Hi Richard, during my one and only marathon two years ago, I didn't have a drink/nutrition plan for the race - which was a valuable lesson in how not to prepare! So you're absolutely right to be thinking about it now. If you take on too little or leave it too late, you might find yourself in a slump you can't pull out of. Too much, and you can get sluggish or get stomach cramps.

I think the main thing is to practice during your long training runs to find out what works for you. Like you, I always go out on an empty stomach but have started taking gels with me. Exactly as Kate says, being well-prepared is vital and you don't want to find yourself on the day swigging a drink that you've never tried before. Personally I'm finding that a mouthful of water and a gel every 6 miles is about right for me, but I do really hate carrying a water bottle, which does impede my practice slightly.

Hi Richard,

I've done seven marathons over the last three years, and still don't know what I'm doing! The two I did in 2010 were: a) Rutland Water, which is beautiful, but hilly for the distance (depends what you're used to, of course) and I was still recovering from a trapped nerve, so really shouldn't have been there. It hurt. b) The LDWA Birmingham Canal Canter. This is aimed mainly at walkers, but runneres are made very welcome. It's not so much a race as an event, the distance is approximate, but the catering is fantastic! I entered pretty much at the last minute with my pal who had never done a marathon, and neither of us had trained for it, so we ran a bit, jogged a bit and walked a lot! Great day out though.

Anyway, back to fuelling... I've tried various plans, and have hit the wall more than once (not in the same race), so am still experimenting. If I do a marathon this year (Autumn) I'll probably go with the berry & banana gels from Shotz. The citrus flavours give me stomach cramps. I don't carry a drink - too much weight - I just use some of the the water stations.

The point is, don't expect to get it right first time - try things out in training and go with what your body tells you, and if it doesn't work out, it really doesn't matter - there's always another marathon!

All the best - hope your plan works first time!

Martin, wouldn't the energy gel replace electrolites too? Or is that something that only comes through an energy drink?

Hmm, when you put it like that, it does make complete sense I must say Martin.

I suppose I'm influenced by my deep-rooted and totally illogical dread of carrying a bottle. Of course, this does usually mean I get really dehydrated on long runs because I simply don't drink, or I end up stopping off at newsagents and glugging a whole bottle, which is a bit self-defeating.

I'm going to try my long run tomorrow with a small backpack with a bladder - that might give me the scope to experiment a bit more with what fluid I take with me.

Thanks Martin, that looks like it might definitely be worth trying. I think I've always just found that whenever I've tried running with an ordinary bottle, I've got fed up with carrying it within minutes, and it feels like a big cumbersome irritation, and I then have to get rid of it somewhere, which is another hassle... by this stage I don't want to run anywhere.

I think that something light that I can hand onto my wrist and sip from might be just the thing. After all, I've got to confront my fears. :-)