So, I know we’re supposed to drink when we train. Its easy to do in the pool via a water bottle on the pool deck or on the bike with the water bottles, but what do you do on long (1.5 hour and longer) runs?
I’ve done a number of half irons, a marathon, and an ironman, and I’ve never hydrated in my run training. I’m starting to wonder how much faster I could be were I properly hydrated. So I’m open for suggestions.
Do you (1) carry a water bottle running (I think my arms would get tired)
or
(2) leave water at your home and keep looping back (I think that would make the run boring if I did a 30 minute loop five times)
I’ve got a belt, which holds 1 large bottle. Has an insulated bottle holder. Fits right between your the top your butt and lower spine and fits pretty snug. I thought it would be bulky, but I really don’t even notice it.
I do 1 & 2. Only difference is I do 45 minute loops 2-3 times. Tend to go to option 2 just because I don’t want to carry anything. No real preference though. When doing option 2 I tend to drink about a whole bike bottle at once and feel full for 10 minutes or so but don’t really notice.
For all of you, did you notice substantial improvement in your running once you began hydrating while running? What sort of improvement? Faster? Less fatigue? Better recovery?
Or did all the extra pee stops make your times slower
I don’t think this is the answer your looking for but one benefit of having young kids is running with a jogging stroller on long runs. You can pack a days worth of food and 4 or 5 bottles of Gatorade for your long runs – My favorite way to get exercise and spend some time with the kids.
Alternatively, I just bring a couple of bucks and stop at the 7 eleven or a convenience store for a short hiatus from the run. I don’t like the multi-loop routine myself.
"For all of you, did you notice substantial improvement in your running once you began hydrating while running? What sort of improvement? Faster? Less fatigue? Better recovery? "
In Texas (e.g., heat) you drink or suffer the consequences. The real benefit is recovery and avoidance of injury. Your body will thank you. Like FooFighterFan I’ve got a belt, which holds 1 large bottle. I can shove a 24 ounce bike bottle in it and just move it left or right of the spinal column and never feel it. When I got it 14 years ago the spousal unit laughed and said you are never going to use that. It is my longest lasting and most used piece of equipment. I rarely go longer than 5 miles without it.
Right now I have a few gel flasks in my freezer, all half filled with now frozen water.
Top 'em off with water before I head out for semi-long or long runs on warm days. They’re easy to carry in hand.
I take 2 if it’s fairly hot, 1 if it’s not. Run near water sources for refills if it’s really hot.
Don’t know if I’m any faster but I suspect I finish a bit stronger and recover better.
I stay well hydrated throughout the day pre/post running, that helps.
I use a Fuel Belt (http://www.fuelbelt.com/) for every run over one hour during the summer. It works perfectly and you’ll see them on the Pros at Ironman.
Depending on the heat, up to 1h30 mins I hold a Gatorade bottle (the 700ml ones).
For the long runs, I have a camelback (whitout the pouch) with 2 Gatorade bottles and depending on the duration and heat a another 500 ml bottle…
The camelback is well tighten and does not bother me at all…
I use an Ultimate Direction Wasp…its like a Camelback, but its designed to be used while running. I tried running with a Camelback, but it moved around too much. The Ultimate Direction is perfect! Hold 64oz of fluid, pockets for gels, keys or whatever else you want to carry. For shorter runs i just carry a handheld bottle. In the heat of Vegas i feel like i need something to drink every 15-20 mins so i carry something on every run.
Those belt give me a back ache, so I carry eGels (which I’m using up) or concentrated InfiniT in a gel flask. I do long runs where I can get to water along the way. I just squirt some gel drink a little water and keep going. I do the same for races.
I’ve tried to run carrying a 1/2L water bottle in the hand, but you’re right, it can get tiring, esp. when its 1/2 full and the water sloshes with each stride.
I just bought the new Fuel Belt Helium, as I’m training for my first ultra. It holds 4 8oz bottles. I have three 10 mile runs and one 15 mile run on it. I’ve only used two bottles for the runs, so far. It works great. Sometimes I do a run commute to/from work, so it’s a comfortable way to clip on my blackberry and ipod. Having the pre-mixed drink is better than my prior method, which was carrying a clif bar and drinking from fountains. Sometimes I would carry a water bottle in my hand. The fuel belt is much more comfortable. I finally get to have my hands free again on long runs. I highly recommend it.
As for whether or not it helps me perform better, there are too many variables to tell. I can tell you that I did a 10 mile run three days in a row and felt great. I have to think it helped to be better hydrated, and taking on calories/electrolytes more smoothly.
I second the fuel belt recommendation. Anything longer than an hour and I need to hydrate. I used to use the Fuel Belt recommended above, but found one from Nathan I like better (http://www.trisports.com/nathanspeed4.html). Because you can carry up to four ten-ounce bottles, it gives you lots of flexibility with regard to how much liquid to bring, as well as the mix of water to sports drink. I prefer the Nathan to the Fuel Belt because its easier to grab the bottles (“cages” instead of elastic straps), and the pocket is larger in the back to more easily accommodate gels/keys/TP/whatever).
"Carrying it in my hands doesn’t make my arms tired, but at first it did fatigue my neck and upper shoulders. I think it does skew my stride a bit, though. "
Carrying your water with you is the easiest solution to this problem. Use the hand strap holders for your bottles–adaptation should occur very quickly. I have never noticed any problems with my stride from doing this.
One think to remember is that during periods of high volume, its more important to take in the proper amount of water on your long runs–your run will feel better and, more importantly, your setting yourself up for a solid recovery and a good start to your next workout.
On shorter runs that are less than 3 hours I carry two 16oz or 24 oz bottles with the ultimate direction hand straps attached. on longer runs 4-6 hours I carry a bladder pack and find refill spots. I like the symmetry of one bottle in each hand but other people like only one so they have a free hand for opening gels. you really notice the difference towards the end of long runs over 2 hours. for an 60 or 90 minutes I don’t notice much difference unless it’s hot. Don’t worry about your arms getting tired, especially if you are a triathlete. I know plenty of runners with the upper body strength of an 8 yr old who can carry a water bottle.
I get a kick out of ST because I find myself reading stuff like that and not batting an eye, while the majority of the American public would read that and think we’re nuts. Ha ha
Anyway, thanks for all the good advice everyone. I’ll try the hose method and the drinking fountain method. Its cheaper than buying fuel belts, but we’ll see, I may resort to fuel belts/
I’ve also got a belt holder for a bottle. I won it as a draw prize once and love it for longer runs. I don’t take anything under about 1-1.5 hours (depending on conditions, speed, etc.) but always take it for anything longer. I can stretch it to over 2 hours and will probably just stop and refill it for longer training runs when I get there. Holds a couple of gels too. The more full the bottle is, the more it bonuces (and at higher speeds) but I can usually work it into a position that it doesn’t bother me.
I tried the ones you hold in your hands (with and without finger straps). HATED them.
Definitely notice a huge difference while using it. You just feel so much better throughout your run (which must translate into a better workout) and combined with a recovery drink afterwards means that night I barely even knew I did a long run.
