Lesson #5: Experiment early in your training cycle to figure out what works best for you. Once you figure out what you like that also works with your digestive system, stick with it.
Yesterday I wrote about general diet. Today, let's talk about your workout nutrition. There are all sorts of nutrition products on the market, both drink and food. They all have their different uses and amounts that should be consumed in any given timeframe.
Liquids range from the most basic -- water -- to all sorts of electrolyte formulas or concentrates/powders with which to create an electrolyte drink (many of which are sponsors for various races): Gatorade, Powerade, Nuun, Lucozade, Tailwind, and plenty of others whose names I don't know. Personally, I don't bother with any of the electrolyte drinks any more. While I drink my fair share of water (typically 1oz per mile of my runs, and as mcuh as 75-100oz per normal day), I get my needed electrolytes and carbs with some of the "gels" out on the market.
There are tons of products on the market that provide electrolytes and/or carbs which come in different consistencies and flavors: Clif ShotBloks (my typical preference), Clif Shot gels, Gu energy gel or chews, Honey Stingers chews and waffles, Sports Beans, PowerBar PowerGel, etc.
As will be mentioned in a future post, lots of these products are available for sample and purchase during marathon expos. These are great opportunities to at least test out the taste and consistency. But consuming these samples won't help you figure out how well they work on your digestive system generally, let alone under race conditions. But it's definitely a way of narrowing down the field of things to consider.
So much of the nutrition aspect of training is personal preference-dictated. Do you like the taste and consistency of the product? Is it something that you can actually consume, especially far into a long run? (When I first started running marathons, I used to eat Clif PowerBars. While tasty and a reasonable consistency, after about Mile 18, I was incapable of sufficient energy in my jaw to chew them any longer; I needed to find something else.) Is it something that you will choke on? (The main reason I never try Sports Beans -- I worry about choking, whereas I gradually gnaw down the ShotBloks across a mile's distance.) Is it something that you will be able to reasonably carry with you? (The waffle products look like they would be too large to carry during a run, though before/after would be fine.)
You need to also be mindful of whether a product is specifically intended for pre-race/pre-workout or post-race/post-workout. These are typically formulated to either prepare your body for what is to come or quickly replenish what has been spent and should be rebuilt in short order. I haven't yet bothered with any of these products, so can't comment on their general effectiveness.
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