Honey as a Gel

[Jigghead]

Right,

 

This is a personal experience thing and not an advert!

 

Some time ago one of our members posted his ideas on honey and was flamed. My opinion on the flaming apparently appealed to him and he sent me a few as a thank you. I tried a lot of them on shortish 30-60 min runs and liked the effect, but it was not conclusive given the short exertion periods.

 

Well, having suffered with a dodge tummy this last week (other supplements aggravate this) I decided to use this as my sole energy provider for 94.7 on Sunday. Here is my experience:

 

I woke up at 4am and had a small bowl of Pronutro for breakfast. At 05h30, I swallowed a sachet of Furutrelife with water (start time 07h20)

 

The instructions suggest one sachet every 45 mins. Given the fact that I had not exercised for 10 weeks and currently suck on around 20 Marlboros a day, I packed enough for one every 30 mins.

 

The first one went down 5 mins before my start. I set a timer for every 30 mins and carried on. The only other sustenance I used the whole day was water, a lot of water - probably around 3-4l for the day - I did 4 hrs 25 mins, with around 20 mins of waiting for one of our group who ended up pulling the plug around Hyde Park.

 

I started cramping around 70km mark - I had packed Mag Phos for this eventuality and it worked for the most part. 

 

So, the question is, was the product worth spending money on?

 

To me, YES. They are very easy to open/get at the contents. If you recall, the initial post/thread, which appears to have been removed, suggested that the packaging was patented. Simply fold in half and suck - worked like a charm.

 

Did it provide the required energy? YES. Although I didn't feel the kind of boost/surge I have experienced with gels in the past, not once did I feel like I had insufficient gas in the tank to complete the course after a long layoff and too many smokes in between. I also did not experience any of the sudden lack of energy as the old gels wore off, it was consistent all the way through and to be honest, I think the 45 min intervals may have been more than adequate - although this will show more clearly as I play around with the timing going forward.

 

The honey was tasty and did not leave the mouth feeling like I'd swallowed a tube of Bostik on the way. I didn't always have water straight afterwards. I will be using this a few more time to confirm my "findings", but I suspect, with adequate training and less smoking, I'll find it continuing to work.

 

The fact that I took along the Mag Phos was a little fortuitous as I only grabbed a few on the way out when I turned back to fetch my sunscreen - almost forgot that too.

 

My lesson was, many gels and supplements tend to have some sort of additive to protect from cramp, so honey should not be seen as a solution to all. As for the required energy levels, it worked well for me and I didn't end up feeling flat after the 6km pedal from the finish to my car either. 

 

In short, I'd recommend trying this for anyone. No peaks & crashes, nice and tasty, easy to use, not expensive and 100% natural.

 

For me, I'll be doing Xterra in Jan and if it works there too, that'll seal the deal for me. I found it very difficult to fault anything with this product. DON'T FORGET SOMETHING FOR CRAMP IF YOU'RE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS.

 

Take note that I am just a crash test dummy on this one, I just thought I'd share my experience. Should you wish for the contact details of the supplier, PM me. I have purposefully removed any reference to the specific product name. Should I have fallen foul of any free advertising or other rules here, mods are welcome to contact me and I'll remove the offending text.

[fanievb]

Right,

 

This is a personal experience thing and not an advert!

 

Some time ago one of our members posted his ideas on honey and was flamed. My opinion on the flaming apparently appealed to him and he sent me a few as a thank you. I tried a lot of them on shortish 30-60 min runs and liked the effect, but it was not conclusive given the short exertion periods.

 

Well, having suffered with a dodge tummy this last week (other supplements aggravate this) I decided to use this as my sole energy provider for 94.7 on Sunday. Here is my experience:

 

I woke up at 4am and had a small bowl of Pronutro for breakfast. At 05h30, I swallowed a sachet of Furutrelife with water (start time 07h20)

 

The instructions suggest one sachet every 45 mins. Given the fact that I had not exercised for 10 weeks and currently suck on around 20 Marlboros a day, I packed enough for one every 30 mins.

 

The first one went down 5 mins before my start. I set a timer for every 30 mins and carried on. The only other sustenance I used the whole day was water, a lot of water - probably around 3-4l for the day - I did 4 hrs 25 mins, with around 20 mins of waiting for one of our group who ended up pulling the plug around Hyde Park.

 

I started cramping around 70km mark - I had packed Mag Phos for this eventuality and it worked for the most part. 

 

So, the question is, was the product worth spending money on?

