Energy Gels After Six Months gluten-free

[KCG91]

Hi guys,

 

I'm hitting the long run stage of trail race training and I know it's time to start using the odd gel during the run, as I'm planning to use one for the last few miles of a 10m race next month. I like the energy I get from gels so they are definitely worth having, but I also associate them with the stomach issues I had while training for a marathon before diagnosis. I would really like to use them but everything is going so well training-wise I almost don't want to chance a good long run on them.... Has anyone found them easier to tolerate since healing? I could always use chews but I'd prefer gels, if I can. Thanks! 

[cyclinglady]

I use Gu.

[GottaSki]

Three of us in this family use Gu...but we didn't start until well after dx....I would give it a try towards the end of one of your training runs.

[KCG91]

Will do - almost wish I hadn't used Gu during my pre-DX runs because now I associate it with feeling rubbish! GottaSki, did you use any gels before DX? If so did you notice a difference when you started using Gu after DX? 

[GottaSki]

Will do - almost wish I hadn't used Gu during my pre-DX runs because now I associate it with feeling rubbish! GottaSki, did you use any gels before DX? If so did you notice a difference when you started using Gu after DX? 

 

Nope...we only started using Gu for long rides and after lunch on full ski days well after dx.  I wasn't able to do long rides for about a decade before dx and my long distance running days ended in my early 20s due to symptoms of undiagnosed celiac....energy gels did not exist back when I was a runner.  Goodness...that made me sound ancient

[KCG91]

You don't sound ancient!! Just makes me doubly grateful that I caught it pretty young. I had a new brand of gel, For Goodness Shakes, today and it went really well! It's a small amount of very liquid gel (ticks both boxes there) and absolutely no tummy trouble. Thanks for listening to me wobble about it, it just felt like going back to the bad old days - not so!

[GottaSki]

Glad you found something that works

[boron]

If a gel contains more fructose than glucose, it may cause bloating and loose stools, but this would be an issue only if you lean toward fructose malabsorption.