Stuff I Like: Ulimate Direction Hydration

One of the things I love about running is the simplicity of it.  You can participate and compete as a runner with next to nothing.  There's no special equipment needed.  But there are some things that can help.

If you run more than a few minutes, you get thirsty.  Your body needs fluids.  When my runs started to last more than an hour, I started looking into hydration systems.  OK, that just means water bottles.  I did not like the Camelbacks, which carry the water in a big bladder on your back and have a long straw to drink from.  I thought the fanny packs would be to uncomfortable and would bounce around, but I found the Ultimate Direction two-bottle waist pack (that sounds better than fanny pack) to be just right, once I found the right tightness.  It holds two 20 ounce bottles, has a pouch for extra clothes or food, and two small pouches on the waist band for gels, phone, or whatever.  I wear this on all my long runs, and wore it at Inks Lake last summer so I could carry a flashlight and extra batteries.

For shorter runs and for most racing, I use the FastDraw plus.  This carries one 20 ounce bottle and has a little pocket for a gel or 2, or lib balm, a debit card, etc.  Not much room.  I have carried this on all my trail runs, except for Inks Lake.  I am thinking, though, of getting a single bottle waist pack.  Fifty miles is a long way to carry that thing in your hand, even with the strap to keep it in place.

 So running does have some level of equipment, especially as you run longer, but it's still cheaper than biking.