not having a bathroom situation. Shall we say sports gels choose liquid fuel, and bars all work in a similar way. Sports gels choose liquid fuel, and bars all work in a similar way by providing specially formulated simple sugars that are easily absorbed into the bloodstream to fuel your muscles and organs. There is a finite amount of carbs
that our body can utilize an hour. This is usually around 30 to 90 grams, although you can train yourself to take in more. By combining different types of carbs, sports nutrition products are able to maximize the body's uptake and usage of carbs, which isn't easily replicated by eating real food options like fruit or sweets, which often come with higher fiber or higher fat content as well, although there are more natural options when it comes to sports fuel, which we'll get on to later.
So when thinking about our fuel, the starting point for me is always the carb content. That is the most important thing. Ideally, I'm looking for something with over 25 grams of carbs per serving, so that I only need to take one every sort of 30 minutes or five ish k on the course. Depending on where hydration stations are and my pace, you can find the amount of carbs per serving on the back of any pack of blocks, bars, gels, drinks, that sort of thing.
For example, cliff bar shop blocks have 31 grams of carbs per three blocks or half a pack, while a goo gel has 22 grams. Some good higher carb options include precision fuel and hydration at, uh, 30 grams. You know, that's one of my faves ote super gels, sis beta gels, and morton 160 at, uh, 40 grams of carbs per pack. I've actually recently tried some gels, the two two sixes and another type, which I'll talk about a bit later, that have 50 or 55 grams of
carbs. But it is worth kind of balancing out whether you want the bigger packs, which they generally are, versus the smaller ones, which have slightly lower carb content. To make it easy, Xmars actually has a filter where you can choose high carb options on their website, which is really helpful. So I tried neversecond C 30, which has 50 grams of carbs. And I like the taste, the berry flavor, but found the texture to be kind of like a lumpy liquid, and it took a while to eat the
whole gel. So I'd probably recommend if you're going to have something a little bit bigger, that you sip it over a longer period rather than try and down it in one, which is what I tend to do. The two two sixes, high fructose gels have 55 grams of carbs. I tried the cola flavor, which, um, maybe was a mistake. Kind of tastes like the base liquid for a soda fountain diet Coke, which, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love,
but I did find it a bit secretly sweet. But the salty strawberry tasted much better in my opinion, although it was still quite sweet. These are ones I would definitely need to take with just plain water. Both the never second C 30 and the two two six s, uh, are on the bigger side. Um, so yeah, you might want to sip those rather than try to chug. I also really like the idea of the peanut and
honey. Two two sixes. Um, I tried this on a recent run and I kind of like the almost savoriness of it, although it was still obviously sweet with the honey, but it's a little bit thicker, a little bit kind of, um, more claggy. So I found it quite hard to take it on the run, but I imagine it'd be really good as like a high carb addition to your pre run toast, porridge or bagel or in your carb. Loading. 55 grams is a real whack. Or you
could make your own. Uh, the victus during gel has 45 grams of carbs and I recently tried the lemon flavor, uh, and found it I can only describe as inoffensive. So good for those who like a thin gel, like the high five gels, but with a higher carb content. Maybe taste should actually come first because really, how are you going to eat however many gels, up to seven that you need if you don't like the taste? So maybe that should have come before carbs, but
it's a bit of a no brainer. But if you're going to be eating high quantities of, um, these gels or drinks or chews, then you're going to probably want to like the taste or at least tolerate it. It might be worth having a range of flavor options on race day to avoid flavor fatigue. I know that I don't deal very well with very sweet options anymore, although I used to solely fuel using salted caramel goo, which tastes a bit like dolce de leche. It's quite thick, but it's quite delicious.
Talking of kind of thickness, texture also comes down to personal preference. Some people like the gooes, the thicker gels where you might need to sort of chew it. You might like a thin gel where you don't need to take water with it, but you will still need to hydrate on course. But it might just be a bit easier if you don't want to have to time it with the fluid stations, or maybe you just don't like that gel liquidy type texture at all and would prefer a bar or a shoe.
