I have been tri training for about 6 months now having only done one sprint. But my training has been pretty intense with the goal of doing some oly's next year. I tried a Gu gel packet a few days ago before a run/bike brick workout and I was shocked at the increase in energy levels. It felt like cheating! I obviously plan to utilize these energy packets during races in the future.

My question: Should I be training with Gu gels pre-workout? If so, should it only be for long workouts?

Thanks.

GU's are for training and racing. Any length of time over 30 minutes and I'll usually take one. If I'm doing a quick 30 minute run and haven't eaten in a while I'll take a GU. Usually I try to eat an hour or 2 before a workout and then take GUs 45 minutes out and every 30-45 minutes into the workout.

- tribro

Thanks for the quick reply, tribro.

For some reason, I felt hesitant to take the Gus unless I was really racing. I was worried about getting too "addicted" to them in the mental sense. But it sounds like you take them pretty frequently and you are the EXPERT. Great feedback.

P.S. You ought to own stock in Gu!