I think I bought a fanny pack

All winter I've been working on increasing my distance and endurance in running, from 4 miles up to 7.5 miles, which is the farthest I've ever run. I fully intend to keep working on these long runs and increasing my mileage even more, which brings me to a second area I need to work on: proper hydration and fueling.

The CamelBak Delaney "Run Belt Waistpack"

From what I've read about running, getting the right kind of fuel that doesn't make you feel sick is kind of a science, and it's a personal science. If you're going to run for more than an hour, you need to plan to drink and re-fuel during your run so you won't hit a wall. The post from Run Eat Repeat called "Training for a Marathon: What to Eat" is a fascinating survey of different fueling styles that work for different people. I was particularly interested in the coach who recommends drinking every 10 minutes, having electrolytes every 30 minutes, and eating every 45 minutes. The fanny pack Run Belt Waistpack is going to help me with this part of my running project. I can load the pocket with gels and chews and goos (and sunblock!), and have water on-hand for drinking every 10 minutes... or whenever.

And here's another thing that will help me--my new Stridebox subscription!

A little box, but packed with goodies! Hello Kitty bottle for scale.

Inside, the "Stride Guide" card explains the contents and provides links.

You know I love a good subscription box (like Stitch Fix), so when I discovered there's a subscription box for runners I was all over it. It's called StrideBox, it's tagged "Stuff Runners Want" and it's only $15/month. If you like to run and get presents (that you paid for), you may love StrideBox.

Here's April's box:

One serving of ENERGYbits, tabs made from chlorella & sprirulina,
to be taken 5-10 minutes before running. By my math, this serving retails at $3.45.

Hammer lip stuff (with SPF!), a vegan recovery bar (Chocolate Peanut!),
and a large "Full-Body Wet Wipe," which seems to be like a shower in an envelope.

Made with bits of real banana, so you know it's good.

Extra treat of a glowy/flashy light-up band for ankle or arm.
Good for night/early morning runs! Thanks Stridebox!

New Nuun flavors! My regular flavor is the Cucumber Mint, so I'm excited to
try something different: Cherry Limeade and Lemonade. Basically a Nuun tablet
is like a fizzy Alka-Seltzer that turns any glass of water into an electrolyte drink.

I love Clif products. Here's a Chocolate Brownie bar, a "Razz" gel, and Shot Bloks in Mountain Berry. I already tried one of the Bloks this morning and I think they may be a go-to fueling choice for me. As for gels, I tried a Mocha gel over the winter and it was like a mochaccino threw up in my mouth--not good. I'm not looking forward to that experience in Raspberry, but I'll probably try it.

Just more evidence for my love for Clif--their popular Margarita Bloks are my
favorite. I got these in Santa Fe on my birthday and have slowly been working my
way through the package! Ready for more soon!

And now to conclude and to finish... (as the folk song says). I'm excited to start Sunday long runs for real (outdoors), beginning April 14. I'll be wearing my AWESOME fuel-belt-system and trying various sugary-watery combinations to learn what works for me. Other areas to consider are what I eat before running and what I eat after running, but I'll get there. Also, I must say that Stridebox didn't compensate me to review the box, I paid $15 just like any customer. (I do get a $25 credit if anyone signs up for Stitch Fix through my reference link.)

Soooo, tell me about your subscriptions! Do you like magazines, as in my previous post? Boxes? Something else? Wine-of-the-month-club??