Typically the thinner gels like sis go two two six s high five, uh, are isotonic, meaning you don't have to take them with water. And the thicker gels, like the precision fuel and hydration goo hammer, they'll need to be taken alongside water. While I'd recommend it, um, I try to time mine with the coarse age stations or carry a hydration pack or handheld bottle with me on the run. If you don't like the textures of gels at all, I promise you there is a range you can find thicker ones, thinner
ones, um, puree style. But if that's really not for you, you might prefer a chew like the Velo forte cubus energy chews. The ginger flavour is my favorite. Maybe the cliff bar shop blocks margarita is the winner in my opinion. Or the scratch labs energy chews, which are literally like little sweets. They are delish. They kind of remind me of jelly tots which I haven't had for years, but used to be all the rage when I was at school, which
is maybe aging me. Um, you can find the full selection of XML so you can have a play around with some of those as well. It's worth bearing in mind that you'll need more chews to consume the same number of carbs as a gel. So for example, three times usually ish, the amount to the carb content of one gel. Like the cliff shop blocks 31 grams is three
chews. This can work out quite handily, as you could maybe have 1 /mile but you might want to think about how you're going to carry them and if you're going to remember to take them because sometimes, even with the gels, every sort of 30 minutes ish, I can forget or I don't want to take it because I'm feeling a bit nauseous or tired. So it is worth thinking about how that's going to play out into your fueling strategy.
I kind of like to mix choose in at the end of training runs because then it helps me avoid flavor or texture fatigue and it's something a little bit different. And often it's when I'm kind of at the end of my tether with the gels. I also like to play around with liquid carbs.
So if this is something that you feel like you might tolerate better or for training runs, maybe you're on the treadmill, or you've got someone with you on the bike, you could try something like tailwind or Morton drink mix. They can be also really helpful in the lead up to your race when you're carb loading, just to be able to sip on like 50, 60 grams of carbs in
one bottle. My plan for the next marathon is to bring a handheld with me containing some liquid carbs and electrolytes to sip, sort of pre race, and then during the first half of the race before handing it over to a friend or, um, just kind of chucking the bottle. So I've touched on it a little bit. But caffeine is quite an important thing to think about and
to train your gut with. If you don't drink coffee in day to day life, then you don't want to go out and have four caffeinated gels and just hope for the best. We know that caffeine can be a performance booster, especially when used correctly, so that makes sure that you want to. We know that caffeine can be a performance booster, especially when used correctly, so that's making sure that you time
it right. It takes about an hour to reach its full potential in the bloodstream, but it can upset some people's stomachs or give them the jitters, especially if you don't have much coffee in your day to day life. I've had four today, so I think I'll be probably fine with caffeinated gels on raised day, and I train with them regularly.
If you do want to enjoy some of the performance benefits of caffeine, which is up to two to 4% and quite a lot cheaper than the vaporfly or other carbon plated shoes, you're going to want to consume around three to six milligrams per kilogram body weight before and during your training and race. So for most runners, that looks like 200 milligrams or two coffees or two well caffeinated gels like the Morton caffeine precision fuel and hydration caffeine
sturker. Unsure if that's how you pronounce it, but the St Y RKR caffeine and dual carb gels, or the two two six s, it's worth looking out for how much caffeine is actually in the gel. So some of them, some of the goo, some of the other products have caffeine in them, but it's not the 100 200 milligrams that you'd be looking for for that performance booster.
Obviously you want to make the most of your caffeine intake if you are taking it, so you'll want to time it well, since it takes about 60 minutes for it to fully kick in, try taking it about 60 to 90 minutes before you want it to kick in. So, for example, if you're running a four hour, uh, marathon, you want to take your caffeine jars around the one and two, um, hour mark or two and two and a half hour
marks. As well as thinking about carbs, caffeine taste, texture, you may also want to think about electrolytes. Some running fuel contains electrolytes, most commonly sodium, but often potassium as well. We lose these key electrolytes when we sweat, which can cause cramping, stomach issues, reduction in performance, headaches and more serious issues. Electrolytes help control muscle contractions and make sure your
body functions properly during exercise. And they can also help break down carbohydrates for more fuel for your muscles and increase the blood flow to keep your heart pumping. All pretty important things to help maintain your electrolyte balance and hydration. Replacing these electrolytes is crucial and you can get these from some gels like humidia plus neverseconds, C 30 plus SAs go electrolyte gels or things like the margarita shop blocks and
the velo Fortier citra. If you do choose a fuel without electrolytes, like the precision fuel and hydration, it's my pet peeve. I wish they had one with sodium in. Then you are going to have to think about how else you can maintain your sodium levels on the run, particularly if you are a very salty or heavy sweater, which you'll know if you have ever had the white crust on your body or clothes after a run or you're drenched through. That's me. Often options include electrolyte drinks, tabs, salt
sticks or pills. I actually just ordered some salt stick electrolyte fast tubes to give them a try for my next race. We've talked a lot about kind of the specific sports nutrition products some people might want to try more. Real food or natural fueling options which you for those wanting to try more natural fueling options, there are still specially formulated sports nutrition products that are made from real food. These are from brands such as Hammer, which produce.
