All Blog Posts (138)

Treadmill Marathon puts EFS Liquid Shot and EFS Energy Drink to the Test

What's easier than running a marathon? Well, .... a lot of things. But that's not really what I want to talk about now. Yesterday, I ran a marathon, and although it was not my first, it was a first on new terrain. I didn't run some exotic marathon in Hawaii or on the shores of California. Nor was I running in the woods or on the trails. Nope, I did it on the treadmill at the gym.

I know what you're thinking: BORING! But... not so fast. Think about… Continue

Added by Megan Killian on February 8, 2010 at 2:36pm — No Comments

Consistently impressed

For a Triathlete that has struggled with nutrition, especially electrolytes during training and racing from the beginning; I always have an open ear for any suggestions and recommendations that have worked for others in the past. That is why I am sharing my continuous and consistent success with ALL the First Endurance products. Just this past weekend I went for a 3.5 hour ride and a run at race pace off the bike. I was concerned about my nutrition; I was trying something new; that alone is nerv… Continue

Added by Mandy McLane on February 8, 2010 at 12:51pm — No Comments

45 mile run, first time with EFS

Ahh, yes, the big runs are ramping up as I am 8 weeks out from my first go at a 100 mile run race. I had 45 miles on tap Saturday, and was instructed to run it in 6 mile loops to mimic the loop format of of the Moab100 that I'm signed up for. I want to run Moab with just a hand bottle, since I will see my aid crew (my husband) every 6 miles. I wanted to test to see if I could handle carrying a hand bottle for a long period of time. I just got my big shipment of FE products so I haven't had muc… Continue

Added by Sonja on February 1, 2010 at 3:15pm — 3 Comments

A Tale of Five Electrolytes

by Jeff Rocco MD If you are reading this you are probably an endurance athlete looking to improve your training and performance. You may recall from high school science class that electrolytes are dissolved mineral salts contained in our body fluid–both inside and outside our cells. It is not our focus here to review in depth all of the cellular biology related to electrolyte homeostasis. The enlightened athlete needs to know where electrolytes go when they are lost, what the symptoms are when… Continue

Added by Robert Kunz on February 1, 2010 at 1:45pm — 2 Comments

Thanks for electrolyte information!

Thank you very much for all the information addressing electrolytes and endurance athletes. The most recent such post titled "A Tale of Five Electrolytes", January 28, 2010, can be found here (i hope): http://blog.firstendurance.com/2010/01/a-tale-of-five-electrolytes/ Due to my own naiveté about electrolytes (and many other things) I developed hyponatermia in an unseasonably hot 50 mile race about five years ago.… Continue

Added by Liz McCoy on January 31, 2010 at 5:03pm — 1 Comment

Lovato #2, Nutrition Report: Pucon

That's right, I'm chiming in as Lovato numero dos this week, as Amanda took home top placing for the family. I'm so proud of her efforts, I almost hesitate to mention that my half of Team Lovato was even in the race in Chile, for fear of detracting even one half an ounce from her well-deserved glory. However, I'm sure this won't be able to detract one bit... My goals for Pucon were to have a great experience at a new event, to find out why everyone was raving about that race, and to jump-start… Continue

Added by Michael Lovato on January 28, 2010 at 9:24pm — No Comments

Pucon 70.3 Race Day Nutrition

Going into this race, I was unsure of my fitness. I had been sick for 5 weeks in November and December. And I had not finished a race since August. There were a lot of "what if's" going into this race. However, there was one thing that I knew I had to nail...and that was my race day nutrition. After t… Continue

Added by Amanda Gillam Lovato on January 27, 2010 at 4:00pm — 2 Comments

Help- I'm out of Ultragen-Another data point-This stuff works for me.

Well I added a rather unintentional leg aspect to my experiment by picking the absolute worst time to run out of UltraGen. I ran out and kept procastinating reording then went on the road for a week with no internet so I couldn't order and then finally did and the Fed EX guy is taking the long route to get the package to me, and now I'm out of EFS too. (The Fed Ex tracker says it is in MD and should be delivered by Monday). As a result I got to find out if there was any noticable impact of drop… Continue

Added by Andy Rosebrook on January 22, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Hope the winter is treating everyone splendidly! Does anyone have experiences or input on PreRace?

Hello hello everyone! Looks like all are having a great winter season! Well depending on where you are I suppose it may not be winter ;) Here in CO I can definitely feel the winter. Although, with a new amazing coach and great group to train with I'd rather be no where else. I suppose many things in life are this way, it is the attitude with which we carry and choose to respond to events in life that dictate what we gain from each experience. Anyhow, between cooking up new items and trying new… Continue

Added by Rebecca Witinok-Huber on January 19, 2010 at 8:13am — 4 Comments

GF Test Results

My second 3 days of GF complete, and the findings did change somewhat from the first 3 days GF. That said, during the first 3 days GF I was training normally, the only change I made was in my diet. Since I sprain my ankle, not much in my life would fall into the normal category.....limited to no training, a lot of sleepless nights, and going GF again?? So, my results may not be the same as what I would have encountered if I had been healthy?? So, although my results may have been comprimised, th… Continue

Added by Robert Shypitka on January 17, 2010 at 10:10am — 2 Comments

Can EFS and Ultragen powder be warmed up?

