How much Water should you drink?

It’s pouring rain and here we are in the finish line for the Half Marathon… the starting signal is fired…the first 5Km and the first supply station…10 Km, 15 Km, the Finish line. We haven’t slow down at any supply station, we haven’t drank anything, because with all this rain, who really needs water?

The several crucial moments of a race above remembered are mostly what really happens to runners, and how much they react to climate atmosphere. However, are these the best choices?

In hot summer days, nobody wants to ‘miss’ the supply station but on cloudy and rainy days, do you need to ingest liquids?

And after all the kilometres ran and all of that hard work, there is not a 100 % correct answer for one crucial question:

How much Water should you drink?

Hydration is very important and has a key role in each athlete’s performance, so much so, that it can ruin his physical effort. To avoid that, you should know how much you should drink to keep your body functioning.

But is it possible to know how much liquids you should drink?

Theoretically there is a simple way to calculate that amount and our SPIRIDON readers should be aware of it. Although this process is not infallible, it gives us a good idea of how much water an athlete really needs.

Let’s take a look at the many steps:

Before you start your regular training, let’s say 60 minutes of constant running through an plain field, you should urinate beforehand so you can start your training a lot more ‘lighter’.

Next get a regular size scale and evaluate your weight before you star your training. This must be done without any clothes or equipment.

When the training finishes, clean your sweat with a towel and check your weigh again.

Then you may calculate the following:

A .................Weight before the exercise; B ....................Weight after the exercise; C ................. Difference in grams (A –B); D ............ Volume of Liquids Consumed; E ................Amount of sweat lost (C+D); F ...............Time of Training 60 minutes; G ..............Amount of perspiration = E/F

With this formula you can know the amount of liquids lost during a race. In case it’s an competition or even a longer training, the system is going to be the same and the runner will always know how much he lost, whether trough sweat or by breathing.

Let’s see a practical example of this formula; this is based on an athlete that weights about 80 Kg and lost over 300 grams in his 60 minutes session: A .....................................................80 kg B .................................................. 79,7 kg C ............................................ 300 grams D ...................................................200 ml E ........................................................500 F ............................................................1 G ........................................................500

The result was 500-ml/per hour, which means that theoretically the amount needed is half a litre of water.

Evidently that this quantity will increase during longer races and on hot humid days, but it’s good to know how much drinking liquids is vital to increase your performance.

We end by focusing on the studies of the physiologist Per Olaf Aastrand this revealed that an runner of 70 Kg, the loss of 1,5 Litres trough perspiration will decrease your physical performance by 20%.

Now you know everything you need to know, so don’t skip any of the supply’s stations, even on rainy days! •••