From an online article at Active dot com. The New Rules of Hydration includes several deviations of articles that I have read in the past. The one new rule I found noteworthy was New: Drink according to your thirst.
For years, sports nutrition experts advised athletes to drink "ahead of thirst," that is, to drink before getting thirsty and more frequently than what thirst dictated during exercise. Experts warned that by the time you feel thirsty, you've already become dehydrated. However, recent studies show that being in this state of slight dehydration has no negative impact on performance or health.
This advice is backed up by a study from the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, as well as by Tim Noakes, M.D., a professor of sport and exercise science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, who states that “The idea that thirst comes too late is a marketing ploy of the sports-drink industry,"
I am not a PHD in exercise science, but this is what I know. At Ironman Newfoundland 70.3 last year, my seemingly unimpressive 5:47 was good enough for a 7th place in my age group, and close enough to the top to snag me a Cleawater"> qualifying slot on the roll down. How did 5:47 get me to Clearwater? Here is my non PHD informed opinion.
On a hot muggy day in late July, when a lot of people, were suffering in the extreme heat, I kept chugging along like an energizier bunny. I was passing many of my peers who should have been way ahead of me. More very excellent athletes were walking on the run, while I held a steady 9 minute pace for the entire 13 mile run. I didn’t realize the conditions were so extreme until I finished, and started to note who was finishing behind me.
Like several races before, I set out a plan, and stuck to it. In my preparation for Ironman Florida 2006, I devised a fairly simple nutritional and hydrating strategy, based on the “OLD RULES” every 15 minutes, ½ bottle of sports drink, ½ powerbar with ½ bottle water, ½ bottle of sports drink, gel and ½ bottle of water.
I practiced this on all my long workouts. On long rides, my bike was weighed down with bottles, and my pockets full of bars and gels. On long runs, I carried a bottle in a fannie pack holder, and also I carried cash and planned my route to pass several convienience stores along the way so I could duck in and fill up. Even in the cold dreary days of mid to late October when all instincts said “No you are not thirsty, no need to drink more” I stuck to the plan.
In Pasadena last July, I didn’t as much stick to the plan as let my body dictate what it had been trained to do. I was so accustomed to the plan that when I checked my watch, I was usually within a minute of my “SNACK” time. And in the end, it paid huge dividends.
So here is my advice. If you are confident that you can listen to your body, and know the true signs of thirst, and are disciplined enough to obey the signs, the by all means, just drink as your thirst dictates. But too many athletes, have been to focused on making up minutes or even seconds to stop at the aid stations, or slow down on the run and take in hydration, and once they finally listen to their bodies, it’s too late. And if you are signed up for your first Ironman, you need to ask yourself, if you are willing to risk all your hard training on a DNF and a trip to the med tent because you were too full of adrenaline and too focused on the 2500 other athletes to stop and hydrate.
For me, the old rules work fine, and I will stick with them thank you very much.
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