Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Am I the only DUMMY who didn't know this???

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First off this morning ... I HIT 100!!!! (ding - ding - ding - ding - ding ... that's a celebration bell!) Thank you to EVERYONE who stops by from time-to-time or daily to check out my ramblings.  To celebrate, I'll soon have some stickers to give away based on your design selection.  Thank you to everyone who responded yesterday, and if you haven't voted yet, please let me know which design I should go with - A,B,C,D?  Or, if you have a "write in" idea, I'm all ears!!! (literally, my ears are really big!)  P.S. To be frank, I'm a little surprised by the runnin' weenie's poor performance!
I love my CamelBak!  I have the CamelBak Classic 70oz model, and I use it for every training run over 8 miles.  It has completely eliminated the need to hide water bottles in bushes, or circle back around to my house several times for hydration.  Does it make me look like an overgrown girl scout carrying a tiny Barbie book bag ...  YES!  But, I could write a whole review on the benefits of training with a CamelBak.
Training with my CamelBak as I scale this super-steep treacherous mountain side!
Until recently, I had gotten in the habit of running races with it.  It seemed like a natural transition since I trained with it all the time.  But I noticed in most races that I was one of the few runners who sported one.  Plus, the added weight in a race was not something I looked at as a benefit.

My problem was this ... of course most races have adequate hydration along the course, but I could NEVER drink a cup of water while running without getting most of it on me, or up my nose.  I just never seemed to get enough fluids because of this open top in the cup.

A few months ago, I saw a race on TV where a couple of the runners pinched the paper cup closed at the top and drank from it like a sippie cup.  It looked like a simple enough plan.  I tried it last weekend in Austin, and SHAZAM!!!!  It worked!  Pinching the cup closed at the top prevented water/Gatorade from spilling or going up my nose, thus eliminating the need for my CamelBak in a race.  It was a modern day miracle!
See, all the cool kids do it - pinching the top of the cup!
When I got home I excitedly told Michael about it, but she just sighed condescendingly and said, "Seriously, you never knew that ... what planet have you been living on?"  So apparently this is a simple little not-so-secret running tip that somehow eluded me.  Oh well, at least now I know!

Here's wishing all your hydration dreams come true!
... be great today!

29 comments:

  1. Hope you summited that impressive peak. I vote "D."

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  2. Add me to the dummy list! I am going to have to give that a try. I like D :)

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  3. Pinching the cup is a great race tip and one that must be secret. I like option "C" on the stickers.

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  4. I like D.

    I did know the pinching the cup trick but it doesn't prevent me from inhaling the water and coughing for the next 2 miles. Now if you know a trick for that let me know.

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  5. D, for sure. Congrats on reaching 100! Cool!

    I'll have to remember the Camelback when I get back to long outdoor runs this spring. It'd be awesome to not have to think about water breaks.

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  6. My first thought when I saw the stickers was go for the wienie, but then I really looked them over and it didn't win.

    I used my camelbak for the first time in forever the other day. When I got home I realized the tube totally has mold in it. Luckily I have a gut of steel :-)

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  7. All the cool people like C

    I knew about the tip, didnt know all the reason why they do it

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  8. Haha I love Michele's reaction best.

    Also, I definitely think you should ditch the camelback in favor of a Barbie backpack. Just sayin'.

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  9. I pinch the top of the cup too! It's easier to drink from while running and can also be carried a short distance while running as well. There are, however, a few races that distribute plastic cups that can't be pinched, super annoying. :)

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  10. B's best because bold black background.

    At one of our pre-run meetings in my running club, someone mentioned the pinching trick. I had no idea, but it made perfect sense. I do it every time I take some water during a race.

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  11. Pretty snazzy, Mr. Popular!! congrats on 100.
    Also- this made me laugh that you didn't know to squeeze the cup. If it makes you feel any better- I think pretty much everyone has had one of those moments with running ;)

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  12. If you had told me you didn't know that, I would have filled you in on the tip :-)

    Congrats on your 100!!!

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  13. I am glad you got the cup thing figured out. Life will be much easier from here on out! ; )

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  14. Dummy here! I will try that. I have to either skip drinking or walk otherwise it is all over me and nothing really in my mouth!

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  15. The cup thing - It took me a couple of AS and GA in the face before I noticed other runners squeezing the cup.

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  16. haha your wife's reaction was hilarious:
    "Seriously, you never knew that ... what planet have you been living on?"

    I stop at every water stop in a race, and use the pinch cup method to keep moving slowly through at least, I think every water stop is a good time to reset the stride too for a quick 5 second breather...

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  17. Yeah. haha :) I choked in a 10K on water and decided to do something different in the next race.
    For my last half marathon I used a straw and it worked pretty well too. I've never tried pinching the cup, though. I bet it works well =D

    I am voting for the weenie..

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  18. There is nothing wrong with looking like a girlscout! See my current blog post for more on that topic. But the camelback is an an excellent idea, and I must say you wear it well:)

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  19. Dude, do you live in a cave or something. Sheesh, and you call yourself a runner?! J/K my friend, I heard that like last year. Good tip to be sure.

    B,D,C and ditch A.

    Keep Long Beach in mind. We can shoot for a 3:20 and see what happens. Then, I can be on your Blog just like Jon 2 slow 4 Boston is now.

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  20. ive only worn my camelbak for trail races and runs, i feel kind of dumb wearing it on the road for some reason. i think i like D the best.

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  21. Knew it but have I been smart enough to try it? Well, that would be no.

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  22. i vote B. no, D. oh shoot. um... maybe a combo of the two? no... wait... definitely D. it's pulling me in.

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  23. I do remember hearing about that while getting ready for my first 5k . . .'better latenthan never!

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  24. I started the cup pinch a couple of years ago, and gradually eased into it. I started doing it in a half marathon, for a few stops, then eventually I learned to do it for all stops. I can, most definitely, still have some choking and water up the nose, but it's worth it for the time saved. I have learned not in breath in through the nose during this time, ha!

    I like D, in fact, I really like it!

    Would like it if you would pick a mile for my race on Sat. (see my blog)

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  25. So glad you realized that you can pinch the cup and make it not spill all over you! It's really the little tricks that make all the difference! :)

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  26. I use a Camelback when I run 10 or more.

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  27. Seriously, that cup tip was one of the best tips I've ever learned!

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  28. C- is cool. And funny about the cup thing!

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