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Product Review: EFS Sports Drink

It’s been a while since I’ve done a product review so I thought I would review my very favorite of all nutritional products, EFS Sports Drink. As most of you know I have Celiac Disease (or is it that I am a celiac? I never know how I’m supposed to say that) and follow a strict gluten free diet. I also have a wonky (yes, I said wonky) stomach that is pretty unforgiving during workout and race conditions. So, for years I gagged down Hammer HEED. I thought it tasted good, but in hindsight I think that was because I have such a positive cheery outlook : ) After three irondistance races I could not even look at another bottle of HEED. Don’t even get me started on the melon flavor.
Anyhow, along came my team sponsorship. One of our team sponsors is First Endurance. As part of our sponsorship we were asked to use the product for training and racing and review them. I was upfront with the powers that be about my wonky stomach and the fact that I could not endorse or blog about a product that I couldn’t use. They were very understanding and passed on Robert’s, (one of the founders of First Endurance) email address. He was very quick to respond and very helpful. All EFS products are gluten free (yay!) and several pro’s that are sponsored by the company are gluten free.

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Categories: Product Reviews
Tags: EFS Sports Drink, first endurance

4/14/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Harrisonburg, VA

Product Review: EFS Liquid Shot

Hi, my name is Kati and I have a liquid shot problem. I have never been a gel eater. Even at mile 9 of a half marathon, running out of energy with no other nutrition available. I just can’t do it. For the last few years I have used different gummy versions of gels, Luna Moons, Shot Blox and Carbboom chews. They worked just fine, but it’s not all that pleasant to have to chew them up with a dry mouth while you are panting.

When our mama bear told us that using First Endurance products was part of our sponsorship deal I was a bit nervous. Celiac makes my stomach finicky to put it mildly. My first interaction with First Endurance was when I emailed Carole (our mama bear who is responsible for making our team, well, awesome) asking if the First Endurance product was gluten free. I didn’t get a response back from Carole, I got an email directly from Robert Kunz, the co-founder of First Endurance. He assured me all products are gluten free. Simply Awesome!

I decided to give liquid shot a try, assuming my husband would probably be the one to use it. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Liquid shot is not a gel. From the First Endurance website:

It’s called a liquid shot because it doesn’t contain gelling agents that can slow down absorption and digestion. Features include our exclusive 400-calorie supercharged endurance formula that boasts over 1500mg electrolytes, 1000mg amino acids…

4/1/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

29.5352287,-81.5625000

Ultragen Review & Contest

by: Joel Strickland

Just returned from a nice spring break trip with the family to the Sarasota, FL area. A couple of good stories to tell, but I’ll save those for future posts. Today’s post is the long overdue product review and a contest!

It seems like a couple of months ago I placed my first big order with First Endurance. I busted the bank, and got one of just about everything on the menu. I’ve been enjoying EFS Drink. I also bought Pre Race and Optygen HP, but haven’t used them yet. I also bought a case of Liquid Shot – but each Liquid Shot packs in about 400 calories, and I haven’t done anything that requires that kind of nutrition yet this year. More to come on these products later on this spring. I have used Ultragen several times.

Ultragen is touted as the most advanced recovery drink. If you read the literature on First Endurance’s website, you’ll find tons of good information about the product (including how Ultragen gives you 320 calories, 60g of glucose, two types of proteins, and vitamins, minerals, glutamine and branch chain amino acids). More importantly, you’ll learn that Ultragen is a recovery drink intended to be used in the first 30 minutes following a tough workout. Here’s the rub…I think this stuff really tastes GREAT! I bought the cappuccino flavor, and damn…

Categories: Nutrition, Triathlons
Tags: Contest, first endurance, Nutrition, Tri-Swim, UltraGen

3/31/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Harrisonburg, VA

Things I LOVE

My kids on spring break and ACTUALLY getting along! It’s like the twilight zone around here!
Getting up in the morning to workout so that I can spend the day with the kids!
Wednesdays! They are awesome with my favorite TV shows, JMU Tri Club meeting and REV3 Blogtalk radio shows*!
My new Saucony Trakkers team uniform!! – the back pocket on the shorts fits a EFS Liquid Shot flask perfectly!
Finding race nutrition that works! I have been struggling with food that I can eat before a workout, everything I have tried lately has made my stomach cramp up. This morning I had a banana, one ounce of EFS liquid shot and 1 bottle (1.5 scoops) of EFS grape drink – worked like a charm.
Beautiful Spring weather! Looks like an outside day to me!

