I don’t receive a lot of comments on the blog, so it’s difficult to know how many people read it without viewing the reports.  With that being said, I strongly suggest you stay tuned.

We are about to make a major announcement.  I’ll tease you with this; it is called I AM PureFit.  It’s your chance to not only receive a ton of free PureFit bars, but it will take you right back to the roots of why PureFit was started. You will accomplish something athletic in 2012 that you’ve only dreamed of.  I started PureFit to be “A company dedicated to providing a superior quality energy bar and educating, motivating and liberating individuals to achieve optimum health and fitness.”  That was literally written over ten years ago when I wrote the company’s original business plan.

So, I haven’t deviated one bit from the original plan.  We make superior energy bars, but now I want to thank you for all of our success by helping make your 2012 your fittest, healthiest, and most motivated year ever.  You will accomplish something in 2012 you never dreamed possible.

Stay tuned to our blog, our eNewsletter, our Facebook page, and of course twitter.

 I AM PureFit.

Busting Common Soy-related Myths & Claims
By Robb Dorf

Almost every food has its time in the spotlight as the new “super food” — eggs, milk, coffee, chocolate, red wine and countless others. At any one time, magazine articles, newspaper headlines and TV segments praise a food’s amazing benefits; then a few months later (or sometimes even days or weeks), a completely new set of messages come out proposing the exact opposite.

Now it’s soy’s turn. For years, we heard nothing but positive things about soy’s cancer-fighting, heart-healthy and overall health benefits. Lately, however, word on the street is that some of those healthful claims about soy are overstated, while some are even perpetuating myths like soy does more harm than good.

Although a few negative claims have surfaced recently, there’s no need to banish soy from your diet. Let’s look at some of the most widely held soy-related myths & claims and the research that shows that soy continues to be a healthy choice.

Myth/Claim #1: Soy can contribute to cancer growth

Soybeans are rich in isoflavones, compounds that are similar to the female hormone estrogen. In some tissues, these substances mimic the action of estrogen, while in others they block the action. Recent studies on the effect of isoflavones are conflicting: Some research suggests they may reduce cancer growth, while others suggest their estrogenic activity could contribute to cancer growth.

A 2008 study in the Nutrition Journal stated that there is little clinical evidence to suggest that isoflavones increase the risk of breast cancer in healthy women or worsen the prognosis of breast cancer patients (see note 1 at end of article). Although a few recent studies have shown that soy may not offer the level of protection against cancer as once thought, other recent studies still suggest that soy plays a protective role against some cancers, including breast, colorectal and prostate cancers (see references 2-4 at the end of this article).

Bottom line: Moderate intake of dietary soy is safe, though the safety of concentrated soy supplements (e.g., pills, powders) needs further study. The American Cancer Society continues to state on their Web site that eating or drinking soy products is considered safe for those who aren’t allergic to soy, and notes that using soy foods as a substitute for some servings of animal protein is one way to reduce red meat and animal fat intake. Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, notes “just don’t expect the soy alternative to taste like red meat. That is, don’t expect the soy burger to taste like a hamburger.”

Myth/Claim #2: Soy has no positive effect on cardiovascular health

After a careful review of human studies, in 1999 the FDA gave permission for manufacturers to include a claim on their food labels that a daily intake of 25 grams of soy protein may reduce heart disease risk. Today, the degree of soy’s positive effect on heart health has come into question.

A recent study reviewed the findings in a majority of 22 randomized trials in which isolated soy protein with isolflavones (compared with milk or other proteins) decreased LDL cholesterol on average by just 3%, down from an earlier study’s findings of 12.9% (see references 5 and 6 at the end of this article). Although the more recent study showed a less significant effect on cholesterol, it still concluded that soy’s fiber, vitamins, minerals and low content of saturated fat can benefit cardiovascular and overall health. In addition, a 2005 study concluded that soy protein can reduce blood pressure and may help prevent and treat hypertension, a leading risk factor for heart disease (see reference 7 at the end of this article).

Bottom line: Although the current research shows that soy may not protect against heart disease at the level once believed, it’s still a healthy source of protein, fiber, minerals and is a great alternative to red meat — the Harvard School of Public Health’s Nutrition Source Web site suggests two to four servings per week to replace red meat.

Myth/Claim #3: Soy decreases fertility and testosterone in men

The effect of soy on men’s fertility came into question in a 2008 study that showed a decrease in sperm concentration — but not motility, morphology or ejaculate volume, which indicate sperm quality — in men who ate soy compared to those who did not (see reference 8 at the end of this article). The most significant effect was found in men who were overweight or who had a higher concentration of sperm to begin with. According to the National Infertility Association, the normal range for sperm is between 40 million and 300 million per milliliter, and counts of 20 million are considered healthy if morphology and motility are normal.

