While I wish that I could eat an entire meal mid-run, the fact of the matter is that I don’t have enough space for my utensils in my iFitness belt. Dang it. What’s the next best thing? For me, it’s a combination of sports foods that are:
- Easy to eat
- Easy to digest
- Easy to open
- The wrappers are small enough to shove in my bra when I’m done
- And of course, provide the necessary racing nutrients
One of those sports foods that meets all five of my requirements is none other than the infamous Gu itself. When racing, pop one of these bad boys every 45 minutes followed by a swig of water and you’re body will be delivered a swift kick in the pants that your body needs.
I keep my Gu in jar – I love all of their labels peeking through the cupboard.
Lucky for you and I, the San Francisco Marathon sent me a boatload of Gu (it was practically Christmas at my place) and there’s no way I could eat it all myself, so I wanted to give some away right here on the blog.
So here it is folks, I’m giving away a nice little Twenty-Six & Then Some Gu Care Package – complete with 20 Gus and special little letter written by Lola herself!
How To Enter?
Enter to win the Gu Care Package two different ways:
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Leave a comment telling me what you would do with the Gu Care Package
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Tweet me (@pagespicer) telling me what you would do with the Gu Care Package
Each comment and tweet will count as one entry. And if you want to go ABOVE and beyond, tell me what you would want Lola to write you in her special little letter if you won.
Ok folks, that’s all it takes to win enough Gu for an entire season. The contest will close on Friday, May 20th, EOD, and I’ll announce the winners on Monday, May 23rd.
Plus, who wouldn’t want a note for this lil’ thang – especially in her new summer tank top?!
Happy Running!
Does my answer have to be appropriate? Sigh.
Alright, well, I’d use my GUs to fuel me during my SF half training. – boringggg. I’ll think of more witty comments later.
I tweeted!
Gu is the only thing I can eat when I’m running. And, okay, maybe sometimes when I’m hungover, I might pick through my stash to find any spare Vanilla Bean ones, because it’s basically like eating cake frosting, without having to actually leave the house to find cake frosting. I’m horrified that I just admitted that. I promise if I were to win a Gu Care Package, I wouldn’t do that. Probably.
And I would definitely not, and have not ever, just eating chocolate Gu for no reason because it tastes like brownie batter. Mmmmm!! And I want Lola to write a letter to Molly. They can be soul sisters.
I would use the Gu to fuel me for my long runs! I’m currently taking things easy, but I’ll definitely need them when I start training for my first marathon!
Mmm, GU. Its the only stuff I’ll use to run with. I’d use a GU care package to get me through 70.3 training this summer!
I would use the Gu for long runs and for cycling. I’d also use them to top my oatmeal when I’m out of seeds and stuff at work – not that I’ve ever done that before. 😉
I would defnitely use the GU! I’m getting ready to start training for NYC. Increased mileage = increased GU and my stock is out!! Pick me! 🙂
As a soon to be (more) poor grad student, some free GUs would keep me fueled when I can’t afford to!!
I’d like to say I only use GU on long runs. But no. Sadly. I eat it as a snack. A dessert. On top of other things. Someone else mentioned eating Vanilla Bean GU when they’re hungover, and I have taken it a step further and deluded myself into thinking that the properties of the GU will help me recover from hangovers. It’s a problem.
If Lola were to write a letter, I’d want her to write to my dogs and convince them to stop their owner from eating running fuel at all hours of the day like candy. (Who needs gummy bears when you have Clif Shot Blocks?!)
Well, of course I’d have to go get a glass jar so I could have my own Gu jar! That’s awesome!
This would be my first Gu experience and would help in training for my half! I would LOVE for lola to write a letter to cooper…how old is lola?? cooper just turned one…(wink wink)
Hi Page,
I have been following your blog for a while but never posted. And now seems the perfect timing because I was just about to go and buy some Gu to try for the first time. I’ve been afraid that they’re too sticky and will lift up my crowns and bridges (sad story) but chewing while running is too hard. So what would I do with the Gu that I will hopefully win? Try it out on my long runs! And I would like to ask Lola if she has any siblings in the DC area. Thanks!
I would definitely use the Gu while training for my first marathon this summer!
