What kind of sports nutrition do I take during a run?

This is such a common question, I figure it deserved its own article. Freshly published on sportsbistro.com. In the article I discuss not only what to take, but how often. I also give some examples for common run distances people do. Here's a snippet:

Example 1: 2-hour run
0:15 min before: take one gel and some water/sports drink/nuun
0:30 min in: take one gel and some fluids
1:15 min in: take another gel and some fluids
2:00 min in: take final gel and finish off the fluids

The one final gel is a little known secret for improving recovery. After a workout, you have a limited recovery window of about 30-60 minutes where the body will quickly replenish muscle glycogen using all available fuel sources. Taking that one extra gel will aid your recovery especially if you can't get to your recovery drink in time.

Example 2: 10K race
0:15 min before: take one gel and sme fluids
5K into run: take one gel, fluids and keep pushing harder

The initial gel will kickstart your system. Taking one in the middle will give you an extra boost so you can push even harder in the last 5K. For races of all length I also recommend taking the uber-gel Roctane.