Skratch Cookies (Take 2)

I reviewed these back in April, you can read my review here. Skratch have a new take on them, check out their latest video.

Standby to crush your nuts!

Skratch Labs Taste Agent

As you may have read Becca and I are both experimenting with using real food for our longer runs at the weekend. This is moving us away from gels and blocks, the usual things that we have been using for years. So far it’s going well, we have been using bread, PB&J and boiled potatoes. Some of these are portable others less so!

It was when I was cruising he internet before Christmas that I found myself on the Skratch Labs website. I wondered if they had a Brand Ambassador program (or something similar) and to my surprise they did. So of course I applied!

I have used both of Allen Lim’s Books Feedzone and Portables a fair bit in the past, the Feedzone more than the other book. Both have produced some really good meals, wholesome, tasty and healthy! Here is some proof…although two of these are portables!

(l – r) Bread Pudding, Quick Crusts, Coconut Macroons

Anyway I had kinda forgotten that I had applied, with all the Christmas and New Year hoopla it went out of my mind until…

…until I got this email from them!

So there you go I am an official Skratch Labs Taste Agent! So what does that mean? Well more pictures of food and more fueling with real food. I am going to try to get at least one recipe from either book reviewed on a weekly basis too as well as give you some (and them) some feedback on their products! I hope to have some contests and giveaways throughout the year so stay tuned!

In the meantime check them out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and of course their website!

In case you can’t tell…I am super stoked about this!

Hydration conclusion: what to wear when and why…

It struck me that this is probably the most useful post of the series especially given that it’s taken 8 months! Yeah pathetic I know! But in my defense the cat ate my homework, I lost my book, the dog was sick and blah blah blah….

So here are my humble options based on my favorite pieces; UD Wasp, UD FastDraw Extreme (Handheld), Mutant and H20:

For run between 1-2 hours

• Run is supported; gas station etc; UDHH, Mutant or H20
• If fluid is likely to freeze: UDHH
• If likely to trip over; UDHH, use bottle to break fall
• If you prefer two drinks; H20
• Do you want a gel flask; Mutant
• Carrying clothing that you might remove after start; gloves hat armwarmers etc; Mutant
• For races where you want minimal stuff; H20 or UDHH
• Prefer hands free; H20 or Mutant
• Prefer waist free; UDHH

For runs 2-4 hours:

• No 7/11s on the route but maybe a garden hose; Mutant
• Is fluid likely to freeze; UDHH x 2
• If likely to face plant; UDHH x 2
• If you prefer two drinks; UD handheld x 2 or Mutant + UDHH
• Do you want a gel flask; Mutant
• Want hands free but race light and don’t mind messing with lids; H20
• Carrying more clothing for unforeseen changeable weather; Wasp
• Likely to get chase by small dogs; UDHH x2 drink from one squirt from the other

For runs 4 hours+

• Run is unsupported in everyway, no gas station, garden hose, nothing; Wasp + UDHH(s) (Optional)
• Is fluid likely to freeze; UD Handheld x 2 + Wasp half full, decant asap
• If you prefer two drinks; UD handheld x 2 or Mutant + UDHH or Wasp + UDHH
• Do you want a gel flask: Wasp or Mutant + UDHH x 2
• Carrying a lot of gear; map, food, cooker, kitchen sink; Wasp
• Likely to get chased by anything larger than a small dog; Wasp – bearspray, mace, flare gun, canon!

As you can see the list is pretty endless as are the permutations, some people hate having things in their hands, some don’t like things around their waists and other dislike packs, of course if you plan you route well enough and can run past enough water fountains then you should be good without anything I suppose, Personally I have raced in all but the Mutant, I worn the Wasp for 24 hours plus with no problems and carried handhelds for the same distance, I have refilled my H20 bottles multiple times during a marathon, what I am trying to say is there are no hard and fast rules… the main things to remember are (1) drink and (2) don’t try it on race day!

Of course if you’re likely to fall over when it’s frozen and your being chased by something larger then a dog, well, maybe you should think about going to the gym instead!

Review; Ultimate Direction Solitaire

A lifetime ago, well last Summer I set out to review options for hydration packs, well things conspired against me and combined with a helpful tidy (resulting in a box of stuff disappearing) of my running kit during the fall meant that one piece went unreviewed, so without fanfare but with much delay I bring you the review of the Ultimate Direction Solitaire.

This is one of several waistbelts from UD and it really is a no-nonsense variety. It does pretty much everything it says on the box…but I will save my conclusions for later, so on with review.

As mentioned this is a no nonsense type of belt, it’s pretty stripped down and has a few bells but no real whistles, the belt is made from webbing fabric, think rucksack, it has a foam back but there is no sculpturing or shaping to it. It has some reflective piping along it and it fastens at the front by way of a simple buckle. The excess webbing folds up neatly and tucks away within elastic loops, this is a feature on most if not all UD products and it’s one of those things that is so simple and so effective that you think you would see it everywhere? Maybe it’s patented? On the outside, to the side, on each side, basically above your hips there is a zippered pocket, big enough for a couple of gels, a small phone (not a iPhone or Blackberry)  or your keys. When your hot the belt breathes easily enough and doesn’t pool the sweat which is a concern with belts; I noticed no problems with chaffing etc.

