Benefits of a hydration belt, vest or pack

I never run without my hydration belt. It's part of my running attire and I feel naked without it. 
It doesn't matter the duration or intensity of the workout or the weather, I always have a sport drink with me in my hydration belt. 

If you are a long distance athlete, you've likely experiences several pronounced and uncomfortable symptoms related to unsuccessful fueling/hydration methods. Headache, dehydration, swelling, bloating, sleepiness, lethargy, lack of appetite, nausea, chills, fatigue, deep muscle aches, moodiness and dizziness are not just performance limiting but they are also extremely risky for your overall health.

Proper fueling during intense or long duration exercise can help you sustain a desirable effort to maximize training adaptations.

Proper fueling/hydration also minimizes the stress load to help keep your body in better health.

Proper fueling/hydration in training also helps you practice fueling strategies for competition as you can train the gut to tolerate nutrition while exercise at various intensities.

Contrary to the opinion of other nutrition experts, I'm a huge proponent of prioritizing sport drinks during training. While this is easy to do while biking, most runners and triathletes are unable to apply well-researched, scientific nutrition guidelines to running because it's hard to consistently drink a well-formulated sport drink if you don't have one with you. 

A sport drink provides a practical and easy way to obtain fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates, in the right formulation to optimize digestion and absorption. Because you will always need to consume fluid when you train in the heat, wearing a hydration belt, pack or vest is a practical, convenient and easy-to-replicate way to meet your fluid, sodium and carbohydrate needs.

If you'd like to read more about the benefits and misconceptions with sport drinks, you can check out this blog I wrote. 

Knowing the importance of proper fueling and hydrating while running, many companies - like Naked, Fuel belt, Orange Mud, USWE and Nathan - have solved the issue of how to stay hydrated when you run. Lucky for you, there are so many belt, band, pack and vest options. Depending on the duration and intensity of your run, as well as the weather, it's important to choose the belt, pack or vest that offers the right amount of fluid-holding capacity for your needs. As a reminder, it's ok to stop and refill fluids - I actually recommend it as carrying more than 30 ounces of fluid while running can be heavy when you start running. But having fluids on you throughout your entire run will ensure that you are well-hydrated and fueled, minimizing the risk for dehydration, heat stress, GI issues and glycogen depletion.

As a starting point, aim to consume 3-5 ounces (3-5 gulps) of fluid, 20-40 calories and 80-100mg sodium for every 10 minutes of running. 
Example: 30 minute run off the bike = 9-15 ounce water + 60-120 calories + 240-300mg sodium.