Dehydration

engrish?

Hey,

I am a novice at running in competitions and my aspirations arent that big although I am hoping to complete the Gael Force West at the end of the summer. My problem is that I seem to get badly dehydrated after any long run (8k +) and I end up finishing the race with flu like symptoms.

I bring a dioralite to have afterwards but I was looking for an alternative. I hate drinking during a race, the water sits at the top of my stomach and makes me feel ill, though I do it anyway.

Should I be taking electrolites? What do people do to avoid this? and finally, does everyone not get a giant pain in the ass carrying water with them?

Thanks,

engrish?

tunney

engrish? wrote: »

Hey,

I am a novice at running in competitions and my aspirations arent that big although I am hoping to complete the Gael Force West at the end of the summer. My problem is that I seem to get badly dehydrated after any long run (8k +) and I end up finishing the race with flu like symptoms.

I bring a dioralite to have afterwards but I was looking for an alternative. I hate drinking during a race, the water sits at the top of my stomach and makes me feel ill, though I do it anyway.

Should I be taking electrolites? What do people do to avoid this? and finally, does everyone not get a giant pain in the ass carrying water with them?

Thanks,

engrish?

Unless you are running in a desert I would imagine the issue is that you don't start the run hydrated rather than you get dehydrated during the 8km run.

engrish?

tunney wrote: »

Unless you are running in a desert I would imagine the issue is that you don't start the run hydrated rather than you get dehydrated during the 8km run.

So pump loads of water in beforehand? Do I need to bother with electrolites or anything?

shels4ever

engrish? wrote: »

So pump loads of water in beforehand? Do I need to bother with electrolites or anything?

I wouldnt pump loads in before a race, but normal amounts of water the days before and morning off the race. The more you run the more you will know how much water to take.
If your well hydrated before your run you piss will be clear'ish or straw coloured as per eliwallach below..

eliwallach

shels4ever wrote: »

If your well hydrated before your run you piss will be clear.

Shels, you have a way with words........:D

Although "straw-coloured" urine is what you should be aiming for.
Seemingly clear urine is a sign of over-hydration.

Krusty_Clown

As Tunney has suggested, it would be almost impossible to get dehydrated during an 8k run. What makes you think it is dehydration? Which flu-like symptoms? You mean high temperature/flushed/headache?

Do you run with a heart rate monitor? Perhaps you're effort levels are too great?

shels4ever

eliwallach wrote: »

Shels, you have a way with words........:D

Although "straw-coloured" urine is what you should be aiming for.
Seemingly clear urine is a sign of over-hydration.

yep good point there.

tunney

engrish? wrote: »

So pump loads of water in beforehand? Do I need to bother with electrolites or anything?

If you pump loads in before a run you'll just need to pee.
Aim to maintain a constant state of hydration. on a day to day basis.
You pee should be a very very light yello. As said above staw coloured.

Be aware though if you take a multi-vit with alot of B12 or B12 then you will pee yellow anyways.

Finishing with flu like symptoms? i.e. fvcked? If a race then you probably pushed it and had nothing left in the tank. If a training run, go to the doctor.

emerald007

engrish - how much water do you drink on an average day?

tea,coffee, softdrinks doesn't count since your body has to process those. I personally try to drink 2L per day in work (office bound all day so going to the loo isn't an issue).

In terms of racing - my last sip of any liquids is 40/30mins before the start, this give you time to pee during your final warmup/strides.

BrokenMan

If you are always feeling that bad after an 8K run then there might be something more than dehydration at play. Might be worth dropping into your doctor to get a check up.

engrish?

Flu like symptoms means shakey, stingingish skin and light. I get it after serious excersize. Ok, an 8 - 10k run might not be serious to you but I am a tall (skinny) 16 stone man who does not like running so its hard for me!

A few mins after finishing I feel shakey, my skin feels stingy and I feel a bit bad. Its a similar feeling to the dehydration feeling you get when you have been skiing all day and had little water, if you know that one.

Perhaps I havent been drinking enough on and before the day. The feeling usually goes after an hour of drinking water.

TheJones

Hate to state the obvious but your described condition after a 8-10k run does not sound like the symptoms associated with flu or any other respiratory illness for that matter.

For obvious reasons nobody on boards can offer medical advice so in generalised terms you may be suffering from amongst other things, exhaustion.
Feeling extremely tired or lightheaded however should not be simply brushed off as a result of the run as continued fatigue experienced after moderate exercise can we a warning sign for many conditions.

See your GP prior to running again as your condition will not benefit from anything else offered on an online forum and its obviously something playing on your mind! Apologies for being blunt and Brgds

Krusty_Clown

engrish? wrote: »

Ok, an 8 - 10k run might not be serious to you but I am a tall (skinny) 16 stone man who does not like running so its hard for me!

Hi engrish, nobody is belittling an 8-10k run. Just pointing out that over that distance (and time) is it unlikely that anyone would suffer significant dehydration, unless there are underlying medical problems. In either case (dehydration or not) visiting with your local medical practitioner would seem to be the correct course of action. Might help with your skiing too.

griffin100

Weight yourself before a run and immediately afterwards. If you have sweated out an excessive amount then the scales should show this. I usually loose a kilo in weight per hour moderate running, which is approx a litre of liquid (not scientific I know but helps me plan liquid intake for long runs). Although as the others have said, you may be already poorly hydrated going into a run due to physiological or dietary reasons.

hunnymonster

Hi Guys, just a gentle mod reminder about the "no medical advice rule".

