Powered by Bits!

I first posted this on my other blog Stu Tris. I thought readers here might be interested too!

I am on Twitter (@Stuart_Buist) a bit, more sometimes than others. One thing that I’d seen a lot of on Twitter was @ENERGYbits. A lot of people seemed to be talking about EnergyBits after a long run or race. I was intrigued into what they were and the benefits to using them. I sent out a Tweet to see if anyone had any feedback on the benefits and the first person I heard back from EnergyBits! They were nice enough to send me a sample to try out for myself. For the last month or so I’ve been trying them out at a triathlon and with different workouts.

First a little bit about EnergyBits (www.energybits.com). EnergyBits are made with 100% organically grown spirulina algae. Spirulina is a form of algae that has been cultivated around the world as both a whole food and as a supplement. One reason that spirulina has been so popular is because of its protein content. It contains about 64% protein and is a complete protein. A complete protein is a source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all nine of the essential amino acids necessary for the dietary needs of humans. It also contains a crazy number of other vitamins and nutrients, including potassium, zinc, vitamin A and others, needless to say there lots of potential benefits to eating EnergyBits.

I’ve eaten my EnergyBits either before a race or a big workout. I noticed the biggest difference during the Somersault Early Bird Long triathlon I did a couple of weeks ago. (I’ll post about the race in the next couple of days.) I took the recommended 30 tablets about 20 minutes before the start of the race. The difference I noticed during the race was that I seemed to a more constant amount of energy. Normally at some point during the bike and definitely during the run, I start to get some negative thoughts, which I attribute to a lack of energy. During this race I felt great the entire time and had a great race. It was probably one of my faster bike, run combos ever. During my early morning swims is another time I notice the benefits. I am bad for not eating anything before my morning swims and this leaves me a little tired at the end of a long set. If I’ve had some EnergyBits before I don’t get the same tired feeling at the end of the workout.

One note about EnergyBits, in my opinion, they don’t taste good. I’ve been told you get used to the flavor but I haven’t. I swallow them like a pill, I don’t chew them, just and FYI if you’re thinking of trying them.

If you want to hear more about EnergyBits and chat with some people who eat them, you should join their weekly Twitter chat. It happens every Tuesday at 8:00pm EST. Just follow the hashtag #poweredbybits.

I will be eating my EnergyBits right before one of my biggest races, Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant. If you want to get some entre the word BLOG into the coupon box as you checkout and you’ll get 10% off. Have you tried EnergyBits? What do you think?

 Just to be clear, I did get a free sample but these are my own opinions and experiences.

New Blog!

With the weather getting cooler and the days shorter I am back to blogging. I have even started a new blog! Stu Tris – stutris.wordpress.com. The new blog is all about triathlon and my training for triathlons. If you’re interested in that kind of stuff make sure to check it out. The next thing that I’ll be talking about here is a detox that Sarah and I are going to try out. We’ve never done one before so it should be interesting. Check back on Sunday for more about the detox we’ll be doing. For now check out my other blog!

You should Try a Tri!

My first triathlon was the 2010 National Capital Triathlon Try-A-Tri. At the time the distance of the race seemed really long. It was a 200m swim, 20km bike and 2km run. It took me 1 hour, 4 minutes and 33 seconds and I came 22^nd out of the 42 men. Not bad for someone who hardly knew how to do front crawl a couple of months before. My first race is still one of the races that I’ll always remember, I had a blast doing it and it got me hooked on triathlon.

When I am talking to friends there are usually a couple of excuses people give me why they could never compete in a triathlon, 1 – they can’t swim, 2 – they don’t have the right kind of bike and 3 – they can’t run. While these are all very valid reasons for not competing in a longer race like an Olympic triathlon, there not necessarily the best reasons to not to compete in a Try-A-Tri.

The Try-A-Tri I participated in had a 200m swim. This isn’t a very long distance, it’s 4 lengths of a 25m pool. The swim portion of my first triathlon also took place in chest deep water. This way if you’re not a confident swimmer you can take a quick break and stand up. There is also no rule saying you have to do front crawl, it’s just recommended. So if you get tired or nervous switch to another stroke.

When people say they don’t have the right bike to do a triathlon I always think of the bike I rode for my first triathlons. It was on old model road bike with the levers on the down tube. While my bike was old compared to some other bikes, it was a great bike. I averaged around 25km/h which, in my opinion, is pretty good for a first tri. In my experience with triathlons, I’ve seen all kinds of bikes. From $10,000 super bikes, to mountain bikes, to someone who had a basket on the front and streamers on the handle bars.

When it comes to the run, I am very sympathetic. I am not the strongest runner and it’s probably my least favourite of the three disciplines. While it is the run section and you should try to run it all, there is nothing wrong with walking portions of it. Just make sure to try and run as much as you can.

When it comes to triathlons, there is no reason not to try! Find a race that fits your capabilities, make sure to train, and then go have fun!

If you’re in Ottawa and want to learn more about the National Capital Triathlon, check out Somersault  Events at www.somersault.ca.