The New Running Superfood!

When I first started running someone told me that I needed to eat about 100 calories every hour or so. I think it was a salesman at RunOn who was trying to sell me shoes, but I believed him. I still don't know if I need to, but I do. I've tried most of what is in the mainstream marketplace for quick energy: goos (the most disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth), fruit chews, and jelly beans (my personal fave).

I've always been partial to the energy jelly beans. They taste good, are easy to chew and digest, and some even have caffeine. I won't claim to have ever felt an energy boost from these, but I know there is no way I could get through a half marathon without them.

I work for a popular snack cake company and while training with coworkers, have on many occasions suggested we switch our our Sport Beans for Twinkies. How great would that be--we could MacGyver a Twinkie holder to our waterbelt and have the best tasting snack during a run!

After many months of talking about it, I finally did it! I used an elastic arm band from a now defunct iPod holder, wrapped it around the Twinkie and Velcro-ed it to my belt. This method didn't squish the Twinkie and wasn't in the way at all; I did receive some weird looks in the park from other runners, though. I can only imagine what they thought about me and my Twinkie!!

About to take a bite of a Twinkie at mile 6!

So, how was it? Delicious, of course, but a tad difficult to eat. I inhaled the first bite, literally. Breathing heavily and chomping down on snack cake is a skill that will need to be honed. I did squish it in my hand a bit (I had handled it delicately for 6 miles, then boom, I turned into a 5 year old!), and it made me a little thirstier than usual. 

Will I try it again? Heck yea!

Miles logged: 8