Ok, for the last 30 years at least we have heard that a person needs to drink 8-8oz glasses of water each day to be healthy and especially if they are looking to lose weight by being more active. And when you look at the facts, its no wonder since about 60% of the human body is made up of water, according to a National Institute of Health Report.

This includes most of your brain, heart, lungs, muscles, and skin, and even about 30 percent of your bones. Besides being one of the main ingredients in the recipe for humankind, water helps us regulate our internal temperature, transports nutrients throughout our bodies, flushes waste, forms saliva, lubricates joints and even serves as a protective shock absorber for vital organs.

So getting back to the above-accepted rule of drinking those 8-8oz glasses of water, really is not the medical rule of thumb. And in all probability, its probably more than an average person should be consuming. Why you ask? Because this statement doesn’t really take into account that we also get a good portion of water from our daily food intakes as well.

Everything we eat contains some water. Raw fruits and vegetables have a lot; fruits such as watermelons and strawberries, for example, are more than 90 percent water by weight, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Different diets naturally contain different amounts of water, but it adds up. According to a report by the National Academies of Sciences, the average North American gets about 20 percent of his or her daily water intake through food, and that counts toward healthy hydration.

The other key water sources that the "8 x 8" rule overlooks are other beverages. Non-alcoholic drinks such as coffee, tea, milk, juice, and soda contain mostly water, and all contribute to your hydration. Contrary to another popular myth, studies show that coffee does not dehydrate you and is a suitable form of H2O intake. In fact, new studies show that the average person can consume 3-5 cups of coffee a day without any harmful effects to your body, specifically your heart.  It was never the coffee that was an issue, it was thought to be the caffeine contained within it. New studies show that the average person can safely drink that proportion of caffeine contained in those servings without causing any specific harm to your hearts rhythm.

But consuming caffeine can affect people in different ways, it all depends on your own body makeup and what it can handle.  There can be adverse side effects of drinking too much caffeine, including headaches and disrupted sleep, for some people. And we do NOT advocate getting a good portion of your H20 intake from consuming large amounts of soda, while it is liquid and qualifies as a substitute for water, besides the large amounts of sugar it contains or some adverse issues that come up when you drink diet anything, soda for most people will actually cause you to become more thirsty, hence you want to drink more, which inflates your daily intake as well.

And if you look at the origins of this rule, which we believe goes back to a research study done in 1945, which came with the conclusion that a person, who consumes a 2,000-calorie diet each day should drink 1 ml of water per calorie of food they consume.

For someone eating a diet of 2,000 calories per day, this adds up to 2,000 ml (roughly 64 oz), or eight 8-oz glasses. But what got lost in the message was the caveat that much of this water could be obtained from foods you consume. So instead, what people remember is the 8x8 rule. And since drinking water can satisfy your thirst while making you feel full for a period of time, most diets, both Fad, and legitimate ones embrace the drinking of ½ gallon of water each day to help you feel fuller, so you will maintain their dietary rules.

Most trainers, team doctors, and even your family physician will tell you the human body is an amazing creation. It will actually let you know when to drink by sending out signals to your brain that you are THIRSTY!

Ok, that’s a little history lesson on drinking enough water. But when you’re working out, are you drinking enough or over-doing it? Based on recent accepted studies the general guidelines are to drink 17 to 20 ounces of water 2 to 3 hours before exercising, another 8 ounces during your warm-up (or 20 to 30 minutes before exercising), 7 to 10 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise, and 8 ounces of water within 30 minutes after exercising.

But is water enough to keep your body moving to its potential during and after a workout, or does it need a little help by your drinking a “Sports Drink” Now again, the jury’s out a bit on this but it is true that when you push your body it sweats and with that sweat coming out, your also losing several minerals and nutrients. If your training or taking part in a marathon of continuous exertion you're going to want to replace that lost water by consistently drinking and the weather also plays a factor in this. If it's hot, your body is going to try and cool you off by using its built-in cooling system, again sweating! And as we said above, with the sweat comes losing those minerals and nutrients. The best bet for rehydration is to consume a low-cal beverage that contains electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. Good choices include sports drinks but choosing the right one again depends on how your body reacts to ingesting a drink while you're exerting yourself and your overall stomach tolerance. One drink that goes with me is the Nuun Active Electrolyte Tablets

These hydration tablets are loaded with electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals to help you stay properly hydrated throughout the day! When your exerting energy during an intense workout, drinking a sports drink that can not only help you to maintain your hydration levels but can also put back those nutrients that you've lost from working your body hard.

