E-Coach Training Tips
Here is this week’s E-coaching tip….
Hydration Strategies - This week’s tip should have been the precursor to last week dealing with avoiding dehydration. Now that we have another blast of hot weather hitting the Northeast region, good hydration will be critical to training and race performance.
Start out hydrated and try to stay that way – Start out with approximately 16-24oz of fluids 2hrs prior to your workout with another 8-16oz within the last hour before. This last round of fluid intake should be a sports drink containing carbohydrates and electrolytes.
Fluid requirements during exercise - During exercise look to consume about 20oz per hour which should include a sports drink. Drinking too much water can reduce the concentration of sodium in our system and bring on the affects of hyponatremia. (as we discussed last week)
Dehydration and its affects – To review from last week, our body sweats as it’s primary mechanism to remove heat. This can be well over 1liter of sweat per hour Athletes normally only replace 50-80% of fluid losses during training and racing. One needs to set a hydration schedule as thirst is not a good initial indicator. When we feel thirsty, our bodies have lost 1% of body weight in fluids. This will start to have negative affects on performance. Fluid losses greater than 2% of body weight will have much more adverse affects and could lead to heat exhaustion or even heatstroke.
Physiological effects of dehydration are characterized by the following:
- Increased heart rate
- Raised body temperature
- Decreased blood flow to the skin
- Heightened perception of effort
- Compromised mental concentration and motor skills
- Risk of gastrointestinal upset
- Lead to heat exhaustion – weakness, cold and clammy skin, weak pulse, experience faintness, fatigue, and nausea
Us folks from New England have not had any long term heat waves so our bodies have yet to adjust. Always have a hydration plan and schedule for training and racing. If you have major concerns, weigh yourself before training and afterwards to get the difference, don’t forget to factor in how the amount you drank too. Look to drink 16-20oz for every lb of body weight lost afterwards.
Don’t forget the old faithful pee test; “When it’s clear, have no fear.” Be safe out there and watch the weather forecast leading to Timberman next week. If it looks hot, then plan your hydration strategy accordingly.