First sweat of the year!

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Happy Monday everyone!  Hope you all had a fabulous Easter weekend.  Mine was filled with family and yummy food!  I made a cake for dessert.  It's always fun to decorate and be creative with a holiday cake!  

But of course all the indulging on Easter meant I had to get a good run in on Monday!  Luckily the weather was still nice and warm.  I decided we would go on the Tickle Creek trail so Maverick could take a dip in the creek if he got too warm.  And once we got going and on the trail, I was hot enough I felt like jumping in with him!!  Yesterday was the hottest of the year so far, even tho it was only in the low 60's, but I think today was even hotter!  It defiantly made me feel sluggish (which also could have been from all the champagne yesterday too) and for the first time on a run this year, I was dripping sweat!  Lovely image, I know, but I had forgotten what it was like to run in the warmer weather!  Which made me think I was also gonna have to start getting my runs in when I get home in the morning while it's still cool out.  Once we got to the end of the trail I decided we would just take the trail back home instead of our normal way which takes us through town, just so we could stay out of the sun and stay in the shade to help stay cool.  I usually don't like going this way home because there are some difficult hills, when you're at the bottom looking up, it looks like stairs you're about to climb!  Going through town is more of a steady incline up.  We made it to the top of the "stairs"  and only had a half mile left until we were home, so we picked up our pace, thinking about getting a drink of water the whole time!  The 5 miles I did today felt harder than the 12 I did Saturday!

Which brings me to my next thought!  As my runs get longer, and the weather gets warmer I'm looking into getting a hydration belt or camel back.  Most runners use a belt, and I tried one on at a store and it was light and comfortable, but trying to get the water bottle out of the holder while running, wasn't so easy.  I also tried on a camel back, and the water is easier to access because you have a straw, and you can carry more water, which would be nice for longer runs and hotter days.  But it would be heavier and I think would make me hotter having something on my back.  It's a tough decision and at the end of the day I think I will end up with both, but will start our with a belt :))

What do you prefer to use while running to stay hydrated and why?