Electrolytes are minerals, just as a refresher, are primarily sodium, potassium, calcium, chlorine, magnesium, and phosphates that are in our blood and other body fluids. They have electrical charges and work to activate the electrical tissues of our bodies, including muscles and nerves. Roughly, electrolytes keep our system functioning. Most major organs help regulate our electrolyte levels, and when they're correctly balanced, our blood chemistry runs as it should. This is why it’s important to try and keep this balance stable so that when you ask your body to perform to that next level, it has the means to do so for you!

Bottom line, every person is unique. There are no set guidelines that say you need to drink this specific amount of fluid in order to have your body perform to its maximum and in order for you to still be standing on your feet once you’ve reached the finish line or your own particular goal.

We mentioned it above. The key is to listen to your body, know its hints and nuances and it will let you know when you need to tilt your head back and take a nice long drink!

You’ve thought about it, and now that it’s the end of March and Springtime weather just can’t be that far off, at least in the northeast,-we hope! You’ve made up your mind to get yourself in shape to take on your first triathlon. You’ve done some quick internet checking and are frankly pretty amazed at just how many triathlons there are in the northeastern part of the U.S. and with a little help, your shooting for the month of June, which is about 12 weeks out. So, 3 months is not a lot of time to prepare for this “Bucket-List” goal, but it is achievable. Like we said above, with a little help.

And the training just might be a bit easier than you think, even if you're currently not in the best of shape, after spending most of the winter watching “Netflix” while sitting on the couch. But, we are here to help and listed below are a few of what we feel are the must-haves to help you compete in your first triathlon. And these recommendations, won’t cost you, your bank savings, or take all of your time away from those episodes of your favorite shows, well maybe a little time away, but you’ve got “TiVo” right??

The Essential Gear
You do need some basic equipment for your first triathlon. This equipment doesn't have to be expensive and it can be borrowed to save money:

Swimsuit, goggles, and I recommend a cap if you have long hair. Now, this depends on the course that you're signing up for. The earlier in the year, a swimsuit is a great idea. It will help to keep the cold at bay. However, if you're participating at a time of the year when the waters are already getting warm, you can probably skip this item. But I would recommend using the goggles to keep the water out of your eyes to be able to see where you’re going as your swimming the allotted course. This should also help you with your time in the water!

A bicycle that fits you and is in good working order. This can be a road bike, a mountain bike or a hybrid, really the sky's the limit, along with the size of your wallet. You can use a time trial bike if you have one, or have access to one, but a special triathlon or time trial bicycle is not necessary. Again, I have found it worthwhile to work with the local shops. First, they appreciate your business, and also, the staff working in these home-grown businesses, usually use what they sell. You should be able to get some good advice on how to properly fit you for the bike for your body structure. And you never know, they might offer you a discount if you wear one of their custom jerseys during the event to help market their shop!

Cycling shorts for training. A decent pair of cycling shorts, worn sans underwear, can make riding more comfortable, and they help prevent saddle sores.
You can use clipless pedals and cycling shoes, but these are not a "must have" item.
You also want to keep in mind how often you’re going to undertake these races. If your going to be doing a couple of them a year, then invest in the clipless pedals and shoes, in the long run, they can help you shave some time off your race.

A water bottle for use on your long bike rides. But regardless, it’s a good idea to have one with you, and filled with either water or for longer and tougher endurance triathlons one with an energy booster like Nuun Active Electrolyte Tablets  These energy laced tablets are loaded with electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals to help you stay properly hydrated throughout your race day, while your training or just going out to explore new trails!

Running Shoes, a good, fitted pair. You don't have to spend $200 to get a great pair of shoes, but you do need a pair of shoes that are made for running and that fit your feet. The best resource for shoes is a local running store. Make sure their staff is knowledgeable and can not only fit your foot for the proper size but have the ability to analyze your pressure points, preferably with an "In-Store" treadmill.  You may pay a bit more for this kind of specialized fitting, but in the long run (get the pun here?) it will be worth it!

