Today was a weirdly muggy run. It was cool but exceptionally humid. Nora said that the “dew point” was 66°–which according to Tom Skilling is miserable.
Shout out to Todd for starting our run, to Francesca and Sherry for cheering us on, and to Carl and Nicole for providing Gatorade. Hello to Soon! . Hi to Mike, Dave and Karen, George! Special greetings to Sania, Longry, Nora, Jeannette, and extra thanks to Amanda, plus everyone else. It was a an extra sweaty one, but we made it!! Thank you to everyone—it’s so nice spending time with you on the Path!
After today’s run, I thought it’d be good time to discuss how to keep ourselves hydrated during summer running.
In Nicole Bede’s 2013 Runner’s World article on hydration and running in the heat, she shared some key points about how to survive.
- Stay hydrated—all the time. Not just when running.
- Observe hydration levels by checking our urine color: medium light-yellow is optimal. Dark yellow urine means we need more fluid.
- Do a sweat test by weighing ourselves prior to a hot run, and then again after it. Our weight loss post-run indicates how much hydration we’ll need for a hot run.
- Replace electrolytes lost from sweating a lot in a hot run.
Do you still have questions? I did. I was not sure about electrolytes, and why we need them. According to Kyle Beswick’s post in 2019 Cedar Sinai Blog, electrolytes are essential minerals in our blood, such as, sodium, potassium, and calcium. These minerals are essential for our central nervous system, and muscle contractions—which is essential for running.
Sweating a lot during a hot run may mean you are losing a lot of electrolytes. Bestwick’s article explained that electrolyte deficit may cause fatigue, and or muscle cramping (both conditions make for a miserable run or race). Keep electrolytes steady by taking GU and drinking Gatorade regularly.
I recommend carrying a water bottle while running in heat, even in a race. My advice is to experiment with your hydration on the Prairie Path during the summer. There are fountains just about every other mile. Sundays are good with the club supplied Gatorade. Just drink often and well. Stay hydrated!
Good Running!