31 replies to this topic

[kazdearz]

I have been running for about 2 years, and love running between 7 and 9 kilometres 3 or 4 times a week. It feels good, and I look like I know what I'm doing, (I had a chick walking past me the other day and she said 'Wow you look fit'. It felt good!)

Given that I used to be a dirty smoker, for a long time now I've been satified with the fact that I can actually run those sort of distances! However I recently decided that perhaps I should challenge myself again and now I would really like to do a HM, so I mapped out a long run the other day, and my thoughts went to 'I am going to get very thirsty doing this....'

What do I do if I get thirsty? Am I meant to take a water bottle?

What if I hear the call of nature? We all saw the attention poor old Paula Radcliffe got during the marathon in Beijing, excusable for her but not necessarily for me.

I know I can physically (lungs and legs) do this, but the logistics are confusing me! Please help with some 'basic' tips...

And while we're here, do any other 'afternoon' runners find it difficult to participate in 'morning' runs, like the bridge to brisbane the other day, I ran with a headache and my body was screaming for coffee and an egg on toast....

[Twopennys]

Hi Kazz - handbottles and/or fuel belts are many a Coolrunners friend - for the harder core there are also Camelbak or equivalent.

Personally, I use Nathan handbottles for all my longer runs - which reminds me - I must do one someday

[Beanie]

The thought of not having a drink with me makes me thirsty. Anything over 10km, and I wear a Camelbak. I have a 1, 2 and 3 litre pack, and use them according to the length of training I plan. Speaking of a 3 litre pack, mine leaked on the weekend run so must invest in a new bladder.

[brewer]

Map out the run to go past a couple of parks, they should have a bubbler.

Cheers,
Greg

[M12]

i plan my run to go past a milk bar or servo at about 12-15km's and ill buy an orange gatorade
i get sports tape and tape $4 to the inside of my leg above the ankle
a bit of a problem the other day when the gatorade was $3 and i had to restick some change to my leg
i usually coincide these drink stops with a 2 or 3minute rest to down a bottle then hit the road again
in a race it is obviously different

[DrJH]

Have a drink and go to the toilet before you start.

[ThePostman]

I would recommend taking a bottle with you on anything over an hour. At least for me this is the only way in which I drink enough. I find that I don't drink enough if I rely solely on bubblers and taps along the way. They are great to fill up your bottle, though. Also, I prefer to take some sports drink instead of water.

I started of with an amphipod full-tilt bottle, which I was happy with. I have now switched to a handheld bottle, however. I always thought it would be pain to have something in your hand, but it actually feels much better than a bottle that sits on your hips.

[Olmy]

Try runs that go past parks with bubblers. I have a water bottle in a belt that sits on my lower back that I take on long runs. But I find that runs up to about an hour I don't need a drink. Try it out. Do some runs past some bubblers, so you know if you need to you can stop.

Also, test out how much water you actually lose. Weigh yourself just before a run and just after. The weight difference is the amount of water lost (1kg = 1 litre). Then you can work out how much you lose per hour. Of course this will change depending on weather, effort etc, but it gives you a guide. I think that you can lose up to about 2 litres without being in any danger, but you will feel thirsty.

I lose about 1 litre per hour doing a moderate run in cool weather. So runs of up to an hour I don't bother with taking a drink with me (but I will stop at a bubbler if I see one), but over an hour I take a drink bottle on a fuel belt type thing.

[aziz]

For runs up to 15k I just hydrate a few hours (or the night before) I leave to run.

For runs 17-21k long I have started using a Camelbak Classic. It moves around a little but I am getting used to it. I wish it had a waist belt.

[JustinS007]

kazdearz, on Sep 9 2008, 08:55 PM, said:

What do I do if I get thirsty? Am I meant to take a water bottle?

As you start to run further you will find that you can go safely without water for longer. At least that's my experience. I don't generally take water for any run under 1.5 hours now unless it is excessively hot.

I use either a bottle sling (mine is a black wolf) which holds a 750ml squeeze bottle, or a fuel belt which holds up to 8 x 125ml bottle and a pouch for a small supply of food. I hate carrying a single bottle as it upsets my rhythm and if I carry two I generally get sore arms and hands after a couple of hours.

So my choice is to use the fuel belt or bottle sling.

If you need to go, then find as discreet a spot as possible and just do it I say. That's my strategy anyway, but weing a male I guess it's not that big a challenge!

J.

[Brick]

Twopennys, on Sep 9 2008, 09:02 PM, said:

Hi Kazz - handbottles and/or fuel belts are many a Coolrunners friend - for the harder core there are also Camelbak or equivalent.

Personally, I use Nathan handbottles for all my longer runs - which reminds me - I must do one someday

Basically all said in the first reply by 2P, that is not to say the rest of the response are not just as good.
Can you tell I went to a management course!!

Go the hand held or Camelpack would be my answer.
Also you did not mention food, depending upon how fast you are lots of people use gels or jelly snakes on runs over about 1:30 or else they get a bit tired/hungry.

This is very personal and will change the same as Justin said above about water consumption.
WARNING:
Even if you do not feel thirsty this does not mean you are not dehydrated, so be careful not drinking much when exercising.