**One of my sponsors, REV3 has been hosting a weekly radio show on Blogtalk radio. This week will feature Craig Alexander – THE Ironman World Champ! It really is a great show, you can call in and ask Craig questions, or just listen! I for one want to know what int the world the Craig Alexander I-Phone app does! 8pm EST, click on the link on the bottom right corner of my blog!

Categories: Family & Friends, Team
Tags: family, first endurance, saucony, Training, trakkers

3/17/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Baldwinsville, NY

Trimommy Training Camp Days 1 and 2

by: Kelly Covert

I am currently sitting in my bed with my compression socked legs up on pillows. Thank you, God, for blessing me with this life!!

I am on spring break this week (I teach at two colleges and this year the spring breaks were the same…yay), so Coach Mary and I decided to do a little Trimommy Training Camp. Yesterday was day 1, and it was pretty much a typical Monday for me: I taught a 60 min. spin class and did a strength workout in the morning, and swam Masters Swim last night.

Today, however, was not typical. This was the plan:

90 min. endurance ride
60 min. endurance run with 4 hill-bounding repeats (I won’t go into hill-bounding, but this is hard stuff)
60 min. endurance/tempo ride.

The first two were meant to be done as a brick, then followed shortly by the 60 min. ride.

Here is a picture of my nutrition preparation:

Three and half hours of training requires serious monitoring of the nutrition, so I came up with a plan last night, and followed it to a tee…and it worked great! My primary fuel was First Endurance EFS Drink and EFS Liquid Shot. In the past, sports drinks have not gotten along with my stomach during running, but today I had no problems! I through in a pack of Luna Moons and a mini Luna bar for…

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: first endurance, saucony, Training

3/16/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Harrisonburg, VA

Planning Your Race Nutrition

After my nutrition FAIL over the weekend (I admire those that can be good all the time and think about fueling their bodies 100% of the time. Me, I guess I need a little peanut oil every once and a while!) I thought a nutrition post was in order. I think I got all the gunk out with a few great workouts yesterday. I’m often asked to help develop nutrition plans for long racing events. Because I am not a nutritionist I can’t perscribe a diet or plan, but I do think I do well at helping folks develop their nutritional race plan.

The first word of advice I have is to develop a plan. Then make a plan B. You would be surprised how many people go into a half marathon, marathon, century bike ride or half ironman with no real nutritional plan and certainly no back up plan in case the plan A goes bad. What will you do at mile 16 of the marathon when that one flavor of gels that you have been training with for 3 months tastes so bad the though makes your stomach churn? How about mile 35 of the half ironman when your ONE nutrition bottle that is perfectly mixed to get you through the rest of the 56 mile bike rockets off the back of your bike? Plan, Plan, Plan.

Lets take the example of someone doing their first half ironman.…

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: first endurance, gluten free, race nutrition, Racing

3/8/2010

triathlete

Surviving Gluten Free in a Wheat Filled World

GPS Coordinates

Harrisonburg, VA

Surviving Gluten Free in a Wheat Filled World

Do you know what happens when you bake gluten free brownies at 9pm? You eat gluten free brownies at 9:05pm.

People ask me all the time how in the world I can eat gluten free. I guess it seems overwhelming at first, I remember getting the call from the doctor, diagnosis – celiac disease. We were on the road traveling to a race and I was freaked and overwhelmed and sure I was going to starve to death. Six years later it seems like no big deal. There are gluten free options everywhere. I get a lot of emails from friends that need gluten free help and I am not always the best about returning every email, so I thought a blog post would cover everybody!

Top ten tips for surviving gluten free living:

1. Find your go-to food. For me, getting hungry in a house full of non-gluten free food can incite panic. I know that fruits etc. are gluten free (see #2) but sometimes I need something else and I need to know it’s on hand and easy to grab. For both my son (7 year old) and I it’s Envirokids bars. At any given time you can find 3 -4 boxes in my pantry. It might not be the most healthy thing, but it’s quick carbs that keep me going.

2. Real food is gluten free. Fruits, veggies, meat – simple and real food in it’s simple…