[ARDF] Drinking habit

[Jay Hennigan]

With that subject line I thought this might be related to the Hash House 
Harriers.  :-)

Ewald & Helga Stadler wrote:
> Hello ARDF friends, I like to comment the drinking story. I do ARDF, OL and
> also marathons. Last year I finished my 30th marathon. In Runners magazines
> it was published that a body can only digest 0.25 liters every half 
> hour, more
> puts the kidneys to work and one has to urinate. I always drink about 
> 0.25 Liters
> before I start the marathon or any race longer than 2 hours.
> It is much better to get a belt with little bottles with 0.15 to 0.25 
> Liters.
> Also it was reported that people have died do to drinking poor water.

Poor water isn't the problem, it's too much water.  It is called
hyponatremia.  The excess water coupled with electrolyte loss through
sweat causes a lack of sodium with some pretty nasty consequences.

> A runner should always add about a teaspoon salt to a 1 liter (quarter) 
> water.
> Greetings. Ewald DJ2UE
> 
> Regarding the 3L of water---It's 1.5 to 2 L.  In Albuquerque, I used
> 2L, probably because of the dry air (and all the extra breathing due
> to the thin air).  In Raleigh, I think I did 1.5L before my start on
> both days.

2L is probably too much water, especially without any salts.

> In Albuquerque, I needed water at the finish.  In Raleigh, I didn't
> feel like I needed water, but I drank the electrolyte drink anyway.
> The banana at the finish was great, too.
> 
> Also, it wasn't water---It's a sports drink called Gookinade
> Hydralyte.  It was developed by Bill Gookin, an orienteering and
> marathon runner.  He analyzed his sweat and made a drink to replace
> what he was losing.  I think it's a lot better than water.  If I drink
> too much water, I get a headache.  I just feel better when I drink
> this before I run.

A good idea is to weigh yourself before and after your long training
runs to get an idea of how much you lose to perspiration.  If I'm going
13 miles (20km or half-marathon) I will rarely stop to drink while on 
the run itself, especially if it is a race.  In addition to losing time
by slowing down or stopping to drink, I tend to get nauseous when I run
right after drinking.   Much longer than a half-marathon and you will
probably need to get some fluids including electrolytes.  Very much 
longer and you are going to need some calories in the form of 
quickly-absorbed carbohydrates along the run.


Your Gookinaid is more than just sweat replacement, it also has sugars,
primarily glucose and fructose.  This is a good thing for an endurance
race.  Another choice is a gel-pack like "GU".

Marketing folks use words like "electrolyte", "glucose" and "energy" 
instead of "salt", "sugar", and "calories", but they're saying the same 
thing,and you'll want it if you're going to be running for two hours or 
more.  Figure on burning about 100 calories per mile, more if there are 
hills, more if you're lugging a bunch of gear (or water) around with you.

-- 
Jay Hennigan - CCIE #7880 - Network Administration - jay at west.net
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