Thirsty Thursday

Today's Exercise: 8 Mile Tempo Run - 9:52pace

For the past few days I've been doing tons of research on long distance hydration. At the race there will be plenty of aid stations with water, sports drinks, gels and food but on my solo runs I have to figure out how to keep myself properly hydrated. It's a double edged sword because dehydration reduces performance by up to 20% and over hydration can cause hyponatremia. One misstep and you're kaput! Maybe not that dramatic...

On my longer solo runs I'll be running 20-25 miles on trails. Most trails don't have water fountains or 7-11's. There are so many differing articles but from what I gather I need to drink at least 50oz on my longer runs. So what's best? A handheld bottle (or 2), a hydration belt, or a pack with a bladder.

I'm leaning towards the pack and also carrying a handheld on longer runs. My main concern is the pack chaffing my chest. And 25 miles of that would be pretty awful. I'm doing 15 miles Saturday and am planning an out and back route that has a water fountain at 3 and 12 miles. That leaves me with 22 oz of water for 9 fairly hot miles. Which should work... I'll let you know.

So tomorrow, Friday, is my lightest exercise day which means tonight I get my one glass of wine for the week. Woo Hoo