“We are mostly water… as such we should act accordingly”
Today is the international day of Water… as such I thought it fitting that, to honor this precious liquid, I would write an article about the athlete’s ultimate helper.
As everybody knows water is a compound composed of two molecules Hydrogen and oxygen (H2O)… what few people do not know is that a person may starve for up to 2 weeks and not perish, but will only last a little under 20hrs without any sort of liquids in his system…
For a Runner or any sort of athlete water is essential, you live and you die by the bottle.
But what most athletes do not know is that hydrating yourself is a tricky business… it’s no longer a case of whether or not you are drinking enough water, but whether or not you have had enough.
You see, in the body’s battle to hydrate itself, there are two extreme situations that may accord
In one corner we may dehydrate and in the other, the less known, but equally dangerous we may suffer from hyponatremia (over hydration and a diluting of blood-sodium levels), such is the case in many Marathons (were water is in abundance). In 2002 a young woman was struck down and died of this condition… suddenly runners did not know what to do or how to act.
Truthfully there isn’t a guideline on this subject… some say drink when thirsty, while others argue that it is normal for an athlete to finish any competition with at least 2% dehydration (signaling that Marathon winners usually never reach for any sort of liquid during a race).
"There is no evidence that you have to replace 100 percent of lost fluid during a race."
Lewis Maharam, M.D., medical director of the ING New York City Marathon and chairman of the board of governors for the IMMDA.
And this is normally true for person who is highly trained and weights only between 45-60kg after all 2% dehydration is at the most about 2000cc, but for a normal person lest say someone with an estimated weight of 75kg, this translates to 3100cc… and that is not taking into account weather conditions, humidity and level of endurance. As such this is a tricky subject.
Then there is the other advice:
“Drink an hydrate yourself before a run”
Once again there is debate in the medical community as to the veracity of this. After all there is no clear evidence that this is will help.
"Your body's thirst mechanism is giving you real-time feedback on your internal fluid balance."
But here is the problem… your body is also tricky in its ways, sometimes it translates other elements and emotions as thirst (Heat stroke, nerves, hunger, pain)… a list of conditions that is ever present in any sporting event.
As such the best advice you can come across is the following: “think before you drink” and do not over compensate… little by little you will get the hang of it, you will train your body to know when it thirsty and when it has had enough.
But for all those who are not so fluent in this language and wish to have some sort of tip or idea as to when to have a sip of water… well there are some basic guidelines to measure how much liquid you loss during a run.
First of all your gender matters… the ladies sweat much less than the guys, so take that into account.
Second and most important measure your sweat levels, that way you will know how much liquid you will need to consume after a race... this will also help you in finding the right degree of water that you will spend during a race, and as such may compensate.
1. Take of all your clothes and see how much you weigh.
2. Run at a normal pace for a sustained period of time.
3. Arrive home, imminently after your run, strip down and towel your self off.
4. Weigh yourself once again…
5. Subtract how much weight you have loss during your run and covert it into ounces or liters… (1kg= 35ounce or 1lt).
6. Do this with different paces, times and temperatures… that way you will have a clear understanding how much water you loss in winter, spring, summer and fall.
As a conclusion it important to hydrate yourself, but also to be wary of over compensating because, down that route there is also disaster. Be cautious of different advices and know that on this subject every person is different (don’t simply pick up a magazine and do as it says… do a little homework, and find out for yourself How much is enough)… perhaps for your neighbor drinking a liter of water during a race will help him… but you are not your neighbor, you do not have the same physical dimensions, nor the same genetic makeup… each runner or athlete is a unique individual as such the main rule is to know your body and its needs.
“Control the situation, do not let it control you”
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