The American College of Sports Medicine says...

... runners should drink 5 to 12 oz. of fluids every 15 to 20 minutes during a marathon, and that we drink as much as we sweat during the race.

The Gatorade Sports Science Institute offers these tips that I follow religiously and will paraphrase:

1. Drink 2 servings of sports drinks 2 hours BEFORE strenuous exercise and 2 servings within 30 minutes AFTER.
2. Drink water daily until your, ahem, urine is clear.
3. During a race drink at least 1 cup of water at each station.
4. After 90 minutes of running, drink BOTH water and sports drinks. If you don’t you’ll overheat, cramp, and stall out
5. Drink it, don’t wear it – pouring water on your head won’t cool down your core temperature. Drink it.

How sports drinks work and when to use them

Water, of course, is what your body needs to function. During periods of intense exercise, when the body evacuates fluids containing minerals and nutrients, sports drinks are useful to restore energy supply and electrolytes.

Exercise, of course, causes runners to burn energy and to sweat – which includes water and electrolytes like sodium and potassium. Whereas, a runner can easily replace fluids lost in 45 minutes of exercise by drinking about 2 to 3 cups of water, muscles still need energy from carbohydrates.

** In one hour of continuous exercise glycogen is significantly depleted. **

** In 90 minutes to 120 minutes of exercise glycogen is completely exhausted. **

Sports drinks like Gatorade and PowerAde contain water, sugar, and electrolytes that help replace what is lost during intense exercise. Drinking these during long runs and after regular and long runs will keep your body fortified with important nutrients.

Carbohydrate drinks and food supplements are filled with sugar but not meant to replenish glycogen stores during exercise. These drinks are good for carb loading, but because the sugar in these drinks is slower to digest, it may cause an upset stomach should you consume immediately before or during exercise.

Best pre-hurricane 3 mi run at high noon song

Ran 3 miles in 92 degrees at high noon. Poor planning. Then again, I'm trying to run everyday before Hurricane Isaac finalizes up his vacation plans in the Gulf coast.

Strangest thing about my run wasn't the heat but the inescapable tune of REM's "Voice of Harold" off their "Dead Letter Office" album. The song is among the selections the band discovered under couch cushions and hidden behind closet doors -- meaning, they were never intended for release. "Harold" is set to the same music as "Seven Chinese Brothers". The lyrics are strange even for REM: a vignette of gospel recording.

Anyway, that one weird tune carried me for 3 miles in pre-hurricanous tropical misery. Thanks, "Voice of Harold"!

You are my pick for Best pre-hurricane 3 mile run at high noon song EVER!

Enjoy! A must!



R.E.M. - Voice of Harold from Arc Jimenez on Vimeo.












Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

*** Every liter of water loss equals an increase of 8 heartbeats a minute. ***

There is a good caption for this. I don't have it.

You can dehydrate by doing nothing!

Breathing. Several cups of water a day are lost by just breathing. Even while sitting on your couch doing nothing, you are losing moisture.

Not hydrating

Lungs need moist air to do their job. When exposed to warm, dry air more water is lost –especially in wintertime when you can lose 2 to 3 cups of water because the air is at its driest.

The body must moisturize the air before it reaches the lungs, which it does via mucous. When fluids decrease, mucous linings become drier causing the lungs to become more sensitive to irritants like dust, smoke, mold, and Rosie O’Donnell. The result is a dry, hacking cough like the one your obnoxious uncle makes.

Deep thoughts on hydration

Also available in kyptonite

The body performs much less efficiently because glycogen is harder to process in the absence of sufficient oxygen, not to mention the other vital organs and systems that rely on a fortified blood stream to keep the machinery operational.


In addition, the runner’s body is overheating. To cool it down, blood goes to the skin, reducing even more blood available to the muscles, which makes you even more dehydrated. Core temperature goes up, the heart stresses, and performance decreases.

What’s a Super Hero to do?


Why, Drink Up!

· Water is the preferred drink for workouts 90 minutes or less.

