Stay Fluid, Run Strong: A Story About Runner’s Hydration
I ran nine miles on Saturday afternoon, my most challenging. The run was not tough because of the length; I can run nine miles. It was tough because there were many factors that I knew I needed to consider, but I still chose not to.
I did the standard prep the day before. I ate filling meals, laid out my clothes and gear, and ensured I had proper layers for the weather. On the day of, I stretched and warmed up like usual. I sweat a lot during physical activity, and my face is generally covered in salt. I ensured I packed enough salt water, tablets, and gummies for my run.
My run started very nicely. I ran two miles around a track and two and a half more miles on a trail before it started raining a little. My transition from the trail to the treadmill was when I noticed things going downhill. My pace decreased tremendously, and my legs started to feel heavy, and eventually I felt like they were beginning to cramp.
I immediately realized where I went wrong. I haven’t been drinking enough water throughout the week as I should be. I remember when my friend used to call me the hydration police, and that was just a few years ago. Since then, I’ve been drinking other fluids like coffee, tea, and kombucha in addition to water, which is not leaving me as hydrated as I used to be.
As I’m writing this, I have a headache. I woke up with a headache this morning, which I usually attribute to a late wake-up and lack of caffeine, but today feels different because I ran yesterday, and I feel like adequate hydration was an issue. According to sports dietician and Runners World columnist Renee McGregor,
Where I went wrong was improper hydration throughout the day. In general, I don’t think I’m getting enough water.
I used to be so good at drinking water. I would wake up, intake 16 ounces, drink a cup of coffee, work out and drink another 32 ounces, and get on the train and drink another 32. I would then aim to drink 64oz throughout the work day, finishing an hour before having to get on the train again to commute home. What I know changed was my lifestyle. When I moved from somewhere where I commuted via public transportation to a place where I drove everywhere, things changed. I stopped CrossFit, I stopped running, and I stopped doing a lot outdoors. Not drinking a lot of water became a habit.
Now, I live in a city where people mainly commute via public transportation. I also started running again and incorporating more CrossFit-style workouts at the gym throughout the week. What’s missing is that I need to get back into the habit of hydrating.
So what am I going to do?
I’m going to start tracking my water again. I will try to follow my water for the next 90 days until drinking water becomes a habit for me again. At the end of those 90 days, I’ll report back here about how I did and how my body and brain function changed overall.
Drink your water, friends!