Moving to the rear, this is where the action is. The Solitaire as you can see is a bottle holder and it carries the larger of the two bottles that UD sells; 26oz, and which comes with their standard kicker valve, check out my review of the bottle here. The bottle is held in place by a sleeve, there’s nothing keeping it in place except friction but it does stay in place, in fairness my running has not been as rugged in recent months as is has in the past, but even with some deliberate jumping about from side to side somewhat like a crazed hula hooper with no hoop, (much to the amusement of a couple walking their dogs!) it stayed in place. Above the sleeve there is a smallish zipped pocket, this you can fit  a phone in, as well as some armwarmers or maybe an ultralight waterproof jacket, I can get my Marmot jacket in it but that’s because it folds down to the size of a pack of cigarettes, there’s also a little key hook. On top of this pocket there is a meshed velcro pouch. Finally there is a hanging/drying loop.

It rides comfortably enough, out of preference I prefer it on my hips that round my waist and this is where is loses out versus the Nathan Mutant, there is no elastic in the belt so there is no give in the tightness. From experience waistbelts are worn at their most comfortable when they are  at their tightest  but not constricting, for me it’s a really fine line. I need that little bit of give because when you have to move in a slightly different alignment to jump those roots or extend over those rocks and a belt that has no give or take cannot absorb those subtle changes.

Like I said this is a bare bones no frills waistpack and it does do exactly what it says on the box but for me it is a little too no frills. That being said don’t discount it too early because it’s very functional.

This belt is available in several colors; red, blue and black and through multiple online outlets it’ average retail is around $40. If you choose to pick one up check out Wilderness Running Company and don’t forget using ‘Quad10’ at the checkout will save you 10%.

This is the last review in this series, although because of the spread of months (!!!) in between them I will write up a conclusion. You can read my other Hydration product reviews here:

• Ultimate Direction FastDraw Extreme
• Ultimate Direction Wasp
• HydraPak GelBot
• Salomon XT Wings 5 Running Pack
• Nathan X Trainer Mutation
• FuelBelt H20
• Nathan HPL #008 Magda

UD Solitaire VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

This Belt was provided free of charge by the good folks at Wilderness Running Company. See previous gear reviews in the sidebar on the right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

Review; Nathan Magda 1.5L (aka HPL #008)

Way back in the Summer I started to review hydration packs…well Summer never really arrived and I never really finished so with Christmas and the end of the year in sight I am making an effort to wrap up all my outstanding reviews this is probably the penultimate one on hydration packs. So I present the Nathan HPL #008 also known as the Magda named after the Olympic marathoner Magda Lewy-Boulet for whom it was designed. From Nathan’s website, the features include:

• 2-way Propulsion Harness
• 1.5 liter Hydration Bladder with bite valve
• Dual front pockets – one mesh holster, one zippered
• Power Stretch Mesh back pocket for jacket or gloves
• Vertically adjustable sternum strap with tube clip
• Lightweight, breathable Wall Mesh with soft perimeter binding feels great against skin and won’t damage technical apparel
• Weight: 5.5 oz.

So how does it stack up, well first of all it is really light, even when filled you don’t really notice the weight, the pack also includes the new and improved Platypus bladder which has a wide mouth screw lid, previous versions had a slide closure which had sealant issues, it’s easy to fill and is definitely one of the less plastic tasting bladders I have used. It contains 70oz or 1.5l so it’s plenty big enough a long run in the hills. The hose has a bite valve which also has a locking mechanism…it’s so simple it took me 10 minutes to figure it out and a really simple but nice feature is a clip on the front strap that the hose locks into to stop it from floating about.

The pack storage is pretty stripped down, there is not a lot of room left in the pack once the bladder is full, there is a second pouch in which you could get a pair of gloves or armwarmers but not much more. On the front of the vest you have the choice of two pouches; one zipped, one laced, both have a mesh fabric. Both are a good size, big enough for 4-5 gels or a camera, an iPhone or Blackberry easy fits in. They are mounted on a more solid breathable mesh fabric which is also the same on the back pack section, it’s not hot and seems to breath easily enough. The front fastening buckle has plenty of give and to allow you to get a really comfortable fit it also slides up and down up and down your stenum. In a similar way the straps to the rear are adjustable and affix to a large rubber figure of 8, this allows you to dial in the fit and also absorbs the bumping around.

So how does it fit, well it’s, to be honest it’s ok, not great just ok, had I not been spoilt by my UD Wasp I would hold it in higher opinion. Why well it’s just a bit small - I think that this is a much better pack for a smaller person, I am 6’1” and this is just a but too dainty for me. The strap at the front and the side straps were a bit high and I found myself fiddling with them while running on a 10-12 mile run which is usually a bad sign for a 25, 30 or 50 mile run.

Now don’t let this put you off, I really do believe that for a smaller frame this would be a really good pack. The pack is usually listed for between $65-85. The good folks at WRC have an end of year sale and it is listed at $60, click here and use quad10 at the check out will get you another 10% off. There a bunch more photos below:

Nathan HPL008 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

You can read my other Hydration product reviews here:

• Ultimate Direction FastDraw Extreme
• Ultimate Direction Wasp
• HydraPak GelBot
• Salomon XT Wings 5 Running Pack
• Nathan X Trainer Mutation
• Fuelbelt H20 hydration belt

This pack was provided free of charge by the good folks at WRC. See previous gear reviews in the sidebar on the right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

Review; Clif Shot and Shot Turbo

One of the benefits of blogging for any period of time is that you start to develop some credibility ability to construct a really good begging letter and when you approach a company they are more inclined to send you something to review, way back in the summer I did this with Clif Shot drink. Somehow I have ended up on a very cool list and so now and then I get fantastic boxes of goodies from Clif, most recently it was their new and very yummy Clif Crunch, reviewed here.