In the 2008 study, the reduction on average was 35 million, which still leaves a well-above-average sperm count for those at the top of the range who showed the most significant reduction. An earlier study in which healthy volunteers took a supplement containing 40 mg of isoflavones daily for two months also showed no effect on semen quality (see reference 9 at the end of this article).

There have been several studies on soy’s effect on testosterone, offering varying conclusions, including two recent studies on purified isoflavones and soy foods in men’s diets that found no significant changes in testosterone levels (see references 10 and 11 at the end of this article). A recent analysis of 29 trials and 32 treatment groups found no significant effects of soy protein or isoflavone intake on testosterone levels (see reference 12 at the end of this article). Based on this latest analysis, there doesn’t appear to be any cause for concern for men who enjoy a few servings of soy foods each week.

Bottom line: The 2008 study that showed a decrease in sperm concentration was most pronounced in men who had a higher-than-average sperm count to begin with and it showed no decrease in sperm quality. As for soy reducing testosterone in men, there’s simply not enough current evidence that shows this to be the case.

Moderation is the key

Though the degree to which soy may protect against particular diseases may have come into question lately, soy continues to be an excellent source of protein as part of a balanced diet. Soy is a complete protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, and is a great, low-fat alternative to red meat.

As author Nancy Clark suggests, you should enjoy soy as a quick-and-easy, cook-free protein source that takes on the wonderful taste of native cuisines, such as in Chinese stir-fries or Indian curries. Or, more easily, enjoy soy milk with breakfast cereal or a soy-containing nutrition bar before or after a workout.

About the Author: Robb Dorf, founder and CEO of PureFit, Inc. — maker of the award-winning line of PureFit Nutrition Bars — has a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise physiology and more than 15 years of experience in the health and nutrition industry. Visit www.purefit.com for more information about Robb and PureFit Nutrition Bars.

= = = = = =
References

1. Messina M, Wood C. Soy isoflavones, estrogen therapy, and breast cancer risk: analysis and commentary. Nutr J. 2008 Jun 3;7:17.

2. Yang G, Shu XO, Li H, Chow WH, Cai H, Zhang X, Gao YT, Zheng W. Prospective cohort study of soy food intake and colorectal cancer risk in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Feb;89(2):577-83.

3. Lakshman M, Xu L, Ananthanarayanan V, Cooper J, Takimoto CH, Helenowski I, Pelling JC, Bergan RC. Dietary genistein inhibits metastasis of human prostate cancer in mice. Cancer Res. 2008 Mar 15;68(6):2024-32.

4. Badger TM, Ronis MJ, Simmen RC, Simmen FA. Soy protein isolate and protection against cancer. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Apr;24(2):146S-149S.

5. Sacks FM, Lichtenstein A, Van Horn L, Harris W, Kris-Etherton P, Winston M; American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Soy protein, isoflavones, and cardiovascular health: an American Heart Association Science Advisory for professionals from the Nutrition Committee. Circulation. 2006 Feb 21;113(7):1034-44.

6. Anderson JW, Johnstone BM, Cook-Newell ME. Meta-analysis of the effects of soy protein intake on serum lipids. N Engl J Med. 1995;333:276-82.

7. He J, Gu D, Wu X, Chen J, Duan X, Chen J, Whelton PK. Effect of soybean protein on blood pressure: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2005;143(1):1-9.

8. Chavarro JE, Toth TL, Sadio SM, Hauser R. Soy food and isoflavone intake in relation to semen quality parameters among men from an infertility clinic. Hum Reprod. 2008 Nov;23(11):2584-90.

9. Mitchell JH, Cawood E, Kinniburgh D, Provan A, Collins AR, Irvine DS. Effect of a phytoestrogen food supplement on reproductive health in normal males. Clin Sci (Lond). 2001 Jun;100(6):613-8.

10. Kumar NB, Krischer JP, Allen K, Riccardi D, Besterman-Dahan K, Salup R, Kang L, Xu P, Pow-Sang J. A Phase II randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of purified isoflavones in modulating steroid hormones in men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer. Nutr Cancer. 2007;59(2):163-8.

11. Maskarinec G, Morimoto Y, Hebshi S, Sharma S, Franke AA, Stanczyk FZ. Serum prostate-specific antigen but not testosterone levels decrease in a randomized soy intervention among men. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2006 Dec;60(12):1423-9.

