Hydration & Recovery

Your body is a machine that needs fluids to operate efficiently. In fact, your body is more than 60% water, and even light exercise can deplete that percentage. No fluid means no function, and suddenly it's you stranded during a race with an overtaxed body. This loss of fluid is called dehydration. And hydrating, or adding fluids, is the key to keeping it from happening to you.

Hydrate well leading up to race day (drink an extra 4-8 glasses of fluid during the 2 days before to overhydrate).

Up to 2 hours before your race start, drink another 2-3 glasses of water and another glass or two 5-10 minutes before the start. You may need to consider the temperature when deciding on whether or not to use a drinking system as a hot day will increase your fluid requirements.

Following your race, start your recovery by eating a carbohydrate-rich snack with some protein as soon as possible. A yogurt smoothie or chocolate milk make great choices since they’ll also help replenish your fluids. Follow this up by having a meal within a few hours.

Keep up with the water intake to replace lost fluids and you’ll soon be ready and nourished to resume training for the next race.