When Do You Bring Water?
By Pigglies
@Pigglies (9329)
United States
December 15, 2009 1:11am CST
Is there a mileage limit where you decide you need to bring water on a run?
I hate carrying water. It gets annoying, I don't really get that thirsty anyway, and then it means I'll have to find a bathroom if I drink too much. I don't get how people suddenly need water with them at all times, as our species survived just fine before without constantly having water. But of course I also understand that after awhile you need to prevent dehydration.
Typically, I will bring water if I'm going to run more than 3 miles. Or I will know where a drinking fountain is along my route. Or at least I will have water in my car to drink once I have completed the run. On my last 7 mile run I didn't bring water since I was running with someone faster than me and did not want to carry any extra weight. They didn't bring water either and at the end we were both so thirsty and thankful to find a drinking fountain. So I will definitely be bringing water on my 8 mile run this week.
What is the cutoff point for you, or do you always bring water?
I will have to try out my water belt on my next long run, as holding water is just so annoying to me that it never seems worth it. But I know during an 8 miler I will definitely get thirsty.
1 person likes this
2 responses
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
15 Dec 09
I guess you have to gauge where there is water. If its a sponsored event they will have water stations set up but if you are running by yourself you should map out where you can rehydrate. A good tip is to drive your run so you can see what is around you so you have some landmarkers to look forward to on your run.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
16 Dec 09
That is a good point. If I've run the route before then usually that's how I know if/where there is water. Otherwise I'll just assume there isn't any.
I've only been to one 5K that didn't have water at the end, so I feel pretty safe about those.
If I would have followed your tip about driving through the route first, I wouldn't have ended up running on a horrible hill.
@Idlewild (6090)
• United States
25 Aug 11
Like you, I hate carrying water (or any unnecessary weight) with me when I run. I usually don't bring water at all. I don't do many runs longer than 6 miles or so, and find I don't need water for those unless it's really hot and humid. I *do* make sure I drink water beforehand, though.
If I'm going on a longer run than 6 (or sometimes even that distance), I make sure my running route goes by a drinking fountain. Lucky there are several parks within a mile or two of my home, so I make sure to go by one to get a drink (always a good idea to check them before going running on a miserably hot day, to make sure they're still working, haven't been removed or broken, etc.!).
When I do longer runs, it's usually in a race, and they generally have a water station at each mile.
