Footstrike, cadence, and new shoes

The last several months have been incredibly busy for me and as such, several significant topics I have been meaning to write about have not happened. Getting into those topics, the first one to mention is that I have switched my "go-to" footwear to match my new after my issues with knee pain and transitioning from a rear foot strike pattern to a mid-forefoot strike with a higher cadence. As it turns out, I had kept several pairs of my old Asics in my closet, meaning to recycle them, so I pulled them out to examine the wear patterns. The first is an example of my Enduro 2's from about 2006.

So with these shoes, while I wore them for several months, the lining wore out more than the soles did. The wear pattern is limited, but you can see in the center of the midfoot, the wear is most obvious in the green line that is running the length of the shoe, suggesting that my foot strike was mostly midfoot. Next up is the same shoe, newer version, from circa 2009.

Now, while some wear is obvious in the midfoot, you can see that I have done something notably different with my foot strike because the heels are shredded! The grey color there is where I have worn clear through the black layer. So, I do not have any particular recollection of changing my stride between these eras of running. The typical total miles/week also did not change that much. My thought is that I was focused on running and did very little cross training and got into a poor-form rut without noticing. The result was the knee pain that I mentioned before. That pain led to some strengthening exercises which have been very helpful for me. Once I started paying attention to my foot strike and my cadence, I found it easy to switch to a midfoot strike, and looking through my shoe history, I wonder if I was not a natural midfoot striker when I started and then got sloppy over the years.

So the one serious problem I noticed with footstrike and cadence changes is that the Enduros were now more difficult to run in. Why? The wedge of the heel (heel-toe drop about 14mm) made the footstrike quite difficult. So I spent a lot of time reading the Runblogger and settled on trying a pair of the Saucony Kinvaras. These brand new Kinvaras have a heel-toe drop of about 4 mm and I just love running in them. At a recent race expo, the local shoe store had some Kinvaras for sale, alas, not my size, but when I was browsing them, no less than 4 people commented on how much they loved them, how quickly they sold, or asked what I thought of them. Clearly, Saucony has done something right, or at least popular.

So, a couple of races under my belt with plenty of miles and my Kinvaras have some wear. A little is on the outer heel (note the grey triangle with black peeking through) but the majority of wear is actually on the outer midfoot. The wear is a little harder to see, but the texture of the ridges is notably worn. I am very happy with the Kinvaras, they feel great, and I have got my next pair waiting in the closet once these wear out.

In praise of crap tech

Marketplace from NPR invited Thomas Hayden on to discuss a blog post he did on "crap tech" (The Market place segment aired back in early December). As an avid user of "crap" mp3 players like my Sansa clip, I thought it was great. Hayden provides some excellent points as to why a $20 MP3 player is superior to a $400 media device. Crap tech lets you avoid feature creep and the need to continuously buy the newest version of something. If you drop it or lose it, no worry, you can do that 20 times over before breaking even.

Open Letter to ASICS

April 24, 2011

ASICS America Corporation

Nobou Oda, Chairman and CEO

29 Parker, Suite 100

Irvine, CA 92618

Tel: (800) 678-9435

consumer@asicsamerica.com

Dear Nobou Oda,

In my letters to you dated November 20 2009, January 19 2010, June 14 2010, and November 18 2010, I detailed my passion for running and my enjoyment of running in ASICS Gel Enduro trainers. Further, I expressed my concern about conditions common to many clothing and shoe manufacturing facilities.

Over the past two years, I have been pleased to see a series of improvements to your website which provide great detail about your policy on Corporate Responsibility. Since my last letter, I note that the website contains further detail about restrictions on work hours, benefits, workplace safety, fair wages, child labor, and collective bargaining for employees of your business partners. I also note that you provide information on internal, external, and FLA conducted audits of your manufacturing facilities as well as educational programs given to the managers at your subcontractor facilities.

This self-reported information reassures me that ASICS is committed to a fair and safe workplace. If I may suggest an additional layer of verification of these commitments, I would encourage ASICS to consider inviting organizations other than the FLA, such as Team Sweat or the Worker Rights Consortium, to inspect subcontractor facilities.

As I have previously noted, I am a consumer willing to pay more for products produced with a commitment to social justice. As I have been doing with my previous ASICS purchases, I will again demonstrate this commitment with a donation to Jim Keady and Team Sweat (http://www.teamsweat.org). I will also begin making contributions to the Worker Rights Consortium.

