teachrmama@iwon.com wrote:
> My daughter has recently taken up running 5Ks. How do you check to
> see if you are hydrating properly before when running? It's one of
> the things I am concerned about with her, as well as her eating
> properly before she runs to give her optimal energy.
The 5k distance doesn't normally require too much extra concern. However,
in training for a 5k it may be that you're running for an hour or more. One
way to make sure you're maintaining proper hydration is to check the color
of your urine and compare the tint to this chart
http://tinyurl.com/co5ah.
If your urine is light straw colored, you're drinking enough. The more you
drink regularly, rather than waiting to be thirsty, the more you'll have
onboard when you start your run. Plain water is perfect for a 5k. No need
for extra electolytes or carbohydrates. When the time running gets into the
3+ hour range, then the dangers of hyponatremia start to come into play. In
which case it is extremely important to get enough sodium, usually via a
sports drink or sodium capsules. But for a 5k, if you're hydrating on a
regular basis and you're getting enough sodium in your diet, then there is
little need for concern.
Since you asked, and since the topic if this post is about digital scales,
here's some information from the book, "Performing In Extreme
Environments."
Finding Your Sweat Rate
1. Record body weight before and after 1 hour of exercise or rest in heat.
2. Calculate the difference (D) between these rates.
3. If clothing is wet, the increase in clothing weight should be noted
by weighing it before and after heat exposure. This increase in weight
represents sweat that was produced but remained in the fabric, and
should be added to D (step 2 above). If nude body weight is taken, this
step can be ignored.
4. The weight of fluid consumed during step 1 should be added to D.
5. The weight of urine lost during step 1 should be subracted from D.
6. Your hourly sweat rate (in kg/h) equals D (step 2), after correcting
for the items in steps 3-5.
7. Weight loss should be replaced by consuming 1 L of fluid for each
kilogram of body weight that was lost.
According to the book, the typical water loss for a marathoner
(5:00-10:00/mi pace) is 1-1.5 L/h. For me personally, I'll drink about 20-
32 oz of something about 2 hours before a run/race. That will allow the
extra fluids to be urinated before the start. Then 10 minutes before
starting I'll have 12-20 oz of sports drink. That will ensure the fluid is
used and not cause the urge to urinate while running. During hot weather
conditions I'll drink about 12 oz of sports drink every 20-30 minutes,
depending on the heat, intensity, and duration of the run.
--
Phil M.
Recommendations for Digital Scale? 
Linear Mode
