Train on Top - Volume 4: Hydration

Alright… the “sign up for TWO races by tonight” plan was an epic fail – I didn’t even sign up for one!! I even added a few more races to my “options” list! My time wasn’t a complete waste though – I did decide on a couple of races that I am for sure not going to run, and at least that helps me narrow down my options! Here’s what I’ve “decided on” so far:

• No marathon this summer. Which means no Grandma’s marathon.
• My reasoning? The triathlon season (at least here in good ol’ Minnesota) only lasts so long. I want to get in my tris while I can, because lord knows if $$ is my issue, I won’t be traveling all the way to Texas to race. (OK.. maybe just once a year ) That is.. unless a sponsor comes through.
• I have a complimentary entrance to one race… so I can’t “register” for that one. But to be fair, I do at least have this race picked out!
• I’m working on a list of the races the rest of the team is doing. We don’t all race together over the summer…  but it’s always fun to have familiar faces out on the course.

So that’s where I’m at. Now on to the title of the post: HYDRATION. This is an important component to nutrition and training for endurance athletes, and I thought it deserved its [almost] own post. So without wasting any time, let’s dive in:

Throwback to 2007! My baby Dakota knows what’s up: Hydration is key!

NUTR 3721: Hydration for the Endurance Athlete

Instructor Info: Prof. SperlyTriRunner
Office Hours: too busy training. Contact by email: drtrirunner@gmail.com

Roughly 70% of an adults body weight is made up of water. You could guess then that water is pretty essential to human life. Imagine what your body would look like of all the water were sucked up and dried out? No, I’m not trying to convert any of you to vegetarians, but you could end up looking like a bag of this stuff:

So we all get it, hydration is important. But how do we know how much is enough, and what is too much? Does it matter when you hydrate? What about while training or racing? Do I need a “sports drink” or can I just have water? What about electrolytes? I already gave you a disclaimer – I’m not a certified hydration expert here, but I’m going to do my best to cover this topic and at least get a good conversation going!

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

I’m sure most of you have heard the guideline at some point that you should all be drinking eight 8oz. glasses of water a day. Many studies have shown that that’s not necessarily the case. The “rules” become even more blurry for athletes. It has also been “claimed” that many caffeinated beverages do not “count” towards your hydration intake for the day, such as coffee, tea, and sodas. Again, studies have shown that this is not necessarily true. There is water in almost everything we consume (with the exception of maybe the jerky’s above ) and foods with high water content (such as fruits, vegetables, soups, juices, etc.) all can “count” towards our daily hydration needs. While the “8×8″ myth – 8 x 8oz. /day – has been discredited, there are still about 25,000 other “recommendations” out there. How do you know what to follow? The best general advice: follow your senses. If you feel thirsty, drink. If you don’t feel thirsty, don’t drink unless you want to. The average person is not going to “over-hydrate” on accident.

DOES AN ATHLETE HAVE ADDITIONAL NEEDS?

We aren’t the “average person” though… are we? No sir. For the most part, we can still rely on our “common sense,” but for the sake of optimal performance and recovery, hydration deserves a bit more focused attention for the endurance athlete. USATF recently announced some new guidelines which, personally, I think are great. These are specifically targeted towards long distance runners, but I believe serve well for the entire endurance athlete population.

What I feel is the biggest change in these “fluid-replacement recommendations” is that athletes should be fully replace 100% of the fluids lost during racing, and they should be “sensitive to the onset of thirst as the signal to drink, rather than staying ahead of thirst.” This lowers the risk of hyponatremia – a condition that is very serious, and caused by diluting your body’s sodium levels to an extremely low point. Trust me.. you don’t want that one.

According to my buddies at Hammer and the research that they have done, they give the following recommendations:

• 20-25 fluid oz. of water per hour is a sufficient amount for most athletes.
• For lighter athletes, or cooler temperatures, 16-18 oz. per hour may be what you need.
• Heavier athletes or hotter conditions may require around 28 oz. per hour.

Note that none of these guidelines say what is “absolutely right.” They are guidelines. For a reference point (and quite convenient might I add), 20-25 oz. is the size of a regular to large water bottle.