· Sports drinks and water are best for workouts  90 minutes or more

· Don’t rely on thirst to tell you when to rehydrate. You are already too dehydrated by the time you’re thirsty – and it’s nearly impossible to “catch up” while still exercising.

· Urine is a good indication of hydration – the clearer, the better

More gross signs of dehydration

Ahhhhhh.

Look, I know all this dehydration stuff is grossing you out. I'm just the messenger.

The most obvious dehydration indicator is urine, which is necessary to remove toxins from body. If it is dark in color, or not even there, you are dehydrated – or at least dehydrating.

Less water in the system means less urine, which means decreased ability to remove toxins. If the body cannot release toxins through doorway #1, it will seek other unnumbered outlets, which can cause headaches, fatigue and acne.

Why Bronze Metalists Are Happier than Silver Winners

While I do not subscribe to the "everyone wins" philosophy of mediocrity - though I am its poster child - this article explains why trying and going for it has its own special reward. And yes, I sometimes read Scientific American. But not really.

This is what we talk about when we talk about hydration

When I use the term “dehydration,” I don’t seek to invoke images of pathetic sojourners, blistered, wasted, and lost in the desert (though that would count). My definition ranges from the merely insufficient consumption to fluids– which are vital to efficient body performance – to that of the body shutting down.

The body pulls water from cells and the blood stream. When there is no water to be had, it causes small blood vessels to close and blood to become thicker, making it harder for the heart to pump. Over time, an insufficient intake of water leads to hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease.

Even more annoying, and might I add, disgusting, are these symptoms of a frequently dehydrated body:

True dat

· Constipation

· Dry, itching skin

· Acne

· Nose bleeds

· Urinary tract infections

· Dry coughs

· Sneezing

· Headaches & sinus pressure

The body needs water for nourishment and to remove waste. When water decreases, the body tries to hold on to it by limiting how it is released, which normally occurs through breathing, mucous, urination, perspiration, and bowel movements.

TIP: How do you know you’re hydrated? When urine is clear after drinking water or sport drinks – as opposed to drinking coffee or alcohol.

Eine kleine Klo Musik

Research shows that, once inside a bar, those avid runners—and other frequent exercisers—tend to accrue bigger tabs than the average bar patron.

   Sweet Saint Paulie Girl, YES! Of course! This article explains how I became a marathon runner.

Even more disgusting effects of dehydration

A tall drink of water

Mucous membrane. The body needs healthy mucous membranes to protect the lining of the stomach and lungs from bacteria and viruses. As I have described, dehydration leads to drier membranes, causing mucous to get thicker. The less viscous the membrane the more likely you’ll enjoy constipation and irritable bowels. [This is so hard to write without laughing.]

In the sinuses and nose, dry mucous membranes lead to sinusitis, allergies, and nose bleeds.

Blood. Blood holds a lot of water, so when there is less of it blood volume decreases. For the athlete this means less oxygen flowing to the muscles, and a heart that beats faster because there is less blood to pump.

Best Hit-the-Wall Song Ever

So, I was only running 6 miles the other day -- a day that registered holy crap it is hotter than mowing the yard in hell on the thermometer -- when predictably I hit the proverbial wall around mile four. Six miles for the marathon trainer should be a merely routine affair, but when you're jogging in the sub-tropical climes of, say, Vietnam or south Louisiana, the normally 24-mile wall arrives much earlier.

I have found that without fail, the best song ever to get over the hump is "Dig In" by Lenny Kravitz.

Because I have declared that in this blog I am genius, I can say with absolute authority that "Dig In" is the best wall song ever.

Observe.

Hydration. You really need to read this, slacker.

In. Tha. Zone.

Hydrating is KEY! If food is fuel, water is the motor oil. Your “engine” cannot function without it, and without it your body will seize up and stall out.

Water makes up about 60% of an adult body and 75% of the muscles. For any human water is important. For a marathoner it is vital.

