In addition to daily fluid consumption, fluid during training is essentially for all of the aforementioned reasons in my previous blog post – if you havn’t seen that post yet be sure to go check it out. The amount required again differs according to climate, individual sweat rates, and length and intensity of session.
How to maintain hydration
You are the best person to determine how much fluid you require for any given session, and the factors in the previous post will also determine the type of fluid that will optimally hydrate you. The amount that you consume in recovery is also important to restore hydration and ensure you can go into the next training session without dehydration-related fatigue.
Some guidelines for maintaining a hydrated state include;
1. Including 600ml fluid in your pre-training meal (3h before), and 150-300 ml up to 15 minutes before beginning a training session. This can seem like a tough ask, but can be covered by drinking ½ bottle sports drink on your way to your morning swim session, or a drink of water and a drink of juice with breakfast before heading out on the bike.
2. Always keep a drink bottle on the side of the pool, and as swim sessions increase in duration and intensity, increase your fluid intake to match the increased requirements. Of course, come race day you can’t take on board any fluid in the swim leg (other than what is provided by Lake Taupo). Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this means it’s not important to drink during training. As swim training for most people takes place in the morning, it’s essential to remain hydrated and minimise any post-training fatigue due to dehydration, particularly if you are training again later in the day.
3. Aim to begin hydrating early in the session, and at frequent intervals. If you know that you don’t drink enough on the bike (for example), set a goal of taking a gulp or three every 10 minutes, to create a habit of frequency. Once that has been established, aim to increase the amount that you are having (i.e. from two gulps to three and so forth). Setting an alarm on your watch to remind you to drink can help instil this intiailly, but you’ll be surprised at how quickly this becomes the norm.
4. Start wearing a fuel belt on longer runs, plan your route to go past water stops (such as petrol stations, your house, or cleverly stashed water bottles you’ve already hidden.) Drinking on the run is a much more difficult skill to master, given the effects of fluid sloshing around your stomach. The pre-session fluid intake becomes key in this instance, as your body can adapt to taking on more fluid if you train yourself to do so.
5. Post-training hydration needs to start soon after the end of your session. A sports drink is really useful as it can also supply electrolytes and carbohydrate (CHO) needed to quick recovery. A mistake some people make is taking on a load of water just after a training session without consideration of electrolytes. While your next toilet stop might show pale urine (and indicate a return to a euhydrated state), it has been shown that without the additional sodium to drive the fluid to where it’s required, the fluid can just pass through as opposed to being utilised. This is an important consideration when planning your training nutrition needs, and if water is your fluid of choice, other recovery food should ideally include CHO and sodium.
6. Determining actual fluid requirements takes a bit of effort but is essential if you want to remain hydrated throughout. Weighing yourself before and training sessions for a week and noting the loss in body weight (after accounting for additional fuel and fluid consumption) will give you a rough estimate of fluid lost during that effort. For every one kilogram lost, a litre of fluid will need to be consumed. Subsequent training sessions of simiilar length and intensity should aim to supply water or electrolyte drink in amounts that offset losses. Once established, a fluid plan to maintain hydration status throughout the session should be put in place, to ensure you start hydrating early and often. For example, if you lose 1kg after a 3h cycle, yet consumed a 750ml bottle of sports drink, your overall fluid needs for a similar session would be approximately 1.75L. Whether it’s water or sports drink that you consume is dependent on your intake of CHO sources during the session (as discussed in the previous article.)
Finally, it’s common knowledge that a standard indicator of hydration status is the colour of urine throughout the day. While it’s normal for urine to be darker upon waking (and thus more concentrated), a pale colour at other times of the day is a reliable way to assess if you are drinking enough (aside from the aforementioned example.) An exception to this rule is if you are taking a vitamin supplement; as some are water soluble, any excess nutrient will be excreted and will be evidenced by a brighter colour in your urine.
Thats the second and final part in these two blog posts on fluid requirements. Be sure to subscribe to my blog and receive additional nutrition advice and also other expert advice and insights that will help you achive peak performance.
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