When I first started running marathons I trained with a fabulous group--Marathoner in Training. I learned tons from the coaches and experienced runners and I loved having people to run with. But maybe best of all, was the water and Gatorade set up along the path every weekend. :)
Okay that wasn't best of all, but if I didn't say that, how was I supposed to get to my Monday's Merchandise?
Now that I do all my training by myself I've had to resort to carrying my own water. I have a Fuel Belt water belt. Now it's great to have to carry water and/or Gatorade and my gel, chapstick, and a key. The truth is....I hate the thing. Maybe it's because I have no hips, but I tighten the belt under my hip bones and just a few steps later it's all the way up around my ribs.
What do the rest of you guys do? I'm not sure I could carry one of those hand-grip water bottles as I think it would get heavy. And I'm not sure about carrying a Camelbak as they look really uncomfortable. Any thoughts?
Monday, February 23, 2009
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4 comments:
i started off using an amphipod waist belt and then moved to fuel belt and used those for a couple years while road running/racing. i have belts with 2/4/8 bottles and i loved them. then again, they never ended up around my ribs.
nowadays, though, since i'm almost exclusively on the trails, i carry a hand held [or two] and rarely do i notice the weight. i opt for the hand helds because of the risk of tripping. it's nice to land on a bottle rather than your palm.
for longer runs, i wear a camelbak or other pack with a hydration compartment. i don't really notice the weight anymore, but it was noticeable at first. i definitely wouldn't use the same setup on the road though. actually, for my last couple road races i didn't use anything and just relied on the product on the course.
for long road runs, i think i'd either stick with the hand helds or go back to the fuel belts...but those days are a thing of the past.
i like the idea of fuel belts but i haaaaate tying my jacket or long sleeves around my waist as it is. i'm pretty sure i would throw myself in front of a passing car if i were to get a fuel belt. :)
i carry a water bottle with me on long runs. it is sometimes annoying, but it lightens up as you run obviously. i also like to think of it as a big of an 'upper body workout' for my arms.
last aug/sept i was lucky enough to have j ride his bike along with me on my long runs and he carried water and propel (and food!) for me. but i know that's not always an option, so carrying a bottle comes in 2nd for me.
oh yeah, once i did go out pre-run and dropped some mini-water bottles along my route which worked well, but was annoying to do all the dropping off/picking up.
I should probably mention I don't carry hydration with me during a race. I almost exclusively drink water so I drink from the stops on the course. I'm also a master at running and drinking.
I might have to give the hand-held water bottle a try and see if that's any better.
My strategy this winter has been to use little fuel belt bottles, but stick them in my coat pockets instead of on the belt. Kept them from freezing!
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