How to make your own energy gel

Originally from ninelittlepiggies in RoadBikeReview Forums, I've made a few extra comments in red.

"You need to get the following ingredients:

Brew Store

Maltodextrin - Comes in many packages or bulk. Ranges from $2-5 a pound. Get this cheap as it is the main ingredient!

Citric Acid

Calcium Carbonate

Grocery Store (QFC) or similar bulk foods store

Fructose - Sold in bulk at QFC, get around 2 lbs, it'll last a long time.

Pectin

Sea Salt - Also found in bulk, you don't need much.

Flavor Extract  and perhaps Gin (optional for those using non-alcohol based flavor extracts) * I have learned a quick and easy way to flavor and color the gu is to simply use a half-teaspoon or so of your choice of powdered Kool-Aid or similar powder drink mix.

To package the GU efficiently, buy Collagen tubes from REI ($2 for a two pack). These seem to be the best way to carry GU into the mountains and in jersey pockets. The following proportions will make one Collagen tube perfectly.  The small polyethylene flasks from Gu, FuelBelt, Ultimate, or Hammer Gel are easy to find and hold close to the equivalent of 5 commercially purchased foil packets.

Supplement Store:

Branched chain amino acids (all three): These are SO important and pretty expensive. Grind them up in a mortar and pestle.          I haven’t tried these yet.

PREPARATION:

200 mL - Maltodextrin
50 mL - Fructose
100 mL - Water

Carefully measure out the above ingredients, and mix them together lightly. Bring the water to steaming hot and slowly whisk in the maltodextrin/fructose mix. Once this is done, mix in a "pinch" of Citric acid, calcium carbonate, sea salt, and pectin. Whisk on med heat until all the lumps are gone.  I've been using the microwave but you need to be sure it gets hot enough to help break up the lumps.  

Now you are ready to add your flavor of choice. Almond extract is a staple flavor, but one can get more creative! I’ve tried a Pina Colada with pineapple and coconut flavorings. Make sure that you add some gin if you are not using an alcohol based extract less your GU have a nasty after taste! (Again remember that Kool-Aid works quite well.)  I then pour into the poly flasks to cool a short while before storing in the fridge for use the next morning.

The proportions I have found to work have been producing "stable" liquidy GU. Even slight variations in the ratio of maltodextrin to water cause major differences in the consistency of the GU. A little too much water and your have a clear sugary liquid, not enough and you'll have GU-chew! Below I have grabbed the ingredients list for authentic GU off their website. I have chosen to leave out some of the harder to find ingredients that they use like amino acids, who knows whether they make a difference. Read the marketing and come to your own conclusion!

I started using this recipe for mountaineering. It works very well on my 24 hour climbing marathons. One other thing that really helps is chocolate covered espresso beans. Caffeine releases fatty acids into your bloodstream with offers 9 kcal of energy/g as compared to 4 kcal from protein and carbs (there is a little more to this story, but I won't bore you with the biochemistry.)

I hope this helps,
Doug (ninelittlepiggies)"


from the Gu website...gel ingredients:

Maltodextrin (Glucose Polymers), Filtered Water, Fructose, GU Amino Acid Blend (Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histidine), Potassium And Sodium Citrate, GU Antioxidant Blend (Natural Vitamin E And Vitamin C), Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, GU Herbal Blend [Chamomile, Cola Nut (Has Caffeine), Ginger], Fumaric Acid, Pectin

Gluten-free. Dairy-free. With ~20mg of caffeine.

Still Recharging

Not quite ready to ramp up on trails so took the day off all together.  Instead, my wife and I drove off across the sunny country-side to check out the bulk foods store in Osage.  I was able to restock some fructose for my home-made gel and finally found some crystallized ginger that I've been hearing helps digestion and makes a good snack besides.  There's a wide variety to their selection such as quinoa, all kinds of different flours, dried fruits, spices, salts, etc.

Perhaps I'll find a way to post the gel recipe that I use...it really helps save money over purchasing the individual packets at the stores.  I have plenty of maltodextrin for the mix because I scored a 50# bag at a very good price. In fact, many of the ingredients needed for the gel are available here at the Kountry Kupboard.

