Hydration Issues

Yesterday I waited until 9:30 to start my long run so I could practice running in some heat. The sun was out in full force by then. It was not crazy heat, but certainly hot enough to make it more challenging than it would have been had I headed out at 6AM.

Anyway, maybe I started off a little dehydrated after a massive long hard workout on Saturday, but I have to say, I had to drink so much on this run it was almost disturbing. I do wonder if anyone else has a body that functions like mine in the heat?

There is a water fountain 38 minutes into my run. So I carried a bottle, drank it in the first 38 minutes, got to the stop, downed another full bottle, then filled it up again to carry along for the next 50 minute section where there is no water. Drank that one down in about 35 minutes (rationing myself- it could have been gone in 15 minutes had I allowed myself) and then ran the rest of the way back to my water stop dry. Well, not really dry- my socks were already soaked through with the sweat running down my legs. My shorts were sticking to my thighs and I couldn't have been wetter had I jumped in the ocean.

Anyway, I was really happy to get here at about 90 minutes into my run. See the lifesaving water fountain?
At the stop I drank a full bottle straight down in about 15 seconds. I was afraid my stomach was going to be jostling around the whole run home, but I was still very thirsty and drank yet another one straight down. At this point I just walked around for a few minutes hoping that I'd be able to run home after having just downed like 48 ounces of water in about a minute flat.

But sure enough, after maybe 2 minutes, I was able to continue running sans any jostling at all, and drank a sixth full bottle in those last 38 minutes. And immediately upon walking through the door at home I drank some more. So doing the math, that's like 150 ounces of fluid in just over 2 hours of running. Who does that? Apparently I do. But only when it's really hot and sunny. On a cooler or cloudier day I wouldn't need so much.

The crazy thing was that it's not like I went on a peeing rampage the rest of the day. In fact, I didn't pee for about 3 1/2 hours after I was done. I have a Tanita scale that says I'm normally about 55% water, sometimes 56%. Yesterday after the run it said 54% so just a little low but not extreme by any means. Though maybe had I checked before the run I might have seen it a good bit lower? I don't know. But whatever the case, I think it's clear that my body requires more fluids than normal during hot workouts because this isn't the first time I've been through this- just the first time I'm writing about it on my blog. ;)

In good news, I did spend the rest of the day recovering with my two favorite people at the beach.
It's too cute to watch Moana crawling all over the sand. Though we do have to be quite vigilant these days because she'll crawl herself right into the waves if we aren't careful!