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Showing posts with the label hydration belt

How to be a (mostly) self-sufficient Ironman runner

For over 10 years, Karel and I have used hydration belts for every single outdoor run. It doesn't matter how short or long, a hydration belt is part of our running gear. And now that we are doing more XTRI and and off-road triathlon racing, it's been an easy transition to our self-supported events.        It surprises me how many athletes undervalue the many benefits of a hydration belt/pack. We have been long-time supporters of hydration belts (and packs) because we feel they bring so many great benefits to athletes when running outside. Sport usage of hydration packs, belts and bands Interestingly, hydration belt/pack acceptance is sport dependent. For example, hydration belts are not very popular among stand-along-runners and most refuse to wear them in training and racing. Furthermore, some races prohibit the use of bringing nutrition (belt/pack) with you on race day for safety reasons. In the ultra and trail running community, hydration packs are popular and wid...

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 ...

Case Study - a nutrition change to improve the triathlon run

Running does not require a gym membership, it's fairly inexpensive and you can do it almost anywhere (and anytime). It comes with a list of benefits including body composition changes, fitness gains, stress relief and improved self-confidence. Plus, when you run outside, you get to explore nature with your senses. Running is also a great way to feel connected to your community.  While running can provide you with a great endorphin-rush, making you feel like you are capable of tackling everything on your to-do list after you finish your workout, running does come with a few downfalls. Running is very corrosive on the body and comes with a great risk of injury. Running requires good range of motion as well as exceptional cardiorespiratory endurance and muscular strength. Injuries due to overtraining, poor biomechanics and improper shoes or increasing mileage too quickly are very common in runners of all fitness levels. For triathletes, aside from injuries, one of the bi...

Benefits of wearing a hydration belt featuring Naked Running Band

This is a typical picture of the gear we use during an outdoor run. As you can see, there are two flasks for both me and Karel, with our respective hydration belts. Let it be known that Karel and I run with our hydration belts for every single outdoor run. It doesn't matter how short or long, a hydration belt is part of our running gear. It surprises me how many athletes undervalue the many benefits of a hydration belt/pack. We have been long-time supporters of hydration belts and packs because we feel they bring so many great benefits to athletes when running outside. Interestingly, hydration belt/pack acceptance is sport dependent. For example, hydration belts are not very popular among stand-along-runners and many refuse to wear them in training and racing. Furthermore, some races prohibit the use of bringing nutrition (belt/pack) with you on race day for safety reasons. In the ultra-running community, hydration packs are popular and widely accepted and encouraged. Ironical...