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Marathon and Triathlon Hydration Strategies You Can Use   by Lori Harris

Key to your Sports Nutrition strategy is to ensure you get enough fluids while riding and running.
Hydration Strategies for the Bike

Drinking on the bike requires a certain level of skill, especially for the beginner. Practice hydration on your stationary trainer until you get the hang of it. Practice taking the water bottle out of the cage and drinking while looking forward. Continue to practice until you can pull the bottle out smoothly without taking your eyes off the road.

A water bladder such as a Camelbak is a great tool for staying hydrated. Although these are not quite in style yet with the cycling crowd they have distinct advantages over traditional water bottles. Water bladders hold more fluid which means less stopping for refills. In general, the fluid in water bladders stays colder and you can freeze the bladder the night before. Cool fluid helps keep you cool as does the coldness of the pack on your back. The pack is more aerodynamic than water bottle cages. You will have to practice if you use a water bladder but you will probably drink more.

At a triathlon, you can see many types of fluid reservoirs on bikes. Again, these mean less stopping to replenish fluids and more consistent hydration on long rides.

Simply having enough fluid does no good if you do not drink it. Fluid loss will lead to a drop in body weight and even a 1-2% drop in body weight can drastically hamper your endurance ability. It's smart to calculate how much water you lose through sweat. One strategy I find works well is to set my alarm to go off every 15 minutes and drink 4-6 ounces of water when my alarm goes off.

Drinking on the Run

It isn't as easy to drink while running as it is on the bike, unless you are skilled at carrying a water bottle. This of course may affect performance and comfort. You can find an adjustable handstrap made of neoprene that fits over your hand and water flask, comfortably holding the water bottle to your hand. Often runners worry about aerodynamics, and worry about the negative effect anything moving against the wind might have on performance.

A waist pack soft-shell canteen with a belt and straw may offer some convenience. A disadvantage to these is the weight; they may feel heavy for many runners. It also has a tendency to cause blisters and rashes for runs in a greater than 20 mile range. When using the soft-shell canteen, some runners report that water may taste stale by the end of a long run.

Be careful with how much you drink. You don't need a fluid container as large as a Camelbak for short distances. In fact, drinking too much while running is just as dangerous as not getting enough to drink.

An option to save on weight is a waist pack that only has a single-bottle. This type comes in many styles. Some bottles are horizontal, making it easier to pull out from the sides and offer some stability to the bottle. Angled bottles are another variation and although the angle makes it easier to reach from one side, angled bottles have a tendency to fall out. You can find extra elastic bands to keep the bottle snug in the pouch so it does not bounce.

Commonly called a "fuel-belt", a waist belt that holds multiple-bottles seems to be a very popular gizmo for drinking on the run. The belt usually has three 8-ounce bottles (more can be added) and a small pouch that evenly disperses the weight on an elastic waistband. The water belt is wide and, with the light bottles, doesn't have the same tendency to bounce as the soft-shell canteen. You might find your elbows might touch the top of the bottles but after a short time you adjust and it doesn't happen anymore. If you use a water belt you have different bottles, and can carry sports drink, water and sports gel at the same time.

Since getting the bottles out of the belt can be frustrating and the belt can be uncomfortable, it is important to experiment with gadgets on training runs.
Never try anything new for your race.

These gadgets are easy to buy at most sporting goods stores and running stores.

About the Author

Winning triathlon strategies for beginners. Even though Lori Harris won her age group in an Ironman, she is not a pro racer. As a novice just like you, she can help you learn to love and excel at triathlon. Getting your triathlon nutrition needs right is a first step.