Anywaysssss, 2 weekends ago I bought some gear at REI for my upcoming half marathon in DC this Saturday. Included in my purchases were 3 types of energy chews that I wanted to test out before the race this weekend. I'm a chew newbie (that should rhyme too since they both have a "w" in them, right?) and I wanted to test out a few before selecting one for my upcoming long distance run. I wasn't sure what to expect (maybe the placebo effect), but I had to give them a shot and see what all the hype was about.
I purchased 3 types:
1. Clif Shot Bloks in Chocolate Cherry Flavor
2. GU Chomps in Watermelon Flavor
3. Honey Stinger in Pomegranate Passion Fruit Flavor
I tested each kind out this past week and I definitely think they made a big difference in my performance. I enjoyed the taste of all 3 (even though Chocolate might not be the best choice for Texas weather...I forsee these melting in my belt pocket as it gets closer to Summer).
The Clif Shot Bloks are $2 for a pack of 6 "bloks" and have about 33 calories per piece. Each piece has 2g of sugar, 9mg of sodium, 2.5mg of potassium, 4g of carbs, and 17mg of caffeine. They are 95% organic. The pieces were a little big for my liking and trying to chew them while running threw off my breathing a bit. Before my 4 mile run, I ate one "blok" and had another after mile 2. You can see it kicking in at the beginning of my last mile (good news for this weekend when I hit that 4 mile marker...that's usually my make or break point for most of my runs).
Overall I'd give the Clif Shot Bloks a 3.5 out of 5.
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The GU Chomps are $1.59 for a pack of 8 and have 22.5 calories per chew. Each piece has 2.75g of sugar, 12.5mg of sodium, 10mg of potassium, 5.75g of carbs, and no caffeine. 4 pieces will give you 100% of your daily Vitamin C and Vitamin E needs. The watermelon flavor definitely caught my eye at the store, as that's typically my favorite type of flavored anything (especially Starburst and Jolly Ranchers). However, even though it still tastes good, it's not quite the watermelon deliciousness I'm used to. It has some hint of citrus (at least according to my taste buds), which I'm not a big fan of. These didn't have the same impact on my performance as the Clif Shot Bloks. My GPS and I didn't really notice any difference in my pace (I didn't take a picture of my splits because they weren't that different from the norm).
Overall I'd give GU Chomps a 2.5 out of 5.
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The Honey Stingers are $2.30 for a pack of 10 and have 16 calories per chew. Each piece has 2.7g of sugar, 8mg of sodium, 4mg of potassium, 4g of carbs, and no caffeine. They are 100% organic. The entire pack of 10 will give you 100% of your daily Vitamin C needs. The Stingers are also the only one of the 3 to provide any protein (1g in the entire pack). Even though each brand's flavor was tasty, the Honey Stingers Pomegranate Passion Fruit was by far my favorite! I tested these out on a 5 mile run last week and had some pretty incredible split times (in my opinion at least). I had a chew before I started, one before mile 3, and another before mile 5. I have run 8:02 and 8:10 miles before, but they're usually done at mile 1 or 2, not at mile 3, 4, and 5! I'm usually slowing down my pace a bit by then because I'm tired...but not with Honey Stingers.
Overall I'd give Honey Stingers a 5 out of 5. They are also the ones I'm going with for my race this Saturday.
Here's why:
The effect they had on my performance
Big fan of the 100% organic deal
Least amount of calories
Get more chews per bag
Some protein
Best tasting
There ya have it! I'm hoping they'll help me with my goal of completing the 13.1 miles in under 2 hours on Saturday.
I'm off to Pittsburgh tomorrow. TWO whole weeks with the boyfriend! Yes, TWO!!! Adios Texas.
3/12/2013: Miles run - 187 of 1000. Miles remaining - 813 of 1000
I am training for the Ironman, so I have been experimenting with a lot of chews,gels, and drinks for the past few months. So far I have learned: I definitely prefer gels for the reason you stated, chewing and running is awkward, Always drink water after taking gels/chews to avoid stomach aches (GI distress), caffeine is a good ergonomic aid if taken an hour or so before long bike rides/runs, and "carbo pro" is awesome.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your half, just make sure you don't try anything new on race day.
Thanks! I'll make sure to drink water after a chew and not to try anything new. Just hoping it's not TOO cold or raining.
DeleteI was looking for someone to do a review like this a month ago! I ended up buying Shot Bloks. They're ok. I've just gotten samples of Chomps. I really like the Lemon flavor. But I have never tried Honey Stinger. I will have to give those a try.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I definitely recommend Honey Stingers. I love that they're organic and the size is just right. Let me know what you think!
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