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elkid
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 Posted: 07/06/03 - 23:56 Post subject: Dehydration
I'm getting tired of being plagued by this. No matter how much I drink I can't seem to avoid it on race day. In the cold it's not a problem (8M with nothing was not even an issue), but in anything above 70 degrees it's a plague.
In training I've been drinking 4oz water at 2M, then 4oz water/Gatorade mix at 4M, repeating as necessary. In races, twice that. In regular life I drink 1-2 gallons a day. Seems to me and my doctor that I'm getting plenty of intake, and I've been taking it really easy on the pace and mileage, stopping to walk frequently even.
Fellow runners: thoughts on why all the problems? How do I achieve a balance? I don't remember having this problem last summer, and it was a lot hotter and more humid then.
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TimRuns
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 01:07 Post subject:
This means that your body is very efficient in cooling itself down as you sweat to keep cool, therefore losing lots of water and causing you to drink more. (That's a good thing!) From what I heard and experienced, well established runners (or othe athletes) sweat alot more in hot weather (higher sensitivity to temperature) than the average sedentary person which is normal b/c their bodies are better adapted in keeping cool. Also acclimation to the heat results in higher sweat rate and therefore increased water loss. How to achieve a balance? Drink lots of fluids to replace all that lost water which is what you are doing but beware of overdrinking (hypoatremia) which can be fatal! I'm not sure what the maximum recommended intake of water is but you should do some reading to find out.
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kattzoo
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 09:19 Post subject:
Are you pushing fluids before also? I find for my longer runs in the morning I'm having to drink 20 oz of water before I leave. I've also taken to trying to eat a little, something I never do when it's cooler. Dehydration is definetly a factor. I use a water bottle that straps over my hand and try to take a sip every half mile or so. It seems to have helped. (of course at that rate, I have to refill so I run through the park or by the Y.)
Good luck.
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elkid
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 09:29 Post subject:
| kattzoo wrote: | | Are you pushing fluids before also? I find for my longer runs in the morning I'm having to drink 20 oz of water before I leave. I've also taken to trying to eat a little, something I never do when it's cooler. |
Yes on both. Prerace = 20 for every 1.5 hours I'm up before race start, and I have a Clif bar 2 hours before, and a Powerbar 1 hour before. I've actually tested this with a few races and determined I can't drink more than that or I have to duck out during the race for a pee break, and if I eat more than that I get queasy.
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purple hayes
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 09:58 Post subject:
I could be way off base but here goes...
Are you getting enough electrolytes?
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rolling rock
The Pinball
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 10:04 Post subject:
| purple hayes wrote: | I could be way off base but here goes...
Are you getting enough electrolytes? |
you are drinking an awful lot of water every day -- a gallon or two???
whenever i push fluids that much, i always seem to feel worse, almost as if i'm washing out all the good stuff, nothing has a chance to absorb it is just flushed out with the gallons.....i feel really depleted.
maybe just hold the water to 6 to 8 glasses. too much can be bad thing.
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elkid
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 10:06 Post subject:
| purple hayes wrote: | I could be way off base but here goes...
Are you getting enough electrolytes? |
Shouldn't the Powerbar and Gatorade solve that problem? If not, where else can I get electrolytes from?
If you say cheese fries you are my new best friend. 
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purple hayes
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 11:18 Post subject:
I don't know what's in a powerbar. Gatorade should help unless you're not getting enough of it.
FYI - Electrolytes found in 1 cup of cheese freis
Sodium 684.11mg 29%
Potassium 149.59mg 4%
Magnesium 9 %
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elkid
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 11:38 Post subject:
| rolling rock wrote: | | you are drinking an awful lot of water every day -- a gallon or two??? |
oops ... typo. That should've read 1/2-1 gallons a day, which is 8-16 glasses. 
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jrjo
Gone Fishin
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Posted: 07/07/03 - 11:48 Post subject:
If I'm doing my math right, 2-gallons a day of water would mean nearly 16oz every hour you're awake. And if you're taking 4oz every other mile in a race, figuring your pace here, you'd be drinking only about half of what you do when you're not exercising. All the while sweating and losing water rapidly. My suggestion...stop drinking so much during the day. Really. Just my 2cents, but I think your body is accustomed to a major amount of water and trying to run/race and keep ahead of itself, you just can't do it. There was a great article in RW (of all places) by Amby Burfoot last month about the hydration craze and in actuality, it's gone way overboard. The old adage of 8x8oz a day has little basis and could be overkill.
My personal approach, for what it's worth is I don't hydrate on runs under an hour, temps be damned. 23+ years and I have yet to go into any kind of dehydration problem. During the day, 8x8oz would probably be average, if not alot. Then come race day, I hydrate at all the stops (gatorade pref) and I think because my running body is accustomed to a certain level, when I race and keep hydated, it really helps my racing. So there you have it 
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