Drink only when you are thirsty?

[PamNY]

Interesting article from the NY Times about hydration. This is a discussion of hydration for runners, but it could just as well apply to cyclists. I've always heard that you should "stay ahead" of thirst, but that can be dangerous, according to this piece.

[OakLeaf]

I read that a month or two ago. As is not uncommon with the NYT's reporting of sports medicine, the comments are more instructive than the actual article.

I know for a fact that in my body, both hunger and thirst shut down during hard exertion. I'd be surprised if it's different for most people - from an evolutionary standpoint, if we're trying to chase dinner, or being chased by something that wants to make us its dinner, we're not going to want to feel compelled to stick our faces in the watering hole, or climb a tree to pick fruit to eat.

I've made such a habit of drinking while running that I just know to do it. But during a very hard fast ride, or in the one triathlon I did last year in hot weather, I really have to force myself to drink. A friend of mine who's planning to finish his 100th marathon in a few weeks wound up in the medical tent twice this summer with heat exhaustion and dehydration because he's used to carrying his own water and couldn't drink effectively from the aid stations.

It's true you can avoid hyponatremia by not drinking, but to me that's like saying you can avoid blood sugar spikes by not eating. Your body needs water to cool and detoxify itself. If you're not getting enough sodium (or other electrolytes) the solution isn't to stop drinking water, it's to take in more sodium.

I might add that I consider myself quite in tune with my body. Medical professionals I've seen have confirmed that for me. I'm very aware of what muscle is doing what, and I'm starting to get a good sense for where mildly pinched nerves are coming from. I know when I'm hungry and what I'm hungry for (protein, calcium, B-vitamins, etc). Our bodies just don't send us the same messages during hard exertion that they do at rest, I don't believe.

[Biciclista]

unfortunately as people get older it gets harder to stay hydrated because the body gets less efficient on processing what you eat and drink. I will go read that article.

[OakLeaf]

I'm not sure how old you're talking about - I've never heard that about hydration, will have to look it up - but IAE I think if someone's running her first marathon or other endurance event at 50 or older, she's very likely to be well prepared.

Here's some sound advice from someone who actually did encounter hyponatremia despite not being new to the sport. Note that this was written over eight years ago, before there had been such pervasive publicity about hyponatremia. I think supplements like Endurolytes and S-Caps are much more widely available now than they were eight years ago, too.

Practice taking in small amounts of water at a time, and getting salt in fluids, and notice how your body reacts. Train in a hot environment if you can, to get a better sense of how you react to heat over time. As a general rule, try to take in one gram of sodium per hour during a long event, and build up your sodium reserves by taking 10 to 25 grams a day of salt pre-race.

Training to avoid hyponatremia:

Drink small amounts of fluids to stay hydrated, but don't overdose on water.
Take in electrolytes through sports drinks which have sodium and potassium.
Ask the race director what fluids will be given on race day.
Try to eat snack foods with salt, like pretzels or chips.
Alternate water and hot clear chicken broth to get both water and salt.
Tomato-based drinks include high sodium content.
Salt tablets should not be used unless you have used them before, know a safe dosage and know how you tolerate them.
Avoid taking aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen during the race, as it may affect kidney function.