Hydration is something that runners have a tendency to forget about. You start running then you got other things to do and water, which is almost as important as training, is thrown on the back burner so to speak. Well I am here to tell you that hydration is super important! However, you can’t just wait to hydrate until the day of a race and think that will cover. NO! You have to start early, and it is best to just do it every day. Recently, I was experiencing leg pain in my thigh. Assuming that it was from running in the mud and on hills, I just continued to put bio freeze on and let it go. However, this did not take care of the problem and after a race, I was crying because I was in such pain. This had never happened to me before and I was wondering what could make it hurt that badly. I put the blame on training and the soft running surfaces caused by the rain. However, my mom pointed out an important point. Before, I was drinking five and six bottles of water a day to help recover from a kidney stone. When I was doing this, my legs felt fine, as if I wasn’t running at all. However, for some reason I still don’t understand, I quit doing that. I went back to my old habits of one or two a day, which when running is definitely not enough. This was causing to me to experience that all so painful muscle cramps. Once she pointed this out to me, I started drinking more. Currently, I drink around 10 bottles of water a day at the least and my legs are feeling much better! However, you may not need that much. Also, you need to be careful not to drink too much. Too much fluid consumption of low sodium drinks can lead to lower blood sodium levels which can cause severe health problems. The amount of water you need depends on so many factors that I could not tell each and every reader what they need to drink. The goal is to match the amount of fluid taken in with what is lost. When considering what is lost, make sure to not only include sweat, but also what you are leaving in the toilet. By doing this, you will prevent dehydration and over hydration. Hydration is super important and should therefore be taken very seriously. Even though you may feel like you are not thirsty, you still need to drink. It will make all the difference later when you head out for a run.
There are some general rules of thumb when determining if you are hydrated or not. First, the always popular urine test. This is just what it seems to be. After you finish urinated, your urine should be clear or a pale yellow. If it is dark yellow, you are dehydrated and need to drink a lot more to replenish your body. Below is a general chart of colors of urine with their state of hydration:
Also, if you have dry mouth or headaches, you are probably dehydrated. Fatigue, muscle cramps, vomiting, decrease in sweat, and increase of heart rate or body temperature are also good indicators that you are dehydrated. If you have any of these signs, it is best to make sure you are rehydrated before you run again. If dehydration is left untreated, it can lead to many severe health problems such as brain damage or kidney shutdown.
As you can see and I have learned, hydration is very important, though it is like everything else; It is good in moderation but too much can lead to consequences. Let me know how your hydration has changed or improved! Have a wonderful Wednesday!
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