I know I’ve been harping on the Flying Pig weekend thing for like forever. I’m finally leaving…well tomorrow I am. I’m packing…sort of…well the Garmin isn’t charged and I don’t know what I’m wearing yet…but here’s some stuff I KNOW I’m bringing:
Car Snacks. Um yeah, it’s a 6-hour drive each way. What? A complimentary POPSUGAR Must Have NatureBox showed up at my door just in time. I swear, something for everyone:
- Lemon Pucker Pistachios: These are so good, I may be hiding them from the Caveman. I swear they’re gonna be gone long before we leave.
- Dried California Peaches: These have Thing 2’s name on them. She loves peaches. I mean LOVES.
- PopSugar Must Have Trail Mix: I haven’t busted into this yet. See? Iron willpower. Yeah right.
- Seaweed Rice Pops: Caveman all the way. Seaweed just isn’t my thing.
- Blueberry Almond Bites: Think rice cake with the added pizazz of blueberries and crunch of almonds. So delish, you can’t eat just one.
For a limited time the POPSUGAR Must Have Snacks by NatureBox are 50% off! Check it out here.
Fuel. After the tummy fiasco at the Lincoln Presidential Half, my coach has me working on better pre- and post-run fueling. I often have a dicey tummy after racing and eat little or nothing when I most need to replenish the stores. Enter the bars my friends at Vega sent over for testing:
Vega Snack Bars: These are new. Think a cluster of nutty, fruity goodness. I enjoyed the depth of flavor in the Cranberry Almond Bar and am saving the Dark Chocolate, Mixed Nuts and Sea Salt Bar for the road trip.
Vega Sport Bars: I ate the Chocolate Coconut Bar right after last weekend’s race. The dark chocolate paired with tender coconut is so tasty, I cannot even express. Plus 15g of complete, plant-based protein jump starts the recovery process. I’m saving the Chocolate Mint Vega Sport for Saturday when I have a 10k and 5k one hour apart. I’ll need all the help I can get with that.
Vega Sport Energy: I ate 3/4 of the Chocolate Coconut Almond Bar before my race last weekend. It was moist, delicious, and most importantly, my tummy was happy and I felt energized during my race. With 27g of whole-food carbs, this would be great fuel to crack out on a long bike ride.
Vega One: I had the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar during a long day at the ice rink, and it was amazing. This nutrient- and calorie-dense bar is meant to replace a meal so don’t go popping it in like candy, although it tastes like it. 260 calories, 35g carbs, 12g protein. I have a Chocolate Cherry Vega One Bar on tap at the finish line of this weekend’s half marathon.
All Vega Bars are non-GMO, gluten-free and made without artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. I was an avid Vega fan before testing these bars and will continue to be one. The only negative is this kind of quality doesn’t come cheap so watch for sales/deals. Definitely worth trying!
More Fuel: I may not know what I’m wearing yet this weekend, but my GU is already packed. Looks like Salted Caramel Yeti will be meeting the Flying Pig. This flavor is a favorite of mine, and now that it’s actually above freezing, I’m enjoying the ‘thawed out’ consistency. I’m thinking I’ll have one between the 10k and 5k and one during the half.
What’s your fueling strategy? Do you mix up gel flavors/brands? Or stick with just one in a race? Did you enter my giveaway?
Have a great weekend! I’m a Cincy native and ran the Pig last year on a visit home from NH where I live now. I wish I could go home and run it every year 😉
Salted caramel GU is my fav followed peanut butter GU. It works for me so i haven’t switched.
The box sounds like a fun mix! Lemon pistachios sound amazing. Good luck this weekend–may the fueling strategy work!
Dark chocolate and coconut sounds like a great combination. During races I fuel with Cliff razz gel, but recently have been having trouble with the consistency of the gel in our cooler than normal weather.
Good luck, I can’t wait to read the race report! I’ve never done a hat trick race.
That NatureBox sounds like a winner – I would be all over those lemon pistachios! Have a great weekend and good luck with the hat trick — can’t wait to hear how everything goes!
I think that I break a lot of “rules.” I don’t fuel – even next weekend for my 50 – I will take some Hershey bars and some oranges and call it good.
Can’t wait to hear how it goes! Sharkies are my go-to fuel I just can’t stomach anything gel related. Makes me gag;) Although sometimes it’s hard to chew and run at the same time and Sharkies get stuck in my teeth;)
GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND!!! I have heard so much about Vega products but never tried them! I usually stick with GU and the occasional Clif Shot gel, plus whatever sports drink they give out at the aid stations. YAY for the Salted Caramel GU. It is by far my favorite GU flavor!!!
Love the lemon pucker pistachios! and I feel like I am the only blogger on earth who hasn’t tried Vega. I got a sample of the pre-workout energizer from Amanda aka Run to the Finish and I was hooked, but haven’t tried anything else… I have been using it for about a year. I haven’t tried the salted carmel Gu either! I need to do some shopping. Good Luck at Flying Pig!
have a great weekend!! i’ve been curious about the vega bars (but I love picky bars and larabars). I recently switched to Huma Gel from GU and now have an ENTIRE box of salted caramel that I should give away.
Since I can’t really have caffeine, I usually only have one or two good flavor options for GUs during a race. Luckily, I really like the strawberry and orange flavors, so that’s what I stick with.
Good luck this weekend!
blueberry almond bites—> CRACK!
One of my goals this summer is to actually find a fuel / brand I love and stick to it. I am usually all over the map (my pre-run fueling is pretty consistent) when it comes to fueling during long runs, since I am always trying new things. I am a sucker for Gu Chomps, though!