ZipFizz Product Review

Fueling on the run is very, very important. In the winter months it may not seem as important, or necessary as it does in the summer but nonetheless, hydrating and feeding your muscles is important, no matter the temperature. If you want to perform at your best you need to feed your muscles and if you can feed them and hydrate yourself at the same time then all the better!

A while back Nichole sent me some Zipfizz and asked me to give it a try. LB and I were very excited to receive the Zipfizz tubes and a sweet water bottle!

Always fun to get stuff in the mail!

Lots of delicious flavors! Favorite was Orange Cream Soda

It came just in time for me to start my marathon training cycle. Luckily I don't usually have a problem trying new things on the run. I rarely get GI problems, if ever. I can't really even think of a single time that liquid or gel or Gu didn't sit right on my stomach. So I had no reservations filing up my handheld and giving it a try on my first long run of the cycle, 8 miles. I tend like citrus flavors mostly, so I chose the citrus flavor for my first sample, naturally.


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At first it made my eyes pop and my jaw tingle....it was zippy for sure! During my run I drank the Zipfizz and had no problems, felt hydrated and it quenched my thirst.

I came home from my run, tossed my handheld water bottled on my dresser and got caught up the day....there my handheld sat until the following Saturday, when I was buzzing around getting ready for my next long run. Imagine my horror as I realized that my water bottle had sat there, all week, with a small amount of Zipfizz....fermenting in the bottom. I mentally yelled at myself for being so forgetfull. If you have EVER forgotten to rinse out a water bottle with something like Accelerade immediately after a run then you understand my fear of opening this bottle. I expected a foul stench to knock my to my knees, nauseating and permeating to the core of my being...I expected to possibly have to either boil the water bottle for 20 minutes OR throw it away. But...to my surprise the bottle smelled like citrus, not vomit....I didn't fall to my knees. I didn't gag....I simply rinsed the bottle with warm soapy water and filled it with water and a new flavor, this time Pink Lemonade.

You see, Zipfizz is sugar free! I'm no expert and I'm not sure but I imagine this is why my water bottle didn't smell like rotten death after sitting for a week. Here is what else Zipfizz says about their product:




So simply put, Zipfizz is a healthy energy drink mix that has 10 calories, no sugar, and 2 net carbs. It has 25 nutrients that give an energy boost usually in about 15 minutes. I can attest that I felt energized during all my long runs of 8 miles, 9 miles, 10 miles, 11 miles, 12 miles and yesterday's 9.5 mile trail run. I haven't bonked and I haven't used any Gu or Chomps. Now once my mileage goes up, like next weekend's 14 miles, I may have to start adding some Gu or Chomps, for the sugar and carbs to feed my muscles. While Zipfizz provides energy with its 25 ingredients, I'm not sure it has what is needed to sustain long distance fuel for your muscles during say a marathon. And in the defense of Zipfizz I'm not sure that is what it was intended to be used for. For more information about the product check out the FAQ's HERE....

I have been pleasantly surprised by Zipfizz and the boost of energy it has given me during my long runs thus far. My farthest run has been 12 miles and I didn't bonk at all. But, with that being said, I believe that as a long distance runner it is important to feed my muscles with a scientifically proven ration of 4:1 carbs to protein, during a run and after for proper muscle recovery. BUT....I will continue to use Zipfizz during the day for a pick-me-up and to help me wean myself off my current and increasing coffee addiction...

    

The B12 is important in the function of metabolism, turning sugar to energy. Electrolytes help maintain hydration and allows for rehydration. Caffeine, we all understand the benefits of caffeine...  So, it is a great product to use for hydration on short runs. But once you get into distance runs you will want to look at  either adding a product like Gu or Chomps to supplement, or go with an Accelerade or the like. Unless....you are training your body to used stored fat, which is another story all together.... 

This is certainly a product that I am going to continue to use, in the place of coffee (sometimes) and my afternoon diet coke, and on shorter runs. So check it out for yourself HERE and on Facebook HERE!   

What is your favorite method of hydration and fueling on the long run? Anyone ever attempted to train their body to run off stored fat alone?