In our fourth and final Thunder Run post, ahead of the event this coming weekend, we want to talk to you about Hydration.
Over the previous 3 posts, we’ve shared our useful Event Nutrition Guide, explained the importance of fuelling and how it will help offset fatigue, as well as walking you through the TORQ Fuelling System – a protocol designed to ensure regular optimal fuelling during the event. If you haven’t read our previous posts, you can find them here:
https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/news/torq-partner-continental-thunder-run
https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/news/thunder-run-next-instalment
https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/news/thunder-run-part-3
The diagram above helps to explain the benefits of hydration, or rather, the disadvantages of allowing yourself to get dehydrated. In simple terms, the more dehydrated you allow yourself to become, the bigger the drop in physiological performance, so you need to keep on top of it.
The TORQ Fuelling System incorporates hydration seamlessly into your fuelling strategy anyway (the more you perspire, the more energy drink you consume and the less concentrated fuelling units you need to take on board). Please take the time to understand this, because if followed diligently, you won’t need to think about whether you’re hydrating properly or not, it will happen automatically.
For an event like Thunder Run, if you’re running the event solo, we can’t think of a better advice to give than for you to follow the TORQ Fuelling System and if perspiration rates are high, consume plenty of TORQ Energy Drink units at the expense of TORQ Gels, Bars or Chews. If the weather is cooler (which tends to be the case at night), reduce TORQ Energy Drink intake and increase consumption of your concentrated energy units.
If you’re running as a pair or part of a team, your strategy is a little easier, because although you may choose to carry a bottle to ensure you have hydration during a lap, you will have downtime between laps to address your hydration needs. Once again, consuming electrolyte-rich energy drinks between laps will simultaneously hydrate and re-fuel your glycogen stores, so are a recommended port of call. Although plain water should certainly be consumed during the event when you feel the need, taking on board high volumes of fluids without electrolytes can actually be quite dangerous and will not hydrate you properly. For further information on this, please come and speak to us at the event. You can do a Google search for ‘Water Intoxication‘ if you want to know more.
If you do want to consume something milder than an energy drink, try TORQ Hypotonic, which contains minimal carbohydrate, but high levels of electrolytes. TORQ Hypotonic is sold in stick form, so you will just need to tear off the top, empty into 500ml of water and shake to mix up (you will be able to purchase a single Hypotonic stick with a bottle of Celtic Spring Water from our TORQ SNAQ stand for £2 at the event). TORQ Hypotonic is so mild that it allows you to keep your hydration on the whole separate from your fuelling, because the calorie intake is so low. You will need to ensure that you eat sufficient amounts of carbohydrate to keep yourself fuelled if you choose this route, but as long as you stick to the fundamental principles of the TORQ Fuelling System it can sometimes be an easier way to manage your hydration and fuelling needs.
Although the video below is generally used to advertise TORQ Hypotonic, it communicates some essential facts about the role of glucose in the hydration process, so please take the time to watch it – it only lasts about 1 minute. Please note that both TORQ Hypotonic and TORQ Energy products benefit from the ‘Facilitated Transport’ mechanism whereby 260 water molecules are pumped into the blood for every glucose molecule and 2 sodium molecules absorbed. It’s a little-known fact that carbohydrate-free electrolyte tablets do not contain glucose and will therefore not hydrate you as rapidly and comprehensively as a product containing glucose, which is why TORQ don’t have such a product in their portfolio. TORQ Hypotonic is superior in every respect.
