expiration date 

so after trying those energy gel packs, i realized that those things make me thirsty. i’m supposed to take them with water anyway. and my little hand-held water bottle below is waaay too small, especially for these long runs.

after browsing and asking around, it seems that there are three main things that people commonly use:

1. bigger handheld bottle, maybe on both hands. or carrying 1-liter bottle on one hand. i’ve seen runners do that, but it can get heavy, no?

2. fluid/hydration belts. it is one of those belts that you can attach bottles on it, usually up to 4 bottles. i guess this one would be fine, except i can’t imagine running for over an hour with bottles bouncing and water sloshing around my hips for the whole time. i’d go crazy… so i look into other options.

3. hydration backpack. it fits a lot of water in it, so it can get heavy. but the weight is distributed better than the bottles, thanks to the bladder system. my only concern is… well, two concerns, actually: first, sweaty back. does it get as hot as wearing backpack while cycling? second, it’s definitely the most pricey out of the three options.

so, of course, i ended up choosing number 3. and i bought this last week:

it’s called North Face Enduro Pack for Women. it has a 2-liter reservoir and it fits small frame person like me. well, 2 liters are way too heavy for me, so i only filled it up to 1L-mark. it has a few pockets to carry my iPhone, gels and ID card so i don’t have to wear my SPIbelt. and surprisingly, the pack is pretty comfortable to wear.

i’ve tried it on two runs; one was short, the other one was a longer run. i had to put on anti-chaffing on my shoulder before the long run, because the straps kept rubbing on me. but other than that, it was fine. it didn’t feel heavy. and it didn’t slosh or move around (maybe thanks to the Enduro Boa anti-slosh technology on the pack). yes, i had sweaty back… but i got sweaty back during runs anyway without the pack.

this was taken after the long run:

one thing though, i’ve never tried wearing this during the day. i’ve only tried it when there was no sun outside. maybe once my face is healed and i can be out in the sun again, i’ll give this pack a try in the day time.