VFuel Review

VFuel gave some of their product our our Moms Run This Town chapter to try out.

VFuel Review by Mariah Jeffery
         I have tried several fueling methods and I'm still trying to figure out what works for me. Gu seems to be hard on my sensitive stomach. I decided to give VFuel a try on my 13.1 mile "tune-up" race in preparation for my last half marathon. I tried Maple Bacon flavor, just because it sounded intriguing. It was actually not bad! The taste was a bit on the "savory" side but not overwhelming, and also a bit sweet at the same time. I noticed caffeine on the ingredient list, which is good because caffeine does seem to help my performance in endurance events.

VFuel did not cause any of the GI distress issues I have had in the past with other gels. It seems to be easy to tolerate. I did make sure to drink it with plenty of water, though, which seems to be key for me. I tried the Peach Cobbler flavor last week during my speed session (8.75 miles including a magic mile and 8x400's!). I took it at around the 5 mile mark and definitely felt a bit of  a pick-me-up right when I needed it. I would not hesitate to use VFuel again for my fueling needs. I have my first triathlon in just under 2 weeks and one of these packets will be stashed in my bike bag!

VFuel Review by Angela Sellers

I am fairly new to the fueling process, but training for a half marathon means learning to nourish and hydrate my body. So I gave VFuel a try. I started my 15K long run with one pack of Peach Cobbler and then had Citrus at the 45 minute mark, just as the packaging recommends. The Peach Cobbler flavor is mellow and sweet and viscous enough to swish down with water. I preferred the Cool Citrus however. It was milder and reminded me of Lemon Meringue pie.  The VFuel gel warmed up against my body as I ran and was easier to swallow than the room temperature packet. While I did not notice any GI distress during the run, I did experience some mild gas and cramping post run.

 I used these same flavors of VFuel before my speed workout and weight training as well. No GI distress occurred and I was able to complete and perform better compared to the same workouts done without VFuel.  I noticed a boost of energy about 25 minutes into the workouts and faster reaction times . Afterwards I felt less muscle soreness than usual.

Overall, I like the VFuel gels and will continue to use them to improve my performance and endurance.

Head on over to their website and see the great flavors they have available.  Have I mentioned they have "Maple Bacon"?  Because it's about time we had the option of something not too sweet.

Have you tried VFuel before?

Cocogo Review

Thanks Robin for letting me be a guest blogger! I wanted to share some info on a product I recently tried.

While visiting family in Orlando I had the opportunity to attend a social event with the East Orlando chapter of Moms Run This Town. The ladies in the group introduced me to a product called Cocogo, which is a powder that you mix with water to create a sports drink. I really liked the product and I was lucky to get my hands on some samples for the ladies in my local chapter to try.

I have had experience with a few different fueling methods so I will compare and contrast Cocogo to some of the more common ones.

Nuun – I use Nuun, but my biggest problem with it is that it is messy. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but when I put the tablets in the water bottles that go in my fuel belt, even if I wait 5 minutes before putting the lids on, liquid starts shooting out of my bottles and random intervals. It continues to shoot out throughout my run, at times making it look like I peed my pants. Not cool. Plus it has a bit of a salty taste that I’m not especially fond of, so I find myself needing to drink about 2/3 Nuun, 1/3 water to wash it down.

Gu – I don’t have a particularly sensitive stomach, but Gu can make me a bit queasy if I take in too much at once, so I suck on the packet very slowly over a period of time. This makes it awkward to carry the packet. Also, this may be TMI but I get a lot of snot when I run and the strawberry/banana Gu looks suspiciously like my snot, so I’m always a little bit grossed out by it. Overall it’s not a bad option, but personally I prefer something I can drink out of a bottle.

Cocogo – Cocogo is especially tasty, which helps because it makes me want to drink more. It comes in grape, raspberry, and lemon lime. It doesn’t have a strong taste, however, like some other sports drinks, so I don’t feel the need to wash it down with water. I like that the ingredients are natural. I was surprised to read the label and see that it has sodium in it. It doesn’t have a salty taste at all. Cocogo has 37 calories per serving, vs. 8 with Nuun, so I like that I get a little more ump out of the Cocogo.

