Hydrating In Colder Weather?

[ColorBlindJames]

For the last several months, I have been carrying a 20 oz handheld water bottle filled either with water or energy mix on any run of 10 miles or longer and taking small drinks every mile.

That has proven to be a system that works well for me, but now that the weather is getting cooler, I am finding that I don't really feel like I need to take a drink every mile ... and my hands are getting cold from carrying a bottle in the colder weather.

It made sense to drink fluids on a regular basis during my longer runs in the summer, but now that it is fall and getting colder every day, I am wondering if I need to continue carrying a water bottle on my runs. I don't feel like I need it, but I also am not sure if running 15+ miles without taking in any fluids is a wise move.

 

[RW Admin]

For the last several months, I have been carrying a 20 oz handheld water bottle filled either with water or energy mix on any run of 10 miles or longer and taking small drinks every mile.

That has proven to be a system that works well for me, but now that the weather is getting cooler, I am finding that I don't really feel like I need to take a drink every mile ... and my hands are getting cold from carrying a bottle in the colder weather.

It made sense to drink fluids on a regular basis during my longer runs in the summer, but now that it is fall and getting colder every day, I am wondering if I need to continue carrying a water bottle on my runs. I don't feel like I need it, but I also am not sure if running 15+ miles without taking in any fluids is a wise move.

@ColorBlindJames,

Hydration needs and preferences vary from person to person. It is always a bit of an experiment to figure out the routine.

I will carry water with me on longer runs (pretty much anything over an hour) regardless of the temperature outside. The amount of water I take will vary depending on weather, clothing, and time of day. I will usually carry more water on my morning runs (as I haven't been hydrating through the night) than I do when I run in the evening. For me, I've found the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience when it comes to bringing along water for extended efforts. I feel better post-run when I bring water.

One solution, although maybe a bit silly, is to wear a light glove. I'll usually wear a pair of light gloves and a beanie as the weather gets a little cold. That could help with your hands getting cold.


Justin
RW Staff

 

[imnothammer]

I don't feel like I need it, but I also am not sure if running 15+ miles without taking in any fluids is a wise move.

Just so you don't feel too bad about this, I remember watching the NatGeo Breaking 2 documentary and one of the athletes (Zersenay Tadese) had never considered taking fluids in during a race before joining the project... so there's that...

I think you already understand the general premise that you take in fluids to help continue to regulate your temperature and replace what is lost in doing so. If it's cooler then you have an easier time regulating temperature and don't need to take in as much.

I am such a baby when it comes to carrying extra weight on runs and even more so when doing so creates an imbalance. To give you a sense of my craziness, I even hated carrying a baton during relays...

Gloves are one option or you may want to consider a running belt. I have been using the Nathan Trail Mix belt this summer and it has done a fine job. Next to no bounce/jiggle even at quicker paces (sub 7/mile)

 

[ColorBlindJames]

I never bothered to carry any sort of fluid on my runs, until it got really hot in the summer and I was soaked in sweat. Even though I didn't necessarily feel like I needed water, the fact that I was soaked was an obvious sign that I had lost a lot of fluid and that it would probably be smart to try to replace it during my runs.

Since then, I've carried a water bottle on my longer runs and drank from it every mile, even though I didn't necessarily feel thirsty or feel like I needed fluids. In doing that, I ultimately found that, over the course of my long runs, I felt better and ran more consistently, so it was a practice I adopted mainly because it seemed to work for me.

I've tried to continue the practice now that the weather is getting colder, but carrying water or energy drink now feels like an unnecessary hassle, and the act of actually taking regular drinks feels like a chore because I'm not sweating as much and I'm not even thirsty.

I feel like I could easily do my long runs in the colder weather without carrying any sort of liquid, but I'm wondering if overall my runs would be more productive if I continued to do so.

I guess there is really only one way to find out: Do a long run without carrying a water bottle and see what happens!

 

[bachtalking]

Everyone is somewhat different on this. As you say only way to know is to try with and without on your training runs to see what works best.

 

[Gkprevite]

In the summer I’ll bring water on almost every run. In the cooler weather I’ll only bring water or tailwind when I’m going to be out for over 10 mi and usually less than I would in hotter weather

 

[Andrew A.]

To repeat the best idea, you'll have to figure out your own specific needs. In cooler weather, provided you don't overdress, you should sweat much less than you do in warmer weather. Depending on the duration and effort (your body loses water via breathing, too) one may be fine with just prehydrating with an electrolyte drink and then rehydrating after the run, without having to take in anything mid-run. If you're really wanting to have the fluid on the run without having to carry a bottle, you could always plant bottles on your route, either multiple locations along the way or one location on a multi-loop route.