Hydrate or Die

Oh glorious combination of 1 part hydrogen & 2 parts oxygen!  What is it about this special combination that we cannot live without?

One of the most important aspects of marathon training is hydration. I mean, our bodies are roughly 70% water.  We must constantly replinish this amount.  We get small amounts through the food we eat, but the majority comes from a tap/bottle.  Literally, we must replinish this supply of water in our bodies or we will die.

Dehydration is the result of the bodies loss of water.  The effects of dehydration are noticable with as little as 2% water loss.  a loss of 15% of water is fatal.  When you are running distances, it's extremely important to replinish the water that is lost throughout your run, not just when you are finished.

What complicates this issue is the fact that you can drink too little, or too much during your distance runs.  Hyponatremia ( low blood salt level due to abnormal fluid retention from overdrinking) and dehydration (due to net fluid losses from under drinking) are conditions easily adverted by understanding your individual body needs. I found a little chart today that kind of sums up what one needs to do during their runs, here's what I need:

I am running about 9-10 minutes/mile

So I need to intake approximately 24 oz / hour

Okay, so I know how much I need to take in now.  The big thing is that during my marathon, there will be water/aid stations every 5km... that's 3ish miles for us Americans!  That, I can manage.  The problem comes when I am running the roads during my training.  What I found, was a nice little piece of gear from a company called Nathan Hydration.  This belt holds 40oz of water, or sports drink, and it is equally distributed around your waist.  It also has 2 poskets.  A large pocket for energy gels and a smaller one for money or keys or whatever.  The bottles are a strong, but flimsy plastic that allows for a good squeeze to get the water you need, as fast or as slow as you'd like.

One of the biggest things I am worrying about is taking water on the move during my marathon.  Many of the articles that I have read about drinking while running state that it's not adviseable for beginners.  Mostly due to it being a choking hazard.  What many experts advise is that youwalk through the aid stations while you drink your water.  This will allow you to get all of your hydration, while at the same time, catching your breath.  There is also a safety issue to consider.

In the Rock & Roll San Diego Marathon, there are just over 16,000 runners.  Now, the Paris on the other hand, has around 40,000 places.  This is the view of one of the water stations during the San Diego.  As you can see, the cups are littering the ground.  Wet cups on hard surfaces create pretty treacherous footing.  With a larger portion of the Paris being on cobblestoned streets, I need to make sure I don't turn an ankle, or worse.