Almost done with the goal I had set out for two weeks ago, and failed. Ran 10 miles in 10.65 and am now 0.7 miles away from a half marathon. Gotta say, the last two miles of walking have been a lot more painful than all the running. My feet and the backs of my legs are so tired. Gonna be very sore tomorrow.
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Finished it in 2:59:10. The first 6.55 miles I did in 1:15:22. Ran the first 7.1 miles continuously, then walked 0.65 miles, then ran 2.9 miles, walked the rest.
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Any recommendations for running gels that are tasty and easy on the stomach?
no advice on the gels. tasty might be the wrong term. which are easier to digest varies by person. iāve not run into needing them in so long thatā¦not even sure of the brands anymore.
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Iāve run 4 of the last 5 days. mixing running/walking/drills over the 3 miles. warm up on bike w stretching before running. and back/core exercises. feels ok
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I liked gummies/chews.
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Whatās your preferred brand?
Of those I liked Clif and Gu. They had a few different brands at dicks sporting goods and I just tried the brands with those flavors that sounded the most interesting.
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Iāve had the Clif blocks. They are tasty enough and give you a good burst of energy.
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Fwiw every time Iāve run a half, my innards are wrecked for a day or two. All the food, the liquids, didnāt matter if I like it or not, I never felt good afterwards.
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I like the Gu vanilla bean flavour, though it does have some caffeine in it. I havenāt tried anything else since that one was recommended to me and it worked for me (and I didnāt hate it). Iāve got a birthday cake flavour that Iām going to try on my next long run.
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I currently use Gu. I bought a couple of boxes of assorted flavors, so I donāt get bored with the same thing every time.
I recommend going to a running store and buying several samples from different producers. Each unit will be somewhere between $1 and $3. You will find they will have different flavors, consistencies, with or without caffeine, digestive properties, etc. Treat this like experimentation - you need to figure out the dimensions that will be important to you.
I will encourage not to attempt to figure this out by reading Amazon reviews and trying to buy the cheapest per/unit cost in bulk before you know what works for you. Far better to spend $30 on a range of items at first and then getting a box of WHATEVER bars because you know they work for you than buying the $60 box because itās ten cents cheaper per serving but then realizing after the first one that it gives you the runs. 
Take one during your longer runs - 5 miles or more - and pay attention to your reaction. Do you feel more energetic? No difference on high end, but you can sustain longer? Does it give you a cramp where you never had one before? Do you now not have that slump in your shoulders that you used to? [Note - I have no idea what your reaction will be, these are just some of the ones that can happen.]
For me, it has come down to the āmouth feelā after I eat one, and a bit of an energy bump I can feel about 10 minutes after ingestion. I think thatās the caffeine. Some gels have left a kind of residue or aftertaste; bars and gummies and the waffles require chewing which I donāt really want to do in the middle of an activity. So I am carrying 1 or 2 gels with me, depending on length of exercise. When itās time to take one, I take a large swallow of water to grease the skids. Then I squeeze about half the gel in, take some more water. Take the last half of the gel, another hit of water. Wait a few more seconds, then more water.
Iāve had a few different preferences over the years, but this is now where I am. And until this stops working, or they stop making them, Iām probably just fine with it.
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i used to like this one too!
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Itās been a million years, but I used Gu back in the day.
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Iāve been working on the 5k to 10k program, which is structured with 3 runs a week. Today is my scheduled day, which, of course, is hot. I knew I should have gone out first thing this morning.
I have another 5k this weekend, flat and boring course, with rain in the forecast.
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i took all but the last week of May off from running. added in run/walking the last 2 weeks. adding in some weights this week. today was walking lunges w body weight only. i think i might die
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June 3 is Global Running Day. Iāll run-walk at least 5k, possibly extended to 5 miles or 10k.
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5th 5k of the year. 38 seconds faster than the last one, but this course was flat, with overcast skies.
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On Saturday I did a fitness test workout from the watch. Paces defined by anticipated 10k time. I have done this before, but this one felt like I was able to push a little bit more than in the past.
target 10k time selected: 60-66 minutes
5:00 easy warmup;
25:00: target pace 11:30-10:30; actual 10:54
3:00: target pace 9:30-10:30; actual 9:56
3:00: target pace 8:40-9:30: actual 9:20
5:00 cool-down (ended up walking after 2 minutes of jogging, I felt done)
results:
āThreshold paceā: 9:22 / mile
āThreshold HRā: 155 / min
Personal Max HR: 176 / min
I think Iāll find a 5k or 10k to race this Saturday, and see if I canāt get a 5k under 10:00 / mile, or a 10k under 10:30 / mile.
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the walking/running has progressed. i now walk about 30-45 seconds and then run for 2 minutes.
the running parts have been quicker than regular jogging pace. today had a couple of outliers, as I ended up on the track instead of the rained on trail. anyway, ran a 400m in 81 seconds. it was definitely work, but made me feel a touch more fit than i thought iād be. still have some turnover
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Jinxed. Did a 5K race this morning. Real feel in low 90s. Not too bad, IMO, especially sine I was planning to run/walk the whole thing. First 2 miles avg 11:59 pace. Then major hamstring pain in left leg. Had to walk the rest, avg 18:52. Why jinx? Because almost the same thing happened at the same race in 2024, except pain hit much earlier. I had run/walked this exact course several times recently without incident.
Bigger concern. Wife did the 5K all walking. Felt ok in the 5K, even though her heart rate gets into 160s or 170s while walking. But extremely lighthearted after finishing, not while walking. Had happened recently, after walking in heat, but recovery seemed slower than usual and heart rate staying high longer. Organized race, with paramedics, so I summoned one. Considering heart rate and blood pressure, they thought dehydration and recommended going to hospital for tests. Weāre there. Fortunately, EKG normal. They are rehydrating her intravenously.
I was expecting to sign up for a 5K on July 4, but itās likely to be even hotter, so maybe wonāt. Certainly not unless hamstring better very soon
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