For Christmas my wife bought me an Inov8 rucksack with their H2Oriztonal hydration system. The design is unique and a great idea to move the water lower to reduce movement and sloshing. I have only just begun to use it and today was my third use.
After 2.5 miles it was time to take some water on board so I bit down on the valve and began to suck. Nothing. I sucked harder. Nothing. Equipment failures for me are pretty catastrophic; I have no idea what the point of failure is, just that it doesn’t work. I can’t see if water is running up the tube or if the valve itself is broken. Just as the rucksack was about to go sailing into the bushes I decided to call the cavalry, I quickly told Sian what was wrong and we agreed to meet at collection point 3 to dump the bladder and go old school with bottles of water.
This meant changing my planned route, missing out on my hydration and nutrition timings and making a one-mile run to meet Sian. Frustrated and angry I headed to collection point 3. It turned out the valve was broken. That setup cost me £60+ and it lasted 3 uses. I will be sending a complaint email next week to Inov8.
With bottles of water on board I got back to the set route: running a few inclines. By now my hydration and nutrition was shot and I was becoming frustrated, mistakes started creeping in and I fell down a ditch. I still had 15 miles to go so I needed to get into a positive mind-set. Just then Kanye West POWER! began playing which instantly perked me up followed by a runkeeper distance update. Ahhhh 10 more minutes and I can crack out the Mr Kipling!
The next 10 miles went along swiftly, passing the half marathon mark the heavens opened. This is the point I realise I forgot to pack my rain jacket. I quickly gobbled a few Mr Kipling lemon slices and powered through. The last mile was accompanied by the delights of Ray Charles and a Lucozade.
The bottles of water did prove somewhat of a distraction, as I constantly mistook the sloshing of the water bottles as footsteps. So I desperately need a new hydration system. So if anyone has any recommendations to one that can last and not flake after a few uses let me know!
I use the Nathan 4 bottle belt for longer runs and the handheld for 2.5 hours and less
Like the belt, ez to grab and good sized pockets
Thanks for the recommendation Lauren.
Quick question about hydration on longer runs, what is your water intake per hour?
I sip probably 2-4 oz every 10-15 minutes (depending on the heat)
Check out Hammer Nutrition’s website…great recommendations and excellent products (you might use them) I use the perpetuem cafe latte and their gels. I have tried their tablets (that replace liquid nutririon…pretty good
Simon,
Fist of all. Wow. You amaze me. Thanks for just being. Period.
Last year i attempted the Keys 100 – I made 82 miles before needing an IV and a rescue. This year i’ve been training with the new Camelback that’s made for runners. It holds the water on your lower back (not down the spine like the others). I can honestly say that this thing has 100% changed everything about the way i train. Now i can pack some food and train and eat at the same time.
It’s VERY stable. I gave up on several hydration packs in the past, but this one nailed it for me:
http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Packs/2011-Octane-LR.aspx
Good luck
Thanks for the recommendation Scott I might try that hydration system out!
simon – i use a natahn hydrapack. it carries two litres of water. highly reliable and feels great on your back. it’s designed to move with you when you run so you hardly notice it. easy access pockets on the front for gu’s and stuff too.
Will take a look! At the minute I am just outing lots of bottles on my rucksack till I sort something out.