Have I mentioned that I hate, Hate, HATE making rookie mistakes when it comes training/racing?  If not, trust me on this, I DO!  Made one yesterday on an evening training run and I am paying for it today.  I went on a four-mile run without hydration and got a pretty nasty cramp in my calf.  For the record, I am aware that there is split as to whether dehydration can trigger leg cramps or not.  Being an old guy I stick with what I learned so for me the two are linked.  Normally for a run of that distance I will make sure I have plenty of water before I start and then carry a water bottle on a belt for the run.  Yesterday had been a bit of a day, in fact it really had felt like a second Monday.  Needless to say, I just came home, changed really fast and only stopped long enough to grab earbuds before heading out the door.  And yes, I am that anti-social jerk who runs with music whenever possible.  As cool as the creek trail is it can get a bit boring, so the distraction is nice.  For running it is mostly 80’s metal for me though the Ramones have found their way into the mix and listening to “I Wanna Be Sedated” when you are trying limp home seemed oddly appropriate, but I digress again (squirrel!!).

Hydration is something I try to take seriously and as I was saying I normally carry a water bottle on a belt when I do short runs.  When it comes to triathlons I will use a camelback a lot of the time on the bike course, preferring it over a water bottle in the cage.  Given my stellar sense of balance just getting the bottle in and out of the cage makes crashing a real possibility when no one is around me let, let alone if there is a group of riders.  Nope, the camel-back is safer for EVERYONE.  On warm days, I have been known to just keep the camel-back on for the run, though every triathlon I have ever done has had at least one water station on the run course.  The upcoming Tri-For-fun has one water station as you start the 3-mile run and second on the course which you pass three times during the run (it is a VERY looped course).  When I do the Rock’n’Roll half marathon in October I will most likely wear the camel-back on the course even with all the water stations they have out there.  Add to that I will probably tuck a sports drink of some type into the storage pocket on it for good measure.

Hydration does have a lighter side as well.  My second time out with Team in Training (yes there will be more TNT adventures to shared) there was one gentleman who was known to fill a small camelback with beer.  That was his hydration of choice for short training runs.  It did seem to work for him so no argument from me (maybe a little envy).  My hockey team stresses the idea that nothing is better for post-game re-hydration than some cold pints (gotta love beer league hockey).  At one of my favorite race venues, my wife and kids were waiting for me at the end of the course with a tri-tip sandwich and a cold beer, under a shade tree no less (don’t remember much about the race that day but it is a favorite memory).  There is an Irish pub along the course of the Rock’n’Roll in San Jose that passes out Dixie cups of Guinness to runners who want one (I am DEFINITELY one of those), the only pity is that they are mile 3 and not at mile 10 but they still have a warm place in my heart.  Part of hydration is replacing what you have lost and that is more than just water.  The trick is finding a way that YOU like to do that.