Hydration is serious business for me. I had a start-stop relationship with running in my twenties. Attempts at longer distances or harder efforts would leave me with bad stomach cramps for hours upon hours. It took years for me to make the correlation between my cramps and hydration. I was surprised that though water made my cramps lessen, my body never cued me by feeling thirsty. Once I started understanding my body as a runner, I learned that I must hydrate before, during, and after my run to feel my best.
I took baby steps with my mid run hydration needs. First I used a handheld bottle. This was convenient though not all that comfortable once my runs reached double digit mileage. By the time I was training for my first marathon I knew a hydration belt was a must.
I bought one with a single bottle that slid on its side into a holder around my waist. This belt required adjustments during running and had the annoying habit of unexpectedly propelling itself onto the ground mid-run. Turning around to retrieve my water bottle a few steps back while in the middle of a twenty mile run just didn’t work for me. I brought the belt back to the store and exchanged it for another belt. This belt secured a water bottle in an angled holster. Problem solved, right? Not really.
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| My water bottle graveyard. Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to find the right product. |
My new belt wasn’t comfortable. The whole run I would be fiddling with it trying to find the perfect adjustment. One day I went for a long run with Tanya. She was wearing the Nathan Speed 2 hydration belt. As I ran along side her it blew my mind that she didn’t touch her belt other than to take a drink of water. What was it about her belt that kept it in place and feeling comfortable?
