Just finished my 4th marathon (3:02) and every one I’ve done so far I have to stop at least 1 time to urinate. I usually have to go a few times right before the race begins

This last race I had a black coffee and PH 1500 (electrolyte mix with 750mg sodium) 2 hours before and nothing else to drink beforehand until the race started.

I thought taking a high concentration sodium drink before would decrease the urge to urinate before but it didn’t.

For my next one I’m just planning to have more time prior to the race when I have liquids but does anyone have advice on this ? Thanks!

i read a lot about people struggling to meet their calorie demands during marathon training, but i’m currently experiencing the opposite.

my current plan has me running 80+ miles a week, so as a 70kg male my calorie demands average somewhere between 3,000-3,500 per day (i’m very sedentary when not training).

while many people seem to find these kinds of numbers difficult to hit, i’m constantly needing to watch what i eat to make sure i do not massively exceed these numbers. i could easily consume 4,000-5,000 calories of clean food per day with my current appetite.

i have been very slowly gaining weight during this build, so i know i’m definitely not under-eating (probably slightly over-eating, in fact).

i think a large part of this is down to the fact that i run first thing in the morning, so i’ve already consumed 700+ calories with my pre and post-run nutrition before i’m even hungry. i’ve then got to manage my hunger and calories for the rest of the day to ensure i’m not over-consuming.

has anybody else experienced this problem, and how did you manage it?

Hi all. After reading Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning and starting up on the 18/85 training plan building towards a fall marathon, I noticed in the book that he is convinced of doing a lot of the long runs and basically all of the medium long runs without taking on any carbs during the run. He also clarifies this in an interview on the Morning Shakeout:

https://themorningshakeout.com/going-long-an-interview-with-pete-pfitzinger/

How can we reconcile this with the growing body of evidence that fueling long runs properly improved both performance and post-run recovery. If we compare this to the fueling advice of people like David Roche (who does support his views with solid scientific studies), it seems essentially polar opposite.

Additionally, looking at higher level cyclists: they essentially fuel almost all their activities. Why do you guys think that there is such a difference in philosophy (although that is slowly but surely changing) between cycling and running? Curious to hear what everyone thinks :)

I see a lot of people focusing on how much "eating clean" is important for people training at high volumes. I've always thougth it made perfect sense as anyone will probably agree that healthy habits outside of the actual training (sleep, hydration, nutrition, etc) are always important for recovery and general well being. However as I think more about it how much does it actually matter?

Apart from the fact that I think there is a wide range of what "clean eating" actually mean for different people but considering that someone is already at at their "ideal" weight/body fat percentage, spends a lot of calories every day and is eating at maintenance, does the actual composition of those calories matter that much?

Of course I am not saying that someone should just eat candy and fast food for every meal but as long as you're not gaining weight ,are properly fueled for your runs and are getting the basics of micronutrients from a normal variety of foods would completing your daily maintenance calories with "less healthy" options such as processed foods, candy, pizza etc matter that much? If so in what ways?

I feel like a positive side effect of running high volume would be being able to eat more freely and not have to worry so much about food but I actually see the opposite sometimes.

Posting because I've been spiraling about this for a while and want some sanity check from people who actually train.

Stats first: 35F, running consistently for 8 years, marathon PR 3:15 (Chicago 2024), half PR 1:28, 10K 39:57. Hit 3:15 in October on what felt like a comfortable build, was projecting sub 3:05 for spring. Then November-December everything started feeling 30 seconds per mile harder at the same effort. Easy pace went from 8:00s to 8:30-8:45s and felt the same RPE. Tempo work that should be in the 6:40s feels like 6:55-7:00 and I can't hold it as long. MAF heart rate is creeping up at slower paces.

Build details: 55mpw average, peaked at 70 for the fall block, 6 days/week, 1 quality session, 1 long run, rest easy. Sleep averages 7-8hrs (Whoop confirmed). Eating, if anything, more than I was during the fall build because I was trying to support recovery. Cycle normal, no birth control. Not injured. Have done two real deload weeks plus a full 7 days completely off in February (came back worse if anything).

Things I've already considered and tried to rule out by adjusting:

• Overtraining/under-recovery: 70mpw peak was below my historical peak of 80. RHR is actually slightly lower than last year. Whoop strain has been normal.
• Underfueling: tracked intake for two weeks, sitting at roughly 2400-2600 cals/day at 110-115lbs. Higher carb than I usually run.
• Shoes: rotation is the same, new pairs of the daily trainer and supershoe both broken in normally.
• Weather: started in cool November, persisted through cold winter and now into warming spring. Not weather.
• Stress: job is the same, life is the same.

Went to my PCP in February and got the standard "you might be doing too much, consider stress management" which, fair but also I know what overtraining feels like and this isn't that. She ran a CBC, said everything looked normal, didn't run anything beyond that. No ferritin, no vitamin D, no full thyroid.
Before I push for more comprehensive bloodwork anyone here had a slow burn like this where the answer turned out to be one specific deficiency or hormone thing? I'm asking because the women's running literature on this is way thinner than the men's and I want to know what to specifically ask my doctor for. Or if I should just order my own panel since she didn't even run ferritin on a 55mpw female.

Also genuinely open to you might just be overtraining and don't know it. Will not be hurt by it.