As to the loo thing go before your run and you should be fine for 2hrs but if you need to go more often then just make sure you go past some BBQ areas they usually have toilets close by.

[Colsy]

Try and challenge yourself to do without water as long as you can, you might surprise yourself. Hydrate a lot the day before and around an hour before your run.

Carry a couple of bucks on you just in case, you can stop at a shop and buy some water. You should do this anyway for emergency calls (note to self: carry a couple of bucks for emergency calls). Alternatively, plan your run where there is water available.

Leave water carrying for very long runs or when running in the bush.

[50burn]

When my runs get over an hour I run away from home for a quater of the time, turn and run back getting a drink as I run past the house and away in the opposite direction to 3/4 time and then home. I have the luxury of living out of town where this works and I just leave a drink bottle on top of the gate post.

[bruncle]

I have never taken water with me on a run, all the way up to 31k. Don't usually stop at bubblers either. It's probably a bad thing, and I'm probably going to get kidney stones at some point, but I'm not much of a fan of drinking..

Edited by bruncle, 10 September 2008 - 10:16 AM.

[Melruns]

Hello, I'm an afternoon runner too. So I hydrate during the day, make sure I go to the loo first, and then can go up to an hour and a half run without water. Lots of good ideas on here if you do need to take some though.

As far as early morning racing for afternoon runners, it's fine - the excitement gets you through. There are lots of ideas on here of how to fuel up before a HM, I set the alarm a couple of hours before a race and gulp down an up and go. Then I go back to sleep, down a sports drink an hour before and have always felt fine. I reckon I could also have something like a banana an hour before but I bought a highly rated cherry flavoured sports bar from a stand at Noosa HM this year but just couldn't face choking it down before the race. You really just need a bit of a top up for your body's stored energy supplies anyway. I find I need a good hour to let an espresso go down before a run or I get heartburn.

[ShanksPony]

I think it's good to get used to carrying some water because
1. You can drink it!
2. You get used to running with extra weight - and then when you're in a race and you don't need to carry it (becuase of the drink stations provided) you feel lighter by comparison.

[gogirl]

Colsy, on Sep 10 2008, 08:20 AM, said:

Try and challenge yourself to do without water as long as you can, you might surprise yourself.

What is the purpose of this? I would have thought that you would try to stay hydrated rather than challenge yourself to see how long you can go without water. This is just dangerous and could end in disaster.

There are so many options available to stay properly hydrated as already mentioned in other posts. If you are planning on doing a Half Marathon you should also start drinking just as you would on the run in the race, every 5k etc.. This will get you used to taking on water / sports drink at regular times during your run.

Good luck with the Half.

[MissPinkyInSydney]

Others have provided some great advice re. the water and toilet issue so I will offer some advice on the headache issue.....

I suffer from severe migraines and when I get one they completely affect my vision. I ran 14K's of my first half marathon with a migraine and I was violently ill afterwards and I also couldn't see one of the race markers and went the wrong way for a while too. I have now learnt my lesson!!

The morning of a race I always have a couple of panadol rapid tablets with my breakfast (which is usually just a muesli bar) regardless of whether I have a headache or not. I also take 2 panadeine forte tablets with me for the race (tucked into this little pocket I have on the back of my tights) just in case a migraine strikes. I know I can get water from the drink stop if I need to take them.

By the way Kazdearz....welcome to CR and good luck with your training for the half! It is great to read about somebody really enjoying their running!

Edited by MissPinkyInSydney, 10 September 2008 - 12:57 PM.

[Brick]

Colsy, on Sep 10 2008, 08:20 AM, said:

Try and challenge yourself to do without water as long as you can, you might surprise yourself.

Could you please explain what you are trying improve with not drinking?

I can only tell what it can do.

• Cause dehydration which then can have the following:
  
• Permanent damage to your Kidneys
  
• Longer recovery time
  
• Muscle damage
  
• Increased heart rate (beats per minute)
  
• Increased lactate acid in muscles (increased blood acidity)
  
• Increased body temperature
  
• Decreased strength

And that is of the top of my head.

[crabby]

Welcome to CR Kazdearz! You will find it very useful...
I wear a fuel belt, which has 2 small water bottles and is quite comfy. I also pass several petrol stations on my routes, and they usually have a tap where I can refill my bottles...

[runninguphill]

As I run in the bush I generally wear a fuel belt that carries a 600ml bottle on my long runs. The upside of running in the bush is that I can take a toilet stop wherever I want (and I usually do, especially when running downhill for some reason). TMI?

[crowash]

runninguphill, on Sep 10 2008, 06:04 PM, said:

As I run in the bush I generally wear a fuel belt that carries a 600ml bottle on my long runs. The upside of running in the bush is that I can take a toilet stop wherever I want (and I usually do, especially when running downhill for some reason). TMI?

I do the majority of my running in the bush too but carry an el cheapo camelpak style backpack. It is currently set to take a 1 1/2 litres and it doesn't move at all on my back, I've run with it for up to 3 hours with no problems. Make sure it has a chest strap. The added advantage is you can fit some Gels and your mobile phone in there, just in case.

