Hydration Plan for Competition

HYDRATION PLAN FOR COMPETITION

For success on the track, physicallyall of have is yourself and your strength/speed. Muscles are made up of water. A dehydrated muscle is a weak muscle. Keeping hydrated will help you stay strong, focused, and fast as well as prepared for a LONG day of competition against the best runners in the state.

Water comprises around 3/4 of muscle tissue and 80 percent of our bloodstream, which is key to cardiovascular performance. Water plays a crucial role in our system because it brings “the good” to our muscles, like oxygen and glucose, and takes away “the bad”, like heat. When we run, we sweat, and if we don’t replace those fluids, the chance for muscle failure and overheating increases. I see it all the time at big events and some of the best runners fail to reach their potential because of improper preparation and monitoring [which begins well in advance of meet day].

Most experts recommend using mostly water to replenish lost fluids. However, after strenuous exercise for a prolonged period, replacing electrolytes (as I suggested in my recovery plan) is also key to good physical recovery. Some sports drinks can fulfill that role, however anything that is heavily laden with sugar or supplements like caffeine, which can reduce sleep and impact muscle recovery, leading to decreased performance and strength is not a good idea.You may not notice a difference in your performance when you drink high-sugar drinks versus water. It may not always seem like the sugar and lack of hydration is affecting your body, but truthfully it is. Water is a major part of our delivery system. Your body uses water to develop energy and deliver it to the muscles that need it. High-sugar drinks slowly dehydrate the athlete and the cheap sugars wear off quickly, leaving runners tired and their muscles deprived.

One of the best ways to monitor hydration, involves weighing yourself prior to running and after running. This weight awareness can be a helpful and quickmeasurement in determining how much water needs to be replaced after a practice or an invitational. In particular, as we approach League Championships and Districts when we need to compete on multiple days, replacing lost fluids prior to competing the next day could help ensure we perform at our optimum level in every race, in every heat. You should replace weight lost from sweat, pound for pound. So, if after a practice you are a pound lighter, you should intake 16 ounces of water as part of the recovery process [do not neglect the other pieces to my recovery plan]. Keep in mind that this is in addition to the normal water routine, so in this example, you would not only drink the 16 ounces to replace the pound of lost fluid but also drink what you normally would throughout the evening before going to sleep.

Basic Hydration Rules

• When in season, a good rule of thumb is to take your weight and multiple it by .75 to determine the number of ounces a day you should be drinking. For example, at 150 lbs. you should be drinking about 112.5 fluid ounces throughout the day. When out of season, and not practicing or competing as intensely, you can drop that multiplier down to .50 because less water will be lost.
• If allowed, carry a fluid bottle with you at school and sip water throughout the day. You can also catch up on hydration through a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, which are 70 to 80 percent water.
• Begin each day by drinking one to three [8-ounce] glasses as soon as you wake up.
• Appropriately work water breaks into every workout. BRING WATER SO YOU DO NOT NEED TO LEAVE THE TRACK.
• Rehydrate after training with 16 ounces of fluid for every pound lost via sweat.
• Utilize water when workouts are less than one hour, and consider adding in a sports drink when workouts are greater than one hour or high intensity. Sports drinks include carbohydrates, as well as electrolytes sodium and potassium, which are crucial for muscle function. Thus, making your drink part water and part sports drink can be helpful for longer workouts and invitationals.
• You can monitor hydration status through the color of your urine. Light yellow urine indicates good hydration. But note that eating certain proteins or taking some vitamin supplements can affect the color. On average, urinating half a dozen times throughout the day indicates adequate hydration.
• Early signs of dehydration include a higher resting pulse rate, dizziness, headaches, nausea, lack of sweating, fatigue, and cramping. Pushing in one liter of fluids can often alleviate these symptoms if caught soon enough. SO BE SMART AND BE AWARE.