Drinking Rules?

Yes, there are rules as to how much and how often you should drink when you are running. It is estimated that you lose half a liter of water for every hour that you run. So you should replenish this. According to Tim Noakes in the book The Lore of Running, you should drink around 500 ml an hour but make sure you do not drink plain water because according to the book Running for Fitness, there are already reported cases of death due to hyponatremia, which means low sodium level in the blood with excessive hydration of plain water. It is therefore recommended that you take those drinks with electrolytes and some form of simple carbohydrates.

If you are joining a race, it is advised that you hydrate yourself prior to the run. Try to stop drinking within 2 hours prior to the run to avoid the urge to urinate during the run. You can drink again just before the start of the run. For those preparing for marathons, it is suggested that you do carbohydrate-loading three days prior to the run. That means eating complex carbohydrates like pasta, rice and bread.

After running, hydrate yourself again and consume carbohydrates within half an hour immediately after. Make sure you urinate within six hours after the run. If you do not urinate after 12 hours, this could mean acute renal failure due to dehydration.