Drink according to thirst

The conventional wisdom is to drink regularly even when not thirsty. Two recent studies (U of Cape Town study on cyclists; Sports Science Institute of South Africa study on runners) appear to dispute that viewpoint.

These two studies show that performance was no better when the athletes drink at a rate sufficient to completely prevent sweat-induced weigh loss than when they drank according to their thirst.

My POV: These subjects are trained athletes who understand their bodies. So they are likely to be more cognizant of the need to drink. Recreational runners may be better off to drink regularly in small amounts, and to stop when the stomach is swishing with liquid!

Dilutional Hyponatraemia: Over Drinking

Mind Your Body (July 16, 2008) carried an interview with Dr Benedict Tan of Changi General Hospital. One myth he debunked is about drinking during exercise. The danger is over drinking - which can lead to low sodium levels and hyponatraemia, and is potentially more dangerous than dehydration as it could lead to coma.

Reflecting back to my past marathon experiences, this reinforces my suspicion that I over drank as I felt bloated and somewhat uncomfortable toward the end. So it will be half a cup at each drink station instead of a full cup after 15 km. I will keep to one full cup during the first 15 km as that would be when I lose the most to perspiration.

Gems from Marathon by Hal Higdon

Borrowed Hal Higdon's book "Marathon" two days ago. It is a 1993 book and I haven't seen this in the bookstores.

On finishing:
"In the marathon, you don't beat others, as you might in a mile or a 100-meter dash. Instead, you achieve a personal victory. If others finish in front of or behind you, it is only that their personal victories are more or less. A person finishing behind you with lesser talent, or a different age, or sex, or various other limiting factors, ay have achieved a far greater victory than yours."

"Despite sore and aching muscles, despite dehydration and fatigue, despite the apparent disgrace of having been beaten soundly by runners who normally would finish far behind me, there were moments of joy in each of these half dozen marathons. As there were moments of joy in each of the "about hundred" other marathons. ... It is only because the marathon never ceases to be a race of joy, a race of wonder. Even when disaster strikes, when bad weather overwhelms you, when an intemperate pace results in a staggering finish, when nerves and anxiety impede a maximum effort, when your number one rival soundly thrashes you, when nine months of training appears to have gone down the drain with little more than an ugly slurping sound, there remains something memorable about each marathon run."

On the best response to the question "How important is rest in the training program?": More important than most runners know.

On how much can you improve: 5 per cent as the upper limit.

On the common cold:
"Another early warning sign of overtraining is the common cold, particularly right before an important race. ... By doing high mileage training, runners lowered their resistance and become more susceptible to whatever cold bugs were floating around."

On Mile 27:
"Postmarathon recovery is something many runners pay scant attention to. But by organizing your postrace plans as well as you organize your prerace plans, you can recover faster and more comfortably and minimize future injuries."

That certainly got my attention. Hal goes on to highlight the following:
- keep moving: don't stop as soon as you cross the finish line. Continuing to move for a while will maintain your circulation, keeping the blood pumping through the muscles. Don't cool down by jogging another mile. That works for a 10k but not after a 42.2k race.

- drink up no matter how nauseated you feel

- get off your feet after the first 10 - 15 minutes: elevate if possible. Mixed evidence on stretching. Just do light stretching
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- begin to refuel: crackers, fruits (banana!) or yogurt

- consider massage: 24 - 28 hours after the race. Start with the lower back and buttocks to relax those muscles. Then work gently with the legs with long, flowing motion toward the heart.

- recovery continues at home: jump into head at least for 2 to 3 hours, then time for more food. About 3 - 4 hours after the race, sit down to a full meal. Food of choice: carbo and protein.

- take a break: Advice varies from do nothing for a week to light cross training.

- ease back into training