Hope everyone had a great weekend! I heart Sunday evenings, for some weird reason.
My weekend was fairly eventful…
Saturday was uncharacteristically hot in NYC (ugh), but because I much prefer to run long on Saturdays (rather than Sundays), I set out bright and early for 16 miles anyways. The plan was to experiment and see if my ongoing tummy troubles would be better with less Gatorade, more water and some Clif Shot Blocks.
I can’t say this combo particularly worked for my tummy troubles (ugh), and it certainly didn’t work as far as fluid/electrolyte balance.
Too much water, too little electrolytes (I only had one block and probably less than 8 oz. Gatorade with a LOT of water). This coupled with diarrhea (sorry, guys) kinda got me into some trouble. Some trouble called hyponatremia.
Yes, I am somewhat of a walking disaster.
Because I have a nutrition background it’s almost embarrassing how I went so wrong, but because this problem isn’t talked about as much as dehydration when it comes to running, it definitely needs some attention for my friends putting in the mileage.
Hyponatremia is low blood sodium, which can occur when we drink too much. In short, if you are drinking too much water and not enough electrolytes (especially during endurance events where you are also sweating), your body can’t absorb the water you’re drinking. Symptoms include:
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Feeling bloated or fullness (like water is sloshing around in your stomach)
- Weakness
Symptoms can also be much more serious if this isn’t treated (i.e., if you have any of these, see a doctor ASAP) – for a full list, click here and here.
In my case, I was overly concerned with preventing dehydration (a lot of runners can probably relate, no?) because of the hot, sweaty run and stomach issues. I didn’t listen to my body, which looking back, clearly told me it didn’t want any more water.
Here are a few great articles from Runner’s World about hyponatremia and drinking during running: How Much Should You Drink? and Drink to Your Health
Moving forward, I’m going to incorporate more salty snacks into my diet (like pretzels), carry a few salt packets with me for long runs and simply drink when I’m thirsty. I’m also going to take an Immodium before my next long run to prevent tummy troubles – does anyone have any experience with this?
Another lesson learned, that’s fo sho.
Needless to say, I took Sunday off as a rest day to chill the eff out. This included getting a back massage and a manicure at one of my favorite salons. 🙂
I also picked up one of these to help keep tabs on fluid loss during my runs:
A shiny new scale. Here’s what I plan on doing (also taken from Runner’s World)
- Weigh yourself right before a run.
- Run at race pace for one hour, keeping track of how much you drink (in ounces) during the run.
- After the run, strip down, towel off any sweat, and weigh yourself again.
- Subtract your weight from your prerun weight and convert to ounces. Then add to that number however many ounces of liquid you consumed on your run. (For example, if you lost a pound and drank 16 ounces of fluid, your total fluid loss is 32 ounces.)
- To determine how much you should be drinking about every 15 minutes, divide your hourly fluid loss by 4 (in the above example it would be 8 ounces).
- Because the test only determines your sweat losses for the environmental conditions you run in that day, you should retest on another day when conditions are different to see how your sweat rate is affected. You should also redo the test during different seasons, in different environments (such as higher or lower altitudes), and as you become faster, since pace also affects your sweat rate.
In an effort to eat a little more sodium, I picked up some Sea Salt & Vinegar Pop Chips
Seriously, where have these been all my life? They’re potato-based and baked, and so, so good! I’m not a huge chip fan (don’t think I’ve had an actual potato chip since like 1994 or something), but these are fantastic. Win!
Sunday night dinner involved one of my favorite combinations – wild salmon, sweet potato and a big green salad with tons of chopped veggies.
The yellow potato is a variety of yam that is really delicious – still sweet, but a bit different in taste compared with an orange sweet potato.
Welp, that’s all I got. Time to catch up on some DVR and hit the hay early before some easy miles tomorrow morning.
Question: Do you have any hydration strategies?
Lesson learned now rather than in 6 weeks on the big day. Glad you’re safe and chalk it up to experience. Smart on the salt. I actually take the little salt packets from a restaurant – perfect to take with on long runs:) Stay safe!
thanks!! good idea re: the salt packets 🙂
let me know how you like the salt packets, i know people swear by them, but i haven’t been a fan. i just finished almost the exact same dinner, weird 🙂
hehe, we are too much alike! 🙂
LOVE Pop Chips! The BBQ flavor is my current fave but that could be because I haven’t tasted the sour cream & onion yet.
i put salt on EVERYTHING. that might be my only hydration strategy because i’m notoriously bad for hydrating.
great call on being proactive about preventing this from happening again!
I dealt with SERIOUS hydration issues a few years ago. I thought all I needed was lots more water, and then would get sick. I started taking Endurolytes a few years ago and they worked like a charm. I pop a couple before my run and then 1-2 every hour.
Scary!! I’ve heard of that, but haven’t actually spoken to anyone who suffers from it! I always assume that I have enough naturally-occurring salt in my diet to balance out the running, but then again, I’m not a huge hydration person during runs. Unless it is VERY hot, I don’t drink during my long runs (which top out around 15 miles). So no tips from me 😦
As for Pop Chips, they are good, but they’re like freakin’ AIR!! I go through a bag instantly, and only the aroma of sodium on my fingertips reminds me that I ate something.
i am always over hydrated. lol. i chain drink water + tea all day/ every day so it has never been a problem for me. i loooooooooooooove pop chips, esp that flavor. mmm.
OMG pop chips. I am a little bit obsessed. There’s a secret jalapeno flavor that I’ve only found at the Duane Reade on 50th and Bway.
Speaking of salt, let’s go to Shake Shack after one of our long runs and celebrate with french fries and burger!
Excellent idea – I salivate every time I walk by Shake Shack but have yet to make a visit!
UGH, sorry you had such a disastrous run! When I first started running, I always took a water bottle… even if I was only going a mile! Now, when I run (it’s a rarity…) I don’t take anything unless it’s more than 8 miles. I usually stuff some Shot Bloks in my shorts, though.
Drink to thirst, don’t try to over-hydrate or force it. That’s my advice.
You and most people who can or are running 16 miles on a sunday morning jaunt 🙂 are well aware of dehydration. No need to over compensate. Weighing yourself, taking immodium??!, it all seems like a lot but if it works, hey, do what works, for you! We are all so different. I have run dozens if not hundreds of races in my life and I am not a huge bring-water-or-snacks with me type person, but that’s just me. I get my water and sugar in pre and post runs.
Good luck on this all!
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Hi Sarah – I am a new reader, but i caught this ‘stomach issue’ post. I also have horrible stomach issues and the ONLY thing that works is carmelized ginger – you can buy it at specialty grocery stores (think whole foods) and just eat it slowly and let it disolve in your mouth when you feel the (ahem) stomach churning sensation. It doesn’t work for everyone but its worth a try! Good luck. Can’t wait for Nov 7th
Kristen
obviously I meant Kelley 🙂
hehe, obviously. 🙂 thanks for the tip and can’t wait till November 7!
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