What kept me hydrated on the last 13.1 miles of my 70.3 adventure?
Outside PR wanted to help me finish my 70.3 strong, so they sent me a Hydrapak Selva to train & race with.
The Selva has room for 70 oz of water, plenty of pockets for storage. It could even fit a lightweight jacket or arm warmers with room to spare once you're warmed up on the run. This hydration pack quickly became my replacement for my belt. It was freeing to not have anything strapped to my waist. The back was cushioned, straps comfortable with minimal bounce, and an easy to drink from bite-down spout.
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| Look at all the awesome pockets! |
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| The perfect cell phone or ipod pocket with headphone hole |
After 2 runs with it, it started leaking from where the tube attached to the reservoir. I tried de-taching & re-attaching. I put towels around it, to try and contain it. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. Lucky for me, the teams at Outside PR & Hydrapak were quick to fix my problem.
They told me to try lubricating the attachment, but also sent me a new elite reservoir with an easy button attachment.
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| side by side comparison. Regular Left, Elite Right |
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| Easy push button release |
I got one short training run in before the big race, leak free! Thank goodness!
The morning of the race, I filled the Selva reservoir with ice, then just before heading out of transition for my swim, added the water. After a fun 1.2 mile swim and 56 mile bike, I slipped on my Hydrapak for the half marathon.
I kind of wish I wore it for the bike, since I am awful at bottle handups (close to crashing). I loved having my own water without needing an aid station on the run. I was one of the few triathletes carrying hydration with me, weird!
I had my extra fuel, just in case stashed inside, and it never felt too heavy. In fact, my back felt much more comfortable with the Hydrapak than with my typical hydration belt.
I finished Pumpkinman 70.3 never feeling thirsty, and with a huge smile on my face.
Read the Race Report HERE.
My big 30th Birthday is coming up...
and Hydrpak will be part of my big birthday giveaway, so keep following!
2 comments:
I love all the pockets...does it chafe your upper arms..I have one (different brand) that chafes my upper arms if I were a tank...on a different note..I have decided to write a series of blog posts about being thankful..for the month of November...I am trying to start a "Count your many blessings" movement within the blogging community...I will post on Sunday the 4th for Nov. 1-4 then next week 5-11 and so on...are ya with me? Pass it along either way, blessings and hugs!
I have the Nathan hydration vest and love it. This one looks great too! I can not imagine running my long run without my vest.
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