I am confused about how to use these. I used them mabye a few times, a few years ago. I am running my 4th marathon. How often to I take them? Is it ok to drink them down with gatorade? Will they give me a spurt of energy, then I'll crash?

For training I plan my water/gatorade stops. I like to have hard candy (Jolly Ranchers) with me. They keep my mouth moist and I guess they give me a bit of sugar.

Hi Chelle, the gels are great. They are recommended every 45 minutes and you should drink 4-6 ounces of water with each one. I don't use that many gels in my marathon, I generally use them later in the race like 20, 22 or 24 to help me get to the finish line. Everyone is different and some people can use them without upsetting their stomach. Make sure you practice using them in training and you will find a routine that you like to follow. Clif Shot now has a product call Blocks and they contain everything you find in the gels but it's in a Gummy Bear consistancy so you can either chew them or suck on them while running. A lot of people still use hard candy as you mentioned and it's perfectly fine. :-)

Rusty

I use gels even during half marathons...they give great boosts of energy but it takes a few minutes before you can feel them.
I usally took them every gatorade stop in the mini marathon which there were about 5. What i did was just as soon as i saw the station hurried up and put the gel into my mouth so exactly when i got to reach for a cup the packet would be empty then swallow both gel and gatorade at the same time...DO NOT try to swallow gel without liquid while you are well into the race since your breathing diffrent from normal and what happend to me was i couldn't breath properly during running because it was in my mouth still and kinda clogging it so all of my oxygen was going through my nose. i had to take a breather after that since i wasn't breathing right and alot faster which led to cramps....

hope this helps,
-Mark