12. Hamilton-Reeves JM, Vazquez G, Duval SJ, Phipps WR, Kurzer MS, Messina MJ. Clinical studies show no effects of soy protein or isoflavones on reproductive hormones in men: results of a meta-analysis. J Am Dietetic Assoc. (in press).

For those of you who still don’t believe I’m not a trend maker, but a trend follower, here are a few examples:

In 1984, I did not have a pair of Parachute Pants, but every Vanilla Ice wanna be did.

Vanilla Ice

There were about 30 million of us. My brother Matt had a pair.

Then, in 1987, I started pegging my paints.  Probably a year after the fad took the world by storm, but way after it was cool to do so.

By 1989, I was rocking the most beautiful mullet you have ever seen.  That was cool, but I rocked it until 1995, 5 years after the fad had faded.

Throughout most of late 1990’s, I was still wearing Doc Martins, unbeknownst to me that “Jordon’s” were all the rage.

Then, the iPod hit the market.  It took me two years to get one.  In today’s times, that is like 5 years.

So, do me a favor, “LIKE” us on facebook and next time you order, just put a note in the order that we owe you a free sample kit and we’re likely throw it in with your order. http://www.facebook.com/PureFit?ref=mf

Here at PureFit , we take that claim pretty seriously.   Since it is arguable that PureFit was the first nutrition bar, mass marketed in the United States, that is truly gluten-free, we ask you one simple question.  Are the other bar companies willingly showing you their proof that their bars are truly gluten-free?  We do, in fact, we regularly test our bars, even though we don’t have to.   Here is a copy of our latest test results, showing what the industry commonly refers to as BLQ, meaning below the levels of detection.  If you are as committed to the gluten-free lifestyle as we are, make sure you are supporting companies that test their products, and are willing to share those test results.

PureFit’s Gluten-Free Tests results proving our bars are truly 100% wheat and gluten free.

You know who you are so for what it’s worth, this short, but important blog is also to simply to acknowledge the accomplishments and untimely death of Dan Wheldon, some one I greatly admired.   I get it, Dan was a race car driver and racing cars, under the best circumstances, is dangerous.  Dan knew the risks.  He also may have died at only 33, but from what I have read about him, he lived 100 years of life.

What most of you don’t know is how important the Indy 500 was to my family growing up.  In some ways, it was like Christmas.  The whole family would gather around to see who was going to win the biggest single sporting event in history.  This year, with one last turn to go, J.R Hildebrand crashed while leading on the final turn, of the final lap, to give Wheldon his second Indy 500 Championship.

Wheldon was very emotional after the win, due to not having a ride for the rest of the season.  Additionally, his mother had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease to whom he partially dedicated his victory.  In other words, he had one chance to try a get a job and the world largest stand to tell his mom “I love you.”  It was Wheldon’s first series win in three seasons.  What absolutely blew me away was the emotion that poured out of Dan as he came into Victory Circle.  The officials could not get him out of the car.  He could not stop crying.  I haven’t been that touched very many times in my life, and have become a Dan Wheldon fan ever since.

Dan, you left us way too soon, but not before you touched the lives of millions.  My heart goes out to Dan’s family and friends.

Daniel Clive “Dan” Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011.)

I also wanted to give a big shout out to one of our customers, Tommy Clowers. I’ll let this picture explain who Tommy is.

I did have a race update to report, and it went a lot better than L’Etape. I finished 10th over-all, and 3rd in my age-group, in “The Ride Around the Bear.” The total distance was 109 miles, and I averaged 16.3 miles per hour. In a nutshell, you ride up one side of Big Bear Mountain, and back around the other side. That may not seem very fast, but the course included almost 8700 feet in elevation gain and I rode the entire 6 hours and 32 minutes alone.

I used one PureFit bar before the ride, and another one during the ride. Additionally, I fueled on a great sports drink called Infinit. I used the Lemon Lime flavored ENDURANCE, recommended by one of our customers, and sports nutritionist, Kim Mueller. The product worked great. After I ran out, I was forced to use Gatorade, which I don’t believe worked nearly as well. I ate a full banana at around 70 miles. All in all, a great solo effort and I was very pleased with 10th place. I’m not aware of any other sports nutrition bar that delivers that much energy.

• Website design has become a true art form where only a few designers, like ours, know how to make the site informative and effective.

• Today’s shopping carts are much more secure and user friendly 

• Dealer Locator software is greatly enhanced and allows us to promote our international retailers.

