Glucose Tablets

Thanks again to Kevin Sayers for these helpful conversations! Check out his great web site if you can. He is listed in the links area.

Experience From - Karl King, Jim Kirby, John Davis, Ray Zirblis, Sarah Tynes, Ray Zirblis#2,

Karl King

Glucose is the simplest sugar of all. When other foods are rated for glycemic index, they are rated relative to glucose. I.E. the glycemic index of glucose is 100%.

That can be good or bad depending on your needs. If your blood sugar is really low and you need a quick boost, nothing works faster than glucose. On the other hand, if you chow down on a lot of glucose, you can get a significant insulin pulse that will drag down your blood sugar after the glucose is processed.

It is not desirable to have high insulin levels during an ultra as it can interfere with fat burning.

So, the only good way to use glucose for much of your carbo calories is take small amounts frequently.

The ideal way to fuel yourself during a run is to take in small amounts of carbo on a regular basis so that your rate of intake matches the rate your muscles use the carbo. Then you don't get any insulin pulses, and you don't run into low blood sugar. My preference is to use a sports drink based on maltodextrin ( a lower G.I. than glucose ) and drink a couple times per mile or more. I'll carry a gel pack so that I've got something in reserve if my blood sugar seems to be lagging. The glucose tablets would serve the same purpose, but I like the chocolate flavored gels.

One other good thing about glucose is that it does not have the problems associated with the fructose found in some sodas and sports drinks.

Jim Kirby

A couple of weeks ago I did the Castle Hot Springs 20 mile training run. This training run is a tune up for the Crown King 50k/50 mile Scramble here in Arizona. I decided to experiment with Glucose Tablets instead of the Gels. I'm here to tell you that these baby's really work. I never bonked and finished feeling fresher than normal. This is what I did, started taking them after the first hour,and every 20-30 minutes then on. I bought the orange flavored from Osco(Sav-on) brand that come in a handy plastic cylinder shape container. Besides tasting good,easy to carry, they seem to really work for me. Just thought I would share this with the ultra tribe.

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