Am I drinking too much?

[michelem]

This is from Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon:

"Timing your prerace hydration can be tricky. I recommend that runners drink as often as possible until 2 hours before the race -- then stop until just before they start to move . . . Otherwise, they may need to urinate at midrace, an obvious inconvenience. In the last 5 minutes before moving, I start drinking again, often downing a 12-ounce soft drink (usually Coke or Pepsi) while standing on the starting line, knowing it will be absorbed by my body before it reaches my kidneys."

I would imagine this applies to cycling as well, and have found it works for me (although I forego the soft drink). I get up at least 2 hrs. prior to my rides and drink about 32 -40 oz. of water and pee a gazillion times before I leave the house. But then, even though I can go through both of my bottles (one of water and the other replacement drink) and maybe even refill one with water and drink that too, I don't have to pee on my rides that last less than 3 hours. Over three hours, and I have to pee at least once though!

The general recommendation is to drink about a quart an hour. By drinking about half to 3/4 of that per hour as a beverage that contains between 4 and 8 percent carbs, this will generally help you maintain blood glucose oxidation and delay fatigue as well. I bring one bottle of water and one of replacement drink and alternate drinking from each.

One last thing, it IS possible to drink too much (and it is dangerous). The best way to gauge whether you are drinking enough, not enough, or too much is by weighing yourself before and after your rides. If you lose weight, you didn't drink enough; if you gain weight, you drank too much; and if you maintained, then you drank the perfect amount.

Hope this helps.