Running 42km without water?

Phil01

Hi,

I'm planning on running 42km from my college back to my home(its excately 42km), but the thing is i wont carry water with me, i can't run holding a water bottle nor do i want to try. So is it durable to run 42km without taking any water or supplements?

Or is it just a stupid idea??

Cheers
Phil.

comer_97

sounds a bit dangerous to me. You could get a Camelbak, I use them for running long distances.

hunnymonster

yes it's doable but silly.

Why do you not want to try carrying a water bottle?

Are there any shops en route where you could stop for water?

Could you have someone meet you en route with water?

secman

I take it that you have the training in, or else it would be a very stupid idea.
Its actually just feet short of a marathon, so are you a 3hr or a 4hr marathon man ? I know of very few people if any at all who would run a marathon without taking water on. Also with daylight closing in at 4 ish now, what time do you intend starting at ? And finally WHY ?


Yours in sport

Secman

Phil01

Yes i have the training in, i am capable of running 42km but never tried without water. From your comments here perhaps i shouldnt do it, maybe i would be better running it at the track. 4 x 10km. ok thanks for your comments and suggestions.

Jnealon

You could also drive the route beforehand and leave a few bottles along the route. I do this on all my long runs

911sc

I don't think it is very wise. It is Christmas time, so time to order a CamelBak as mentionned above.. around €60 for a 2 litre running bag.
Since i have started using one ( i used to organise my long runs so that i would pass by shops to buy water/bars), i would not do without it even for distance as low as 21km. I have a high sweat rate, so i need loads of water and 10kmiles is the max i would run without taking any water in.
It makes the run much more enjoyable and you can also carry few energy gel packs. You can then train anywhere you want as you as self sufficient.

Phil01

Thanks for comments 911sc, i might buy a camelBak and see what they are like, i just hate running with water or backpacks but i think i will give this a try and see how it goes.
Thanks for all the comments.

Zapho

Dude, water isn't hard too hold when you run! Just find yourself a comfortable bottle, nothing bigger than 750ml, or its a hastle. Get into the habit of always carrying a bottle of water when you do your short runs, so when you hit the marathon, you'll be well used to it. I never used to carry one with me either, but I found it a lot easier to have water for the long runs. Ya'll get used to it.

Fast_Mover

From what miles upwards of a run do you think one would need to carry water for?! Or is everyone different?

--amadeus--

Everyone is different. I have seen women walking teh Limerick mini-marathon (4.5 miles) and gulping down water like they were in the middle of teh Sahara and I have heard of people racing marathons without drinking (I think HM might do that?)

Generally if you are racing a 10k or under then drinking is pointless, the disruption to your pace and breathing won't be worth it. In warmer conditions then you might need to drink on a half and certainly anything longer you'd be advised to drink something. The books seem to reccomend carb drinks once you go past 21kms. You will dehydrate when excercising and while it's not as dangerous as some would make out I have seen it reccomended that you should drink as you need as the scientific studies showed that we are naturally quite good at self regulating. In other words if you feel the need to drink 500mls on a 5 miler then do it, even if your mates don't.

That said I ran LSRs of 18 miles in training last year totally unfuelled (no carbs, no gels, no water) to prep for a marathon (part of Daniels theory is that running in a carb depleted state teaches teh body to burn more fat earlier which helps in teh race). I wouldn't reccomend it to a novice but it's amazing how durable your body is.

911sc

Phil01 wrote: »

i just hate running with water or backpacks

so did I , certainly because i never had the right bag.
The CamelBak i have got is Velocity. It has a strap around the chest (see photo on camelbak web) which i have found gives great benefit for runners
1- better fit & control of bag movement (almost none actually at the start with bag full, a bit as the pouch empties unless you re-adjust the straps along the way. Give an excuse for a break!!!)
2- pull the main straps away from arm pits, so minimise friction there.
3- no nore nipples rash as you are strapped in.

While appreciating everybody likes different things, i feel it is very unconfortable to hold a bottle while running as suggested by previous poster.
For start, it create an unbalances and one arm swings faster than the other (pure physics, e.g like a pendulum), unless you carry one in each hand.
But again, everybody is different...

I have seen guys running with baby bottles (sort of oval donut), where you can pass part of your hand/fingers in the middle. At least, they do not need to hold it as such.

hunnymonster

911sc wrote: »

I have seen guys running with baby bottles (sort of oval donut), where you can pass part of your hand/fingers in the middle. At least, they do not need to hold it as such.

two problems with these ones,
bulky for little liquid,
lots of them have a strange flip top lid that means you get about 5 ml/sec. I need to gulp faster than that. Newer ones have a proper sports top lid though.

sgt.bilko

As someone who witnessed the effects of dehydration at Dublin Marathon '05, don't be silly !

You WILL need to keep your body hydrated unlike the poor fella who I had in the back of my Ambulance and who kept going to the light in the sky and repeatedly asked my attendant "Is my ccok big?". She needless to say had no wish to find out! :rolleyes:

hunnymonster

sgt.bilko wrote: »

As someone who witnessed the effects of dehydration at Dublin Marathon '05, don't be silly !

You WILL need to keep your body hydrated unlike the poor fella who I had in the back of my Ambulance and who kept going to the light in the sky and repeatedly asked my attendant "Is my ccok big?". She needless to say had no wish to find out! :rolleyes:

You cannot make generalisations like that. I've run at least two marathons without fuel or hydration. My body is well adapted, I look after it before and afterwards. It depends on the individual. I do agree that it's not partiularly sensible.