Running Nutrition Review - CLIP2

I'm a huge fan of Succeed's Scap electrolyte tabs.  They keep me from cramping and I use them during every long run to regulate my electrolyte intake.


Earlier in the year I tried some of their Clip2 and I just could not get past the taste.  I tried it sitting at home in the kitchen and I had no desire to drink it during a run.  It just didn't appeal.  I gave away the sample packs that I had and wrote it off for good.  So I thought....


Since then I have been struggling with finding the answer to nutrition during long runs of 20 miles or more.  Run after run I found myself struggling into aid stations behind on water with low blood sugar and starving.  I would eat a LOT of food, drink some fluid, fill up my water bottle and head back out.  I would feel good for a few miles and then the cycle would start again.  It was very frustrating to run this way.


Several runners have suggested that I give a powder such as Clip2 another try.  I reluctantly agreed and feared that it would make me nautious while out on the trail.  However the pros simply outweighed the cons.  Here is the description of Clip2 from Succeed's website...


CLIP2 provides

* Energy

* Alertness

* Better recovery after a long run

* Prevention of muscle breakdown in long runs

* Single-serving packets

* Anti-oxidants Vit. C and E to prevent exercise-induced muscle damage


So I figured why not give it a try at the Woods Ferry 24 Hour Run?  Worse case scenario was that I would drink it and get sick.  If so, I could always go lay down for a few hours and then get back to running.

After completing 20 miles I decided to give the Clip2 a try.  I filled up my 20 oz. handheld halfway with water and then added a pack of the powder into it.  I screwed on the cap and shook it hard for a few seconds and let the fizz buzz off then filled the rest of the bottle with water. 


The powder has a faint smell of fruit and has the consistency of baby powder.  I was really nervous about taking the first drink, but did so and was pleasantly surprised!  It tasted like very weak Kool-Aid with a little bit of Gatorade mixed in the back somewhere.


I sipped on the mixture for about 5 miles and then rolled into the next aid station feeling much more nutritionally satisfied.  I had a few pretzels and filled my bottle up with water then got back to the run.  I noticed that the Clip2 seemed to keep me feeling "even" for about 15 miles.  I used four packets of it during the race (68 miles over 24 hours) and will probably never go over 20 miles again without having it available.


While I did have some hallucinations during the early morning around the 24th hour of running I felt more alert during the night.  I seemed to have better control over my emotions and I was able to think more clearly.


I can't say enough good things about this stuff.  It is relatively cheap at $18.95 for 24 packs plus they have a sample size for you to try out for about $5.00.  They even have larger quanities available for a reduced price.

Woods Ferry 24 Hour Race

The Woods Ferry 24 Hour Run kicked off the first of five ultras put on by Terri Hayes in the South Carolina Ultra Trail Series this year. After running my first 100k, 100 miler, and a tough 50K at Sweet H20 two weeks ago I was looking forward to a laid back – low key event. Sure the clock would be running for 24 hours, but I was not feeling any pressure to produce massive miles or definite splits. My plan was to have fun, run easy, and rest when I felt like it.

Christian & Wayne offered to pick me up on Friday afternoon and carry all of this stuff down to the race. I offered to help Terri out with some equipment to be used at the main aid station. No, I didn’t run with that backpack on – it just had all of my camping stuff in it.

I camped with a few running friends including Mike Riggins. We only talked for a short time, gobbled down some pizza that Mike had brought and I was into the tent sleeping before 10:00 PM. The campground was medium size and only has about 30 sites, but two tents are allowed at each one. I felt safe there for the most part, but there were some interesting sights of the “local culture” on the way into the park. Banjo pickin’ rednecks and the movie Deliverance come to mind, but I’m gonna leave it at that.

I can relate to the ‘necks’ because I felt like a hobo myself. No car or way to retreat now. Just a backpack, tent, and running gear.  I felt like I was in for the long haul.

I slept great on the air mattress in the tent Friday night dreaming about a great run to come the next day. The night past quickly and I heard runners driving in and moving about around 5:00 AM. I drifted back & forth to sleep until 6:00 and decided it was game time!