More recently I received a box of the new and improved Clif Shot and Shot Turbo gels. I have been slowly using them up and finally had the last of the eight flavors at the PCTR 30k last month.

So on with the review;

From their website; “CLIF SHOT® Energy Gel provides quick energy to athletes while racing and training. With our new formula and flavors getting energized between breaths has never been easier. Athletes and foodies in the CLIF Kitchen created six base flavors: new Citrus (25mg caffeine), plus Razz®, Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry (25mg caffeine), Mocha (50mg caffeine) and two TURBO flavors in Double Espresso (100mg caffeine) and Chocolate Cherry (100mg caffeine) that contain the highest level of caffeine of any gel. The flavors are made with organic fruit and chocolate — tasting like delicious real food, not a science project”.

All sound pretty good right, well let’s get into the nuts and bolts…the taste!

• Citrus – not too sharp and not too sweet, surprisingly quenching aand doesn’t line the inside of you mouth, a little reminiscent of Lemon Curd!
• Razz – this is your basic berry flavor, and it is exactly that; berry, a little tart but very palatable and always a good standby as it is always easy to eat
• Vanilla – zero chemical taste here (which I have found to be an issue with other Vanilla gels), you can almost taste the vanilla bean, I am a Vanilla fuss pot and this passes muster
• Chocolate – a little thicker than the other gels, it comes out in a ‘plug’ which lets it dissolve in your mouth, doesn’t get too melty – another real word, on hot days!
• Strawberry – a little sweeter than the Razz flavor but it is very Strawberryey – is that a word? A little taste of summer in a pouch, would go well on a scone!
• Mocha – my least favorite flavor but I generally don’t like mocha anything and that ‘s exactly what this is!

Now the Shot Turbos are boosted with extra caffeine 100mg each and come in two flavors;

• Chocolate Cherry – luxurious and rich, think fresh cherries covered in rich dark chocolate, I could pour this all over vanilla ice cream!
• Double Espresso – coffee thick and strong enough to melt the spoon! Take only in need of extreme boost, do not get it on your fingers and hide from children!

Now consistency does vary between the gels; at the thin end are the Cirtrus and Berry flavors, then Vanilla, thickening through Mocha, Chocolate(s) and then at the other end of the spectrum is Espresso; why do I mention this well I prefer something a little thicker, not thick enough to chew but I really like the way the chocolate ones come out as a plug (the best analogy I can think of is chewing tobacco which I am sure you have all used!) and you can pop it into the side of your mouth or under your tongue and let it dissolve, this can avoid consuming the gel too fast and getting GI issues. I have found recently that I can take up to 15 minutes to get through a pack and I am taking one every 45 minutes on runs of 90 minutes and longer.

The packaging has the innovative “litter leash” stops the top of the packet messing up the road or worse the trail, I use it to wrap the packet to stop it oozing out in your pocket! Ingredients –wise Clif has made a change too organic maltodextrin replaces the brown rice syrup and the gels contain at least 85% organic ingredients as well as being suitable for Vegans! The gels do contain electrolytes; with 50% more electrolytes than the previous formulation and calories wise they vary between 100-110 per pack, it’s worthe checking the labels to note the variables.

As mentioned I used them up over several runs but I had the most in one go during the PCTR 30K a couple of weeks ago, one every 45 minutes and taking about 10-15 minutes to eat it, did it work, well I think so, no signs of bonking and no hunger.

Now for the giveaway, well as mentioned I am the recipient of these super Clif boxes and this week I got another, now I want to share in my good fortune and to that end I am going to regift it!

In case you are wondering; it has basically some of everything that Clif makes; Mojo, Bar, Kid, Crunch, C and Builders, there are Clif ShotBloks, Roks and of course Gels!

So here’s the competition, much along the lines of my others…

Like, follow, become a fan of or whatever they’re calling it this week on Facebook of Clif Bar

Follow them on Twitter gets you one entry

Post about it on your blog and you will get another entry

Leave a comment on this post telling me you have done the above gets you your possible fourth entry!

Finally all you folks on Twitter tweet the following will get you one more entry per day, this contest runs for a week so between now and next Wednesday, that’s six more for a possible total of eleven ten! Hey this is an excellent box of goodies so you need to work for it!

I just entered the win a free @clifbar giveaway on the @quadrathon blog

Pretty simple really, watcha waiting for? Oh and if you win, why not write a review…that seems only fair right?!?

This products was provided free of charge by Clif Bar. See previous gear reviews in the sidebar on the right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

BLDing not Blogging…

Well I am a week into BLD and so far so good! Willy Wonka has not lured me with his fare and the M&M machine has been avoided, the scales are happy to report a 3lb loss, not bad for just not eating candy! Photographing everything is certainly keeping me accountable although it’s bit of a pain with multiple Blogger accounts and the like. One thing that has struck me is that there is little variation, I pretty much have the same thing for breakfast and lunch during the week every day with some interesting things thrown in at the weekend!

I added a photo feed of my meals to the side bar but if you are reading this in a reader you won’t see it.  Stephanie from A Trail Runner and Barb from KelownaGurl Tris have joined in as well as Penny from Planet Ynnep , the more the merrier I say, if you want to partake let me know. If you want to look at thing in more detail the food log blog is here.  In the meantime here a few of the more interesting things I have had!

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Stop salivating and go and sign up!