• “Sliders,” like you see rotating on our homepage, easily allow a particular feature or benefit of each PureFit nutrition bar to be easily identified.
• Our blog has been up-graded to compliment the look and feel of the rest of the site.

There are a bunch more features that are pretty neat, but I’ll let you play around on it and let us know what you think. If you are a returning customer, you will need to re-set your password in the shopping cart. Please follow the instructions when you go to log into your account. It’s very easy. If you have any troubles, please call us toll free at 1-866-787-3348 (1-866-PureFit) or email us at sales@purefit.com.

Thanks and enjoy!

Robb Dorf
Founder and CEO
robbdorf@purefit.com

The ride promoters said 1500 riders started.  Why did only 900 finish?  Multiple National Champions were on hand.  Tinker Juarez was right in front of me.  As we rolled through the streets of Claremont, with the cops blocking traffic, I look over and see multiple National Champion, Dave Zabriskie.  Dave “Captain America” Zabriskie!  It was a surreal moment.  All around me are good cyclists.  Not weekend warriors.  Guys like me that take their cycling seriously.  No granny gears to be found.  I could tell most of these guys had no clue what was ahead of them.

To professional cyclists coming to California to compete in our countries premier cycling event, The Amgen Tour of California, (www.amgentourofcalifornia.com) it is stage 7.  To 1500 brave souls, it was a chance in a lifetime.  Ride the same course the professionals will and finish on a mountaintop.  Opportunities like this simply do not come around very often.  I’ll be 43 next month.  How many more of these do I have in me?

L’Étape du California provides serious recreational cyclists the opportunity to ride a complete stage of the Amgen Tour of California – and the most challenging stage of the 2011 race at that. 75.8 miles from the City of Claremont to the Mt Baldy Ski Area. The route is breathtaking in its beauty and difficulty, covering some of the most famous and iconic sections of road in the San Gabriel Mountains: Glendora Mountain Road, Glendora Ridge Road, and the sharp “beyond category” switchbacks up to the Mt Baldy Ski Area.

This blog entry will highlight, the trials, tribulations, and ultimately the race that broke me.  That’s right.  I’ve competed in some seriously challenging events.  A marathon, a 32:42 minute 10K, 100-mile bike rides, and more than a few training sessions that left me tired for days.  It took everything I had to finish this event.  Trust me, I wanted to quit many, many times.  The mountain beat me 2 weeks ago in a training ride.  I’ll explain this in detail later on.  She must have been laughing pretty hard as she took me to a place of pain, and perseverance, I have never come close too.  Why, because in retrospect, I don’t usually race for over 5 hours.  What was supposed to be a social event and unique opportunity for us amateurs to experience a mountain top finish quickly became an opportunity for me to learn something about me.  I do not give up.  If you are going to beat me I am going to make you earn it.  Words cannot describe the pain I was in.  Despite being completely dehydrated, having a serious backache, stomach issues, I simply refused to quit.  Why, because what you are about to read is a summation of the toughest physical and mental challenge of my life.

The idea to ride this came from my dear friend and training partner Darren Field.  That’s him on the left about 30 minutes before we entered the pain cave.

Our training partner, Thom Morrison, coined the term “pain cave.”   Thom couldn’t make the event.  Thom is an excellent cyclist, friend, training partner, and the best attorney I have ever met.  Thom specializes in corporate and business transactions, organizing, structuring and dissolving corporations and limited liability companies, mergers and acquisitions.  I’m not plugging him; it’s simply the truth.  He is also simply a great person, husband, and father of four.  For Darren, words do not express the bond we have.  You are both brothers.  Thank you for not judging me.

We got the idea around the 1^st of the year.  Plenty of time to prepare, right?  I believe the benefits of training end about 2 weeks before the event.  It’s best to taper and get your mind ready.  I’m not a big fan of training through races.  We decided to do one last long climb 2 weeks before the event, a perfect conclusion to many months of training and preparation.  We decided to ride the events second climb, the infamous Glendora Mountain Road.  GMR to the locals.  We decided to start at the 45-mile marker and ride to the top.  How hard can a 5-mile easy warm up and 26 miles straight to the heavens be?  Remember, we’d be riding back home, downhill, for 26 miles.

Right off the bat, I start riding like Andy Schlecht.  I’m simply having an un-believable day.  I was passing other riders like they were standing still.  No doubt they were training for L’Étape. I’m not 100% sure, but I was riding 10-11-12 mph.  At this pace, I’d be at the top in around 2 ½ hours.  It was an epic morning.  Skate boarders were riding down the mountain as we ascended.  It was foggy.  My cadence was simply the best I have ever had.  The entire time I’m thinking why am I riding so hard on a training day?  I felt like I was on Alpe d’Huez.