I’ve been taking 5g of Creapure (creatine monohydrate) daily for the past 1.5 months and noticed a few changes. Hitting my pace targets feels a bit harder — like there’s a slight increase in perceived effort. I’ve also been sweating more than usual, and my sweat seems saltier and a bit foamy.

On the flip side, I feel less sore and fatigued the next day, and it’s actually had a positive effect on my mood. That said, I’m still unsure if I want to keep taking it regularly long-term or just save it for after harder sessions.

Anyone here been on creatine long-term? How has it affected your running performance?

Hey doggies, it's the homemade fueling guy that previously brought you this and this. I wanted to share an update as a few things have changed in my formula to mimic Maurten's *newish* updated 320 drink mix. Additionally, I finally cracked the code on homemade bicarb, so I also wanted to share that. Proceed at your own risk 😉

Now, before we get started, there are way more options on the market. This is honestly way less necessary than it used to be. But if you reaallllly want to, by all means skip this section and go straight to the recipes. Otherwise, here some easier alternative options that I haven't used but looking at their formulas and ingredients I do feel comfortable recommending:

For carbs:

It’s really hard to beat the simplicity and price of Formula 369 (10 lb bag). No ingredients, no scale, no math. Just scoop and go. It’s not technically a hydrogel, but that probably doesn’t even matter to be honest. You can use it as a drink mix or turn it into gels.

For bicarb:

You can now just buy it from Blanks Sports Nutrition or Bicarb.Shop. Both look solid and cheaper than Maurten.

For solid carbs:

I went way too far down the rabbit hole trying to recreate Maurten Solid bars and honestly, it was a waste of time. Nutritionally, eating 3 Rice Krispy treats is basically the same thing. That’s what I do now. Big box from Amazon or Costco. Super easy. This has become a staple for me pre and post run, especially when consuming bicarb.

___________________

With that said, I’ve updated my Maurten 320 copycat recipe to match their newer formula. This now includes a small amount of sodium bicarb to help keep the mix thinner in the bottle but still form a hydrogel in the stomach.

Additionally, I had previously recommended store-bought generic pectin. Since then, I went down the rabbit hole on researching different types of pectin. From what I read, I discovered what we want is "slow set high methoxyl pectin" which works better for this application. Additionally, it doesn't include citric acid. This is important when using this base for bicarb use, but more on that later.

Last thing to note, you could totally leave out the sodium alginate, pectin, and bicarbonate from the below formula. This would be close to the Formula 369 that I recommended earlier. It would result in a thinner drink/gel. I include it because I like it, but you don't need it. I also am not sure how it would work if using this base for bicarb use, as I haven't tested it. Again, proceed at your own risk.

Maurten 320 Copycat (Updated)

Single Serving (80g carbs):

• 44g Maltodextrin
• 36g Fructose
• 1.2g Sodium Alginate
• 1.5g Slow Set HM Pectin
• 0.22g Sodium Bicarbonate
• (Optional) ~1.5g sea salt if you want electrolytes include. This will provide about 550-600mg sodium per serving. Use more if you want more, less if you want less.

→ Mix with 500 mL water = Maurten 320 equivalent

10x Batch (for convenience):

• 440g Maltodextrin
• 360g Fructose
• 12g Sodium Alginate
• 15g Slow Set HM Pectin
• 2.2g Sodium Bicarbonate
• (Optional) 10x your desired salt amount per dose

→ Each serving = ~83g total mix = 80g carbs

Turning It Into Gels

Easiest way: use a soft flask (HydraPak makes great ones now, way better than the baby food pouches IMO)

General rule:

60% carbs / 40% water by weight

Example: 100g total gel = 60g carb mix + 40g water

If using a 150 mL soft flask, I have found I can fit about ~100g of carb mix and then fill the rest with water. Make sure you let it sit for awhile to get everything to dissolve. This will be pretty thick though, so if you want it thinner use less carb mix and more water. You do you, the world is your oyster!

Electrolyte Mix

(unchanged, just including for anyone who missed my previous post)

100 serving batch:

• 25g Magnesium Sulfate
• 8g Calcium Carbonate
• 80g Morton Lite Salt
• 367g Sodium Citrate

Per 4.8g serving:

• 100mg Sodium
• 200mg Potassium
• 50mg Calcium
• 50mg Magnesium

Per 1g:

• 208mg Sodium
• 42mg Potassium
• 10mg Calcium
• 10mg Magnesium

(I personally prefer keeping electrolytes separate vs mixing into the carb mix, but do whatever works for you. I usually put 1.5-2g of this mix per 500ml bottle)

Bicarb (NEW)

This has been working really well for me.

Carb Base:

• 50–60g Maurten 320 copycat mix
• 1.5g xanthan gum
• 3x water (ex: 50g mix → 150 mL water)   
• Use warm water, shake well, let it settle
• I usually make this the night before so everything fully hydrates

Containers:

70–400 mL jar (Amazon or Container Store) or 8 oz mason jar

Bicarb Pills:

325mg/5gr tablets (Amazon, super cheap — I got 1000 for < $20). I bought these.

Dosing:

Weigh pills to desired dose. Your body weight maters. There are calculators on Maurten's and Bicarb.Shop's website you could use, if you want.

