With the heat and humidity here in Texas, hydration is always on my mind. Even more so with marathon training. I carry around a glass of water everywhere. It has a lid and straw. Some days I do really well and some days just ok.
Did you know your heart beats faster when you are dehydrated? I didn’t, until recently. I’ve heard that drinking slushies or icees before you run can lower your body temperature. I haven’t tried a Dr. Pepper Slurpee yet, but I have tried Power Ice and love it!
In the winter I can run without carrying water for anything 5 miles or less. But in the summer and anything over 5 miles I carry this Nathan hand held water bottle with just plain water in it. Only downside is by the time I get to 3.5-4 miles the water is very warm. I haven’t figured out how to avoid that.
For anything over 5 miles I wear my iFitness fuel belt with water bottles. Sometimes it’s just water, sometimes Nuun tablets or half Gatorade. I also wear this belt in 15k and half marathon races. The half in May I actually walked very quickly through the water stops and was able to refill the bottles and keep going. Just takes a little coordination! 😉
So, this last weekend I tried out my new Nathan Instensity back pack. I was really skeptical about wearing this while running. I was afraid it would bounce or just be too heavy. One of the girls I run with has a CamelBak and it rubs her shoulders when she wears a tank top. I definitely did not want that!
So, here is what I chose.
It worked out perfect for 11 miles last weekend. It holds 70 ounces, I filled it to 40 and only drank about 24 plus a Gatorade at our “water stop”. There was a little noise from the bladder, but nothing crazy. No shoulder rub. I didn’t feel like I was carrying weight on my back. My shoulders and arms were a little sore the next morning, so maybe there was a little weight “lifting” involved!
The pockets on the front held my mace on one side and chews on the other. Once it got light out I put my flash light in the top pocket in the back. It’s big enough for snacks on really, really long runs. I will train with it before deciding about racing with it.
My Saturday group has recently started putting a cooler out on our route. It’s a great idea, just takes some planning. But it’s nice to have that cold Gatorade or water mid run.
After runs I have been drinking Muscle Pfarm Amino 1 supplements in my water. Â If it’s not enough or I start to get a headache I go with Gatorade, but overall I just make myself drink water all day, every day. I think that’s the most important. You can’t cram water the night before, it’s not enough.
Other options I’ve tried are Nuun tablets. I do like them, they don’t have a real strong flavor. Â It is fizzy and I mix it the night before I need it.
What do you carry for hydration when you run?
What do you drink?