Then, out of the blue, this guy pulls up besides me.  After 45 minutes of riding alone, he was a welcomed surprised.  He said, “man you’re riding great.”  I responded, “Really, you rode up on me pretty easily.”  His name was Tony DiCiacco, an airplane engineer for Southwest Airlines.  It was clear to me that Tony wanted to ride with me as he had dropped his training buddies probably at the car.  He navigated me all the way to Mount Baldy village.  I was thinking, 4.3 miles to go, that’s all?  How difficult could that be?  Why stop for water?  Come on Tony, lets crush this.  He politely said the next 4.3 are pretty tough.  Pretty tough?  After a quick bathroom stop and refill of our water bottles, we headed back on to Mt. Baldy Road.  Holy cow!  Now it’s 30 degrees, we are 4000 feet up, and the road was so steep I literally could barely keep the bike going.  Before I knew it Tony rode away from me like I was standing still.  The next 35 minutes or so was the toughest 35 minutes of my life.  Do these switchbacks ever end?  I was constantly looking for an easier gear.  Not one, but two.  Please god, do I have an easier gear?  It took everything I had to keep the bike up right.  What is going on?  Is it the altitude?  I’ve never seen a road go uphill like this.  I kept clicking my Sram Red shifters.  It was like I was in complete denial.  This is all you have, a 39-28 combination?  There must be an easier gear on this bike.   It wasn’t mountain bike gearing, but easier than a traditional road bike set-up.  I train on a 39-25.  I bought a new cassette just for this section and it’s still not enough?  I couldn’t believe it.  I could barely keep the bike upright.  Kilometer after kilometer I mashed the hardest gear I have ever ridden.  Had I let up for one second I would of fallen over…the road is that steep.   Somehow the end of the road finally came.  The last 35 minutes of my life was the hardest 35 minutes of my life. Tony was waiting for me at the top, smiling.  He said, “Nice job.”  I was too tired to congratulate him on a personal record of 33 minutes.  I was exhausted.  One by one, other riders joined us, all with the same look… L’Étape must be some kind of sick joke.

Tony DiCiacco pictured here training for Breathless Agony. Smiling because he knew he was in great shape. Life is good. Tony finished “The toughest 100 miler in Southern California” in 3rd! Congratulations Tony, and thank you for getting me up the mountain.

Here is where the day went from ecstasy to almost tragedy.  Now I have to ride straight downhill.  Tony waited for me about a mile down.  Then, like the wind, he was gone.  As I braked hard, harder than I ever had in my life, my front tire blew right off my rim.  Rare, but massive heat is created when carbon fiber rims are under constant breaking pressure.  The rim expands and eventually the tire will blow off.  That’s exactly what happened.  Thankfully, I had decelerated enough that I didn’t crash.  As I was changing the tube, which was destroyed, the reality was starting to set-in.  Is this rim damaged?  Where is Darren?  How do I ride down a dangerous mountain, full of switchbacks, at speeds over 40 mph?  On top of that, I could not stop shaking.  The cold weather, on top of the shock of almost crashing, had taken its toll.  I was coasting down the mountain, looking for Darren, and shaking uncontrollably.  I decided I better hitchhike off the mountain.  One local from Mount Baldy gave me a ride, but he was heading down a different road than we rode up.  He graciously drove me back to town and wished me good luck.  I attempted to get back on my bike and coast down the mountain.  There is no way to coast.  I was still shaking nonstop.  Hypothermia?  I don’t know, but my whole body was shaking.  I decided to try to hitchhiking again.  If I flatted again, I was out of tubes.  If I crashed, who would find me on this road if I went over the cliff? To make matters worse, I had lost all faith in my bike.  About a mile away I could see this white van slowly navigating its way down GMR.  I flagged it down.  The couple pulled over and exclaimed “Do you need a ride? We’re Christians, get on in.”  They thought I needed a ride for a mile or so.  Instead, I said, more like 20.  They were so gracious.  They said, no problem.  His name is Donnie V and his wife is Leonetta. If you ever want to check out an outstanding Christian Blues musician, go to the Calvary Chapel, any Sunday, in Rancho Cucamonga.  His music is also available online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/donniev2. I’m not a major fan of blues, but we listened to the entire CD Leonetta generously gave me, at the office.  It is really good and I’m a hair band addict from the 1980’s!  Thank you Donnie and Leonetta!

