Importance of hydration

Now that we’re dead in the middle of the summer furnace, it’s important to pay attention to your hydration. It may not sound exciting, but proper hydration will play a big part in your performance both in training and on race day. In fact, being 1% dehydrated can cause a 3% drop in performance!

 

When it comes to hydration, I recommend the following:

 

• Start to get hydrated TWO nights before your long runs/the race. Spend the day before staying hydrated so that you’re not dehydrated when you wake up the morning of the race.
• On your run, take small sips of water throughout, rather than downing large amounts of water infrequently.
• Practice with different fluids (water, Accelerade, etc.) on your long runs so you know what works best for you and your stomach.
• If you prefer drinking something other than what will be available on the course, make sure to bring your own — don’t try anything new on race day!
• Check out www.portmancalculator.com to help you figure out how much you should be drinking and when. It’s a great reminder that you need to be mixing water with electrolytes, too.

 

Follow these steps and your hydration plan will be ready to put up a fight with the summer heat!