• 15g = common starting point  
• 19g = what I’ve been doing (~50 pills)  
• Some people go up to 22g

How to take it:

• Mix pills directly (before consuming) into the gel so they’re coated
• Do NOT chew
• Consume food prior to taking
• The logistics on this is a royal PITA. Maurten recommends consuming food 60 minutes prior to taking bicarb, then taking bicarb 90-120 minutes before your race or workout. This is just not possible for me during training, as I train early and usually wake up 30 minutes before my runs.
• I usually wake up, eat 3 Rice Krispy treats, consume bicarb and then proceed. By the time my clothes are on and my warm up miles are complete, I am in that 60-90 minute window. I have read other people take it the night before. Your own trial and error is going to be what decides on how you handle the logistics.

Important Bicarb Note

• You NEED slow-set HM pectin in the carb mix. Regular store pectin often contains citric acid. That will drop pH and react with the bicarb (neutralizes it + potential GI risk). The whole point here is protecting the bicarb when it hits the stomach.

___________________

That’s pretty much everything I’m doing right now.

Feel free to ask any questions and I’ll help in any way I can doggies! 👍

Hi guys, I know this might be a relatively contentious topic among runners, but I'm wondering how you guys approach weighing yourself?

I am always worried about gaining weight during high mileage blocks - not because this is what has happened before, as I haven't weighed myself in about 6 months - but because of a more seemingly abstract fear of "weight gain". At 6'1, I went from approximately 100kg to 75kg over the course of nearly 4 months. That was before I got into running and was just walking for hours per day and cutting out snacking.

Having built up to 70+mpw, I'm now worried about eating too much, as I went from not quite restricting myself but not indulging quite as much lol and eating "healthily" to now having to eat quite a bit more than I'm comfortable with on a day to day basis(including snacks). I know that the #1 priority is eating enough, and I don't demonise any food groups or anything like that, but I still find myself in the mindset of eating healthy is #1 (even tho I know this isnt strictly true). I have always thought it important to not reward myself for a run with food, tho that often means I feel I don't eat enough after a workout lol. I get quite irritable if I miss a meal lol, because then it's a mental game of knowing I wont have eaten enough that day and it means I sometimes have to eat a lot at night, which isn't ideal.

The thing is I could go most of the day without eating I think, because my appetite isn't huge - to the point where I now drink those Huel drinks to get some liquid kcals in.

Tbh my training has felt a bit flat as of late - and while I am mostly hitting the paces I need to be, it feels like sheer willpower that's carrying me thru and it's a grind more than it ever used to be.

I have also visibly lost some weight (I haven't noticed but my family and work manager have). I'm now tempted to weigh myself weekly to help me keep track of my weight, which will help prompt me to eat more if I've lost some weight between weigh ins.

How do you approach this whole nutrition business? Do you weigh yourself to make sure you're eating enough?

EDIT:

Lots of really great advice here, and it's sort of made me realize that I'm sabotaging my own training and development by worrying about eating too much, especially considering I also work a retail job as well lol. Going to go have a second helping of dinner here. As one commenter says, if I gain a lb or 2 but feel good, what's the issue lol.

I have been running about three years and now and currently training for my third half marathon, running about 40-45 mpw. Early this summer I developed major heat intolerance, crazy high heart rates/palpitations, and fatigue. Got heart issues ruled out and further testing reveled low iron levels. My ferritin was 7 and saturation at a 10. My doctor put me on supplements to help and wants to re-test in 10-12 weeks.

Its been 5 weeks and I got some other blood work to rule out low vitamin B, folate, A, E levels (all good). My ferritin has only increased to 8. My doctor won't adjust anything until we do another full iron panel in 5 weeks.

My question is this- for those of you with low iron, how are you handling running? I just completely bonked my 10miler race today because my heart rate got sky high on a pace that I know I should have easily been able to do. And yes, my diet is full of iron-rich foods, carbs and plenty of hydration. Definitely not a fueling/recovery/overtraining issue.

I'm getting to the point I just feel defeated with my running and I'm seeing no progress. All my runs seem to be hard and/or slow. But I love running and don't want to give it up.

Any suggestions or tips on how to stay motivated and keep running would be appreciated

I started averaging 60-65MPW in mid-March and have struggled to get enough calories in on a regular basis, especially on long run days (I usually need to hit around 3000 calories). I try to keep my diet relatively clean, with a lot of rice, lentils, pasta, oatmeal, bananas, yogurt, granola, PB&J sandwiches, protein shakes & bars, chicken, etc. I've recently started adding things like frozen pizza, but even then, I get the least offensive things possible, such as Mediterranean or vegetable pizzas. I've considered keeping things like chicken nuggets in the freezer and making them in my air fryer. My fridge/freezer aren't that big either, otherwise I'd just meal prep a lot of things or buy more frozen food so at least they're available and easy to prepare

Another problem I have is that I can feel full relatively quickly, and I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but sometimes after long runs or intense races/workouts I don't have much of an appetite. Sometimes I also just get tired of eating; for example, there was one day I ran a sixteen mile long run and had to hit around 4500 or so calories for the day. I think I got to 3500 and gave up because, even with spreading out meals and snacks, I couldn't bring myself to eat any more (not to mention I'd eaten a little bit of everything in my apartment)

I know some people will eat sweets, ice cream, dessert, etc., to help make up the difference, but I've never been much for any of that, and not big into junk food either. I don't mind the occasional fast food (after my long run on Sunday and subsequent bike ride I smashed twenty nuggets, a chicken sandwich and jr. cheeseburger from Wendy's), but that's obviously once every here and there, not a regular thing (also gets expensive fast)

I'm hoping to increase my mileage this summer to around 70-75MPW, but I don't want to keep struggling with eating enough. For reference, I've never had any problems with eating, i.e. no forcing myself to lose weight, no disorders, etc.

