Maximize Your Running Performance with a Personalized Hydration Strategy
Schedule Your Sweat Analysis
Our state-of-the-art sweat analysis service helps athletes uncover their unique hydration needs and electrolyte balance.
By analyzing the composition of your sweat, we deliver personalized insights to fine-tune your hydration strategy, boost your performance, and safeguard you against dehydration and heat-related issues.
Watch the video below!
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Maximize Your Running Performance with a Personalized Hydration Strategy
Schedule Your Sweat Analysis
Our state-of-the-art sweat analysis service helps athletes uncover their unique hydration needs and electrolyte balance.
By analyzing the composition of your sweat, we deliver personalized insights to fine-tune your hydration strategy, boost your performance, and safeguard you against dehydration and heat-related issues.
How to Beat the Heat in a Hot and Humid Environment
How To Use The Heat Index Graph
The heat index graph helps you understand the risk of training by combining the temperature and humidity.
When you look at your local weather it will give you the temperature and humidity. (highlighted in yellow)
Find the humidity level on the left side of the chart, then move to the right until you find the temperature on the top. The two numbers will intersect at the heat index (feel-like temperature)
Each color represents your risk of heat injuries
Yellow
Ok to run but use caution, some risk of heat injuries
Orange
Ok to run but you will feel your body working a lot harder, moderate risk of heat injuries
Red
Short, brief run at an easy pace, high risk of heat injuries
Black
Absolutely no outdoor running, extreme risk of heat injury or death
How to Beat The Heat
Running in high heat and humidity puts added stress on your body and increases the risk of heat-related illnesses from heat exhaustion to heat stroke. Here's how to stay safe:
Hydrate Early and Often - drink water throughout the day, during your run, and after. Include electrolytes on training over 45 minutes.
Run Early or Late - run in the AM (before 9 AM) or PM (after 6 PM)
Wear Light-colored, Breathable Clothing - wicking, light-colored gear to reflect the heat and help with sweating evaporation
Listen to Your body - dizziness, weakness, or nauseousness, stop, find shade, hydrate, and cool down
Use the Heat Index - check the graph above, red or black don't training in the heat
Ease Into the Heat - acclimate over a period of 10-14 days
Adjust your pace - don't chase personal records in extreme heat, slow it down
Know signs of Heat Illness
Heat cramps - muscle cramps in the legs or calf
Heat exhaustion - heavy sweating, cool pale skin, headache, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, lightheadedness, with a weak and rapid heart rate
Heat stroke - no sweating, headache, nausea and vomiting, hot dry skin, fainting or passing out, rapid strong heart rate
Avoid Heat Injury With A Sweat Analysis
(Cypress, Tx Location only)
Sweat Loss Calculator to Use For Your Hydration Requirements For The Heat
Step 1: Calculating Body Percentage Weight Loss
% Body Weight Loss Calculator
Green: Good hydration during your training
Yellow: Caution, you may start to notice decreased running performance dropping
Red: Not hydrating enough and your running performance will be severely affected (high heart rate, slower pace, cramps, increase risk for heat injuries.
Goal is to avoid losing 1.5% or more of your body weight during your trainings or races.
Step 2: Calculating Your Sweat Rate
Sweat Rate Calculator
This calculator I create uses mL as the measurement as most hydration bladders and bottles uses this. However, if you have one that uses oz you can convert the mL sweat rate measurement by dividing the sweat rate in mL by 29 ml/oz.
Sweat rate in ml / 29 ml/oz = ____ oz
Step 3: Calculating How Much to Drink per Hour
You will now take your sweat rate information and use the following formula to determine how much you shold be drinking during your training or per hour.
Your goal is not avoid losing more than 1.5% body weight lost (BWL)
Option 1: 1.5% BWL or less
Rehydrate at 25% of your total hydration requirement per hour
.25 X ____ mL/hour = ____ mL/hour
Option 2: 1.6%-2 % BWL
Rehydrate at 35% of your total hydration requirement per hour
.35 X ____ mL/hour = ____ mL/hour
Option 3: 2% or more BWL
Rehydrate at 50% of your total hydration requirement per hour
.5 X ____ mL/hour = ____ mL/hour
Step 3: Hydration Strategy
You may find it difficult to drink more than 60 mL at a time, so you need to break up your total recommended amount into 15, 20, or 30 minute intervals to make it easier for you to hydrate correctly.
Example:
Your sweat rate is at 500 ml/hour and you are < 1.5% BWL.
the recommendation is 25% of the 500 ml/hour, which equals 125 ml/hour
Breaking it down to one of the follow to make is easier to drink
125/4, is recommending drinking every 15 minutes = 30 ml
125/3, is recommending drinking every 20 minutes = 40 ml
125/2, is recommending drinking at 30 minutes = 60 ml
Gulp Hydration Strategy?
Some runners run with running vest and bottles without measurements on it or just don't want to take the time to look at how much they are drinking when rehydrating. So here is a simple way to guesstimate how many ounces you are drinking using the gulp measure.
One gulp is equal to 22 mL for most runners
* Using the 125 ml/hour example above, it would take about 6 gulps of water to meet your total rehydration plan during your training or race.
* 125 ml/ 22ml/gulp = 5.7 gulps, round up to 6 gulps
* You can now set up your interval of every 20 minutes to rehydrate and it would look like this:
At the start of the race 2 glups, at 20 minutes 2 gulps, and at 40 minutes 2 gulps of water
Pretty simple
What about electrolytes?
It is recommended that you add electrolytes if you will be running more than 45 minutes. Other factors that determine if you should drink electrolytes sooner and at higher concentration depends on your sweat profile.
* Water sweater- low concentration of salt released in your sweat
* Electrolyte sweater - higher concentration of salt released in your sweat
Want to find out your sweat profile?
(Cypress, Tx Location only)
Coach Mario
The Founder of the Running Medic, The Leading Certified Running Form Expert.
2023 & 2024 Multiple Sports World Championship Qualifier
2015, 2023, 2024 National Triathlon Qualifier
Multiple decades in the fitness industry as a Certified Personal trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Sports Performance Coach, and Head Coach for the US largest running club's Advance Training Program.
Top Leading Expert and Author on Runner’s Return to Training After COVID-19 and has helped numerous runners worldwide return to running safely after falling ill with the disease.
Helped dozens of runners Boston Qualified and make podium finishes, and aided hundreds of runners to break their personal best time from 5K to ultras using his signature pace-breaking system.
He has given multiple lectures and talks about running performance, running injuries, running form analysis, and running recoveries after injuries.