Let’s talk hydration options! We’ve already talked about how important staying hydrated is in a previous blog post here, but now we’ll talk about how to do it while on the run! I’ve been asked what is the best way to carry water or Gatorade (or whatever electrolyte drink you like) while running those longer runs, and I have some options.
First, it depends on how much water you need during your runs and how long you’re going. Do you also want to take something with electrolytes or will you be taking a gel or something like that? Can you refill somewhere along the way?
Option 1: The Handheld Bottle
The handheld bottle is great if you just want some water, don’t need much water, are going on a shorter run, or have a place you can refill it. The handle makes it comfortable to hold, and mine has a nice zipper compartment to carry gels or other small things. You won’t have both hands free, though, if that’s an issue for you.
The exact one I have in the picture is the Nathan SpeedShot Plus, which you can get here: Amazon and here at Nathan. Right now, if you need plain bottles, they’re having a sale, and you can also get 15% off your first purchase at Nathan.
Option 2: Hydration Belt
The belt is great when I want to carry 2 kinds of hydration or want to go hands free. I can usually make sure it doesn’t move around while running, bit that can be an issue sometimes. I like the zipper compartment on this one, too.
The belt I got is on Amazon, and I really like it. You can get others from Nathan, as well, but this one works great for me and it is cheaper.
Option 3: Hydration Vest
When going to really long runs and wanting to go completely hands free, I like my hydration vest. I haven’t run out of water during a run with it yet, and I can even stick an extra bottle or two in the pockets up front. There are other pockets for carrying other small items, too. It’s comfortable, even on hot days!
This is the exact one I got from Amazon, in the link. There are plenty from Nathan and other types on Amazon, but the one I got is a great price, and I feel like it’s a great product.
So there are 3 options for carrying water on different types of runs. You can play around with them and find what works best for you! What have you tried and like to use?