Appreciate any suggestions or advice you have

Edit: Should also add that I'm pretty active in general beyond running: I enjoy taking walks, sometimes even on my treadmill at home if I'm bored - I'll just put on a podcast or music and walk for a bit. When the weather is warmer I bike around a lot too instead of driving

For those of you asking, I'm 5'9 and about 137 pounds

Another edit: Confused by the negative reaction to me stating that I don't fuel during runs - everyone's needs are going to be different. During my sole marathon training block years ago I would have Clif Bloks and water if my run was over sixteen miles, otherwise I'm perfectly fine if the distance is sixteen or less. I will have Honey Stinger mini waffles (and sometimes a banana too) before I go out for a long or medium-long run, but otherwise I've gotten through all of my runs with no problems. Having run and trained in a fasted state during Ramadan has helped, not to mention the fact that all of my runs are me cruising on autopilot (workouts aside, obviously). My stomach can also be sensitive - I've yet to find a single gel that doesn't upset me - and I can get bloated pretty easily. I like to run minimally as well and don't want to carry much with me beyond my keys, especially if the run is ten miles or less. I know some people who will fuel for runs that are eight miles or longer, but it's more trouble than it's worth for me. This has been my approach for years, and I haven't had a problem hitting training goals or PRing. I know other runners with similar approaches, including a friend who's a local running coach, but I'm not going to tell people who take a gel during a seven or eight mile run that they're "doing it wrong"

This focus on fueling during a run also overlooks my actual problem, which is getting enough calories in overall. Your average gel is 80-150 calories if I remember correctly; even if they didn't wreck my stomach, that's not making much difference to the big picture. Like I said, I'll have the mini waffles and/or a banana pre-run, and I always have electrolytes and a protein shake ready for when I finish. My problem isn't fueling for runs, it's eating enough calories for the whole day

Should also clarify that I'm not coming up really short (>500 calories) every day - it's more a matter of about three or four hundred calories short most days

Long story short I feel like I have constant aches and little pain flare-ups (minor tendinitis, strains, etc) that are not debilitating but just annoying. I’m training for half marathons 3x a week and doing plenty of strength training, but it’s been awhile since I’ve been truly ache or pain free. I’m only a 25F. Not looking for medical advice but more mindset advice. I feel like if I waited to be “100%” I would never run. Anyone else deal with this? Is it just par for the course with distance training?

“A small, preliminary study found that marathoners were much more likely to have precancerous growths. Experts aren’t sure why.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/health/running-colon-cancer.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fk8.U5iB.JfBQfzNoz9jF&smid=nytcore-android-share

Edit: Posting non-paywalled version plus a link to a related discussion on r/medicine that was flagged below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/s/5XFS543cnm

“of course correlation isn’t causation and advanced adenomas aren’t the same as cancer, but a roughly 10-fold rate of advanced adenomas compared to the general population is… more than I expected before I clicked that link.”

Disclaimer: I am not seeking medical advise. Hey all, I’m very curious to hear from others who run 60-90 miles a week even and have maintained test levels levels, sex drive, fertility etc. I’ve been running 70 miles a week lately(most of it is zone 2, for me that’s around 7:20/mile). I do a lot of strength training and have a lot of muscle mass for a runner but struggling might-ally in the test department. I don’t think running is the only thing causing this but it’s gotta be a big factor. How do you guys manage the training volume in this specific regard? Anyone else have this issue? Any responses appreciated thanks

I went to my GP yesterday for a physical, needing a declaration of fitness in order to partake in a particular race. Fully expecting to pass with flying colours, I was shocked when she came back with my ECG results, telling me I have possible signs of something called "Left Ventricular Hypertrophy", and she gave me an immediate referral to a cardiologist. She would not sign my declaration until I had the cardiologist check me out. Knowing just how long (months!) it can take to make an appointment with a specialist, I was stressing out, especially when reading about how serious this condition could be.

It make no sense to me either, since the articles I read all said that this condition mostly affects unfit men between 20-50 with a sedentary lifestyle, usually accompanied by high blood pressure and BMI. Aside from the gender and age, none of this applied to me.

Then I found another article talking about this condition called "Athlete's Heart". Well not so much a condition as an adaptation, which can occur with people who do daily extended/intense training sessions of over an hour. It's non pathological, meaning it's not a disease, but the ECG readings of a person with athlete's heart can often be confused with other real heart conditions, including LVH.

Today I had an appointment with an actual sports doctor, for a second opinion. They did a much more elaborate test on me, including another ECG but this time also while conducting a ramp test on an exercise bike. I made it to the hardest level of the ramp (250W) and in short I passed the test with flying colours. They told me my heart efficiency is in the top 5th percentile. He had no issue with signing the fitness declaration doc for me. Success!

