*Note in no way did GU pay me to write this post or give me freebies*

As I've been thinking about why I had such a great race at the PDR on Sunday, I keep coming back to nutrition and hydration. I mean we all know both of those things play a huge part in a successful race day.

Until this summer, I never really had a solid race day fueling plan. I would always have pasta the night before a race, and some kind of carb-heavy breakfast, but then it was just drink the Gatorade and whatever other stuff as I felt like it.

But this summer, I realized that wasn't the best race strategy ever. So I revamped what I was doing. I still do pasta the night before and two pieces of wheat bread with PB the morning of, but I've rethought what I do during the actual race.

And that is where I have developed my insane love of GU (especially the chocolate flavor!)

As I was researching fueling strategies for races, I read that it's important to take GU (or whatever you prefer) before you feel like you really need it. That got me thinking. I tended to just grab whatever I had lying around and mix and match things and take them whenever I felt tired.

But my plan for Philly was this:
Eat PB bread in the car on the way down (about two hours before race start)
Take one GU right before the first few corrals go off for instant calories
Continue to take on GU every four miles for the rest of the race

I have to say, my plan worked pretty well. And I love GU because it doesn't make me sick. I have no bad digestive problems or anything when I take it. And for me, it's soooo much easier to take a GU when running than to worry about chewing anything. The GU you can just open and wash down with water. Maybe not the most appetizing thing ever, but it gets the job done.

I've also found GUs tend to be easier to open than other brands I've tried, which is super important in a race when you need to get the calories in your system.

When I'm training I normally only use GU on runs over 10 miles. Anything shorter than that I'm usually OK if I eat my PB bread before heading out.

Nutrition is different for everyone and it's important to find what works for you, but for me GU rocks and keeps me going in my races.