When Dave and I head out for our Sunday long runs, we are really good about taking our water bottles with us…now.

A few years ago, we didn’t even have any and I can’t believe something bad didn’t happen!

We lived in Shanghai for a couple years for Dave’s work and in the summer time the heat would be outrageous! We knew where to get a cold bottle of water after the run, but didn’t take any with us and there were several times that (now that I know better) we were dangerously close to having a heat related medical issue.

Not to mention, it just plain sucks to be really hot and really thirsty.

Are you paying attention to your hydration before your run?

Many of us think that in order to be properly hydrated on our runs, we only need to worry about drinking during the run.

We also need to be mindful of it before and after our runs as well.

If you had told me 15 years ago that water would be one of my favorite drinks, I would have thought you were nuts…of course if you told me I would run marathons that would just confirm it, lol.

The body wants to be hydrated at all times, not just during hard bouts of exercise, so make sure you are drinking water well before you go out on your run.

For some of us early morning runners, you may need to keep a glass of water by your bed and drink it as soon as you wake up so you are getting something before you go.

Now, if you are an older runner like me, you have plenty of opportunities in the middle of the night to hydrate yourself!

Which I know, just feeds in to the never ending cycle of having to get up in the night, so don’t over do it!

But if you start trying to get water in during the day, all day, you should start to feel like you are staying hydrated and not thirsty all the time.

Part of the reason carbs are such a good fueling source for runners is that for every gram of carb you consume, 3 grams of water is stored. So those carbs do more than you think to get your body ready for a run. If you eat something before you go out, that will also help keep you hydrated.

During the Run

When planning your run, if you are experiencing hot weather, you may need to carry water with you even if you don’t normally do so.

Being thirsty on a hot day during a run is no fun, and it becomes all you can think about, so invest in some kind of water bottle.

I use a hydration belt, and I carry one bottle of water and one bottle of NUUN hydration on hot days that I will be out for longer than an hour.

On regular days that aren’t super hot, if I’m going for less than an hour, pre-hydrating is usually fine.

If you’ll be on the run for longer than that, take water.

At first it can really be a pain, so just determine you are going to work through that. The weight of it, or listening to the water slosh around can be maddening so there is a period of adjustment.

Once you are used to it though, being able to drink during a run is wonderful.

You should plan on taking in water every 15 minutes or so, drinking several ounces each time. I set a timer using an app called Intervals so I don’t forget to drink.

I don’t feel thirsty for a long time, so I need that reminder so I don’t go too long before taking in water and electrolytes. If you run at a 10-15 minute pace, you can also plan to drink every time you hit a mile.

Keep in mind that for every 1% of your body weight you lose in water or sweat, your performance decreases. So in a race, be sure to stop at those watering stations or take your hydration with you.

Electrolytes can be delivered to your body by using sports drinks. I like to use NUUN, which comes in tablets that you add to your water. The tablets are scored, so for my size water bottle I cut one in half.

You can use any kind of sports drink that you like. You may need to experiment a bit to find one that tastes good and works for you DURING the run. I have found that things I like to eat or drink in “normal” life I can’t stand on the run.

One thing you can do to help you keep on track with your hydration plan, is to make sure your bottle/s are half empty halfway through your run. Of course, you can only carry so much water so if you have a really long run plan to stop and get more. This may entail some extra planning to figure out where you will need to stop, but if you do that you will not have to think about running out of water.

Restroom Break!

Now with hydration in comes the issue of hydration out.

There are times I have to pee…so I have learned where bathrooms are on my routes. Knowing that helps me to keep drinking, since I know I wont have to suffer.

When I do go, I check it out (TMI alert):

If your urine is the color of straw (pale yellow), you are doing well with your hydration routine. If it is dark, you need to hydrate more.

Sweat

If you are finding that after a run you have crystals of salt drying on your face or white streaks on your clothes, you are a salty sweater and should definitely be carrying the electrolyte drinks with you.

Even though I don’t sweat nearly as much as my husband, I am a salty sweater and I have scratched the corners of my eyes by rubbing them when I have had salt crystals on my face!

You may want to do a sweat test, to see how much water you are losing during a run. Knowing this can help you figure out how much you should be drinking during a run.

If you want to hear how to do your own sweat test, you can listen to The Wrinkled Runner podcast episode below on hydration. I specifically talk about the sweat test starting at 2:09.

Hydration for Runners Podcast Episode

After the Run

Once you are done with your run, replenish your electrolytes with a sports drink. Drink plenty of water as well. If you’ve done your sweat test, make sure you are replacing that lost hydration.

Keep on drinking water throughout the day, or coconut water if you aren’t keen on so much water. Tea is also something that I will switch to if I’ve had enough.

Dehydration

So how do you know if you are dehydrated?

Some symptoms are dizziness, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth or lips. Don’t let your body get to that point. Don’t wait until your mouth is dry or you are dying of thirst. Like I said before, feeling thirsty for me is unreliable, so have a plan and stick to it.

Stop and get something to drink on the run if you need to and you don’t have it with you.

There are some days that I just don’t feel like carrying water with me, but I am always so glad that I did!