211. Practicing Water Stops

Run4PRs

HOW TO PRACTICE WATER STOPS

Most athletes who follow us or listen to the podcast at some point or another hope to do a distance run or distance race. When we are training for events longer than 45-60 min, it’s important that we begin thinking about not only our fueling strategy but also how we plan to stay hydrated. During the summer months this is especially important to chat about. Many people during this time of year are gearing up for their fall marathons. When we run long runs of 2-3 hours, it’s imperative that we stay hydrated. When we add in the factor of heat/humidity into training, hydration becomes even more critical. Some athletes carry hydration back packs, other people run with a hand held bottle and some people simply stop to drink water. These are all great approaches to ensure that we stay hydrated, but one thing we often forget about is that we might want to practice our hydration strategy how we plan to do this on race day.

When does it become important to really monitor how much time the water stops are taking?

1. It’s not a huge deal if you are newer to the sport and just trying to finish the race

2. We would want to nail down your hydration strategy before we try to make it as efficient as possible

How do you stay hydrated during a race?

1. Research the course offerings

2. How many water stops & at what miles are they offered. Smaller races there may not be a ton of water stops

3. Are people handing out the cups or will you have to stop and grab?

You can get away with not fueling on easy long runs every 30-45 min or without fluids but on race day it’s a lot faster and it’s an all out race so you will feel the impacts

How do you practice running through a water stop?

1. Get small dixie cups and practice bending the cup to create a slight v shape and drink

2. Hold cup for a few steps until you have finished the liquids

3. Opt to take water at most stops to stay hydrated

How do you know how much water to take?

1. We want to practice during training and measure how much water we go through

Should you wear a hydration pack or a hand held during the race?

How did you practice?

Does the race allow for these back packs?

Will you toss the hand held?

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