How Much Time??
If your fitness has been dormant for quite a while, it's good to give yourself those 12 weeks to get in shape and minimize the chances of injury, this is really the minimum. These triathlon events really do take a lot out of you and you need to be back in condition to be able to tackle these events. In 12 weeks you can condition tendons, ligaments and your endurance so that you can enjoy the race. If you can commit to training five days per week—two and a half to four hours per week—that's plenty of time to get in shape.

Yes, that's right, no more than around four hours in the biggest training week.

Weekday workouts need only be 30 to 45 minutes and weekends can be used to build your endurance. Your longest workout, a bike ride, only needs to be between one and a half to two hours. Now again, these are really the minimums in order to get you to perform in a way that you’re not going to end up short come race day. That’s the last thing you want to have happened.

Out of the five weekly workouts, make two of them swim workouts. Now, this takes for granted that you’ve been in a pool before and have access to one to get you through your training for this event. If you haven’t been “Wet” for a while it’s a good idea to pace yourself through this 12-week course to get yourself built up to where you can, at the end of the 3 months be able to swim (10) 50 yards/meters, laps in the pool and be taking 20-30 second windbreaks in between each 50 yd. leg. In the beginning, you may need to rest for a full minute between each 50, and that’s ok, you’re going to be building yourself up so you can build up your endurance.

Make two more of the workouts run-to-bike combination workouts to build endurance and minimize injury risk.

Sample combination workouts
Combo Workout #1: (Run 1 minute, Walk 1 minute) x 5, then ride a bike for 30 minutes at an easy, conversational intensity. (Zone 1 to 2 for those with a heart rate monitor.) You can even do this workout at the gym.

And if you do have or are looking to get yourself a good Activity/Training watch. One with a “Heart Rate Monitor”. The one I like is the Garmin Forerunner 920XT Multisport GPS Watch 
This watch is water friendly, GPS to track your distance accurately and let you know where you are in relation to the course you’re on. It offers a high-resolution color display, with a flexible band that is easy to wear, and the activity tracking feature measures your steps, and even your sleep, when the training ends and you hit the sheets. This is a great Tri-Athletic training watch, as it will provide you with real-time data as you go about getting yourself ready for the big race day! Did I mention that it also provides a standard “Watch” mode so you can wear it all day long as well?

Plan to Rest
When learning how to train for a triathlon, it's tempting to add more and more circuits of training, but the body makes advances in fitness with a balance of stress and rest.

If you're planning your own training schedule, be sure to add recovery days and reduced volume rest weeks to allow your body to rebuild and get stronger. Remember, even a farmer left his plow-horse rest on Sundays, so they could benefit from a day of rest before they started their workload all over again!

Nutrition also plays a big part in providing the right combination of fuels to power your body through the vigorous demands you're going to be putting it through. For now, we’re going to leave that topic for another blog post, but eating the right balance of protein, good carbs and drinking enough fluids is important as you go through this training regimen of preparing your body for your first triathlon.

Get ready, Get Set, Train!

If you made the decision to take part in a Fall Marathon this year, then you know that you should have been hitting the road since at least early June, after all, there are now only about 8 - 12 weeks left until a majority of them begin to take place. They usually take place in early October/November and go right on through the end of the year, depending of course on what part of the country you live in. A marathon, consisting of a grueling 26.2-mile race will test the Mettle" of any runner, especially if you're new to running them! Below are a few suggestions to make sure you have a check list of things to follow in order to make sure you’re making it to that finish line.

Shoes: If you’ve been running for a while now, you know the importance of a good pair of running shoes. Most trainers recommend that you should retire your old “Feel Good” shoes after you’ve reached the 3-400 mile training goals. This is just plain good advice since like a car’s tires, they get worn down and worn out after the miles they were designed for. If you haven’t partnered up with a good athletic shoe store, one that promotes running and walking for your health, then find one. These people are more than just shoe salesmen/women. They know the sport of running, fast walking or just plain walking for your health. This is their business and they should be good at what they do/sell. They are going to analyze your stride, in house, (if they are any good) to see if things have changed for you if you are a repeat customer. Then they will fit you with a light-weight shoe, but one that also offers you the support where you need it. When getting maybe a month out from the race, you may want to get yourself a new pair of shoes that will carry you across the finish line feeling good. But the ‘Tip” is to wear your race shoes during a 10-mile training run and see how they feel on your feet, and if you experience any blisters, rubbing or chaffing. It’s better to find out earlier than on race day!

