It's been drummed into us so long, it's become a mantra for everyrunner: drink water, eight glasses a day. Drink before, during andafter a run. Stay hydrated. If you wait until you're thirsty,you've waited too long.
Well, guess what? It turns out that if you follow all thoseinstructions, you can run into trouble during a long run. You candevelop something called hyponatremia, or low levels of salt in theblood.
The latest edition of Running & FitNews warns of this malady, andcompares it to a pot of soup that's been diluted with so much waterit doesn't taste like soup any more.
If you run for three hours or more, a likely occurence during along training run for a marathon or the marathon itself for mostpeople, and you drink water only, you could turn your blood supplyinto a pot of thin, watery soup.
You're losing all kinds of sodium through perspiration, butreplacing it only with water.
'So while the outside of your body gets saltier and saltier,' thenewsletter authors write, 'the inside of your body gets blander andblander. And this is a recipe for disaster.'
The symptoms? Malaise, confusion, nausea and fatigue. And ifthese symptoms continue, it can lead to seizures, coma and death.
And the scariest thing is these symptoms mimic dehydration. Inwhich case, the victim would be given even more water, making thingsworse.
The answer is drinking a sports drink that contains sodium, ifyou're going to be exercising for three hours or more. Sports drinksin the past have been touted for replacing carbohydrates and keepingyou fueled for a long run. But just as essential is the sodium.
Milk for health
And while we're on the subject of liquids, sports nutritionistNancy Clark puts in a good word for the guys with the cows: drinkyour milk.
'Both adult men and women need a calcium-rich diet to helpmaintain strong bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis,' Clarkwrites in her latest nutrition newsletter.
'Men used to die before age 70, before osteoporosis became aproblem,' she writes of the condition in which bone density decreasesand bone fractures are more common. 'Many of today's baby boomersthink 70 sounds young. They want to live as long as the body stayshealthy. Milk can help!'
Recommended calcium intake for those 19 to 50 is 1,000 mgs. a day,and 1,200 mgs. for those over age 50. That's about three to fourglasses of milk a day.
Clark also dismisses some myths about milk -- it's not mucous-forming, it's not hard to digest unless you're lactose intolerant,and it's not fattening. Research, she said, shows milk drinkers arenot any fatter than milk avoiders.
'If you prefer Coke or Pepsi, be responsible,' is her advice.'Soft drinks are sugar water, nutritional zeroes. Milk is life-sustaining and nutrient rich. Stop cheating your body; drink milkwith meals and enjoy soft drinks for a treat.'
ChampionChip Part II
News that the Turkey Trot race committee voted to bring theChampionChip scoring method to this year's race is no reflection onthe job that Emery Fisher's crew or Don Mitchell's Runtime Servicesdoes at the finish line.
Mitchell has kept Western New York races up to date with thelatest computer scoring over the years. He's handled huge racesoutside the area, and has used ChampionChip scoring as well.
But the biggest scored race in the area deciding to try somethingdifferent, by using a computer chip in runners' shoes, is no insultto these crews.
Fisher's crews have kept as many as 250 runners a minute movingthrough the three chutes without the sort of gridlock that onceplagued this race. But ChampionChip eliminates any backup in thechute, because there are no chutes.
Upcoming races
Shea's 5K Run, downtown, 11:30 a.m., today, 847-1410, ext. 127;Joanne Severin Cinelli 5K Memorial Run, South Buffalo, BotanicalGardens, 6:30 p.m., Fri., 878-7713; Daniel W. Feather Memorial 5KRace, Jamestown, 11 a.m., Sat., 483-7537; Wyoming Community HospitalFoundation Autumn 5K Run, Warsaw, 10:30 a.m., Sat., 786-8940, ext.4467; Linda Yalem Memorial Run, 5K, (Buffalo News Runner of the Yearrace), UB North Campus, 9:30 a.m., Sept. 26, 645-3141; United WayNorthtowns 5K Run, Williamsville, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 30, 843-2937;Nickel City Duathlon, (2.5 mile run, 15 mile bike, 2.5 mile run) and2.5 mile road race, Beaver Island State Park, 10 a.m., Oct. 2, 689-2493; Erie County Salute to Autumn, 5K European style run, SpragueBrook Park, 10:30 a.m., Oct. 2, 858-8355; Thundering Herd DistanceRun, 12 K (7.44 miles), downtown Buffalo, 10:30 a.m., Oct. 3, 893-6269.
