Real Talk: CamelBak Review
Posted: June 25, 2013 Filed under: Confessions, Fun, Health and Wellness, Random | Tags: bargains, camelbak, heat, hydration pack, LL Bean, long runs, marathon training, running, summer 2 CommentsLast week, my new CamelBak came in the mail. As promised, I tested it out on my long run this weekend.
In case you forgot, here is what it looks like:
The Aurora.
Sunday, I headed out after church with our friend Preston (PS. Thank you so much for running with me!). I picked the hottest time of day to run and my body protested the whole way, so I was relieved to have water with me.
In short, I’m really happy with my purchase.
Please forgive me if I call something by the wrong name, I’m new to the hydration pack lingo.
Overall Review:
The pack stayed put for the most part. It was super nice to have pockets to store some shot blocks, my phone and chocolate adzuki bars (recipe coming!). I love that the reservoir had a wide lid (especially if you want to add ice cubes!) and was easy to fill and clean.
I read online that the water swished a lot, but I didn’t notice this at all. (I found and tried this tip: fill the bag and close it, turn it upside down and suck out the excess air through the hose/mouthpiece. There will be no swishing).
I also put the reservoir in the fridge overnight to keep it cold. The water stayed cold for most of my run…amazing considering I ran from 12:30-2:30 on a very hot day.
I did notice some bouncing, but I think part of this may be my needing to figure out the perfect adjustments for my body. I do wish that there was another buckle around the waist to secure the bag just a bit more, but I ended up tying the free ends of the shoulder straps and this helped some (it also kept them from flapping around, which would have bothered me more). If you choose not to tie the ends of the shoulder straps, they have Velcro on them so they can be out-of-the-way. Another plus!
I had some trouble adjusting the shoulder straps, but that may just be me. Again, I’ll figure it out as I wear it a few more times.
Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase.
Happy Running!
Real Talk: CamelBak Purchase
Posted: June 20, 2013 Filed under: Confessions, Fun, Health and Wellness, Random | Tags: bargains, camelbak, heat, hydration pack, LL Bean, long runs, marathon training, running, summer 3 CommentsYou guys! I cannot tell you how excited I am!
Allow me to explain:
If you know me, you know that I don’t like spending money on myself…but I’ve been wanting a CamelBak for my long runs (so I don’t have to plan a route based on where I can stop for water when I need it…or make Farmer Ben come out and meet me en route)…so I finally broke down and started looking.
I knew I wanted something kind of middle of the road (that way, if I don’t like it for running, I can at least have it for hikes or bike rides)…from there, I let the reviews lead me.
Long story short, I had a gift card for LL Bean and they happened to have this little beauty:
The Aurora.
What makes this so special? It’s my first CamelBak… I also got it for $23 instead of the $68 + tax! Thank you LL Bean gift card!!!
On top of that, it only took two days for (regular) shipping…FREE shipping. Can you say win? Mad props to L.L. Bean ( no compensation from LLB, I am just ridiculously impressed). Seriously.
As you can imagine, I had to drive home on my lunch hour to rip open the package and check things out. I love the color and I am happy that I decided to go with a 70 oz. pack. I’m also pretty excited about the pockets… I’d love to not have to use my running belt and/or stuff things in my sports bra (TMI?)!
I tried it on, and it seems to be a good fit, but I won’t know for sure until I hit the pavement.
I’ll keep you posted as to how I like it, but I am feeling good about it thus far! I’m really looking forward to my long run this weekend to test it out!
Do you use a hydration pack? What are some of the pros and cons? Where do you store your must-have items on the run?!
Happy Running!
GBN: Week 8
Posted: September 13, 2012 Filed under: Gross But Necessary, Health and Wellness, Ridiculousness | Tags: Adirondacks, exercise, Farmer Ben, GBN, Gross But Necessary, health, health and wellness, healthy-living, hill workouts, long runs, Ragnar Relay, running, training, workouts Leave a commentFirst of all-Shout-out to Jenny J for joining MFP! Hooray!
This week was a big step up from last.
1. Friday Night-3 miles. I was disgusted with myself after over-sleeping on Friday morning, so I packed a bag with my running gear and made up my mind that I would run after work at the restaurant. I was tired but I headed to my usual spot for night runs. I kicked out three miles in just under 27 minutes. This surprised me because I felt slow.
Glowing!
2. Sunday-5.1 miles. The hubs and I headed out on this beautiful afternoon and did a loop near our house. I had done the same run in reverse and thought it would be cake. Little did I know that this direction was a bit more difficult-it is slightly uphill for pretty much the first two miles. No big deal.
My body was protesting for the first half of the run but then I found my stride and I took off. I definitely could have run another few miles but we were short on time so five miles it was. We did it in 49 minutes and change. Not too shabby!
After the run, I did some planks. It was hard and my body was pretty mad at me the next day. But I think this will become a habit.
Johnny Bravo, anyone?
Let me tell you, it was STEEP. When we got to the top of the first hill, I started thinking, “okay, we’re getting close!” Then Ben informed me that we had only gone 1.5 miles. In spite of this, we kept a good pace and even picked it up a little toward the end.
Once we reached the exchange point, we paused for a moment to relish the fact that we had completed the run, then turned around and headed back. For the return trip, we walked some of the way in order to enjoy the amazing Adirondack scenery. We even saw a few deer!
GBN at its finest.
When we got back to the car, we were exhausted, sore and absolutely starving. But it was totally worth it.
Tuesday-Rest Day. I didn’t want it to be, but my entire body ached. I did manage to do a few sets of planks, though!
Wednesday-8.0 miles. This was hard. My mind was not in it–and when it was, I was over thinking! I found my groove after mile 2 and was feeling pretty good, but with three miles left, my body started protesting. My calves and lower legs were so tight, I could barely move. I stopped and walked for a little bit, hoping that would help. It didn’t. I managed to finish the run, but it was rough.
Upon reaching my driveway, I did a bit more walking to try to loosen up. It didn’t work.
Yikes!
Total Mileage: 24.3 Miles
Overall: I’d say this week was excellent. I managed to get in some solid mileage and did some pretty challenging runs.
I’m still trying to figure out my lower leg pain and I am wondering if it’s something to do with my shoes. Any thoughts and advice are definitely appreciated.
It felt good to get some distance in and I definitely feel myself getting faster.
Goals for Next Week: Complete an 8 mile (or longer) run-no stops. I won’t be satisfied til I do this. Figure out–and hopefully cure–this leg pain.
How were your workouts this week? Did you have any challenges that you pushed through?
Happy Running!
Noelle's Notebook 