Here are some hydration tips:
Drink fluids only until your urine is clear. It isn’t necessary to keep drinking (particularly the night before a race) so often that you have the need to urinate every 15-30 minutes.
On hot, muggy days, try to run early in the morning or in the evening when the air is cooler.
Never train in a sweat suit or nylon suit during hot weather to acclimate yourself to heat training or to lose weight.
Choose sports drinks containing sodium and electrolytes rather than plain water for hydration during training and racing.
Drink enough of a hydration sports fluid to give you clear urine prior to a training run or race, then drink only when you start to feel thirsty.
Monitor your body. Some people sweat more than others. Some people also lose more minerals in their sweat than others. If you’re the kind of person who finishes a workout caked with white salt around your hairline and/or under your arms, you may need to take in more of a sports drink than someone who loses less.
If you’re running a race, pay attention to signals that you may be developing dehydration, over-hydration or a heat-related illness. If you start to feel woozy, overly fatigued, tingling in your fingers or toes and you feel a headache coming on, stop running and let medical personnel know that you need attention.
Even if you never race, it’s still important that you maintain the proper levels of sodium and minerals during training. Everyone has individual needs: you may need to drink six ounces of fluid during a 25-minute training run; someone else may not need to drink at all during a 10K. Learn what your own body needs and adjust your fluid intake accordingly.
And remember — run safe and run happy.
John Rogers is the owner of Maine Running Company on Forest Ave. in Portland. Send questions or comments to him at jr@mainerunning.com or check out the store’s website at www.mainerunning.com.