Well, not quite. This post is actually about EFFECTIVE HYDRATION when running.
Though... a drunken long slow run on a weekend might produce interesting results.... almost as good as fellow Janathonist "K as in Cake"s suggestion as a response to my January 1st post "The Green Triangle", where she suggested throwing Quality Street chocolates onto a map, and running a route around them on the corresponding roads.
Instead, this post was inspired by what appears, from the map, to be a drunken episode during tonight's run. I've included the map to show you what I mean. If it were possible to keep enlarging and enlarging the scale, then this route would continue to look increasingly inebriated - almost like drunken fractals.
So having considered this on my run back home, I remembered something that I'd read in a post by Janathoner "RunDMT", where she mentioned that she'd dropped her water bottle, and was surprised (and pleased) that she'd gone seven miles without it. Now, I suspect that RunDMT is in Florida, but for us temperate bods, there's no reason you should need to carry any fluids on a run of ninety minutes or more, if the weather is mild, (unlike "...musing...", running his Janathon in the Australian summer) and you get your hydration right.
And here's how you do it.
1. Drink a normal amount during the day leading up to your run, whatever the time of day.
2. Drink 500ml of fluid, briskly, 20 to 15 minutes before your leave the door on your run.
3. Go running.
4. Have plenty to drink after your run. Chocolate milkshake is a favourite, and good for you..
Don't walk around all day sipping water - it'll only fill your bladder.
Don't go running with a bottle, having not drunk anything beforehand - too late.
Don't be too surprised when this actually works.
It's really that simple.
According to my friendly paralympian sports scientist (although I may be forgiven for oversimplifying this), it's all down to "gastric emptying". In essence, when you drink 500ml quickly, the alarm bells go off in your stomach, and it rushes as much of this fluid into your system as quick as it can, in case there's more on the way. Fifteen minutes later, you're well hydrated, and almost none of it has reached your bladder. The best bit, is that once in this state of alert, your stomach stays there for a while, so if you're planning a run longer than a couple of hours, you can do exactly the same thing to kickstart the gastric emptying, then soon into your run, start taking on fluids in small, but frequent amounts, and none of it gets wasted.
So there you go, another day, another run, and another tip, which I hope helps you enjoy your running.
Today's run: 9.0miles, 1:14hrs, avg 8:15/mile, 1279cals, two owls, one bullet casing, 500ml orange squash.
Janathon total: 88.6miles. You can look up the stats for this run, and others here.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I don't vet them, so this is your chance for random profanity.
I love this! ---> "The Green Triangle", where she suggested throwing Quality Street chocolates onto a map, and running a route around them on the corresponding roads." Only we ate our Quality Street so fast and I don't even know how many green triangles I had in the container.
ReplyDeleteAbout the hydration thing, it's pretty hot here in Florida. You can't go without drinking. I do drink a bit before my run, like you suggested. Since I run first thing in the morning, it's usually enough to quest my dry mouth and feel satisfied. I can't drink too much, because I'll have too pee shortly into the run and this mama's bladder ain't what it used to be! :-D
Finding the right balance of hydration has been a trial-and-error thing for me. If I drink too little water, I cramp. If I drink too much water, I cramp. See what I mean? (I believe they're called "side stitches" in the UK.) But since it's "winter" here in Florida, I've learned the water rules are a little different, like I learned the other day in my 9 mile run.
Loved the post! Thanks for the running shout out! You ROCK!
If you're cramping, partic if it's warm, you may be lacking in "salts" (sodium, potassium, magnesium etc). A pre-run banana may help, or an electrolyte drink. And if you're bladder is your worry, then drinking "little and often" is your enemy.
DeleteThis is great stuff, many thanks. The main issue I have is the morning runs after a humid night (hold on, that doesn't sound right...!) That said, a baby that wakes up every few hours does allow me to take some more fluids on at silly o clock in the morning Keep the hints and tips coming :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment - I've only just realised (with the help of my little one) how dry your mouth gets when you're up regularly during the night.
Deletegood tip.......to be technically correct it's a 'cartridge case'......I'll get my coat
ReplyDeleteHa ha! I did think it was a bit of a misnomer when I wrote it, since the still-crimped end suggested it had never had anything to do with a bullet in the first place!
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