It was so nice to wake up at the race and not have to worry about driving directions, getting lost, finding a parking spot, etc. I just walked 100 yards down to the picnic area and had everything I needed in my hands or in my backpack.  This is the main aid station, check-in, start & finish.  The Broad River is behind the picnic shelters.

I never get tired of the buzz before an ultra.  The air is electric!

Mike Riggins getting ready to run...

Wayne "Weezy" D. getting his game face on....

Several runners chipped in and hooked Terri up with a birthday cake...

About 60 runners were off and running the course at 7:30 AM. I had a feeling that lots of runners would get off course on the first loop and I was correct. As a matter of fact, I did myself! I ended up doing the top of the figure “8” loop twice on the first time out so I had to make up miles before heading into the main aid station to come up with 20 for two loops. It took me five hours to run the first 20 miles. While I will admit that I was taking it easy on the trail, I realized that this course was going to turn into a little beast when the sun warmed us up into the 80s around noon.
I ran some of the 1st/2nd loop with Abbi and Matt. The miles just ticked away as we jawed about running stuff and life in general.  The trail heated up into the 80’s on the third loop and I decided to slow my pace down, grab the camera and have some fun.  Looking back, this was probably the smartest move that I made all day.

Here is a photo tour of the course and then I'll let you know how the rest of the race went.

Looking back as I leave the aid station...

Go through the parking area and turn right onto the forest service road...

Turn left into the forest onto the Purple 1 mile trail...

Some runners on the Purple trail...

Continue on Purple and Have a Drink of Clip2!

It was hot and I was taking it pretty easy through the 30 mile afternoon loop...

Some more of the rolling Purple trail...

More Purple trail....

Winding closer to the Blue trail intersection...

Passing some runners heading back in from a loop...

This group was having a blast.  I had heard them getting closer from a mile away..

This was Sam's first ultra and she ended up running 40 miles!  Great job!

After the 1 Mile Purple Trail take a right onto Blue.  It seemed to have about 2 miles of uphill...

This was one of my favorite sections.  A tough uphill that was full of wildflowers!

Blue trail gives you a little bit of everything...

We stayed on blue for 4.6 miles of gnarly fun...

The forest service had recently set a controlled burn...
Take a right onto a steep logging road...

The climb continues nearing the end of Blue..

Take a left onto Yellow trail and go downhill to see this great spot by the creek...

Spend about 4 miles total on the Yellow.  These shots head up to the 2nd aid station...

Leave the aid station and do about 1 mile of gnarly power line trail.  There were lots of confused runners through here.  Some took a gravel road to the right of the trail (easier option).  Some took the yellow trail the entire way.  Some stayed on the yellow trail and then the forest road.  Confusing huh?  Me - I did the yellow trail 4 times and the gravel road twice in the dark.

I think this was the toughest part of the course...Look at these four photos...

Just after this section you take a left and run through some trail ripped to shreds by horses.  Then you come out into this field...

You then head back to Blue for a short time and take Purple back into the aid station to complete a 10 mile loop - I was sweating a LOT here...

Each lap I past my stuff on the way into the aid station.  I spent some time sitting after each lap...

My mother volunteered for the night portion of the race and she was waiting with pizza after loop three.  That was great!

One of the highlights of this race was learning how to run downhill a little better. I practiced relaxing my body and letting gravity carry me down the hills without putting on the brakes so much. There is a give & take to this method. You gotta pay closer attention to your footing because you move faster, but your legs feel much better at the bottom of the hill.

I continued on running a loop with Sam and a loop with Wayne. After heading into the night portion with Wayne my spirits were soaring and I was feeling strong. Its amazing how quick things change during an ultra.

Life got interesting at mile 50.

Terri (the race director who is attempting to run her age – 67 miles) stumbles upon Wayne and I around mile 50 while she is heading out to run the 40s. She lets us know that she needs someone to be ready to run the final 17 miles with her because her friend Angela was having horrible blister problems.  Angela runs lots of ultras and this was a testament to how gnarly the terrain was out there.

After 14 hours at this point and 50 miles Wayne and I decide to call it a night and walk away feeling strong with a good run under out belts.  Christian heads back out for another lap and turns in a 100K then both guys call it a night.

