Water is probably the most important thing you can put in your body besides air. Here is a small list of reasons of why you need to drink water: 1) Water helps disolve nutrients and carry them to all parts of the body, 2) Water helps to carry away waste products from the body, and, 3) Water is essential in allowing the body to sweat. Here are a few pointers about water:
How much water do I need?
Most nutritions agree that us runners need up to 3 quarts of water a day. Which is about 3 of those 32 ounce bottles of gatorade! This might seem like a lot of water. But, when we run, we sweat. When we sweat we loose a lot of water. When we loose lots of water, we can become dehydrated. When we become dehydrated, forget about running well! Most of us, including me, don't currently drink 96 ounces of water a day, but remember, the more water you have in your system the better you'll run!
Drinking Before a race
The water you can drink before a race, the better you'll race. However, drinking lots of water right before you run can make you quite a large gut ache. Here are some rules about drinking before a race.
- Make sure to get down at least 8 ounces of fluids 2-4 hours before you race. Alowing this much time shouldn't give any problems during the race.
- Don't a large amount within 2 hours of a race, however, try to keep sipping liquids. (Note: Some people can drink a ton of water during this time and have no problems with their gut, but not me!) The reason you can drink 5-10 minutes before a race is when a race starts, you kidneys shut down so you shouldn't have to go to the bathroom.
- It's fine to drink water or gatorade however, I've had a little problem drinking gatorade before a race. I guess I have a weak stomach.
- Remember, everyone's digestive track is different, so experiment with these tips in practice. Don't wait till a big meet to try these pointers out! And, please don't send me hate e-mail if they don't work for you!!
Drinking After a Run or Race
Right after a run, and especially a race, it is imperative that you fill your body
back up with fluids. At the very least, down the equivalent of one of those small
gatorade bottles (8 ounces), but ideally maybe around 16 or more ounces. One good
way to see if you are hydrated is to see your urine is white or very light yellow.
If it is, you have plenty of fluids in you.
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