In sound mind and body,

David E. Winchester, MD

cc:

Vivienne Riggio

ASICS Corporation

Corporate Social Responsibility

vivienner@asicsamerica.com

Jim Keady

Captain, Team Sweat

http://www.teamsweat.org

info@teamsweat.org

Steven Walker

Host of Phedippidations

http://www.steverunner.com

steve@steverunner.com

Fair Labor Association

1707 L St. NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20036

http://www.fairlabor.org

info@fairlabor.org

Scott Nova, Executive Director

Worker Rights Consortium

5 Thomas Circle NW

Fifth Floor

Washington DC 20005

nova@workersrights.org

Prior letters:

June 2010

November 2010

Some thoughts on sunscreen

The weather has finally offered a respite to us Floridians, and the temperature on my morning run today was a brisk I-don't-know-for-sure-but-something-under-70-degrees. As this weather (hopefully) continues, the need for things like sunscreen diminishes, but I wanted to write a little bit about some sun-protection products out there which are new to me, and you might be interested in trying the next time you are baking under the burny-fireball in the sky (ie: the sun).

The majority of sunscreen comes in an opaque bottle and is a white goo you must smear on yourself wherever you don't want to be burned. As a doctor and having seen my fair share of people with skin cancer, I must remind everyone of the importance of using sunscreen even if this goopy stuff is all you can get a hold of. Now, a few years ago, I started using a clear, alcohol based sunscreen. My favorite brand is BullFrog because the stuff is nearly impossible to sweat off. For that matter, it can be tough to get off with soap in the shower. I like the alcohol-base because it applies more quickly and easily and leaves less icky residue on your hands. Several other companies make alcohol-based products and I think they are worth a try.

Now, the post today is about the newest products I've started using. I had them for my runs on the beach this past weekend and they worked great. The product is an aerosol base so instead of rubbing it on, it sprays on, basically how you would use bug repellent like Off! or Cutter. This has several advantages, first is easy and even coverage. Second is that, in a pinch, you can even spray your own back. Third, nothing is left on your hands when you're done.

This spray stuff is a little more expensive than the usual, but in exploring that, I'd like to make a quick analogy to medicine: the distinction between 'use' and 'perfect use'. While the use of sunscreen, with regular reapplication, and using additional protection like shirts and hats is accepted as a way to avoid sunburn and cancer. Cancer rates are going up, despite higher sales of sunscreen. Why? It may be a result of the 'regular use' of sunscreen, which is where people use sunscreen, but not properly. They don't reapply, stay out too long, and think that if they've applied it once at 8AM, they're good through to 6PM without a shirt or anything else. So, if this product helps people use sunscreen properly, I think it is well worth the additional cost.

So, to summarize my experience with these sprays, I used two products, one from Coppertone and one from Banana Boat. I liked the Coppertone better because I found that the Banana Boat product went on a little too thick and I ended up having to smear it about to rub it in, defeating the purpose, in my mind, of having a spray on product.

Give them a try and remember to be safe!

Another in the minimalist shoe lineup, New Balance Minimus

As the minimalist shoe/barefoot running movement continues to grow and gain traction (har har), I keep seeing more and more products coming out. I came across this video recently from New Balance talking about their new foray into minimalism, the Minimus. Now, I've not seen them in stores yet, but a couple of things put these on the list of "shoes I might be interested in one day".

First, the mesh/rubber body of the shoe (from what I can see of the video) looks a lot like the setup of my Saucony Fastwitch 3's. Wearing those, I really feel a snug and glovelike fit which I enjoy and I am imagining I will like the feel of the Minimus as well.

Second, these have the advantage over Vibram's shoes in that they have a traditional toe box, not "toe gloves" which work okay to fit my feet, but there are plenty of people out there who can't use VFF's because of their toe anatomy. Also, while I don't dislike the look of Vibrams, someone commented on this video that they can't wait for the Minimus so they can "replace [their] hideous VFF's".

Third, I've talked before about interaction with companies and had success in actually contacting people at companies like ASICS. I am glad to hear that Anton Krupicka has had a good interaction with New Balance and I think we, as consumers, should continue to be smart and conscious about the products we buy.

Timex Ironman Global Trainer review from Engadget

For those interested in an alternative to the Garmin, you might consider the Timex Ironman Global Trainer. Engadget has a pretty good review and makes some important comparisons to the current 800-lb gorilla of GPS watches, the Forerunner 305.

