I am sweater. Not the
wool or cashmere type, but with soaked yucky type. No post run hugs for me. And I run in the hot and humid south where
for months it feels like you run in a sweater of the wool or cashmere type. Therefore, hydration is very important to me
and us all out there pounding our feet in the heat.
My most tragic story about water concerns a marathon. I admit I was struggling in hotter than normal
April heat in southern Tennessee at the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon. Up around mile 17 my goal became to just make
it between one water stations. This gave
me “baby steps” goals (from the “What about Bob” movie) to get me through to the
end. Pulling into the mile 20 they told me they had run out of water. Run out of water. This was an extremely tough
mental blow. Regroup, re-evaluate, some
regret, and then resolve. I finished and
knew that I should plan to be self-sufficient.
Water stops in races have been problematic for me at
times. I have had many collisions and
near collisions with runners that get their wonderful cup of water and stop to
drink. I can understand their plight, and their need for that drink. I have had that need before and have looked forward
to that next water stop (I always try to thank those wonderful volunteers). But, stopping in front of a mass of runners is
not a good thing. So, now I don’t use the
water stations and I think an added bonus is that it actually cuts a few
seconds off my time.
I had been running with a plastic bottle of water. The sloshing of the water in the bottle
worries me as I run so I would squeeze the bottle until the remaining water was
at the top of the bottle before I put the top back on. In this way the bottle would scrunch down to
nothing by the end of the run. This was not the most effective way to hydrate
with having to remove the top, squeeze the bottle, and then put the top back
on. It also went against my desire for a low carbon footprint and reducing my
contributions to landfills.
In “Trail Runner “ magazine I saw the Ultra Aspire water
bottle and ordered one on them. It works
very nicely and can carry enough water for those long runs on hot days. It has a pouch built into the hand strap
where you can store a key, dollar, or energy gel. The strap is adjustable and really quite comfortable.
It is a little heavy when full and it does
slosh.
Next, from the same magazine, I saw the Solomon system. It fits quite perfectly into the palm of your
hand and is strapped down so you do not have to hold on to it, the strap does
this for you. The strap, on the upward side of it, is made of absorbent
material so you can use it to wipe sweat. I have one for my right and left hand
because they do not hold as much water. These water bottles (flasks) do not
slosh. They were more expensive, but are my favorites.
What do you think?
Zippy
No comments:
Post a Comment