Tips and tricks for using a fuel belt

I have the same belt, with four bottles and the little pocket in front for keys, gels, whatever.

I don't use it in races (where I live off of the course), but when I use it in training, I put sports drink in two, and water in two.  I usually put a lot of ice in two of the four bottles (one water and one sports drink) as it will be melted before I ever get to using those bottles, and maybe, just maybe, the drink will still be cool.

For me personally, it works best with the bottles upright (not horizontal) and on my sides.  When I have a bottle on my back, my lower back gets sore after a while.  I put sports drink on one side, water on the other.  That way the two sides get drained at roughly equal rates and the whole thing stays 'balanced'.

I find that I have to have the belt cinched down fairly tight to keep it from wandering.

I like the little bottles -- for a shorter run in the heat, when I think that I might really want a drink part way through, I will often just carry one in my hand as they are easy to carry that way. 

Bottle positioning - my belt holds 6 bottles. My order of wearing the bottles is this:
Front right
Back left
Back right
Side left
Side right
Front left

For whatever reason I hate having a bottle on my front left. And I think I've only run with all 6 bottles a few times, it's a lot of weight and they get in the way of my arms.

My belt only has the upright option - it's 6 years old, so I didn't have as many options.


Contents - have only done marathons
Gatorade only for up to 13 miles
After 13 miles I would water down honey and put it in a bottle, it served as my Gu and was a lot cheaper. Had to be careful though to not save it from week to week if I didn't eat it all because it would mold. I rarely took water with me. Ran my first marathon with the belt because I wanted to hydrate on my own schedule. My other two I used what was on the course and much preferred the running free feeling. My favorite part of any training day was when I got back and riiiiiiip that velcro came off!


Misc advice - be careful what fabrics you use it with. I have a windproof jacket that is fairly slippery and the belt would ride up something fierce. I'd have to wear it under the jacket for it to stay put.
If you train in the winter for a few hours at a time, don't be surprised if the gatorade starts to turn slushie like.
Also a big fan of just carrying one or two bottles if it's a shorter run.
My friends refer to them as my udders, which I find amusing.