I’m guessing an average person might of opted out of L’Étape after what I went through.  I remind you that the pain was beyond description, and of course, optional.  The mountain beat me.  I laughed at it for 2 ½ hours and she decided to remind me that she is the boss.  The next two weeks I pondered if the risk was worth the reward.  The conclusion, not really.  Going off a cliff at 40 miles an hour and dying was obviously a risk that was outweighed the rewards.  Pass up a once in a lifetime experience, no way.  If I could ride the first 40 miles easy, without crashing, I knew I could manage the last 35.  Darren and I decided to do it.  I even rode the same wheels and gearing I test rode 2 weeks earlier.  I wasn’t going to spend $300.00 for more parts just to ride the last 4.3 miles.  If I could ride 71 miles, I could find the strength to ride the last 4.3, right?   What occurred on the day of the event was really something I didn’t expect.  As planned,  I rode the first climb, which was about an hour, straight up, relatively easy.  It was very difficult to “hold back.”  I kept saying to myself, just go easy; the race starts at 50 miles.  The problem is, as I started the decent on the backside of the mountain, I hit a ferocious head wind.  At 155 pounds, I couldn’t even descend!  I was barely moving.  I let a few heavier riders go past me, but the wind kept howling.  I was loosing time quickly.  I kept trying to stick to my plan, ride the first 50 miles easy.  Then, out of nowhere, a pack of 20 guys came flying right behind me, quickly sweeping me up.  It was easy to enjoy 20 guys breaking the wind, despite the fact that I didn’t know these guys, and we were riding at over 30 miles an hour.  Then, I look up, and one of the guys is a training partner, Sol Sim, a neighbor of Thom’s and a very good cyclist, mountain biker, and athlete in general.  Sol looks fast sitting down.  I knew I was going to pay for this later, but my ego got the best of me.  I simply couldn’t let these guys pass me.  There we were,  20+ strong, flying down the dangerous back section of Mount Baldy.  We were laying our bikes down into the corners like motorcycling champion Ben Bostrom, who was also riding in the event.  The motorcycle champion is an outstanding cyclist.  Un-official results have him finishing in 5 hours and 4 minutes.

Mile marker 45 came quicker than I expected.  I had about 5 miles to eat and fuel up before the second climb, up the infamous GMR.  The pack quickly disintegrated and I found myself, once again, all alone.  This time, it was much different.  I was struggling.  I had been riding for 2 hours and 45 minutes and I knew I was in trouble.  How was I going to continue?  My back had tightened up.  My stomach was in knots.  My heart was pounding way too fast and hard, and I couldn’t get it to slow down.  If I could just back off, would any of this go away?  I couldn’t believe how slow I was going.  I was in total agony.  I really didn’t think I was going to make it.  I was spent.  My legs were rocks, and I literally had no energy.  No matter how much caffeine, water, sports drink and PureFit bars I consumed, I couldn’t get my energy.  I wanted to quit.  Why not?  It wasn’t technically a race.  It was supposed to be fun.  Somehow the fun of going 40 mph was far different then the death crawl I was experiencing.  Just 2 weeks ago I had crushed GMR.  Now, I knew I had left my legs back on the course, around 15 miles ago.  Somehow, against all odds, I continued on.  I thought about Aron Ralston cutting off his arm to escape dying in the Utah desert.  Why, because that had to hurt more than this.  In other words, at this point I was in agony and was trying to prove to myself I could endure anything.  I simply could not comprehend the depth of pain I was in and my own ability to push on.  Why?  Where were Sol and those other guys?  Had the mountain beaten them too?  There were very few guys to ride with and I didn’t have the energy to encourage them.  We were all in our own pain.

