Changing an Industry

With only 16 days till race day, the added mileage is beginning to take its toll as most of my rest days are just that, filled with rest. On most days I feel recovered, energetic and, for the most part, pumped to run. But then there are those days that I am reminded just how grueling this is.

Sunday consisted of my fast pace 8 km run. I was a little on the high side but completed my objective with one minute to spare at 41mins. The reason for holding back that Monday consisted of the Brutal 6’s. Luckily it helped as Monday came and I was ready for the 6 sprints. Just like race day you never know what mother nature will test you with. Monday consisted of extremely strong winds and while doing sprints it makes it difficult to know if you are truly running at the pace required. But in the end I completed the 6 speed intervals and 8km with relatively little pain.

Then the exhaustion set in for the following two days as I felt sluggish and tired. But with all the proper recovery meals and lots of water I got through them and am ready for today’s long run of the week; 20km. With only a few long runs left before the race and the temp being 16 this afternoon it should be a great run. And I couldn’t think of a better way to start an extra long weekend being that I am off at noon today and don’t return till Monday.

With recovery; rest and proper nutrition are key but there is a crucial element that is almost more important -for me- re-hydration. Like I have stated in the past I drink a ton of water on a regular days as I get dehydrated easily and on days of activity the amount is nearly doubled.

While hiking, mountain biking or skiing I need access to water continuously, especially with the first two. This can not be done well with water bottles as they are cumbersome while in a bag or holder and force you to stop or take a hand off the handle bar to get a drink. But over 10 years ago Michael Edison while competing in the ‘Hotter ‘N Hell’ bike race -that takes place in Texas- came up with an idea that would change active sports for ever.

Edison was tired of fumbling around with water bottles on his bike and found that he lost time. But more importantly without constant water his performance suffered. So he came up with the idea to place an I.V. bag in a bike sock and stitched it in his t-shirt resting on his back. The shape on the riders back sparked the name and the Camelback was born.

Any outdoor enthusiast should have one of these in their gear bin. Since Camelbacks introduction it has revolutionized how packs are made. You can not buy a pack without it having the capabilities of holding a water bladder. All of the bags that Tracy and I have from our bike packs, day packs and large multi-day trek packs, have the ability to hold a hydration bladder and an access port for the hose.

Their worth is unchallenged as athletes performed better with the constant access to water and less fumbling for a water bottle. On long trail rides, trail runs, or hikes having the ease of a water tube at chest level is amazing. Their durability is unmatched as well. I took a hard fall a couple years while riding in Utah and I literally landed directly on my back. Once I caught the wind that was knocked out of me I was sure that I would be soaked of water. Not one drop! I then looked into their rating and found out that the company claims that a camelback bladder can sustain 2000lbs of pressure. Here is a video done by Backpacker, testing this claim.

With the old Platypus model cleaning was a problem as they had such a small opening at the top.

They recommended that you purchase a cleaning kit to go along with it.

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But these kits were a waste of money so I simply made my own with q-tips, cotton balls, a coat hanger and some tape. Unfortunately you really shouldn’t keep them for a long period of time as they are not easy to clean no matter what you have.

But then we come back to the Camelback models that allow for easy cleaning, adding ice or pouring in Gatorade. Along with the durability and easy access with the larger opening the mouth pieces are far more advanced allowing for better flow and no leaks. With the small opening from my old bags I usually had more Gatorade on the counter and the outside of the bag ten in. So after realizing that we have used the 3 or 4 bladders we have hundreds and hundreds of times over probably 6+ years it is time to purchase the new generation. Just the sit of the old potentially moldy plastic could be making me ill other then just from the site of it.