If you are training for an endurance event( anything longer than 10k),  you need to become an expert on hydration. It is all about a balance between input and output. What you pee and sweat is the output. What you drink is the input. We measure the difference in weight. If you could measure your weight before and after exercise you could safely assume it was water loss. You should attempt to maintain your weight during exercise by fluid intake.

 Keeping hydrated does several things for us:

It is the primary cooling agent we have. 80% of our effort goes into cooling.Chilling!

Second,  it is the limiting factor in distance and performance. You can run all day without food. Not water!

How do you know if you are not drinking enough in an event? The first sign of dehydration is mental- Irritability. Later, muscle cramps from electrolyte loss can occur. Next,your performance can decrease or a slow rise in pulse for the same pace means your heart is working harder with less blood. Where did my blood go?- Fluids for sweat are pulled from your blood. Salting up on your clothes or face means your in trouble too. Start drinking right away. The latter signs are worse: Nausea and feeling hot means your close to heat exhaustion. Now your red-lining!

 Consider these facts:

An athlete can sweat  off 1 to 1.5 liters per hour. A mere one percent weight loss could impede performance.

 Two hours of sweating could be a 25 % reduction in cardiovascular performance.

Convinced yet?

The challenge  is replacing it. So, here are the basics.

                                             1. Find a fluid that  you like. Gatorade, Performax, Infinite,… the list is enormous.

                                             2. Try to intake 70-80 grams of carbs per hour in your fluid. You will get better at drinking with effort.

                                             3. Protein, chromium, and vanadium inprove insulin action during performance. So, if these are in your drink, it is even better. Protein in a one to four ratio with carbs is ideal but it has to go down easily. Modify one element at a time.

                                            4. Weigh before and after exercise keeping a log of the other factors: temp, humidity, wind, effort…This will help you adjust your intake.

                                            5. Plan your hydration: look at your log and compare this exercise / race with previous similar ones that have similar temperatures.  Come up with a plan. ” I need to drink two bottles in 90 min.” or “I can get three bottles down on the bike.”

When you get it right, you’ll feel good, recover well, and race great!

Obviously this is not easy. Give it some distinct effort. If you still have trouble, come on in and we’ll problem solve together.