TRAIL TIP#4: WHEN SHOULD YOU CARRY ON THE RUN AND HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU DRINK?
You wouldn’t think this is a loaded question but depending on where you look on the interwebs, you get all kinds of different answers. We are going to try to give you a baseline and from there you get to experiment with your lovely N of 1 self :)
I personally need an emotional support water bottle at most times, especially if I’m on the trail. Cristal agreed with me that she takes water with her if she is going to be out for an hour or more. Your climate matters here. Are you running in the heat, humidity? At elevation? Both? I would absolutely bring water for any length of run if that were the case. I can’t tell you how many 30 minute shake out runs I’ve done in the desert where my mouth felt like I ate sand within five minutes.
Each of us has different sweat rates as well. I have friends who don’t need very much water because they don’t sweat very much. I am sweat machine and often need 1 liter per hour. You know who you are :)
That brings us to electrolytes. When to add them or when can you just have water? See how all of this can get so confusing? It doesn’t have to be. Let’s break it down.
Baseline Hydration
Under 60 minutes
Water Needs (per hour): Not needed but I always carry a 500 ml flask with me.
Electrolyte Needs (per hour): Not needed unless extremely hot
1-2 hours
Water Needs (per hour): 8 - 16 ounces or 250 ml - 500 ml
Electrolyte Needs (per hour): 200 mg - 400 mg
2-4 + hours
Water Needs (per hour): 16-24 ounces or 500 ml - 700 ml
Electrolyte Needs (per hour): 400 mg - 700 mg
While the amount of water is pretty straightforward, how do you know if you are getting enough electrolytes? Here is a breakdown of common ways of getting those crucial minerals in.
ELECTROLYTES
Tailwind has electrolytes and carbs so you get more bang for your buck here. We will talk all things fueling next week but two scoops of Tailwind contains 606 mg of electrolytes. I generally try to drink one 500 ml flask of Tailwind per hour and that keeps me good.
Some folks like to just take the Salt Stick Pills which contain 215 mg of electrolyes so you can simply swallow a few pills per hour.
It’s time to experiment with yourself! While you can get away with less water and fewer electrolytes, the point of training is to maximize adaptation and to support your body to improve so we want to make sure you are optimizing your hydration and electrolyte needs. We want you to thrive!
Happy hydrated running!
