It's my birthday--have a drink with me! (Of the H2O variety)

Sing along with me....It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to. 

All right.  Yes, it is my birthday, but no, I'm not really crying.  (I will be next year, but that's a whole different story!)

I could be, though, because I feel lousy.  Lousy, I tell ya.  And, it's my own doing.  The self-inflicted kind.  But, not from overdoing it with alcohol in celebration of my 49 years on this earth.  No, I went for a run this morning and, even though I know way better than this, I didn't hydrate enough. Plus, I pushed myself for the first three miles because I'm trying to break a 30 minute 5K time. 

Now, I'm downing my third recovery drink....six hours later.  And, I'm finally beginning to feel a little better. 

So, I decided to remind myself why it's important to hydrate for a long run. And, I came across some really interesting statistics about why water is so vital for runners. 

First, I remember looking at a water label a few years ago and seeing this:

I always thought that would make a great trivia question---what has 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 carbohydrates and 0 grams of protein?  Yes, it's good ole H20.  

So, according to our American labeling requirements, water doesn't give us much of anything.  Ah, but therein lies the mistake.  Water is absolutely critical for life.  It is the one thing that humans can't live without for very long.  Our bodies can withstand weeks without food, but not more than a day or so without water.  

Now, we see the first benefit water has to running....providing life.  But, it becomes much more than that, especially for someone who exercises.  

In a Sparkpeople blog, Nancy Howard provides this data:   "...for every 1% drop in body weight from fluid loss, there is a 2% drop in your running performance. This may not sound like a lot of weight, but for a 120-pound runner a weight loss of 3 1/2 pounds can lead to a 6% drop in running performance."

I sweat a lot. (Hi, I'm Linda and I'm a sweat-er.)  It can be 20 degrees outside and I'm still a sweaty mess by the time I finish a run.  It's always been like that.  In high school marching band, all the other girls would take off their hats, give their heads a little toss and emerge with perfect hair. Me?  I'd take off my hat and see the indentation of the hat ringed around my sweaty head. For. The. Rest. Of. The. Day.  (No lingering issues there, right?)  

One of my physical therapists (yes, for running injuries) told me sweating a lot just meant that my body worked efficiently.  And, while that may be true, it's pretty embarrassing to sweat so much.  But, it also means I need to pay attention to my water needs a little more closely. 

I was also reminded that water makes up anywhere from 50-75% of our bodies (depending on who you read.)  That's a lot!   Not drinking enough can cause cramps, dizziness, fatigue and more bad stuff.   Some studies link diseases and disorders like stress, depression, allergies, asthma, hypertension, arthritis, colitis and even some cancers to lack of water.  (Note to self.  You know,...the one who suffers from allergies and exercise-induced asthma--read that last sentence again.)

Drinking water can also help avoid weight gain.  In fact, I've heard a lot of times that Americans thirst mechanism is so weak that we often mistake thirst for hunger and eat a bunch of crappy stuff to make up for it.  So, water can fill us up and it can help us avoid mistaking thirst for hunger. 

How much should we drink, especially when exercising?

According to familydoctor.org, "The American Council on Fitness has suggested the following basic water intake guidelines for people doing moderate- to high-intensity exercise:

• Drink 17 to 20 ounces of water 2 to 3 hours before you start exercising
• Drink 8 ounces of water 20 to 30 minutes before you start exercising or during your warm-up
• Drink 7 to 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise
• Drink 8 ounces of water no more than 30 minutes after you exercise."  

 Nope, I didn't do that this morning.  Let's see.  I drank about 18 ounces 30 minutes before exercising, then maybe drank another two during my 10 miles and then maybe another three to four ounces afterwards.  Then, nothing for another few hours. According to these guidelines, I should have had somewhere around 70 ounces.  I had 24.  Maybe 24.  Almost 1/3 of the recommended guidelines.

Oops!  I think I see the problem.  

So, join with me in committing to drinking more water every day, especially when exercising. To start, toast yourself (and my birthday) with a long tall drink of water.