And don’t skip on your socks! Remember, your socks are the only cushion you have between your skin and the shoes you’re wearing. You want to make sure they fit just right for you as well and that they don’t contribute to your perspiration, as this can also lead to blistering and chaffing.

While you’re about 9 or 8 weeks out, you can try doing a mockup of your 26.2-mile endurance run. Run at your training pace, this should be a pace that you’re comfortable with but one that allows you to kick it into gear when you're about 8 miles out from the finish. With eight miles to go, begin running one minute per mile slower than your marathon goal pace. Then speed up every two miles to run the last couple of miles at goal pace or slightly faster. This run will teach you how to up your effort as you become tired.

If at all possible, start doing runs on the same topography as the marathon you're planning to run in. For example, go up and down lots of hills, in order to simulate that you’re running in New York City if this is the one you signed up to tackle.
If you live in a flat area and are preparing for a hilly marathon, do several runs on a treadmill, and alter the incline throughout. If you don’t have access to a treadmill, run on stairways or stadium steps. (Hey, drastic times call for drastic measures.)

When you’re a month out, it’s a good time to give your body a test as to how well it has progressed during your “Training Up” for the big race. Get yourself registered for a half marathon. Participating in a 10 miler will provide a powerful mental lift, and it will give you a little rest period in the few days before and after the race as you taper and recover from it. Aim to run the half-marathon slightly faster than your marathon goal pace. If you can’t find a tune-up race, recruit friends to accompany you on a long run, with the last several miles faster than marathon pace.

Drink on the Run
Practice during your remaining long and semi long run with the sports drinks and energy gels  you intend to refuel with during the race.

We like the electrolyte packed drinks from Nuun that come in different flavors which allow you to change up your thirst quenching drinks while your training and gives you the opportunity to decide which flavor you’ll be taking with you on your 26.2 mile run.

Then to help you re-stoke your furnace as you pile up the miles the GU Energy Gels, which also come in various flavors that provides your body with the essential nutrition it needs to keep going for miles and miles and hours and hours. It goes down easy, and it goes to work fast so you don't have to slow down.

Serious-minded racers and those with finicky stomachs should be using the sports drinks and chews that they are used to using during their training. The race is NOT the time to be trying anything new that your body has not had time to grow accustomed to. And remember that sports drinks do triple duty when compared with water by providing fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes, the most important being sodium.

Try NOT to overdo it! Stick to your plan when training for a marathon—it isn’t like cramming for a test. That is, doing more miles than you’re used to in the last few weeks will hurt, not help your race! Even if you’re feeling great, don’t up the ante and increase your training. This is the time when many runners have been at it for two months or more and are becoming used to a certain level of training. Draw strength from the hard work you’ve put in. Have confidence in what you’ve been doing. From here on out, you’re just maintaining your fitness. And Most Important, get plenty of sleep!

Put the Jitters to rest! Four or five days before the marathon, do a two- or three-mile marathon-pace, run in your marathon outfit and shoes. Picture yourself on the course running strong and relaxed. Besides boosting your confidence, this run will provide one last little bit of conditioning and will help you lock in to race pace on marathon day. If possible, run at the same time of day as the start of your marathon. This way, your body’s rhythms–including the all-important bathroom routine–will be in sync with marathon needs come race day. The more times you can do this, the better, but shoot for at least the last three days before the race.

Set Yourself Two Goals
Review your training and set one goal for a good race day, and another as a backup plan in case it’s hot or windy or you’re just not feeling great. So many things can go wrong in a marathon that you need that secondary goal to stay motivated if things aren’t perfect, which they seldom are. So golden rule is always be prepared for the unexpected, hence the two goal rule.

Your primary goal is the one you’ve been working toward during your training, whether it’s a personal best, or breaking a set number of hours. Your secondary goal should keep you motivated at the 22-mile mark on a bad day, finishing in the top 50 percent, slowing only 10 minutes over the second half, or just reaching the darn finish line.

Carbo-Load, Don't Fat-Load
During the last three days, concentrate on eating carbohydrate-rich foods, such as pasta, potatoes, bread, fruit and fruit juice, and sports drinks. It’s the carbs, after all, not fat or protein, that will fuel you on race day. What’s important is increasing the percentage of your calories that come from carbs, not simply eating more of everything. Since you’ll be tapering and expending fewer calories, you don’t have to consume a great deal more food than usual. Rather, make sure your food choices are carbohydrate-rich—for example, spaghetti with red sauce, instead of Alfredo sauce, or a bagel versus a croissant.

