Published
08.Oct.2007

Power UP: Find the Power Aid That's Right For You

The first rule of racing is that you never, ever, try something new on race day. Your shorts, shoes, music, and socks should all be old friends. And so should your sports aids.

It's best to conduct your own private road test of different power aids. Do gummy beans make you gag or keep you going? What brand and flavour energy gel do you prefer and what's your optimum time between intakes? Do you do better with water, a sports drink, or an alternating combination? Experimenting with what energy aids work for you is as an important part of your training as regular runs (only a little more tasty).

Feeling Fatigued

The energy boost a power aid offers is hard to turn down. During exercise that lasts over 60 minutes or 10 miles, a runner's store of carbohydrates—our best energy source—diminishes. We experience this as fatigue. By injecting a quick dose of carbohydrates to the body, we can delay muscle glycogen depletion, stave off fatigue, and pump out those last few miles.

Which power aid is right for you? Let's look at some options.

Energy Gels

Energy gels (which tend to have a thick taste, almost like icing) are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and give you the carbohydrates to sustain effort on long runs. Most gels offer between 100 - 110 calories per serving and approximately 26 grams of carbohydrates.

Sample Gels: PowerGel, Gu, Hammer, Carb-BOOM

Sports Beans

These gummy power pellets are specially formulated for athletes—not candy lovers! Fortified with vitamins, each bag contains approximately 25 grams of carbohydrates and 120 mg of electrolytes (to prevent dehydration). A rapid rise in blood sugar provides runners the quick energy they need, without the sticky mess of gels.

Sample Beans: Jelly Belly's Sports Beans

Sports Drinks

Don't confuse sports drinks, which contain a blend of electrolytes, sugar, water, and nutrients, with energy drinks, which simply offer sugar and caffeine. Sports drinks replenish and rehydrate the body and are usually offered along with water at aid stations during races. However, some runners report digestion problems.

Sample Drinks: Gatorade, Powerade

Power Bars

Power bars, while a little "heavy" and hard to digest during a race, still make the perfect "hour-before" or post-run snack. Beware, however, that there are now a glut of products on the market going by "power bars," "energy bars," "protein bars" and "cereal bars" that may or may not offer you the nutritional value you need. Read labels carefully. Look for carb boosters – offering 30-50 grams of carbohydrates. And at 200-300 calories per bar, save them for post-run and not mid-day snacks!

Sample: Powerbar Performance Bar, Cliff Bars, Gatorbars

But Wait, There's More ...

Runners rely on everything from dried fruit and fig newtons to honey packets. Some create and carry their own special power drink blend (and would probably die before handing out the secret recipe). Bottom line, there is no "best" power aid. It's simply a matter of what works best for you. Just remember that power aids aren't miracle workers. There is no substitute for road time, a healthy diet, and regular hydration.

Power up, power on, and happy running.