My occasional issues with “pooping out” or “hitting the wall” during my runs, particularly during hot, humid weather, is well-documented here. This summer, I’m finally getting around to trying carb/electrolyte gels, which is something I had been considering for a long time. Single-use, premade gels are easy enough to find, but they have always struck me as bad for the environment (the last thing we need is more throwaway, non-recyclable single use packaging). Instead, I picked up a couple of reusable 3.5oz plastic bottles (there are several brands available that are purpose-made for energy gels), and went online to find some homemade gel recipes. I found this site, which has a wide variety of them, and I have tried a couple of them so far. What I’ve learned is that you basically need a source of carbs (sugar) and electrolytes (salt). Maple syrup, honey, and fruit juices work for the former, and sea salt and pink Himalayan salt are good electrolyte choices.

I figured that the shore, with its insanely high humidity, would be a good place to try gel out during a run, and initial results have been promising. A couple of days ago, I ran 7 miles with a 74°F dewpoint and no gel, went through a liter of water, and dragged the entire way, finishing with an average pace of 11:30, which is pretty slow on flat terrain. Today, I mixed up a 3.5oz concoction of honey, syrup, water, and salt, and ran 8 miles, going through all of the gel as well as 1.5 liters of water. It wasn’t an entirely fair test, as the conditions were more pleasant, with the dewpoint in the low 60s. However, I still worked up enough of a sweat to soak my shirt. I had noticeably more energy, particularly during the second half of the run, when my pace picked up rather than slowing. I finished a full minute per mile faster on average, and felt like I could have kept going if I had more of the gel.

Based on my early testing, it looks like for hot/humid conditions, I need about a liter of water per 5 miles, and 3.5oz of gel per 10K or so. Speaking of 10Ks, I have one coming up on the 4th of July, and it sounds like we might be in the midst of a heat wave then, so that will provide another good data point. But, I have to say that I’m kind of wishing I had tried this sooner.