[superflake]

Just schedule your long run to go past a service station, they all have water.
And some of the parks with kids playgrounds in them have water bubblers nearby as well.

As DrJH said. Drink and toilet before you leave the house makes it easier to go without water.

Brick I don't drink during a 10k race. Any track runner doing a 10,000m race doesn't either so you have to learn to train your body to accept the lack of water. Drink before you leave home.

[lavenderlilly]

On my long run I run through the same intersection at the beggining of the run, then in the middle and at the end of the run, so I hide my drink in the bush and use it if I need to.
Also my kids like to meet me there on their bikes with a drink, which is even better as I can keep running with the bottle and then just hand it back to them when I finninsh.
LL

[bigcarl]

i ran into the same problem as yourself last summer. i tried carrying one of my childrens pop tops in one hand whilst i ran , which fits nicely in the the palm of your hand. then i made sure my long run was just extra laps of my shorter runs 3x 5kms loops past my house and had a pop top sitting in my mail box. then i got serious and lashed out on a camel back. best investment i ever made. especially now that i do a few of my 18km long runs on trails far from any water taps. also have a waist belt with a bottle holder that rests on your lower back. which only cost $15 or so . i too love to run at night because no one can see your facial expressions lol , no its just out of convenience. i really struggled to get to sleep early enough to get much more than a few hours of sleep for my first half a month ago and although it didnt really effect my tiime . the photos they took of me a long the course i look terrible. i wish the half marathons were not on so early in the morning!

[kazdearz]

Thank you to everyone for your replies! Some great ideas from you all, I will get back to you all with how it all goes.

[Eckyb]

I have the same problem.... I can't stand feeling thirsty/dry mouth. I carry a small 'fruity flavourits' water bottle with me when I run (not that much of a burden when I've also got a dog and keys to carry too!)

Although if you run in the 'burbs you could jjst drink from peoples front taps.

[guinness]

i plan my run to be a circuit with a return to my car for a drink at about 10km - i just pretend the car is the aid station.

[dmnz]

Brick, on Sep 10 2008, 01:49 PM, said:

Could you please explain what you are trying improve with not drinking?

I can only tell what it can do.

• Cause dehydration which then can have the following:
  
• Permanent damage to your Kidneys
  
• Longer recovery time
  
• Muscle damage
  
• Increased heart rate (beats per minute)
  
• Increased lactate acid in muscles (increased blood acidity)
  
• Increased body temperature
  
• Decreased strength

And that is of the top of my head.

Finally, someone who speaks sense! Sure you can go for a while without water, for some a long while but it will affect your performance. If you're training seriously, DRINK as you train. You'll notice the difference as you train AND after you train. And sip as you go rather than stopping every hour or so and slamming down a large bottle. It's easier for the body to take in a little at a time. And it will help if you suddenly try to drink at races, otherwise your body may not be used to it and you'll then need to stop to relieve yourself, stuffin up PB attempts.
(Can we add that to the list, Brick? *When you finally wise up and drink at a race, you will feel the violent urge to take a piss and your PB will suffer!!

Edited by dmnz, 06 April 2009 - 09:21 PM.

[alisonjc]

lavenderlilly, on Sep 10 2008, 07:37 PM, said:

On my long run I run through the same intersection at the beggining of the run, then in the middle and at the end of the run, so I hide my drink in the bush and use it if I need to.
Also my kids like to meet me there on their bikes with a drink, which is even better as I can keep running with the bottle and then just hand it back to them when I finninsh.
LL

I do the same, I have a small waist pack and I carry a hand bottle which I hide in a bush about 5km along so I can refill on the way home

[Wolff]

my mate and i regularly do a 13km course near my place..before we run it we drive it, and plant 3 x 400ml bottles around the course. its perfect when you know youre struggling that a couple of kms away you have a drink waiting.

[honeyhoney]

Wolff, on Apr 7 2009, 07:54 AM, said:

my mate and i regularly do a 13km course near my place..before we run it we drive it, and plant 3 x 400ml bottles around the course. its perfect when you know youre struggling that a couple of kms away you have a drink waiting.

Hey what a brilliant idea. Great for daily runs but a little problematic in a real race. I did my first half marathon at the Twighlight race in Brisbane last Sunday evening. It was quite humid and I made the big mistake of not hydrating enough the day before. The race had limited drink aid stations and I found myself feeling extremely thirsty which ended with me limping the last few kms with severe cramping in my thigh. The race plan went well up until around 16km then I hit the wall and everything went pearshaped. I slowed to a snail pace alternating between walking with a peg leg and trying to run out the cramp which I think caused a lot of damage. Anyway I finished ahead of the cut off but was very disappointed since the first three quarters of the race was enjoyable. My right thigh was in a lot of pain the next couple of days but my good leg was absolutely fine. I would consider taking a few small drinks on a belt next time unless I was sure there were going to be enough drink stations. If anyone has some suggestions as to how to handle this sudden cramping during a race I would be grateful for some advice. Good luck with your running and planting of the bottles. I like it...From Honeyhoney.