To belt or not to belt

The biggest mistake I made in running my first half marathon several weeks ago was running the race differently from how I trained. In all my runs longer than 8 miles I wore a belt with two liquid flasks on it and a pocket to carry gels. I drank nuun-water from the flasks and took Powerade strawberry-banana gels when I needed them. It worked for me during training, but during the race I stuffed a couple gels I'd never taken before (Gu chocolate flavored, which were way too thick) in my shorts pockets and relied solely on the fluid stations on the course, which featured water and Gatorade.

The problem is that I can't drink from cups when I run (even pinching the cup) and I don't like to stop and walk while I drink because it slows my momentum and I never seem to get it back. Plus, running with walk breaks isn't how I train. So I was taking gels that I didn't like and wasn't accustomed to and couldn't get the hydration I needed from the fluid stations on the course. I believe dehydration is what killed me the last couple miles and resulted in severe cramping.

So I pretty much accepted that my belt will come with me this weekend at my half marathon, no matter how dorky I may look, but after going through a few posts on a message board about running marathons without or without a fuel belt, I'm starting to second guess myself again. Do I want the extra weight since I do have a time goal for this race? I'm looking at hauling around at least an extra pound and a half to two pounds due to the belt and water weight. How comfortable will the belt be if I'm trying to kick it into a higher gear to finish the race? How will I look in pictures?

I think it's normal to question, second-guess, and slightly alter race day strategy during the run up to the big day, especially when you don't have a lot of endurance race experience. But it's not fun, and it is nerve wracking. And, in the end, I'm sure I'll go with my plan to wear the belt and be glad that I did.

And it's much more better for me to worry about wearing a dumb belt for the race than worrying about everything race related like I did the first time. In a few more half marathons I might even go into them completely confident and ready.