Nathan Elite 1 Plus Waist Pack

I've been running for about 8 months. I am still very new to the sport and am still learning a lot. A week ago I was at Sole Sports in Tempe, (which if you are in the Phoenix, AZ area, I highly recommend for great service) getting a new pair of running shoes, the saleslady asked me if I carry water or nutrition on my runs. I kind of gave her a blank stare and said 'no'. Why would I do that? Well, while I was visiting AZ, I planned on a 13 mile run up and down South Mountain. So it was time to take a better look at this area of running. I ended up getting an Elite 1 Plus Waist Pack by Nathan Sports. This item has been discontinued, so I got it on clearance, but I love it already. It's main feature is a back holster for a 22oz water bottle. I was worried about it bouncing around, but have had 0 trouble. It even has a nice finger ring at the top that makes getting it out really easy. the 'Plus' is a 5oz nutrition flask. This was another new concept to me. My stepfather, who is an avid cyclist, introduced me to Carb Gel (I'll post more about these later) which are great for maintaining energy during a long workout. The flask lets you mix them with a little water and have a quick source to power through. The pack has some straps and a little zipper pouch.

I may never do a training run without something like this again. Staying hydrated on runs of all lengths and getting extra energy in runs that are longer than say 5 or 6 miles makes a huge difference. One I didn't really expect. Nathan Sports makes all kinds of different styles of packs, backpacks, handhelds and such. I would HIGHLY recommend checking them out.