Which Do You Prefer? Gels or Chews?
I’ve tried Clif Shot Bloks and PowerBar Gel Blasts on some recent long runs and I am finding that I still prefer regular gels.
Both the Shot Bloks and the Gel Blasts are very chewy. You have to put in a fair amount of effort to break them down to the point were you can swallow them safely. I’m always afraid that I’m going to accidentally inhale a piece of one of these. So far, I’ve been lucky.
My friend Randy doesn’t chew his Shot Bloks. He leaves them out of their package to dry out and then sucks on them until they dissolve. I’ve tried this, but I’m not that patient. I usually end up chewing it anyway. Besides, the Shot Bloks are pretty big and it looks like I’m running with a plug of chewing tobacco in my cheek.
If you haven’t tried the PowerBar Gel Blasts, you can still get free samples here. They aren’t as chewy as Shot Bloks and they have a liquid center.
The other thing that is a little tricky about the Shot Bloks and the Gel Blasts is that you have to eat quite a few of them to get the 250 calories of carbohydrates per hour that are recommended for long runs.
A package of 9 Gel Blasts contains only 190 calories and a sleeve of 6 Shot Bloks contains 200 calories, so I’m going through more than one package per hour. The packages also take up more space in my pockets than gels and I have to spend time digging around in them to find a Gel Blast or a Shot Blok and eat it.
I prefer PowerBar Gels because they contain more electrolytes than Gu Energy Gels. Since I sweat a lot when I run, I figure I need all the electrolytes I can get.
Which do you prefer? Gels or Chews? Tell me in the comments.
