Amphipod Vs. Ultimate Directions Race Belts (Product Reviews)

*I paid for these products, they were not given to me for promotional purposes*

So I'm super annoying when I race. I am obsessed with running with my iPhone. I like to take pictures before, during, and after races. I'll pretend THAT is why I'm slow... In order for me to race with my phone, I need to have a belt that is big enough to hold it AND doesn't bounce around. One would think that wouldn't be too hard to find. During the summer, and when I train longer distances, I run with this belt, and I love it:

The above is called the "PR10" and it is made by Ultimate Directions, retailing for about $25. However, there are some times when I really don't want to run with a bottle. The way the PR10 is designed, is that the bottle holder is "stiff," so even if I don't have the bottle in, it is... bulky. I know, I'm being picky.

Pros:

• I can rotate the belt around my waist without my number moving around or anything bunching up
• The zipper pocket holds my iPhone
• Pouch holds a 10 oz bottle
• Adjustable waist
• Snaps to hold race bib in place

Cons:

• A bit bulky to travel with, even if the bottle is removed

So, I was on a mission to find a smaller race belt (yes, even a belt with one bottle is bulky when travelling) for shorter distances, or when it is colder and I don't need the extra fluid. I came across one from Amphipod and I decided to shell out the money for it:

This one is called the "Race-Lite Go" and retails for about $20, but I got it on sale at my local running sale for about $15. I LOVE IT. It fits comfortably, does NOT bounce around, holds my iPhone, and still holds my bib in place. The only complaint that I have is that the zipper pull is a bit hard to use, but I think with a little bit bigger of a tab on there, I can open and close more easily. Really happy with this purchase, and it is a LOT smaller than my other belt.

Pros:

• Small and compact. Great for shorter distances and travelling
• Zipper pocket will hold iPhone (and probably other stuff with it, but I typically don't store anything other than  my phone)

Cons:

• If I rotate the belt, the pouch is not attached so my bib can get messed up. Try not to do that.
• Zipper a bit difficult to open and close if I leave pouch at my back

I've tried other belts in the past. I tried one that I could add/remove bottles, but I didn't like that the belt itself closed by Velcro. I ruined a few tech tops because of that. I've tried two other smaller race belts where my phone bounced around like CRAZY. Nothing more annoying that spending a whole race messing with a belt.

The above two have been tried out in half marathon distances (or longer) and have not annoyed me. I recommend them both!

Outdoor Training Run - Big Dry Creek - Sunday, June 13

It had been in the upper 40's, low 50's for 2 days. Cold. Rainy. L was insistent on doing our long run outside (she is contemplating boycotting the treadmill). Luckily, by the time we headed out around 2:15, it had stopped raining, and although it was still overcast, it was a balmy 55 degrees when we headed out. I had every intention of doing 8 miles, but L decided we should go further... This is how gloomy it was at the 5 mile turn-around:

The trail we run is partially paved, part trail. It was WET. The parts of the trail that weren't paved were sorta like running in quicksand. Many areas that were paved were partially flooded. I was pretty happy that I had decided to wear my older running shoes. By the time we were done, I was pretty muddy.

 This section was flooded enough that a few ducks decided it would be a good place to hang out:

Of  note from today's run:

1. I finally used the Amphipod fuel belt. Wow. The thing is pretty awesome. I decided that as chilly as it was (and since we normally go out with nothing at all) that we would fill 2 of the 10 oz bottles. The belt actually came with 4, but since I hadn't run with it yet, I was not quite ready for so much. I was pretty happy to have the water after running 5 miles. Any warmer, and I'll definitely want the extra 2 bottles filled, maybe even with gatorade. Also, I had to adjust it a bunch the first few miles or it bounced around a lot. Other than that, it was fabulous.
2. For my birthday last month, W got me a heart rate monitor strap to work with the Garmin  - it was finally synced and ready to go (we were just doing it wrong... haha). As I thought, I work SUPER HARD when I run. I now have an additional nifty chart when I sync my runs on the computer. Here's what my heart rate looks like:

W is going to help after seeing some secondary information after my semi-impromptu race in BFE (aka Rollingsville?? Somewhere I've never heard of, and a lot further away than I thought).
3. In preparation of possible rain, I decided to wear a full hat vs. the visor. Any warmer than 55-60 degrees is probably too hot to be running in a cotton hat. Next run I may wear the hideous Canyonlands hat that seems to be made of mesh or something.

Anyway, the 10 miles were hard (as is evidenced by the heart rate chart), but it wasn't the worst ever. Hurrah.