Lunch was a real treat as we ventured into Ecky's Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Shoppe for an excellent malt with a Big Bopper maid-rite and Cath had the daily special...chili with cornbread and honey!  Very good lunch.

1 mile recovery walk

Maintenance.

The trails are coming back around although there is still some ice and quite a lot of mud.  A few stretches were normal today and some dry back in the woods.  I didn't get out very early today as I was taking the car in for maintenance.  I had lots of time to think about all that we need to fit into a day and how I thought I'd be loaded with time after I retired...but I think I'll write some of those thoughts in a future blog entry.

Speaking of time.  The car was getting maintenance performed today and I feel that that's about all I'm accomplishing with training this week...maintenance with little or no progress.  I hope that this is temporary and I can build again later.

one reason that mountain bikes are asked to be restricted during certain types of weather

10 miles

Hill Repeats?

Partly due to the muddy conditions yesterday and partly because it's been a while since I've tried any up-tempo running, I chose to abandon plans to add more trail miles in favor of hill repeats at East Park today.  But for whatever reason, once there I felt lethargic, and with short rain showers occurring, I chose to bail after my first repeat...I guess that means they weren't repeats...Instead I hiked home early to work on projects around the house.  My general plan is to get another good long run or two in before the week ends!

Perhaps its my age that interferes with recovery but also because of that age (through experience), I've learned not to push too hard to finish a workout that just isn't working.  I've done that plenty of times and continued to feel tired for days.  I'll shoot for extra sleep tonight because I've been watching TV and working on the computer until the wee hours of the morning lately.  I need my rest if I want to continue the build towards June.

6 miles 

What a Mess

It's amazing how quickly conditions can change.  Today seemed to be too warm and there was an incredible amount of mud and water on the trails.  Because of that and in order to recover from yesterday's running, I purposely restrained my activity to fast hiking.  When the mud made the going difficult I opted out to the prairie trails for a while.  I was able to gather quite a few recyclable cans and bottles and then also some more  black walnuts today. 

10 miles

Diverse Opinions

Back on track with the routine...download new podcasts, put on the screw shoes, and hit the trails.  Listening to a new recording from Trail Runner Nation and realize that there is currently a wide gamut of opinions regarding footwear and injury prevention.  This podcast states we need to avoid orthotics at all costs and stresses barefoot (or socks only) at work and home whenever possible. It further claims that stretching is for bozos.  What are we to believe?  The exact opposite has also been promoted.

I guess we need to listen to the "experts" but choose what works for each of us as an individual.  I am game, however, to continue to ween myself away from the orthotics I've used for ten years.  I've already stopped running with them and have begun to go barefoot at home more often.  I still use orthotics in my normal use shoes.

There was still snow covered ice out there today but, as I discovered last week, it's easier to run on the ice than it is to hike.  Not bad traction and the time went by rather quickly.

12 miles mostly running with a few short hikes.

It's Baaack! More Snow

I've gone back and added a few photos to recent posts to help record some of the trip visually.  When I headed to the trails today, it was snowing.  A change from the green grass and robins from the previous two days further to the south.

I intended to write a bit about the training while on the trip to Illinois for indoor nationals.  And while I was pleased with the running with Curtis at the beginning of the trip, the weather and just plain being out-of-sync with my daily routine, left my legs flat and dropped total miles.  However, I am quite certain that the two days at the track...being on my feet, pacing around to various locations at the track and just simple tension of the meet...cannot be totally discounted as having no training effect.  My legs were quite wasted after the first day of competition just from moving around the event center and Eastern Illinois campus.  So even though the rain and timing of the shuttles between the hotel and the event left my mileage total a bit flat, I am pleased with the chance to spend a lot time on my feet.  With any luck, I can build on this and slowly increase the distances of my long run each week.

not quite enough for snowshoes yet again

Several times today, I slipped on ice beneath the snow
Notice the scratches caused by the screw heads in my shoes

10 miles today so 56 for the week