The Price of Gas

For me, a long run is over an hour. Often on Sundays, I’ll run an hour and a half to two hours. But I’ve noticed that at about the 1:30 mark, I start to run down.

Much of the reason is running out of fuel, mainly carbs, which I’ll talk about next time. Right now, I’m talkin’ water.
Carrying water on a long run is a hassle.

In the past, I had a water belt. The pluses are:
• easy to use
• gives you a handy pocket for keys and anything else that running clothes store in a way that repeatedly jabs you in the leg
• easy to clean

The minuses are;
• the thing bounces while you run so you’re constantly fiddling with it and are conscious of it bouncing up and down your back
• you have to stop to take a drink. Some people have mastered the art of drinking and running but think of the logistics: grabbing the bottle is easy, spraying water in your mouth while running involves mostly spraying your chin and bystanders, putting the bottle back is hard because the pocket keeps slipping around your back

I switched to a camel pack (actually, the knock-off from The Running Room, BID) and it’s worked a lot better.

Pluses:
• fits snugly on back
• no need to stop while drinking. The right arm strap contains a hose that you can stretch into your mouth. Clamp down on the mouth piece and drink.
• can reach the pockets without removing the pack (ok, this is an awkward maneuver but I can do it)


Minuses:
• not as easy to clean as a bottle but not too bad
• have to take off the pack if you can’t master the “reach behind you blindly and don’t spill junk everywhere” maneuver
• the straps are too long and need to be tied up in creative ways.

The cost of the water belt was $30. The Camel Pack goes for $45. Spend your money on the Camel Pack