I found Mama at the aid station and laid around while watching the other runners come and go for about two hours.  I tried to fall asleep while laying in my sleeping bag on top of a picnic table, but I was too wired up.  At midnight I knew that I was going back onto the course.  My mom just laughed and told another volunteer that she knew I couldn't stand to lay there and watch other runners going back out without me.  She was right.  Besides after getting off my feet for a few hours I felt good to go.

I headed back into the darkness alone with the plan of running the 2 mile out-n-back purple trail as many times as possible.  I got in one mile before meeting up with Terri.

Terri came running in finishing her 5th loop around 1:15 AM and I promised her that I would run the final 17 miles with her until the end.  We set out and moved slowly through the first loop.  The ruts, roots, and rocks that were easy to avoid during the day beat us both down during the night. 

We finished the 10 mile loop and still had to get 7 more miles in to make her birthday run official.  After 60 miles over 21 hours of running, the last thing that I wanted to do was leave the warm aid station and head back out into the darkness.  Well, promises are promises and there is no way that I would have sent Terri back out there alone.  So off we go staggering into the darkness with seven miles between us and the finish.

The final seven miles were brutal.  My feet were burning.  I wore holes in both socks and had hot spots all over my feet.  Every step sent fire up my legs and kicking a root or rock nearly brought me to tears.   My feet are so caloused that I rarely get blisters.  Instead they just burn - not sure if the trade off is worht it or not.  We tried to keep our minds off the run by talking about everything under the sun.

The hallucinations began around 6:00 AM (22 hours into the run).  I looked over my right should and saw a beautiful white farm house with a lush green lawn.  The sun was rising over it and I wanted to turn left and go into it.  Five seconds later I snapped back to reality and found myself behind Terri wondering off into the dark woods. 

Another mile down the trail we reached the top of a hill and I saw a big lake in front of us.  I wondered how we would get across it and how it got there.  There was no lake there - EVER!  My mind was all over the place!

Terri even warned me about a car moving down the road when in fact  all the vehicles were parked with no one inside of them!

So around 7:30 AM we reached our final mile and took the victory lap into the aid station.  There were a few volunteers clapping including Dan Hartley, my mother Joyce, Terri's family, and a few other runners.

I will admit that this was a strange experience for me.  It was weird to run and then take a nap, then run some more.  The park was beautiful, but it even had a strange feel to it for some reason.  The highlight of my run was not personally completing 68 miles.  It was seeing Sam run 40 miles (first ultra) and seeing Terri battle all day & night to run her age.  Here are a few other side stories that I followed through the day...

These guys worked the 2nd aid station all day long and I appreciate it!  The guy on the right is running his first ultra in a few weeks....

Joy ran a solid 50k and looked strong out there - great job & very inspiring!

These fellas ran their first 10 miles on trails.  Up & coming ultra runners!

When I stopped running at 50 miles I was awarded and then when I completed the 1 mile + 17 with Terri they gave me another one...

CONGRATULATIONS TO TERRI HAYES - RUNNING HER AGE @ 67 - INCREDIBLE!

Around 7:15 Terri gave us the pre-race information describing the course and aid stations. The course was a 10 mile figure “8” loop that started and finished at the main aid station. I had never ran a 24 hour event, but I knew that this would be a tough course to maintain a steady pace on for that long. I’ve noticed that most 24 hour events are on flat track type surfaces that are typically no longer than a 3 mile loop.  No way was I going to start this race off moving fast!

Sweet H20 50K - Reality Check

My adventure of running three 50K's in four weeks peaked on Saturday with the Sweet H20 50K in Lithia Springs, GA. I actually ended up running 50K, 25 miles, 50K which is fine. It was all that I could do to finish each run.

This is all about Sweet H20. Here is the race description...

"Sweetwater Creek State Park offers winding, moderately difficult trails in and around the park, following the lovely rapids of Sweetwater Creek, and venturing past Civil War-era textile mill ruins. This 50k crosses the Sweetwater Creek twice - you WILL get wet. (but that's the extra fun part!) The race will be open for 9 hours allowing for plenty of time for course completion. An intermediate cutoff of 4.5 hours at mile 17 will be enforced for runner safety."

This is a very accurate description of the race. After reading it a few times I was sure that this would be one of the easier 50Ks out there. As usual, I was terribly wrong, terribly wrong!