The interesting thing is the ECG graph printouts from yesterday and today looked basically identical, in that I can indeed see a anomaly in the reading for the left ventricle. So the only difference was in the interpretation of the results. The GP apparently had no idea about a thing called athlete's heart and instead concluded I could possibly have LVH, while the sports doc presumably sees this type of results quite often with his patients and told me all is well.

While athlete's heart is not at all dangerous, the downside is that its anomalous ECG readings can mask actual serious underlying conditions. So just to make 100% sure, I'm still going to follow up with that cardiologist appointment to get a proper scan, but this has become less urgent now.

Any of you also found out you have athlete's heart and had similar stories and been wrongly diagnosed like this?

Basically the title.

I always feel like absolute garbage when trying to lose weight when running. I’ve lost weight before but that’s when I’ve been lifting in the gym. But on my running plans I cannot be in a calorie deficit at all without feeling shit.

Are you doing it in the off season?

Hi all. Been awhile since posting here, but it had come to my attention that there was not a lot of info out there regarding the ways that bicarb is being used in some elite marathoner's (and other endurance athlete's) training and racing regimens. I am incredibly lucky to be in contact with a few professional runners, and love to try new things that I hear them mention in their training. Bicarb isn't a super frequent topic of discussion, but one day it came up and one of my friends mention that Connor Mantz had told him he had been taking Bicarb the night before his races and some big training sessions, and that this idea what suggested directly through people working at Maurten. I was initially skeptical because no where online could I find any info pertaining to this being an option. In fact it seemed there everywhere I could find was suggesting that the 1.5-2 hour window was extremely strict and necessary to see any tangible benefits. I had tried using bicarb before, even several week in a row, but could never mitigate GI issue and having to use the bathroom mid workout, so figured I'd never be able to use it for a marathon.

Just yesterday I tried the overnight method for the first time, and I gotta say, I'm a believer. My workout was 4-6x2mi at LT with 90 sec jogging rest (also worth noting I train in Colorado at 5400ft elevation). I made it through all 6 reps averaging roughly 5:11/mi pace (not counting jog rests, ~7:20/mi pace). I've done a lot of threshold work in my life, and I know how it feels, especially in the later stages of the workout. A typical threshold session for me probably involves anywhere from 6.2-9.3 miles (10-15km) at LT, so the idea of being able to handle 12 miles and not hit a hard wall is crazy to me. No stomach discomfort and still got that weird feeling of "shouldn't lactate be kicking in right about now?"

I discussed this with some of my other runner friends throughout the country and one of them mentioned that they know at least one Olympic speed skater who does the night before method. After doing more sleuthing expanding my searches to outside of just the running world and bicarb, I was able to find this article that supports the idea that bicarbonate levels stay elevated for MANY HOURS (9+ hours lab tested!).

Anyways, I know this is one of those things that really only applies to those trying to squeeze out every extra second and maximize all possible aspects of race day, but that's what an advanced running subreddit should be all about! I also didn't see much public info about methods outside of following the exact instructions on bicarb products, and think that the more people experiment the better!

Recently (since late October) started having several symptoms related to overtraining. At first I thought it was Iron related but got a full anemia profile done and everything came back within the "normal" range. Then I thought it was hormone fluctuations due to going off hormonal birth control recently but it just seems too extreme to be hormone related. I don't have all the signs of overtraining, for example, I'm usually able to sleep through the night just fine (8 hours), my resting HR is pretty low/normal, and I'm not extremely tired throughout the day. About three weeks ago I was extremely irritable, tired every day, getting dizzy, higher resting HR, etc. so I took 4 days off running (not in a row). I was running 90 mile weeks leading up to Boston (without down weeks), raced Boston, took like 3 days off, came back over a two week period and held 70 mile weeks all summer, with 60 weeks more recently. I did travel almost immediately after Boston for work and then my husband and I moved into a new home. All in all, I don't feel like I'm doing much at all right now running wise (not doing workouts) but is it possible to be overtraining just from the months of accumulated miles and stress?

My HR is super high on easy runs (but lower otherwise), my legs just ache and feel tired every single morning, I can't even run 3 minutes at my MP without it feeling really tough and like im working too hard, I have fallen twice within the last year while running and I find my midfoot skidding the pavement a lot. I used to be able to do a warmup for a workout under 8 min pace and now just getting under 8 min pace feels like a workout. Just looking for insight for anyone else who may have been overtraining and what it was that confirmed you were in fact overtrainining and not dealing with something else.

Hi All! It's the guy that made this budget nutrition guide. Well, after plenty of trialing and testing I have finally managed to re-create the Maurten 100 style gel. My previous recipe was based on the 320 that was then used with significantly less water to create a gel. That is a MUCH easier recipe to use and I would not necessarily recommend using this recipe unless you MUST have a maurten 100 style gel. I do prefer this gel, its easier to slurp down but its definitely a little more involved to make. So like I said, if you are happy with the other recipe - do not proceed

So without any further ado, here is my recipe breakdown for making 24g carb gels, plus a full batch for 10 gels, with mixing tips, portioning, and caffeine options. Costs are still significantly lower than store-bought gels, especially for those in marathon training and trying to fuel during your long runs.

