RE: Hydrating in the days before a big race -- any strategies?

Fluffy wrote:

I find that drinking the liquids from elephant poop to be very hydrating and rewarding.

really because i heard eating cat poop helps you recover from hard workouts and races.

Keys that tell you that you are hydrated are pissing a lot and the piss being clear.

So I would suggest drinking a lot of beer the day before, and even the hours leading up to your race.

It won't do you any good and could possibly leave you without electrolytes. providing you are drinking normally. Try eating a lot of carbs and salty foods which will help to retain water.

Drink a big gatorade 30 minutes before your race. Anything more than 2 hours before will just pee out of you.

But that gatorade will add weight and slow you down.

Here's a strategy: drink when you're thirsty. If you are healthy, this always work. Always.

Drink

Lots of trolls.

Focus on drinking frequently in the two days before the race. I usually do mostly water until the day before the race, then I mix in a diluted sports drink. I drink a lot the evening before and I even put a bottle next to me while in bed. The sugar from the sports drink mix doesn't always help me fall asleep, especially since I'm tapered and full of energy, but I still think it's good policy. You can lose a ton of hydration in the 8-10 hours of sleep you might get the night before a big race, especially one happening in the morning. It's better to hydrate in the day or two before than try to cram it in the morning of.

The morning of the race, just drink normal amounts. Don't drink much in the hour before the race. Hopefully you can pee before the race starts something you drank earlier in the morning. If you drink just a few sips in the last hour or so, then you can show up to the line pretty hydrated without any excess trying to get peed out right away. I remember a study I can't cite any more that said sipping something about 15 minutes before the start is a good time, because it's too close to race start to get peed out, but not so close to the race start that you start your race while your body is first trying to process the added liquids.

But why are you going to all this trouble? Why is anyone worried about dehydrating? Ever?

Hydration is basically never an issue, unless you have some health problem.

Don't "just drink normal amounts" only the morning of the race. Always drink normally, when you are thirsty, every day, and every part of every day, whether you are racing or not.

Careful of the sports drink at on your nightstand. That will rot your teeth right out of your head.

Shoebacca wrote:

It's better to hydrate in the day or two before than try to cram it in the morning of.

Absolutely wrong.

The only hydration that will stay with you is the hydration that happens in the morning. Look at the research. All the guidelines set by ACSM is based on NOTHING and recently they have revised it to say that you should simply go by thirst.

If you are going to run hard, you expect some dehydration. Testing runners post-race finds that the more hydrated you are, the more likely you are going to finish closer to the front. Champions are the most dehydrated.

Honey Badger wrote:

Testing runners post-race finds that the more hydrated you are, the more likely you are going to finish closer to the front. Champions are the most dehydrated.

So champions are unlikely to finish in the front?

please clarify wrote:

Honey Badger wrote:

Testing runners post-race finds that the more hydrated you are, the more likely you are going to finish closer to the front. Champions are the most dehydrated.

So champions are unlikely to finish in the front?

OOOPS!!! That should be most DEhydrated.

How about taking into account actual scientific research?

http://sweatscience.com/pre-drinking-to-hyperhydrate-and-other-heat-related-research/