Hydration is your friend

While on my long run yesterday I had a lot of time to think about hydration; I repeat a LOT of time. As I was running it occurred to me that a lot of people underestimate the necessity of hydration. Everyone is different with regards to hydration needs plus there are many factors such as weather and temperature that come in to play.

A good baseline for judging hydration needs is a "sweat test." I performed a sweat test a few years back on a day that was sunny and in the low 60's with a light breeze. I weighed myself at the gym using the scale with the slide-y thingies (yes, that is the technical term) BEFORE I went on a run. I ran for 45 minutes and stopped to talk to a friend for about 5 minutes during that run. I was barely misty. Boy was I shocked to learn that in that easy 45 minute run that I lost 2.5 pounds!! Note that one pound of weight loss is equivalent to approximately one small 16oz (500mL) of water. Amazing, seriously amazing.

Credit: designerfied.com

It is important to note that finding the right hydration strategy can be tricky because too much water can lead to a dangerous condition called hyponatremia (low blood sodium) which brings to light the importance of balancing hydration with electrolyte intake. And by balancing electrolyte intake I don't mean licking salt and lime before a tequila shot!

Regardless, this information made me much more cognizant of my hydration habits for sure.

To find out how to do your own "sweat test" check out this article from Runner's world HERE

So remember hydration is your friend even when caught in a downpour at mile 9 of a 16 mile run!
(Yes, that happened)
Save the fruity drinks for after you've hydrated and are reaping the rewards of your run +/- training.