How should I carry water for 10+ mi runs?

danabrash

I use my Amphipod w/ 2x 10.5oz bottles for 10 to 16 miles, and add my camelbak for longer (16+) training runs. I usually drop a Nuun in my amphipod when I carry the camelbak. Camelbak tightens down fine to not be annoying, i have the 50oz cycling one.

Need to hydrate is time and distance related, but also environmental. I carry more or choose to carry for shorter runs when the weather heats up....

MassiveDelta

I prefer a fuel belt. I loathe to have anything in my hands when I'm running. I've never considered a camelback, because I can't think of any run I have ever done (or am likely to do in the future) that will require me to have 60 to 100 ounces of fluid. My belt has four 10 ounce bottles and that is more than enough for a 22 mile run.

Honestly, for a 10 mile run, I don't even bother with water. It's not necessary, physiologically, if you are properly hydrated prior to the run. I don't bother with any fluids until I get to about 16 miles, which for me is about 2.5 hours.

^^^^^^^ this.

This is WRONG.

Frst you dont know what another runner needs or doesnt need on a 10 mile run. Second let me first state Ive never done anything over 8 miles but I know the other day when I did 4.5 in 90 deg and 92 humidity I NEEDED water. I was glad I had brought my 16oz bottle of water with me. Before I was finished I had emptied my bottle. I will easily sweat out 2+lbs from a run start to finish. You need to replace everything you lose. In severe heat like that if you tell someone not to take water on a 10 mile run you could kill them.

jacksonpt

I'm surprised that many of you don't hydrate during a run when it's often recommended to hydrate during exercise particularly if it's hot. If you can lose a quart of water per hour to sweating, how can you assume performance is not being affected for exercise of longer than 1 hour?

Because a lot of us have been at this long enough to know how much our bodies can take and when we need to start rehydrating and/or refueling. At least that's the case for me.

CarsonRuns

I'm surprised that many of you don't hydrate during a run when it's often recommended to hydrate during exercise particularly if it's hot. If you can lose a quart of water per hour to sweating, how can you assume performance is not being affected for exercise of longer than 1 hour?

It's not an assumption. It's science. There have been plenty of studies on this subject.

iAMaPhoenix

Obviously if you are planning to run 10+miles, you have done it before. I would suggest you go back to what you did in the past and try that. If that does not work, then I would look into hiring some out of work people to stand at the 2,4, 6, 8, and 10 mile marks with a cup or two of water for you. If you are low on funds, run in one mile circles and stop every 1 or 2 times to hydrate. If a circle is too monotonous for you, drive the course beforehand, and place water along your route...taking caution not to be seen by the police who will think you are placing IEDs on the side of the road. If all this fails, take up yoga...Less stressful.

SueInAz

I live in Tucson and water on long runs is a must, whatever time of year it is. The dry air (single digit humidity most of the year) sucks the moisture out of you, winter or summer. Summer, of course, when the temps don't dip below 80 at sunup, it's even more necessary.

I use an Amphipod belt with two 10.5 ounce bottles. It has velcro so you can tighten it as much as necessary to prevent bouncing. For a run as long as 10-11 miles, I'll usually go with half water and half Gatorade G2. I can refill the water bottles as necessary either from home or from water fountains along the running path, although I usually don't need much more than the 21 ounces I have with me.

Amphipod's customer service, if you need it, is excellent. I ended up buying a belt that was too small and they sent me a larger replacement for free, including free shipping and return shipping for me to return the too-small one.

jamie31

I am super cheap and dont really want to buy anything for water. Before getting pregnant I used to run about 7 miles and would actually just carry a water bottle with me. I would switch hands every mile and actually think it helped more since i was carrying weight in my hands

CarsonRuns

I prefer a fuel belt. I loathe to have anything in my hands when I'm running. I've never considered a camelback, because I can't think of any run I have ever done (or am likely to do in the future) that will require me to have 60 to 100 ounces of fluid. My belt has four 10 ounce bottles and that is more than enough for a 22 mile run.

Honestly, for a 10 mile run, I don't even bother with water. It's not necessary, physiologically, if you are properly hydrated prior to the run. I don't bother with any fluids until I get to about 16 miles, which for me is about 2.5 hours.

^^^^^^^ this.

This is WRONG.

Frst you dont know what another runner needs or doesnt need on a 10 mile run. Second let me first state Ive never done anything over 8 miles but I know the other day when I did 4.5 in 96 deg and 92 humidity I NEEDED water. I was glad I had brought my 16oz bottle of water with me. Before I was finished I had emptied my bottle. I will easily sweat out 2+lbs from a run start to finish. You need to replace everything you lose. In severe heat like that if you tell someone not to take water on a 10 mile run you could kill them.

No, it's not wrong. You didn't NEED the water, you wanted it. You can safely lose 5% of your body weight in sweat. You don't NEED to replace everything you lose. That's another fallacy. Kill them? Seriously?

Do some research before you call somebody out.

rubytOU

i wear a fuel belt. I have several types but prefer the one with 4 small bottles that sit around your waist. The belt with the one large bottle always chaffes the middle of my back when the bottle is full, plus I can never seem to get the belt tight enough. Not fun for the rest of the run... or when taking a shower afterwards.

Good luck.

mnstrpc

My husband has a 4 bottle - I think - hydration belt. I personally can't stand anything around my waist when I run, so I carry a hand-held bottle with a strap. It only holds about 10-12oz, but that's enough for me at the distances I am doing. I started needing to carry water with me when I got to about 9+ miles on long runs, in part due to the weather as it has been very hot and humid already in my area. I'd consider trying one of the camelback backpack style, but haven't needed anything beyond my one water bottle at this point, so I haven't bothered.

jacksonpt

The thing no one has mentioned is that what you're used to plays a HUGE factor in this.

