In the recap of my first 1/2 marathon, I mentioned that by the end, I could definitely feel myself running out of fuel in the tank. I decided that I needed to start experimenting with different ways of fueling my long runs, so that something like that doesn’t happen again, and I’m able to keep going strong through the entire race.
This post is the first in a series where I’ll document my experience trying different running fuels. First up are Clif Shot Bloks, which came highly recommended by several runners, so I was eager to give them a try.
Friday afternoon I set out for a 10 mile run, and so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try the Clif Shot Bloks. They come in a long narrow package with 6 Bloks, which makes it pretty easy to ration out and spread through your run (I ate 5 over the course of 10 miles). Each of the Bloks are a decent size, but also quite soft and chewy, so they were easy to eat while continuing to run. I’ve tried a couple of different energy bars in the past, and found them difficult to chew while running and breathing hard. This was definitely not the case with the Shot Bloks.
The Shot Bloks come in a number of different flavors – the ones I tried were Mountain Berry, which were pretty darn tasty, kind of like a giant gummy bear blob! In my past life, I probably would have just snacked away on these babies all afternoon on the couch watching TV. They are 33 calories each, so it’s easy to ration them out and customize to your workout / personal needs.
Now for the burning question – how well did they fuel my run? I realize there are a lot of factors that effect how well you run, how tired you get, how wiped out you feel afterward, etc., but I sure felt a heckuva lot better after this run than on past runs of a similar distance. I ate one Shot Blok right before I left for my run, and then 4 more spaced out pretty evenly throughout my run. I felt pretty strong the whole way through, even on some of the bigger hills, and when I was done with the 10 miles, I definitely felt like I could have kept going for more!
I’m going to keep trying other fuels/gu/gels just to be able to compare them all, but right off the bat, I’d have to say that I’m pretty in love with the Clif Shot Bloks.
What do you use to fuel your longer runs? Have you tried Clif Shot Bloks before? If so, how did you like them? Do you have any suggestions for what I should try next?
These are my best favorite flavor ever. I also really like the black cherry. Some days I would like to eat them by the pound. I am somewhat tempted to try the Clif Shot Roks because they look like malted milk balls. Sport beans are pretty good, too, although I’ve only tried an assorted sample sized pack of them. Gels and Gus freak me out a little so I’ve never tried them.
I’ve also got the black cherry, which I’m really looking forward to! I’ve thought about trying the Shot Roks too, and I’ve heard good things about sport beans as well – lots of great things to try! I’m a little freaked out by the idea of gels and gus myself, but I figured I owed it to myself to at least give it all a try.
Congrats on the half!
Love the Shot Blox! I take them with me on long rides and when I’m doing a brick workout. You said it perfectly saying they are easy to eat while working out and breathing hard.
Tried Carb Boom the first time on a 46K ride this weekend. Gel is bad, warm gel is really bad!
Thanks, I’ll have to give Carb Boom a try, haven’t heard of that one before.
I haven’t tried anything yet, but Shot Bloks and Sport Beans are on my list to try. Thanks for sharing the review!
My favorite are chomps (put out by Gu). Those are my favorite for texture and how they help my endurance. I seem to get the best from straight Gu though. I don’t really like the texture but they worked very well for me. I tried the Clif Shot Bloks too and liked them but not as much as chomps or Gu.
I like Shot Bloks and I liked them, but I hated the fact that I had to take so many of them to get through a long run. I really like Carb BOOM gels in Apple Cinnamon and Orange Vanilla – if you ever want to try them and can’t find them in AK, let me know – I’ll send you some!! I’ve only seen them in 2 store around here, so I don’t know how “national” they are…
Thanks Erin, I just might have to take you up on that offer 🙂 I’ve never heard of Carb BOOM before, so I’ll have to take a look around and see if I can find them anywhere up here.
I tried these once, sitting on the couch 🙂 But I did factor them into my daily intake, so it wasn’t a splurge…but I feel like they’re too much like candy for me–but oh so tasty! I’m glad they work for you, and I can see how they’d be easy to consume while running.
I’m playing with coming up with my own “thing” for keeping energized while running…mayeb this will finally get me to do it.
I’m looking forward to seeing what else you come up with.
Those I have tried and were really yummy, you’re right you could almost just eat them 🙂 for fun. They are gelatin free too, so no melted down animal hooves, and that’s how I roll.
I use a homemade (cheaper!) gel in a refillable gel flask. It’s made with liquefied dates, coconut oil, agave and yerba mate. It’s more energy dense than the blocks but I’ve kinda found my sweet spot with it now.
Can’t wait to read what else you try. I was just thinking about this yesterday, I wonder if Brandon is trying some fueling options! tada!
Well I didn’t want to let me secret out of the bag Rita, but I basically just read your mind to come up with my ideas for posts 🙂
I’ve also thought of trying to make my own energy bars and/or gels, maybe I’ll have to get your recipe from you!
I’ve ordered some to try after reading this.
Good to hear, I hope you like them!
I’ve never used any energy boosting bars, gels, or gus before but picked up a package of Shot Bloks at the local bike store on my last visit. I was eager to try them (I purchased the Black Cherry flavor) and needless to say that I was impressed! I’m training for a duathlon so I ate 3 bars after my first 2 mile run and then ate the last three after my last 2 mile run. I’m feeling good right now and am not feeling sluggish or too tired. The carbs and caffeine really helped me get through my workout.
After this post, I’ll be ordering a box from Amazon. 🙂
Oh, and this is the first time I’ve been to your site. You have some great information on here! Keep up the good work!