Review; Mix 1

So a while, in fact a long while back the folks at Mix1 contacted me…you know how this goes! So usually I get one or two this time I got a case (part of the reason for the slowness) to review. And so on with the show, from their website:

…"we started mix1 with the following mission: to create the highest quality all-natural products that promote health, wellness and performance through truly functional nutrition. mix1 products deliver all-natural balanced nutrition with multiple benefits in a convenient way. We use the right balance of ingredients, at efficacious levels, to provide the maximum benefit to your body”.

The have a very good website with lots of mini videos of about a minute long, I really liked these series of pages which explain about the protein, carbs, fat etc there is also a blog; the latest post is a Leadville 100 race report from a member of their advisory board…that’s means someone who does what I do believes in this stuff! There is some FAQs and pages devoted their sponsored athletes, of which the really nice thing is most of them I have never heard of…i.e. they’re not the superstars who everyone wants to sponsor! Here a video from their YouTube site.

They’re on Twitter and Facebook where they have a contest to give away four cases every month! As you can see they are very social media savvy! Dig into the website and there’s a whole series on who works at the company etc, you can clearly see that they are all about the fun and don’t take themselves to seriously.

So how does it taste, well here’s the results:

Berry – strawberry flavored, not to sweet and not tart, smooth to swallow, really nice when chilled but not so good over ice?

Tangerine – sharp and a little tart but enough to make you want to drink more, thicker than OJ, really makes your taste buds pop

Blueberry & Vanilla – I am not a fan of blueberries (yeah hate me) but I found this to be a great base for using in the blender with frozen fruit to get that Jamba Juice style drink

Lime – my least favorite, lime is not really a drink flavor in my mind, it’s something that should be there in the background, this always tasted a bit off

Mango – want a hula dancer on your tongue, refreshing and clean flavored, I only got two bottles of this one and it was gone in a flash!

AntiOxidant Orange/Carrot – really drinkabale just like a think orange juice but with the sharpness from the carrot

AntiOxidant Dark Berry – my favorite, really berry flavored thick and luxurious, I mixed with ice in the blender to get a super chilled ice slushee!

They are all filling and tasty less the comments above, no bloating etc that I have had from other recovery drinks and this is how they position themselves. It’s not juice but a balanced recovery drink that happens to have a really good flavor…that’s a step up on some the competitors in my mind, I’ve written several times about the appalling flavor of some recovery drinks. All in all a thumbs up.

Available on line through their website with an Amazon checkout you can get a case (12 bottles) for between $20-25 depending on flavor, now the beauty of Amazon is that you can pre order multiple packs and save 15% and get free shipping so it nets out at $1.63 a bottle rather than the usual $2.00 per bottle you would see in a store.

Finally a big thank you to Mix1 for supplying this product to test.

These products were provided free of charge by Mix1. See previous gear reviews in the sidebar on the right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

Review; Shamrock Farms Rockin’ Refuel

I am sure you have all heard of the benefits of chocolate milk for recovery…in case you have been living under a rock here are a few articles to go and read:

Mind Body and Spirit Fitness - Got Milk? Try Chocolate After Your Workout

CBS News Chocolate Milk: The New Sports Drink?

Medscape Extract Chocolate Milk May Improve Recovery After Exercise

The list goes on seriously just Google Chocolate milk recovery or Chocolate Milk sports nutrition and you’ll see. I have used it intermittently although my preferences is for Soy milk, but hey that’s just me, so when the good folks from Shamrock Farms contacted me asking if I would be interested in trying their new product Rockin’ Refuel I of course said yes (at this stage I would like to point out that sometimes I do say no…but not this time). A few days later a chilled box arrived and inside where one of each flavor, Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla I threw them in the fridge and waited for some long runs. I usually don’t use any fuel be it during or after until my runs get into the 75 minutes plus range.

First here’s some info from their website:

• 20 grams of protein, more than the leading sports and recovery drinks
• 100% real milk
• Nine essential nutrients
• Naturally occurring electrolytes
• No artificial sweeteners
• Formulated without high-fructose corn syrup
• Low glycemic index

So cometh the long run cometh the recovery, I tried the Vanilla one weekend and the chocolate the next; I nearly missed out on the strawberry as my kids nabbed it first and I had to wrest it from them! So from a taste perspective they are, in my opinion, very palatable. I did solicit feedback from the fridge bandits who described it a “yummy”. All three flavors are drinkable although I was rather partial to the vanilla flavor, but I’ll take vanilla over chocolate any day…hey that’s how I roll!

As for effectiveness, well they’re filling and after my longs runs I had no DOMS, so I would say they worked for me.

So let’s talk about the contents, well there are some variables that are driven by the flavors as you can see they are pretty calorific for 12oz of milk which is usually; Whole: 150, 2%: 120, 1%: 100 and Skimmed: 80, not a bad thing when you’re looking for calorie replacement.

Chocolate

Strawberry

Vanilla

So as you can see there are a few other things thrown in in addition to your standard “milk”.

• Fructose; is a simple sugar
• Sucrose; is table sugar
• Whey Protein Isolate; derived from milk products and somewhere between 29-89% protein Carragenan; is a thickener used in anything from ice cream to shoe polish to personal lube!
• Palmitate is used as an antioxidant and a source of vitamin A added to low fat milk and other dairy products to replace the vitamin content lost through the removal of milk fat
• Guar Gum; used in dairy products as a thickener
• Dipotassium phosphate; used in non dairy creamer as a coagulant
• Red #40; food dye, banned or being phased out in the EU, approved by the FDC in the US. On June 30, 2010, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) called for the FDA to ban Red 40. Executive Director Michael Jacobson said, "These synthetic chemicals do absolutely nothing to improve the nutritional quality or safety of foods, but trigger behavior problems in children and, possibly, cancer in anybody."

