Hydration While Running

Whether you have hydrated properly before your run and taken on enough fluids or not, you will start to lose water while you run. To avoid this you need to take on fluids during the run which is not always easy.

Firstly, don’t wait until you feel thirsty. During a run, once you feel thirsty, you will not be able to recover. Hydrating after that will stem the problem, but you will not be able to take on enough to make up for not drinking early enough. So have a plan and start drinking right from the start at regular intervals.

In terms of hydration kit, obviously this site is dedicated to hydration packs so have a look around. However, essentially the kit falls into water bottles and carriers and hydration packs which have a tube that reaches round to your mouth. Running water bottle kits can come with waist straps so you can slot the bottle on your back and reach round when you need it. The disadvantage is that in order to be tight enough on the water bottle to hold it in place while you’re running, they can be fiddly to replace after a drink. This can be uncomfortable on the shoulders as you reach round and distracting. Worst of all it can deter you from drinking during a run as regularly as you should.

Running hydration packs take the form of a waist strap with a water bladder at the rear. The tube that reaches round will clip to your front and mean very easy access for frequent sips.

In terms of what to drink, each runner has their own preference. Whilst water or a good sports drink and the normal choices for hydration whilst running, I have heard runners swear by flat coke (not least for its caffeine content).

During a run you lose electrolytes (salts) as well as water which is the logic for not just hydrating with pure water. Dehydration can take more than one forms which we will leave to the specialists to define: Isotonic Dehydration, Hypertonic Dehydration, and Hypotonic Dehydration.

Replacing the water is essential, but so is the replacement of salts, which sports drinks will help with. They may also provide a valuable source of energy to keep you going on longer runs.

So in summary, drink right from the start of the run, drink regularly, make sure you replace both water and electrolytes and have the right kit. We are covering how much to drink while running in a separate article.