Learn to hydrate?

[jessmarimba]

I'm posting this here because it seems to be just a running issue for me and doesn't occur while biking. Even if I drink water all day at work I seem to just pee a million times and I still feel dehydrated while running. Coming back from ~6 weeks off, I realize I'm just not very efficient right now and running will start to suck less as I run more - but is there any way to speed up my body's learning to work again? This is really annoying. Drinking while I run just makes the water slosh around and give me cramps (and I know that will get better as I run more too).

(And a side note - "eating" more water doesn't seem to help me retain it, either. I'm eating tons of fruits & veggies right now and still no luck)

[ny biker]

If your pee is clear, then I think you're hydrated.

Perhaps you should add more salt to your diet? That will help you retain water. And it's possible that you're drinking too much water, causing your blood sodium levels to be low. When your sodium levels are very low you develop hyponatremia, which has symptoms similar to dehydration.

[OakLeaf]

Sounds like not enough sodium to me, too.

It's hard for me to sort out. Not only sodium and water, but calcium and magnesium as well. I suppose I'll have to start logging every molecule that passes my lips, weighing before/after and using the HR-based calorie calculation to estimate what % of weight loss is fluid and what is glycogen, etc., etc., etc. Ugh.

[hulagirl]

Have you tried an electrolyte replacement supplement like E21?

[Becky]

When I feel like I'm drinking (and peeing) like crazy, but not staying hydrated, I supplement with some Endurolyte capsules or Elete drops. That usually does the trick for me.

[jessmarimba]

I definitely get plenty of salt. It's crusted on my face after a run (something that I know will also stop happening as I get more used to running again).

I was thinking that maybe I just feel dehydrated because my mouth is so dry when I run here - I always breathe through my mouth, and the air here sucks every drop of spit dry. But I had a headache after a half glass of wine last night and that usually means I really am dehydrated.

Maybe I'll try an electrolyte drink or something a few hours before my next run. I have a feeling, though, that it's just me stressing my body out and it'll just get better of its own accord in a couple weeks. I'm at a weird point where my legs and lungs are fine starting at 4-6 miles, even after the time off, but everything else is not used to working like that.

[elbowglitter]

A while back, I read something that people who eat low sodium diets tend to be saltier sweaters. It seems counterintuitive, I know, but that's why it stuck in my head.

I'm a salty sweater (like you, it's on my face after a run), and have found that adding salt to my diet on those days helps immensely. I also use SaltStick caps or Endurolytes.

[jessmarimba]

Trust me. I put salt on EVERYTHING. I eat a couple pickles a day and snack on olives, cheese, and tostitos after I get home. If it's a problem with sodium, it runs deeper than diet.

But thanks for the tips :)

[alpinerabbit]

You could bring water and instead of drinking it, spit it out again if it's just your mouth that feels dry.