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Do you take salt tablets on the run? (Read 3474 times)

Mile Collector


Abs of Flabs

    I lose a lot of salt in my sweat. After a long run, my face and arms are coated in white. I've been using Succeed salt capsules the last couple of years and that has helped in delaying the onset of cramps during marathons. The cramps are the main determining factor of my finish time. I need to buy more salt tablets in the next couple of weeks and I'm wondering what other alternatives are out there. Which salt tablet do you take and what do you think about it? Thanks for the info!
    Scout7


      You don't need them. The majority of cramps experienced during a race are from running above your current abilities. Salty sweat has absolutely nothing to do with the need to replace anything. Read the Muscle Cramp series, and the Hydration series Read the Hydration and Exercise posts You get enough sodium and electrolytes from the sports drink or gels, and the food you eat.
      zoom-zoom


      rectumdamnnearkilledem

        I lose a lot of salt in my sweat. After a long run, my face and arms are coated in white. I've been using Succeed salt capsules the last couple of years and that has helped in delaying the onset of cramps during marathons. The cramps are the main determining factor of my finish time. I need to buy more salt tablets in the next couple of weeks and I'm wondering what other alternatives are out there. Which salt tablet do you take and what do you think about it? Thanks for the info!
        (((MC))) that damned cramping thing during Milwaukee was the difference between an almost certain <4:30>4:50 one when cramps took away all control of my right leg. Angry Like you I finish a long race with a literal sparkly white crust...face, neck, arms. Gross. I haven't really tried them, YET, but I have a ginormous bottle of Endurolytes. did has used those with positive reviews on the big JDRF cycling trips he's done, including 2 100+ mile rides in Death Valley. Next time around I will definitely be popping one of those things at least every 5 miles. And probably eating some potato chips prior to race start and maybe carrying a little baggie of them with me. Have you tried that Gatorade Endurance drink, yet? That's what they had at Milwaukee and I couldn't find it to train with, so was a bit afraid to try it on race day--I wish I hadn't been so apprehensive. Once the cramps set-in I decided that any time goals were out-the-window, anyhow. So I started drinking that stuff at every aid station (and holy crap, it tasted REALLY good at that point...but I think pickle juice would have been appealing to me, too). By mile 24 the cramps were starting to settle back down, but that was after almost an hour of having to walk, run, stop & stretch about every half mile. Glad to know that I'm not the only sweaty hog on RA. Big grin</4:30>

        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

             ~ Sarah Kay

          I make my own. It's super easy and you can tailor them to your needs and the environmental conditions (ie, for hot desert ultras I will make them stronger so I don't have to take as many w/ me). I use the "00" size (same as Endurolytes). http://www.cap-m-quik.com/
            I sweat a lot and lose tons of salt. Some of my summer long runs I came home covered in salt. I could literally scrape the salt off my ribs. I also think a loss of electrolytes have made it hard for me to hydrate on some long races in the past. Yesterday I used the Roctane Gu. They have about 2x as much sodium and potasium as regular Gu. I had no problems and for the first time in a marathon did not feel like there was water sloshing around in my gut late in the race. On the other hand it was cold out. I used Roctane and/or eGels on some of my very long training runs this summer when it was hot and both of those seemed to work well. I've never tired salt tabs.

            Runners run


            The Thunder

              You don't need them. The majority of cramps experienced during a race are from running above your current abilities. Salty sweat has absolutely nothing to do with the need to replace anything. Read the Muscle Cramp series, and the Hydration series Read the Hydration and Exercise posts You get enough sodium and electrolytes from the sports drink or gels, and the food you eat.
              You sir, are WRONG! I try to stay away from the GSP here...but damn Trent sent me this link. Thermo tabs are good, and Enduralites are good. Try the both, experiment and find what's best for your needs. People have VERY different salt and sweat rates. What is right for one person, isn't usually right for most people. I had the same troubles as the OP, and I finally got my salt right yesterday. It was the different between a 3:22, and a 3:07 marathon. I took about 10 Endurolites during my marathon, and I also took two Rocktane Gels too...as Mikey did. No cramps. No bonk.