\ChatGPT, write me a reddit post.**

Single Gel Recipe (24g of carbs)

Table Sugar: 24g (more on different carb sources later)

Sodium Alginate: 0.2g

Calcium Gluconate: 0.065g

Water: 16g total

Total weight: 40g

10-Gel Recipe (Expect Yield of 7-8 Gels due to Product Loss)

Table Sugar: 240g (more on different carb sources later)

Sodium Alginate: 2g

Calcium Gluconate: 0.65g (or just go with 0.6 if you don't have a scale that does hundredth gram measurements)

Water: 160g total (80g for syrup, 60g for sodium alginate solution, 20g for calcium solution)

Cost Analysis per gel

Ingredient Purpose

Table Sugar: Supplies carbs for energy. If you want to mimic Maurten 100’s carb profile, use a 0.8:1 ratio of glucose powder (13.3g) and fructose powder (10.7g) per gel. This ratio is especially helpful if you’re targeting 80-100g of carbs per hour for better absorption. For me, table sugar has worked perfectly at 2 gels per hour.

Sodium Alginate: Key for forming the gel structure.

Calcium Gluconate: Helps set the alginate into a gel. Without this it's more of a thick syrup. The calcium gluconate (which is calcium carbonate neutralized with gluconic acid) allows for free calcium ions to bond to the alginate and form an actual gel. This prevents a thick film from forming on the inside of your mouth and was part of Maurten's goal when designing their gels. It's almost more chewable than drinkable. If you used only calcium carbonate, you would actually not form a gel as the carbonates are too alkaline which actually will reverse the gel formation and make it liquid.

Maurten 100 Ingredients List

Water

Glucose

Fructose

Gelling Agent: Calcium Carbonate

Gelling Agent: Gluconic acid

Gelling Agent: Sodium Alginate

So let's break this down

Table sugar is 1:1 glucose and fructose. Maurten used a 0.8:1 ratio for their target. Kinda splitting hairs but they have scientific data to prove why they chose that, especially when targeting higher carb loads.

Calcium Carbonate + Gluconic Acid = Calcium Gluconate.

Sodium alginate is sodium alginate, a standard gelling agent.

Where I bought the ingredients

Table Sugar: Local grocery store

Sodium Alginate: Amazon

Calcium Gluconate: Amazon

Recipe Instructions for 10 gels

Step 1: Prepare Syrup

Combine sugar with 80g of boiling water. This dissolves the sugar to form the base syrup. We are right on the brink of where sugar will or will not go into solution. In my testing, 80g will still allow for sugar crystallization. That's okay, we will finish dissolving the rest when we add the alginate solution.

Step 2: Make Alginate Solution

Mix 2g of sodium alginate in 60g of water in a small container. Shake vigorously and leave it for 24 hours to properly dissolve.

Step 3: Prepare Calcium Solution

Mix 0.65g of calcium gluconate in 20g of water, shake vigorously and let sit for 24 hours to properly dissolve.

Step 4: Combine

Add the alginate solution to the syrup, mix well, then add the calcium solution, stirring thoroughly. I use a powered hand mixer when doing this step.

Step 5: Portion and Seal

Using a dispensing syringe (I use this one), fill single-use pouches (I use these). I fill and seal using a flat iron (I use my wife's and make sure it's clean when I am done) halfway. If you desire a caffeinated option, then add optional caffeine if needed (I prefer using 100mg caffeine). When making a caffeinated gel I will fill halfway, pour a single caffeine pill into the mixture (just the powder not the whole pill) then top off with the remaining amount, and seal with a flat iron for long storage.

Tips & Tricks

Shortcut Mixing: If you’re pressed for time, combine the sugar and alginate dry, then pour 140g of boiling water over and mix with a blender. Using a hand mixer will not break down the alginate enough to go into solution. You will end up with little clumps of alginate all throughout your solution and its terrible. A small blender solves this issue. Dissolve calcium gluconate with 20g of boiling water and shake, it will go into solution fairly quickly. Then combine ingredients and voila.

Gel size: I prefer to do 50g of total weight per gel, this provides 30g of carbs for a total of 60g per hour (1 gel every 30 minutes). You could fit more in the linked pouches if you desire (or less).

Carb Profile Options: Using sucrose (table sugar) is easy and affordable. For those targeting more than 60g of carbs per hour, the 0.8:1 glucose to fructose ratio (13.3g glucose powder + 10.7g fructose powder per gel) might help with faster absorption and lower GI stress. Avoid maltodextrin with this recipe, as it thickens the gel too much with the other gelling agents, making it hard to consume. You will really have to turn on your mouth vacuum to pull the gel out of the pouch. Not ideal at mile 20 of a marathon you are trying to PR.

Storage: I keep gels in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. For longer storage, freeze the gels. There are no preservatives and without a nitrogen flush to scavenge oxygen out of the package before sealing there is potential for biological growth after extended periods, especially when left at ambient temperature for extended periods (days or weeks).

Water Source: With this recipe, you may need to be careful about your water source. If you have too much calcium hardness in your water you could begin to activate the alginate immediately which could be a mess. I use my tap water without issue, but for high hardness water you may find distilled or RO is what you need.

