At what distance of a run do you carry water and back-up fuel?

Somewhere over 6 miles or so - for me it depends on the temperature (for water, that is). Fueling has always been an issue for me - have a hard time trying to not over- or under-fuel for the longer runs. The nice thing is that even if I overfuel, I know I'll get home, but I always wonder if I could have gotten by with less...
 
I have found that a somewhat diluted homemade lemonade works for me during a triathlon, so maybe I need to plan ahead better and take that.
You may be onto something. I would mix up batch of maltodextrin, whey protein, and a pinch of salt and potassium dissolved in water, then put it in my bottles for the long summer runs. It helped, but I still felt dehydrated. I probably needed to drink more.

Maltodextrin (sugar) and protein are the first two ingredients in Hammer Perpetuem.
 
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Wow, you guys are hardcore :).

I carry water on any run, and if it's 10km or over I'll carry a dilute energy drink solution, 1/2 strength or so. I have never needed more than 500ml even on runs up to 15km (current max).

My pre-run fuel is 1 hot-crossed bun for anything under 10km and 2 buns if over that.

I'm going to be stoked the day I can claim to have gone for a 'gentle 20 mile run' :D.
 
i've ever only carried water for my dog on a run. i haven't gone too far and only drank water once during a race. obstacle course that was pretty tough on a hot day.

lucky you get to experiment in this thing called life.
 
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I read you should have water every 30 minutes and calories every hour. This has worked for me.
I think the important thing here is that it has worked for you.
Personally if I ate this much or drank this much would quickly couple over with killer cramps....I never eat for my runs (never been over 15miles either though :(). Even a banana beforehand can be a very bad idea.

Water for me depends, as other have stated, on the heat. To much water in the middle of my run can be bad news.

I think the more you test the more you will know....if it feels right, perfect.....if not, change it :D
That wasn't helpful was it?? o_O
 
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I think the important thing here is that it has worked for you.
Personally if I ate this much or drank this much would quickly couple over with killer cramps...
I think a big part of this is a lot of people take big huge gulps of water. Bad idea. Little sips are not bad and won't make you cramp up. Back when I cycled all the time I had a hard and fast rule that I sipped water every 15 minutes. This was after having some serious dehydration issues during a ride which caused me to research how much to drink. At the time there were some schools of thought that you did not need to chug water, but just needed to take smaller sips every 15 minutes or so. I started doing this and never had a hydration problem afterwards. Even during the 204 mile Seattle to Portland race I never had a problem with hydration which was about 10.5 hours of ride time. I still carry this thought process into my running and so far I have not once gotten a sour or sore stomach.
 
True Zetti. I am diabetic. When I weighed 340 lbs my problem was high sugar, but now that I am 180 lbs if I go more than an hour without a gel shot or something I get a sugar drop. I forgot to take food one time out riding my bike and had to stop and use a phone at a convenience store to get my wife to come save me. Now I just make sure I keep some gel shots on hand if I am planning anything over 8 miles running or 22 miles biking.
 
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True Zetti. I am diabetic. When I weighed 340 lbs my problem was high sugar, but now that I am 180 lbs if I go more than an hour without a gel shot or something I get a sugar drop. I forgot to take food one time out riding my bike and had to stop and use a phone at a convenience store to get my wife to come save me. Now I just make sure I keep some gel shots on hand if I am planning anything over 8 miles running or 22 miles biking.
yep...knowing your body is the most important thing here....looks like you've got the hang of your needs now which makes running that much more fun =)
 
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I think a big part of this is a lot of people take big huge gulps of water. Bad idea. Little sips are not bad and won't make you cramp up.
Nick, you just reminded me of my half when I grabbed some water and just about killed my self trying to breathe it in.....coughed for the next 2 miles strait....lol
running and hydrating is an art form for sure!
 
Personally if I ate this much or drank this much would quickly couple over with killer cramps....I never eat for my runs (never been over 15miles either though :(). Even a banana beforehand can be a very bad idea.
Yah, I like to have 2-3 hours pass between my last meal and my workout, although I sometimes guzzle water right before a run. I bought a water belt late September, then got an MCL injury soon afterwards, so I haven't really run far enough yet since then to have to use it, but I would tend to agree with Nick that once you're on the run, small sips are best. Gel packs sound disgusting, but so did sushi until I tried it, so I'm keeping an open mind. Still, seems like a regular banana would do the trick if you're really bonking, or a bag of nuts. I'm kind of like Dutchie, I tend to go old school and low tech, but I did just order an Oregon Research Peruvian Hat, got a reflector belt for late afternoon runs, and have worn a high tech fabric 'base layer' shirt now for the last week or so, so perhaps gel isn't out of the question once I'm able to do longer runs.
 
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Gel packs sound disgusting, but so did sushi until I tried it, so I'm keeping an open mind. Still, seems like a regular banana would do the trick if you're really bonking, or a bag of nuts. I'm kind of like Dutchie, I tend to go old school and low tech,
I personally prefer fruit to any sort of gel. Gels leave my mouth sticky and sometimes my hands and doesn't always meet my fuel needs (cycling) and I still bonk, but fruit on the other hand seems to work amazingly well and pulled me out of a serious bonk at 100 miles for the rest of the 204 mile race. If I ever get to where I run far enough to need to use fuel I am not going to mess around with the gels or shot blocks, I will just take dried fruit or some other natural alternative.
 
I am finding this whole discussion very useful! Thank you very much for all the input. :) I already do the small sips approach when I do have water. I'm thinking I may make my own version of an energy cookie. Also, I remembers all the fruit leather that I made this summer. I should try while on my long runs. There seems to be the possibility that my fueling needs will change as I increase distance, so I will keep that in mind.
 
As you have probably noticed, everybody has different habits. Mostly I guage my water intake on how much I'm leaking / sweating. If it's hot I stop and tank up often (water fountains all around my favourite routes.) I don't think I've ever actually carried water on a run. In cooler weather I won't stop for anything under 10 or 12 miles, and then I'm just drinking when I'm done.

For food, I don't touch it for anything under 20 miles, and don't run anything over 15 miles anymore. Last May , running a 26.1 mile race, I was great until 18 miles for food, but crashed at 20. That was probably an undertraining issue, though. By the time you've gotten to your age you probably know your own ideosyncrasies for when you can eat. I'm the proud owner of a cast iron gut, and can run after an Indian dinner with only 15 minutes rest. Most folks are a bit more sensitive.
 
Personally I don't take anything with me if it is under 10 km, unless it is a really hot day, but then I will typically try to plan my route around someplace i can get water if i need it. Unless of course i am exploring trails......, oh hell I don't know anymore. What was this post about again?
 
I think a big part of this is a lot of people take big huge gulps of water. Bad idea. Little sips are not bad and won't make you cramp up. Back when I cycled all the time I had a hard and fast rule that I sipped water every 15 minutes. .

Little sips is a great idea!
Another option is to take a bigger gulp of water but keep it in the mouth (i.e. not swallowing it immediately). However this works only if you have no problems with breathing only through the nose. The water in the mouth is slowly hydrating the body through the mucous membranes and mixes with the saliva. After ten minutes or so the mouth becomes full of liquid and you can start to swallow little bits.
(Sometimes it could be better to spit it out instead: if the taste becomes sour, it could mean that the water has triggered a bout of detoxification via saliva.)