Many people who are shorter distance runners would not even think of snacking on the run, but longer distance runners know that without the calories you get from your crackers, gel, etc., it is simply not a pleasant experience to try and complete a 12+ mile long run. When your muscles run out of fuel, they weaken, and every stride becomes labored. This is when you need to figure out what you can eat without upsetting your stomach so you can make it through those 20 mile training runs for the upcoming marathon...
There are a few tried and true running snacks I will bring on a marathon training run, such as fruit snacks, Jelly Belly Sport Beans, Clif Shot Blocks, Sharkies and Power Bar gels... A lot of the other running snacks I train with are samples I picked up at races and race expos. I had attempted to eat an Apple Pie Clif Gel on a long run a few weeks ago, and found it to be too heavy and very sticky. I would have given up on Clif Gels, but I am glad I didn't.
I am a big eater, as many people could tell you. I have been known to eat an entire grocery store pizza on the morning of a 14 mile afternoon long run. On my 18 mile marathon training run, I consumed a total of 4 snacks, about 1 per hour on average. I was approaching mile 15 and my last snack of the run, and my muscles were done. Not to mention the pain... (I later remarked to my friends that if a mountain lion had emerged from the woods to chase me at that moment, I would have let it eat me...) I was expecting the last snack to help me stay moving, but I was not expecting the sheer joy I experienced when the Chocolate Clif Shot Gel entered my mouth... It was the flavor and texture of hot fudge! And at about 100 calories of organic ingredients, you really cannot go wrong on this one.
(Side note: Dusty and I discovered on a trek in Argentina last year, when served pastries in a mountain hut with no icing or sauce, that Chocolate Outrage flavored Gu gels serve as an ideal icing for a bare pastry. Based on my experience with the Gu, I would expect that this Clif Gel would also serve as the perfect highlight for your backpacking dessert!)
Gels are my number one energy booster for the final miles of a long run, hands down. The fast energy they deliver is without compare, and they are so easy to eat that you barely have to slow down. Now that I have an option that has the added bonus of tasting like hot fudge, I think I am set!
Grade: A+
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