Thursday, August 17, 2006

Alternatives to Gu (for Lisa and anyone else)

Bumping this up from a 2005 post. I got this out of the September issue of Runners World. It's just a list of suggested energizing foods for runs lasting longer than an hour.

Food Carbs(g)/cals
8 ounce Gatorade 14/50
1 packet GU gel 25/100
1 PowerBar 45/240
4 Fig Newtons 44/220
5 saltines 10/65
4 graham crackers 20/120
1 small plain bagel 30/157
2 tablespoons honey 34/128
1 ounce jelly beans 26/105
1 ounce dried fruit 17/65
3 har candies 18/72
1 orange, sliced 15/62
1 ounce Gummi Bears 30/120

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Vic,

That table looks great! Good work on getting that information together.

Anonymous said...

Schwing, Vic! Thanks for putting that together for me. I like the fig newtons...

Jessica, a Austin Runner AND triathlete said...

thanks for sharing, i will certainly use this chart as GU makes me really sick to my stomach!
-jessica

Tiggs said...

i like the gummies best followed by the newtons- only the newtons get too crumbly in my pocket!

elf said...

I've heard good things about Jelly Belly Sport Beans, though I've never tried them. Lately I've been using the Power Gel with 4x sodium, and that really makes a difference in how I feel at the end of a long run on a hot day (I didn't have one last weekend, or my bonk may not have been as impressive as it was. Of course, if I hadn't started too fast, it probably wouldn't have been an issue, either... :) ).

For biking, I always take fig newtons with me--portability isn't as much of an issue.

Post-run, though? Always low-fat or non-fat chocolate milk. Great for recovery.

TX Runner Mom said...

Great info!!! I have always used Vanilla Bean Gu and need to branch out. I bought some of the Jelly Belly Sports Beans, but haven't tried them yet. Maybe this Saturday I can give them a try and report back.

Anonymous said...

Fig Newtons are what I eat on long runs. 1 per 2 or 3 miles. Keep my head from going further in the sewers.


doug

Sarah said...

I ate some of the Jelly Belly Sport Beans but not while I was running. They were very very sweet.

Junie B said...

i like the idea about the fig newtons. but where the heck do you put them? where do you put ANYTHING for that matter... most of my running shorts dont have pockets...and i dont have a water belt yet. plus i get SO DRIPPING wet with sweat nothing would survive.

guess i need to find a pair of shorts with pockets. and pray for cooler weather.

Unknown said...

Yeah, I think I can fit the gu packets in my pocket. Don't know about the fig newton thing unless you stash them around your course before the run. That's just too much planning for me. I read somewhere that cyclists like the fig newtons cause they can carry them while they're riding in a pouch or something. But running makes it hard.