Frog Fuel - A Review

A couple months ago Nicole Kesten approached me about a product review of FrogFuel. I had never heard of it before, but did a little research to find out more about the company and I was thoroughly impressed.

A quick bio of Frog Performance:

Started by two friends while stationed with SEAL team-1, Jeff and Alex were unimpressed by the protein and energy supplements that were currently available. They came together to create Frog Performance and to create a product that would maintain energy levels while performing at their peak level. They had five requirements when they created the products:

Product Quality: Professional Grade. FrogFuel is the same medical-grade protein used by health care professionals in various fields including wound and post surgical care. It’s a complete protein with all amino acids that has been fortified and enhanced.
Effectiveness of Product: Immediately Effective and Efficient. FrogFuel is broken down with an enzyme during production allowing it to be absorbed in its entirety rapidly by the user. Collagen protein provides support to skin, muscles, joints, hair, and even teeth.
Convenient: Minimal Size, and Ease of Consumption. FrogFuel is super-concentrated allowing for 15 grams (all bioavailable) of protein in 1oz without mixing on demand.

Suitable for Different Missions: Regular or Energized Protein. 80mg of caffeine provides energy to stay alert, focused, boost metabolism when needed but not so much to cause jitters.

Durable: Extreme Temperatures and Environments, Shelf Life. FrogFuel can be stored unrefrigerated in hot or cold temperatures unopened for 2 years. The packaging is durable and small enough to be carried with ease and without worry.

If that alone isn't enough to pump you up, then check this out:

I'll admit, I was pretty pumped up and ready to walk myself down to the US Navy Recruiting Station and demand that I become a SEAL. Then I remembered that I'm already a member of the premier fighting force, the US Army.

Videos and words are all awesome, but performance is more important than flashiness, so how did it stack up?

Frog Performance sent me a pack of their FrogFuel Energized Protein Shots. Through a snafu with being sent to a 7-week school days before the package arrived at my address in Illinois I had to wait for a friend to send it to me out here. I had a few events that I was going to use for training and a couple races that I wanted to try these out with. First was the Duncan Dehydrator 80-mile ride, a 42-mile training ride and in a more race-like brick in which I rode my bike to the Southwestern Scorcher 5k in Lawton, OK. Lately I have been on a more solid food kick, so this was a good chance to cycle to something out for a try.

Duncan Dehydrator 80-mile ride and 42-mile training ride:

This wasn't a race, but by no means was I going to slouch and relax. I went into the ride with the plan to have 1 packet every 45-50 minutes. I also had 2 bottles of water and 2 bottles with 1-scoop of Skratch orange mix to supplement electrolytes lost due to the heat. As I got to 45 minutes I could feel myself start to struggle a little with fuel, my body was definitely running a little low, which I knew was going to happen and had planned for. I sat back in the paceline and grabbed my first Energy shot. Holy cow, this thing had some kick. If you're used to the bland, dull taste of Cliffshots or Gu, then you are in for a whole new experience. This thing is not boring. It also isn't thick like a typical energy shot. As soon as I opened it up I poured it into my mouth, no need to fight with the package to get the little corners and creases to give up that much needed nutrition.
Within 5 minutes I could feel the power return to my legs and it was much easier to take the pulls when my turn came. I kept eating 1 shot every 45-50 minutes through the ride until about mile 60 when I had to stop and eat a banana due to my stomach knotting up. Being used to more solid foods I think that the lack of substance in me was throwing my stomach for a loop. The Shots were providing the energy, but I think I should have used them every 30 minutes to increase the caloric intake. At only 60 calories per 15 grams of protein it is a great way to get fuel and protein without a giant calorie penalty.

After the race and the day after:

Usually after a hard workout I will take about 50 grams of protein either with Muscle Milk or GNC's brand of post-workout protein in order to prevent my muscles from locking up and just feeling like I have no energy at all the next day. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that my legs felt fresh when I woke up the next day. I didn't need to hobble into the shower and ease myself into stretching as my hamstrings and quads uncoiled themselves. I actually put a fresh kit on and rode my bike 15 miles and felt absolutely great. 

After the Duncan Dehydrator 80-mile.

Brick race/Southwestern Scorcher 5k:

Plan for this day was to ride at a race pace the 10 miles to the race, take a FrogFuel shot after the bike and run the race at 5k race pace. I had been consistently running below 20 minutes for the 3-mile runs we do every Monday here in class. I knew that I was capable of a sub-20, but would I be able to break that 19 minute barrier?

I didn't eat much before I started riding because I wanted to see the effects of the FrogFuel during the race. This left me with a 60-calorie shot and a bottle of water for the 10-mile bike and 5k. In the past I haven't been able to push very hard when I haven't eaten much beforehand. This time I felt great. From the start of the race I was off at a very good pace, running a 5:58 first mile. I had a small hiccup and had to turn around to pick up my ID's and sunglasses that had fallen out of my back pocket. Even with this I was able to keep a 6:20/mi pace through the 5k and run a 19:47. At no point did I feel like I was running out of energy. My body felt great and performed exactly how I wanted it to. I didn't feel like I needed to eat more beforehand and I didn't need to stuff my face after crossing the finish line.

Day after:

Another day of feeling great!! The protein in FrogFuel continues to impress me. Not only do I feel great during the race, but I don't have to plow through chalky protein powder after the race and hope it's in time to get to my muscles before they start cramping up. I didn't feel the need to stretch for hours, nor did it take me 5 minutes to get up from a chair.

Finish line of the Southwester Scorcher 5k.

