Okay, don’t worry, I don’t mean beer!  I am talking about “over-hydration.”  I was reading through my information packet for the Boston Marathon and they discuss dehydration AND over-hydration.  I firsthand knowledge of both, and though dehydration can be more difficult to handle, over-hydration can be difficult because it is usually caused by nervous drinking.

In cases of very large races like the Boston Marathon, you will spend a long time on the bus, and then when you get to Hopkinton it can be several hours before you start running. If you are nervous, the normal thing to do is keep drinking from your water bottle or the water tables at the start area.  Then, when you finally get to start running, you will want to drink at every water stop.  If it is a cool day and you are not perspiring you can become over-hydrated and end up having symptoms very similar to being dehydrated.

So, if you are looking at a long wait, and you are not perspiring, you should consume very little liquids. When you start running try to gauge how much you are sweating and the amount of fluids you are losing, and try to replenish only as much as you are losing.

Another good way to understand your hydration is to weigh yourself before a run that lasts about an hour.  Do not drink or eat anything during and after your run until you can weigh yourself again.  If you calculate the loss in weight, then you need to replenish that many pounds or ounces an hour during a long run.

I will continue to post mini running tips posts as we lead up to the Boston Marathon!

So grab your water bottle, put on your shoes, and get up and go for a run…