Hydration Guidelines: Dehydration a Myth?

To drink or not to drink? 

“Drink before you’re thirsty.” “Drink only when you’re thirsty.” “Losing just 2% of your body weight due to dehydration leads to heat related illnesses and impairs performance.” “Over drinking can lead to Hyponatremia (water intoxication) and death.” Have you heard these phrases before?

How about this quote from runnersworld.com?

“Far more interesting (and reliable) is this nugget: [researchers] measured [Haile Gebrselassie] before and after he won Dubai [Marathon] in 2009, and despite drinking at a fairly high rate, he lost 9.8% of his starting body weight...” -Alex Hutchinson (Runner’s World)

Hmmm...shouldn’t Geb be comatose and not setting world record marathon times then? After all, that’s what our hydration guidelines have taught us, right? — that losing weight during exercise can lead to all sorts of catastrophic outcomes.

An Ol' Softy

How hot can you get before you collapse? That’s what I’m wondering while finishing the last few miles of a 20 mile training run in the desert. The weather has been blistering hot; sapping the land of all moisture, so I left at sunrise hoping to beat the heat.

My plan was to run through the Quitman canyon this morning, but it is a 20 mile out-and-back route, which would be too long for my dogs in this searing weather. Cara, Maddie and I are spending time at her family’s ranch in West Texas and six of the dogs are used to tagging along on my runs.

Wrens, Wreptiles, and Wrunning

As I drive over Smugglers Gap in the Franklin Mountains in far West Texas, lightning is streaking across the sky. Black ominous looking storm clouds are lingering over the peaks and I just hope the storm is moving east because I’m on my way to run the mountain.

When I arrive at the trail head, the sun is trying to rise through the clouds creating a mysterious light emanating from the heavens. After fiddling with my gps for a while, I start running up the rocky track. 

Random News and Battle of the Sexes

If you are like me, you have drawers full of running shirts that you never wear. Every time you register for a race, you get another shirt to add to the collection. Some are made of technical fabric that wick moisture away from your body. These tend to be the ones we run in, but what about all those cotton shirts?

I have been running races for over 20 years and recently pulled out a box full of shirts and counted over 30. Well, Cara and I have decided to make a quilt out of them as a keepsake. Actually she is going to do all the sewing but I, unfortunately, have been designated cutting boy.  I will be so busy snipping shirts into neat little squares that I will nary have any time for running now.

Quest for the Northern Pass

My adventure this morning starts at Anthony’s Gap, NM for a quest to reach the Northern Pass. My goal is to find a route all the way around the Franklin Mountains which would make a challenging course for a 50K race. 

The mountain bikers already have a 50 mile route established for their Puzzler race that is held every January and I have been studying their maps on Geobetty.com to find the way.

Run El Paso Club Tackles Baylor Pass

“Is this going to be a technical trail?”, asks Jaime. “No, I don’t think it’s all that bad.”, I foolishly reply. I suppose it’s all relative, depending on what you’re used to. To me, it’s not technical unless you have to use your hands to get where you are going. 

In the Franklin Mountains, where I frequently run, jagged ankle twisting rocks cover the trail to keep you on your toes. Today we’ll be running on loose sand like a cinder running track, with smooth rounded boulders placed willy-nilly. Occasionally there are rocks stacked up like stairs in the middle of the trail which I’ll use as an excuse to walk. What’s the hurry, I always say?

Deep in the Heart of Texas

“I don’t like jelly beans...the Easter Bunny poops them.”, says our nephew. Well OK, that seems logical to me. I really don’t know how to argue that one. I recently traveled to Central Texas on the edge of the Hill Country and was able to steal a few hours away from my family for some beautiful trail running.