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do you run marathons without drinking? (Read 1168 times)

northernman


Fight The Future

    I usually take a half cup or so of water at about half of the water stops at my favorite marathons, but I never really like slowing down to bother about it. I have a friend (a sub-3 marathoner) who never eats or drinks at all in races, and I always considered him to be somewhat crazy. But this line in an article by Noakes and Spedding in the latest Nature was interesting to me: "[Spedding's] brother, Charlie, holds the English marathon record and won Olympic bronze in 1984 by ignoring drink stations at crucial stages in the Los Angeles marathon." And they argue in the article that humans can safely lose 10% of bodyweight in a long run. Makes me wonder if not drinking would really be that much of an impairment in a marathon..

    DoppleBock


      If the marathon has stations every 2 mile for 20 and every mile the last 6, I will skip 1 or 2 that its.  I drink at least a cup or cup and 1/2 at many.

       

      I can lose 6-7 pounds in a 10 mile run when I do not drink anything and it is 70-75 and humid.

       

      I stay the same speed or speed up while taking the cup and drinking it - All you do is grab, squeeze and slam like a frat boy.

       

      In a 24 hour race I drink 4-5 gallons of h20 = 32-40 pounds of water and still usually end up down 5 pounds.  Lets say 10 pounds is for Glycogen that leaves 4 gallons of sweat.  It would be highly likely I would be dead if I did not take in salt while sweating out 4 gallons.

       

      I do not see it necissary in almost all cases to take salt in a marathon.  But the advice to not drink any liquid at all in many marathons for moderate to heavy sweaters is gonna land people in the hospital. 

      Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

       

       

        Yeah I agree with DB you gotta drink some.  Now everyone is different and I don't sweat as much as others but will take a cup at every station and then at least take a swallow or two.  I worry about pee breaks so I don't drink as much.  I will skip a couple but for the most part try to hit every station.  It also depends on how hot/humid it is outside.  

         

        If it is a crowded marathon I like to carry a bottle of water for the first few miles so I can avoid the mass at the water stops. 

        2014 Goals: (Yeah I suck)

        • Sub 22  5K
        • Sub 1:35 1/2 marathon 
        • Sub 3:25:00 Marathon
        stadjak


        Interval Junkie --Nobby

           Makes me wonder if not drinking would really be that much of an impairment in a marathon..

           

          I don't know. Didn't work out too well for Salazar.

          2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

          xor


            You mean aside from winning?

             

            (I know, I know what you mean. He was never the same.  Just a goofy comment)

             

            I'm thinking that consciously not drinking is probably a bad choice. Just like pounding fluids is a bad choice.  I won't say which is "less bad", because neither is optimal and neither is required.  Drink when you are thirsty.

             

            DoppleBock


              I think it depends on your sweat rate and the temps of the day.

               

              I know some people that sweat very little and on a cool day they might be able to not drink anything in a marathon.

              Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

               

               

                Yeah probably not a great idea for most people to drink nothing in a marathon but most people also probably don't need to worry about hydration nearly as much as they do in marathons.  And most people who are racing a marathon will finish fairly dehydrated. That's part of the game.

                Runners run

                PaulyGram


                Fast is better than long

                  I think it depends on your sweat rate and the temps of the day.

                   

                  I know some people that sweat very little and on a cool day they might be able to not drink anything in a marathon.

                   

                  My anecdotal analysis:

                  I have two good marathons (Schaumburg 3:05 and Wisconsin 2:51)

                  and two "other" marathons (Nashville 3:32 and Boston 3:17)

                   

                  Each good race was approximately 2 weeks after the "other" race, so I think fitness was comparable and likely lower since the bad marathon probably took something out of me. I understand there are about 1.67 billion other factors, but calling the fitness level similar seems fair.

                   

                  Differences

                  parameter Good Bad
                  temperature 37-50 85-90
                  sweat rate slim/none profuse
                  drink rate couple gulps every 4-6 miles 8-20 oz/mile
                  nutrition Honey every 6-7 miles Honey/carb every 4-5 miles

                  2017 Goals: Give up goals; they're stoopid

                   

                  Give a man a fire and he'll be warm the rest of the night;
                  Set a man afire and he'll be warm the rest of his life.

                  What in the Jehu?

                  xor


                    You drank 8-20oz per mile???

                     

                    Dude.

                     

                    JimR


                      Did he 'win the bronze', or 'lose the silver (or gold)'?

                         

                         Differences

                        parameter Good Bad
                        temperature 37-50 85-90
                             

                         

                         

                        Let me narrow this down for you.

                        Runners run

                          "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus

                          PaulyGram


                          Fast is better than long

                            Let me narrow this down for you.

                             

                            Agreed.

                             

                            I am now a believer that weather is the single biggest factor in my ability to perform endurance tasks.

                             

                            I'm thinking my GF is eventually going to figure this out and start turn the A/C in the bedroom way down.

                             

                            MTA: To clarify, the weather was what caused such a drastic change in teh other to parameters.

                            2017 Goals: Give up goals; they're stoopid

                             

                            Give a man a fire and he'll be warm the rest of the night;
                            Set a man afire and he'll be warm the rest of his life.

                            What in the Jehu?

                            PaulyGram


                            Fast is better than long

                              You drank 8-20oz per mile???

                               

                              Dude.

                               

                              On the back half of Boston, easily.

                              2017 Goals: Give up goals; they're stoopid

                               

                              Give a man a fire and he'll be warm the rest of the night;
                              Set a man afire and he'll be warm the rest of his life.

                              What in the Jehu?


                              Ostrich runner

                                Drinking helps most things.

                                http://www.runningahead.com/groups/Indy/forum

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