IronFit's Marathons after 40 by Don Fink & MELANIE FINK

Author:Don Fink & MELANIE FINK
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493026883
Publisher: Lyons Press
Published: 2016-12-13T05:00:00+00:00

DETERMINING YOUR HYDRATION NEEDS

So how can you determine your optimal fueling and hydration plan? Let’s start with determining your hydration needs. The athlete in the above example targeted 20 ounces of fluid per hour. How can you know what amount is best for you? Our suggestion is to use a sweat-rate test to determine your hydration requirements. There are various approaches to this, but our simple approach is the following:

» Sweat-Rate Test

•Weigh yourself (unclothed) just prior to beginning your run

•Run for 60 minutes in Z2 (75–85 percent of maximum heart rate) while not consuming any food or fluids and not urinating

•Weigh yourself (unclothed) immediately after the run

•Complete the following calculation: Weight Before – Weight After = Hourly Sweat Loss

•Record the air temperature at the time of the test

Following is an example demonstrating how to use the sweat-rate test and how to interpret the results:

•Weight Before = 165.0 pounds

•Weight After = 163.75 pounds

•Sweat Rate = 165.0 – 163.75 = 1.25 pounds = 20 ounces

In this example, the athlete will require about 20 ounces of fluid per hour to maintain his fluid levels.

As a next step, we suggest repeating this test in different heat conditions. This is important because we sweat more or less at various temperatures. If we can use the above formula to determine what our sweat rate is at 50, 60, 70, or 80 degrees, then we will know how to adjust our fluid intake on race day based on the weather conditions. Finally, we suggest repeating the test in workouts that include higher-intensity levels (e.g., Z3 and Z4) because sweat rate may change slightly due to intensity level.

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