Eventually, I rolled into the village of Mount Baldy; I was too tired to stop at the last rest stop.  I knew if I got off the bike, I would not continue.  I had water in one bottle and sports drink in the other. Just enough to get me to the top, but no an ounce extra as the weight would have been detrimental.  It took everything in my soul to continue.  I had gone 70 miles and I really had nothing left.  I was spent.  I kept telling myself over and over again, “4 miles to victory.”  4 miles.  I was talking out loud, “you can do it, you can do it.”  My speed was 4.1 mph.  Anything slower and the bike would have fallen over.  2 weeks ago I rode the same section at 6-7 mph.  How could I continue?  If someone offered me a ride I was going to take it.  If I got out of the saddle, my legs would cramp.  So, of course I pushed on, at 4 mph, wondering if the top would ever come.  It was getting so difficult; I thought I was going to pass out.  My cranks were creaking so loud I thought they were going to break.  I actually hoped they would so I could be done.  They had been creaking worse and worse for over 2 hours.  When would they explode?  I seriously thought I was going to die.  My heart had never beaten so hard and my body had never hurt so much. Then, there it was, 1 kilometer (. 6 miles) to the end.  With every ounce of energy I could muster, I pushed on.  I wanted to stop.  I really wanted too, but the road was so steep, I probably would of crashed.  And then, with ½ mile to go, my body gave out.  I pulled over, too tired to continue.  A young girl had a soda stand and I asked her what she had.  She said Sprite and Dr. Pepper.  I threw my money at her because it was rubber banded around a credit card, and an old drivers license. I asked her, completely out of breath, for a Dr. Pepper.  She said it was a $1.00.  I told her to take $2.00, but she refused.  I poured the Dr. Pepper into my water bottle, and started pushing my bike up the road.  One by one, guys were passing me.  Every one asked, “did you cramp up?”  I was too tired to respond.  Walking in cycling shoes, I was dragging my feet.  I was simply going to push my bike to the top if it killed me.  I didn’t care guys were passing me.  My desire to finish had long surpassed my competitive spirit from over 3 hours ago.  I was so close, but I could not see the finish.

Finally, I reached the flat section, just ¼ mile from the top, right where Tony and I had shared a laugh and a moment to appreciate life, just 2 weeks earlier.  I jumped on my bike.  I could now see the finish line.  Just one switchback left.  Lookout for the potholes.  The road was destroyed by the winter rain and snow.  Finally, I crossed the line in 5 hours and 34 minutes.  I walked over to the food tent.  Guys were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, drinking cokes, and laughing.  I thought, wow, there aren’t that many guys up here.  I sat there, with a sense of accomplishment I haven’t felt since completing a marathon almost 20 years ago.  I had finished.  It wasn’t pretty, but it sure was beautiful.

I want to thank first and foremost my best friend Susan Steiner for everything.  She puts up with a lot.  She sacrifices more for me than I can put into words.  She met me at the top and drove me and several other cyclists down the mountain that tested our physical and mental strength beyond the limits of anything we could ever imagine.  And for Sol who maybe thinks I beat him.  He rocked a 39-26, which is simply unbelievable.  Nice job buddy.  I don’t know if I’ll get the opportunity to ride baldy again, but if I do, trust me, I’m bringing a mountain bike.

This is the start of the ride.  I’m on the far right of the photo.  The police escort was great.

Our success has transcended every major type of retailer you can find selling nutrition bars:

Bike Stores: It’s hard to believe that Edge Cycle Sports, the premier bike store here in Orange County, was our very first retailer. You can still buy PureFit there today.

Coffee Shops: Our success here makes perfect sense because there is no better breakfast on the go than a cup of coffee and a PureFit bar. Kaylani’s Coffee Shop in San Clemente started selling us in 2002 and yes, you can still buy us there even though the famous coffee shop has been bought and sold several times. Hands down the best cup of coffee you can buy in Southern California.

Health Food Stores: If you have ever been to Orange County and haven’t visited Mother’s Markets, you are truly missing out. They epitomize what a health food store should be. Great prices, knowledgeable staff, and yes, a vegan restaurant in every location!

Gyms: Our proudest achievement has to be our relationship with Pro Sports in Bellevue, WA. Pro Sports is located directly across the street from Microsoft’s campus of 30,000 employees. The gym is as nice as you can build one. Impeccable. Pro Sports is dedicated to improving not only the health of Microsoft employees, but of the locals tell me it’s the best place in town to get your cardio on!

Personal Training Gyms:  You want results?  “The Training Spot” in Huntington Beach delivers them with the best fitness and nutrition tips on the west coast.   They have 2 locations and a massive following of clients getting results.  I’ve heard Carolyn allows a quick water break, but you have to get your PureFit bars after the workout, and only if you gave 100%.

Yoga Studios:  Hands down the beautiful yoga studio I have ever seen.  Jeff, I appreciate all of the support and placing all five of our boxes right near the register so every student knows we meet your high standards that are exemplified throughout the studio.  We love being part of your success.

