FL runner: I'm going through an insane amount of fluids this time of year - losing upwards of 8-10lbs to sweat on long runs! I tried the whole belt thing a while back, but it just did not work for me. I use an Amphipod handheld and refill it at water fountains along my routes. The great thing about Nuun is that I can wrap the tabs in cling wrap and stick them in the little pocket on my water bottle - just drop a tab in when I refill and I'm good for another few miles!
Holy crap! That's a lot of fluid loss! I wonder how much I lose through sweat? Never weighed myself before and after a run because I hydrate on course. Unlike most of you guys it seems even though I average about 80oz of water a day (excluding run hydration) when I go on a run I still need about an oz a mile. That's averaged out of course. I don't start drinking usually right in the beginning, but if you tally up what I drank total, it's at least an oz a mile. THEN I have a protein/electrolyte drink in the car that's about 18/20ozs, and still have a bottle of plain water. I usually pull back into the garage with both of those empty or close to. Eventually, I start peeing off the excess, but only takes about 2 trips to the loo and then that stops. How any of you are able to run 6 miles and under without hydrating on course is amazing to me because my body is apparently quite thirsty....
I wish there were water fountains outdoors anywhere here.
That is why I have to plot routes that go past Dunkin Donuts or convenience stores... no outdoor fountains to get water for free!
My rail trail has one around mile 2, and then depending on the fork you take, one about 3 miles from the first one (stopping in a bike shop where I think DH said they have a water cooler). There is a gas station and bagel shop just around the water fountain- but I don't need to refill that early, and on the way back, the fountain is so close to the other two that I just run to the fountain. But if you take the other fork- the longer one, I don't think there's a lot close to the trail to hydrate. I think it's because in MA, in the winter, fountain pipes are prob likely to freeze and burst, but I could be wrong.
During my warm-up I got chased by dogs last night. A pair of dogs got through a front storm door and came tearing at me growling and barking in an attack posture. I was on the public sidewalk just jogging along. It has really gotten under my skin. I had a really bad fight-or-flight reaction, with flight not really an option. My Adrenalin spiked and I couldn't sleep at all. I'm not sure it isn't the same pair of dogs that came at me two months ago.
The idea of needing to drive to a location, for running workouts, in order to avoid people with poor "boundary skills" has me in a twist. I should be able to use the public right-of-way, the sidewalk, in any legal fashion without the threat of terror.
I could report them to animal control. Believe me, depending upon what I request, their lives could become quite miserable. Unfortunately the lives of the dogs, primary, and the owners, secondarily. Getting a bureaucracy involved seems overkill. How do you communicate to "self absorbed" that it is not okay to threaten people on the sidewalk?
Wow, if you have dogs that are strong enough (and who have that strong of a prey drive) to go through a screen storm door- then you're really a bad owner to not do something about it. My dog is a Rottweiler. She's 15ish months old, already 100 pounds give or take, and strong as heck. But she's a baby in personality and very lovey. She wouldn't honestly hurt a fly. Still, I took no chances. I have a chain link fence around our part of our back yard to make a pen for her. It's tall enough that even if she takes a running start from the other side of the pen she can not jump it. And we have no screen doors that don't lead into the fenced area. The raised deck has one- but we don't leave that open if she's in the house loose. It does not lead into her pen- it leads out into the woods. She may be gentle, but she has a strong chase instinct (her fave target is things on two wheels. Joggers not so much) and I've known that about her since she was literally 8 weeks old.
While I would hate that the dogs be put down for doing what dogs do; those owners clearly do not care enough to protect their dogs from that possibility. We live on a country road. I took NO chances that my dog could get loose because while our back property backs to the woods, the front of the house is about 60 feet from said two lane country road. Posted speed limit 45. And you know no one does the speed limit on back country roads.
So yeah, I cared enough about my dog to spend the money on 8 gauge 8 foot tall black coated chain link fence. It is tension banded along the bottom and between fence posts so that it can not be pushed out of place to allow a dog to dig, jump, squeeze, etc underneath it. I had it installed to the tune of nearly 2400 bucks. But that is called responsibility; I took no chances that she could get out and get lost, hit, or god forbid attack someone because lovers or not- Rotties have a very strong prey drive and protection drive. I would feel horrible if she got out and got hit or bit someone.
If you fear confrontation or retaliation, maybe type up a note and leave it in their mailbox. Let them know that you fear that the dogs will continue to get out and attack innocent passerby- maybe even children- or worse; be hit by a car. Even worse? Someone whose fight or flight response runs more towards flight; they run into the street to avoid the dogs and THEY get hit by a car. If nothing changes after that? Do what you gotta do my dear.
I hate running with a flappy cord on wired headphones, so I splurged last year on these. Although they have a lifetime warranty against sweat, so I should be able to exchange them, but that means parting with them for some period of time!