Slow Your Roll:
Reduce the outside stresses in your life as much as possible the last week. This is not a good time in your life for say, changing jobs.

Try to have work projects under control, politely decline invitations to late nights out, and so on. Most of all, stay off your feet, save museum tours and shopping sprees for after the marathon, and don’t spend four hours the day before the marathon checking out the latest energy gel flavors at the race expo. If you’re into it, get into your yoga phase of mind set and let your mind find that happy place.

Eat Breakfast The Day of The Marathon:
Two to three hours before the start, eat a carbohydrate-rich breakfast, even if that means getting up at an early hour and then going back to bed. The reason: As you slept, your brain was active and using the glycogen (stored carbohydrate) from your liver. Breakfast restocks those stores, so you’ll be less likely to run out of fuel. Aim for a few hundred calories, such as a bagel and banana or toast and a sports bar. At the minimum, consume a sports recovery drink, or a bland, well-tolerated liquid food such as Ensure or Boost.

Warm Up-Get Limber 
But just a little. Even the best marathoners in the world do only a little jogging beforehand, because they want to preserve their glycogen stores and keep their core body temperature down. If you’re a faster runner with a goal pace significantly quicker than your training pace, do no more than 10 minutes of light jogging, finishing 15 minutes before the start. Precede and follow your jog with stretching. If you’ll be running the marathon at about your training pace, skip the jog. Walk around a bit in the half hour before the start, and stretch.

Start Slow, Remember, there are a lot of miles between you and the finish line. Run the first two to three miles 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower than your goal pace. This preserves precious glycogen stores for later in the race so you can finish strong. Just saying, it’s always good advice to learn from someone that has gone before you so you can benefit from what they have also have accomplished.

Finish! Yes we know that by mile #23 you’re just about all in. But talk to yourself, be your own coach! Give yourself that pep talk you need right here and now. Remember, the pain, exhaustion and fatigue will pass, but the memory of conquering this goal you've set for yourself and that feeling of pride that you’ve accomplished it, well, that feeling, will be with you forever!

BE STONG and You can do it!

High temperatures mean you have to be well prepared to deal with the heat. There’s sunburn to worry about, dehydration and, worst of all, sunstroke. These are potential headaches that come with the season, but there are things you can do to cope with them and still get out there and bike!
Here are some tips for staying cool and healthy if you’re bike touring in hot weather.

1 – Water, water, water
Think about how much you normally drink during the day and then add an extra 1-2 liters. Sip on your water supply during the day, rather than taking in a lot of water all at once. Doing this will help you stay well hydrated and that is a huge factor in coping with the heat. It will also help you not to get cramps while your biking. A great addition to your biking gear that does not take up much room or weight is the Avex Brazos Stainless Steel AutoSeal Water Bottle 24 oz. This Insulated stainless steel water bottle with a double wall, and vacuum insulation to keep your water cold for hours and eliminate external sweating. Whether you're or biking, hiking a desert trail or scaling a mountain, it has the capacity to quench your thirst!  It also has a spout shield to protect against dirt and an ergonomic clip-on handle that attaches to backpacks and other gear

Sometimes it’s hard to drink a lot of just plain water, so you can add some flavorings. We suggest adding a little iced tea powder, with a squeeze of lemon juice or about 20% orange juice to the mix. Clean your bottles well afterward to stop mold from growing in them. Having an insulated bottle to take along with you is a must in the hot weather. 

2 – Find A Water Tap And Get Soaked
While it may not be the most comfortable way to travel, you really won't mind being a little wet when the temperature climbs over 85 degress Cycling with a wet shirt is like instant air conditioning. When it’s really hot, you can stop at any water source you can find (streams are great, or water taps at places like cemeteries and gas stations) and soak your shirt in the water. Try soaking a bandana that you should have with you as a help in sunburn protection around your neck. It’s a little chilly putting the wet shirt back on, but it feels so good and keeps you really nice and cool for about 1/2 an hour. The bonus is that you also wash a bit of sweat out of your shirt, so it’s not so grungy after a long, hot day of riding.