Well what can I say, it was going pretty will until we got the the food dye! As a parent and as someone who has seen the devastating effects of cancer anything that is a possible carcinogenic is simply a no no, period!

As you can see from my cursory research there’s a lot of stuff in these drinks. I am clearly no chemist and here’s the rub, do you need to be one to drink these drinks well maybe or maybe not! That being said do you need to be a chemist to drink a glass of Endurox or Recoverite, in truth I don’t know but there is never any harm in reading the labels.

So what to say in summary well in my opinion check out the chocolate and vanilla flavors and leave the strawberry on the shelves at the store. Ultimately we do place some inherent trust in the manufacturers and the government bodies that monitor their products and when they add something that’s iffy, well that trust is broken.

Available through multiple outlets, the drink retails for $1.39, there is a store locator on their website where you will also find a few promotions for a free t-shirt and a coupon.

This drink was provided free of charge by the good folks at Shamrock Farm. See previous gear reviews in the sidebar on the right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

Review; Salomon XT Wings 5 Running Pack

I like Salomon Wings kit, you only have to see the reviews in the right hand side bar to see the reviews on the XT Wings shoes to see that, so when I saw a Wings vest I jumped at it…unfortunately I should have looked before I leaped! But I am getting ahead of myself…anyway I am sure you know the form, so here’s the info from their website:

“Double compartment, light weight pack with Airvent agility system for comfort and stability. New 4D system. Ideal for carrying essentials on trail runs. Weight: 1lb 5oz,/590g Dimensions: 53 x 19 x 8, Volume 490(ci)/8l”. There’s a bit more about the features on the site but this is about it.

So here’s my take from the top; literally. The pack is more rucksack based than vest based, there are the standard padded shoulder straps, these have two things not normally found; a whistle and a hooked bungee, the whistle for those of you more prone to geographical embarrassment or I suppose if the battery dies on your iPod. I’ll get to the bungee later. At the top of the shoulder straps there is a sternum strap which has four inches of vertical slide allowing he wearer to maximize the fit. There are also two open buckles, onto which you can attach a custom front pocket or bottle holder. At the bottom of the straps you can adjust the height of the pack on your back, these in turn attach to the waistbelt, yes this pack has a waistbelt. The waistbelt has a two point attachment and secures with a buckle at the front, there’s lots of adjustability. One downside is that there is nothing on the front, no pockets no pouches…nada. On the back side the pack has a handing carrying handle/loop at the top. There are two pockets, the larger has a vertical zipper and is divided internally it’s large enough to contain a 64oz bladder and you can feed the hose through the inside of the should strap to the front. In the other section there is a smallish (4”x4”) mesh pockets for keys, cash etc.

The lower pocket has a horizontal zip and is funnel shaped, it’s large enough for a waterproof jacket. It’s nestled between two smaller external open pockets which are large enough for gel bottles, armwarmers etc, these in turn are flanked by the “bottle launchers”, my terminology not Salomons! These are angled slots that house the two 24oz bottles that come with the pack, despite being compatible with a bladder there is not one included. The slots are structured to easily reached from the front but even with my long arms this was a challenge at times. The bottles, triangular in shape, are secured from bouncing out by looped bungees. There is some reflective stripping on the pack.

Now back to the bungee, this is designed to unravel and bungee something to the back of the pack like a cycling helmet or something of that size. There is also a system designed for hiking poles that allow you to secure you poles to the pack without taking the pack off, there are photos of both of these below.

In terms of fit, once you have all the straps adjusted the pack rides well but you have to have it pretty tight to minimize the bounce. One thing I would say is that this is a long pack, at 53cm it is 16cm longer than the UD Wasp and it does ride a lot lower on your back, that itself could lead to problems. Now for me the other issue is the waistbelt, which of course does not sit at your waist it sits around belly, it’s all a bit of a bad fit really, to long at the back with the waistbelt too high?!? And essentially there is its downfall. It’s very difficult to get a fit that would last all day.

Overall I think this pack falls between two stools, it’s not quite right for trail running, and it’s not quite right for hiking. Given the flexibility with poles and helmets etc, this could be the perfect pack for someone fastpacking or maybe even adventure racing, given the customizable nature of this pack the latter makes this a good choice.

Available all over the internet, a quick Google shopping search uncovered it for anything between $75-90.00. My good friend at WRC currently have a blow out on all their Salomon goodies with 20% of everything, that makes this pack $72.00.

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This product was purchased. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

Week end and weekend shenanigans!

Well another weekend is almost in the bag and I started Week 3 of training yesterday. I seem to have screwed up Week 2 and not put in enough mileage, I was about 4 miles short but the miles I did put in were pretty solid and it’s a 20+ week program so I am not losing any sleep over it (see below)! Seven days of training is not something I am used to even at the reduced volumes and I am sitting here with tired legs…it’s been a long time since I have has that feeling and it feels pretty good! Here’s the SportTracks summary for the week, some data is missing, there’s no HR info for the elliptical or swimming.

As you can see there is lots of Zone 2 work; 43% of the week in Z2 and 39% in Z1, this means lot’s of slow controlled miles, so controlled that I walking during runs in places where I would typically run through, it’s insanely frustrating but I know that it will pay off in the long run…pun intended.

