In preparation for Bandera, I'm experimenting with all sorts of fueling options. I'm trying to up my caloric intake from 200 to 300 per hour. In Steamboat, I felt like I wasn't getting enough, but since I was despising gels during the second half of the race, I wasn't motivated to take in any more than absolutely necessary. I've heard good things about the EFS liquid shots as one 5 oz. flask has the calories & electrolytes of about four gels & one S-Cap. I took one on a 20 miler two weeks ago and was not impressed. The consistency was too thick and the vanilla taste was too strong. It just didn't go down well at all.
After reading Scott Jaime's MMTR report, I noticed he diluted the shots in a bottle of water. On a 30 miler Saturday, I mixed up two handheld bottles with water and one EFS shot in each. I drank one bottle every 1.5 hours. The diluted vanilla taste was light, smooth, and something I could see myself drinking for a long time in a race. It also worked very well at keeping my energy levels up. I did eat two gels during the last 8 miles, but if I had another bottle of water/EFS, I would have been fine.
My flashlight is still working great, but I found that when the temps drop into the low 20's, the aluminum light turns into a piece of ice. Because it is so small, I found I need to grab it tighter. Even with a glove on, it's cold and the firm grasp isn't comfortable. A little foam pipe wrap and some duct tape did the trick. There's no extra weight and now it fits in my hand perfectly.
Lastly, I took the Montrail koozie I got from the Run Rabbit Run and cut the bottom out to fit it around my bottle. Now as the contents approach the freezing point, my hand doesn't follow suit.
This running thing is all about making adjustments right?
Good call on the modifications. I have never had a problem with the full strength EFS shots, but I can see how some would. I also tried diluting them after reading Scott's blog and I liked that also. I didn't realize you were doing a 100K so soon, that's cool. Good luck with that.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the diluted shots. I've already bought the refill bottle and plan to use that at Bandera. I'm also trying the EFS powder (mild grape). That's pretty tasty too...but about 1/2 the calories, so I'm strategizing on how I can use both to get me through a whole race. Both flavors I can tolerate well and if I alternate, I think that will work over the long haul. Thanks again for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteCool. I also recommend the fruit punch in the EFS drink...that one is my favorite so far as far as flavor...but we each have our own taste buds to appease.
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