Supporting your running habit on the cheap

Being in Florida, advances in "tech" clothing (ie: 100% poly) does tend to make life a little more bearable when it gets hot and stays that way. If you've not read some of my older posts about the Florida weather, I can summarize by saying it's frickin' hot in the summer, and you can't escape it. Run at 4 AM? 100% humidity. Run at noon? It's 95 degrees. Run at 6pm? It's both.

Anyway, the reason for the post is not the weather, but to mention that I manage to support my running habit pretty cheaply and I wanted to illustrate it for people who might be starting. Let's start with clothes. As I mentioned, I do tend to run in all poly/technical fabrics. That includes shirt, shorts, and socks. Sometimes my hats are cotton. On longer runs these clothes are great, but I must admit, if you're only doing a couple of miles at a time, you should be just fine in the old cotton tees that we all have laying around. Where do i get my gear? Almost exclusively from two places. Target and pre-race expos. I have found great deals on closeout shorts at expos and there is always some guy there with no-name brand shorts. Now, some of you might be able to tell a difference between a $10 pair of shorts and a $50 pair, but I'm glad I can't. They seem to last plenty long as well, I just threw out my first two pair of running shorts which are now about four years old (the elastic finally wore out of the support net). At target, the Champion line of gear is affordable (nothing over $15-20) and equally durable in my opinion. I do have a couple of pair of "nice" Pearl Izumi shortsthat I got for Xmas. They are nice, but I have not noticed any reason to go out of the way to buy more.

Okay, so that's clothes, next up gels and sports foods. Again, this is going to depend on what your perceived needs are when it comes to supporting you on your runs. Sometimes grocery stores have decent choices to sample these products, and since I don't use them all that much I like to try out new ones. For the most part, you aren't going to find these products a lot cheaper at the grocery store, so you may just have to go to the local running store. If you do settle on one that you really like, consider buying it in bulk. I have bought Sport Beans and Clif Shot Bloks, this way and it is nice to have options out on a long run even if I don't eat them that much. Of course if you wanna go even cheaper (potentially) and more organic, you can make your own, which I would do if I used it more. (Plenty more recipes if you search)

Okay, clothes, gels, and I've talked about shoes and Zappos.com before. What else do you really need? I'll write about my Garmin Forerunner 305 sometime soon. It is a funny device in that it is both one of my favorite gadgets, and one I could easily live without.

Gear: Saucony Fastwitch 3

I've mentioned before that my typical training shoe is the Asics Gel Enduro. As a reminder, this is billed as a trail running shoe, although 95% of my runs are on asphalt/concrete. These fellas weigh in at a fairly standard weight of 11 oz. They fir me snugly and provide what I consider to be excellent support for my foot. Aside from some minimal ITB I had after running two marathons three weeks apart, (Jax and Disney) I've not had the first injury (famous last words).

Anyway, one day I was kicking around on Zappos (the greatest internet shoe site ever) and came across some lighter racing shoes. I had been doing some reading about 'racing flats' and thought they might work well for me. The wisdom I had read was that they offered the opportunity for strong runners with good form to cut their time down by using lighter shoes with less cushioning and support. As an aside, this is also in fitting with part of the current iteration of the 'barefoot running' resurgence, which suggests that if you run with the right form, you don't need fancy overcushioned shoes, but that's a post for another day.

The lightweight shoes I settled on were the Fastwitch 3 by Saucony. Even better was the fact that they came in a great orange and blue palette (the current model is an equally obnoxious Lance Armstrong-esque yellow and black). These shoes cut the weight down to 8 oz. by removing as much material as possible. As a result, watch out for puddles, there is a hole in the midfoot to eliminate another 0.001 oz of rubber.

Again, very comfortable on my foot. The upper is basically all mesh with just a little rubber for support and the resulting feel is almost like snug slippers rather than shoes. They make me feel much faster when I run, but the best part is that I actually do seem to drop a solid :15 off my mile pace!

Now, I'm a doctor. I am keenly aware of the placebo effect and for all I know, the improvement in time is a figment of my desire to believe I am faster in my 'magic shoes'. Furthermore, I have only really run in them just prior to and during races. It is certainly possible that as nervous energy builds during taper and prior to my race, the excitement turns into adrenaline, which fuels my speed.

