Map My Run -- Part 2

I know I mentioned Map My Run the other day, but the things I have learned since using this website deserve a second post.

If you become a member--a free service--the world of possibilities opens before you. Membership allows you the following benefits:

• Save your routes
• Track mileage of your shoes
• Email routes to friends and family
• Track your food intake for the day
• Track your caloric intake for the day
• Determine calories burned in a workout
• Determine weight lost to allow you to determine how much liquid is needed to replenish
• Log your heart rate
• Determine your pace

The benefits are not limited to this list. Plus, for several of these things, you earn points. After so many points, Backcountry.com will send you a coupon for 20% off or a gift card. Again, this is all free!

I promise Map My Run is not paying me at all, they don't even know I exist. However, I have found such utility that I want to share it.

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While I am on the subject, I have discovered two additional items that are of interest. While both products are new to me, one is new to everyone while one has been around for a few decades.

When you workout you burn energy from carbohydrates first. Then you burn fat, then muscle. This is why several people "carb-up" before a certain event-test, race, or other sporting event. When you are working out for an extended period of time and need energy, there are several products that exist to get the energy in a purer form, to your bloodstream as quickly as possible.
One of these is Gu. Gu is a gel that has all of the energy you need for about 1 hour of working out. Some describe Gu as the granddaddy of gels and energy replacements. Coming in dozens of flavors, they taste great. So far I have only had vanilla bean, chocolate, and berry. All three tasted great. Vanilla bean and chocolate both tasted like pudding.

The other, newer energy source is Sport Beans. These are jelly beans produced by none other than Jelly Belly containing electrolytes, carbohydrates, and vitamins b and c. I finally found them today at Target, and will try them out this week. I have heard they taste good--after all, they are jellybeans--and Jelly Belly claims they outperform sports drinks and sport gels.