18 The Firearms Instructor Issue 50 I searched all the health food and camping equipment stores in downtown Jerusalem, but I did not find what I wanted. Frustrated, I cut-down a side-street on my way back to the car. Then I saw it, a brand new store catering to Ms. and Mr. Universe competi- tors. Simply unbelievable - the store looked like an advertisement out of the pages of a magazine for bodybuilders. Inside I did not find energy bars, but I did find little foil packages of flavored energy gels intended for use by hardcore athletes - mara- thoners and tri-athletes. Before starting a serious training session or a competition you open one of these weightless little pouches and suck down the contents. As the session or competition progresses you suck down more, around one per hour. I bought several pouches in various flavors, some made in Israel and some imported from the USA. The following day I participated in a rifle shooting competition. I had to get up at 04:30 in order to be on the firing line at 08:00. Normally I am burned-out and unable to concentrate long before the com- petition ends around noon. So as I settled down into a prone firing position I downed a package of energy gel just to see what effect it might have. The competition concluded and I had not burned-out. In fact my abil- ity to concentrate remained good through mid-afternoon. I suffered no ill-effects, no I made a discovery at the beginning of May. It has led to a significant, positive improvement in my daily life. I now share my discovery with you. The “Energy Gels” made for hardcore athletes to consume during strenuous training sessions and competitions are great for use by folks like you and I. I reside in Jerusalem, Israel. War with Iran and her allies Syria, Lebanon, the Hezbollah and Hamas grows closer with every passing day. I decided it was time to add a supply of energy bars to my “Grab-and-Go” backpack. I wanted the most compact, lightweight high- energy food I could find. I also decided to get back into top physical condition. Mentally I committed myself to daily hard exercise, especially jogging at least an hour. This exer- cise regime would be far beyond the walking and occasional weightlifting I’ve done the past dozen years in my never-ending struggle to fit into my 38-inch waist pants. I wanted an “edge” to help with my jog- ging. Many years earlier while living in the Washington, DC area I had been a serious jogger and weightlifter. To sustain me on my long runs and fuel my lifting sessions I consumed energy bars. I reasoned that those same bars would not only be perfect to stock my emergency backpack, but also to “jump- start” my exercise program. Off I went in search of this dual-purpose product. Law Enforcement Officers are Hardcore Athletes by Howard Linett Hardcore Athletes