OP, It's not normal to feel the way you describe after a 8-10km run and I would suggest you visit your GP to have a chat about possible causes. If you are really sure it is down to hydration then a sports nutritional might be an alternative option but a qualified person is your best bet.

BeepBeep67

tunney wrote: »

If you pump loads in before a run you'll just need to pee.
Aim to maintain a constant state of hydration. on a day to day basis.
You pee should be a very very light yello. As said above staw coloured.

Be aware though if you take a multi-vit with alot of B12 or B12 then you will pee yellow anyways.

Finishing with flu like symptoms? i.e. fvcked? If a race then you probably pushed it and had nothing left in the tank. If a training run, go to the doctor.

+1 I'm on a tonic at the moment and it's orange and I'm taking in about 3lts of water daily.

jayok77

You need to set yourself a pre-race routine to manage your hydration and nutrition

e.g. for 12pm Race start

• 24 hours before - Drinking water regularly
• Dinner - 8-9pm - Regular dinner with carbs and protein. For a longer event you may mant to eat more than normal.
• 5 hours before race - Pints ++ of water
• 4 hours before race - Pre race meal, keep it bland (porridge, honey, muesly, nuts etc)
• 3 hours before race - Water, water, water.
• 2 hours before race - Stop drinking water
• 1 hour before race - small cup of coffee / half a nutragrain bar
• 10 minutes before race - Two mouthfulls of sports drink (gatorade / lucozade sport)
• Last possible minute - Wash mouth out with sports drink

You may have to experiment with timings as every digestive system is different. Make sure you leave enough time for toilet rest before the race, if in a woods then easy access, if at an organised event with portaloos then make sure you stop drinking a bit earlier (20mins or so)

Afterwards you can finish the rest of your sports drink and should just need water to get you back to normal throughout the day.

This should have you well hydrated and good amount of nutrition to allow you to give a 5k-15k race your hardest effort. For longer races like GF just drink whenever you feel thirsty, preferably a flavoured drink e.g. water + Miwadi, powerade etc. which goes down easier than water for me.

If your still feeling fluey then see a doctor!

engrish?

jayok77 wrote: »

You need to set yourself a pre-race routine to manage your hydration and nutrition

e.g. for 12pm Race start

• 24 hours before - Drinking water regularly
• Dinner - 8-9pm - Regular dinner with carbs and protein. For a longer event you may mant to eat more than normal.
• 5 hours before race - Pints ++ of water
• 4 hours before race - Pre race meal, keep it bland (porridge, honey, muesly, nuts etc)
• 3 hours before race - Water, water, water.
• 2 hours before race - Stop drinking water
• 1 hour before race - small cup of coffee / half a nutragrain bar
• 10 minutes before race - Two mouthfulls of sports drink (gatorade / lucozade sport)
• Last possible minute - Wash mouth out with sports drink

You may have to experiment with timings as every digestive system is different. Make sure you leave enough time for toilet rest before the race, if in a woods then easy access, if at an organised event with portaloos then make sure you stop drinking a bit earlier (20mins or so)

Afterwards you can finish the rest of your sports drink and should just need water to get you back to normal throughout the day.

This should have you well hydrated and good amount of nutrition to allow you to give a 5k-15k race your hardest effort. For longer races like GF just drink whenever you feel thirsty, preferably a flavoured drink e.g. water + Miwadi, powerade etc. which goes down easier than water for me.

If your still feeling fluey then see a doctor!

Thanks a million. Just an update on this, I got a camel pack (2 litres) and I did the Connemara Challenge (31.5km) at the weekend. I did not get the flu symptoms. I did however run out of food about 5k from the end and my legs started to refuse to work. By the time I got over the line I was ready to collapse from lack of energy (I wanted to run but my legs wouldnt work!) and then I had a feed of soup and bread, withing minutes I felt like I could go again!

Thanks for your advice, I wasnt drinking enough water before the race. I asked the doc and he agreed. The camel pack is a great invention!

buzzingnoise

emerald007 wrote: »

engrish - how much water do you drink on an average day?

tea,coffee, softdrinks doesn't count since your body has to process those. I personally try to drink 2L per day in work (office bound all day so going to the loo isn't an issue).

In terms of racing - my last sip of any liquids is 40/30mins before the start, this give you time to pee during your final warmup/strides.

sorry this is rubbish. all fluid, including fluid in food counts towards your level of hydration. Drinking 2L of water a day in addition to teas coffees soft drinks etc is total overkill.

jayok77

engrish? wrote: »

Thanks a million. Just an update on this, I got a camel pack (2 litres) and I did the Connemara Challenge (31.5km) at the weekend. I did not get the flu symptoms. I did however run out of food about 5k from the end and my legs started to refuse to work. By the time I got over the line I was ready to collapse from lack of energy (I wanted to run but my legs wouldnt work!) and then I had a feed of soup and bread, withing minutes I felt like I could go again!

Thanks for your advice, I wasnt drinking enough water before the race. I asked the doc and he agreed. The camel pack is a great invention!

Glad to help. You now need to set yourself a nutrition plan for those longer events.

engrish?

jayok77 wrote: »

Glad to help. You now need to set yourself a nutrition plan for those longer events.

Yeah cheers, Gael Force West and the Marathon are at the end of the summer so will have to work out some serious -plans for that