OMC News and Updates

Am I Drinking Too Much??? Hydration and the Triathlete

Posted May 5th, 2010 by Ken Sharlin - This entry has been tagged with: hydration, hyponatremia, training, Triathlon

I have been hearing a lot of talk about hydration and training/racing. Have you ever been told "Don't forget to drink lots of water...say hydrated!" I feel like this needs some clarification. In reality, dehydration is not the major risk in competition. This is particularly true if the athlete follows one simple golden rule: Drink When Thirsty. In fact, the real risk is over-hydration, one contributing factor to the problem of hyponatremia or low serum sodium. Several good studies have been published on the subject of hydration in triathlon which have clearly demonstrated that forced hydration is detrimental to performance and, potentially, to the health of the athlete.

Here is Joe Friel on this subject (please note the numerous references at the bottom of each part of the article).

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/09/hydration-and-exercise-part-1.html

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/09/hydration-and-exercise-part-2.html

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/09/hydration-and-exercise-part-3.html

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/10/hydration-and-exercise-part-4.html