This weekend I hit my local trails, but ran out of time, the downside of the walking! 8 was on schedule, I made just over 6 in 1:22, that’s a 13:12 minute mile. I am going to need to factor in more time rather than more miles. Here’s the elevation overlaid on my HR, can you see the walk breaks!

Still the question is, was the juice worth the squeeze…well I think so, this trail system is not huge, but it’s literally 2 miles from my house! Hard to believe that I live in LA right!

I also wrapped up the photos for the Salomon XT Wings hydration vest, review to follow shortly. It’s a bit of an odd fellow…but I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet. Talking of pack reviews the folks at Wilderness Running Company have really stepped up; I received three hydration systems this week from them!

Today I hit the pool again, I am alternating Sunday’s cross training between the bike and the pool and I swam my fastest mile ever 52:49, yeah I know…but I’ll take it! I have some new goggles, these things totally rock, I put them on and I take them off an hour later, zero leakage…awesome!

I’ve felt for the last couple of days that I am coming down with something but I am doing my best to shake it off. Getting 40 hours of sleep Mon – Fri last week was nigh on impossible, especially when you’re up at 5am! But I did get more than I usually do and I do feel better for it, better mentally too, a bit more chilled! I kept a log of sorts and averaged just under 7 hours per night, so this week I am going to try it again and see.

As mentioned I am bracketing out the hydration options and here they are, it’s all subjective but it makes it a bit more interesting, I need two more to fill out the brackets (I decided to leave out Clip2 as it is specifically for 6 hour + events). if you have any suggestions let me know…I am never ashamed to beg for samples and so I present the competitors. There will be an accompanying Google Doc which outlines the criteria for evaluation as well as the nutritional info etc, I am just finishing that off.

So it’s another week and much like the mercury is heading of late …upwards and onward as they say!

Review; Men’s Health Ultimate Smoothie Selector

This may be the cheapest product that I will ever review but even so it is also quite possibly the tastiest! I should caveat that unless you are an iPhone owner or an iTouch user (I am the latter) you can probably skip the whole thing and look out for next post.

So I was cruising through the iTunes app store and I came across the Men’s Health Ultimate Smoothie Selector; so what’s not to like – I am a man; check, I am interested in my health; check, Ultimate; I think I missed this for Ultramate, check, Smoothie; yummy, check, Selector; check. Price 99c, err ok!

Having played with it for a few weeks now I have to say that it certainly lives up to its name. The main functions provide you a menu of over 100 smoothies that address; Breakfast, Dessert, Health Booster, Meal Replacement, Pre Workout and Post Workout. I am assuming that this is a growing database as when I am offline my iTouch attempts to connect to the internet and complains when it can’t. You can search and sort Alphabetically, by Rating (you add the rating) by Date consumed or by Goal; which are the categories listed above. You can create and save your own recipes. There is a section with 25 tips on how to make them; how to avoid too much liquids, what ingredients do what i.e. peanut butter for protein, blueberries for antioxidants etc.

Also included for each recipe is the caloric info and the breakdown of protein, carbs, fat, sodium and fiber, important stuff if you watching these things!

So the proof is of course in the blender! Well I’ll spare you all the lip smacking suffice to say, with the exception of avoiding the ones I know will be a miss; green tea and coffee based, everything is a hit so far.

As mentioned it only costs 99c so if you're all “i”d up give it a go, if you thinking about buying a new phone or changing carrier…well that’s a whole different conversation altogether!

This product was purchased. See previous gear reviews in the sidebar on the right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

PS I omitted to add that while not so taken with drinking POM "neat" as it were, it goes really well in the blender, you can read my POM review here.

Haiku Gu, aloha ok!

Well the votes are in, counted and de-chaded and the winner, by somewhat of a landslide; 64.5%, due to a cunning and devious marketing campaign, is Frayed Laces!

Here is the winning haiku and visual proof!

bonking on trail run
I just tried to kiss a tree
time to take some gel

Treehugging at its finest!

Email me your address and I’ll send them on their way!

Haiku Gu, do you?

So if you read this post you’ll know I have a bit of a surplus of Gel, Drinks and Blocks! So in an attempt to share the wealth and in the spirit of the pending holiday season...and to be honest if they don't get eaten they'll go off, I thought I would hold a little contest to test your creativity and to give some away.

Somebody suggested that the best bonk story should be the criteria but I thought that that would be a bit wordy so I went to the other end of the spectrum and decided that a Haiku would be a good way to go.

So here are the rules.

* The contest will start today; Saturday 28th and run through to midnight December 4th
* Over the weekend of the 5/6th I’ll post a poll where you can vote for your favorite, voting will last through to Wednesday midnight PST
* The winner will receive a real mixed bag of stuff but trust me it’s gonna be worth winning!
* One entry per person…and if you enter you should vote even if it’s for yourself!
* All entries must be posted as comments to this post, no emails, Tweets etc please
* Oh yes and the Haiku must contain the word ‘bonk’ or real variations thereof i.e. bonked, bonking however bonkette, bonkodacious, bonkallisious, bonkdamndiggerdy or bonkcofragailisticexpealadocius are not allowed…well I don’t want to make it too easy!
* And finally I needs to actually be a Haiku; that is three lines, comprising 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables

For more info on Haikus click here. Here are my feeble attempts:

Momentum is lost
Death shuffle I am bonked
Empty barely moving

or on lighter note...

Wall I hit it hard
Solidly it hit me back
My head fell off bonk!

