Hydration: One key to Running Success

Whether you are running for the sake of exercise of competing in events. Hydration is vital for your health and safety. But how much water is enough and how often should you be hydrating during runs? According to the Editors of Runners World, in their book Fast Fuel , pre-hydration and drinking cold fluids is key.

According to their findings pre-hydration can cause you to run faster. A study in the April 2010 Athletic Journal, on dehydrated runners reported that these runners finished two and half minutes slower than when they were hydrated. Dehydration causes blood volume to drop, weakening your body's ability to transfer heat, and causing the heart to speed up. Drinking between eight and 16 ounces of water before a run can combat this. Or if you forget try to sneak in four to eight ounces at at least 30 minutes prior to your run.

For longer runs cold fluids can definitely improve your performance. If you have ever done an event, no matter the size the cold sports drink or water at the hydration stop seems to give you a second wind. You are able to speed up after. This is because colder drinks lower your body's temperature and are absorbed by the body faster. A study done this year showed that runners who had  a slushy prior to running were able to run 10 minutes longer. You could accomplish this by filling your hydration bottle half way with water, coconut water, or a sports drink then topping it off before your run. For shorter runs you make think of using coconut water instead of a sports drink. It contains more electrolytes than sports drinks.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that athletes start drinking soon after commencing an exercise and continue drinking at regular intervals to help replace fluids lost during exercise. You can measure your hydration level by weighing your self before and after running. Check out the video clip from Mayo Clinic and the links below to learn more about hydrating and the signs of dehydration. Happy Hydrating!

By Lexx Cieckiewicz



References
Runners World Essentials Guide: Fast Fuel (2011)
LiveStrong: Should an Athlete Drink Cold or Warm Water
ACSM.org

What are Your Pre-Race Rituals?

Weeks or months of training have come down to the infamous night before race day. Every runner has pre-race rituals that helps them prepare, get their mojo going.  I read an article from the New York times where one marathoner admits that she has to wear her favorite green underwear to her events.

It can be anything from eating spaghetti for dinner, getting a massage, or wearing your luck undergarments to every race. Chime in! What are some of your pre-race rituals?

Lexx's Pre-Race Rituals

Power yoga the morning before (if I have the day off work)
Chicken Pasta or Spaghetti with turkey meatballs pre-race dinner.
I layout all my gear down to my stopwatch, socks, and safety pins with my bib.
Pre-race breakfast- toast with peanut or almond butter

Site Updates

Please bare with me and my mileage updates. I'm in the process of transfering data from my CardioTrainer App to my Daily Mile account. My mileage goal for my B-day is 330, I'm currently 10 miles away.

Life Lesson 1: Running Your Race

Nerves flaring, anxiety rising, race time only minutes away. Weeks of hitting the asphalt and cross training at the gym was about to be put to the test. My first 5k ever!

I tried talking to my husband about this and  that to calm my nerves. But the more I babbled the more I began asking his opinion about the other runners. About how slim they were, how their gear looked, how fast they might be. He finally stopped me and said , "Babe , you'll be fine its not a competition with them. Just do YOUR best. Relax."

You know he was right. His very simple words put so much in perspective for me. Running, like most things in life becomes complicated and overwhelming when we start comparing ourselves with other. Hebrews 12:1 gives me clarity on this principle. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us" (NLT Heb 12:1). As a beginning runner it can be extremely intimidating participating in events or running groups with veterans to the sport. The thing to remember is that your decision to get off the couch, train after long days of work, sign up, show up, and run is an accomplishment in itself.

As I ran that day I constantly fought the urge to compare my speed with others. What helped me was focusing on catching up one person at a time and walking at the water stop no matter who passed by. My last  burst of motivation was seeing my husband at the finish line, smiling with our camera ready. I completed my first 5k in 29:07. This is slow to most but at the time it was a PR for me.

Like others I occasionally wrestle with comparisons. However, the more I train, participate in events, and focus on my affirmation in Hebrews 12:1 the better become at running my own race.

Sincerely,

Semper Inspired Runner Girl

Runner Girl Beginnings

A year ago couldn’t have made me believe that running would not only become a frequent part of my exercise routine but a way of growing spiritually, and a pastime close to my heart. After all, I had never run more than two miles at a time. Health and fitness were a huge part of my life. I was on a majority plant based diet, lifted weights, did interval classes, yoga, and aerobics at least 5 times a week.  Running, however, was just too hard. After all I wasn’t the typical runner. You know super skinny and really fast. Moreover I didn’t see many African-American women distance runners.

It wasn’t until after my husband deployed, which puts most military wives (productive ones anyway) in total accomplishment mode, that I was introduced to the wonderful ladies of BGR-G. During my first run/walk not only did I run the first two miles without stopping I completed 5.4 miles that day.  This gave me such a sense of accomplishment and self-fulfillment that I had to have more. Not only was I inspired to see women, black women, who looked just like me gathering to be healthy. I saw women of all shapes, sizes and ability levels encouraging each other to run. Since this faithful Saturday in July of 2011, (however unconventional I may seem ), I became a self-proclaimed runner girl.