To summarize, Cocogo has all of the advantages you look for in a sports drink – good tasting, natural, easy to digest and doesn’t leave a bad after taste, and has a good dose of carbs. I used Cocogo on my 13.1 mile New Year’s Day run with no other fuel besides water, and I did just fine – no bonking!

I also happened to come across a couple of discount codes for Cocogo: 40% off when you use code 40COCOGO or free shipping with code FRSH4COCOGO at store.cocogo.com checkout. Enjoy!

Recipe: DIY fuel bars

I think Bugaboo could eat me out of house and home with her ferocity for Lara bars or Picky Bars and the cost to keep them in the house in ready supply.  So... why buy them (or any bar that hefts a heavy price) and why not make your own for a fraction of the cost?  Also, getting to control the ingredients and make fuel organic is a big bonus for me.  (Especially if I'm going to share them with my little running partners.)

 Bugaboo has named them "Running Cookies" because she only gets one when we are out on a run together.

Outrunning The Rain's "Running Cookies"

• 1 Cup dry (old fashioned) oats
• 2/3 Cup coconut flakes
• 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seed Protein Powder (or wheat germ or other dry ingredient of your choice)
• 2 Tablespoons Chia seeds
• 1/4 Cup cocoa powder (instant coffee might be a good substitute.)
• 10 ounces Medjool dates (without pits)
• 1/4 Cup dried fruit (such as cranberries or cherries... whatever you enjoy)
• 1 Tablespoons coarse salt (or more. 2T will taste salty, but I use that much because I sweat a lot...  If you don't sweat much or don't want to taste salt, try just 1T.)
• 1/2 Cup Peanut butter (I prefer crunchy, but creamy is fine.)
• 1/3 Cup Honey
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla

If your food processor won't be temperamental with you, throw the pit-free dates in and coarsely chop them up.  My ancient machine prefers I do that first before adding them into the mix.  

Mix dry ingredients with the dates and pulse together in food processor.  Then add in wet ingredients (p.b., honey and vanilla.) and mix together.

The mixture should be like a thick cookie dough.  (If it's too dry, the bars will fall apart on your run and you'll have a baggie full of crumbs.  If it's too wet, you'll have a gooey mess and be sucking the "fuel" off your fingers.  Eww.

Press the mixture into an 8x8 glass baking dish and refrigerate overnight.  I like to score the pressed mixture so that it's easier to cut the cold dough and pry out the bars for the next morning's run.

After they have refrigerated, store in air tight container in refrigerator.  I don't know how long you'd want to keep them around, but I usually eat mine up in about 2 weeks, depending on the miles covered in each week.  I like to eat one pre run and then again every 3 miles or every 30-40 minutes... which ever happens first, I suppose.)

It's a forgiving recipe that can have substitutions and lots of combinations, but this is the ratios that have worked for me and been easily transportable on a half marathon.  I put the bars in a zip lock baggie and carry them in my flip belt.

Mixture pressed into an 8x8 pan before being placed in the fridge. 

I hope you enjoy them!
Do you make your own fuel/running food?  I'd love to hear your recipes!

Mail Call! (Huma Energy Gel GIVEAWAY and more!)

I have been crazy busy and meant my last blog post to be about all the mail I've been getting... but I got side tracked with my upcoming race and my adorable kids.  Typical.  Then the doorbell rang and I got another race-related package!

So... before I forget,  I have been posting on Facebook about a Huma Energy Gel giveaway that I am doing.  This giveaway ends on Monday!  So, if you haven't entered it yet, please click HERE.

I checked my mailbox and was so excited to see the package from Huma!  As I came into the house, I saw a package on my stoop from Nathan Sports for a future review and giveaway!! 

How could my day get any better?  AWESOME! 

Then my day did get just a little bit more awesome, because like I said...  I was interrupted from a nap-time break and an ability to blog a bit by the door bell.... AND ANOTHER PACKAGE!  Totally worth the kids waking up early from nap.  Sorta.  Okay- yeah.    

My shirt arrived in time for the Boston Run  next week! 

  

The back of the shirt

The front of Hubby's shirt.

These supper cool shirts are available for a very limited time through Recover starting on Monday (at noon according to their Facebook) or check with your local Moms RUN This Town chapter for more sizes and options!