----------------
Now playing: Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
via FoxyTunes Product review:
I recently tried two new gels on the market (new to me at least), AccelGel and Cytomax Energy Gel.
When I had initially tried the Cytomax product during a few longer training runs the weather had just started to turning warm here. The first thing I noticed about the product was it’s taste. I had the orange and vanilla flavors, and when I ate them it was like taking a bite of the most sugary, flavorful cake frosting that you ever had. Initially I liked the taste as it was a very nice change from many bland gels but I soon realized that all of that sugary taste comes with a steep price, a very sticky and dried out mouth. The first few times I had the gels I did not have water or a beverage with me, so although the gels went down without a hitch, the pending cotton mouth was a beat to be reckoned with. Plus the taste lingered in my mouth for a very long time which while initially enjoyable ended up being annoying (I know that I am easily annoyed). With water the gel is much more tolerable in regards to the sugary taste and the aftertaste does not linger for as long, but it is still there. Now this surprised me. When I looked at the sugar content I expected to see some out of this world amount of sugar content, however it only has 5 grams of sugar out of 27 total grams of carbs. So, I am not sure where that fluffy, sugary, came straight from the top of the richest cake ever made taste comes from, but it is there. Now that it is really getting warm here (90’s) I can’t imagine using this product on a hot long run. I think that my mouth would fuse shut. But with enough water or beverage it should do the trick just fine for those of you with an over sized sweet tooth.
As for performance, there was nothing remarkable about the product as it did as advertised and expected. Just like all gels it helped me through the longer stretches of the runs and got me home.
The next new product I tried was the Accel Gel Accelerade. What intrigued me about this product is that it contains the 4:1 ratio that has made the Accelerade and Endurox products famous. So while there is only 20 grams of carbs, there is also 5 grams of protein in each pack. I thought that this was going to require me taking more of the product in order to get through my training runs, but as it turned out my assumption was wrong (sense a theme here?). Compared to the taste of the Cytomax gel the flavor is very bland, but it is just enough to cover up the texture and natural flavor of gel.
As for performance, this product got me through my long runs feeling fresh and as if I was ready to keep going on. And when I was expecting to have some fatigue and post training soreness that I usually experience, there was none. I assume that it due to the addition of the protein in the formula. I have since started to exclusively use the Accel Gel as my training and racing gel of choice, but knowing that there is too much of a good thing and that the body needs change as it adapts and grows I will also occasionally supplement with other products like the Powel Gel I received a part of their training program sponsor program. I took a liking to the Accelerade line after using their drink at last years San Diego Rock and Roll marathon. I was not complete toast when I finished (I could walk around the finish area and did not have to collapse) and I was not as sore as expected afterwards. If you can’t tell I really like their line of products.
Ratings:
Cytomax Energy Gel 3.5 out of 5 stars
Accel Gel 4.5 out of 5 stars.
----------------
Now playing:
Club 8 - We Move In Silencevia FoxyTunes
