What’s in Your Bottle?
Runners need to pay special attention to their hydration, especially as the temperatures rise. There are two conditions that we need to be aware of: dehydration and hyponatremia. We have probably all heard of dehydration, which makes your body temperature go up as well as brings on fatigue, headache, and rapid heart rate among other things. We all know what to do, drink more water, right?
The problem with too much water is a condition called hyponatremia, which happens when the electrolytes in your blood are too diluted due to the loss of sodium in your bloodstream. Hyponatremia can occur in extreme endurance events as you sweat out sodium and other electrolytes, if you only drink plain water. Hyponatremia symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, bloating, swelling of hands, legs and feet, lightheadedness and slow urine output.
A simple sweat test can help a runner estimate how much fluid and electrolytes to consume to maintain hydration and perform their best. To do this, weigh yourself nude before you run. Run for one hour without drinking anything. Strip down and dry any sweat off and weigh yourself again. Subtract your end weight from your beginning weight. Convert the weight to ounces for an hourly sweat rate - at those temps and conditions. (For reference, a pound is 16 ounces.) As an example: let's say you lose half a pound during your run. Multiply .5 x 16 = 8 ounces of fluid to replace per hour. The recommendation is to add electrolytes to your water on any run over an hour.
Get Fit offers a variety of electrolytes and ways to carry them on your run. Our brands include Skratch Hydration, Superieur, Huma, Zym, Maurten and Tailwind. Some of these are electrolytes only, and some have calories added to help fuel your long run efforts. We will talk about Nutrition Needs next month.
Other items we offer are handheld bottles, waist belts and vests to carry your hydration and nutrition needs. Some bottles are hard sided plastic and others are soft flasks. Find what is comfortable for you, and keep in mind that you may need more than one way to carry based on the distance you run. Get Fit carries brands like Nathan, Amphipod and Ultraspire.
Come talk to any of our knowledgeable staff for all of your hydration needs. Happy running and stay hydrated!