These are from brands such as Hammer who produce gels with a chia base or velo forte, which are based on real food. For those with sensitive stomachs, these can be good options as they tend to be better tolerated than those with synthetic ingredients. Although it's worth keeping an eye out because they often have a lower carb content. So we've talked about caffeine texture, taste, electrolytes, carbs. What else should we think
about? For me, a good starting point is looking at what fuel is on course during a race. This can have. So we've talked about a lot of the kind of things to look out for in gels, but where to start? I often think a good starting point is looking at what fuel is on course during your race. It can mean that you can use the gels at aid stations and maybe carry one or two less on your
body. Oh, my God. So we've talked about what to look out for in your sports nutrition, like the texture, the taste, the carbs, the electrolytes, the caffeine. But where do you actually start when it comes to fueling? Well, I like to look at what fuel is on course during my race. This means that you can use the gels at the aid stations and hopefully carry one or two less and also buy one or two less because they can get quite
expensive. Don't forget we've got the 10% off code, so listen at the end and I will share it with you again. London Marathon has leukosade gels on course, so if you're planning on using these on race sits worth giving them a try during training. For those running Manchester Marathon, you'll find go sis gels or sis go. Not really sure which way you call it, but we'll link it below. And those at, uh, Brighton, you'll find high five on course.
Some other things to think about. I know it's confusing, you've just got to keep working at it. But another thing to think about is how you're going to carry your fuel. Are you going to stuff your pockets, bring a hydration vest, have your friends and family hold them for you? If, like me, you need six or seven gels, this is definitely worth considering when
picking your fuel of choice. I had my mum standing with some of my gels during the London marathon and whilst it was really helpful, it was quite stressful, like knowing that I absolutely had to see her. So I had her at mile seven. So I'd already taken two gels and I got to replenish with three more at that point. Um, and I know it's not that crowded. I know exactly where we normally stand.
But if you are relying on friends or family having the gels for you on course or whatever you've chosen to use, make sure you know exactly where they're going to be, when they're going to be there. And, um, they know how to look out for you and you know how to look out for them. It might also be worth considering things like how easy it is to open your fuel on the go. I found that the Velaforti gels are quite hard to open. Hopefully they've changed their packaging since I last tried
them. Think about does it involve chewing your sports nutrition of choice like shoes, shop blocks, bars, that sort of thing. I personally find that when I'm really cold or if I'm trying to run quite fast, I struggle with shoes, but I'm totally fine taking them on like training runs or in warmer training. Are you going to walk while you fuel or are you going to try and take them on the run? Are you going to use the aid stations for your
water? Are you going to try and carry it yourself? All things to consider, hopefully we've covered just about everything about energy gels and shoes and how to choose the right options for you. But if you do have any other questions, make sure to check out the xmars website. They have tons of information on there. Or send me an email or dm, um, on Instagram.
I'm at the runnerbeans. Or, uh, you can email me at therunnerbeans@gmail.com and don't forget, you can save on all your fueling needs at xmiles m your one stop nutrition shop with the code c e r podpod ten. That's c e r po d ten for 10%. Uh, off sitewide tune in next time for episodes covering carb loading. We've got caffeine and performance where we really deep dive into the nitty gritty about why caffeine helps us, uh, perform
better. And another episode on why everyone in the endurance world is talking about CBD right now. So make sure to subscribe, give us a rating and review and we will see you or hear from you next time. Tune in next time for episodes covering carb loading. With Featherstone nutrition, caffeine and performance, we're going to deep dive into the nitty gritty on why and how caffeine impacts performance and, um, discuss why everyone in the endurance world is talking about CBD right now.
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leave us a rating and review. Get in touch, tell us what you want to hear about, and hopefully we will join you on your next run, your commute, or. I personally listen to a lot of podcasts, and I'm trying to go to sleep, so maybe that's where you're listening to this now. And, um, have a great weekend. Bye.