The Eternal Question: OnBoard Nutrition

So. Lately I have been experimenting.

This is all because of a conversation I had with my marathon sub-group. We were trying to determine what was better: Gu or Shot Bloks. I was really touting the Shot Bloks. It seemed easy to me:

1. They taste like candy.
2. They are SOLID not GEL...so you don't have to GAG them down.
3. They are the same kind of energy as all of the gels.

Done.

I must admit that I actually did not have any experience with gels at all. I bought one a long time ago when I was training for the Pig. It was vanilla and it sat in the bottom of my running gear drawer for several months. I just could not come to grips with something so, well, gooey, going down my throat.

Lindsey had to question me on number three. She said that she didn't think anything could compare to gels because they just give you so much energy. Sarah agreed. She said her legs just kept going and going after she took one and she didn't know how.

Well, maybe I would have to try one. Especially since the Shot Bloks were giving me a bit of an acid reflux problem lately. So, 10 miles into my 16 miler a couple of weeks ago I grabbed a Clif Shot. It was apple pie. Well, it was supposed to be apple pie.

After taking 20 years to open it, I downed about half of it. Gagged. Gagged badly. It was sooooo gross. I couldn't even take the second half. I am one of those people who need the consistency to match the flavor and this wasn't doing it for me.

I DID however feel it kick in. Nothing as extreme as Sarah experienced, but I did have more energy.

So for my 18 miler I pulled the good old vanilla Gu out of the drawer. I was a little worried, because I was holding it as I ran my first ten miles. It was getting really warm. At our 5 mile water stop I stared at it for a really long time. Then I downed it. Gagged. Downed the rest. Proclaimed "hey, that one wasn't so bad!" Which made Lindsey laugh. "That wasn't so bad even though it made you gag?" Well, it wasn't as bad as the apple pie. At least it tasted like vanilla pudding which is kind of its consistency.

And I don't know. Maybe it really really worked. I had an awesome run and I DID feel like I had a ton of energy.

I don't know.

So what do you think: Gels or Bloks? (or gummy bears or jelly beans or Sports Beans?) Or anything else? How do you get your onboard nutrition?

Three Stupid Things Emily Does to Mess Up Her Runs

I must say, I did a LOT of stupid things on my Saturday run. The first being further experimentation with what can stay in my system before a run without coming up. We were out of my usual Toaster Strudels so I thought two cookies would be a good substitute. Not so much. Luckily, Coach Joe had Shot Bloks available for $1.50 before the run. Shot Bloks are this "replacement fuel" for long runs. Each one is about 100 calories, so our coach recommended 2 somewhere before the 8th mile. Gu is also an option. I have one of these sitting in a drawer at home. It says "vanilla". I don't know. I'm not that desparate yet. I have not had luck with Shot Bloks in the past. I think they are incredibly disgusting with a horrible taste and the texture somewhere between tofu and gummy bears. Apparantly the lemon-lime was what was bugging me. The Cran-Razz was actually not too bad. It did come up a little with a strange taste when it combined with Gatorade. On the website they also have margarita flavored. Is that really something you want to be tasting/remembering on your run???

The second stupid thing I did? I decided to put my shuffle on my collar instead of my wasteband. No BodyGlide to help with the chafing. The result? My friend, Maren says it looks like I have cigarette burns on my chest.

The third stupid thing? Well, if you are burning 1471 calories on a run, it might be a good idea to replenish afterwards. I had my typical (not so healthy) breakfast at McDonalds afterwards, but then only a small burger with a baked potato for dinner...AFTER a marathon shopping trip. No wonder I was soooooo sleepy this weekend.

So my new friends are: five to six meals a day, Neosporin and BodyGlide