Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

Fueled by Rokit May 7, 2011

Filed under: Food,Review,Running — Kelocity @ 9:00 am
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Rokit Fuel is a fairly new company trying to break into the already crowded energy bar market — but you know what? I think they actually do have something different to offer and I was willing to give it a try.
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I first saw the products on Meals And Miles and it piqued my interest because I hadn’t heard of them before.
The company sent me a sample pack of all the different products to test out and I was super excited to see them in person.
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All of their ingredients are whole foods (no processing, no artificial anything).
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I don’t eat a raw or whole food diet (by any means) but I appreciate the healthy stuff when I see it. The ingredient that stuck out the most to me was Bee Pollen. I’ve never seen that in any other food, but it has amazing health benefits that can help enhance athletic performance and help you recover faster. It also reduces inflammation.

The first one I had was the Chocolate Dream Cereal.
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You can mix it with hot or cold water or milk. Or you can have it dry. During Ragnar, I ate it dry (for convenience sake) and it was really good. I loved the chunks of chocolate and dried cherries. It fueled me well for a two-day relay race, and didn’t upset my very sensitive stomach when I ran, so that gets an A+ in my book.
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I loved the Cherry Almond and Stud Muffin Cereals too. I had those mixed with hot water and ate it like a regular bowl of oatmeal.
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No chocolate in that one, but equally delicious.

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The cherries are just amazing. They’re tart and sweet at the same time.
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The Energy Mixes are an interesting concept.
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They’re really a smaller, more portable alternative to the Cereals. You can also mix these with water, or pour the water directly into the packet and squeeze it out to eat it on the go. I have to be honest, I can’t really think of a reason why anyone would want to eat oatmeal out of a pouch, but it’s nice to know you can in case you had to!

They were really good. I mixed mine with hot water in a bowl and ate it for breakfast. I tried the Spice Cookie and the Stud Muffin one so far and they were great. I really like instant oatmeal, and I usually make two packets at a time (because let’s face it, one is not enough!) But Rokit Fuel is so nutrient and calorie dense that one is definitely enough. Each packet is 260 calories or less and has 7g or 8g of protein. They keep me full all morning. They are tasty and satisfying –and healthy to boot!

They also sent me some mysterious looking bars. They don’t have a name yet, but they’re labeled as “Prototype Sample”.
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I tried the chocolate one today around noon, and only ate half before feeling incredibly full (in fact, I’d almost go as far as calling it lunch since it’s the only thing I ate from 9am til 4pm. I think these bars are hitting the market shortly, but I have a few comments about them. I eat a lot of energy bars (Clif, Luna, PowerBar, etc) so I have pretty high standards for them.

  1. The nutritional facts are really good. I only ate half the bar, which was definitely enough, and it was 180 calories. I believe that’s consistent with others on the market. But the ingredients are impressive. There is not one processed or artificial thing in there. Just the good stuff.
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  2. The consistency was pretty unique from anything I’ve ever had. The outside was a thick, rich layer of fudge wrapped around a healthy middle. Although I loved the chocolate (it was nice and dark!), they could probably cut back on it.
  3. It’s messy. The bar is huge and they’re packing a lot of goodies in there, but it’s almost too big to eat. It crumbled when I opened it and the chocolate flaked off. I tried to eat it at my desk at work, but it was almost too messy to eat. I would suggest making it flatter so it’s easier to eat? I haven’t tried the Peanut Butter one yet, so I’m curious to see if it will be the same issue.
  4. I couldn’t imagine eating this during a race (or even right before) since it’s a little heavy. But it made for an excellent snack and it was delicious.

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It’s exciting to see new products like this enter the market with a fresh new idea. I’d definitely recommend it. You can buy them online or at a specialty sports store. Hopefully they’ll release to the mass market soon. To find out more, check out their website.

Psst… check out my next guest blog for Contiki! I think Rokit Fuel would be perfect for traveling. I might have to get some for our next big trip! Eating healthy on the go is always a good thing, right?

 

The Shin Splint Dilemna! January 28, 2011

Filed under: Food,Running,Training — Kelocity @ 7:52 am
Tags: , ,

Ever since the Phoenix Half Marathon, my hamstrings have been SUPER tight. I’ve been doing the ice, foam roller and stretching, but nothing seems to be working. I thought the yoga the other night would have helped (all those down dogs!) but they actually feel even tighter since the class. What gives?

This morning, I got up to go for a run (I told you I would!) but first, I stretched inside and then did lots of these outside too. I love this stretch. It goes straight down the back of your legs.


You let your foot hang off and press down as you lean forward.

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The run started out pretty good, it felt really good to loosen up a little bit. My hamstrings were already feeling better. But then I started to get twinges in my shins… and then pain…. and then:

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Oh. My. Gosh. DO I HAVE FREAKIN’ SHIN SPLINTS AGAIN? I am paranoid about those because EVERY single time I start training again, I get them. And they don’t go away easily. I’ve had to deal with them since my High School field hockey days. I last had them while training for Boston, and the only thing that cured them was resting for a solid month. Every block or so, I stopped to stretch out some more. (Sometimes shin splints can be caused by tight calf muscles).

Here’s what I think happened:

  • I ran the Phoenix Half without much training, which left me more sore than usual
  • After the race, my muscles tightened up (especially my hamstrings)
  • When I started running consistently after the race, my calves tightened up to alleviate my hamstrings a little bit.
  • I did a lot of sprints last week, and that always messes up my shins. How am I supposed to get faster and fitter if I can’t sprint?!

So then I got to thinking, no one really likes a whiny running blogger, so I have to nip this thing in the butt and figure out what’s really going on mechanically with my legs and find a long term solution.

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It’s not brain science, I know what I need to do:

  • Ice every night
  • Stretch every morning and every night (even when I don’t feel tight)
  • Foam Roll the tight areas every night
  • Get a massage to flush out the knots (this worked really well before Boston)
  • Do more weight training/squats/lunges to strengthen my legs

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Also, I know that Advil isn’t that healthy for runners, but I really feel like I need it. Thoughts?

PS. How funny is this? I saw this in someone’s yard today. So cute!

After a frustrating run, and finding motivation to garner a solution, I enjoyed some breakfast cookie oatmeal: Oats, Banana, Chocolate Protein Powder, Peanut Butter and Coconut.

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Nothing like a blood sugar stabilizing breakfast. I buy the Trader Joes Chocolate Whey protein, and it seriously keeps me full for almost five hours!
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There’s talk of a trip to Menchie’s today after lunch! Happy Friday!

Tomorrow is the big Celebrity Fitness Workout session with Kathy Kaehler! I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures!

 

 
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