Whether you are training in December in Utah or summer in Arizona, the need for proper hydration on your runs is ever present. How are you going to make sure you have access to water and electrolytes? There are several options out there from hydration packs that you wear on your back, belts with bottles around your waist, and handhelds. I even recently just purchased a tank top with a pocket built in to the back to hold a small bottle. Within all of these options, there are literally hundreds of types of packs, belts and handhelds. It all boils down to preference. If you are running longer than 3 hours on a trail, it is more likely that you’ll want to invest in a hydration pack as it has a larger storage capacity sufficient to keep you hydrated for extended periods of time. I personally don’t like how belts feel while I run and can’t stand holding things in my hand so I prefer a pack even on my shorter runs. I usually keep two packs in my rotation - a larger capacity pack with a 2 liter bladder and lots of pockets for fuel and gear for long mountain days and a minimal pack that holds two 17 ounce bottles for most of my two hour or shorter runs during the week.

Tailwinds,
Coach K