Carbs During Race

I read of one T1 1/2 marathoner that doesn’t consume any carbs during the race. So far, I’ve found that if I reduce my basal by 50% for 2 hours before a long run, I can survive 8 miles as long as I consume about 10g carbs for each mile. Do others require the constant supply of carbs, or can your run with your body reserves?

I swear by the GU gel-it’s the best and keeps my sugar and energy levels up-I always carry with me when I run long distances and during races I’ll have gatorade or whatever sports drink they offer!

Thanks Rachel. I’d heard of Cliffs before, but not GU gel’s. I’ll have to give them a try.
Just out of curiosity, how many miles do you typically run per packet? At 25g carbs, I’d probably require one about every 2.5 miles.

I just take them as I need them-I’ve never been one to calculate precisely my miles vs. Gu gel packets consumed-I just tend to listen to my body and take one when I feel like I am beginning to need a boost. During races I take the GU in addition to the gatorade/Raceday/Poweade or what have you…But I can tell you this, I have never gone further than 5 miles without a pack!

I usually load up on a little more carbs than usual before a race, but the longest race I’ve done is only a 10K. I’ve found that carbs with fiber and protein will keep me really stable. Kashi makes protein bars with a decent amount of carbs, fiber, and protein, so if I eat one of those and bolus about half as much as usual about 30 min. before the race starts, I stay pretty stable.

I’m running a marathon in a month, and I was wondering how often everyone checks their blood sugar on long runs over 10 miles? I’m always frustrated by having to slow down and check, and I wind up having to do it like every three miles…