Pre-race Strategy
Hyper-hydration occurs when athletes increase water intake prior to a big race. The thinking goes that arriving at the race ultra-hydrated, beyond normal, will improve performance. This is rooted in a grain of truth as increased blood volume is important to endurance performance, but danger lurks. There is a balance that must be struck with blood sodium levels and fluid status. Simply increasing water intake before a race without electrolyte supplementation can put runners and triathletes at risk of hyponatremia, or low sodium levels. This is a dangerous condition for endurance athletes which can end a race, or result in death. Over-drinking can dilute blood sodium concentration, which affects muscle function and neural activity. Low blood sodium is a signal for the body to produce urine to bring blood osmolality back to homeostasis. Ironically, as the body excretes excess fluids, sodium is also lost, further jeopardizing health and performance.
Try This
Adjusting your focus to increasing electrolyte intake in the two days leading up to a goal event, and maintaining fluid intake (or slightly increasing), is the safest way to ready the body for a long duration or hot race. Electrolytes can be consumed by adding them to regular water consumption, or as tabs such as Hammer Endurolytes. Preloading with electrolytes in the previous day, and morning of a race, will guard against electrolyte loss in sweat during the event. It is impossible to replace all fluids and electrolytes during the event, and evidence suggests this is not necessary. Dehydration of 1-4% is common and is not correlated with poor performance. It is said that the most dehydrated athlete in the marathon is the winner. While it may be true that slight dehydration has been overblown, starting the race topped off is still the best bet for a strong performance.
**Consult your doctor to understand sodium’s effect on blood pressure.
TUESDAY, APRIL 19: SUNSET REPEATS
10 MINUTE RUN AND DYNAMIC WARM UP AT WHEELER PARK
3-5 X SUNSET LOOPS
5 X :10 HILL SPRINTS AT SUNSET HILL @ 95%
COOL DOWN BACK TO THE SHOP
Details:
**All workouts leave from AARC Ashley at 6:05 pm.
All abilities are welcome and the workouts are written to be adjusted to each runner’s individual needs. They are time based intervals or hills that aim to leave no runner behind. Whether you are training for a sprint tri race series or this year’s late summer DXA2 run, or even a fall marathon, you can benefit from this training. Workouts are based at a local track or hill and start from AARC at 6pm. This allows runners to bring along a drink and drop it at the workout location. Please note that AARC closes at 6pm. ***Each runner is responsible for assessing their fitness and readiness to participate. Each runner is responsible for choosing their own workout and understanding the risks associated with demanding physical activity. This information is available for runners to help themselves, no prescription is intended.***