This quote sums up my experience going into the race and attempting to finish it...

"Life is tough, it can be tougher if you're stupid" -- John Wayne

A week before the race I was boasting about finishing Sweet H20 under 7 hours and treating this as a "race" instead of a long training run. What in the heck was I thinking?! For the past month I have been eating horrible, skipping mid week runs and workouts, and just being lazy in general. I'm not sure how I come up with this stuff? There is no substitution for race preparation.

Here is the story, but please be warned that its not pretty & heart warming...

The travel and pre-race stuff went smooth. I was able to drive down with my friend Aaron who met me coming down from Charlotte on Friday. We ate dinner at the Cracker Barel with Wayne, his wife and some other friends the got to bed around 11 PM.

We were up at 4 AM on Saturday and getting ready to race. I slept light, but sound. We picked up a few other runners on the way to Sweet Water Park and ended up with about an hour to kill before the race. As always, it was great to see all of the running friends and meet new ones.

I felt so confident about this race. My plan was to go out fast, taper off, then hold a steady 11-12 min/mile pace throughout the course. No problem - I got this thing!

We were directed to lineup at the start around 7:15 AM. Some civil war patrons were there and we heard the normal distorted last minute updates from the race directory. The calvary blew up the cannon and the race was on!

*I mooched a lot of pictures* Courtesy of Beth, Aaron, and Perry - Thanks!

The Start Line...
Confederate Soldiers Start the Race With a Bang!

The first 1.25 miles are on pavement and circle around the beautiful lake in the park. I went out of the start line running my 5k pace in a hurry trying to out run lots of runners to the trail head. (Huge Mistake) - Lesson learned - DON'T START OUT FAST!

We hit the trail head after about 9 minutes and I'm out of breath, but moving quick through the forest. A few runners take off past me and we quickly run upon this drainage ditch around mile 2. As you can see there are two ropes on each side of the ditch. Rappel yourself down, cross the river, and then pull yourself up on the other side. What a great way to begin an ultra - I loved it!

The next 6-7 miles were runnable with a few rocks & roots thrown in the mix for fun. The trail rolled up & down the beautiful river bank which had recently been severely flooded. I ran the first 10 miles very fast (for me). I averaged about a 10:30 mile/min pace and knew where this was heading. The morning air was still crisp and cool beside the river and I rejected logical thoughts of pacing myself with stupid visions of hurrying before it gets hot.

I hit a low mental point around mile 10. I doubted that I would finish this race and I had not even seen the toughest part of the course yet. I thought back to my lack of training over the month and the "pity party" began. I slowed my pace down to a walk and the trail took a turn toward the section of the course known as "Top of The World".

I knew this was going to be a tough run because it was the first heat run of the season. I started popping Scaps (electrolyte tabs) every thirty minutes. I was getting very hungry and I had nothing to eat. The two aid stations that I had passed did not have food and my stomach was starting to churn. I won't lie - I wanted to quit at this point. I felt tired, winded, and defeated. Heck, I had just ran a hard 10 miler and a fast pace - no wonder!

I kept moving. I have learned how to ignore my thoughts and smile when I'm feeling low. I try to focus on other runners, pick up litter, sing to birds, moon walk, anything other than thinking about the run ahead.

After running through a flat field of tall grass the course takes you to a very steep gravel road that climbs up for about 1/4 of a mile. This is the tongue that takes you into the mouth of the beast.

After power walking the gravel road I ran down a short gnarly rocky trail and then stood looking straight up at this....This climb just goes straight up for what seemed to be about 1/4 - 1/2 mile. It may have not been that far, but it seemed like it. You could not see the top from the bottom. There was weeping & gnashing of teeth on this hill.

Pictures will not do justice to these climbs. There are about 4-5 rolling & sun exposed climbs that let you see the next one in the distance. Here is a picture looking at the final climb after going up and down about four of these. It cant be overwhelming to look at it too long...

I took a deep breath and reminded myself one step at a time. I was pouring sweat at this point and my head was getting very dizzy. I knew that I was hot and very hungry. Something bad was about to happen, but I wasn't sure what. All that I knew to do was take two Scaps and keep moving. I drank my last bit of water to swallow them and I worked my way up the final climb to the top.