Of course, do I really care if it's psychological or physiological? I would be wearing shoes either way, and the cost difference between the shoes is not that much ($20)

I have enjoyed my Saucony's and if you feel up to it, I think flats might be worth trying for many racers. If I can drop my pace by 15 seconds, maybe you don't have to be Kenyan to enjoy a shoe specific for racing.

Gear: yurbuds

A minor debate exists among runners: to run with or without MP3's/podcasts/iPods/etc. Races that formerly took a hard line against the use of any such devices have become more tolerant over the years. Many people find they can only run distances if they have audio distractions.

My opinion on the matter is that during a race, I am focused on running to the point where I largely do not want or need music/podcasts, but often a point comes in the race where my fatigue is noticeably reduced by a steady fast beat from some loud punk or rock music (techno can be nice too). Additionally, when I am running the same 4 mile out and back at my house for the 100th time, it can get a little tedious. Therefore, I do listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks. This lets me multitask to learn and stay fresh with current events while staying fit and training. Interestingly, spoken word seems to slow my pace (which may be good for long, slow days).

This all brings me to today's gear post. At the Disney expo, I found a booth for Yurtopia who has recently started manufacturing a product called yurbuds. These are molded gel inserts for your standard earbuds so that they fit snugly in your ear. They are not custom (very expensive) but they are sized (using a picture of your ear). Previously, I had been using over-the-ear plastic things that at least kept the buds from popping out, but they never fit very snugly.

After using them for the last week, I am thrilled. For $30 ($25 at the expo) you get yurbuds and new earphones to match. Mine have never been in danger of falling out of my ears. Between the custom sizing and slight stickiness of the silicone, they stay put very well in the ear. They are very close to my ear shape and I can wear them for hours without any pain in my ears.

Anyway, even if you are happy with your current audio solution, if you see them at your next race expo, stop by for a quick fitting and see what you think.


I took this picture holding my digital camera at arm's length, and this is all you need to get fitted.

The company has an affiliate program you can sign up for. My affiliate code is: HKTIC if you decide to make a purchase.

RoadID, sturdy contact info

I've got a 2-3 page race report from Disney coming up, but in the meantime, let me put in a quick post about another piece of my gear that I love. The RoadID is a small steel plate engraved with emergency contact info that you can purchase for under $20. They come as ankle straps, bracelets, or my choice, the shoe strap. Using velcro this little thing attaches to the bottom two loops of my shoelaces and has six lines of text that you can customize however you like. It is highly durable and a great way to carry contact info without needing an ID or wallet.

Neat product aside, I especially want to highlight the customer service, something often overlooked in present business plans. Durable as it is, the steel managed to wear enough on mine that the text was a fading. Obviously, if you can't read the text, this little thing is pretty useless. So I went to the website, read the lifetime guarantee, found the email address for the President (the only email address they list) and told them what happened. The next morning, they had found my tag in their database just based on my name, and once confirmed, sent a replacement free of charge, no questions asked.

A+ customer service, love it!

Think about getting one of these for the runner/cyclist/outdoorsy person in your life. They offer giftcards as well, so you can buy one for someone and let them customize the text however they desire. Hopefully you never need use something like this, but if you do, I think you will be happy with how easy the RoadID works.

Quoting their email to me:

Hello David,

Absolutely. All of our IDs have a lifetime guarantee and we would be happy to replace it for you. I will place an order for you a replacement ID plate right away, free of charge. We have recently re-tooled our engraving process, so you should not experience this issue again. You will notice that your new ID’s text will be bolder and darker. When you receive your new plate, you will need to just swap it out with your old one. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks, take care!

Please confirm the below text is what you would like and correct:

-removed-

If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

Be safe out there,

Andrew Roe
Customer Service
Road ID

GEAR: snacks and gels

Happy New Year everyone. I started 2010 with a 4 mile run on the beach and 13.1 today as my "peak" of recovery/training before starting to taper for Disney this coming weekend.

The topic for today is my thoughts about gels, goo, and snacks for race day. Everyone has their own method for getting calories in before and during a race. Some indulge in doughnuts, others hold fast to strict nutrution with "slow" carbs and maybe a little protein. In any given running store, there is usually at least one entire rack dedicated to protein and energy bars and another to various types and flavors of high-carb energy products. I don't know any serious runners who indulge in the sometimes dangerous herbal supplement market, but I did notice someone with "5 hour energy" at the Jax race, so perhaps that is gaining some popularity now as well. I don't condone the use of these types of products, consult the medical literature to figure out why.