WHAT ABOUT SODIUM AND ELECTROLYTES?

Your sweat is not only made up of water. You may know this of you develop that rather attractive “salt crust” after a workout. (Really… who doesn’t love feeling like a big baked salt crusted fish?) In addition to the water your pour out, you are also losing sodium and other minerals. And no one needs to tell you this one, but you’re also burning a massive amount of calories! For these reasons, it is important for endurance athletes to consider products that contain these essential items.

MY FAVORITE PRODUCTS

I have done a great deal of experimenting with different hydration, electrolyte, and carbohydrate recovery drink options.. and I haven’t even come close to trying all that there is out there on the market! These are a few of my favorite products, and I will tell you a little bit about why. What works best for you can only be determined by… YOU… and it will probably take some trial and error to figure out. All of my testimonials are based on my own experiences with these products. I have not been asked by any of these companies to review their products, nor have I (sadly) been sent any free goodies.

Nuun Active Hydration tabs: It would be much easier for me to write a review on what I don’t like about Nuun… because that would be short and sweet: they don’t grow on trees. These electrolyte tabs have honestly been my savior on several occasions, one of them being during my running of the Med City Marathon. They’re fast acting. They’re portable. They’re convenient. They do not contain carbs, and I appreciate having this as an option because everyone has their own preferences when it comes to carb replenishing during or after a race or workout. Some people like bananas, some like bars, some like gels, some like drinks. It’s not a one size fits all.

Hammer Endurolytes POWDER: One thing I like about the powder is that that enables me to have personalized dosing. Not every athlete will have the same needs, and I’m glad Hammer pays attention to that! Obviously you wouldn’t be stopping on the side of the road during a race to measure out and mix up your Endurolytes in a water bottle, but premixed before an endurance ride or long run and you have yourself a personalized hydralectrolyte beast. Maybe this goes without saying, but I use this stuff when I’m doing an endurance workout or race.. not just like a regular ol’ 7 mile run. Endurolytes have also been great for me in helping with cramping (or helping to not cramp to be more accurate). Long story short: I like the stuff.

PowerDew: PowerDew is in a category all it’s own. There is nothing better. In addition to being a fantasticly delicious source of hydration during exercise, it is also proven to help during intense study sessions with your anatomy textbook, medical terminology flash cards, and school work of the sort. Caution: may cause dependency when used frequently. You should notify your doctor if you start to experience hallucinations of powerdew during your day, or start having visions of powerdew while attempting to fall asleep. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya

Homemade shakes/smoothies/drinks: Why do I like them? Oh, let me count the ways.

1. They cost a fraction of what a pre-made store-bought drink would cost
2. I am in control of the ingredients – how much protein do I want? How many carbs?
3. I can have a flavor that I actually LIKE, sans chocolate! Muahaha. (Oh… ‘Nilla Mint Coffee shake you say? I can hook you up!)

While  I KNOW for a fact that a VitaMix would do a helluva lot better job, my Magic Bullet is doing ok for now. However, my roomie did say to me the other day, “Is the motor on that thing dying? Or are you just blending more ice?” No, no more ice. The MB has seen better days for sure. I just hope it gives me a two weeks notice before it craps out on me!

Alright kids.. a post wouldn’t be a post without a question, and I said I wanted to get a conversation going here, right? So here are my questions for you:

• What is your favorite way to hydrate during a race? Do you have an “old standby” product that you use every time?
• What is a “rule” that you always here about hydration (like the 8×8 rule for example)? Do you follow that?

That’s all I got for ya’ tonight – I have mucho school work that needs to be worked. I just got back from a very nice run (although slightly slick out there) with my guys, and I’m going to take my own advice, rehydrate, refuel, and get crackin! I have TWO product reviews coming up, and ahhh so much more – the “to post” list is seriously longer than I can handle right now! One thing at a time Wishing everyone strong legs, no injuries, and happy days.

-E

Sources:
Dartmouth Medical School Journal
USATF Hydration Guidelines
Hammer Hydration