Choose your weapon(s) wisely. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of water in the nutritional requirements of running. The rule of thumb we’ve heard over the years has been to “Drink eight (8) glasses per day.” Apparently this is a minimum amount to remain hydrated – even outdated & shouldn’t be followed as you’ll read in the article link below. I’ll support the arguement that fluid consumption is based on body size, fitness level, training routine, diet (including how much caffiene/alcohol (you best not be messing with alcohol EVER), etc. Caffiene is a diuretic, meaning it draws water out of your body, which results in the need to urinate – more often. My personal favorite rule comes from Coach Rihel (BHS CC coach from 1996-2000) who said, “If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.”
Two other rules I tend to follow are:
- Clear or light yellow urine = I have enough fluids in me.
- Frequent urination = I have enough fluid in me.
Do spread out your fluid intake throughout the day. Drinking too much at once can throw off your body’s normal functioning off balance (very bad folks!). Spreading out your intake will also help ward off dehydration. Runner’s World suggests drinking past the feeling of thirst since that sensation shuts off the instant you begin drinking fluids. Going beyond ensures you begin replacing liquids you lost.For this I want you to do the following: If you see a fountain, stop and grab a quick sip or two. It’ll wake you up for your next class (remember, dehydration causes you to lose focus, among other things) and you’ll stay hydrated. AVOID COLAS! These leech calcium from your bones (Ladies pay attention to this point in particular – something called Osteoporosis is affecting you TODAY! Drink milk or take supplements – talk to your doctor first!). Colas, tea, coffee all contain caffiene at varying amounts. Caffiene can be a performance enhancer, however, I recommend you avoid these as much as possible, especially colas, because they possess additional calories and sugars you don’t need.
So what’s the deal? We need the correct fluids in order to run well. Exercise of any type causes us to sweat. The work we do causes us to sweat. To remain cool, the body releases up to 70% of the pent-up heat by sweating, otherwise our muscles and other tissues would cook – literally! Put it to you this way, in one hour of running “…you can lose up to 2 quarts of sweat” aka WATER!!!
A fit body has more sweat glands which results in a “more efficient cooling” system. Weather too, has an impact on how much you sweat. Warmer and parcticularly more humid days will cause you to sweat more. Let’s also realize that women biologically tend to sweat less than men; this does NOT exclude you ladies from getting your daily intake of H20.
Everyone still with me? Good…Here are some symptoms of dehydration:
No wonder we get dizzy, listless, and unfocused as we get dehydrated. Our brain is almost entirely made of water! So, when it starts getting low on water, it can’t function at full potential. Other signs of dehydration include:
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dry, itchy skin (Oh my! You look wonderful!)
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headaches (Yep….go figure!)
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thirst (Hi! You heard about me already!)
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fatigue (Get your 8 hours of rest too!)
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crankiness (No one likes a grumpy runner!)
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becoming stressed easily (Can lead to illness/colds.)
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unclear thinking (Bad news in a mental sport like running.)
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flushed face (No, it’s not because you look funny in those skimpy shorts!)
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cramping (See constipation below. Strong abdominal muscles help stop this too!)
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weakness (Arnold doesn’t like girly man! Haha!)
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sleepinees (Maybe that’s why teacher yells at you all the time.)
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dry mouth (Totally sucks when you’re on lap 6 in the 3200 meter & your mouth is like the Sahara Desert.)
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bloating (Very nice… NOT!)
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constipation (Simple, you need water to create a solid #2, aka Poo, Poop, Stool, Crap, fill in your favorite euphemism. Ever have diarrhea? What do you need to do when afflicted with this? DRINK WATER or SPORTS DRINKS!)
REMEMBER – You don’t get just one symptom. Sometimes you get several at one time! Be aware
Do ANY of these sound fun or attractive to you? I thought you’d say “No.” Sounds like a good idea to drink from the fountain, doesn’t it?
Again, being out in the elements, cold and hot weather alike, increase the severity of all these symptoms. I suggest you start bringing a bottle of WATER or your preferred sports drink (or both) to practice starting ASAP. It costs nothing to fill up your bottle at the fountain before jogging down to the track.
SIP your sports drinks and water during your workouts. Too much fluid and you’ll probably feel sick during your workout/runs.
Resources
The Complete Runner’s Guide: Training Basics for Runners of All Levels. Copyright 1997 Rodale Press, Inc.
Jessica Cummings, Your Guide to Running & Jogging as viewed on http://running.about.com/od/running101/a/hydration101.htm
