hydration needs?

So, I've come into distance running AFTER having been a strong hiker and a crummy runner for a long time. I think the ultrarunners need to spend a bit more time listening to backpackers, and bit less time listening to marathoners. Back in the 90s, the hiking community was never as smitten with the HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE mentality as the runners were.

In my 20s, I belonged to a hiking club that routinely covered 16-20 miles in our day hikes, so outings were about as strenuous as possible without actually breaking into a run. There was another hiking club in the area that maxxed out at 6 mile hikes, and the OTHER club had the motto "Hydrate or DIE!!!!" Like that was even possible while hiking in the metro NYC area. Yes, hikers have died of dehydration before, but not on a day hike because it takes more than a day to DIE of dehydration. We used to rip on them so hard. We were like, "Oh, here comes the AMC! Does anyone have any spare water so nobody dies?!?!?" "Rock paper scissors for who is going to carry out the bodies this time - someone only brought 1.5L of water" We used to carry water, of course. (Recommended - 2 liters per person). But we all just drank when we were thirsty and usually had some left over at the end.
 
Bare Lee, I don't know the right word to equate with "locavore" for drinking. "Locabibe?" In any case, I try to buy my IPA and such from within a 50 mile raius. Fortunately, that leaves me with about 6 more breweries to go on top of the 4 I've sampled so far. My 2 top favorites are Downingtown, PA's Victory Brewing Company HopDevil, and their Trailhead Pale Ale is excellent, too, and Phoenixville, PA's Sly Fox IPA. That's a lot of "PA" but worth the effort.

I am running a 15K trail race Sunday morning, and the temp's starting out over 70F and reaching toward the mid 90's. The race starts at 0730, but the humidity is going to be high and the temp will be climbing throughout the race. I'm sure glad I have all his great info on hydration under my belt! I will certainly be needing it!
 
Bare Lee, I don't know the right word to equate with "locavore" for drinking. "Locabibe?" In any case, I try to buy my IPA and such from within a 50 mile raius. Fortunately, that leaves me with about 6 more breweries to go on top of the 4 I've sampled so far. My 2 top favorites are Downingtown, PA's Victory Brewing Company HopDevil, and their Trailhead Pale Ale is excellent, too, and Phoenixville, PA's Sly Fox IPA. That's a lot of "PA" but worth the effort.

I like your IPA ultra strategy. Even here in Jolly Old Minnesota, there's several to choose from, maybe even within marathon distances, and a few just a 10K away. I will try to follow up on your recommendations however, disavowing for a time our mutual locabibatory proclicities, and indulge in more republicabibition while I continue to bibble IPA.
 
o
WHOA.
I just did a local 5k that had one water station, and that was silly (what pray tell can possibly occur to the body to make it dehydrate in 5k???? Ok, was it 5k all vertical up the side of a cliff?)


It's not silly to have a water station in a 5K when there are a lot of walkers. It can take walkers an hour to cover 5K, and they might enjoy a drink - and they won't get hyponatremia from a dixie cup of water during the course of an hour. But six? That's ridiculous.
 
Put a bathroom scale in your car. Weigh yourself before you run (include your water bottle). Weigh yourself after you run (include your water bottle) How much lighter are you? Example two pounds means you left one quart of moisture out there thru sweat, respiration and or maybe a nature stop. It's ok to lose a couple of pounds during a run. If you lose more than 2 to 4% of your body weight I would guess your performance would suffer. I don't usually drink during the last twenty minutes of a race, as the water wouldn't get into my system before I finish, although it would aid in recovery.
My running group did the bathroom scale experiment last year before a hot 12 mile run. Several of us lost 2 pounds, but some lost 7 pounds, and suffered on the run. I would recommend that you try this simple method to determine your personal needs.
Overhydrating can lead to salt depleation.

s-exercise.png
 
I did this back when I was doing a studio cycle class at the gym. They had a precise scale right there... I'd weigh myself including my water bottle before and after (some were 30min some 45) and I'd usually loose about 2 pounds. Folks dont often think to include the water bottle... but you have to account for the liter of water you drank during the class, and still was loosing a couple pounds.

Put a bathroom scale in your car. Weigh yourself before you run (include your water bottle). Weigh yourself after you run (include your water bottle) How much lighter are you? Example two pounds means you left one quart of moisture out there thru sweat, respiration and or maybe a nature stop. It's ok to lose a couple of pounds during a run. If you lose more than 2 to 4% of your body weight I would guess your performance would suffer. I don't usually drink during the last twenty minutes of a race, as the water wouldn't get into my system before I finish, although it would aid in recovery.
My running group did the bathroom scale experiment last year before a hot 12 mile run. Several of us lost 2 pounds, but some lost 7 pounds, and suffered on the run. I would recommend that you try this simple method to determine your personal needs.
Overhydrating can lead to salt depleation.

s-exercise.png
 
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OK, here's another data point for the discussion:
I ran a 15K this AM that had 2 much appreciated water stops, at which I stopped, drank 2 cups of water, no G-ade, and dumped 1 cup over my head. Pre-race I tanked up with about .5 liters plus a fruit and porridge breakfast with coffee that added several ounces to my tank. I carried no water, nor did I wear a shirt. Just shorts and Biks.
The race temp started at 77F, 80% humidity, and finished at 80F. I sweated like a ...runner, and finished feeling just a tad parched, but strong and alert.
( I finished in 1:37, compared to 1:50 last year. Yowza!)
 
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No, I was shod in VFF Bikilas. The course is over a variety of surfaces, but mostly broken shale and crushed dolomitic stone of about 1" size, with a stretch of crushed stone of 3 to 5" - nasty stuff. My bare feet handle pavement and some trails just fine. Not this kind of thing, yet, or likely ever.
 
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the OTHER club had the motto "Hydrate or DIE!!!!" Like that was even possible while hiking in the metro NYC area. .

this just cracked me up, lol! And six water tables at a 5k isn't just goofy, I'd say that was actually risky.

btw, fwiw, the concoction I take along on long (50k+) runs: very strong multi-herbal tea* with a lot of lemon, some organic raw cane sugar and some salt.

Amounts could be something like 2L tea, 200mL lemon, 100g sugar and maybe 2TSp salt

*tea of choice: Jentschura 7x7
 
I have thought about tea instead of kool-aid, especially since tea is much cheaper than kool-aid and probably better for me too. Plus it wouldn't turn my tongue blue or green like the kool-aid does.
 

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