Part of the
expectations I had when I joined the 2011 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon
(SCMS) last December is to be exposed to something new (for me) on something
running. And I was not
disappointed.
Prior to my SCMS
experience, the only gel brands I knew about were Hammer and Gu. But the Sports Expo last December 3 of the
SCMS introduced me to several more. Marami
pa palang mas masasarap at mas magagaling.
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| High 5 race pack |
One thing that
attracted me to the High 5 booth at the Sports Expo was the dosage guide for
the half marathon and marathon. I have
been using gels for the past two years, but this was the first time that I got
to encounter a dosage guide. Plus, the
staff of the High5 booth were generous in sharing helpful information.
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| At the High 5 booth, Sports Expo, 2011 SCMS |
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| Dosage guide |
Here are a
handful of information from High 5 on Marathon Race Day Nutrition:
1. Carbohydrate is the most
important fuel for running a marathon. 71% of a runner’s energy comes from
carbohydrate when running at a long distance pace.
2. Your body is only able to store
a limited supply of carbohydrate and during a marathon, you will deplete that
store. As you run your marathon and your
carbohydrate level falls, you will find it harder to maintain your early
pace. Run far enough and you will
eventually hit the wall. This is where
your carbohydrate stores are so depleted, your muscles are forced to rely
almost exclusively on fat as fuel.
3. The more carbohydrate your muscles have available as fuel, the
faster and easier you will run a marathon.
There are two ways to get more carbohydrate on board: carbo load in the days before your event (to
increase your store of carbohydrate) and
consume carbohydrate as you run.
4. As you run, your body can only
absorb a maximum of 60g of carbohydrate per hour. Be aware that consuming more
than 60g per hour can cause stomach problems – as don’t overdo it. It is important to drip feed your body with
carbohydrate from the very start of your run in preparation for the later
stages. Waiting until you fatigue before
popping a single gel at say 17 miles is a mistake that many runners make.
Race Day
Breakfast:
It should be light and high in carbohydrate. Cereals, toast and porridge are good
examples. Drink 500ml High5 EnergySource
to help provide additional carbs and keep you well hydrated. Take High5
EnergyBar with you to eat on the way to your race.
10-15 minutes
before the start:
Take 2x High5 EnergyGel Plus Sachets and drink 200ml to 300ml
water. EnergyGel Plus contains an exact
amount of caffeine to further boost your performance.
During the
marathon:
After the first 60 minutes take an EnergyGel Plus every 30 minutes.
Recovery: For fast recovery, including
reduced muscle soreness, drink 500ml of Energy Source 4:1 (this includes
protein) as soon as you finish. Drink
another 500ml one hour later and eat a balanced meal as soon as possible.
All the High5
products mentioned in this helpful dosage guide are included in the race pack.
For more info, please visit the
website www.highfive.co.uk.
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| Contents of High5 race pack |
Was High5
effective? Yes. I guess it is. For the running of the SCMS, fatigue did not
overpower me despite the humidity of Singapore.
More enjoyable for me, I established a PR in marathon last December 4.
I believe in the
High5 product. I believe that it would
be helpful for my BDM 102 ultra adventure.
Then only problem I
have now is that when I checked on the High5 website, there was no listed
distributor in the Philippines. But
wait. I got to visit the newly-opened Runnr store in Alabang Town Center last Friday, February
10, and it was selling
High5 Energy Gel. The Summer Fruits
flavor is retailing for Php 65 per while the Raspberry flavor (with caffeine)
is retailing at Php 70 per. I bought
immediately a dozen.
Good value for
money.
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