Gel/Goo to do or not to do?

Karen

For a sprint, a gel at the start line washed down with water is good insurance and later near the end of the bike leg it isn't a bad idea either.

I would avoid caffiene loaded gels and those loaded with simple sugars....the LAVA brand is pretty goos as is hammer gel

Kevin

"a bunch of goos" is basically a few hundred calories of sugar, and would probably make you just as wired as eating a donut unless you're in the middle or post workout. The one's with caffiene are labled as such. I usually use one or two on my bike rides, especially getting up to 90-120 minutes long.

I just ran the Kinetic Sprint (750m swim, 18miles bike, 5 k run) and had 1 Power Gel about 5 minutes into the bike along with water. Watch out for the amount of caffine in the gels, the tangerine from Pwer Gel has a double shot of caffine!!!

jim

Hey there,
Gu is GREAT! I tell you what use it during training and racing...it makes a difference...especially when your body starts to lose it's stored fuel...

During training (especially my long runs) I use a package about 20 mins before starting and then every 5 miles after that...I am still working out the bike routine...

I suggest that you try different kinds/flavors...some of them have different textures and can be hard to choke down or once you try them you realize some flavors are right out (like I know I can't handle any citrus flavors in gels/GU). I tried a variety last fall during an EcoChallenge and kinda got a bit of a handle on what I liked best and it really has helped...

Good luck.

definitely use them in your training if you want to use them in the race, as different gels (becuase of the different ingredients) might affect you in different ways.  Your best bet isn't to try a bunch of them all at once, unless of course you liked that jittery feeling.

i second what everyone else said about trying various flavors and brands during your trainings to see what works best for you. i had one give me terrible stomach cramps and i really like the sweet ones as pre-race/pre-training but there is no way i can get them down when i am really hot.

this weekend i saw the positive effect of the gel first hand. i was participating in a two hour spin class and i geled before (carb boom strawberry kiwi) and felt great. my plan was to gel about 45-50 minutes into the class but i got sucked into waiting till a recovery break at 1 hr in. i geled them (accel gel also strawberry kiwi). at about 1 hr 25 min in to the class i felt real worn down. then 5 minutes later, i was back strong. i think i just needed a bit more time for my second gel to kick in (they say it takes about 30 minutes or so). now i know that i really need to stick to the 45 minutes timing with my gels!!

deanna