I had some during the london marathon they were doing taster stalls in the exebition hall.. i could eat them all day :) what i need to sort out for my next run is actually finding easy ways to carry what i need.. It seems you can really plan what you need during a marathon unless you do them regularly? im sure people eventually know the maximum amounts they need to cary etc.. are all marathons as well stocked as London marathon with water stations and carb stations.. i would like to knwo thet!

my brother wants me to train up for the bath half marathon in febuary..i'd like to get in as many tips as possible before then..

Thanks - I will have a go - I've just started training for the Loch Ness Marathon so will try and get hold of some soon.

They sound worth trying Kate - I will search them out for trying out before my marathon in October. 

Martin - the scenery on the South Downs was gorgeous - that's when it was light enough to see it! as we started at midnight, but the sun did come up about 4am.  The good thing was we were finished before the real heat kicked in and then got to paddle in the sea at the end (off the Seven Sisters)

the charity was Action Medical Research and the walk was really well organised

http://www.action.org.uk/sponsor/teamcolborne2

Hi

Last weekend I did a charity 40 miles run/walk along the South Downs Way.  This took 9 hours 45 mins of walking up the hills and then jogging on the flat and downhills.  Over this time I ate 3 Power Bars and one hot dog (probably not recommended! but was halfway through before a long uphill walking bit).  Surprisingly I didn't feel like I ran out of energy so was pretty impressed by the bars.  The cookies and cream bar  was actually quite tasty as well!  I don't know how digestible they would be if you are continually running though.

Hi All

I did manage to get through my 21 miler on Sunday and survive afterwards without too much of a bad head. I used 3 gels en-route as well as fluid. I definitely think its a combination of food and rehydration that is key.

Thanks very much for all your advice, I'll be using most of it especially the fridge cake one, now just need to find a recipe! 

Vicky

Hi Vicky you dribble as well? :-) I'm sure you meant drivel

I have been following this with interest as its 59 days and counting before I run my first ever 1/2. There is a number of reasons where I get a headache, it could be the brightness which makes me squint so I have a cap and sun glasses to cope with that, or that as you say lack of hydration which you can identify really easy as the doc advised me that the darker your urine the more dehydrated you are. It can bit of a guess where you can take just the right amount of liquid for the climate and distance without the urge to go whilst running.

This has been a really interesting topic.  I must admit that I've only started thinking about gels and whotnot during running over the last month.  Although I have always gone into a race with a bowl of porridge inside me about 2 hours before the gun is due to go off.  I also try to hydrate really well the day before.  Until this year I only used a sports drink during a half marathon. I am still experimenting with different gels but with only 3 weeks to go as of Sunday, I think I'm going to try using the Lucozade gels as they are going to be available on the day.

The thing I have always struggled with is a post race headache, which sometimes doesn't start for a good couple of hours after I've finished the race.  I'm guessing its due to a combination of not enough hydration and carbs.  I always have a soya (I can't drink much milk) chocolate milkshake, as soon as I can get my bag after a race and some kind of food, depending on what's in the goodie bag/available on the day.

However, on sunday, after my half-marathon where I pushed myself quite hard, I did the usual but also ate just about every half hour after that and drank about three and a half pints of water, then had my usual evening meal and I just about kept the headache at bay.

But, does anybody know why I get these headaches (never really get headaches at any other time) and what my strategy should be post race?  It does seem the harder I push myself the more likely/worse the headache, so I can have one after a 10K or a half marathon.

Thank you for your help and patiently reading my dribble.

Hi my partner & I are both training for the london Marathon and have been following this topic with interest as we both suffer from the upset tum. we have porridge & toast 1.5 hrs before a long run plus a smoothie. however Mike now thinks coffee has a detrimental effect on his insides so has stopped drinking it before a run. 

We have tried the magic juice at full strength but now prefer it 2/3 juice - 1/3 water and have discovered that glucose tablets( every 4/5 miles) are preferable to jelly babies as they are easier to digest and are almost 100% carbs.also they don't turn to mush in your pocket quite so much.

I did a 15 miler with not enough liquid and no top up nutrition for during the run,and felt terrible for the last 6 miles and awful for several hrs after- so have learnt my lesson there!

that all said I will always take immodium before a long run as i'd rather be safe than sorry,and I have heard that someone had to queue for an hour to use a loo on the london course- by which time it'd be too late!

Happy running!

Fi

I've just tried the Lucozade Sport runners pack for my marathon training.  Price tag was a bit painful at around £40 from the online shop, but it's cheaper than buying it from Boots.  The gels taste revolting, but I do think they kept me going on my 22 miler yesterday and didn't cause my stomach any major problems - I think that they may take a bit of getting used to.  Lucozade have cake bars for carbo-top-up before and flapjack for recovery after which actually taste quite nice.

Hi - I have been running half marathons for the last few years, and I started off running just with water, which was fine initially.  Then as my times improved I progressed to Lucozade sport (magic juice) and found that it helped to give me extra energy in my legs provided I start sipping at every mile right from the start of a run, rather than waiting until tired.  I'm now training up to 15 miles to improve my half marathon time and have started using Go energy gels having resisted for ages on the basis that I thought they would be too gloopy.  They actually slide down quite easily and definitely perk my legs up if I take them half hourly (it helps to stop the running through treacle feeling if you take them preventatively!).  I also take a bottle of magic juice on every run over 1 hour as well as the gels on the longest runs.  The only time I have had a crampy tummy during a run was when I tried to take some energy drink for the first time after 90 mins when I was already tired and dehydrated - I don't think my body could cope!  I don't think I could actually eat solids during a run though, however much I like jelly babies!  You can also get protein shakes to drink directly after a run which really seem to help with muscle recovery...

Good luck with the marathon!