Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Now that I work and run in Fremont where it is hot in the summer, I find a need to stay hydrated for my lunchtime runs.

How do I know I need to hydrate more?

My main guess is because I am thirsty during and after the run.  One day, I ran for about an hour and 15 minutes then stopped to chat while I cooled down.  I reached up to brush something off my face and found it to be crusted with sodium.  When you are brushing sodium off your skin, it is a sign that you may need to replace some electrolytes.  Another sign is white streaks on your face after a run.  The electrolyte replacement got me to thinking about hydration while running.

•    Some of the questions I asked myself were:
•    Should I drink fluids before a run?
•    How much should I drink before a run?
•    What should I drink before a run?
•    How soon should I drink before the run?
•    Should I drink during the run?
•    How much should I drink during the run?
•    What should I drink during the run?
•    Should I drink after the run?
•    What should I drink after the run?
•    How much should I drink after the run?

Perhaps, I have too much time to think while I am running.  I am sure I came up with a lot more questions but they left my memory between the time I thought of them and decided to write about them.  When I was working in the Emeryville/Berkeley, California area, I did not sweat as much because I usually ran in 60-70 degree temperatures.

I always thought that when you don’t sweat, there is not as much of a need to replace the fluids that you did not lose.  One day, we had a health fare in my building.  Since we had nurses, scales and paper to document our weight, I weighed myself before and after an 8 mile run that took 65 minutes.  For me that was a difficult run.

My start weight was just less than 150 pounds.  I lost 8 pounds in 65 minutes of hard running in cool air!  Weighed myself every hour for the next four hours and only gained 4 pounds back.  I am not a doctor but I don’t think I can sustain losing that much water weight, every day, for long.

•    To start answering my question:
•    It is good to drink before a run.  If you drink before a run, you have fluids available to lose during the run.
•    I usually start my day out with coffee then drink water for most of the day.
•    Every now and then, I will drink a few ounces of electrolyte drink before a run.  Usually, I feel hot or the need for something other than water.  I don’t have a scientific formula, it is just by feel.
•    I drink right up the run and during the run.  If I am going fast for short distances, I will not slow down to run.
•    I like to stop for a drink if I am running for more than an hour.  If I am running for more than 90 minutes, I will drink constantly during the run.  If I am writing longer than 2 hours, I will carry water and make sure I count how much I drink and include electrolytes.
•    I usually drink an electrolyte or recovery drink after a run.  I have a 24 ounce shaker bottle that I usually drink most of after the run.

They say water is fine to drink, after a workout and you will get plenty of sodium from your post workout potato chips.

That may be true but I used to get a lot of cramps before I started drinking a lot of water, electrolyte and recovery drinks.  I did not like getting cramps.  I am happy to not get them.

I am not sure if I need all of the fancy hydrations stuff or not.  I am sure that I used to get cramps before I started drinking the fancy stuff so it does work for me.  I also get to run every day.  I am starting to accumulate some drink stuff again.  Perhaps, I will do a more scientific approach to my running fluid intake.