Of Gu, Glycogen & You

Yeah, yeah, I know, weird title. I will clarify if you just keep reading, and it may actually benefit some of you one day.

I’m a science freak. I loved it all throughout school, and if you put science into a subject that I think is useless & boring, I will get totally into it! I guess that’s why I love the show Good Eats with Alton Brown.  The way he mixes science into cooking keeps me intrigued, even if Maria can’t stand it! I think she’d like the show if Alton Brown wasn’t the star of it, but that’s another story.

Good Eats, for those who have not had the opportunity, nay the honor, of seeing it, not only teaches you how to cook certain foods or dishes, but it mixes in some history of the item, some science about why you should use one pan or the other, or why you should use egg whites as opposed to whole eggs, etc. It’s not just TV shows that draw me in with science though… have you not been following my blog thus far?

This marathon training has really got me looking into the science of the human body. More so than ever before, science is playing a huge role in distance running. Take a look at how shoes have changed. We’ve seen air filled shoes, shoes with pumps, bungee cord strings, round strings, flat strings, gel inserts, lighter shoes, mesh, “hydrophobic” materials, and the list goes on & on. I mean, did you read my blog about a $50 pair of socks! And the technological advancements with GPS’s, heart rate monitors, winter training gear, it’s easy to see that great strides are being made in the sport. Even strides aimed at the insides of our bodies are being made.

Glycogen is a molecule that is made by the liver & muscles from the carbohydrates we take in. It is the fuel for our muscles. The glycogen is stored in the muscles & in the liver, though the glycogen in the muscles is what we are going to be focusing on.

Glycogen is like throwing gasoline on a fire. It burns very rapidly, but pretty efficiently. It’s right there at the muscles, so the muscles use these stores first. Fat, on the other hand, is like throwing wet wood on a fire. The fire will eventually dry the wood, and it will burn, but it takes awhile for it to really get going. For runners, and other active sports, the body will burn the glycogen, then revert to trying to burn fat.

A runner can store about 2000 calories worth of glycogen in their bodies. Depending on the rate of burn, the glycogen stores of said runner will be depleted around 18-20 miles. If you’ve read anything about marathon running before, 18-20 miles is what is known as the wall. This is the point that the runner reaches where it feels like their muscles just cannot go on. This is the body running out of glycogen & reverting to burning fat for energy. For this reason, marathons have used oranges, bananas, candy, sugar cubes, and tons of other items stationed throughout the course, to help the runner replenish glycogen during their run to avoid, or at least minimize, the effects created by a lack of glycogen. Here comes science to the runners rescue!

Several companies over the past few years have introduced energy gels to the market. Two of the more well known are Gu & Powerbar.  These energy gels provide complex carbohydrates that the body can quickly process into more glycogen. They may also contain caffeine, amino acids, electrolytes, or some other bonus supplement. Their proper use is essential during a marathon. With the gels, it’s advised that you take one about an hour before the marathon, and then every 45 minutes during the run. You wash it down with 4-5 ounces of WATER… no sports drinks. Sports drinks can cause delayed gel absorption & stomach upset, which are not good for a marathon. If your muscles don’t get the glycogen they need, the wall will get you. If your stomach is upset… 26.2 miles is a long way to run, but even longer when the porta-potties are spaced 3 miles apart! It’s recommended that you use moderation when mixing sports drinks & energy gels during a workout, long run or marathon. Adequate water intake is also key to help in the transport of the gel through the small intestines where it is absorbed.

I am in the process of trying some of these. I have three items that I will be trying. Gu, Powerbar Gel, and Jelly Belly Sport Beans. Yeah, I know, it’s not an energy gel, but a friend of mine swears by them.  Not to mention, I love me some Jelly Belly’s! I will let you know how the trials go on these items. I have decided to wait until I am running over an hour before I start testing these items to see how they fare on my stomach, which is my major concern.  Oh yeah, & Jelly Belly's are Good Eats!