ReluctantRunner.net » Research

Drinking Water while Running…

Cands — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:20:32 +0000

On Wednesday I was invited to an event at the Sports Science Institute as a thank-you for the research project I took part in during the Comrades. Tim Noakes was one of the speakers and he had some very interesting things to say about the theory that says if you drink too much water, it leaches your system of all the electrolytes, basically putting your body in great danger.

Now I’ve always believed this theory – I never knew where it came from and I guess I just believed it because it sounded pretty logical to me, however Prof Noakes explained using his research findings and a very clever slide show – that this theory had absolutely no scientific grounding and was really just part of a marketing ploy hatched by Gatorade and its scientists (who just happened to be the same scientists who advised the US Army on liquid consumption and what the daily recommended allowances should be).

I’m totally simplifying many years worth of work here but it was fascinating to see how a theory can develop and become ‘common knowledge’ without anyone even questioning it. Prof Nokes went on to say that the human body is incredibly clever at making sure there is balance – the balance of water and salt being very important for runners performance – or so we thought…

Science has proven that it is virtually impossible to leach the body of salt, our bodies are constantly trying to get rid of the salt we consume (in excess) so this is something we don’t need to worry about.

He also pointed out that our bodies evolved in such a way that conserving water is something which it does exceptionally well – so if your body realises it is going to be exercising for long periods of time without any water, it recalculates to make sure that there WILL be enough by curbing urination and sweating – the bottom line being, drink when you are thirsty, not according to some ‘rule’.

Prof Noakes concluded by saying that the only thing which plays a role in enhancing performance, is carb intake – so as long as you are consuming enough carbohydrate to keep your energy levels up, you shouldn’t have to worry about water.

Makes you think a bit about the other ‘theories’ which we believe when it comes to long distance running, doesn’t it…

Photo Credit

Food Along the Comrades Route This is a list of the food which was available...
Running, Recovery and Milk I came across a study the other day that suggested...
Comrades Study Follow-up During the Comrades this year I took part in a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Comrades Study Follow-up

Cands — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:03:47 +0000

During the Comrades this year I took part in a study done by the Sports Science Institute which involved trying to figure out what the main factors were in causing heat stroke. Before the race I had to swallow a temperature tablet and then carry about 1kg of equipment with me on the race including a little computer to record my core as well as skin temperatures. I also had to give urine and blood samples before and after the race as well as all the usual VO2 max test and fat composition which was done a few weeks prior to that – so as you can tell these guys were pretty serious about getting the information they needed.

As ‘payment’ for doing the study we were promised a full write-up on what our results showed – which I got a few weeks ago. I was a little disappointed in that the report wasn’t really what I was expecting. It had our results and then what the norm is with regards to body fat, VO2 max and fitness – but when it came to the really interesting stuff like my body temperature in relation to my heart rate and hydration levels, all I got was a graph…

I’ve included the graphs below, if anyone would like to take a stab at exactly what they mean then please give me a shout. The only other information I really found useful was that I could improve on my VO2 max result and strive for less body fat…

Heart Rate over the duration of the race

Core Temperature over the duration of the race

Marathons and Memory – A study… Yesterday I was sent an email which pointed me in...
The Masai Mara Marathon Follow-up A few months back I had to come up with...
Food Along the Comrades Route This is a list of the food which was available...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Beetroot Juice

Cands — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:00:17 +0000

I found this article titled “Beetroot Juice Boosts Stamina” which is a summary of a study done on the benefits of drinking beetroot juice for people involved in sport… yip, sounded pretty random to me too but apparently the high concentration of nitrates in beetroot actually increased the performance of the group involved with the study.

Have a read and let me know what you think…

Photo Credit

Drinking Water while Running… On Wednesday I was invited to an event at the...
Running, Recovery and Milk I came across a study the other day that suggested...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Running, Recovery and Milk

Cands — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:47:24 +0000

I came across a study the other day that suggested chocolate milk is just as good as , if not better than the sports recovery drinks us runners consume after a race or hard training, to help repair our damaged muscles.

I don’t know about you guys but I really battle to get the Peptopro (the make of recovery drink I use and is apparently a pre-digested milk protein – although tastes nothing like milk) down my throat, and keep it down, especially after a long race when you aren’ t feeling your best as it is – so as you can imagine, this article sparked my interest.

According to a team at the James Madison University in Virginia, USA – they found that muscle damage was lower in football players who were given chocolate milk pre and post intensive training, compared with their team mates who just drank commercial products.

If this is true then I’m definately going to consider making the change from bile tasting post-race drinks to yummy chocolate milk!!

Photo Credit

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.