So, the great thing about running is that you don’t need anything except for trainers (and a sports bra). No other equipment, or gym membership is required.
But, of course, there are loads of optional extras. MP3 player, Garmin, water bottle, arm carry things, waist belts, quick draw gel belts, special earphones….
And of course there are loads of products geared at active people.
When ramping up the miles during half or full marathon training I quite like protein cereal bars- I like variety so I go between Clif bars, Bounce Balls, Pulsin’ bars, nakd bars and whatever else I come across. I find them more filling than regular cereal bars, so often on a Wednesday I will have one in the afternoon as otherwise the gap between lunch (generally around 12.30) and dinner (after 8pm) is a bit too long.
The website Probikekit.co.uk recently sent some of these protein Clif bars and some nuun tabs for me to review for my blog- I was very happy to try them out. I love nuun tabs anyway, so it was great to try a new (to me) flavour. I find that after running in the heat I end up with a layer of sweat on my face, and I often used to get headaches after runs so I tend to have one after a long or hot run to help replace the electrolytes. When I was marathon training I used to take a bottle with nuun + water with me, instead of just water.
The nuun tabs are simple- add them to water and they fizz away and dissolve. They contain sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium as well as some natural flavours and ingredient to hold them together/ make them fizz.
I got home from holiday this morning (we flew overnight from Montreal and I think I managed to doze for about 2 hours) so I was feeling pretty ropey today- hungry at weird times, and super thirsty after being on the plane. So although I didn’t run today, I felt I could do with some rehydration. The lemon tea flavour was really nice- I like iced tea anyway, and it was similar. Tropical remains my favourite flavour, followed by the pink lemonade, but they are all quite faint flavours which is good too.
When I remember I like to make up a glass before I run, and leave it in the fridge so it is nice and cold when I get home.
Excuse the blurry photo- I could not get a better one!
The Clif Peanut Butter Chocolate Builders Bar was like a chocolate bar only filled with soya protein. It had a great chewy texture, and was also huge! 68g! The bar had 264 calories and a whopping 20g of protein, as well as a vitamins and minerals (and no trans fat – good for a processed product). Now, I am not saying this is a health food, but for when you are hungry and fancy something sweet it makes a nice change. I also think that I could cut them in half as it did take me ages to eat the entire one.
What little extras do you love? When I was doing yoga more frequently I bought some special grippy socks which were brilliant.
How do you get over jet lag? I tried to sleep on the plane (I have an eye mask which help) and as soon as I got home I was unpacking, putting on washing, going to the shops, but I ended up having a nap at 1pm as I was just so blurry in the head, and am going out tonight (great timing!) so could not even aim for an early night.
* I was sent a voucher for money off these products in exchange for an honest review- all opinions are my own.
Jet lag is grim, hope you had a great trip and feel over the jet lag soon! I like clif bars as a treat, I used to eat them more often, but I prefet other bars with shorter ingredient lists now. Nice as a treat though.
Yes they do have a long ingredient list, but like you say nice for a treat.
Erghh, I hate jet lag. Just lots of sleep and water. Hope you get past it soon 🙂
Yes have been trying to drink lots, thanks 🙂
I like to have my music on and I sometimes wear my heart rate and calorie counter. Never actually had jet lag but I hope you can get rid of it soon!
I did try a heart rate monitor once but didn’t get on too well with the strap- another bit of kit though!
Jet lag is the worst – hope you feel better soon sweet!
Thanks 🙂
I hate jet lag, hope you’re feeling better soon. James loves High5 tablets after running, I’m a fan of Kombucha!
I have never tried Kombucha- not sure I like the sound of it!
I hate jetlag, especially if you suffer from it at the start of the holiday. I’ve never tried the nuun tabs but I like the zero tabs a lot, especially after a long hot run!
They are similar but nicer than Zero I think, as the flavours are more subtle. I found some of the Zero ones really strong tasting.
I love the sound of ice tea Nuun – I will have to keep my eye out for that one. I love my Garmin and I also have a RoadID bracelet with my ID on it should anything ever happen while I am out.
I don’t think I have ever slept on a plane (I live in a bit of fear of being photographed as revenge for when I did the same to husband and mother-in-law!).
Have an eye mask and then you can deny it was you anyway! 😉
Road ID is a great thing to mention- I have a tag on my trainers with my details on it.
I’ve not tried those mega clif bars but when I was in America last year I loved clif bars. I make my own version at home though now so I know exactly what is going into it and with less sugar! I’m off to thailand in September so will be looking up tips for avoiding jet lag – I hate it. I usually try to set my watch to the destination as we take off to try to adjust over the flight. Staying hydrated is also a top tip – I use sis hydrate tabs after long runs but might take some on holiday with me too. Good idea!
Making your own bars is a great idea- I think that my problem with that is fresh bars won’t last for long, whereas often I could go for weeks without eating them, so home made ones would go off.
Jet lag is a pain! I think sleep is the only cure and getting back to a normal routine slowly but surely if you can.
Yep the summer holidays help with that though 🙂
Oh no I hate jet lag, the only way I seem to get through it is to power through and then get back into a normal routine. The builders bars sound great, super filling I bet!
They are really filling- half would be a good sized snack on its own! They do a mint chocolate one too, so perhaps once I have worked my way through this pack I will give them a go..
I’ve only tried samples of these Clif bars. They seem a bit more decadent than the other Clif bars (the ones I tried) because of the chocolate. It’s tough with these bars being quite high in calories you couldn’t really have them as a regular snack I don’t think. But good for an emergency when you’re hungry and need something to tide you over, or after a race.
I’ve got some of those Nuun tablets too and think I prefer them to the HIgh5 ones. Nicer tasting!
Yes they are high calorie, but I was surprised as my guess was more like 400- they are really huge so half would be enough (but one was my lunch the other day so I figured it was OK).
Yes the nuun ones are the best- not too strong flavoured whereas the other ones I have tried (high 5 and zero) are so strong.
I’ve not seen those Clif Builder’s bars before. They look like they would make a good addition to my picnic during ultras!
Touch wood I’ve not really struggled with jet lag. I tend to spend nearly all of my time on the plane asleep and jump straight back into doing things on my return home. Perhaps going to bed half an hour earlier or so for a few days until I feel settled into my normal routine again.
That is impressive with the jet lag. I tend to sleep on day flights and stay awake on night flights annoyingly!
The builders bars are good but quite sweet, not sure you would fancy one on an ultra. But worth a try- I have seen them for sale in Sweatshop (individual ones, not boxes, so you could try one).