Final thoughts:

I really like this product. I'm even willing to overlook that it was made by a couple of guys in the Navy. It kept me fueled during my workouts and helped me to feel great afterwards by providing the protein needed by my muscles. I would definitely use this product again, but would supplement with some solid foods to keep my caloric intake up a little higher.

Pros:

• Easy to get out of packaging, don't need to fight with it to get the fluid into your mouth.
• Great, loud taste! (could be a negative if lots of flavor causes you to squirm while in the middle of a workout)
• Protein helps promote recovery while you are working out and helps to stave off the next day soreness.

Cons:

• $2.00 per packet, a bit on the high side of nutrition and the smallest amount you can purchase is 24, so you're looking at $48 each time.
• If you're looking for more calories you'll need to supplement with something.

Buy or pass?
Definitely a buy.

Thanks to Frog Performance for helping fuel me to my best 5k performance and a 4th AG and 5th OA finish at the Southwestern Scorcher 5k. Great product, hope to see more from you guys in the future!

Bigfoot Triathlon Race Report

First Olympic distance triathlon!!

First off, what an awesome venue! And now to the backstory:

Last year a friend of mine joined me at the RAM Racing Turkey Trot 5k/10k. Earlier in the year he had registered for his first 5k, but due to other obligations he was unable to be at the race that day. So, I talked to him about doing this race as I would be singing the National Anthem and then running the 10k. I told him he could do either distance. He said that he had already trained for a 5k, so he would be doing the 10k. Having finished that and feeling good about the whole thing I started talking to him about triathlon. I told him that I had done a couple sprints and an Ironman 70.3. After explaining the whole thing and explaining the distances he asked if I was planning on doing a 70.3 the next fall and if I did which one would I do. I told him I was planning on one, but I didn't know yet. He told me he was game and that he would be signing up with me. I also told him I was thinking about doing this race depending on my schedule and that it might be a good idea for him to do it just so he can get his feet wet and see what a triathlon feels like. So I reserved a camp site less than half mile from the transition and we went up that saturday afternoon before the race.

Lake Geneva is awesome. It is definitely a party town in the sumer because the lake is warm, the weather wasn't bad and the road is literally 2 feet from the lake edge making it easy to get to. RAM Racing chose a very good spot when they started this triathlon. I know the race director from the previous couple years of volunteering with RAM. I found Debbie on Saturday and asked if they had anyone doing the National Anthem before the race or if they were just doing a recording. She pointed me towards the gal who was in charge of that, I remembered her from last year's Turkey Trot 10k where I'd sung the National Anthem for RAM. She said they didn't have anyone so I was able to sing the National Anthem before the race. Always one of my favorite parts of the race.

Goal: I hadn't done any heavy training for this race and I'd never done this distance before, but I was shooting for 2:30:00.

All setup and ready to go

Swim:
Definitely the weakest of my three events. I'd only been in a pool twice in the six months leading up to the race and one of those times was for the sprint tri in Alaska a few weeks earlier. The water was perfect. It was clear and not too cold, just right for a little swim. One of my strengths on the swim, though, is my ability to not freak out. I positioned myself to the side of the group so I wouldn't have to worry about getting swam over or elbowed/kicked in the face. I'd had problems in the past with my goggles taking on water, but this time I didn't have that problem at all. I settled into a good pace and just cruised through the 1500m as quickly as possible without trying to burn any matches.

Time - 33:09 - 2:13/100m
T1 - 3:22 - The run from the swim exit to the transition was pretty far.

Strava link: http://app.strava.com/activities/62410413

Bike:
As it has been this year the bike has been my strength of the three events. I knew that this was going to be where I made up the time I would lose on both the swim and the run. While I hadn't prepared as much as I would have liked for the elevation gain on the course I did feel that the amount of riding and the amount of pushing it I had been doing really served me well when it came to keeping my power up. It was a really windy day and we had either headwind/crosswind combo or just plain headwind. The last portion of the course we were lucky enough to get a major tailwind coupled with a downhill portion. This made for very high speeds with less effort, which was a nice change, especially right before transitioning to the run.

Time - 1:06:01 - 22.6 mph avg 2:39/mi - 32/551 OA 5/32 AG
T2 - 2:03

Strava Link: http://app.strava.com/activities/62409451

Run:
In the beginning I felt fairly good. Then my legs started to feel extremely heavy. I thought that this would be a run on pavement, but it was actually on trail. And the very beginning of the first loop was around a lake, so the ground was soggy and my shoes ended up taking water through the sole, which led to soggy feet. Luckily I didn't have any blisters bother me at all, not even after the run. I ended up slowing to an easy pace that would let me just get through the run. I also made a habit of walking the aid stations, which is what I do at most races that I start hurting on. I really need to start getting my mental toughness built up and just pushing through because I know I can handle it, I just let my legs get the best of me. Overall the course was very nice. The soggy lake wasn't enough to ruin it at all. Very nice wooded portions and a mix of open and very sunny portions. Right before the finish line there's a decent hill that was fun to just push through to get up and over for the final sprint across the line. Overall I wasn't too sad about the run, but I know it's where I can use a lot of work.

Time - 56:48 - 9:58/mi

Strava Link: http://app.strava.com/activities/62409896/overview

Total time: 2:41:21 - 131/551 OA - 17/32 AG - 114/349 Sex

Finish line... Obviously.

Good things:
-Maintained a middle of the pack swim time with little swim training
-Biked a solid bike split that was only 7 minutes off the fastest bike split
-Nutrition was well-maintained with Hammer Gels on the bike and run
-I got to sing the National Anthem!

Improvements:
-Work on that swim
-Work on that run
-Practice more bike/run transitions to get the legs to feel more fluid after biking
-Practice transitions

Well run race and if I were going to be in the area next year I would definitely compete at this again!