Brighton Half Training Update (Mulebar Fuelling)

With only 1 week to go until Brighton Half Marathon I'm giving myself a bit of a mental talking to!

This is the first time I've really put the pressure on myself with a specific time goal, and the doubts have started creeping in. Little negative thoughts sneaking into my brain telling me I can't do it, I should have tried harder, done more yoga/cross training/strength work, fitted in extra sessions, etc etc!

Brighton Half Marathon Training Update and Mule Bar Fuelling

BELIEVE in myself

I'm trying to remain calm, trust in the training and in the spirit of my word for 2015, BELIEVE in myself!

I know I've put in the hard work, although not all runs have gone exactly to plan of course- there are always blips along the way such as getting ill, or a particular training session feeling sluggish and frustrating. But equally there have been highs- I've enjoyed pushing myself, as well as fitting in social runs with friends. I've run long and, for the first time, I've noticed myself actually getting a bit faster, so here's hoping the speed work has paid off!

A little self-love, some mental encouragement and positive thinking will help me to get to the start line feeling strong, happy and able to enjoy the experience 🙂

Mule Bar Energy Pack

I've been trialling some different gels on my runs too after a delivery from Mule Bar Energy. These guys are passionate about adventure, and natural tasty energy, and produce Kicks Energy Gels, Refuel Protein bars for post-workout and the original Mulebar Energy Bar.

A Lemon Zinger gel at Morden Hall Park

I am in love with the Salted Caramel flavour gel! I'm a big fan of the Gu Salted Caramel one too, but the Mule Bar version is a little more of a liquid consistency, which is actually easier to eat if you're not carrying a bottle of water on your run. It also has the addition of chocolate which is the perfect combination for me! They contain a mix of fast and steady releasing carbohydrates formulated to refuel muscles (some also have added caffeine), as well as salt to aid hydration.

"Our Salted Caramel MuleBar Kicks energy gel is a tasty, easy to digest combination of cocoa, pink himalayan crystal salt, agave nectar and brown rice syrup."

I love that Mule Bar use as many Fairtrade and organic ingredients as possible, and believe that the less processed things are, the closer the food that you are eating is to its natural state- which I 100% agree with!

I tried one of the Mule Bar Energy Bars as an afternoon snack, before my evening "run-date" with Leah and it powered me nicely through our 5k until I could get home to have dinner. The Chocolate Orange flavour was amazing too- it felt much too gooey and decadent! I'm intrigued to try the other flavours I got sent- Apple Strudel, Summer Pudding and Eastern Express, which is supposed to be a savoury curry style flavour with garam masala and cayenne pepper- could be interesting!

The Protein Bars contain 14g of high quality protein so they're primarily designed for recovery, and I'll definitely be chucking one in my bag for snacking on after Brighton! The addition of banana for added potassium sounds like a great idea.

How do you get over self-doubts as a big race draws near? Have you ever tried a savoury energy bar?

Beki x