As long term readers of my blog will know I am a little bit into my running. But I’ve never been hugely into working on my sport nutrition, I’m probably a bit lazy about it! However, when My Protein offered me a few things to try out I couldn’t say no.
One thing we all need to keep on running is energy, so I was given some My Protein Ener:Gel* to try. Now I’ve not really used energy gels to try because of the short distances I usually run, but I am aiming to do a half marathon next year again so I have been recently working on upping my distances. When I pushed too hard at the Manchester 10k I had an Ener:Gel on hand in my bag for after and I’m really glad I did, because it certainly helped me after my wobble. I’ve found unlike some I really liked the consistency of these gels, it wasn’t too sticky or gloopy so I could definitely get on with these during running. But I have to admit I have preferred the My Protein Ener:Gel with Caffeine* as the energy kick is a bit more intense and useful for a hit of energy for those post-long day at work long runs I’ve had to endure! They suggest 1 every hour of exercise, so I usually have them handy for longer runs and low energy days.
Now as it’s getting warmer, hydration is becoming more important. When you’re running on a hot day just taking water on will not suffice. Personally I can’t stand isotonic drinks, they never sit well in my stomach (I’ve tried all of them!) So when I saw the My Protein Electrolyte Plus* supplements I had to try them out. You take one a day on your heavy exercise days and recovery days, keep up your water intake too, and the mix of salts and electrolytes will help with your hydration. I didn’t realise a 2% loss of water can have a huge impact on your training so it’s definitely worth making sure you’re taking on fluid! I used these on the days of my long runs before the Manchester 10k and on race day too and I think not only did I feel more hydrated I felt like I recovered more quickly as well.
I did receive some recovery protein to try but I haven’t upped my running mileage enough yet to try it out, expect a review soon though!
