Most of my friends are stumbling home from happy hour right about now. Not me. I’m home in my pajamas watching old episodes of Glee and planning my training meal/fuel plan for the next few weeks. It’s no secret that I’m trying to lose weight, but if running has taught me anything it’s that you can’t cut way back on your calories and still expect to run well. You also can’t run more than 45 minutes without re-fueling.
So, friends, I present to you the first installment of my healthy & athletic version of Thirsty Thursday: Running Fuel.
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These chewy cubes of goodness are my favorite! They taste great without that nasty sports food aftertaste and they are seriously effective. If I’m feeling a little hungry before a run I’ll eat 2-3 for a pre-workout boost. Otherwise, I’ll stop mid-run and have a few with water. For example, last weekend on my first (!) 5-miler, I stopped at 2.67 miles and had 3 with water. ALWAYS follow any type of sports food with water NOT Gatorade or any other type of sports drink. Just trust me on this one. Your stomach will thank you.
2. Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews
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These little gummies remind me of fruit snacks. They’re small and easy to chew while running and they taste really great. I’ve tried the Fruit Smoothie and Cherry Blossom flavors and liked them both. These didn’t give me any stomach troubles, but they also didn’t give me as strong of an energy boost as the Shot Bloks do. I’m going to start eating more than just a few from now on and see if that makes a difference.
3. Honey Stinger Organic Stinger Waffle
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I may or may not be guilty of eating these at all hours of the day instead of before/after running. I can’t help it. They’re so so so good! The waffle is crispy and filled with gooey vanilla sweetness. I have absolutely no idea if these gave me any type of energy (I’ve only eaten them after a run), but I don’t care. I mostly just use them as a small sugary treat after a long run.
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Thirsty Thursday wouldn’t be complete without a little hydration right? If you haven’t heard already, coconut water is the best hydration drink there is. It’s all natural, it’s packed with electrolytes, has loads of potassium (which anyone who’s prone to muscle cramps will appreciate) and tastes really good. I hate coconut, but I loooove this stuff. Since I know I’m not a coconut fan, I’ve stuck to the flavored varieties. Lima Citron, Mango and Pomberry are my faves. And according to the Tone it Up! Girls, the Lima Citron works extremely well in alcoholic beverages.
5. smartwater / vitaminwater
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People may think that I’m a bit of a water snob, but I don’t care. I can seriously taste the difference. smartwater is hands down the best bottled water out there. It tastes cleaner and it has electrolytes in it, so it’s the best kind of water to drink after a workout. I also love vitaminwater, particularly revive because it tastes the best and it has potassium in it. It also has sugar in it though so I try not to drink more than half of the bottle. I can’t get down with the sugar-free kind. Yuck.
So…there you have it! My top 5 fuel options. I’m always looking for others so if you know of any let me know!
Jerrell::Renee::Runs 
I have tried the Gatorade Prime “drink”, and I think it worked pretty well. I have been doing Insanity, and it gave me energy during those crazy workouts- tastes good, too :) I have also tried the Gatorade G-Series Fit chews, and they are GROSSSSSSSSSS. They were on sale at Target, so I tried them. Barf. I ate two but I couldn’t stomach anymore. I gave them to my boyfriend ;)
I have bought the Gatorade Recovery drink, and am looking forward to drinking that after my next Insanity workout. Chocolate milk has worked well, too.
I really want to buy the Beachbody (Insanity’s company) Shakeology- my friend drinks it and it’s supposed to be SO good for you and very filling. I’d also like to try the P90x results and recovery formula.
In any case, I am also looking for good energy boosters! My energy and motivation are SERIOUSLY lacking these days. I look forward to following your blog and your running adventures! Let me know of any pre-workout fuel revelations :)
yeah chocolate milk is soo good after long runs. I’ve tried Chocolate Almond Milk too because I try not to do too much dairy but the regular milk was definitely better.
I’m so glad you’re reading and I’ll try those other recovery drinks and let you know how it goes :)
Hope you’re doing well!
Thanks for sharing! Quick question: where can you buy those Shot Bloks? I see you provided a link, do you just buy them online? When I start going on longer runs all of these foods will definitely come in handy.
I usually buy them at sports stores like City Sports or Sports Authority. Pretty much any running store will have them as well. I’m thinking about starting to buy them online though because now that I know what works for me it makes sense to buy them in bulk instead of a handful here and there. Race expos are also great places to buy all types of running foods because they have all of the different flavors and they usually have really great deals and samples.