Training Tip #8 - Drinking on Your Run (or Walk)

Training Tip #8 -   Drinking on Your Run (or Walk)

If you’ve been reading my prior tips regarding the importance of hydrating, you may be asking the next obvious question – What is the best way to hydrate while training?

Basically there are a few schools of thought on this:

1. Place bottle(s) on your route. I have to say that I’ve never tried this method, for a couple reasons. First it seems like too much work to plan out locations to hide bottles prior to leaving the house.  And secondly, I fear that the bottles would be stolen or tampered with by the time I arrived. Also, in the summer, they may get really warm in the sun or freeze in the winter.
2. Plan your route where you can find water - this is the best solution for many.  Find a route that includes water sources along your route - fountains located at parks, schools or businesses that are runner friendly.  However, this may not be very practical for some.  Also, on longer runs or walks you nay need to supplement with electrolytes and carbs for energy.
3. Carry fluids with you using a hydration system.  This is what many people do.  This method can be as simple as training with a bottle of Gatorade in your hand, or you can spend some money and purchase a hydration system at Big River Running Center.

Hydration Systems: 

If you haven’t already purchased a hydration system, there are three basic approaches:

1. Handheld bottles  - These work well once you get used to holding something in your hand when training. They will feel ackward to carry at first and typically these limit you to a smaller sized bottle.  Ultimate Direction makes a nice bottle which I strongly recommend because they are easier on your mouth than the hard plastic kind that you typically find with cheap water bottles.
2. Single bottle waist packs – I have a single bottle waist pack.  The bottle is 27 ounces and has an annoying tendancy to bounce when full unless you tighten the waist pack really tight.  Otherwise it works well.
3. Multi-bottle belts – The belt system was pioneered by Fuel Belt and is very popular.  Typically they have 2 to 4 bottles with each bottle being 8 or 10 oz. each. The belt sytem allows you to carry more fluids with you.  Since they spread the fluid to multiple bottles, they have less tendancy to bounce when full.  I have a Nathan hydration belt that I picked up at Big River.  It has four bottles and a storage pocket and costs around $35. I am very pleased with the way it performs.

How you hydrate when training is your choice.  If you choose a hydration system, you will likely need to refill your bottle(s) while training (for longer runs or walks). Typically I like to follow a route that brings me back to my car within 45 minutes to 1 hour. When I come back to my car, I top off my bottle with more sports drink and head back out.  This keeps me no further than 2.5-3 miles away from my car which can be very helpful if you experience any difficulties, such as bad weather or otherwise.