Gear here, and how I hydrate

But First... Decently long training run

Saturday I headed back out for another longish run, or what would have been known as a mid-length run last summer.  I started out on pavement with my Saturday Long Run group, but then broke off about 4 miles in to tackle primarily trails.  Come to think of it, I should be focusing more on trail running than anything else when it comes to long runs.  The only long road race I have this spring will be the Boston Marathon, so while I should get at least a couple of 20+ mile road runs in before then, running on trails serves dual purposes: gets me in shape, and prepares me for the trail runs I have coming up in Spring and Summer.  Not to mention running on trails is way more fun than pavement!

My Saturday morning run ended up being a little over 11 miles, but at about 1 hour 40 minutes it felt longer.  That is the essence of running trails, while walking up (and down) steep hills, and slowing down to conquer especially rocky patches your minute-per-mile pace gets dragged down way slower than you would expect. All part of the fun!

No better way to start the weekend!

Gear Reviews

I decided to start reviewing gear I use for running, mostly shoes but also other accessories.  I will start cross-posting the shoe reviews in a new blog page appropriately named "Shoe Reviews", and other non-shoe gear will show up on the "Handy Runner Items" page.

These reviews are purely meant to be unbiased, objective opinions from an enthusiast (though completely non-elite) runner.  I do not "endorse" any company, but I believe in some forms of Capitalism: namely, if a product is good I will sing its praises, if it is inferior I will discourage others from using it.

How I Hydrate on the run

In my years as a runner I have been experimenting with difference hydration options.  At first I got comfortable with using a Nathan 2 bottle Fuel Belt (to be reviewed separately).  This worked well enough on mostly flat roads, allowed me to refuel at working water fountains and carry extra supplies in the provided pocket.  Taking this on the trails was not successful though, as all the added jumping and varied terrain made the bottles jump around (and sometimes fall out) on occasion.  I had tried using two 10 ounce hand bottles and that seemed to work all-right but was never great. Plus, the valves were the slider kind that click into place so I would either have to pull it with my teeth or use my dirty, sweaty hands.  Not to mention having both hands occupied was inconvenient.

My next option was a larger bottle only worn on one hand.  If you watch most elites during ultra trail races (mostly 50k, 50 Miler, and 100k) they usually seem to prefer the 1 hand bottle system - I assume they know what they are talking about.  This seems to be working out great for me so far, and I plan on using it even on shorter distances once the weather heats up this summer.  Enter the Camelbak Quick-Grip 21 with Podium Chill Insulated Bottle.

Camelbak Quick-Grip 21 with Podium Chill Insulated Bottle

I heard good things about this bottle by word of moth, and the "Jet Valve" intriged me.  The bottle itself can be bought separate from the hand grip if desired, but I needed both.  The bottle is insulated, meaning that it keeps cold drinks cold and warm drinks warm (at least for a while).  More importantly, it means that your hand doesn't start freezing on one side if you have a cold drink in the bottle while carrying it.  The "jet valve" works fantastic while running.  You can turn a switch to completely lock it, or set it so that you can get a drink by simply squeezing the bottle at your mouth, no need to bite the mouthpiece or switch a slider every time you need a drink.  With a 21 ounce capacity this should be sufficient to sustain a trail runner for at least an hour of activity, or about 7 miles of trail running.  Watch out for hot summer races though if the aid stations are spaced out any more than that though.

The hand grip is simple: stuff the bottle in, slide your hand through the elastic loop and off you go.  There is a strap you can tighten if you need more stability.  There is a small pocket to pack a few essentials.  My trail running essentials?  Usually a couple drink tablets, a Gu, a card with my name and emergency contact information (just in case), and a 5 dollar bill - oh, and some toilet paper.

Bottle + Nuun + Water = Hydration!

Nuun: electrolyte enhanced drink tabs

Though I had heard of Nuun before, I hadn't really started trying it until it was recommended to me by my friend, training buddy, D.C. blogger and ultra running extraordinaire Emily.  Nuun is an electrolyte enhanced drink mix, in tab form, that you can drop in a bottle of water.  Same idea as Gatorade, but with more of the good stuff (electrolytes) and less of the bad (sugar).  Its less syrupy than Gatorade too, which is usually a good thing (tastes lighter) but when you really need something to fill you up this might be a downside.

Nuun also comes very conveniently packed in waterproof tubes each containing 12 tabs.  The tubes are easy to throw in a gear bag, or camelbak to be brought along on a run or hike.  They aren't perfect though, the resulting drink is lightly carbonated (anything in tab form will have some fizzy-ness associated with it), the downside being that if your bottle isn't sealed air tight it may leak and or squirt a bit.  This used to be a real pain with the old hand bottles I used, and really bad on my Fuel Belt, but since switching to the single 1 hand bottle system (see review above) it seems to be fine.