Clif Bar Organic Energy Food Review

As a Chief Running Officer for my run group Run Eat Tweet AZ, I had the opportunity to try out Clif Bar Company organic energy food pouches.

All of these opinions are my own.

I apparently have a very sensitive stomach when it comes to running fuel. I haven't found much yet that doesn't make it upset, so I was pretty excited to give these a try and see how they worked for me.

There are 4 flavors available and I received 2 of each. The fruit ones are smaller than the other two, but with both sizes, you need to have a reasonable sized pocket to put them in to take on a run with you. I'm injured so I've been running shorter loops in order to come home and stop running if I needed to, so I never had to carry one with me.

The first one I tried was the Banana Mango with Coconut. I was running in the heat of the Arizona morning sun at 10:00! Not my smartest plan. I looped home every 2 miles, and thankfully I did so I was able to refill my water. I was trying to decide what kind of fuel I was going to use, the sun was sapping everything out of me and I new I needed something. I remembered I had the food pouches in the fridge, so I pulled out the Banana Mango with Coconut to fuel up. It was so good! It hit the spot big time, nice and cold with a light flavor. I only used half and figured I'd finish the other half after my next loop home. I started off for another two miles. After the first mile I felt a little discomfort in my stomach, but figured it was probably just the heat getting to me. I looped home and finished off the pouch and then went back out for my last mile. Overall I enjoyed that one. I ended with a little discomfort, but I really think that all had more to do with the heat. I'd probably have no problem using this flavor on a regular basis.

The next one I tried was the Pizza Margherita. I had just come home from a double workout, a quick 800 meters in the pool and a 5 mile run. I reached for this pouch thinking it would be a perfect end to the workout. This flavor just wasn't for me.

The next week I was up extra early for a morning run. I did a similar run, 2 miles, pit stop at home, then back out and so on. This time I took out the Banana Beet with Ginger pouch. I really enjoyed this one too. I was anxious about the beet flavor, but it was pretty good. It was a slightly stronger flavor, so for me it wouldn't work as a mid run fuel, but it would be great for a post run. This is my situation, but take a look at the other CRO reviews, because they may have a different take. Like I said before, my stomach is very sensitive while running and doesn't respond well to very much.

The last one I tried was the Sweet Potato with Sea Salt flavor. I had just come back from a 7 mile run and was starving! While I was getting breakfast ready I pulled out the sweet potato pouch and gave it a try. Again, just not a flavor for me, a little too salty I think and not quite my taste.

I'm glad I got a chance to try all the flavors. It helped me figure out which ones would possibly work for my pre/mid/post run fuel. Overall I'm pleased with the product. It's easy to pack and easy to store. I love that it's resealable for later use. The fruit ones were definitely my favorite and I could probably use one of them post run/workout and the other mid run!

Would you like to try Clif Bar Organic energy food pouches for yourself? Head over to Run Eat Tweet AZ Facebook page to enter to win. Good Luck!

So What's Next For Me?

When I first started running again I wanted to do the Warrior Dash. That was my key race. Then I decided I didn't really want to do a lot of mud runs, and kind of lost interest in the whole idea. Maybe one day. I switched my focus to the Phoenix half marathon hoping I'd be able to successfully complete the race. I did better than that, I hit one of three time goals, despite being ill most of the race and the last minute kinks that happened during the end of training.

I loved racing! It was like the culmination of all the time I put into training. I still want running to be fun, so I'll pick and choose what kind of races I'll do based on how I feel, but I want to continue to race a little. Ultimately running is still a way to escape, clear my mind, dedicate miles to sweet Jaylee, and take better care of my body, but having some fun goals in between, I think, helps to shake things up a little.

On April 4th I'll be running a half marathon with Startline Racing. I was originally going to run the full, in honor/to dedicate, of my friend. After all the kinks thrown into training in January, and the discomfort I still have, a full is off the table....for now. I'll chase that down another time. But it's still a goal of mine.

The week after that race I'll be running the Run3rd 5k with some other members of my run group Run Eat Tweet AZ. I'm so excited about it! It benefits the children in the school district I work in and my children attend school in, which makes it mean so much more to me. Sean Astin will be at the race! He's the guy from Goonies, Rudy, Lord of the Rings.... I'm hoping to snag a picture with him, how neat would that be! If you want to be entered in to win a DVD of Lord of the Rings AUTOGRAPHED by Sean Astin use code "RUNEATTWEET" which also saves you 10%! The first drawing already happened on March 1st and Goonies was won! The next drawing happens on April 1st, so don't miss out and get entered now! Virtual option available.

After that, things are kind of up in the air til Oct. I'm trying to decide on a course of action for training, cross training, and eating. All things have gotten off track, and I've started doing things that aren't working for me and picked back up some bad habits. That needs to change.

Another thing I'm working on is running fuel nutrition. What I used in the half marathon did NOT work for me. It wasn't the trigger for being sick, but it didn't help. Right now I'm leaning towards Cocogo for hydration, and Pocketfuel Naturals and Sunrype for nutrition. Natural fuels, natural foods. All three products are some of my favorites and I hope to one day be an ambassador and represent their companies! If anyone else has an idea please clue me in to what works for you, because I need a lot of help in this category. Either comment here or hit up my instagram and comment there. Any advice will be completely appreciated!

Thanks everyone for stopping by!