NEO Trail Club

Being at work today (and bored) I was reading through all the Hammer Nutrition material they sent with my last order.

I read that they recommend 2-to 2.5 gels per hour. And each gel is only 90 calories.

I usually only eat one gel per hour. I guess I never really thought about it so much, but maybe I am not getting enough calories in?
At a race, I will snack on AS food.But I have been doing gels mainly in the last year. They work well for me. But am I getting into a nutrional deficit at 90 calories a hour?

I am planning on trying the solid Perpeteum tabs at URINEO. I tried them on a run a few days ago. They were a bit sticky to my teeth, but I may have tried to eat too much all at once.

Question is, what do you do for calories per hour?

No set amount for calories per hour.
Usually I eat whatever, cookies, chips, M&Ms, lots of junk.
Main fuel is usually a blend of either Perpeteum, Malto-Dextrin and Soy protein, or HEED in the water bottle.
Then eat solid stuff along the way.
I am really partial to CLIF Mojo bars at the moment.
During a lot of my 2010 Ultras you would find one of those in my pocket.
Usually about 2 inches of bar at a time, and then wash down with my fuel mix.
I try to east solids at every AS, but depends some on the length of the race and how hot it is.
Another item I found I enjoy is the Jack Link beef sticks.
Really lean and just meat, no spices like peperoni.
Not like a Slim Jim at all, more like beef jerky, but not so dry.

Rarely do I eat a gel, unless it is to flavor my fuel blend in my water bottle.
Ramen and Coke in any run always works well.
At OC100 I think that I had Ramen at the last 7 or 8 AS.

This is my $0.02:

Being an AR engineer type I like to quantify/estimate every variable I can in my pre-race/event planning. There are a few rules of thumb I use in my estimations. One is 400 cal/hr. This is what you'll get from a program like LiveStrong.com for caloric burn at a medium running pace. Some runners will use 100 cal/mile (basically 400/hr at 4mph pace). Another rule is 90 grams of carbs per hour.

Remember this is your "burn" rate and it is effected by pace, outdoor temperature and running efficiency and other variables. This may not however be your "intake" rate. In the conservation of energy relationship you have calories expended to basic metabolic function and work on one side. On the other you have calories put into the system from two sources: calories ingested and calories strored and converted back to energy (fat). For aerobic activity (ultra long distance running) fat is a better source of energy.

Most folks can only absorb about 300 kcal per hr, give or take for the individual and conditions as mentioned previously.

I try to get most of my kcal from my homemade maltodextrin mix. I tend to be in a hole at most 50K +++ events, but I am use to that and can manage.

I like to start out hydrated and full of calories and work from there.

KISS

Bob

Slim, Gombu,

What is in your malto dextrin mix? What quantity per amount of water? [per bottle (24 oz bottle?) or other]?

what "strength/sweetness" malto do you use?

Inquiring minds want to know.

As to Kimba's question, kcal per hour varies a lot. Never <100 or so, but I go faster if 300+. Gels are good, but my stomach can only take them for so many hours before it revolts. (actually, this is true of every food I've tried to use as a sole/consistent source of nutrition in longer events)

Paul

Paul,

I buy 50lb bags of pure maltodextrin from my local home brew store. Its breaks out to about $1 per lb. I keep 10-15 lbs for myself and split out the rest to others.

Depending on what commercial mix you buy its usually $15-$30 per lb.

I add sea salt and some koolaid to taste also some dibs and dabs of other "stuff". Then usually go with about 3 heaping tablespoons per 20-24 oz bottle, giving me about 300 kcal per bottle. I don't always use an exact measurement gong into the bottle but know where to stop.

Yum Yum

Bob

Usually I am not measuring specific amounts of dry fuel to my water bottles to mix up, nor do I worry about cal/hour.
I carry the dry mix in an 8 to 12 oz dry bottle, and then get 3 or 4 water bottles out of that.
I also use Clip2 as a fuel, it works very well for me, 1 or 2 packs per water bottle.
I tried to use baggies, but very messy and the occasional rupture in a pack makes a big mess.
Usually I get an used juice bottle and recycle that, or a small liquid yogurt bottle for my dry mix, and then toss at an aid station.
When I make a dry supply bottle, I usually add Soy Protein as well, but no other additions.
From Hammer I use Perpeteum, SE, and HEED.
Then the straight malto-dextrin used for Home Brewing.
Have also used Dried Malt Extract (DME), and that has great flavor, but not as cost effective as Malto.
I almost never take a gel, but occasionally add them to my water bottle.

My system is far from scientific, and usually I am just winging it, based on how I feel.
There have been occasional bonks, but they are pretty rare.
I am also lucky in that I haven't had any Peterman/Losey style puke fests either.
One of my favorite fuels is Ramen, but mainly for longer events.
At OC100 I had Ramen and broth at the last 8 or 9 aid stations.
I think I could go for a long on time with a regular infusion of hot Ramen and Broth.

One of my favorite lines I share with Aid Station workers is that no matter now many Ultras I have been to, the best Ramen I have ever had is right then and there.

Thanks guys. I've ordered 50 lb bags of malto dextrin from distributors. Didn't realize home brew stores carried the stuff.