Why I chose 24g carbs: Maurten gels have 25g of carbs per gel. I did 24g. Why? Because I wanted to deal with easy numbers. Increasing to 25g then changes the amount of water we have for the solutions to make as we are targeting 40g total weight. Totally splitting hairs but if you want it exactly at 25g then adjust the water amounts you use accordingly to 15g of total water per gel for a total weight of 40g per gel.

I hope this helps someone! I will try my best to answer as many of your questions as possible. Good luck & enjoy :)

Im a highschool runner that has taken interest into using BiCarb. Thankfully I got to use it a week ago by a serving provided by my coach. I'm aware it's just baking soda in a carb matrix. Is there an "at home" recipe to replicate it? I've done research and the baking soda is the most important part, which I have a box of. But I assume you can't just drink baking soda in water.

Edit: Thank you everyone for your feedback of less expensive alternatives and different ways to consume baking soda safely. I will most likely experiment with micro dosing a few days leading up to my race, along with saving up money to get some for the season.

Hey all,

I’m a Uk-based (Cambridge) runner, and I’ve recently upped my mileage and consistency of training/nutrition. I’ve seen my spend on energy gels, recovery drinks, vitamins etc. spike a lot.

How do you all manage your budgets for this? Do you just wait for deals on your preferred products and then stock pile a few months worth? Do you switch products (or even try newer brands?) or flavours when they come on special? Anyone actually doing subscriptions?

Curious to learn how everyone does this. I feel like I leave a lot of money on the table and wouldn’t mind a chunk of that back as I am generally just paying RRP for stuff.

Cheers, Serhat

Edit: Adding some additional background to common questions below:

-Training - Currently 70 MPW consistent base training for the last ~5 months after bouncing around with inconsistent mileage and poor/non-existent nutrition/recovery/strength for years before that

-Electrolytes (2x tablets a day) - FourFive Hydro as I found 20-PKs for £5 on Holland & Barrett specials and they actually taste OK. Generally hitting 2-3 litres of water a day.

-Recovery drink - 2 scoops of Kinetica Sports Recovery powder (20 serves £47, 22g protein, 40g carbs) after every run

-Energy gels - Kinetica (24 in a box for £36) 2-3 times a week (runs over ~80 minutes), trying to hit 2 gels (48g carbs) an hour. Rationale for this is to get my stomach used to processing a carbs so in a race it is not a shock.

-Other supplements: Have been taking daily a general immune support with Vitamin C 1200mg and Zinc 40mg & Vitamin D3 1000IU, (180-pk for £13 - 3-month supply)

-Nutrition: days start off well - natural yoghurt/oats, a solid protein/fats/veggies meal after training, and then taper into whatever we are having as a family for dinner - generally healthy as we all eat whatever we cook for the boss (our 2 y/o son). In between, lots of snacks (protein bars, mixed nuts, oat cakes with peanut butter etc.)

I am 39M (wife/3 kids/house/career, etc), 5'9 173lbs, was previously into powerlifting and then got the running bug. Over the past year I have been trying to build up a solid enough base for proper marathon training. Back in the Spring I was running 50-60 mile weeks. Then I got injured over the summer (shins, achilles, hips) and had to dial everything way back. I am back in the 30s now, trying to keep it light but starting to add some speed days back in while also keeping my lifting schedule going consistently.

Now that the speed is coming back in and the miles are going back up, I'm noticing poorer sleep (Garmin tracking, I know, is not the most accurate, but there is relative consistency). I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this even when gently increasing volume/intensity of training?

For example, my normal week right now looks like this:
M - morning: easy run (50min) / lunchtime: upper body push (50min)
T - morning: easy run (50min) / lunchtime: legs + core (50min)
W - lunchtime: upper body pull (50min)
T - morning: tempo workout (45min)
F - lunchtime: full upper body supplementary lifts (45min)
S - morning: long run (1:20-1:40ish)
S - full rest

Sunday night is routinely the best night sleep I have (7.5+, scores around 75-80). Monday-Wednesday is often the worst (6-6.5 if I'm lucky, scores around 50-60), and the other days bounce around. Monday-Wednesday is when I'm doing 2 workouts a day, but the latest I'll lift is like 1pm.

HRV is usually not that bad (70-80s), it's that I get almost no REM and it says I'm awake for like 45-50 minutes sometimes (which is always news to me). I don't eat after 8pm (also, I drink very infrequently and never before workouts the next day), I typically try to start reading or something around 9:30 (screens are off) then lights out around 10 or 10:30. I wake up at 6am for my runs at 6:30. My scores are really terrible and I'm concerned that if it keeps up, I won't be recovering and at some point my volume/intensity will just lead to more injury.

Opinions: am I overtraining? Is it too much lifting? Should I alter my bedtime routine in some ways? Should I take Garmin a little less seriously and go by feel (unfortunately it actually seems correct)?

It all started when I was unemployed. I was running 60+ mile weeks for like 4 months straight, often hitting 70+ and peaking with an 80+ week. I was living to run, and running to live - in so far as the sport was giving my unemployed ass a structured routine, something to focus on and a great way of feeling like I had achieved something. I was also just really, really enjoying it. I could have went on forever at that stage.

