Since I am no longer running longer distances, the answer is no. If I am running 7-8 miles or less, I don’t carry anything with me. I’ll carry water if it is an especially hot day. I try and fuel well before and after. 

But, when I was training for longer races and had 15-20 mile training runs, I definitely packed fuel. 

Although, I am still just a water girl. I don’t add anything to it. And I don’t like any of the Gatorade type drinks. 

And for fuel, I like real food. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, oranges, trail/snack mix, clif bars. Occasionally some chews, like Skratch. 

I try and go with the balance/combo of salt, sweet, protein, carbs. 

These two items mixed together was like GOLD for my ultra. Perfect combo of everything! 

If you haven’t already heard, Rachele Schulist ran almost the same time - just 12 seconds slower - for the 6k NCAA cross-country championships this year, as she did in 2014. Only that this year she was 20 pounds heavier. 

Amazing! I mean, the way that a lot of runners go on about weight loss and racing weight, you’d think it was amazing. But it really shouldn’t be, it should be conventional wisdom. 

I don’t mention weight a heck of a lot on this blog, mainly because I’m not a nutritionist and I feel unqualified to give my opinion, and also because my opinion is mainly formed from experimentation. Like all things experimentation, what may work for you may not work for someone else. 

But I do talk about it a lot in personal conversations with @fuelingforfitness, and to the occasional bystander/ partygoer / unfortunate eavesdropper, and I’m always emphasizing that I’d prefer to be 5 or so pounds over my ideal racing weight (honestly though, I probably haven’t even gotten to within 20 pounds of my ideal racing weight since I turned 30, lol) and fuel my body, vs being at my ideal racing weight and under fuelling my body. 

Because I can handle running 10 seconds slower in a 5k if it still means I’m going to progress. Or 3 minutes slower in a marathon, or whatever it works out to be. Because I’m still happy with that 2:56 marathon time, and what is 5 pounds less going to get me, a 2:53? In my opinion that doesn’t really matter unless you reach an elite level. 

Good training would get me to that 2:53, or a 2:50, within 3-6 months anyway...and at the same weight!

But even as Rachele proves, this theory still applies at the sub-elite (and even elite) level. This is my favorite quote from her:

“It does work for a little while. That’s the worst part about it.”

It resonates with me because it’s similar to the experience that new converts to 80/20 running have had with running their easy runs at medium intensity. Fast easy runs, like weight loss, can work in the short term, and that’s why it’s hard for people to see the value of running easy runs slowly. 

Eventually though, like under fuelling yourself, those medium intensity easy runs are going to lead to burnout and/or injury. But chances are that people usually blame something else when that finally happens. 

I put out this question to the LetsRun forum today. I know, you’ve got to take this forum with a grain of salt. Although I’m surprised I didn’t get at least 1 troll calling me too slow. Pretty much all of the responses up to this point are useful, including the person who suggested to shut it down and ignore any responses. 

I’m reposting here because I’m curious to have some input from the runners I’ve come to know on here, if anyone’s ever run a marathon with minimal gels. Or what’s the furtherest you’ve run without any gels? 

I also touch on my chest pain problem, and I don’t think I’ve updated the blog on that since seeing the cardiologist(?). I was waiting until we found something, but it looks like the Vancouver marathon problem is just going to have to be diagnozed as a cold case. 

With the heat of summer in full swing I've been constantly attempting, and sometimes losing, a battle with my electrolyte balance.  Between my work outdoors as a full time hiking guide and helping my boyfriend train for his first half marathon, I've been spending a lot of time in the low elevations of East Tennessee - often times in sweltering heat and humidity with heat indexes in the high 90s and low 100s.  When I was offered the opportunity to try out Fuel 100 Electro-Bites I jumped at the chance to try something new.  Here are my thoughts on this product. 

After doing some research regarding Fuel 100 Electro-Bites I was excited to try them out for two reasons - the first being that they weren't fruit chews and the second being that they weren't sickly sweet.  While this product comes in five flavors, only three of them are flavors that sound sweet: pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, and salty vanilla.  The other two flavors are simply salty and salty vinegar.  This immediately appealed to me because of recent I've been all sugared out and I've been on a quest for savory fueling options that are also easy to eat on the trails or on a run.  These tiny bites fit the bill!  The other thing that appealed to me was the fact these were a dry, baked product.  No sticky gels, chews, or sweet drink mixes.  Don't get me wrong, I love a sweet electrolyte tab after a hot and long run, but getting the chance to try something different was definitely a plus!

I took these out on a training run on a night when the heat index at sunset was 94 degrees.  Even though I ran an easy 3.5 miles I knew I had sweat more than I did on 10 mile runs back in the winter time.  If I don't replace electrolytes immediately I usually get dull and throbbing headaches so being able to grab them and go was a big plus for me.  I ripped the tab off the bag of the apple cinnamon bites and dug in!  The first thing I noticed was the fact that even though these bites were dry, they didn't make my mouth feel dry.  The crunchy little bites were actually fun to chew and were easy to swallow despite being hot and sweaty.  I was able to follow the bites by drinking down some cold water and felt great.  The apple cinnamon flavor was very mild and the hint of coconut oil was delicious as well. 

I also brought along the salty vinegar flavor on a longer day hike during a humid and hot June afternoon.  The vinegar flavor wasn't overpowering and again the coconut oil was very mild and present as well.  These bites stored well in a pack and since they're baked they don't melt the way an electrolyte chew would.  You also don't have to worry about adding a tab to water and waiting for it to mix before drinking.  All you have to do is rip the top off and start snacking!

Personally, I loved these little electro-bites and would definitely buy them again.  The fact that they're so much different from anything I've tried recently really sold me on this tasty and quick fuel for athletes.  They're formulated for distance athletes and have 100 calories per pack, including 190mg of Sodium, 55mg of Potassium and 46mg of Magnesium. Fuel 100 Electro-Bites will have a place in my pack for the rest of the season for sure!

Have you tried any new electrolyte replacement products recently?  What's your favorite way to refuel during a hot and humid summer run or hike?

Oh yes to the bite size banana cookie sandwich! 😱💛

Meal chat. 

We've now loosely figured out food strategies with day to day living on the road. We pretty much buy muesli and a bunch of veg every few days, and then eat breakfast and lunch with that at whatever Airbnb place we stay at. 

Since Sunday we've been in Bristol, UK. 

Then dinner is usually reserved for sampling the local food scene. Sometimes we look for deals, sometimes we look for damn good food, sometimes we look for both. 

Last night we found a good one. This place was pretty much an institution when living here 8 years ago - Weatherspoons steak night 😋 

£7 (about $11 US) gets you a steak cooked to you liking with peas and chunky chips, and also a pint of beer! It's good to see that some things here haven't changed.