Go on and have some fun!

Banned!

Today my wife and I sorted through our garage, when we moved in in March we kinda threw everything in there with the intention of sorting it out at a later date…well that date came today. In the garage I have a little plastic tray thing that I keep all my gels etc but during the course of the year they have been dispersed into the kitchen, my running vests, my running bag and so today during the course of the tidy up I consolidated them…let’s just say I am banned from buying any more until I have used these up!

I dared not count them and this doesn’t include the three tubs of Cytomax, the tub of Amino Vital, the really large tub (albeit nearly empty) of Perpetuem in the kitchen and the three flasks of gel in the fridge!

And I don't even like Heed that much!

This is after sending Aron her Chocolate #9 as well!

My name is Stuart and I am sports nutrition junkie!

Review; Chocolate #9 Gel

I was first introduced to Chocolate #9 gels by a friend of mine who read my ‘gastric’ race report from the Leona Divide 50 Mile Run, earlier this year. In late April he contacted me and was generous and kind enough to send my a handful, in fact it was a large enough envelope, full of gels to last most of the summer. I was intrigued...a chocolate and agave gel....hmm well ok!

My taste in gels has migrated from CarbBoom to Accelerade and through Crank, I've dabbled with Gu, tried Roctane and learned to avoid PowerGels. Since the beginning of 2008 I've been using Hammer Products. While always being open to new things I am also a firm believer in the maxim ‘if it ain’t broke…”, but after Leona Divide something clearly wasn’t working so it was time to take the lid of the can and peer inside.

And so from their website:

Chocolate #9;
* Contains no refined sugar
* Is sweetened only with organic agave.
* Contains pure belgian cocoa
* Has been tested and certified as a LOW glycemic index item (e.g.,
* Because of its low glycemic index, when you use the gel you will reduce the negative effect of repetitive insulin spiking during sustained exercise (it's the reason you choose wheat bread rather than white bread, fruit rather than candy)
* Won't cause sugar low-bonk
* Is an excellent energy choice for athletes in general, and for those with diabetes, low blood sugar in particular, or those who want to avoid refined sugar
* It is vegan and low in fat
* Contains no synthetics, no unpleasant after taste.
* Contains two perfectly balance energy enhancing ingredients and nothing more!
* Ingredients: Organic Agave Nectar, Breakfast cocoa processed with Alkali.
* A note on ‘breakfast cocoa.’ Breakfast cocoa is a FDA term for the class of cocoa’s with the highest fat (energy) content. Using breakfast cocoa only made sense for an energy gel and lends to chocolate #9’s rich and smooth texture.

The premise they present is that as the gel is low on the glycemic index you are less likely to crash or bonk after taking it. Of course the fact that it’s chocolate is, let’s face it, a big selling feature.

If you’ve followed my blog for anytime you’ll know that this summer I had some pretty long runs and big days on the trail and so armed with them and obeying the golden rule don’t try anything new on race day I set out to try them out. And onto the resuts…

The taste test; duh well it’s chocolate! But seriously the taste is of high quality chocolate, the sweetness is not overly sweet, it’s not creamy like milk chocolate nor is it bitter like dark chocolate. It does have a rich smooth taste that’s very palatable. I filled a gel bottle with them and it came out as a solid ‘plug’ which could be rolled around the mouth or stashed in the cheek or under the tongue, this is stark contrast to typical gels which are usual sticky and cloy the mouth. Oh yes, did I mention it’s chocolate?

The service; having used them pretty much through the summer I felt confident enough to use them as my primary fuel source for 100 in the Hood. I had left it a bit late to place my order however through the power of Twitter I contacted them and they confirmed I would have them in time and they actually arrived the next day!

The results; for the ‘Hood I set my stopwatch for 40 minutes and took one at every chime of the alarm, the only exception being if I had literally just gone through and Aid Station. Unlike my experience with other gels I never got to the “ugh do I have to eat this again” point which is something that I have encountered before; it was, to be honest, a bit of a treat. If you have read my race report you’ll know that my nutrition plan really worked out, I had zero, absolutely zero issues with fuel, be it gels, drink or the ‘real’ food, additionally my electrolytes remained in balance for the event. Now it could be argued that this was because I was moving slowly, but I believe that whatever the pace I still needed to be fueled to move.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding; almost literally in this case! Of course nutrition is such a personal thing I cannot categorically say that it will work for you; one thing to note is that a sachet is only 70 calories instead of the usual 90 or 100 that’s something you need to remember when planning a nutrition plan. Currently only available as sachets, I have heard that more environmental bottles will be available soon. There are several reviews available on the web and Chris Russell has interviewed the company owner on his podcast RunRunLive. Not the cheapest gel on the market you can buy an introduction pack of three for $4.95 ($1.65 each), a box of 24 is available for $32.49 ($1.35 each) bigger discounts are available for larger purchases reducing the price down to $1.04 each.

In summary if you’re struggling with the traditional gel or looking for a change or even for some variety this could be a good move for you.

I’ve got a bunch left over so as an incentive to help a fledging company I’ll send three sachets to a lucky winner, just leave your name in the comments section and I’ll pull a name out of the hat on Sunday for Monday’s mail collection!

Detox Debrief

So a month ago I announced the great detox. The rational was to attempt to clean out my system of all those nasties that I am sure had built up over the year. I should state up front that consider myself actually very lucky to not suffer from any food allergies and actually have a pretty strong constitution, my metabolism is slowing but that is to be expected in part due to my age. Typically our house eats healthier than some and not as healthy as we should, time and effort always being the major constraints on clean living.

