Hydration article

[runningwild]

Read this article today from the Runner's World website.  Interesting read, definitely some conflicting opinions out there!

http://footloose.runnersworld.com/2010/07/july-7-damn-its-hot-out-there-so-how-much-should-you-be-drinking.html?cm_mmc=nutrition-_-2010_07_22-_-nutrition-_-BLOG%3a%20Footloose,%20by%20Amby%20Burfoot

Cheers,
 Stephanie

[NancyR]

Definitely is right!

Nancy

[Jenn]

OK  - I run the risk of sounding like a grumpy/tired person with 36 days till the big race....

But have you not read or listened to what Sandy has said about hydration/nutrition!!  Training, hydration and nutrition are very personal and no two people are alike.  I know what happens to me when I don't do my hydration/salt properly.  And I have witnessed it with others when we train and race.

I cannot thank Sandy enough because without her I would be one of those people on the side of the road cramped up or out of steam.  And without her -  there would be no endurance racing for me!!

(But sorry Sandy - I don't love you for the training schedule right now....hahaha....I'm kidding!!  Bring it on!!) 

[Newt]

G'day Jenn,

I absolutely agree, everyones needs are different. How hard can it be to pre/post weigh ourselves over a variety of workouts, to get a handle on those needs. I get very frustrated with articles touting that we wouldn't allow ourselves to become dehydrated. If we were so intune with our bodies needs, we would rarely see the diseases and health conditions that are so prevelant in our society today. i.e obesity, diabetes, heart disease etc. etc. As when we would over eat as our body would tell us we were full and we would listen, our bodies would tell us sugary sweets were negatively effecting our blood sugar and we would listen, our bodies would tell us deep fried foods or smoking was hurting our arteries and lungs and we would listen. The problem is we don't listen to our body very well. Sooner or later we MIGHT start listening to our bodies but for now most of us need people like Sandy hammering the message into our thick skulls, telling us how important it is to keep hydrated.

Peace
Peter

[Sandy]

Definitely is not right.  The problem with articles written for the everyman is that the everyman reads them.  

Although I love Amby,and he's right about water intoxification he failed to mention that the problem is not that you drink too much water but that you don't add sodium to it.  The other problem is that he is speaking about the "normal" person who is basically sedentary.  Let's face it, if you spend all of your day sitting (driving, working, watching tv) and are only active for only 30 minutes you are basically sedentary.  If you are a training athlete or someone who stacks workouts that little bit of dehydration that happens, accumulates into something more.  So like Jenn said, everyone is different and you must go through a trial and error process to determine your own needs.

[Newt]

G'day Mike,


"Healthy individuals who have routine access to fluids and who are not exposed to heat stress consume adequate water to meet their needs"

I feel the above statement is generally true, my question is though is getting enough hydration for what we "need" actually the same as being optimally hydrated? There may be a large difference in the two, just a thought.

Peace
Peter

[Sandy]

In all of my half marathons, marathons, ultras and 100 miler I have NEVER bonked.  I have become dehydrated.  And before you start questioning the effort and speed of my races keep in mind that I have qualified for Boston, was second female over 50k, fastest female for an 80k and 3rd in my age group over 100 miles.  The only race I've ever been ornery at is my 100 miler and it took a lot longer then 20 miles to get there.  Maybe part of the problem is that there is new information every day pertaining to what is required for ultimate performance and what was applicable in 1968 just might be a little outdated.  Runners tend to hang on to what was a lot longer then athletes in other sports while triathletes and cyclists tend to be a little more cutting edge.  I have Runner's world mags and Triathlete mags that date back into the mid 90's and it's amazing to go back and see how much more advanced triathletes have always been compared to runners in their ads as well as their articles.

Having said all of that I know that I can go out on a day like today and with my hydration and electrolyte plan was able to run 28k mid morning "almost" on pace and felt great to the end.  No depression, soreness, inefficiency or soreness. Granted I was a little under 4k from that magical line on the road...maybe if I'd just run a little farther I could have experienced my first bonk! 

[Rhonda]

Any thoughts or opinions as to whether "bonking" is more a physical thing or mental thing or a combination of the two?

[Sandy]

I'll address the elephant in the room...where did your posts go Mike?  Everyone is entitled to their opinions so I hope you didn't take your ball and go home.  Discussion is the cornerstone of knowledge and discovery.

To answer your question Rhonda, bonking is a physically thing.  Bonking is when the liver is depleted of glycogen so it can't send it via the bloodstream to the brain.  Bonking comes after hitting the wall which is the depletion of muscle glycogen.  Getting some sugar into your system cures both.  I also believe (and this I'm sure will start a new discussion) that quitting is always a brain thing.  There have been some studies done that are showing that in all cases but death, quitting is driven by the brain telling you that you have hit your pain tolerance and must stop.  So in the case of bonking your brain starts talking to other body parts trying to convince them to stop. 

This isn't always a bad thing unless your pain tolerance is very low and then it might prevent you from finishing a lot of races or from ever pushing yourself.

It's amazing what we can talk ourselves into and out of.

[David]

Mind over matter! We don't mind and the pain don't matter.Pain is temporary failure is for life! Or so they say. This is the military I grew up in! I once had a guy tell me I should die before I fall back from a run. The mentality of some people have me asking questions as to their sanity.  As I said before we were never taught nutrition or hydration in the military. No water on any run I ever went on. up to 10km. No food before hand either, cause you had to run at someone elses pace and that meant most of us would be sick. NO LIFE LIKE IT! They aren't kidding.

[runningwild]

Wow, I didn't think posting a link to an article would initiate such a discussion!

Just for the record Jenn, I do listen to Sandy.  She has been a fountain of knowledge while I've been learning what my body needs.  She's helped me learn how to listen to my body, and I've seen great gains in my training by putting her knowledge into practice.  I'm by no means perfect, but I can say that without Sandy (and Patti of course) I would not be where I am today.

With my limited experience, I would have to agree with Sandy on the bonking part.  I know the little voice in my head saying "stop running!" is just my mind trying to convince me that I'm not capable of moving forward another step.  For me, if I can just push a little more, I can keep going, even if it's slowly.......lol.  After all, the pain is only temporary!

Cheers,
  Stephanie