Running Tip #27 - Portable Pharmacy

I carry a portable pharmacy when I run. This consists of a small plastic film canister filled with a few important pills. I generally use an APS film canister, but 35mm will work well. You can get these from most places that process film. I put a little packing foam in the bottom, and then use another 'plug' of packing foam at the top. This foam prevents the pills rattling and breaking apart. In the film pot I have:

• Electrolyte capsule. I don't use these very often, but they are useful if there are no other electrolytes available.
• Antacid tablets. Some foods can acidify the stomach, especially coke.
• Gas-x. Any gas can cause real pain when running, and it's hard to predict what will cause it.
• Ibuprofen. This is the strongest and the most dangerous of the pills I carry. I will post an entry specifically on Ibuprofen.
• Caffeine. The world's favorite recreational drug and the best plant neurotoxin! More seriously, I will write a post on this drug as well.
• Katadyn MicroPUR MP1. Having water purification tablets can be handy at times, especially on long trail runs. These are the smallest and most reliable on the market. http://tinyurl.com/yfkpar2
  

From left to right: Foam plug, MicroPUR (foil), Antacid (green), Gas-X (pink), ibuprofen (red), electrolyte capsules, caffeine (yellow)