 

To me, YES. They are very easy to open/get at the contents. If you recall, the initial post/thread, which appears to have been removed, suggested that the packaging was patented. Simply fold in half and suck - worked like a charm.

 

Did it provide the required energy? YES. Although I didn't feel the kind of boost/surge I have experienced with gels in the past, not once did I feel like I had insufficient gas in the tank to complete the course after a long layoff and too many smokes in between. I also did not experience any of the sudden lack of energy as the old gels wore off, it was consistent all the way through and to be honest, I think the 45 min intervals may have been more than adequate - although this will show more clearly as I play around with the timing going forward.

 

The honey was tasty and did not leave the mouth feeling like I'd swallowed a tube of Bostik on the way. I didn't always have water straight afterwards. I will be using this a few more time to confirm my "findings", but I suspect, with adequate training and less smoking, I'll find it continuing to work.

 

The fact that I took along the Mag Phos was a little fortuitous as I only grabbed a few on the way out when I turned back to fetch my sunscreen - almost forgot that too.

 

My lesson was, many gels and supplements tend to have some sort of additive to protect from cramp, so honey should not be seen as a solution to all. As for the required energy levels, it worked well for me and I didn't end up feeling flat after the 6km pedal from the finish to my car either. 

 

In short, I'd recommend trying this for anyone. No peaks & crashes, nice and tasty, easy to use, not expensive and 100% natural.

 

For me, I'll be doing Xterra in Jan and if it works there too, that'll seal the deal for me. I found it very difficult to fault anything with this product. DON'T FORGET SOMETHING FOR CRAMP IF YOU'RE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS.

 

Take note that I am just a crash test dummy on this one, I just thought I'd share my experience. Should you wish for the contact details of the supplier, PM me. I have purposefully removed any reference to the specific product name. Should I have fallen foul of any free advertising or other rules here, mods are welcome to contact me and I'll remove the offending text.

 

i've used some of it as well, it works but it's too sweet and makes me thirsty, so not ideal on longer rides

[Long Wheel Base]

The honey dude has just followed me on twitter!!!

[andrewemslie]

Right,

 

This is a personal experience thing and not an advert!

 

Some time ago one of our members posted his ideas on honey and was flamed. My opinion on the flaming apparently appealed to him and he sent me a few as a thank you. I tried a lot of them on shortish 30-60 min runs and liked the effect, but it was not conclusive given the short exertion periods.

 

Well, having suffered with a dodge tummy this last week (other supplements aggravate this) I decided to use this as my sole energy provider for 94.7 on Sunday. Here is my experience:

 

I woke up at 4am and had a small bowl of Pronutro for breakfast. At 05h30, I swallowed a sachet of Furutrelife with water (start time 07h20)

 

The instructions suggest one sachet every 45 mins. Given the fact that I had not exercised for 10 weeks and currently suck on around 20 Marlboros a day, I packed enough for one every 30 mins.

 

The first one went down 5 mins before my start. I set a timer for every 30 mins and carried on. The only other sustenance I used the whole day was water, a lot of water - probably around 3-4l for the day - I did 4 hrs 25 mins, with around 20 mins of waiting for one of our group who ended up pulling the plug around Hyde Park.

 

I started cramping around 70km mark - I had packed Mag Phos for this eventuality and it worked for the most part. 

 

So, the question is, was the product worth spending money on?

 

To me, YES. They are very easy to open/get at the contents. If you recall, the initial post/thread, which appears to have been removed, suggested that the packaging was patented. Simply fold in half and suck - worked like a charm.

 

Did it provide the required energy? YES. Although I didn't feel the kind of boost/surge I have experienced with gels in the past, not once did I feel like I had insufficient gas in the tank to complete the course after a long layoff and too many smokes in between. I also did not experience any of the sudden lack of energy as the old gels wore off, it was consistent all the way through and to be honest, I think the 45 min intervals may have been more than adequate - although this will show more clearly as I play around with the timing going forward.

 

The honey was tasty and did not leave the mouth feeling like I'd swallowed a tube of Bostik on the way. I didn't always have water straight afterwards. I will be using this a few more time to confirm my "findings", but I suspect, with adequate training and less smoking, I'll find it continuing to work.

 

The fact that I took along the Mag Phos was a little fortuitous as I only grabbed a few on the way out when I turned back to fetch my sunscreen - almost forgot that too.

 

My lesson was, many gels and supplements tend to have some sort of additive to protect from cramp, so honey should not be seen as a solution to all. As for the required energy levels, it worked well for me and I didn't end up feeling flat after the 6km pedal from the finish to my car either. 

