RWM & SMM PRODUCT REVIEW:hDROP

hDROP WEARABLE HYDRATION SENSOR: YES or NO?

I am admittedly bad at hydration.  For the amount of running that I do, I should be taking in significantly more fluids, both water and electrolyte enhanced drinks.  And, well…I just don’t.  For no good reason, honestly.  I’m just not on top of it.  And I don’t really get that thirsty.  But I am one hundred percent sure that my training would improve enormously if I was better about staying hydrated in general and rehydrating post-run.  Particularly in the summer when both the temperature and my mileage steadily creep up.  So, you can imagine my excitement when I recently saw an Instagram post about the hDrop gen 2 Wearable Hydration Sensor.  I had no idea anything like this existed and, as with all new things, was somewhat dubious.  But after reading some reviews, most of them solid, my interest was peaked.  I reached out to the company directly and asked if they would send one out for me to test and review and to my good fortune, they agreed.  Grab a seat and I’ll tell you all about it.

First, the hDrop sensor is very easy to set up.  Once you have downloaded the app, you are walked through step by step instructions with video images to go with it on how to get it started, which I very much appreciate as I am not one to read a manual.  Beyond that, you just need to thread the strap through and charge up the device.  After that, you’re ready to roll.  You can also sync the device up with your Garmin and there are step by step instructions on how to do this as well.  Again, very simple.

The first thing I did once I had it set up and charged was to take a THUMB read.  You can do this early in the morning before you have anything to eat or drink to get a sense of how well you are hydrated at that point.  I find this incredibly valuable as I’m a big coffee drinker and if I know I’m starting my day off under hydrated I’ll make an effort to take in some extra fluids before I down multiple lattes.  I’ve started doing this reading every day before I do any activities and I’m finding it super helpful.

I have also been wearing the hDrop device when I’m running for an active hydration reading.  I’ve tried to test it out in high heat and humidity (not a problem in July in MA) but also in cooler temps when I don’t intuitively think I need as much fluid.  I’ve worn it for easy runs, track workouts and long runs.  And the data I get back is fascinating.  For example, today I ran 16 miles.  I left at 7:40am and the temp was in the low 70; so not too hot.  But, the humidity was through the roof.  So, within five minutes I was dripping.  For the record, I drank a cup of coffee and a cup of water before my run.  I stopped to drink water from fountains at mile 5, 8 and 11.  I also splashed it on my face and neck.  I was out for a little over 2 hours in total.  Below you’ll see my post-run hDrop stats.

But what does this mean, you ask?  Fortunately, the hDrop team breaks it all down for you in layman’s terms.  I won’t go into full detail but I’ll try to give you the abridged version.  My sweat rate is above average; similar to losing about ¾ of a sports bottle per hour. So, I lost almost two full bottles during this run.  Even with the water I took in during the run, I lost more than I thought I would.  The sodium concentration in my sweat is on the higher end of medium.  As far as how much I lost, it was about a teaspoon of table salt or the equivalent to what’s contained in a full can of soup.  So, I’m going to need to heavy up on electrolytes and salty foods post-run.  Not a problem.  The temperature metric indicates the device’s temperature and it changes during my activity which it can read because it is directly on my skin.  Given how much I sweated, the reading of 85.7℉ (max 88.7℉) tells me that my body temp was well regulated throughout the run which suggests good hydration.  Go me.  There is also a graph that goes along with each of these metrics which is ideal for the visual learner.  And finally, hDrop provides a suggested recovery plan based on all of this data with the disclaimer, of course, that the device and the app are not FDA approved and the data may vary in accuracy.  In other words, this is yet another tool but by no means something to live your life by.

In a nutshell, this little white cube tracks fluid loss, sweat rate, sodium loss, potassium loss, and temperature. In my opinion, the best feature is that it provides a baseline sweat zone which is calculated after you’ve done several workouts.  This number may change over time but unless you’re doing something majorly different, it will likely remain the same or close.  Mine is currently 63.5 and has been the same for about two weeks.  But, here’s what I love.  It will then give you a score for each activity based on that baseline so you can get a sense of how well you’re hydrating for each run.  Today I scored a 78/100, so pretty good but not great.  Definitely room for improvement.  Now, for those of you who are skeptical, I get it.  There are a lot of gadgets out there in the sports industry and some are definitely more of a gimmick and, let’s be honest, probably unnecessary.  “Just drink lots of water”, you say.  And that’s fair.  But, for those of you who like data, and I know you’re out there, this thing is really, really cool.  And while it might not be as helpful for those who aren’t logging as many miles, I’m guessing it’s a very useful tool for those training for marathons and beyond.  I’m guessing it’s probably very useful when you’re fighting something and your body needs more fluids to heal.  Or a good way to get a read on how well you’re hydrated after a long flight.  I can think of several scenarios beyond running where this gadget could be a game changer.  For me, what it boils down to is this, when I’m dehydrated and I’m a little out of it, having a device that sends a signal suggesting that I replace fluids lost is just the tool I need to keep me from unraveling.  And I am all for that.  So, in conclusion, I give the hDrop device two very enthusiastic thumbs up.  Check it out and see for yourself.  And, no matter what, stay hydrated!