Chiropractors: I’ll let this testimonial speak for me:

“When I started Performance Chiropractic I had only one goal in mind; provide the best chiropractic care and state of the art treatment procedures. I’ve succeeded at that and when the time came to grow my business, and compliment our services with the best supplements available, we did that too. PureFit nutrition bars have been an excellent compliment to my practice. They meet my strict quality standards, accommodate my patient’s unique dietary needs, and offer the margins we need to properly support the product. The patients like the convenience, we also offer them to our patients that have missed meals.  Additionally, they provide a great introduction into a nutrition discussion.  Many of our patients have hypoglycemia, gluten intolerance and other nutritional challenges.  We only offer quality nutritional products and PureFit compliments our other lines.  Working with PureFit has been great and we look forward to continuing to bring best our Orange County patients.

Dr.Christian Barney, Owner, Performance Chiropractic, Irvine, CA.

Online: From Amazon to Drugstore.com, finding PureFit has never been easier.

Grocery Stores: If you live in Chicago, I’m sure you’ve bought us at Jewel-Osco. If you are local, grab us up at Albertsons. If you in the mid-west, any Hy-Vee’s can accommodate all of your PureFit needs. If you are in Texas, check us out at H-E-B. The list goes on and on, but hopefully some day PureFit will be a staple in every grocery store in the US and Canada.

Speaking of Canada, our distributor, Puresource, is the best. You guys rock! Thank you for your professionalism, support, and believing in us.  Here in the US, there are too many to name them all: Garden Spot, Super Natural, SOMA, Perfect Nutrition, Europa, Advantis, Nature’s Best, UNFI, and Performance Food Centers

Doctors Offices: Another partnership that I am very proud of is our relationship with Cenegenics.  Cenegenics offices and affiliates all over the United States sell and promote PureFit. They are the leader in age management medicine. We can’t thank them enough for their generosity.

A special thanks goes out to all the nutritionists that have supported us. You know who you are and I can’t list everyone but I’m talking about you Dr. Bari Rooney and you Kim Mueller, Thanks!

Last but not least, there is a reason we have taken Hollywood by storm. Hollywood’s Premier Fitness Expert Dan Isaacson has turned PureFit onto the biggest stars in Hollywood. Dan, just between you and me, you’re funnier than Billy Crystal.

There are many more success stories and way too many people to thank in a blog.  I simply wanted you all to know that despite the odds and the challenges, a little company with a great product can outsell a large company with with a crappy product.

Robb Dorf, Founder and CEO

Jack showed us that you could achieve and maintain unbelievable fitness at any age. He dispelled the myth that “older people” shouldn’t work out or can’t increase their strength. On his 70^th birthday, he swam a mile across Long Beach Harbor, towing 70 boats. Oh, did I mention he was handcuffed and shackled? Heck, the guy was doing fingertip pushups well into his nineties. He often said he couldn’t die because it would destroy his image. Someone claimed he carried his own casket at his funeral.

Jack made health and fitness entertaining for three generations of viewers a half-hour each morning. His humor, charm and enthusiasm drew families away from their tin tray TV dinners and into repetitive exercises, from jumping jacks to what he called “trimnastics.”

So what do we do now? I truly believe we need a modern-day Jack LaLanne.

Today’s health and fitness problems are on a much different scale and magnitude than those of yesteryear. Most people don’t exercise as much as they used to, and eating habits have been reduced to a question of convenience rather than nutrition.

As a nation, we suffer an alarmingly high rate of terminal diseases, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes — all linked to poor diet and lack of exercise. It’s difficult to come up with the name of one person who could transcend the interests of all Americans and all age groups to promote good health.

A modern-day Jack LaLanne could be Lance Armstrong. There’s an athlete who nearly died from cancer, yet came back to win seven Tour De France bicycle races. The story is a true inspiration to people with cancer and those that have survived it. I’ve never had cancer, but I’m an avid cyclist and I can readily relate what he was doing and accomplishing. Lance inspires me to work harder.

Heroes speak to us in many different ways and quite frankly, what inspires one person isn’t what inspires another. Sometimes our heroes and inspiration comes from common folks — the ones with whom we can most readily relate. This goes a long way in explaining why The Biggest Loser is such a success. Americans relate to the overweight and unhappy contestants on this TV reality show. They are everyday people with real problems and real lives. And they turn that all around in a dozen or so episodes.

So how do we go about finding a replacement for Jack? It’s no easy task. My vision of the perfect health and fitness guru for this nation would have unbelievable courage, and be able to transcend all generations, races and religion. There are candidates out there in the sports world, on high school playgrounds and college gymnasiums.

Tell you what. I’ll keep working on it. Meanwhile, I’m thinking your best bet until I come up with a list of nominees is to find somebody that inspires you and get off the damned couch.