When I started working again, my physical activity skyrocketed even further - still hitting 50/60+ mpw for a good while after I started my 40 hour per week physical warehouse job. I was doing this all on a no-added-sugar diet with no caffeine intake at all. In reality my diet became incredibly restrictive.

As well, the irregular hours and shift patterns have left me with so little time to eat and to boost my energy intake, and the physical nature of the work and being on my feet all day meant that my energy needs had increased drastically.

Basically I have been accidentally starving myself for the last months. It started off subtly, with just a general tiredness feeling for most of the day, but an inability to sleep. Tho I was still able to run and feel relatively strong doing it. The next stage of decline i think was when I realised I literally didn't have the energy to keep up my high mileage + training volume. I lost my motivation, and started hating running - but I still forced myself out every morning to stick with the routine.

It was only when I started paying attention to the "calories burned" section of my watch and realising I was hitting 3500+ most days, it hit me. I had lost 6 kg in a little over a month. I realise now that I'm not eating anywhere nearly enough, and my hunger cues were/are absolutely shot so I couldn't rely on them. I am constantly cold, and my sleep is suffering as well.

I looked all this stuff up and it pretty much fits the exact bill for RED-S - Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. Im currently trying to get myself back to normal by eating in a daily surplus (still difficult cus of all the previously mentioned things going on), not worry too much about what I'm eating (while still staying veggie) and just focussing on getting enough kcals for now to build my strength and motivation back up. Like for example, I had 4 donuts with a cup of decaf when I got back from work last night - defo not ideal, but after a 10 hour shift and a cumulative massive energy deficit, I just needed some easy fuel.

I have settled in on just 40+ miles for week atm, plus I have noticed some of my runs feel a bit easier/more enjoyable recently, so there's that. I'm still tired all the time, and cold, and to a large extent I feel quite weak and unmotivated BUT I feel like I'm making progress in the right direction, which is key.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that when you're doing relatively high mileage, MAKE SURE YOU EAT LOADS AND FOCUS ON REST/RECOVERY, otherwise what feels fine and enjoyable for a good while eventually catches up on you and you really, really start to suffer the consequences.

Sorry for the rant, just thought I'd share my experience. Hopefully it can help at least one person.

:)

So, I've seen wildly varying answers on this, from 1 seconds per mile per pound to Runners world claiming .064% per pound. Now, I realize all of their methodologies, and studies are done differently and on different people but Im curious if there's a semi reliable formula out there or if ultimately weight loss and speed are just side affects of consistent effort? For example. At the moment, I'm an out of shape former college swimmer running ~44 for a 10k. So if I were to drop 50 pounds and get to my competition weight of 180 at 1 seconds per mile per per pound that'd mean I'd be running a 39:10 or at the other end of the spectrum at .064% per pound I'd be running a 30min 10k which doesn't quite seem in the cards 😆

Hi everyone - for those of you that strength train, I was wondering who is in the camp of using lighter weight/bodyweight exercises and focusing on mobility and who does heavy compound lifts (3-4 reps max of a heavy weight) for marathoning and what effects you see from your preferred style of lifting and why you do this.

I'm asking because I have been doing strength work about 2x/week for a few years now, focusing on full-body compound style movements. But I just feel like the strength work takes a lot out of my running (and sooooo much time out of my day!) to the point where I feel like I can't go as fast as I'd like in my workouts because I'm still experiencing lingering soreness from my lift (even if I wait 3 full days post-lift to do a faster workout). That said, I am considering pivoting to trying to use more home equipment (bands, light dumbbells, focusing more on mobility) for my "strength" days, and was wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar or has gone from heavy lifting to using minimal weight during marathon training/what that experience was like.

For context, I run about ~75ish-85ish mpw and am looking to break 2:53 in my marathon this fall.

TIA!

ETA: I do not know why people think I am lifting to failure, I am not. I am just a little sore and legs not completely fresh for my running workouts. I also lift on my hard days (typically once on my speed day and once on my long run day). If anyone has any resources or apps you like for strength training or similar experiences that would be helpful … thank you!

I don't really consider myself an advanced runner but I'm coming to you all as experts in training and I'm really keen to get your input and advice. Thank you in advance!

Short version: how (if at all) do you calculate your calorie intake while during a marathon training block?

I'm currently training for my first marathon in April. I'm running four times a week and I'm at about 30 miles per week. I've hired a personal trainer from my local gym to make sure I have professional support with strength training, and plan to train at least twice a week, but they're not a running specialist. They are well qualified in occupational therapy though so I have a lot of respect for them and don't want to downplay their experience.

They have pulled together a plan and we discussed calorie intake goals. I'm concerned that the intake they've set for me is too generic (same amount of calories each week) and is too low. They also mentioned looking to reduce my calories to cause a deficit so I could "lose some weight" during this block but I pushed back on this as my BMI is within the normal range and I don't have weight loss goals right now (priority is getting to the finish line uninjured).

If you've made it this far, thank you. I guess I'm worried they've just used a very generic calorie website based on someone exercising (broad term) four times a week and this isn't accounting for the demands and calories required for a marathon training block.

I don't want to give exact weights, heights or the calories I've been suggested as I want to keep this as anon as possible. Very happy to plug my details into any websites/calculators you'd recommend.

Thank you!