I really love your blog! I’m really new to the running world, minus the four years of long distance I did in HS way back when. I’m training to run my first half-marathon at the SF marathon. I’m excited and nervous. I’ve never tried Gu, I have so many things to learn! And, having some for free would certainly help out- being a grad student means not having money. 🙂 I hope your hip is feeling better!
1. Duhhhh I would USE the Gu at SFM & all the other races & training I have this year!!
How nice of you to share! I would use some of the Gu for myself – I’m training for my first race longer than a 10K, which means I’ll be running for over 8 miles for the first time EVER. I’d also share some of my Gu with my training buddy who I peer pressured into running the race with me.
As for my letter, I’d love some inspiration that will help me keep pushing while I train!
2. Will Lola write a secret love letter to my sleepy old cat, Chachi??? He could use some excitement in his life.
I’ve been dying to try gu!!! With my longest run ever coming up a week from Saturday it’s time to start experimenting with things that work and this gu would be a great place to start!
ah, gu. i used to eat the vanilla flavor back when i used to swim hours upon hours a day. it was great ! now that i am getting back into running and starting to train for a half.. these would definitely come in handy !
also, i would love it (if i win of course) for lola to wish me luck on my upcoming step 1 exam !
also, i just tweeted (@nellia)
yes, i would use the gu for simultaneous running and study snacks..
Hi Page,
I have been following your blog for a while but never posted. And now seems the perfect timing because I was just about to go and buy some Gu to try for the first time. I’ve been afraid that they’re too sticky and will lift up my crowns and bridges (sad story) but chewing while running is too hard. So what would I do with the Gu that I will hopefully win? Try it out on my long runs! And I would like to ask Lola if she has any siblings in the DC area. Thanks!
If I win the Gu Care Package, I will start my own blog — and the very first entry will detail my very first “Gu experience.” It will include periodic updates and details on how each subsequent Gu is ingested.
If I win, and if Lola writes a note, can she please write to my dog, Java? Java is a new rescue dog and she’s so good. However… I recently bought an iFitness belt (the new wanna-be-serious runner that I am training for my first marathon in NYC), and Java chewed the buckle the very next day! The belt is now useless. I think Lola could give Java some tips on how to be more supportive of her mommy’s running goals.
YUMMY GU!!! I would use that GU package all summer! I find that I need the GU or something on my long runs in the summer because I loose too many fluids and get really tired from the heat.
Marathon training kicks off on 6/13 for me, and I’ll be putting it to VERY good use! 🙂
I would use the gu to get through training for my second half marathon!
I would:
1. Eat it to prevent my long IM training rides from turning very very ugly.
2. Then use the wrappers in some decorative fashion, kinda like your bib frame.
Apparently, the wrappers also are good to patch tubes/tires if you don’t have a spare? Such a multi-purpose product 🙂
I would use the gu for my half marathon training 🙂
I’d make the package my office stash. It’s helpful to have gu everywhere!
AHHH!!! This IS CHRISTMAS!! Is it wrong that I LITERALLY started salivating when I saw the jar o’ GU?!?! Sick obsession or love affair? Not quite sure! This would actually be EXTREMELY helpful as this weekend I was stuck eating imitation Gu during my race and endured a terrible tummy ache ALL day after my 1/2! Pretty frustrating and taught me a lesson, never deviate from the real thing!! GU FOR LIFE! Thanks for hosting 🙂
awesome giveaway! I would love to use the gu, though right now I will probably have to use it during swimming or biking instead of running because of being injured!
Great Giveway!!! I’d start using the Gus to fuel the rest of my first half marathon training ending in June, then leftovers would be consumed during summer frisbee and 5k season as I’m dubbing it. 3 games a week plus tournaments or 5ks on weekends! Finally any leftovers after that will be used to fuel seattle half marathon training in the fall!
I would use GU for my long runs on the weekend. It’s my favorite thing to refuel with when I am running which is pretty much all the time.
I would LOVE the GU! It would help me on my PR attempt this summer and I would use it during my training for the fall racing season. GU is by far my favorite fueling product but I can’t help but laugh when I find folded up empty packets in my race belt!
