TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

TFS Review: CLIF Bar

Posted May 26th, 2007 at 12:36 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Nutrition, Product Reviews, Vegetarianism, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Product: CLIF Bar
Price: Retail $1.39 to $1.69 each, $15 for a box of 12
Rating: Excellent 8.8/10.0
Pros: Enjoyable taste, inexpensive, easy to digest, many flavor varieties, vegan/vegetarian friendly, 70% organic ingredients
Cons: Texture is not immediately appealing
Overall: CLIF Bars offer the best bang for your buck in the world of energy bars. Not only is the taste tolerable, but most flavors are actually very good, although like many bars it suffers from a peculiar texture. CLIF Bars are great to consume before and after races and workouts, with few digestion problems. In addition, they contain no animal products, and are filled with soy protein and carbohydrates.

I remember my first experience with energy bars, well over 10 years ago. I recall being somewhat curious and even a little excited about this new concept. I thought to myself, Will it boost my performance? Will it give me boundless energy?

My eager optimism crashed as soon as I began it to eat it. I managed to scarf down the dense, chewy mass, and proceeded to get a gut bomb that lasted the duration of my run. In the early days, some of those bars were terrible!

Then I discovered CLIF Bar. Conceived as an idea in 1986, debuted in 1992, and incorporated in 1997, CLIF Bar has chewed its way to the top as a leading maker of energy bars.

It is now ubiquitous in bike shops, grocery stores, and race goodie bags. Along with its rich history, CLIF Bar upholds many environmental, health, and social ideals via its philosophy and operations, and also through support of numerous outside organizations.
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Six “running-centric” strides to help the environment

Posted March 12th, 2007 at 10:30 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” was a powerful and enlightening documentary. While viewing it in the theater last year, I was inspired by the tips that rolled during the ending credits on how to take action and make a positive environmental impact. As the movie’s website phrases it:

“You have the power to make a difference. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big changes in helping to stop global warming.”

This statement both challenged and motivated me. Changes need to come from both the top-down and the bottom-up. It’s not just national and state governments’ responsibility to fix problems, but also my own! Personal responsibility is a powerful concept in the workplace, in our relationships, and yes, in the environment.

While there are many methods for making a positive difference in the environment through day-to-day living, my “running-centric” view of life leads me to relate everything to running. So I pondered the question, what can I do as a runner to aid the environment in which I live and play? Below are some of the ideas I came up with …
Read the rest of this entry »

4 comments, add yours | Permalink

TFS’s Top Picks of 2006 Nutritional Supplements

Posted December 22nd, 2006 at 9:11 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Announcements, Running & Training, Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Hydration, Supplements, Product Reviews, Special Features, Health & Fitness, TFS Reviews, TFS Top Picks

The Final Sprint, through an exhaustive process of product reviews and a comparison of empirical data, has determined the best nutritional products to help fuel and replenish your bodies.

These TFS Top Picks of 2006 are the best of their kind and will help you to finish strong in your next race.

Stay tuned because later today TFS will publish our list of the year’s best gear and accessories!

Endurance Beverages (use during activity)

• Top Pick: Amino Vital Endurance Mix & Shake
• Runner-up: Powerbar Endurance Sports Drink

Recovery Beverage (use after activity)

• Top Pick: Endurox R4
• Runner-up: Amino Vital Endurance Mix & Shake

Energy Bars

• Top Pick: Clif Bar
• Runner-up: Powerbar Performance

Energy Gels

• Top Pick: Accel Gels
• Runner-up: GU Energy Gels
• Best alternative: Jelly Belly Sport Beans

Meal Replacement Shakes

• Top Pick: Vega Whole Food Meal Replacement
• Runner-up: EAS Myoplex Deluxe

Read the rest of this entry »

3 comments, add yours | Permalink

TFS Review: Clif Shot Bloks

Posted December 7th, 2006 at 5:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Energy gels can be very helpful and convenient sources of carbohydrate replenishment for endurance athletes. However, they don’t always taste so great and that’s why a few alternatives have started to hit the market. One such alternative is Clif’s Shot Blocks which we have reviewed below.

Product: Clif Shot Bloks
Price: $1.95 each (2 servings); $23.88 (box of 72)
Rating: Average 6.4/10.0
Pros: Great taste (much better than energy gels); adequate carbohydrate replenishment, organic
Cons: Bulky package; inconvenient to bring on runs; can get stuck in teeth & on roof of mouth; leaves hands sticky if warm
Overall: Not the best choice for runners. Rating would be a bit higher for other athletes. It is one of the best tasting products of its kind, but it should be more conveniently packaged.

We reviewed the regular Clif Shot Bloks: the Strawberry flavor. However, Clif does make a few flavors that contain some caffeine and a Margarita flavor Shot Blok that has 3 times the sodium & electrolytes. Although we are weary of the caffeine use by athletes, it can be helpful if used in moderation. The x3 Extra Sodium (210mg) variety can be very helpful for marathon runners and other extreme endurance athletes. Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

What’s the Deal with Nutritional Bars?

Posted November 18th, 2006 at 4:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Supplements

Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle while simultaneously managing all of the stresses in your life can seem like a daunting task. This is the main reason why many people don’t even try, or quickly give up on, eating frequently throughout the day. They believe they just don’t have enough time to prepare, or even think about, five or six moderate meals. However, as an increasing number of studies point out, this type of nutritional lifestyle can significantly benefit your health, your waistline and even your mood.

Everyone is short on time, but as I mentioned in my Healthy Eating Guide (Parts One and Two), there is a solution: SUPPLEMENTS. Supplements provide you with an already made, no cooking required mechanism for eating small, nutritious meals throughout the day. The most popular and effective means of supplementation for people on the go are nutritional bars.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that “Not all bars are created equal” . There are a plethora of nutritional bars; each claiming to help with a variety of nutritional goals: adding muscle, losing weight, staying fit, gaining energy, etc. It can be quite arduous trying to figure out what’s best for you and/or what nutritional ratios fit your personal needs. That’s why I’ve put together this brief guide about what to look for and some of the best bars for your particular goals: Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink