"GU" Advice From Melanie McQuaid

Well before three-time XTERRA World Champion Melanie McQuaid made a career out of endurance sports performance she earned a degree in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Victoria.

It's safe to say that her educational and athletic credentials combined with race-tested experience in using GU energy gel make her well qualified to give advice on how best to incorporate GU into a runner's game plan for Sunday's XTERRA Trail Run Worlds, and here it is...

Having no idea how long the run will take makes a nutrition strategy challenging.  I would suggest starting to take GU early in the run at each aid station so that you can chase each bit of GU with some water.  Ensuring you dilute the energy packets will save you from any stomach distress down the trail.  I feel that I am best with a bit of GU every 30 minutes but when I am running I need to pace myself on how fast I eat it because I can't drink as much as I could on a bike.  So I will likely hang on to my half eaten GU packet for awhile, eating a bit here and there and trying to drink what I can at aid stations.

If you are going to be out on the course longer than 2.5 hours, you will want to make sure you are drinking enough at the aid stations, so maybe a plan to walk through while drinking and eating what you need would be best. Even if you stop to finish your drinks and GU it will be better than stopping before you finish the race!

For more information and  answers to frequently asked questions regarding GU visit www.guenergy.com. 

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