Please let that be superstar…
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It’s delayed.
This is a good time for pop-quiz. I’ve mentioned a few things about that.
You tell me. Explain why it would be delayed. Can you give me 2 reasons?
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Becaussssssseeeeee…
I have not done any insulin to let it in? 
aaaannnnndddd…
beeeeecaausse…
hormones??!
Final answer.
Protein??
Cortisol spike… 
I’m not a big fan of pop quizzes. just for the record.
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Are you going to come back with the answer, @Eric, or are you just gonna leave me hanging here… wondering if I somehow passed…
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I will give you simple answers. Each of these could be given with much more detail. This is the quick version.
-
Dehydration slows your digestion significantly. Are you working on staying hydrated before and during your runs? That is one part of the delay.
-
When you are running, your body is prioritizing blood flow to your skeletal muscles. Digestion is put on the back burner. As soon as you stop, all the stuff sitting in your stomach will start to hit. You are seeing that spike when you finish from the gels you ate while running. Once you stop, digestion becomes prioritized a bit more by your body. That is another part of the delay. Your body does not want to use it’s valuable resources on digestion.
-
Gels and solids are not doing to digest as fast as liquids. Your body needs fluids to process things. If you don’t have enough fluids, the delay will be even more. The closer the carbs are to being the same osmolality as your body’s fluids (about 290 mosm/kg), the faster it will be processed. Those gels you are eating are thicker. They have a higher osmolality than your body’s fluids. So they take longer. Fluids will work better.
So, what do you do?
- Drink more, stay better hydrated.
- Know that intense runs will slow everything down.
- Use a faster carb source. A liquid instead of a gel. See below.
This will be the fastest carb for you when running. 23 grams per 4 ounces, and will hit very quick. This has a much higher carb content then normal Gatorade, so it is easy to pound down a quick blast of carbs.
The Gatorade Prime is not ideal for taking out on the road, but for a treadmill it works great. This will be much faster. Try it.
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Seriously?? So you mean I could be seeing that delayed rise because I’m dehydrated?? Does that mean I should see it kick in faster if I were better hydrated? Would it be clear like that, or does it not work that way?
Sooo… this is very interesting, but have we ever talked about this?? How does one get around this?? It makes a lot of sense for what I see during and after my runs, but what’s the fix??
The fix… I actually did kind of consider whether or not the gels could’ve been at least partly responsible for the delay, but I figured it was too simple an answer. So that does make sense. Why am I buying all of these gels then?? Except for the fact when I try to open a liquid while running, I end up wearing it?
This all makes a lot of sense, but I feel like I just overfilled my “needs to be solved and something probably needs to be purchased” cup.
And if digestion is delayed, how am I even getting anything from it at all until I’ve stopped running??
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Just saw there was more in your response. Ignore whatever I said up there.
Okay, that’s simple enough a solution, but what for the road then??
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A little faster yes. If you are better hydrated, your body will be able to process it faster, yes.
It’s all part of it. It’s all incremental.
Running slows your digestion, dehydration slows it, gels versus liquids are slower.
All the things together are contributing.
Being better hydrated, understanding there is a potential delay as you increase your intensity, and using liquids.
The gels are not bad. They are easy to eat, very easy to manage. But it helps to have water with them. And you can use them, or use Gatorade Prime, or both.
On the treadmill, drink water whenever you eat a gel. A lot of the gels tell you to drink water with it!
It is slowed down, it is not stopped. Your body still processes what is in your stomach, but much slower!
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@Eric, what is this “always follow with water” red underline? The original text clearly is a couple lines below:
“Boire de l’eau apres chaque [sachet]”
I grabbed the image of the French label. You are supposed to drink water with them. It helps your digestion process it better.
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[it was a joke]
Oh, sorry. Yeah, I could barely make out what the English said on that label. I don’t think you can read it while running. 
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I shouldn’t… but it’s true so…
I’m glad you guys came around and joked about the label because without my glasses I thought it said Always follow constipation with water which I found really odd for an energy gel warning.
Glad that was cleared up.
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It’s all making more sense now. 
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I mean, that’s a pretty safe rule to live by.
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I knew you’d appreciate that, @T1Allison.
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Great run today…
So. I did have a coffee and a dance kind of just before starting. My BG was kind of floating most of the morning— not high but at around 130, so that’s why. Why I had coffee and danced.
Starting BG: 146
Mile 1: 99
Mile 2: 85
Mile 2.8 (tested a little early because was getting ready to start the last 5 minutes): 71
*had 2 glucose tablets BECAUSE I had no reason to have a full 23 in the GU, AND I had no water on the treadmill. From what we covered yesterday, I really wanted something little that was going to take hold quick… 8 grams worth of chalky citrusy vitamin c tasting tablets sounded like it would do the trick, and it did.
Mile 3.5: 77
1/2 mile walk and got off at an 86
*Did 1 unit of insulin for good measure, and my blood sugar has been spotless since
RPE was a 5? Very easy run. Now I’m going back to my list to see what else I can do tonight. I think it’s supposed to snow this weekend, so hopefully it won’t get canceled??
And you mentioned talking numbers, @Eric. In here??
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