Water bottle deep dive

Let’s stay hydrated…

I had an interesting interaction and a bit of an ‘aha’ moment recently.  One of things I do that I think helps my flexibility in endurance sports is I carry a water bottle in one hand.  This seems like a simple enough pretense. I’ve been doing this since I started marathon training almost 20 years ago.

I tell people to consider learning how to carry a water bottle if they are training for a marathon distance event because it has some advantages.  A runner recently took me up on this advice, bought a water bottle and tried it out on a 10k raining run.  Then I got the plaintive message that “I don’t think this is going to work…”

What happened?  I though the concept was simple, but we need to be more specific.  It turns out this person acquired some giant, monstrosity of a bottle for their first try and it was too much.

Let’s talk about some tips on water bottle carrying.

First, what size or type of bottle should you get to run with?  Since I’ve been doing it for so long I can carry almost any size or type of bottle.  There are times when I’m in the southwest on a trip that I’ll bring a liter bottle – which is pretty big for running.   That’s 2.2 pounds of water weight in one hand.

Honestly though, this is the outlier.  When I grab a liter bottle in Nevada I know I’m going to drink it fairly quickly and I won’t be carrying the full thing for long.  I also know I’m going slow, low effort, and it’s more manageable.  When I was ultra-marathon running I would carry two 24 ounce bottles, one in each hand.

If I’m racing hard, like a 5k or something short I won’t carry a bottle at all because I don’t need it and it will get in the way.

99% of the time I’m grabbing a ‘normal’ size bottle – somewhere between 16 ounces and 24 ounces.  When I’m on the road the 16.9 ounce retail bottles are readily available.  These are the common retail water bottle which is a standard 500Ml or .5 L – they are convenient and you can grab them in any store.  When I’m at home I use my bike bottles that are 20-24 ounces.

This size bottle full weighs a little over a pound or about 450 grams.  For me at 185 pounds that’s only a half a percent of my body weight and isn’t going to throw off my balance.

For you, if you’re smaller or are new to carrying a bottle start with something smaller to get used to it.  There’s a half-size bottle of 8.5 ounces, like the ones they give you on an airline that you can try.  Or even just start with an empty bottle to get used to it.  You can incrementally add fluid to it after that until you get to the point where you are used to a full bottle.

How do you carry a bottle?

I carry the bottle in my left hand. My theory is that since I am right-side dominant this small weight actually balances my body mass – but this is probably just wishful thinking.  I can switch hands as needed and often do so, especially when drinking.  One of the advantages of training so much with a bottle is that I’m quite ‘handy’ with it and seldom drop it.

I carry the bottle quite loosely.  I don’t grip it.  I cradle it with my hand.  I hold my hands close to my body to prevent over-rotation and keep good, quiet, upper body form.  In theory I try to hold my hands high and tight, up by my chest, but in practice they tend to swing easily about half-way up my torso.

The caution is that you have to remember your high school physics when you hold a weight in your hand, like a water bottle.  The force that the weight exerts on you is equal to the weight TIMES the distance of the moment arm.  Meaning the further away from your center of mass that you swing the bottle it exerts a multiple of the force.   Bottom line kids: if you’re going to carry a bottle keep it tight to your body.

Why do I carry a bottle anyway?

It’s really for ease of use and tactical advantage.  My runs are typically in the 1 – 2 hour range.  I could probably survive these without any water, but I like to practice drinking and fueling as-needed when I train.

By practicing in training I can carry a bottle in my marathons and that gives me a tactical advantage in the race.  How?  When I carry my own bottle I’m able to take small swigs when needed.  This gives me a nice steady flow of hydration and nutrition instead on big gulps at the aid stations.

This also allows me to bring the mixtures I want for fuel.  I can refill at the water stations and mix in sports drink at the concentration I think I need based on race conditions.  It gives me the advantage of flexibility during the race.  I can drink what I want when I want.

I can also mix in whatever fuel I’m using to get used to taking it on my runs.  With your own bottle you can adjust the mixture as you like.

