e-tip: Winter Hydration - Triathlon Week

Robert G. · 01-06-2003, 11:35 PM

It is below freezing in many parts of the world this time of year and ice tends to be the main limiter for most endurance athletes right now. As the weather turns cold many of us venture indoors to train. Endless hours are spent on treadmills and indoor bike trainers.

Along with the problem of icy roads there is one surprising problem that tends to creep in this time of year. Dehydration can become a serious problem during the winter months as it tends to go unnoticed during colder weather. The signs of dehydration are numerous, but some of the most important reasons to stay hydrated include promoting recovery between workouts and the ability to maintain higher work loads during training.

With indoor training comes relatively high temperatures and motionless air. These two factors increase perspiration rates dramatically. Add a fan and have a towel handy to dry off with and drink, drink, drink. Appropriate hydration rates should lead to urinating at least every two hours throughout the day.

I recently read a very good rule of thumb by Dave Scott in the December issue of Inside Triathlon. Dave said to take your body weight and divide by two. This amount is the number of fluid ounces you should target as daily fluid intake. Add to the base number, 16 to 32 ounces for every hour of exercise.

Are you getting enough? If not, try to keep a bottle of water at your side while at work and play no matter if it is winter or summer.

Dirk Friel has raced as a professional cyclist on the roads of Europe, Asia, and the Americas since 1992. He is also an Ultrafit Associates (www.Ultrafit.com) coach specializing in road and mountain bike events. Dirk is also co-creator of www.TrainingBible.com. He may be reached by email at dfriel@ultrafit.com.