A well-hydrated body will (1) process and store the very important energy source of glycogen and (2) keep cool from the abundance of sweat designed to regulate body temperature.

The body needs about 2.5 liters – or 10 glasses – of water a day. Most of us are accustomed to hearing that we need 8 glasses – not 10 – a day to remain healthy and lubricated. True. The other 2 glasses come from water contained in food.

However, this amount of water is suitable for the mere mortal on the street. For a marathoner, the demands are more since the runner sweats more. A runner’s water demands will be double that of a non-runner. The average superheroic marathoner sweats 1.5 quarts of water and hour when running (blech!). This fluid must be replaced.

In fact, everyone who exercises should drink water all day long. If you wait until you’re thirsty to drink water, it’s already too late. Your body is likely not getting enough water.

If the Tao of Po ran commercials...

If the Tao of Po ran commercials, this would be it! OMG! Nike so gets me.

I have to admit, when I saw the small figure on the horizon, I was waiting for the punchline. I mean, you knew it was coming. At the ad's conclusion I was emotionally conflicted as I was eagerly awaiting the cruel punchline while simultaneously feeling uplifted. Then it occurred to me. This kid is Po. Damnit if this kid ain't great. I'll follow you anywhere, large aspiring Olympian!





And it goes:

Greatness.
It’s just something we made up.
Somehow we’ve come to believe that greatness is a gift reserved for a chosen few, for prodigies, for superstars, and the rest of us can only stand by watching.
You can forget that.
Greatness is not some rare DNA strand, not some precious thing. Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing.
We’re all capable of it. All of us.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON FOOD

When it comes to fats (and eating in general) my core philosophy is, Eat like a Roman, Exercise like a Greek. I have never once bothered one brain cell – dead or alive – with the prospects of some systematic diet. It amazes me that diets persist in popular culture with the resilience of cockroaches. Diets have urged suckers to starve themselves, eat fish only, eat bread only, eat meat only, drink shakes only, and eat candy bars only. Egad! Subscribing to new diets is like chasing ghost farts. Not to mention their usefulness lasts for about one year.

Now, let's run!

To lose weight, and to be fit, one must disregard all of those stupid diets, apply common sense to your nutrition, and just plain exercise. I’m in a lather just writing about it.

Diet chasers fail to realize that to maintain consistent results, effective diets are practiced over a lifetime. If you are reading this while on a diet, ask yourself if you want to punish yourself like this for the rest of your life. Do you want to eat nothing but carbohydrates or protein until you’re 80? I doubt it. Just like you wouldn’t want to have to train for a marathon for the rest of your life, which is a damn fine analogy I might add.

Marathoning is an extreme form of exercising. It requires extraordinary practice and conditioning, beyond what the body is accustomed to, to realize that goal. Likewise, a fad diet is designed to produce results that will require extreme dieting; meaning nutritional habits your body is not accustomed to. If you adopt a fad diet and persevere, your chances of losing weight are good, I would imagine. But how do you maintain your desired weight? Do you continue to fast and starve and shock your body for the rest of your life? Certainly, that is your choice, but it sounds like a miserable existence to me. It’s excessive, unnecessary, and potentially harmful.

The best way, I believe, to lose weight and stay trim and healthy is to eat responsibly and exercise regularly. Eating responsibly means consuming what you enjoy without excess. Obviously, anything excessive is likely to harm you. So don’t eat pizzas and drink beer 3 times a day.

Now, let's eat!

Exercising regularly means selecting some form of recreation in which you can participate at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. That’s all. And you don’t need to be repetitive. Mix it up. Play tennis, golf, walk, run, swim, work in the yard, chase women, go shopping, or write sexist stereotypes. But you have to do something. (Oh, and drink lots of water). Not to mention, if you enjoy it, 90 minutes a week is a luxury, not torture.

As for diets, here’s the most basic: Burn as many calories as you consume. If you want to lose weight, burn more calories that you consume. That’s it. Good bye!

Bugger off!