Running & hydration

[thisgirlrides]

I struggle to run more than 20/30mins without a drink but Dh thinks this is ridiculous & I just need to drink more the rest of the time! Is he right & what sort of time running is generally acceptable to be needing a drink?

I don't drink gallons but always felt I was drinking normal amounts - typical day is couple of cups of coffee, cup of water first thing & before bed, sometimes a Diet Coke or squash, tea mid-evening & whole water bottle when running or cycling.

Any other bottle hugging runners out there or do I need to up my day-to-day water intake?

I think you maybe need a bit more water or squash, coffee being more dehydrating. In saying that I think fluid when exercising is quite variable and depends on how much you do. When I was starting out I always took water. Gradually I got fitter and now would only take water on a run of 10 miles or more, and there will be people who would go a lot further than that. That also varies with the weather, I have taken water on all my runs lately! You could try going without water on a run for a certain length of time and see how you get on, sometimes it's more psychological isn't it, the things we think we need!

Sorry, meant to say, if you are happy drinking that much, you don't really need to change! It's only a problem if it bothers you, not anyone else - or if you always need to stop for a toilet break in the bushes!

My need for water has gone down as I've got more used to running. Generally I don't need water for less than an hours running unless it's particularly warm weather. I've been training for a HM recently and even on hot days of running 2 hours, I have had spare drink from the 2x 300ml bottles on my belt.

I tend to drink in the hour before I head out using the DC's 200ml cups so I don't bloat.