3 – Pick Your Time Of Day
Start early, it really is the best time of day for getting physical and the coolness of the early morning can help you keep a positive attitude as miles fly by under your bike tires. Have a lunchtime siesta and finish your ride in the evening, after the sun starts to set. Riding through the midday heat is the surest way to fry your brain and body during a bike tour. If the temperatures are set to rise above 30°C, (that’s 86 degrees for you Fahrenheit people). Then you can start riding at first light and plan for a lunch break in about 2-3 hours.

4 – Carry Shade With You
A tarp comes in handy on hot days, of course, you want to rest in the shade when at all possible, but what if there isn’t any? Carry a tarp and you can create instant shade, just about anywhere. You can string your tarp between telephone poles and power pylons in sparsely populated areas, making the perfect spot to wait out the heat of the day. When you set up camp, a tarp can also protect your tent from UV damage. So any way you look at it, that tarp can go a long way to making your day better and a little cooler.

5 – Cover Up With Clothing
Look at people who live constantly in a hot climate and you’ll see they almost always cover up with long sleeves and trousers. Why? It’s the best way to protect your body. Wear longer clothing and you also use less sunscreen. As you know from articles hitting the news, some if not all sunscreens do not really measure up to what they say they will do. Aside from the cost and the fact it leaves a film on your skin, people sweat too much for the sunscreen to do its job properly and they never remember to re-apply it often enough during the day. Whether your biking, hiking or running, a good quality shirt that helps keep you dry and wicks away moisture is a good choice.  A high visibility top makes just good sense when your biking so that others can see you coming. The Proviz line of high visible clothing like the Proviz Reflect360 Men's High Visibility Running Jacket
The reflective detailing is designed to help you stand out when on the roads during hours of darkness or poor light.

By using long-sleeved shirts that cover your arms and 3/4 length trousers, you only have to worry about the sunscreen on your faces and small sections of our arms and legs. As long as you get lightweight clothing, it’s not as hot as you might imagine. Remember, cotton clothing is the best-recommended fabric for helping you stay cooler during the hot summer months.

6 – Use A Hydration Pack
A hydration pack is the kind of thing you’d expect to carry on a mountain hike, but it can be handy for bike riders, especially on hot days too, to keep your water or drink of your choice, nice and cold. The Camelbak MULE NV is our choice to carry. It has a narrow-gauge design and is stable for all-terrain action in any weather condition. The CamelBak M.U.L.E. NV Hydration Pack provides plenty of gear storage and water capacity to let you enjoy the riding the trails all day long

We hope the above tips and suggestions will help you to maintain your cycling adventures during the hot summer months.  And before we go, we want to remind you that to keep on track with where you're going this Summer, Fall, and yes even the Winter, on your extended bike rides, why not take along a Cycling Computer, like the Garmin Garmin Explorer 820  The Edge Explore 820 also keeps you connected to the rest of the world with smart notifications, live tracking, social media sharing and automatic uploads to Garmin Connect.  

So now that you have the tips, tricks, and tools to help you beat the summer heat, go ahead and put the pedal (Bike Pedal) to the trail and have some summer fun!

Most runners have repeatedly heard that advice that they must drink more fluids as the hot summer months are on us. Well, it’s not rocket science, who doesn’t drink when it’s hot?
Instead of boring you with yet another “news flash” article about how you need to drink more when it’s hot, let’s look into some of the specifics of summer hydration – when you should be drinking water versus when you should be drinking sports drinks (or an electrolyte beverage) and how to calculate exactly how much fluid you need on any given training run.
This post is about hydration and drinking protocols during training, not during a marathon race or while you’re practicing your marathon nutrition strategy. During marathons or fueling for marathon-specific long runs, refueling is important and another topic entirely.

Fluid absorption rate
First, it’s important you understand how sugar and electrolytes impact your fluid absorption rates. The speed at which water, electrolytes, and sugars can be absorbed into the bloodstream is one of the main determinants of what type of beverage you should choose when trying to stay hydrated.

The absorption of fluids into the body is largely dependent upon two factors: (1) the rate at which it is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine; and (2) the speed at which it is emptied from the stomach. Both of these factors are controlled by the composition of a liquid in terms of its carbohydrate (sugar), and electrolyte concentrations.

