Newfangled Dad

Several of you have said you have enjoyed my posts about race-day fueling strategy. So I thought I'd offer a bit of a wrap-up with what I've settled into. I looked at my training calendar last night and realized that after I return from our trip to Ohio there will be 8 weeks left until Race Week. Halfway there! And I'm feeling good. I think it's a combination of many causes. The cross-training on the bike. The new nutrition plan. More experience in knowing when/how to push myself during workouts...and when to back off. I loved the granola. There was even a sale on the half-bars I would have wanted to use. In the end, they're not for Race Day, I've decided. The North Shore Half was a nice, fair test drive for them and they proved to be too sticky, too crumbly, and hard to get down on a hot day. Granted, I hope the Chicago Marathon doesn't have a finish line high temp of 91, but you have to be prepared for anything. Lately, on my long runs I've bee...

The first item on our review of Natural Nutrition For Runners gets nothing but high praise. To review, I'm looking for a new hydration & fueling strategy for marathoning that meets the basic criteria of being a good-tasting, non-artificial way to eat in the middle of a 26.2 mile race. How it does during an actual workout is for Part II, but let's dive into the basics first. Best of all, Olympia Granola meets the toddler test--my son comes running if you open one. We've shared one as a snack several times. These are natural ingredients and nothing you can't pronounce. Rolled oats, almonds, honey, etc.. The coffee flavored bars have espresso powder in them which gives them that real taste that coffee flavored products on the market usually just don't have. There are 3 basic types...Trail Bars, Coffee House Bars, and the Sunshine Bar. There's a 1/2 bar option and then the full size bars are 3 oz. The basic nutritional breakdown is 190 calories per ser...