 

In short, I'd recommend trying this for anyone. No peaks & crashes, nice and tasty, easy to use, not expensive and 100% natural.

 

For me, I'll be doing Xterra in Jan and if it works there too, that'll seal the deal for me. I found it very difficult to fault anything with this product. DON'T FORGET SOMETHING FOR CRAMP IF YOU'RE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS.

 

Take note that I am just a crash test dummy on this one, I just thought I'd share my experience. Should you wish for the contact details of the supplier, PM me. I have purposefully removed any reference to the specific product name. Should I have fallen foul of any free advertising or other rules here, mods are welcome to contact me and I'll remove the offending text.

Thanks for the honest feedback!  Honey works! whichever way you decide to use it.  Go cheap and make your own sachet or pay me for some convenience! - the choice is yours.

 

Natural is better than processed and honey is very easy to buy in any supermarket.  

[Jigghead]

Never mind the honey in the shop, your packaging is the bomb, no having to gnaw at it with my mouth every time I need some fuel!

[Surv0MTB]

I love honey, pre-ride and during. My parents keep bees on their property and I get a couple Jars every few months of natural raw fynbos honey.

Being LCHF, honey is on the orange list but when taken appropriately, goes straight to the muscles for use the next day. I have about 2 teaspoons of it night before, and a teaspoon of it pre-ride and it makes ALL the difference in my performance. I make sure I take in extra salt, before and during to prevent cramps. Will use a little bottle to carry it on a ride for longer distances etc.

[kevin.hockey.90]

I love honey, pre-ride and during. My parents keep bees on their property and I get a couple Jars every few months of natural raw fynbos honey.

Being LCHF, honey is on the orange list but when taken appropriately, goes straight to the muscles for use the next day. I have about 2 teaspoons of it night before, and a teaspoon of it pre-ride and it makes ALL the difference in my performance. I make sure I take in extra salt, before and during to prevent cramps. Will use a little bottle to carry it on a ride for longer distances etc.

I used honey (7 1/2 tbls) with 1/3 tsp blackstrap molasses (for potassium) and some salt when doing the Langebaan challenge last week. This was diluted in coke zero. Seriously sweet, but convinced it work. Must add that I had my own recipe of race food (100 gr Lindt chocolate melted, chopped dates, and filled with coconut flour. You can chew it, sweet, but full of energy. ) Had this every hour on the bike. Next batch chocolate will be replaced with carob and some Chia seeds added.

[Jaco-fiets]

I have also been making my own gels in a flask using honey, molasses and a double espresso. Been doing it more than a year and works really well

[Trench]

I have also been making my own gels in a flask using honey, molasses and a double espresso. Been doing it more than a year and works really well

Since seeing the previous thread on the topic, I have been making up a batch of honey/molasses/espresso and putting it in a small bottle (like Gozo) for my son. He loves it and seems to give him the energy required... no cramping either, but cannot put this down to the mix.

[Jaco-fiets]

Since seeing the previous thread on the topic, I have been making up a batch of honey/molasses/espresso and putting it in a small bottle (like Gozo) for my son. He loves it and seems to give him the energy required... no cramping either, but cannot put this down to the mix.

The reason for molasses is because its really mineral dense so it replaces some of what you loose in sweat. Few theories on cramping so it might help but obviously other factors play a role. I think it is the best bang for buck mix. GU is R25 per sachet or something. Rediculous for just a glucose kick

[venom1]

Interesting discussion guys! 

I guess some of this this might work for 1 person but not the other. 

End of the day it comes down to trial and error. 

None the less some interesting items to try. 

In the long run if it works one have save some good moola. 

 

Thanks

[Davey_Jones]

Hey Guys just interested, still learning the ropes.  Do you still pack a water bottle and a carb drink bottle and the honey packs or do you just replace the carb drink with the honey packs?

[MK Killer]

Tried the honey/molasses/espresso combo.... Made me feel a little ill and didnt enjoy the taste... maybe (hopefully) I am doing something wrong

[Seeker911]

I have tried them all in running cycling and swim events. For me USN Vooma Ultra is the best value for money and delivers the goods. Ah yes try the new soda cream and raspberry flavours really yummy.

[habanero]

Also use Vooma half the price of GU. To me just as good.

[jcza]

I have tried them all in running cycling and swim events. For me USN Vooma Ultra is the best value for money and delivers the goods. Ah yes try the new soda cream and raspberry flavours really yummy.

 

Try the 100mg caffeine Cyto HP ones