The objective of the exercise was to eliminate; caffeine, chocolate/candy, soda, wheat; specifically gluten, alcohol, red meat and dairy for four weeks.

There are some household concessions that made things a little easier; we usually have a lot of Soy milk in the house and we only have decaf coffee and some things were pretty tough; I love cheese and a sandwich is about the easiest thing in the world to have for lunch.

So to address each thing at a time:

Caffeine; wasn’t too hard, it became a case of remembering to ask for de-caf at Peets, Coffee Bean etc. My morning cup of “english” tea was replaced with its de-caf equivalent which to be honest tasted crap! But I did not need to have the fruit teas that smell so good and taste like bath water. I did make a slip with green tea but consoled myself that the caffeine content was so low as to not be having a major impact.

Chocolate; substituted with fruit, a sliced apple and a spoonful of peanut butter has become a staple replacement for this, my only concession was the chocolate content in Silk chocolate soy milk which I use as a recovery drink. Regular candy just fell by the wayside surprisingly easily as did soda!

Wheat (gluten); this was a little trickier, a sandwich was a staple for lunch, toast, bagels, most breakfast cereals, cookies and beer all fell by the wayside. With a little imagination sandwiches were replaced with lettuce wraps. Some digging around in Wholefoods uncovered some gluten free cereal which was great and some gluten free cookies which were…not so. FYI both Trader Joes and Pavillions/Vons now offer an ever widening spectrum of gluten free food. Rice was a good substitute although "rice pasta" is an acquired taste and you have to eat it pretty soon after you cook it otherwise it all sticks together.

Alcohol; actually not as hard as you’d think, I’m not a big drinker, my only concession was some alcohol free beer which broke the gluten rule but hey it was our wedding anniversary!

Red meat; yeah I am a carnivore and I like a good steak, but for four weeks, well five, I just choose chicken or fish, surprisingly easier than I thought it was going to be!

Dairy; as mentioned soy milk is prevalent in the house so not such a biggy. Cheese was tougher, but Tofuti cream cheese worked well and other than a splash of milk in a cup of English that was it.

So as you can see not quiet 100% but pretty close all things considered. And so onto the results. The numbers speak for themselves, I dropped 5.2lbs and dropped 1.5% in body fat. I really wasn’t counting calories as such and the workouts for the month were only maintenance miles; 120 for the month, had I been in full training mode chances are it would have been more

In terms of how I felt, well actually; really good, no spiking or crashing and no hunger pangs. The food really turned into fuel and was enjoyable at the same time. Additionally as part of the mental game is was an interesting side project to see if I could say no; as expected over time this became a lot easier until things never entered the equation. As with everything I life preparation was the key, bulk cooking when possible, finding convenience items is always good; TJs microwave brown rice is great, Mochi is really good, soy "dairy" products are an easy substitute for most things; yogurt, milk etc. Tofu; well I had one good experience (thanks Christine) and one bad. We are really lucky with our grill, which is a nothing special one from Home Depot but it cooks everything really well, a slow cooker was also very useful and the Vita-Mix really came into it's own for hummus and home made peanut butter; I will never be buying a jar of PB again.

While I have reintroduced some of the thing back into my diet; quality bread and a little cheese here and there, there are definitely some things that I will carry on with; no soda, no candy and minimal chocolate. Red meat, while not eliminated, is now reduced to 'good' red meat and rather than quantity I'm going for quality and resigning it to the status of "treat". Alcohol is consumed so rarely that it not so much of an issue but Becks now do a non alcohol beer and O'Doul's Amber is pretty good too. The gluten free cereal I use is really good as well and I see no reason to not stop using it. I am going to stay as caffeine free as possible so I can utilize it better on race day and race night and race the next day!

It's been a fun(ish) month and seems to have set me up nicely for this training cycle. I am still looking to drop to the mid 160lbs so I have about 5lbs to go...hopefully that won't take long with the volume of training coming my way, of which Week 1 is now complete with no incident.

Nutritional Science 101...well more like 99!

A little bit of Friday fun for you with a serious edge.

Ok with all the healthy eating going on in our house we have taken to buying our fruits and veggies in bulk; TGF Costco, Trader Joes and the local farm (yes we have moved so far out of LA that there are farms around here!) is all I can say!

While in Bed Bath and Beyond the other day this caught my eye; Debbie Meyer’s Green Bags, always willing to try something new and have a bit of fun I am pleased to present you the:

How Yellow is Your Banana Experiment.

Introduction; Bulk purchase of bananas have precluded them from being consumed before they become too ripe, the objective is to extend their fruit bowl life as long as possible (in fact they live on a banana hook, they don’t play nice with other fruit)!

Research; I read the back of the box and was totally suckered in by the advertising.

Method; One banana volunteered to be the test subject and was detached from a bunch. The volunteer banana was marked with a thick point sharpie to distinguish it from the rest. The remaining bunch was placed in a Green Bag, the remaining household scientists were instructed to “Do not touch the bananas”.

Equipment; well just in case you missed it, a bunch of bananas, a sharpie pen and a Green Bag.

Results; the results are visually documented below:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Conclusion; Visually the ‘bagged’ bananas freshness was extended (they look purty longer!), however with the exception of the obvious softness from bruising the actual consistency of the two bananas was very similar, the bagged bunch were not as firm as their appearance suggested. I will be trying them with other produce but as far as bananas are concerned, the Green Bags results were a FAIL!