Where Is My Water Belt?

Guest Blogger Eric Jorgensen

I’m in the middle of a four-month marathon training schedule that concludes with our San Francisco Marathon, and I’m hitting that point when you can’t run the long runs without stopping for water.

You see, there’s a problem with that. I recently moved and I seem to have misplaced my hand-strapped water bottle that I love so much. And by misplaced I mean I have no idea if I packed it or threw it away. But it’s okay, because I have an imitation CamelBak. Except that it broke when I snapped it onto my back recently—imitation indeed. So, I used some store credit I have on a particular outdoors shopping website to buy a particular brand of water bottle belt to be delivered by a particular delivery company. That was a month ago, and I haven’t received a shipping notification. I am a officially a water-scavenging runner until that thing arrives.

My long runs are severely limited by me not owning a not-broken or not-delivered water dispensing unit. I pretty much am confined to running paths with water fountains available. Being that I know of only one in San Francisco, I pretty much only run one path. Where is my water belt!?

I could run loops that bring me by my house, but it’s half a mile straight up from any angle, and after you make that climb the last thing you want to do is trek back out.

A few marathon employees and ambassadors have encouraged me to run some of the trails with them, which sounds lovely, in theory. In theory I should have my water belt I paid for that would allow me to stay hydrated while I run and laugh and be merry.

I want my water belt.

Could I buy a new one? No. I paid for one already and that’s the one I want. Could I email the website and deliver a piece of my mind? Yes, but that won’t get my belt here in time for my 14-miler this weekend. That reminds me, I’m going to need a few of you to line the Marin Headlands with water bottles for me this Saturday. Thanks, friends.

I hope you all are building up the miles in your legs and working out how often to fuel and hydrate. Good luck out there!