The Firearms Instructor Issue 50 19 stomach distress. So I decided to see what effect power gels had on my exercise. Sunday it was still cool enough at noon- time to take the dogs for a brisk 2.5 kilometer walk down and around the valley, then back up to our apartment. I downed a packet of energy gel, put leashes on Bertha and Hillary and off we went. I am pack leader, but Bertha constantly challenges me for the lead. I main- tained an uncontested lead position as the dogs tried to keep up. Back home the dogs collapsed. I still felt energized enough to put a leash on Ming the Merciless and repeat the dog-circuit. Ming always wants to lead. I was easily able to keep up with her until half-way up the uphill homestretch, when I claimed the lead. Back home Ming collapsed. I went back to my writing. Monday it was 89 degrees well before noon. Too hot for the dogs, it was just the way I like it for a run. But I had not run for well over a year because of a damaged and subsequently rebuilt Achilles tendon. My normal walking route was 6 kilometers. Once or twice I had jogged a bit of it. I sucked down a power gel and stretched. I felt energized and jogged every downhill stretch. I had incredible clar- ity of thought and concentration. I needed to constantly remind myself to slowdown, walk more and run less. My body needed to gradu- ally work up to running 6K. I did not need to do it all at once - and injure myself, again. I repeated my performance every day that week. I could hardly wait for “my run.” Running was renewing the endorphins my body had been without for too long. I felt absolutely marvelous. After my run I returned to writing, a task that requires me to “focus.” On Friday at 18:00 Ming reminded me it was the dogs’ suppertime. That is when I realized I was no longer experiencing my afternoon fatigue and inability to concentrate. I was no longer so exhausted by 14:00 that I would go to sleep for the rest of the afternoon, even when I had not exercised. Energy gels not only supercharged my exercise, but also improved my mental alertness and produc- tivity. I shared my discovery with a few friends. One is a hardcore bike rider. He told me that he faithfully uses energy gels and that they are found in most bicycle shops. I do not ride a bicycle. It never would have occurred to me. As the weeks progressed I could feel my stamina, endurance and strength increasing. So at the beginning of week four I went for a 6K without the benefit of my daily energy boost. Physically I burned-out after about 4 kilometers. The soles of my running shoes scraped the pavement. I almost sideswiped a wall. Mentally I lost focus, my mind wan- dered and I forget to run. On the last kilome- ter I was falling forward, barely managing to maintain momentum. Terrible as I thought my performance without a power gel had been, it was still 25 percent better than my performance before I started training sessions fueled by power gels. That was a serious improvement for about four weeks of effort. But there is no need to run “un-fueled.” And fueled I am an entirely different person! What before I could barely walk, now I run. My wife saw for herself my improved physical condition and mental alertness. So when she genuinely needed a boost in energy and in her ability to concentrate, I convinced her to try an energy gel. She finished writing her paper on time and admits that the energy gel got her past the “crunch.” She has become a convert. I have given some energy gels to friends to try. A biker, a weightlifter and a “special operations” unit member were my test group. None had ever used energy gels. They had not even heard about the product. Today they are enthusiastic about these little foil pack- ages of pure energy. My evaluation of energy gels is ongoing. My performance continues to improve. As of today I’m almost up to 10K. Power gels still provided me with a boost of energy, increased physical stamina and endurance and mental alertness. I will be 61 in a matter of weeks. I am well on the way to achieving my goal of becoming physically fit and in- condition. I can match my serious jogging performance from the early ’90s. But I am wise enough to know I’m not almost 20 years younger even if I feel like a 40-year old in mind, body and spirit. I suggest you try the contents of one of these little foil pouches for yourself. They are not just for hardcore athletes. TFI About the Author Howard Linett is an attorney, an indepen- dent journalist, a lecturer, sniper instructor in the Israeli Police Civil Guard and the author of “Living with Terrorism: Survival Lessons from the Streets of Jerusalem.” Mr. Linett has a blog at www.howardlinett.com. “Terrible as I thought my performance without a power gel had been, it was still 25 percent better than my performance before I started training sessions fueled by power gels. That was a serious improvement for about four weeks of effort.”