Staying hydrated is one of the most important parts of running a marathon. Here are some hydration tips on marathon running.
Hydrate adequately during event
Use sports drinks to replenish salts & nutrients
Drink small amounts of liquids often during a run
Dave has been an endurance athlete for over twenty years and is a swimmer , runner and cyclist that has finished the Iron Man triathlon. Additionally he has represented the US at the world championship. He coaches in Newport and has seen his team win the district title. He has a great passion for racing, training and coaching.
DAVE CAMPBELL: Hi. My name is Dave Campbell, and I want to talk to you about how to hydrate during a marathon. The first rule of hydration is to start the event hydrated. If you are behind before the event starts, you will never catch up. By the same token, you're not a camel and you can't store water, so you want to hydrate adequately with water and/or a sports drink but not overhydrate. If you replace lost fluids only with water, there's a danger of becoming hyponatremic, where you actually delete your blood volume. So the most effective strategy against that is to use a sports drink, which also will replace salt as well as the lost fluids. Try different sports drinks in training to experiment with it and find the flavor and a concentration that works for you. The best strategy is to drink small amounts at regular intervals throughout the training and throughout the event. Again, practice in training so you know it works for you at your event. Races typically will have fluids available every one to two miles. You want to know what's available so you can either use the sponsor's product or bring your own. You can carry bottles on a belt or even little flasks so you can bring along what you need with you or you can rely with what is out on the course. Your best strategy for preventing dehydration and hyponatremia during a marathon is to regularly, consistently consume a sports drink during the event. Experiment in training so you know how much you can take in and not be sloshing, taking excess fluids so that it does not drain from your stomach, and then practice your strategy. If you are a super sweater, you really tend to get a lot of salt residue on your clothing, you may want to consider an electrolyte supplement. Another benefit of a sports drink is it provides carbohydrate. And gels can do that, too. If you do use a gel, make sure you chase it with lots of water.
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