Hydration Experiences

Yesterday, I went out for my biggest run to date. I went out for 13. I knew it was hot but didn't know that it was going to be 95 degrees out. But I brought with me a lot of water. I went to a new place to run and parked my car near the center of where I was going to run. So not only did I have my handheld. (A water bottle that straps to your hand for those who do not know ) I also had my new water bottle that straps around my waist. I had that full as well. I tore through my first water bottle rather quickly. Again my ignorance in knowing what the temperature was made for a quick drinking of that first first bottle. After mile 7, I was about destroyed. I was hot and exhausted. When I reached the halfway point of the run. I decided to drink the little gatorade bottle that I had prepared as well.

Well, that was amazing. With a little rest and a lot of stretching, I was ready to go again. That was the first time that gatorade was beneficial to me. Having read a number of articles about hydration, stating that most runners and exercisers need only water, an idea to which I subscribe. This was the first evidence to the contrary. Now, I will not be prompted to drink gatorade on all my runs. Mostly, I just want water. However, at that moment, it was exactly what I needed.

When I made it back to my car. I refilled my handheld and drank the all of my waste pack bottle. After which I felt pretty good, relatively speaking. I continued to drink and fill up my bottle at my car throughout the rest of the run. I will admit that this was a difficult run, for two reasons, new distance for me and the heat.

Remarkably, I feel reasonably well this Monday morning. Last week, when I ran 12, I felt destroyed the next day. Again, I had a greater focus on my form for the entirety of the run. I will discuss this in a later topic.

Things to be gleaned from this post: First, park in a central spot, so that you may have access to your water. Second, on long runs sports drinks should be used. My standard is generally going to be runs longer than 10 miles. Third, be smart. Look at the weather report before going out blindly.