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6/11/2015 12:03:30 PM EDT
I have some buddies who insist that hydrating several days prior to an event (such as a 5k or 10K) is beneficial. They drink lots of water (mostly) and start 4-5 days prior to the event.

For an old guy (55) if I start drinking that much water, I'd be living in the latrine.

Beneficial or not?

How do you hydrate prior to an event?

Thanks in advance.
6/11/2015 1:09:31 PM EDT
[#1]
I would start at least 48 hours before the event.
6/11/2015 2:01:42 PM EDT
[#2]
What amount is that to you?  Just curious...
6/11/2015 2:32:36 PM EDT
[#3]
For a marathon or similar long event in hot weather, yes, the day before.

10k?  4 days prior?  No.
6/11/2015 5:05:23 PM EDT
[#4]
Generally I try not to let myself get too dry.  I try to drink a little before I get thirty and if my urine is clear to light straw color I don't worry too much.

I guess my advice is to stay hydrated whether you have a race or not.
6/11/2015 5:16:10 PM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
I have some buddies who insist that hydrating several days prior to an event (such as a 5k or 10K) is beneficial. They drink lots of water (mostly) and start 4-5 days prior to the event.

For an old guy (55) if I start drinking that much water, I'd be living in the latrine.

Beneficial or not?

How do you hydrate prior to an event?

Thanks in advance.
View Quote


5K, that's a short jog. 10k that's not much more. Drink a couple glasses of water.
6/11/2015 8:19:32 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
I have some buddies who insist that hydrating several days prior to an event (such as a 5k or 10K) is beneficial. They drink lots of water (mostly) and start 4-5 days prior to the event.

For an old guy (55) if I start drinking that much water, I'd be living in the latrine.

Beneficial or not?

How do you hydrate prior to an event?

Thanks in advance.
View Quote



It's not beneficial to do that, especially for a race as short as a 5K or 10K as long as you're not intentionally starving yourself of water for days ahead of time.  Dehydration is rarely a problem in races because, except in rare cases of extended duration events in extremely hot climates, dehydration does not lead to heat stress.

It's actually beneficial to you to have the minimum hydration amount necessary to complete the race without negatively impacting your work rate since you will be carrying less weight.  The fastest marathoners are often significantly dehydrated at the end finish line.
6/11/2015 9:33:21 PM EDT
[#7]


Quote History
Quoted:
It's not beneficial to do that, especially for a race as short as a 5K or 10K as long as you're not intentionally starving yourself of water for days ahead of time.  Dehydration is rarely a problem in races because, except in rare cases of extended duration events in extremely hot climates, dehydration does not lead to heat stress.





It's actually beneficial to you to have the minimum hydration amount necessary to complete the race without negatively impacting your work rate since you will be carrying less weight.  The fastest marathoners are often significantly dehydrated at the end finish line.
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Quote History
Quoted:





Quoted:


I have some buddies who insist that hydrating several days prior to an event (such as a 5k or 10K) is beneficial. They drink lots of water (mostly) and start 4-5 days prior to the event.





For an old guy (55) if I start drinking that much water, I'd be living in the latrine.





Beneficial or not?





How do you hydrate prior to an event?





Thanks in advance.

It's not beneficial to do that, especially for a race as short as a 5K or 10K as long as you're not intentionally starving yourself of water for days ahead of time.  Dehydration is rarely a problem in races because, except in rare cases of extended duration events in extremely hot climates, dehydration does not lead to heat stress.





It's actually beneficial to you to have the minimum hydration amount necessary to complete the race without negatively impacting your work rate since you will be carrying less weight.  The fastest marathoners are often significantly dehydrated at the end finish line.





 
+1 Most race casualties are due to hyponatremia 2/2 over-hydration.  This is usually an amateur mistake in a late bid to make up a calorie and fluid deficit, often overshooting the mark by a fair amount and having a stomach in knots or some serious dilution.


 
6/12/2015 5:31:32 PM EDT
[#8]
I can usually tell a difference if I haven't been hydrating like I know I'm supposed to.  I feel lethargic and behind the curve for the duration of my normal runs (5-8 miles).  If I can note a difference in training runs, then I'm guessing it would make a difference in my performance on race day.  48 hours prior to any race, I always increase my water intake by about 50%.   Try it out during training and see how much of a difference it makes for you...it may not or you may see a marked difference.  Everybody is different.
6/13/2015 9:58:58 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote History
Quoted:
Generally I try not to let myself get too dry.  I try to drink a little before I get thirty and if my urine is clear to light straw color I don't worry too much.

I guess my advice is to stay hydrated whether you have a race or not.
View Quote



agreed.

you should be drinking lots of water training or not
6/15/2015 3:41:58 PM EDT
[#10]
I don't have a link but there was an episode of the Outside Health and Fitness podcast a while back about proper hydration  that was presented by a trainer who was also an ironman competitor.  She said that the common mistake was for people to drink too much on days prior to an event trying to hydrate thereby flushing out proper electrolytes and minerals and creating a dehydrated state.  Water alone doesn't necessarily mean hydration.  A good balance of water, electrolytes, and minerals is what's desired.  The problem is there is no one size fits all formula for this.

I would say that hydrating like you should be already doing on a daily basis would be enough for a 5-10k.