On weekend mornings before heading out on long rides or runs I have a Cliff Bar. They digest fairly quickly and give you 250 calories. Then I take GU's and Gatorade Endurance with me on the bike to continue fueling. This is also what i do on race mornings, so I practice it weekly.

Thanks Bryan. Would this be recommended for 45-60 min. sessions or only longer sessions of 90 min. or more? Do you find drinking something like Gatorade over water helps with energy and would this also only pertain to longer training sessions?

I've been training 7-8 hrs per week since Oct. 1. My first tri is a sprint next month so most of my sessions are about an hour right now. Lastly, forgive me but what are GU's?

Thanks again,

Dave

Fueling before trainning is so important, in order to keep the body under optimum conditions to keep functioning.
Now, is very important as an athlete to try diferent things, and train your body to the ones that fit better.
Some people digest stuff faster than others, some people are more sensitive to high loads of carbs than others, some can not tolerate fibrous things, and give them cramps, or thing that are too sweet make them gag.
Remember that what ever you put in, is going to have to be digested and absorbed...and for that while your muscles are in maximun gear to keep you moving, your digestive tract also is going to require some atention...so you have to give something that goes down fast, is not too dificult to digest, and gets absorbed quikcly.
Here at the forums there is always a good phrase: "What works for athlete A, is different for athlete B"
But there are some rules that might aply almost to most of us. Also, browse the articles under nutrition in on this site, thee are good easy to grasp pieces of info.
For example what I do. If I am going to do something that is under 30 min, the only thing I carry is water, that is very rarely. Now for a serious trainning session, Gatorade is good fuel, before you start, it has calories, and lytes, now the brand...depends...your taste, your budget and so on. Gels and bars are awesome. I usually eat a Powerbar, the original type, 20 to 30 min before I go out chaced with Gatorade regular, I do it because my body handles them well and because I like the taste. On the fly while running or riding...Power Gels are my choice always...every 30 to 45 min depending on the intensity. During races, 15 to 20 min before the start I also choke one gel down....work for me...everytime.
So as Red5 said, practice with it...experiment...don´t wait until race day to tray new things...find the right conbination that works for you.