Over the weekend Darrin and I traveled to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to attend the Fly Fishing Expo. While in town we stopped by Fleet Feet Sports to check out the available selection of GU and other energy supplements.The staff there was very friendly and knowledgeable and they walked me through the pros and cons of each type of supplement. They also shared their opinions on the various flavors. The supplements ranged in price from $1.35 to $2.25. I purchased a variety of types and flavors to test out during my training.
41 Days to Go - I selected Vanilla Bean GU ($1.40) as my first taste test. This product is intended to be taken 15 minutes before running and every 45 minutes during the run. After hearing stories from other runners about the gag-inducing thick texture of this product, my goal was to get it down and keep it down. I started off by drinking some water. The salesman at Fleet Feet warned me that you should drink plenty of water with GU. The texture was very thick but if you enjoy icing (I do very much!) you'll like it. I sucked down the entire tube of vanilla deliciousness, drank some more water, puttered around the house for 15 minutes and then headed out for a one mile run at a race pace of 9:25. I didn't have any problems during the run; the GU stayed down just fine. After the run I realized that when the salesman said "drink plenty of water," he really meant PLENTY of water. If you are not properly hydrated, GU will absorb water from your body giving you some serious GI issues. After an evening of discomfort, lesson learned.
40 Days to Go - Winter Storm Pax has been all over the news this week so I knew that I needed to get as many workouts early on in the week as I could. After work I headed out for a quick run with Honey Stinger Chews in LimeAide ($2.25) for my supplement test. Honey Stingers have naturally occurring fiber and protein that is derived from tapioca syrup and honey. The directions said to enjoy 5-10 chews every hour during activity. I felt like a big kid eating these! They were very tasty and had a nice texture. I followed up the chews with some water but because of the ingredients in them loads of water is not as critically important. I ran 1.24 miles and set a new pace record of 8:54 per mile. I later learned from another runner to make sure that you eat these early on in a run on cold days. They are not as delightfully chewy if they get cold. Good tip- thanks, Becky!
Before our run, we heard a guest speaker who transformed his life by running. He was a smoker and had suffered a heart attack in his 30s which prompted him to take charge and be more responsible for his body. We enjoyed hearing how far he had come in his journey to a more healthy lifestyle.
The group ran the same route as the previous week but extended it by a half-mile down the Dick & Willie Passage. I ran the route at an average pace of 9:56 per mile. I enjoyed running with Veronica, who is a teacher at Carver Elementary and A.J. who works at RTI. We carried on conversation the entire time which is a proud accomplishment for me. It doesn't seem that long ago when all I could do was grunt at Sharon Kirby in between gasps of air. Running up Ford Street was a little bit easier this time and at the top I yelled "Thank you Ford Street for making me stronger!"
37 Days to Go - Winter Storm Pax has arrived along with 12+ inches of snow. I don't think that I'm running today but building a snow fort with H will be great cross training. :-)
What is YOUR favorite supplement and type and flavor? Tell us in the comments below, as I continue my search for the perfect ones to use on race day.
#KeepOnRunning #WeCanDoThis
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