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Marissa M.
Marissa M. Sendmail

Hypoglycemia and running

posted about 3 years ago | Report

I love to run, and I have been training for my first marathon, which I run this sunday, but I am hypoglycemic..

over the course of my training I have been trying all the different gu's, gels, chewy candies, electrolyte drinks...etc, but I know I am walking a fine line when taking in all this sugar, because eventually those will make me crash harder than before I took them.

I was wondering if anyone else out there is hypoglycemic too, and what they use during their long runs to boos their energy so they dont get too big of a sugar defecit and have bigger issues.

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9 posts

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  • Jennifer B.
    Jennifer B. Sendmail

    I used to have issues with this until I started doing endurance events. I started drinking Gatorade for all workouts. My rule is one 24 oz bottle for every hour. If it is an all day event, then I eat bananas (1) an hour along with it. Before I go, I make sure to eat something like a bagel.

    posted about 3 years ago

  • Stephanie O.
    Stephanie O. Sendmail

    Hi Marissa! I was recently diagnosed with hypoglycemia and am finding myself in the same boat as you. I have read hypoglycemic runners can eat beef jerky, cheese sticks, and nuts during their long runs to keep their sugar & insulin levels in check, but should never give way to sports drinks & gels. I am still in the trial & error phase myself so of you or anyone else has discovered anything that works, please share.

    posted about 2 years ago

  • Laurence B.
    Laurence B. Sendmail

    During my longer training runs (30km+) I will bring something like beef jerky along. I've also found that the jelly beans (Can't stand the gels) aren't too bad for myself.

    posted about 2 years ago

  • Ed T.
    Ed T. Sendmail

    Look into Hammer Nutrition products. They have very little sugar. The gel pack, for example, has 24 g carbs but only 4 g sugars. Check out their website for more info: www.hammernutrition.com

    posted about 2 years ago

  • Alicia
    Alicia Sendmail

    I'm in the same boat. When I started training for my half marathon, I knew I needed to make sure I had enough fuel to keep my sugar levels from dropping and me from getting all dizzy, etc. Pre-run, Clif Bars work really well for me. I try to make sure I've eaten somewhat recently, within the past 3 hours or so, and then have the Clif Bar about an hour/half hour before I go run. If I'm going to run longer than 45 minutes, I bring a package of Sport Beans with me. Rather than waiting until 45 minutes in to eat them all, I start about 35 minutes in and have a few every 10 minutes or so. Then post run I have a Kashi granola bar and some fruit if it's available.

    I searched high and low trying to find the best way to fuel for runs, and it was mainly trial and error. After training for morning runs by having a bagel for breakfast and a Clif Bar for a snack, the night before my half marathon, my resort was sold out of bagels! Luckily I had brought a box of my Kashi granola bars and had one of those and a banana pre-race. I thought for sure I would get dizzy after a few miles, but it actually worked well. During the half marathon, I had 2 packets of Sport Beans and they were enough for me.

    Also, if you don't have sport beans or some other sport chew with electrolytes in it, be sure to have gatorade/powerade at some point during your long runs.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Heather G.
    Heather G. Sendmail

    I am borderline hypoglycemic, so I NEED to eat-but the trouble I have isn't the sugar crash, it's GI problems from taking in all of this food.

    Like everyone said, it's trial and error. It's still a hit or miss experiment for me. At my last full, which was part of a 140.6 triathlon (on a relay team, I ran the marathon leg) they had a huge spread of food at each aid station. And the one thing that worked SO well for me? Animal crackers. I havent run anything past a half marathon since, but as I'm starting to get into the longer distance again I'm going to try the animal crackers again.

    I know that sounds funny, but my point is, think outside of the box! You don't HAVE to use the gu/gel/etc. find what works for you. Good luck!

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Alicia
    Alicia Sendmail

    "You don't HAVE to use the gu/gel/etc. find what works for you."

    Definitely! I know people who prefer to snack on gummi bears, cut up snickers bars, or dried fruit during a race. I've also heard of people bringing Twizzlers as well. I myself am interested in the Snickers option...

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Margaret
    Margaret Sendmail

    Fig Newtons worked great for me.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Chris B.
    Chris B. Sendmail

    I'm a type 2 diabetic so simple sugars don't work very well with me. Instead, I look for foods that have complex carbs. Granola, Cliff Bars, and maltdextrin based gels work well for me. If I'm doing anything over 2 hours, I'll add in some protein in the form of bars or energy drink like Hamer Perpetuem.

    The trick for me is to eat a good breakfast full of whole grains and a little fruit a few hours before an event. I'll have a bite of something (cookie, granola, etc.) about 15-20 minutes before the start. Once the event has started, I'm taking in about 100 calories every 20 minutes. Eating this way helps to keep my blood sugar stable even during my longest workouts.

    posted almost 2 years ago

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