Alongside pacing, foot care, and energy intake, hydration is one of the most important factors for success during your Spring Trail Series by Ultra X event.  

Luckily, it’s something you can get ahead of before you arrive at the start line, simply by gaining a better understanding of the issues you’re likely to face and by having a plan for how you will manage them.

It’s not just a case of drinking plenty of water. In fact, just drinking water alone could ruin your race. That’s why you’ll be able to pick up Precision Hydration’s blister-packed SweatSalts capsules and PH 1500 low-calorie electrolyte drinks at registration so we can help you stay properly hydrated during your event.

Below outlined how to use your PH products to help ensure you’re hydrated during your Spring Trail Series by Ultra X race…

What should you drink before your event?

Whether you’re doing the 10km, half-marathon, 50km or 100km event, it will be important that you start hydrated. Rather than just downing lots of plain water before you get to the start line, we recommend ‘pre-loading’ with a strong electrolyte drink as the additional sodium helps your body to hold onto more of the fluid you consume, which means you pee less of it out and maximise your blood volume and hydration status during the event.

It does this without lowering your blood sodium levels (as can be the case if you just drink lots of plain water).

If you haven’t done so before, test out this ‘pre-loading’ protocol before your next training session so you’re ready for race day on 22nd May:

The evening before:

• Drink 500ml of water containing 1 x PH 1500 tablet
• Take this instead of the plain water you’d normally have drunk the evening before, not in addition to it
• There’s no need to drink it all in one go, just sip it over 2-3 hours

In the morning

• Drink 500ml of water containing 1 x PH 1500 tablet (aim to start drinking about 90 minutes before the race start and finish around 45-60 minutes before you set off to give yourself time to pee out any excess)
• Again, take this instead of the plain water you’d normally have drunk the evening before, not in addition to it
• You’ll be issued with one tube of PH 1500 (which is 3x stronger than most electrolyte drinks) at registration, which will cover your pre-loading in the morning

Pro tip: Thinking of carrying your tube of PH 1500 with you during your run? When you’ve taken a tablet out, pop a bit of paper or cotton wool in the top of the tube to ensure your tablets don’t get shaken around.

How to use your SweatSalts capsules

If you’re doing the 10km event, drinking plain water alone will likely be enough to keep you hydrated for the duration of your race, but it will be important to consider some electrolyte supplementation if you’re going to be running for more than ~90 minutes. 

Precision Hydration’s SweatSalts capsules are the ideal solution for helping to ensure you stay hydrated on the move during longer events. The blister-packed SweatSalts capsules are easy to carry and use – you simply swallow one with plain water.

How many SweatSalts capsules do you need to take?

• If you’re someone who is moving relatively slowly, doesn’t sweat a lot and you don’t really suffer with muscle cramps: take 1 x SweatSalts capsule per hour during the course of the event. Wash the capsule down with at least 2 or 3 mouthfuls of plain water
• If you plan on moving more quickly and think you will be sweating moderately, increase the dose to 2 capsules per hour
• If you will be running really hard and consequently sweating heavily, feel like you sweat a lot or often get muscle cramps: take up to 3 x SweatSalts capsules per hour (without exceeding 10 capsules per day)
• You’ll be issued with 1 box of electrolyte capsules at registration, which gives you 15 capsules

Summary

• Managing hydration is going to be an important part of performing at your best during your Spring Trail Series by Ultra X event
• Hydration for running is not just about drinking lots and lots of plain water though!
• Balancing water and electrolyte (sodium) intake against your sweat losses is the most important factor to get right
• Hydration and electrolyte intake are very individual and our free online Ultra Running Sweat Test will provide you with a personalised hydration plan for your race so you can understand the levels of fluid and electrolyte intake that are likely to be right for you

And, if you want to test your Precision Hydration products before your event (or get on well with them during and want to get some more for your next event), just use the code ULTRAX at precisionhydration.com to get 15% off your first order.

If you have any questions or want help with your hydration strategy, please do get in touch with James at hello@precisionhydration.com. 

Train hard and enjoy your race!

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