Retail Price - $249.99

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I Love You So F***ing Much - Glass Animals

Glass Animals · I Love You So F***ing Much

'NEW TRICKS' SERIES: ON RUNNING VS RACING

"Thank God I didn't look at the clock the whole race....if someone would have told me this morning that 3:56 doesn't make the team, I don't want to know that."

~ Nikki Hiltz, after winning the 1500 at the US Olympic trials

Checking my time. Running. Not racing.

When was the last time you raced with the goal being to beat as many people as you can as opposed to running a specific time?  Last summer I was trying to get mentally fired up for a local 5k.  It's not my favorite distance on account of how short it is.  Put it this way, I'd rather do a half than 3.1 miles.  But, I do them anyway as I know it's good to get outside my comfort zone every once in a while.  And I try really hard to practice what I preach.  So, this one was in July on Cape Cod.  The weather was calling for very high temps.  Fine, that's summer.  It's to be expected.  But also for high humidity.  Now this combo is really special.  Basically you know ahead of time that the simple act of breathing will be significantly more complicated than usual.  And, yet I still do these.  For fun.  But, I digress.  Okay, so I already knew this particular race was going to be incredibly challenging.  I was also coming back from a bout of mono last summer and hadn't greased the wheels for quite some time.  So, overall, my confidence was not super high.  I reached out to my friend and fellow coach, Halston Taylor, and asked him to help me with a race plan.  In so many words he explained that, to date, most of my races that I'd done had been for time.  For this one, he suggested, why not run to race?  Don't limit yourself to a time.  What if the goal is simply to perform?  To beat as many people as you can across 3.1 miles?  Why not try to be strategic and competitive and work to outrun your opponents both mentally and physically?  It was an interesting concept.  And he was right.  I have rarely raced for anything other than time.  More often than not, especially for marathons, a time has always been my primary goal.  So, this would be a different approach for me and I was curious if I could run this way.  For this race specifically, I knew there would be a lot of high school kids from one specific school that was nearby as they tend to show up every year as a team.  In my mind, before I even lined up, I assumed these kids were unbeatable for obvious reasons; mainly the age gap.  But also, because they're high school cross country runners. 

Coach Taylor laying it out

But, why?, Taylor challenged me.  You have know idea who you're up against.  There are a million factors that contribute to a good or bad race day performance.  Did you get enough sleep, are you feeling under the weather, did you do a hard workout two days beforehand?  Maybe you slept like a champ and Susie was up all night with her friends.  You should look at every race as an even playing field.  Make no assumptions.  Go out there with the plan being to run people down or, if not, to make them work for it.  In thinking about them versus yourself, you're taking the "me" out of the equation.  You're playing offense as opposed to defense, if you will.  And this changes everything.  Rather than thinking about yourself and what might go wrong you're thinking about your opponent and how you can best compete against them.  You're racing, not running.  And that became the goal.  I was going to try and truly race.  Not just show up and run for time.  I made a goal to pass five people in the second half of the race.  The weather?  It didn't matter anymore as we were all running in the same hot garbage.  Even playing field, right?  It's anyone's game.  Let's do this.  So the gun blew and we all set out.  There was a clear pack in the front, lead by the same gal who'd won the race the year before and followed by a handful of her teammates.  I ran in the back of this pack but kept them in site and tried to work off of them.  After the first mile, I'd managed to pass one of them and was close to a second.  I was hurting, don't get me wrong.  But, I knew we all were and I was thinking about who was in front of me, not how I was feeling or what might go wrong.  After mile two I had managed to pass two more runners.  And, get this, I was having fun.  Three down, two to go.  I could see the leader and one more guy in front of me.  I wasn't close but I was there and they knew it.  In the third mile, the guy walked off the course and I saw him leaning over his knees, most likely overheated and possible getting sick.  Not good.  Are you okay? I screamed out.  He nodded and waved me off so I kept going.  I watched as the leader looked behind her to see where I was.  

RUNNING TO RACE (& having a blast)

We were getting near the finish and I didn't think I could catch up to her but I was sure as hell going to try.  And, yes, she took the win, but it wasn't easy as it had been the year before.  I had given her a challenge and made her work for it.  And on top of that I'd passed three other people.  So, in my mind, I'd had a freaking great day and ultimately accomplished my goal.  I was pumped. And realized at that moment how racing can feel very different when you approach it from this angle versus just trying to run a time.  I joined a local racing team about five years ago, primarily to find more people to train and race with.  As I've gotten older, I've realized that I'm no longer as excited about running for time.  As a member of a team, I'm running to place high and score well.  Every point matters.  If I can edge someone out in the last kilometer it helps my team score higher.  I can honestly say that thinking this way puts a whole different spin on the mental aspect of the race for me.  Sure, I'm still nervous.  But, I'm also a hell of a lot more excited.  And at this stage in the game, that's really what it's all about.  As the great Coach Frank Dick once said, "Don’t look at the scoreboard (or, in this case, time), look at your performance and stay in the moment."  Words to live by.  

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Carousel by Until The Ribbon Breaks

UntilTheRibbonBreaks · Carousel (feat. Homeboy Sandman)