I was about to pass out at the top. I felt worse than I have every felt during a race. My head was on fire, dizzy, weak and I dashed towards some trees to vomit. And then one more time. I had one more mile to get to the aid station which had food. I ran hard since I just wanted to eat and had all of that water off my stomach.

One minute after getting sick I reached the hard earned TOTW...You could look out in all directions and see great views of the towns below. I didn't care - I wanted to eat and eat a LOT! I made it to the next aid station in about 10 minutes and ate well. Chocolate chip cookies, oranges, PB & Jelly sandwiches, jelly beans, and Gatorade. I felt like a new man & ready to run!

After leaving TOTW the trail takes you back down to the river, but it's not quiet that easy. There are three more massive & exposed climbs to conquer before you see the water again.

The trail takes you over this hill and one other before dumping your straight down to the river. By the time I reached the river I was feeling like crap again and not wanting to take anymore of this Sweet H20 punishment. I just kept moving forward.

Miles 12-19 were a blur. I kept eating and drinking, but didn't think of much other than where my next foot was landing. I arrived at the river crossing around mile 20 and I figured that if I had made it twenty miles I may as well try to get across the river.

When I came to the river crossing there were two ropes going across. One for each direction of running traffic. It was a busy place. Runners were coming & going in both directions and another aid station was here as well.

I plunged into the water and it felt magical. The cold water revived my legs and I snapped back out of my mental funk. The current was strong through the water and I'm glad that I had a rope to hold.

I dunked myself under the water before getting out on the opposite side. I felt SO much better! The trail takes you on a 1.50 mile loop before throwing you back out to cross the river again. The volunteer told me that there was a hill coming up in a quarter mile, but I figured that it was nothing compared to what I just did. Well the theme of the day is me being wrong and it continued! I came upon a monster hill that took me by surprise. It beat me down and I was dragging myself back down the hill to the 2nd river crossing.

I made it to the river and struggled across this time. I tried to put my game face on for fellow blogger/runner Beth B. as she was taking pictures on the bank.

This picture was taken by Beth just as I was getting out of the 2nd river crossing. Yes, I was praying and trying to cool down. It was just a coincidence that my hands were like that, but kinda cool. I could have laid in that river for a long long time.
So now that I'm out of the river there are about 12 miles to go as I'm now 20 miles into the race. I chased down two Advil with a 5 Hr. Energy and got back on my way. The drugs kicked in after about 15 minutes and I was feeling fantastic. I enjoyed the next five miles as they rolled along the river with some incredible scenery. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and it had turned into a great run.

I knew that TOTW was coming around for the 2nd time, but it didn't matter because I was on the home stretch. There was some great downhill through this section that helped me cover some trail a little quicker...

I ran into my buddy Wayne at mile 25 and I knew that his day had went south if I had caught up to him. I was feeling much better at this point, but we were both struggling with the heat and just a tough course in general. It was nice to have a good friend to work through TOTW with for the 2nd time. We joked & sweated our way across all of the climbs and were through it before long. It was much tougher the 2nd time and I'm glad that there was not going to be a 3rd!

TOTW drained us both because the final three miles seemed to go on forever. We passed a few runners and a few passed us, but it didn't matter because we were all working towards the finish.

Finally at 8:13 we cross the finish line. Man, did the finish line ever look so good?!

This was a very difficult race for me. I'm blaming it 75% on myself and throwing the other 25% on the heat. I did enjoy the course and appreciate being taken through the toughest & most scenic areas of the park.

The truth is that I raced this course and put every ounce of energy that I had into it. I could not have finished in one second faster. I am a little disappointed in the time, but at the same time I'm just satisfied to cross the finish line.

I'm just not the type of ultra runner who likes to compete against other runners. If 10 runners pass me 1/2 mile from the finish line I could care less. I have tried to get fired up and run faster when it happens, but nothing in me cares. I'm happy to finish & I have to learn how to run the ENTIRE race with that mindset. Every time I have ran that way I finish stronger and end up with a better run.

Woods Ferry 24 Hour Race is coming up in eleven days (GULP). I'm looking forward to some fun Terri Hayes racing.

Sweet H20 will always have my respect.......