The first protein bars that I recall were the original Powerbars. They are a taffy-like consistency product for getting large protein boluses in for people who use their muscles all the time. My recollection is that they were originally intended for the weightlifting market and usually were sold next to the creatine shakes at GNC. Now though, there are dozens of brands and varieties: organic, zone balanced, high carb, caffeine infused, and so on. My personal favorite is the Snickers brand of energy bar. They fall somewhere between the indulgence of a candy bar and the "health" of other products. I especially like them because they match very well to a hot cup of coffee, which I consider vital to my ritual pre-morning-long run as well as pre-race. In addition to getting your legs used to distance, I believe it is very important to experiment on long-run days during training to figure out how to best energize, so when race-day comes, you know what to expect.

That goes double for during the race. Some of the first gels were, similar to Powerbars, very pasty and difficult to eat on the run. If you look around, you can find others that you can almost eat without any water/sportsdrink. Personally, I like the Powerbar brand of gels which are a bit thinner and easier going down than other brands. I have also used Clif brand Shot Bloks on occasion. These are more akin to gelatin which you can chew as you go. Another way to eat them is actually to just pocket them in the cheek and let them slowly dissolve as you run. This has the benefit of both a slow/constant absorption of carbs as well as avoiding a highly concentrated bolus of goo in your stomach, which can make some people queasy. I have come across recipes online to make your own gels with honey and other natural products, so don't feel confined to the stuff at the store if you don't find anything that suits you.

One other thing to consider in selecting gels is caffeine. Now, I enjoy a cup of coffee every morning and especially so before a race. If you indulge in soda/tea/coffee, then caffeine can be great. It can give you an important boost late in the race and has been shown to help aid in muscle recovery. If you've never used caffeine, you might tread cautiously with these, but just try them out on a long run before you use them on race day. Also, even the highest caffeinated products have no more of the drug than a 12 oz can of Mountain Dew (50mg), a 20 oz cola, 2/3 oz of espresso, or 3-4 oz of drop coffee.

Post race/long run, carbs are important, but a little protein is good as well to begin rebuilding muscle. I typically don't use premade products for post-race recovery (unless they're free at the post-race party). For me, nothing is better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (satisfying), perhaps some chocolate milk, and fresh fruit (hydrating and refreshing). Again, figure what works well for you. I frequently have some stomach discomfort after running distances over 13, but quickly eating when I finish usually helps. If you have similar discomforts, I also find I can avoid them by taking a histamine blocker (generic zantac) before starting my run.

Good luck and healthy nutrition!

Tapering and feeling strong

Fully into my taper for Jax now. I ran 38 last week and for now I am on pace to do just over 20 this week heading into the 26.2 on Sunday. So, what's on the checklist for preparations?

Weather: Currently Jax will be a low of 34 and high of 55 on Sunday with a storm coming through tomorrow and partly cloudy on Sun AM. If that holds, it will be fantastic conditions for the race!

Race Clothes: I don't have anything profound to say or think about the race, other than hopefully getting a BQ. But I don't want to be arrogant on raceday, so I don't want a shirt bragging about my goal. Instead I think I'll be wearing some Gator colors and a compression tee with my Saucony Fastwitches.

Raceday food: Got my energy bars (thanks, Erin). Still need to grab some gels. Gotta figure out if there is a coffee option at/near the hotel or if I'll have to resort to a Doubleshot.

Raceday gear: Got my Spibelt out. Will get raceday packet from 1st Place Sports on Saturday once we get to Jax. Garmin is working fine, but the chest strap has a spot on the back that was causing abrasions, so I haven't been using it for a while. I've redone my warmup and racing music for my Sansa clip. Still got my old school Adidas polarized sunglasses.

My Condition: I ran hard on Tues to see what kind of speed I was feeling like. I had a couple of miles at a 6:35-6:45 pace that were tiring, but felt good, so hopefully I'll be ready to maintain 7:00-7:08 for the race. Switching to my Saucony's feels great, light as air.

Carbs: Focused on carbs this week, anytime I feel hungry just going for it. So far so good.

Nerves: Feeling jittery, this could be a great race, but as Erin put it, it's quite exciting because I feel like I am on the cusp, but a BQ is far from a sure thing!

Asics Gel Enduro 2

Selecting the shoes best for your running is a complex question. It depends on your body type, foot anatomy, weight, pronation, planned terrain, and so on. There are a lot of people that have written much more detailed info about how to make the right selection, but how I selected mine ended up being serendipity.

