So it has been a while since I first posted about trying out First Endurance. I have had plenty of time to practice, experiment, and race using some of their products. I have to say, I like them.
At first glance the price can be off putting. These products are a little more expensive than the others. However you get a stronger product. As painful as it is each time I am purchasing, I have to remind myself that this stuff works.
Pre-Race
I’ll start in chronological order of use on race day. The pre-race taste like butt. Well, what I imagine it may taste like. There are ways around it, and if you do not have access to those taste altering things, you may want to skip it.
My early morning and pre-race concoction is 1 scoop pre-race, 1 scoop EFS, and 12 oz Powerade Zero…Strawberry or Fruit Punch do me well. This makes it tastes like Kool-aid, and you can’t go wrong with that.
What is nice about this combination is the electrolytes from the EFS. It is great mentally knowing you have proper hydration in your system before your swim.
Pre-race does not have the same effect as most other pre-workout powders. These are things like N.O. Xplode or CO2. I have tried those and they get you super pumped. My ears will tingle, and I will be super hyper. However with those pre-workouts I noticed they are dehydrating. I would usually cramp up on the swim at some point. I do not like that.
While Pre-race does not get you amped to the max, it does wake you up and get you focused on the task at hand.
EFS
I have bounced from Gatorade, to Heed, to Skratch and I have to say EFS has one of the strongest flavors. I like it, it is a change and doesn’t take time to get accustom to the flavor. I use the Fruit Punch and just like I described above, it tastes like Kool-aid.
One of the best parts of using this is that I know it is loaded with a ton of electrolytes…its what plants crave. Well, maybe.
I have yet to do a bike race with EFS, however my training with it has gone well. That’s not to say that Skratch or Heed was not working on my bikes. I still have some testing to do.
Liquid Shot
Liquid Shot is First Endurance’s “gel” or “gu”, however it is not really a gel. This stuff is more fluid than gel, and it goes down easy.
One thing I noticed is that you can buy it in individual 400 cal squeeze bottles, and then in bulk in large bottles. You can reuse the squeeze tubes, but when you first buy them the liquid shot has settled. The separation makes it a little thicker than usual and it is hard to get out during a race. I would advice you to open the bottle and stir it up pre race.
The bulk sized container though has the good stuff. This is luquidy and the Wild Berry flavor is the bomb. I like the taste and it packs a lot of calories.
I raced with this during the Miami marathon. I didn’t use the squeeze bottle, but instead filled a handheld bottle with about 10ozs of it. The race was hot and humid and I could feel it just 3 miles in. I could feel my stomach turning slightly. Once I started on the liquid shot it straightened out and I felt great. I still used salt tabs with Liquid shots for the marathon since it was super warm out.
I think I will stick with the liquid shot.
Ultragen
The post race fuel. Your body craves it after workouts. This stuff is the jam. I usually go with Tropical Punch (I wish the flavors were consistent throughout their products) and mix it with 20oz PowerAde zero (I try to buy the 32oz bottles, 12 for pre-race, 20 for post workout).
I like that it has 20g of protein along with lots of other goodies.
Comparing it to other products, I am not sure if I can tell that it is better than the others. I used Recoverite religiously for a year or so and loved it. It is the same feeling with Ultragen.
So I guess it comes down to preference…and flavor. I have tried Recoverite since, and it is not as good tasting as Ultragen.
I will finally be able to test this nutrition mixture at HITS Ocala. It will be an Olympic distance and I will be firing hard. I have a tendency to start the run with a bit of a gut issue, but I believe that is due to a lack of calories. I do plan on consuming more cals on the bike in the form of liquid shot, and drinking 1 bottle of EFS (along with some water).
And one last thing, this all sounds like an ad for First Endurance. Well you can tell by the unscientific reporting and the cost description as a sign that I most certainly have not received anything free from First Endurance. Would I like to get free stuff from them…oh heck yes.
