There we were on a Saturday night getting ready for bed and trying to plan out the next day. We had both ran the 10K that day and were a bit tired. We knew we had an 11 mile run ahead of us the next day… So me being the brilliant man that I am, I suggested just waking up without an alarm clock, eat some breakfast, and then worry about getting out on the road for our run. Fast forward a bit and now its 10am, already over 80 degrees out and the sun is just laughing at us. So off we go… well I also decided to try out one of my new Nathan Hydration Race Vest. About 2 miles into the run I tried to drink… and imagine that… there was some kind of leak in the mouth piece that let more air in than water out. Every time I tried to take a drink I got mostly air with a little water. What was I thinking trying to try out a new piece of equipment on an 11 mile run. Needless to say that at the completion of our run I was pretty dehydrated and a pissed at myself. Now that I’m home… been drowning myself with water and had a couple turkey sandwiches, I am feeling a lot better. It’s funny no matter how together you think you’ve got it, you show yourself you’ve got a long ways to go. I do like the Race Vest by Nathan. Before this all the packs I’ve used on runs were camelbacks. This pack has pockets on the font which are accessible while running and a clip on the chest strap to keep your drinking hose from flopping about as you go.
I really like everything about this Race Vest except the drinking hose and bladder issues I had. I will be switching out the bladder and drinking hose with a Camelback one. Sometimes some companies are just better at what they do than others. But as far as the design and fit of the pack I think it is better suited for runners an any Camelbacks I’ve owned. The pockets sit up higher which allows clearance for your natural arm swing as you run. I will definitely be more prepared for next weeks 12 mile LSD run. I don’t foresee the weather cooling down much anytime soon. So we will be starting off way earlier. Sleeping in is sooooo over rated (well Kelly would disagree with me).