Another advantage in big races is that you can avoid the first one or two aid stations.  This is typically where the race gets all jammed up and you can lose precious time tripping over the less-practiced racers as they weave in and out of the water tables.  With my own bottle I can skip the first couple and avoid the crush until the race thins out a little.

This also means if I need something BETWEEN aid stations I can take a pull from my bottle.  For instance if I found the need to choke down a gel, needed to swallow an Endurolyte or ate a bug – I can wash it down without having to wait for a water stop.  It also saves the day when you get into a disorganized race that doesn’t have enough aid stations or runs out of something.

With my own bottle I’m at least a little bit more self-sufficient and flexible.  That helps on race day.

Hold on Chris, one water bottle isn’t going to get you through a marathon?

Right.  I’ve talked before about sweat rate and figuring out how much water/fluid you need to take during exercise.  For me, in ‘normal’, room temperature conditions I’m going to drink about 16 ounces an hour.  For me this is going to translate into 5-6 miles.  This conveniently, for me, means roughly a bottle an hour, give or take.

In most marathons this will get me through the first one or two aid stations. When my bottle runs out I pull into an aid station, get out of the way behind the tables and refill my bottle with whatever mixture of sports drink and or water I want.  This allows me to adjust the strength of my intake based on weather conditions and how my gut feels.

I might only fill it half way or toss it altogether if the race is well supported and I’m sick of carrying it.

In normal conditions I’m going to refill every 10k or so which equates to 3 on-course refills in a marathon.  I might skip the last refill and chuck the bottle so I can lighten the load and focus on closing.  The bottle gives me the flexibility to adjust my tactics depending on how the race unfolds for me.

What’s the advantage of a bottle over other hydration systems?

There’s lots of ways to carry water on a long run.  You’ve got bottle belts, backpacks and vests that you can wear.  I have occasionally raced with a bottle belt and a hydration backpack, but honestly only for ultra-distance events or when I know it’s going to be super-hot and I’m going to be going slow.

I’m not an elite runner by any definition, but when I’m trying to qualify for Boston in a marathon I’m moving relatively fast and I find any kind of belt or pack bounces around too much.  It’s the same reason I don’t race with a phone or anything else.  I want to focus on the race and not have to worry about carrying stuff.

I find that the single handheld bottle is the best compromise between flexibility and comfort for me.  If you are a slower runner you may find that a pack or belt is the right choice for you.

What’s a ‘bike bottle’?

A bike bottle is the type of bottle they make for cyclists that fits snuggly into the bottle cage on your bike.  These are typically 20-24 ounces, which is a fairly big bottle.

They have a nipple on the top that you can pull out with your teeth when you want a drink and then whack with your hand when you put it back.   This means you can grab a drink with one hand on the bike and it’s a good delivery system.

They have a wide, screw-on lid instead of a narrow neck like a retail bottle of water.  This makes it easy to refill and easy to toss a scoop of your favorite powder into.

You can find them in sports stores.  I usually order them online when I’m buying other stuff for my bikes from Pricepoint.com or Nashbar.com – they’re $2-$3.  They last about a season before they start leaking too badly to use, especially if you drop them.

In the summertime when it’s hot you can fill these with ice cubes before you fill them with water and they’ll stay cold for 20-30 minutes into your run.

These bottles are also wide enough to put in the dishwasher when they get icky and in general easier to clean  because the wide mouth allows access.

Wrapping it up, hosing it down…

How you get your fluids into your body when running is up to you and what you find works for you.  I like carrying a bottle and find it to be the best compromise between flexibility and convenience.

If you want to try carrying a bottle, start small and get used to it.  Make sure your form is good.

There are specific running bottles that you can buy, with hand straps and other accouterments.  I prefer a simple retail bottle when I’m on the road and a generic bike bottle when I’m at home.

There are benefits to racing with a bottle that can positively impact your performance.

Give it a try and see if it works for you.