Race Hydration – Pack versus Bottle

With less than 1 week before The Bluff 50k, I’m pretty consumed on mentally rehearsing the race day. What to bring, what to wear, what to eat (how to eat?), and my overall race / pace strategy. This is my first ‘ultra’ distance event, and I’m clearly excited. So, one of the topics that came up during my brainstorming centered around whether to wear my hydration pack, or carry a bottle & refill at aid stations only. I won’t go into the history (and will also ask that Guthrie and Iggy don’t let my previous ‘pre-race’ hydration faux-pas out of the bag). Let’s just say that I’m keenly aware of staying hydrated before & during a race, so this is something I’ve been thinking a great deal about lately.

I’ll be the first to admit that I see what other people do and tend to think they’ve already figured it out. However, my running experience tells me that it’s not always the case. Running is very personal, and what works best for one person absolutely sucks for someone else. So, I decided to see what kind of data exists on the topic of hydration to help me decide.

What I found most helpful was this incredible article titled “Maintaining Hydration And Peak Run Performance” from Kim Mueller, MS, RD, Sports Nutritionist written back in 2005. The principles Kim lays out – even after months of training – are eye-opening and certainly reinforces the Iggy/Forrest mantra of ‘…drink like a fish…’ during your races. Here are the key points:

1. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to start drinking. Part of this article is about how most under-replenish fluids during cooler weather. Kim’s point is that you’re still sweating and losing fluids (compounded sometimes by dressing too warmly) and that sub-optimizing your hydration will certainly result in decreases in performance.
2. Start consuming fluids before the race. With the exception of caffeinated beverages, try to consume 16 ounces per hour (I interpreted this as from the time you wake until the race).
3. Know your ‘sweat rate’ as well as your SPLIT TIMES! Weighing yourself before and after a training run or race is a decent way to determine the quantities of fluids that are lost during exercise.  There is a formula within the article, and it’s not wise to listen to anything mathematical from me. It does say that the average athlete will lose 1 liter of water per hour, which needs to be replenished in order to maintain hydration and performance levels. I especially liked her case study on the sidebar of the article.
4. Electrolytes! We all know that they are important, but which minerals are most important for us runners?
5. Factor weather into your hydration strategies. Again, just because it’s cooler does not mean that you aren’t sweating and don’t need to replace fluids.

With regards to my decision as to whether to use a hydration pack or a hand-held bottle, I think I’m going to stick with the pack. I’ve trained with it and am comfortable carrying the weight, and like the extra security of having a little extra water in the tank.

Two plugs on equipment: I’m using the Nathan HPL 020 Hydration Pack (thanks for the recommendation Mr. Bimble) purchased from North Cove Outfitters (they have 1 more on the shelf). I’m also a big fan of the Emergen-C brand Electrolyte Powder made by Alacer. You can pick up a box of packets at the Guilford Food Works for about $12. They don’t have any sugar, so my stomach can tolerate them far longer than other powders. The only downside is that they don’t contain any sodium either, so I’ll be supplementing that along the way.