I would love Lola to write to my little Sophie. They could play pretend princesses and share secrets to finding cozy places to nap!
A GU Jar?! How fun are you? I love it!
I’ve only ever tired the lemon-lime Gu and that was at my Half Marathon in Toronto on the weekend. So, I would defintiely put them in a jar and sample them on my long runs to figure out my favourites!
What an amazing giveaway!!
Alsa, I would love Lola to tell me all about her favourite fashions! She is just too adorable!
Ohh this is awesome! I would use the Gu Care Package to aid in my training for the Chicago Marathon! It will be my 3rd marathon. I just finished Flying Pig in 3:45 & I’m hoping to break 3:40 in Chicago!
Chocolate Outrage Gu is my absolute fave!! I’d definitely use my Gu on long training runs and even spread the wealth with my fellow running buddies!
Lola would be the best pen pal ever if she would write to me and tell me to keep up the good work and give me some expert fashion advice!
I’d use the GU to refuel so I didn’t pass out and fall off the golden gate when i’m training and get tired. 🙂
I would put my gu in a jar too, along with my other running foods! I used to have a yorki her name was shy shy… I love Lola she’s the cutest puppy in the world!
like many other commenters, i would gu it up during long runs! for my seattle rock and roll marathon training 🙂
I would use it as fuel for my first half-marathon training!
I would definitely use them as I train for my first marathon. I’m so excited! I start training at the very end of June. 😀
Consider this my comment/entry.
What would I do? Why that’s an excuse to enter another distance race & therefore keep the distance training up. While my wifey may not want to hear that, I mean hey, I’ve got all this Gu to go through! In reality a couple o’ halfs or longer trail run events will happen before the next marathon & those Gu’s will still come in handy!
Tim from Sacramento
I’d use the Gu to dominate the Chicago Marathon, duh. I would also prepare mixed drinks with the Gu and use it as frosting…OK I lie, I would never try to substitute anything for frosting.
I could sure use some more GUs. Aside from eating the GUs, I would try to fashion a belt out of them. And if I win, instead of a letter, can Lola send an autograph photo, it’s not for me so much but my Yorkie Teddy thinks that she is the bee’s knees.
I love GU! I’d use when training when the Santa Barbara Half. Also, my students love trying them when we run. I’ll do anything to encourage them when we run the mile!
I would love to win Gu’s for an entire season!!!! They would totally help me train for my next half marathon!!!!!!!!
I’ve only had the GU chomps because that’s what my sister uses, not a big fan of those. But, I’d love to try the gels and the chocolate specifically!
I would LOVE to use the Gu to get me through my summer training! I’m preparing for my first half marathon so it’d be a wonderful addition on my training runs that are over 7 miles or so. I feel like I need more fuel during the last 2 miles or so of a 7 mile run.
I would love Lola to write me a letter about her typical day. It’d be so cute to see it from her point of view 🙂
GU. Well, I’ve never tried it but I’m going to have to graduate from gummy bears at some point now that my 13.1 is done and I’m training for Portland Marathon 2011. I would practice GUing on my eminent long runs, and hopefully carry the leftovers with me for the real deal in October. Hope the shelf life is good. 🙂
YUM!
I would want Lola to interview you about your race fueling and GUing habits.
Such a cute little outfit 🙂
I’d use it to keep me going through the long pool runs I have set in my mind – gotta be able to keep myself in tip top shape to run the San Fran Marathon!
Love gu, especially espresso love. Love to always have some on hand for my long runs and before spin.
As I “seriously” started to run a couple of months ago and discovered a Marion I didn’t know yet, I would use the Gu package during my training for the first half marathon (and race!) of my life: Montreal (Canada) in September. I’ve already tested Gu gels and I love them! 🙂
PS: I’d like Lola to write a note to my 2 dogs, Daphnée and Sonny! 😀
Chocolate mint is my favorite. Lola please write me and tell me where your mom got your name! xxoo
I would use it on my long runs….I use it every four or so miles, if I am going over eight!
Hmmm… I would want a little jar like yours to put my Gus in and then I’d use it as inspiration, or maybe just motivation to get out and run farther and more!
Gu would definitely help fuel training for my 1st marathon!!