Personally, I don't put much stock in individual "reviews" about any shoes (ie: how did they fit on some other runner's foot). If they don't fit for me, then I could care less if they won an editor's choice or some other award. More important to me in finding info online is about their weight, expected durability, cushioning/stability, and arch support.

Note: there is a growing movement/interest in barefoot running which I admit is interesting, but is not something I feel the need to plunge into just yet. Google has plenty of info, and currentlySteve is doing a lot of experimenting and really enjoying the freedom of running "au naturel".

Back in Tallahassee, there is a store called Shoe Station. It is a sort of warehouse of shoes, something like Payless or TJ Maxx. Many of the shoes are off models, old models, or marked down for some reason or another. Several years ago, I was not a competitive runner, but just a guy who went to the gym every once in a while, so I felt fine buying whatever shoes that fit well and were reasonably priced. I just could not bring myself to pay over $100 for shoes to stroll through the weights at the gym.

I went through several pairs of New Balance and Nikes like this, and then stumbled into Asics. I tried on the Gel Enduro II and fell in love. They fit like gloves on my feet and gave me the all the support I needed. After going through three pairs I was somewhat distraught to find that they were not being carried anymore. In a frantic search for more, I found Zappos.com. They still had a few pair left (which I snapped up).

If you have never used Zappos.com, the site is awesome. They actually have a standing 'bounty' of sorts where any customer rep who doesn't like their job gets a bonus, TO QUIT! That's right, they encourage the unhappy people to leave so that you get only the best customer service. (BTW, no financial interests for me to disclose here) The cost is sometimes a little more than you might find other places, but free shipping both ways is totally worth it. If you try on a pair and don't like them, send them right back, no questions asked.

I've since bought my racing flats from there (future post: Saucony Fastwitch3, mine are flaming orange) and moved on to the Asics Gel Enduro 4's. Although, I see now that they have started carrying the 5's, so I might have to stock up on 4's before seeing if the fit changes on me with the new edition.

Gear: Nathan HPL 20

Now for some info on my gear. Living in Virginia, the elements were a bit kinder in summer (I've never come home with my hair frozen in Florida). It is quite difficult to decide between runs at 7AM that are 75 degrees and 100% humidity or at 10AM that are 90 degrees and 70% humidity. Obviously staying hydrated and cool in these conditions is challenging.

I have tried a number of hydration options over the years. The "fuel belt" did not work well for me. This is a design with a wide neoprene foam belt that stretches to fit well. Different models come with different sizes and numbers of small bottles on them as well as pockets for gels and MP3 players. However, I kept hitting my arms on the little bottles and did not really feel like it met my needs. I ended up settling on a belt designed for hiking with two 1-liter bottles and a large pocket between that resed in the lumbar area. I found it at Walmart in the sporting goods section for like $10. It suited me well and let me go out for 20 miles, no problem. But it had limitations.

The belt shifted around and twisted on my waist. If the bottles were not balanced in their fluid amounts, they would make the belt shift worse. You could feel the water sloshing pretty easily. The belt was a canvas thing with no padding, so I had to improvise a solution with cut-up pieces of towel and rubber bands. Now in Florida, I was hoping for something new and better.

After much searching, I settled between a Camelbak and products from Nathan Performance Gear. My reservation about the Camelbak was the weight, nearly a pound without any water in it. I was not thrilled with the design and I spoke to some other runners and read reviews that were not stellar. The Nathan packs, on the other hand, weighed a mere 6 ounces and were universally reviewed well. For whatever reason (popularity??) They proved hard to find and most retailers were sold out. Road Runner Sports eventually turned up with an HPL 20 for under $70 shipped. I ran with it for the first time last week on an 8 mile run in the 75 degree 100% humidity.

It was great. Aside from me leaving too much air in the water bladder resulting in minor feeling of sloshing, I barely noticed it. The hose extends to right in front of your chest with an easy to use bite valve (note: pull the valve out AND bite it to get forward flow). Two relatively capacious pockets up front held my gel packs and keys, but I could have easily added a cell phone or more.

The heat and humidity made me run more slowly than I would have liked, but the water made it so that I still felt pretty darn good by the end of the run. I highly recommend the Nathan 20 to anyone looking for a backpack-style water source for running any significant distance. I was road-running, but I am sure it would be great on trails as well.