One of the biggest flaws that I have in my running game is lack of on-the-road nutrition. During my first marathon, I only took in water and a pack of sport beans and ended up staggering across the finish line a mass of cramps. The same thing happened earlier this year as I left my food in my pack and neglected to eat for the first 8 miles of the TransRockies Run. The next 16 miles were (you guessed it) a crampfest.
The best way to combat undereating on a run (or hike, or ride) is to have food that you actually look forward to eating.
So this week, in honor of Halloween, I thought I'd profile some of my favorite trail treats.
Enter Honey Stinger's Organic Energy Chews ($1.99) and Stinger Waffles ($1.39). I'm a total sucker for honey, so when I got my first pack of Organic Energy Chews, hopes were high.
So this week, in honor of Halloween, I thought I'd profile some of my favorite trail treats.
Enter Honey Stinger's Organic Energy Chews ($1.99) and Stinger Waffles ($1.39). I'm a total sucker for honey, so when I got my first pack of Organic Energy Chews, hopes were high.
They've got sugar, sodium and potassium, the prerequisites of the race fuel genre, but the flavor is what really makes them stand out. I've been noshing primarily on the Pink Lemonade and LimeAde (with caffeine!) flavors, and they both provide a great tart-to-sweet ratio. Starting out with a sharp citrus flavor, the chews finish with a honey sweetness. Everyone who I've given them to (and I've been passing them around like candy) always responds with something like "dayyyyummm!"
Well said.
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| Hey kid, want some candy? |
Taste aside, sometimes I just get sick of the consistency of goo and chew. Hence the genius behind the Stinger Waffles - they're essentially two waffle cone discs stuck together with honey. What's not to like? Waffle cones, check. Honey, check. Crunch, check. They come in Vanilla, Honey (duh) and Strawberry flavors. I recommend the 'nilla wafers.
One warning for trail runners - I recommend stopping to eat your Stinger Waffle. I tried to pound one on the run, and I managed to inhale a lungful of crumbs.
With trail grub like these (and some new Gu flavors that I'll be profiling next week), my problem isn't forcing myself to eat on the run. It's leaving the stuff alone between runs.
