Ready, Set, Bloks

Yesterday I ran what was probably my best 20-mile training run to date. The three plus hours just seemed to glide by in the sunny, but breezy, 24 degree (75°F) heat. I finished the run feeling very good, feeling that if I had to, I could have run 6.2 more miles just fine. With the Reykjavik marathon a mere two weeks away, I am feeling more ready than ever. I could easily attribute my performance to the fact that I have been training for the past 20 weeks, non-stop, including running the marathon in Rio, or to the fact that I have been trying to watch what I eat since returning from Italy, but really, I think it was the Bloks...

When you're running for hours at time, your body needs more than just water and Gatorade. Some people eat bananas while running, others energy bars, others still rely on candies like gummy bears and jelly beans. I have always been a user of energy gels (both PowerBar Gel and Clif Shot). I find the gels easy to digest while running, but awful to consume. I always dread the moment during my run when it's time to tear open a packet of gel and force myself to squeeze the goo into my mouth, feeling it squish around while I chew as little as possible and try to swallow it away. Inevitably, the gel coats your tongue and the sticky sweet taste lingers in your mouth no matter how much water to take in right after.

Last month, when I arrived in Italy, my mother had a few surprises for me. In addition to cookies from my favorite macrobiotic restaurant in New York, she had brought with her an assortment of colorful plastic bags filled with what looked to me like candy. It turned out they were Shot Bloks, Clif Bar's newest energy product. Each 33-calorie Blok (six of which come per pack) is a chewy treat that actually tastes good while you're chewing it and sits well after you swallow.

Yesterday, I found myself, for the very first time, looking forward, each hour, to the time when I could reach into my pocket for some more Bloks. I'm hooked.