Well,the cookies and egg nog are gone. We are getting back into a solid training routine. It has been VERY cold here in Northern VA which prompts this question- ...can the EFS and Ultragen powders be heated making a warm drink or will the chemical integrity of the mix be compromised??? I've been warming them up,the taste is good,and I soooooo do not enjoy cold drinks during or after runs in these sub-freezing temps. Thanx Continue

Added by Jon & Linda-Ann Newsome on January 16, 2010 at 2:08pm — 2 Comments

Needing a 'Fix'

I guess you could call it a First Endurance 'fix'. I'm waiting on the bars to be available! Amy and I will usually eat one before an early morning workout or during a long ride, and we are down to our last few! Anyhoo, I'm glad to be officially on the team this year after using FE products for several years now. I have a blog post on Brandonmarsh.com that should be up this evening about the FE products that I/we use. It's pretty much al… Continue

Added by Brandon Marsh on January 13, 2010 at 2:26pm — No Comments

GF test Complete

Sunday marked the completion of my GF test. I did the full 3 days on, 6 days off, and then what turned out to be 4 days back on, as I remained GF the entire day of my race. I raced Sunday to see if I noticed any changes, or improved performance. The last two day of GF were interesting. I definitely got down how to eat, and it wasn't really an issue to stay GF. My headaches did not reappear. My stomach was however not happy. I was pretty nervous going into the race that I would have to stop for… Continue

Added by Sonja on January 12, 2010 at 2:19pm — 4 Comments

Ultraman Recovery

Before Ultraman when I told people about the race they looked at me like I was crazy, but then again I guess I am crazy. I shared with you faithful readers about my prerace efforts and hopefully that was interesting. However not many people ask about how one feels 2-3 days or even 4 weeks after these kinds of races. People ask me what I wanted to eat when I finished and to be honestly my palette wasn’t craving any great foods, I just wanted to lay down and chase some more gnomes. The day after… Continue

Added by Peter Kotland on January 11, 2010 at 12:19pm — No Comments

First impressions of First Endurance

What have I been doing without First Endurance for the last 5 years!! Wholly Crap!!! It's only been 4 days and I can without a doubt say I just had the best 4 days of training I've ever had. It's hard to say for sure what product stands out the most 'cause I used them all religiously. The week started as normal, big January training miles with normal hydrati… Continue

Added by Trevor Wurtele on January 10, 2010 at 12:30pm — 7 Comments

HELP!!

This is a cry for help!! Yesterday, while out walking my dog I managed to slip on some icy stairs and by the time I landed I was 3-4 stairs lower than when I started. The bad part is that I landed on the outside of my right foot, and rolled my ankle pretty good. I had some x-rays done, no broken bones; just a sprain (at least moderate class 2). Beyond the RICE method of recovery, does anyone have any sure fire tips to a speedy recovery?? Anyone ever heard of the Bret Mundt Method?? Any advise wo… Continue

Added by Robert Shypitka on January 9, 2010 at 9:20am — 5 Comments

2 days into second GF session (post 6 days off)

A little recap: I did 3 days GF, then 6 days back to my normal diet, and now I am back GF until my snowshoe race this coming Sunday. The first 3 days my main "issues" were headaches, and my GI system seemed to be aggravated to switch over (timing was off, some bloating/gas). Now I'm back at it again, and wow, it's been a completely different story. I've made a few changes this time compared to last. Last time I didn't quite know what to do for carbs and I think I just cut out the obvious bread,… Continue

Added by Sonja on January 8, 2010 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

If I can bake GF-bread, so can you!

A lot of people that go gluten free miss bread more than anything else. It's an excellent platform on which to spread yummy things, you can put two pieces together for a sandwich and stuff it in a jersey pocket, dunk it in soup, soak up sauce... it is an all around handy calorie source. However, a lot of pre-made GF breads either totally suck, or cost a ridiculous amount per loaf ($11 honestly!??!?) Some people that are part of the FE Gluten Free Lifestyle Group (ahem you know who you are!), thi… Continue

Added by Heather Wurtele on January 7, 2010 at 8:36pm — 6 Comments

Day 3 GF finished

Well, the first three days GF seemed to go quite well. Truthfully I didn't have to change my diet too much; with the exception of bread. I quickly realized that I love whole grain bread!! I did manage to find a quinoa bread that I like, but at $11 a loaf I can't see myself eating as much as I would if it were a normal price?? As for how I feel, I didn''t really notice any apprecable differences. Energy levels, training performance, sleep, trips to the restroom, etc etc all normal. So, now I'll g… Continue

Added by Robert Shypitka on January 7, 2010 at 4:10pm — 2 Comments

6 Days off GF Diet (ie normal diet)

Well, tonight I am wrapping up 6 days of being back to my normal diet. Oy Vey. Here are some observations. - If you don't have any GI trouble, just do 3 days on GF and several days off over and over and over...you will get to experience lots of GI issues. - Going back to normal food was two days of pain in the tummy and icky gas. - I never have to "go" on my long run, but I sure had to my second day back to normal food. I can see why people start looking for an alternative if they have running/… Continue

Added by Sonja on January 5, 2010 at 7:19pm — 3 Comments