As a general rule, the higher the carbohydrate content of your beverage, the slower the absorption rate will be. Consequently, trying to maintain proper hydration and balanced electrolyte levels during a run with sugary sports drinks is difficult. On the other hand, plain water passes through the body too quickly and without providing the necessary sugar to spark the insulin response and ignite the recovery process.

Therefore, your choice for hydration will depend on whether your primary aim is rehydration (keeping the body cool and maintaining fluid balance) or the replenishment of energy (sugar and electrolyte stores).

What is best to drink before and during running?
Most sports drinks on the market are what sports scientists call isotonic, which means they contain a carbohydrate solution that is at 6-8% concentration. These drinks are in the middle of the spectrum in terms of absorption rate, with water being the most readily absorbed (hypotonic) and something like fruit juice, being greater than 8% sugar concentration (hypertonic) being the least absorbable. Because the sugar concentration of most sports drinks is higher than that of most body fluid they are not readily absorbed into the blood stream and are thus not optimal for hydration.

Before and during your run, rehydration should be your main priority. When training in warm conditions, rehydration will allow you to maintain fluid balance and stay cool. Accordingly, your best choice before and during your run would be water, a heavily diluted sports beverage, or water with electrolyte tablets. The best option that we recommend is using an energy tablet packed full of electrolytes like the Nuun All Day Energy Tablet. The great thing about these tablets is that they are sugar-free so they won’t slow down the absorption process, thus your getting hydrated with the things you need to keep you going or to help you replenish after your run.
By drinking water alone, diluting your sports drink, or using electrolyte substitutes, you provide your body with the best combination of electrolyte replacement and immediate absorption. Likewise, electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, reduce urine output, speed the rate at which fluids empty the stomach, promote absorption from the small intestine, and encourage fluid retention.

Furthermore, not only do you want to shy away from consuming unnecessary amounts of simple sugar when you can avoid it, research shows that when a runner consumes high-glycemic (Gl) foods, like high-sugar sports drinks or energy bars, an hour before a run, he or she may become fatigued more quickly. You have your high and then you get hit with the lows when the sugar intake wears off.

What to drink after running
After you are finished working out, water or a diluted sports drink is not the best choice for your recovery needs. Water and diluted drinks do not contain enough of the sugars and electrolytes that your body needs in order to bring itself back into balance.
In addition, because water or highly diluted drinks are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, consuming high quantities results in a rise in plasma volume (in non-technical terms, this means your body is oversaturated with water). This rapid absorption leads to a further imbalance of electrolytes and frequent bathroom stops, which will only increase fluid loss and decrease your desire to drink.

Your best choice post workout is a drink that contains a fair amount of sugars, electrolytes and possibly some protein. Again, the Nuun Sugar-Free, Electrolyte Tablets can be your go-to source of replenishing just what your body needs. Scientific literature has consistently shown that drinking a beverage that contains a 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein is optimal for recovery. Therefore, at the very least, you should be drinking a sports drink after you exercise to help ignite the recovery process.
It’s always a good practice to take your fluid of choice with you in an insulated bottle or thermos like the Avex Brazos Autoseal Water Bottle 25oz Easy to transport with a convenient clip-on handle that attaches to gym bags, backpacks, and gear. This Avex bottle will not only keep your drink cold but will ensure pure hydration satisfaction. Whether you're hiking, or working out

Calculating your sweat loss for optimal hydration
When it comes to losing and rehydrating and replenishing electrolytes every runner is different. Some runners are “salty sweaters” and some people sweat very little. The most efficient way to rehydrate properly is to put back exactly how much fluid you’ve lost while running. This will help you avoid an upset stomach from drinking too much, becoming a victim of hypernatremia, or not drinking enough and becoming dehydrated.
Unfortunately, most generalized advice doesn’t cut it when it comes to how much you need to rehydrate: some say drink to thirst, which may not keep up with your own body’s sweat loss rate if you’re a heavy sweater; or 8-10oz per hour, which doesn’t factor in temperature, humidity, or environmental factors.

This makes rehydrating properly sound daunting, but calculating your exact fluid loss in any given temperature and humidity is actually quite easy if you use a sweat loss calculator and create a reference chart. All you need to input is your weight before and after each run, any fluid taken or lost through going to the bathroom, and the distance/time you ran. The calculator will do the hard work for you.
So keep the above tips in mind and get all the fluids you need to train right and cool down right.