If you're used to running 10 miles without water, it won't be a problem.
If you're used to running in especially high or low humidity, it won't be a problem.
If you're used to running in high temps, it won't be a problem.

At the end of the day, you have to know your body. If you need water, make sure you have it. If you don't, then no reason to bring it. What you are conditioned for compared to what you are doing (and the conditions you're doing it in) will go a long way to determine what you need and don't need.

And frankly, none of us know this person and what they need or don't need. So back to the original questions - A fuelbelt 2 bottle belt, no elastic for a tight/secure fit.

ShannonGo

My husband has run marathons, 50Ks and 50 milers on trail and he has never liked hydration packs or belts. He uses Ultimate Direction handheld bottles. He uses them with 21oz Specialized bottles, if you find the UD mouth pieces too strange (he isn't a fan). For training, he uses plain water or Nuun for anything shorter than 20 miles (for electrolyte replacement). He does do Gatorade Endurance (the stuff they sell at GNC) in the powder tubes for anything longer than 20 miles or for races. For races, he will sometimes 'double fist' with two water bottles, with one being electrolyte and one being plain water. It has to be pretty warm for him to double fist though.

elfpearl

I have the amphipod belt and I love it! http://www.amazon.com/Amphipod-RunLite-Hydration-Belt-Size/dp/B002PA4V8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341863358&sr=8-1&keywords=amphipod+belt

katieacor

Thank you all for all these great ideas! My wonderful husband had to rescue me over the weekend during a 10 mile run. I got overheated, nauseated, and shaky. I am still a beginner runner and appreciate all your thoughts. And so does my hubby!

iAMaPhoenix

I prefer a fuel belt. I loathe to have anything in my hands when I'm running. I've never considered a camelback, because I can't think of any run I have ever done (or am likely to do in the future) that will require me to have 60 to 100 ounces of fluid. My belt has four 10 ounce bottles and that is more than enough for a 22 mile run.

Honestly, for a 10 mile run, I don't even bother with water. It's not necessary, physiologically, if you are properly hydrated prior to the run. I don't bother with any fluids until I get to about 16 miles, which for me is about 2.5 hours.

^^^^^^^ this.

This is WRONG.

Frst you dont know what another runner needs or doesnt need on a 10 mile run. Second let me first state Ive never done anything over 8 miles but I know the other day when I did 4.5 in 96 deg and 92 humidity I NEEDED water. I was glad I had brought my 16oz bottle of water with me. Before I was finished I had emptied my bottle. I will easily sweat out 2+lbs from a run start to finish. You need to replace everything you lose. In severe heat like that if you tell someone not to take water on a 10 mile run you could kill them.

No, it's not wrong. You didn't NEED the water, you wanted it. You can safely lose 5% of your body weight in sweat. You don't NEED to replace everything you lose. That's another fallacy. Kill them? Seriously?

Do some research before you call somebody out.

^^^Agreed...I have ran 15 miles in 3 hours(12 minute/mile pace) and did not drink an ounce of water during MY run...and am here to talk about it. Hydrated beforehand and after. Now I don't recommend this for everyone as you have to know your own limits...and definitely do not recommend this if temperature is above 85. I usually run in early morning...and I live in Florida.

CarsonRuns

Thank you all for all these great ideas! My wonderful husband had to rescue me over the weekend during a 10 mile run. I got overheated, nauseated, and shaky. I am still a beginner runner and appreciate all your thoughts. And so does my hubby!

Proper hydration is an all the time thing. I drink a gallon or more of water every day. Then, when it comes time to run, I'm not already running low. It makes a huge difference.

geordiegirl27

Another vote for a camelbac, I have a small 1ltr one which is light to carry and I can always stop and buy another bottle to top it up if needed, and of course its a little rucksack so good for carrying keys/mobiles etc as well.

jillybeanruns

Do what works for you.

I have a set of guidelines that I use for my training. They're what works for me. i.e. I won't run 20 miles in 75 degrees and 85% humidity with no water. I also have a condition that leads to me getting dehydrated faster than most. I need electrolytes in certain conditions and I will have them on me. The alternative is my passing out on the side of the road and hoping someone finds me.

With that said, I have tried many different belts/bottles but I have 2 favorites. Ultimate Direction 20oz handheld with strap and the iFitness Ultimate II belt with 2 8oz hydration add-ons are what I use and love. The conditions and mileage dictate which I bring with them, but I also know where I can refill my bottles (grocery store bathrooms, beach public restrooms) and bring a few dollars on me in case I need to buy water or fuel more often that not.

As you build up your mileage and run in various conditions, you'll figure out when you need to hydrate just as you'll figure out when you need to fuel. I ran 12 miles yesterday on a banana and 40 oz of water. It was an experiment of sorts, but I had extra gels on me in case I needed them.

dthurney

Camelbak also makes hydration packs which are basically belts that can be filled with water (up to 50 oz). Internal baffles keep the water from sloshing around and throwing you off balance. It may be a good compromise becasue you can use the bite valve and not worry about carrying a bottle. Search for Camelbak 2012 FlashFlo LR for more details.

funpilot56

I usually hydrate prior to runs and can go 1.5 hours without re-fueling. I usually have a 32 oz. jug of water in the car for when I get done if doing trail running. Never have had problems in over 40 years of running due to lack of hydration.