First, I would divide my gus into caffeinated and non-caffeinated. The caffeinated would be for pre-races, the non-caffeinated for weekend casual runs. Next, I would divide by color, like m&m’s, and just admire my incredible luck.
Then, I would get way to impatient to wait for my next run to eat one, and would try a flavor I’ve never had. Then I would try to save and seal the rest of that package, put it in the cover, and later find that it dripped and gu’d all over everything.
I would like a sweet letter reminding me not to gu-ify my cupboard. thanks.
Awww I love your GU jar and I would love to win! I like trying the new flavors…
this is awesome! thanks for sharin’ the gu love.
i’d be excited to add it to my basket of running goodies 🙂
xoxox
I would try them out. I am currently learning to fuel while running for my first marathon. i have never tried GU but I really want to!
I want Lola to tell me all the great benefits of GU and Lola uses it on runs
MMMM Gu! My favorite is definitely the Mint Chocolate. It. is. so. delicious.
I’d use it to dominate my half this fall (once I can start running again!) & then for training for the Nashville Rock-n-Roll marathon next April!!
Great giveaway.
I’ve never used GU. I like the apple cinnamon hammer gel. Yum! But I would love to try out some new flavors and I’m to the point where I would use 2 or 3 a week so some extra would be lovely!
I have 4 half marathons and 1 more full marathon coming up this year…. Which means a lot of Gu!! I’m also working as a mentor with Team In Training, so I’ll be sharing my Gu stash with my mentees 🙂
Gu would help me with motivation to start being more active and actually working on being much more dedicated to running and exercising in general.
I’d use it while training to crush my half-marathon PR this fall!
I start training for the Chicago Marathon in June, along with a handful of halfs and I would love to have a stockpile of GU just ready for my early Saturday morning runs!
What would I do with the Gu Care Package? Share it with all my fellow riders on the AIDS Lifecycle next month, riding from SF to LA, to raise money and awareness for finding a cure for AIDS.
http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/derekbrookmeyer
As this is my first marathon & it being in san fran & im flying in from nashville, tn i would sing you a song of some sort and your puppy dog can have the pleasure of playing with my 2yr old daughter & 3 month old son at the finish line. I’ll need all the help I can get to make it there.
I keep my GU in the fridge, because I prefer the texture cold. I know, I’m weird!
A Gu Care Package is every runners dream! I would use mine to help me fuel up during my last taper runs before my highly anticipated marathon in June!
I’m a big fan of running my marathons with pick-me-up notes… Getting one from Lola would be almost as good as having a puppy to run with the whole way!
What a fun and practical giveaway! I would definitely use those Gus mid-run on long runs (trying to work on fueling properly and seeing what difference it makes compared to when I just get out and go long!) and my husband would help me with them on long summer hikes…thanks for the chance to win!
My boyfriend is a serious runner so I would give the care package to him. He would be in heaven with so much Gu!
hmmmm….I would use all that Gu to help fuel my training for my first marathon EVAHHHHH!!!!
I would so love to win the GU giveaway. I am always looking for something better to fuel myself during my runs and as of yet have not tried GU. This contest is too late for my upcoming 1/2 marathon this weekend but after that I will start training for the Chicago full marathon and they would be perfect.
I’ve only tried a few flavors so far as I’ve only just started training longer distances for my first half marathon, so I’d love to try a bunch of the other flavors and fuel myself through the 3 half marys I’ve signed up for this summer! :S
i would love to use the gu to eat ofcourse…and to write a note to lola written out in gu letters and pictures 🙂 shes a cutie…wish i could fly out to san fran for free and do all those awesome races! why can’t race travel be free!??!
i’d use gu for my marathon training…my 2nd was last sunday & my third is this fall…with my husband along too! his first!
I’d nom them down training for Half Moon Bay 🙂 Could Lola please write to Mario about how she gets into all those cute outfits? He hates wearing clothes.
I would use them on my longer trail runs! Or, uh, occasionally, just down one for a treat (I don’t do deserts, junk food…).
I’ll use it to fuel on my lonnnnggg treadmill runs. Can’t buy GU here!
I’d let everyone in my family try it because they love trying new foods, haha