Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Sigmund Freud recommends I observe my pee

Ok maybe not him but it is a good idea. I have no idea why this popped into my head today but I tallied my water intake on training days. I calculated that I intake 16-20 cups of water, or 1 gallon to 1 1/4 gallons per day.

That may seem like alot but I also have to have my coffee in the morning, which negates some of that intake, and maybe a nip or two of whiskey at night which negates more. But back to the pee, I really monitor my fluid level by it's color.

Yes it's gross. If your not a runner/athelete get over it but it's a fact that we check that very thing to make sure we're staying hydrated *enough*

Hyponatremia is a real fear of mine, but moreso is de-hydration. Which is what I think got me to visit this because yesterday's easy 6 I way overdressed for the weather and the use of cotton and whatnot my clothes post workout had to weigh 10 pounds.

I don't normally drink water on my easy 6/9's in cool weather. It's not until I do my long runs of 12+ where I think of fuel and water. But after observing my heart rate which was 10-15 above normal for my run yesterday I had to attribute it to overheating and general crummy feeling. (And the nasty near brown color of my post workout pee)

I guess the moral of the story is keep tabs on that pee peeps... It's the best guage to how well we're hydrated.

1 comment:

  1. Great post of a sensitive subject. Yes, dark is not good. It should be slightly yellow. Dark would indicate that you had poor hydration the day prior, or maybe longer.

    I usually do not drink on 4 miles or less until after the run. Then I intake about 14 ounces of HEED or some other sports drink, along with a protein supplement. (No, I do not consider a drink with caffeine a sports drink and stick with Gatorade or HEED.)

    On runs longer than 4 miles I carry liquids with me and aim for 15 ounces of intake per hour. (Either a 22 ounce hand held, or my 70 ounce CamelBak.) I usually carry water on runs under 9 miles, but above that I carry sports drink. (Usually HEED.)

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