I think I've eaten every energy option out there. I started with gels. I had to literally give myself a pep talk to take it and then I'd gag it down. Literally. My brother told me he liked to use PayDay bars to supplement his gels while out running so I tried it too. It helped for a while but then I didn't eat any for a while and one of my kids shared a PayDay bar with me from their Halloween stash and I nearly lost it. Again, literally. PayDay bars are now out. I moved over to chews which went down quite well and there was a decent variety so I didn't get too bored. Until it was time to train for the 50K. There are still flavors I can no longer stomach. Jelly Beans have been thrown in there intermittently with success. Somewhere along the line I read the book Born to Run. (By the way, it was a great read and I highly recommend it.) Anyway, the book talks about pinole. I had to look it up but then I had to try it. For months, the night before a long run and even for a marathon, I'd make pinole and my husband and I would eat that. It was really good and worked well. Around this time I also discovered waffles. It's something that European athletes have used for a while but Lance Armstrong is credited for bringing it to the United States. He used it while racing in Europe but couldn't find it here. Anyway, I LOVE waffles. Their calorie count is slightly higher than gels and chews but they are YUMMY! Within the last year or two, I've started adding Cheetos to really long runs. Again, I have my brother to thank for this. We'd go for a long run and he would bring along some nutrition but never enough. He'd just bring cash and plan to stop at a convenient store. His favorite snack was Cheetos and a Red Bull. He'd always get the 2 1/2 serving package and then share with us. It is amazing how great Cheetos taste on a long run. Also, their high fat content means they stick with you a little longer and since my husband struggles with getting enough nutrition while running, this was a great (and tasty!) solution. This year while at the expo for the St. George Marathon, we visited the Clif booth. They had a new product they were sampling: pureed fruits and veggies. Scott Jurek, the endurance runner, helped to develop this product as he used to make his own nutrition for his runs. It's packaged in a little pouch with a screw on cap. They have four flavors and they are really good. My husband and I used them for our 12 miler last weekend and they worked great. I really wish I'd had these years ago when I thought I'd die if I had to eat one more energy chew or gag down one more gel. Clif has two savory flavors and two sweet flavors. They are natural and having one more option makes me soooo happy!
I'm always looking for something new when it comes to nutrition. I get tired of the same thing, especially when I'm training for something and consuming lots of sports nutrition. If you come across something new, let me know.
I hope all is well with your goals and your health. Thanks for checking in with me and come back again soon. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks again!
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