What in the Goo?

Let us talk nutrition for a second - and I don’t mean breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Most of you have noticed those colorful little packets of goop and powder you see when you walk into a running store. Some of you may already use these products and some have stayed away from them not knowing what’s what with all that stuff. Today’s topic will not be about the why and why not but focus a little more on the when you should take something for a run.

A common train of thought is that these products are something you use on race day and for your long runs to help you get through them. Those are both great times for the added boost that you can get from a quick shot of sugary gel but why limit their usefulness to such a small range of opportunity?

Ever considered downing one of those gels before a shorter run or a track workout? There are benefits to such a thing that you might not have thought of. If you go to the gym, or know people who do, then you have probably heard of things like pre-workout supplements or taken the time to down an energy drink before heading in. Then right afterwards you gotta get your post workout nutrition in too. So why is this a mindset that is totally common for the gym rats but not applied to running and runners? The answer is, I do not know. I honestly can’t really find a point in time or reasoning for the lack of crossover from the one world to ours, but I think it’s high time we started giving it some consideration.

The added nutrients and energy supplied from a gel taken 15 minutes before a short run leaves your body more “stuff” in the system to use for both the workout and the recovery. The ability to have a better performance in your workout and recover better is a great result for doing something so simple. So maybe give it a shot on your next effort and see how it goes.