[Big_Papa1080]

...give you tons of energy but the viva vanillas tase like crap. 24g of carbs in one little packet of that stuff... and i ate two this morning before i ran a 5k (3.1mi) race today. my time was 22:30 and i usually do about 23:45 so they definitly helped.

 

[JMAC]

Clif shots are the worst gels i like the power gels more they give more power and never take gels to long before a race or they will cost you energy cause they take about 10min to digest.

 

[laura]

i like clif shots, i think they taste good. power jell vanilla tastes like the icing that goes on the top of a toaster pastry. there is too much gel in a power gell thing for me. cliff shots are nice and small. they go down easy.

 

[Topaz]

I love clif shots. I usually eat one every hour of riding. If I'm going really hard I'll eat one every 45mins. I usually order them by the box online when they're on sale. Performance has them for 17.99 for a 24 pack right now. I usually get a box of mocha, strawberry and rasberry.

www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.html?SKU=5092&Store=Bike

 

[Serial Midget]

I use Hammer Gel for my 50K trail runs, all the flavors taste like crap but… in my experience all gels work. I consume 1oz per hour on all runs longer than 12 miles. I also tend to consume more if the event has lots of elevation gain. When you have been out on the trail for 5 or 6 hours what you tatse means nothing; you just want the calories and carbs that won’t upset your very empty stomach. When I am on a 50K I eat about 6oz of gel and 2 bananas and several salt tablets.

As a long distance trail runner I don’t really feel the need to gel up for anything less than 2 hours. It might be a good idea though… I ran a 10K today with 2 significant (for 10Ks) hills totaling 550 feet of gain. My time was off at 47:12, over 2 minutes slower than my last one… should have gel’d up! But, in my defense, it was raining and endurance runners are not always terribly fast.

Next time you run a 5K try ½ can of Coke or Pepsi that has gone flat – I once (a very long time ago) managed a high 20 on it.

Also - I now prefer jels in PLAIN flavor.

 

[laura]

Originally posted by Serial Midget

Also - I now prefer jels in PLAIN flavor.

what does that taste like? i've been afraid of them.

 

[Serial Midget]

Originally posted by laura



what does that taste like? i've been afraid of them.

It tastes like plain geletin but if you eat it with a sport drink you don't even notice it. If the taste of most gels bother you - I would try the plain. Try not to think of it as food, think of it as enery.

 

[Tenaciousle0]

I like PAIN flavored gels

 

[Serial Midget]

Take up ultra endurance running on your BC trails - then you will not have to supplement your pain with gel.