Today, I ran my first Spartan Race. A 4.9 mile course with 23 obstacles, it was a fabulous way to test my physical limits and spend a good 2 hours running around outside. My favorite obstacles were “Slip and Slide” and “Barbed Wire Crawl,” which were really just two excuses to get muddier than I have ever been in my life. I would be tempted to pay the entire registration fee again just to roll around some more in that mud! If you have never completed a Spartan Race before, I highly recommend doing so. Climbing walls, hoisting sandbags, and carrying around buckets of rocks is more empowering and fun than you would think. The great thing about Spartan Races is anybody and everybody can finish them. My father went from couch to Spartan in about two months, and training for this race marked a major lifestyle change for him that has made him into a happier, healthier person.
One of my favorite parts about races is the free swag. Today, I tried two different oatmeal fruit squeezes and one protein cookie from Munk Pack, and I am excited to share with you a review of their oatmeal fruit squeezes! If this sounds like something you would like to try, you can buy your own here or at stores like Publix. Product: Raspberry Coconut Oatmeal Fruit Squeeze Nutrition: I was astounded by how healthy this fruit squeeze is. Its ingredients list is extremely short: gluten free oats, water, raspberry, banana, apple, apple juice concentrate, unsweetened coconut shreds, ground flax, natural raspberry flavor, citric acid, and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). With 20 grams of carbohydrates, it is an excellent source of fuel for both pre-workout and mid-workout. It even has 10% of your daily Vitamin C needs and 3 grams of fiber (12% of your daily need). No sulfur was added to the coconut, and there are exactly 0 grams of added sugar. The only criticism I have is that it is only 110 calories, so while I would not recommend relying on it for a filling breakfast, it is great for workout fuel. Sustainability: Unfortunately, the packets are non-recyclable, and that is the one major drawback I see in this product. For only 110 calories, I hate to use all that plastic. Otherwise, Munk Pack is great; they use all non-GMO, vegan ingredients, and the packages are BPA-free. Taste: If you don’t like oatmeal, you won’t like this. If you like oatmeal, and you’re a fan of eating it cold or at room temperature, you’ll almost definitely like this. I loved this flavor, but it was a little bit too sweet for me, which means it will be perfect for most everyone else. Product: Peach Chia Vanilla Oatmeal Fruit Squeeze Nutrition: Just like the Raspberry Coconut, the Peach Chia Vanilla is insanely healthy. It boasts 700 mg of Omega-3 (healthy fatty acids needed for a variety of functions), no added sugar, 18 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of dietary fiber. It weighs in with slightly less calories: 90 per pouch. Its ingredients are: gluten free oats, water, peach, pear, apple, apple juice concentrate, ground flax, chia, natural peach flavor, vanilla extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and citric acid. Sustainability: Same as above. Taste: A milder taste that reminds me of Quaker Oats’s Peaches n’ Cream instant oatmeal. This was my favorite flavor of the two, and it had the perfect level of creaminess and sweetness. Ultimately, I would suggest using these oatmeal squeezes as workout and race fuel. They are very easy to digest and a great source of carbohydrates for long-distance races. I plan on getting a few for the next time I go backpacking!
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