Athletic-Minded Traveler

Recently I read an interview of California-based Dr. Herman Falsetti–a board certified cardiologist and former Team Physician of the U.S. Postal Service Team, USCF Olympic Team, Ironman Hawaii and other impressive teams/events.

The subject matter focused on hydration during workouts…what to drink, when and how much. Like many experts, Dr. Falsetti believes that most athletes–especially longer distance participants–under-hydrate during their training or racing which leads to a condition of chronic dehydration–negatively affecting performance and your overall well-being. Per hour, Falsetti recommends drinking three or four water bottles! Yes, you read that correctly, 3 or 4 bottles per hour!

With the help of their team cars and support crew, Falsetti points out that one rider in the Tour de France will go through 30-40 water bottles in a day. Half of those 30 are used to splash rather than drink, the rest are consumed.

Unlike the TDF riders, most of us lack a spouse or friends to act as our support crew on long rides or runs—we must fend for ourselves and supply our own nutrition and drink. So, for example, on a 3-hour training ride, Falsetti acknowledges that you will not be able to carry 9-10 bottles of water. Instead, he recommends drinking one or two bottles in the hour before your ride (not 15 minutes before lest the outhouse will become a frequent destination), bringing along 2 or 3 bottles to consume during, and making up the rest during the rest of the day.

These recommendations assume your’re sweating quite a bit and the temps are “summer warm”–80’s/90’sF, otherwise hyponatremia–diluting your system with too much water–can cause even more serious problems, including death. Always supplementing with food or gels will help prevent hyponatremia.

How can you tell whether you’re chronically dehydrated? According to Falsetti:

1. Check your resting heartrate - an elevated resting heartrate (even just a couple beats) is typically a sign of dehydration;

2. Get on the scale - day to day weight fluctuations are due to water weight gain/loss. If you’re 2 pounds under your typical weight, drink two bottles of water (1 bottle = 1 pound);

3. Are you light-headed? When dehydrated, getting up quickly will cause head rushes. Drink a glass of agua or two to start seeing straight again.

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