              1 Hip and 2 Hamstring reconstructions later…

              Scout7


                You sir, are WRONG! I try to stay away from the GSP here...but damn Trent sent me this link. Thermo tabs are good, and Enduralites are good. Try the both, experiment and find what's best for your needs. People have VERY different salt and sweat rates. What is right for one person, isn't usually right for most people. I had the same troubles as the OP, and I finally got my salt right yesterday. It was the different between a 3:22, and a 3:07 marathon. I took about 10 Endurolites during my marathon, and I also took two Rocktane Gels too...as Mikey did. No cramps. No bonk.
                You're right, it was all about the stuff you ingested, and had nothing to do with your training. Read the links I posted.


                The Thunder

                  You're right, it was all about the stuff you ingested, and had nothing to do with your training. Read the links I posted.
                  Dude. I have trained as well, and better for marathons before. I have read numerous research articles on this stuff. Plus I'm married to an exercise physiologist. I've personally done testing. YOU ARE WRONG. Get over it. Big grin

                  1 Hip and 2 Hamstring reconstructions later…

                  Scout7


                    Dude. I have trained as well, and better for marathons before. I have read numerous research articles on this stuff. Plus I'm married to an exercise physiologist. I've personally done testing. YOU ARE WRONG. Get over it. Big grin
                    OK. Then go tell Joe Friel, and the guys at Science of Sport that they are wrong as well. Also, if you have sources, I'd love to see them.
                    Scout7


                      http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1501099
                      What does Postural Tachycardia Syndrome have to do with electrolyte replacement during a race?
                      Trent


                      Good Bad & The Monkey

                        This disorder is common among runners and athletes. Folks with POTS do need sodium replacement and likely do have an excessive sweat sodium concentration. MC, the OP, may well have this.
                          The first link is broken. I've read a lot of the science as well. I think most people a.) drink way too much, b.) use electrolytes and/or hydration as an excuse rather than looking at shortcomings in training, and that c.) in general, 95% of the time, the best hydration strategy is to take nothing but water. However. There is that other 5% of the time. I had severe cramping at the 2004 boston marathon that I can only attribute to dehydration. I also think that in marathons part of the problem comes from having to take in calories too. When you're trying to take in enough water to wash down the gels or other crap that you're eating so that your stomach will absorb them but you're low on salt and so your body doesn't want to absorb any water...well that's a problem. Drinking to thirst works best if you're only concerned with hydration. But what if you want to be thirstier so that you can drink water to wash down the energy you need to finish without bonking? So you have to figure out what works FOR YOU. If Thunder believes that getting his salt/hydration right was a key factor in his 3:07 yesterday, I don't think we have enough data to say it wasn't. I don't know of too many studies that included equal sized groups of equally trained Thunders with one group taking in salt during a marathon and the other taking only water, etc.

                          Runners run


                          The Thunder

                            So you have to figure out what works FOR YOU. If Thunder believes that getting his salt/hydration right was a key factor in his 3:07 yesterday, I don't think we have enough data to say it wasn't. I don't know of too many studies that included equal sized groups of equally trained Thunders with one group taking in salt during a marathon and the other taking only water, etc.
                            Heh...there is only one THUNDER. Wink By the way, that's my doctor who wrote that article. Hmmm....very interesting. Also, the frist doc that helped me with this worked with Dr. Jack Daniels at the Nike/Stanford project with runners like Bob Kennedy. He knows a thing or two about this stuff. Did I mention that my exercise physiologist wife was mentored by Jack? Weird. Also, many published research articles are CRAP. Ask anyone who's published an article in a major publication. Trent? Duh, just sayin'.

                            1 Hip and 2 Hamstring reconstructions later…

                            Mile Collector


                            Abs of Flabs

                              I like to believe that the cramping is caused by under training and all I had to do is throw more miles into it. Anecdotally, the increased salt intake seemed to have made the most difference. In some marathons, I would cramp up by mile 18 when I had no troubles with long runs of 20+ miles during training. Zoom-zoom: you're the salty wrench and I'm the sweaty hog Smile Dr. Trent: how about I come down to Nashville and you check me out Big grin
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