Thursday, July 10, 2008

Water bottles

Pursuant to this rant - many triathletes and runners have gone way overboard on carrying water. It's OK to end a race or a workout a little bit dehydrated, folks!

Next time you're tempted to carry an extra water bottle, remember:

24 ounces of water plus bottle weighs 1.6 pounds. Or over 700 grams.

How much do people spend to carve 700 grams of weight off their bike? Hundreds and even thousands of dollars!

7 comments:

21stCenturyMom said...

That guy needs a prescription for some chill pills. Does he really care that much?

I see no reason to get dehydrated and no reason to carry 5 pounds of water. There is a happy place in-between where there lives 2 water bottles at the start or an aero bottle and a bottle on the cage and a few swaps along the way. No harm ,no foul, no dehydration.

Andra Sue said...

In a race with assured hand-ups, maybe. But living in the South, I've had waaaay too many close-calls during workouts with others (getting lost, being hotter than we thought, convenience store closed, etc.) that I always over prepare now. Not to mention all the races I've participated in where they "ran out" of water or sports drink on the course.

Even one incident of not peeing for 10 hours after a long workout is too many, if you ask me. And I've had more of those than I care to admit. (TMI?)

Herself, the GeekGirl said...

Yes, but...two points...
1) I live in the desert, and race in the desert, where humidity is around 12% to 18%. "A little dehydrated" is way subjective. Being at the back of the pack out here can mean a lot of dehydration when it runs out, so I carry my own unless I know in advance that it's well supported.

2) Having said that, I'm going to make sure I carry enough water anyway, so since that weight is a constant it makes sense to try to have a lighter bike. I know that, for myself, I perform much better well-hydrated.

Nancy Toby said...

A little is just that - a *little*!! I see lots of fellow riders at races pulling into T2 with 2 or 3 full water bottles. Or runners in very well-supported races carrying two full water bottles most of the race. Never made sense to me.

Nancy Toby said...

And if people don't know what a little dehydrated is for them - I recommend weigh-train-weigh for most training sessions. Gives a good idea of how much is too much. (Remember 3 pounds off your body is also equivalent to 2 of those water bottles!).

But if I was uncertain about fluid support on a novel race course or availability on a long-long training ride, sure, I'd make sure I carried plenty. But I wouldn't be carrying it over the finish line, that's for sure!

Ali said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Comm's said...

As someone who has probably spent more time in the hospital for heat injury than anyone, I'll chip in.

For running in Phx, you're an idiot if you run in 110+ without as much water as you can carry or access to it, short loops can settle that. Generally I think people can run about 45 minutes just fine without hydration.

Cycling in training I think goes to what is available. If you can refill at gas stations or by looping then minimal carry. I usually carry an aero drink bottle and usually a short bike bottle at all times because dehydration can hit really quick. I see people go much further on less.

In triathlons or running races, I don't think water needs to be carried unless the RD has a history of running out, like can happen in hot clime's like Phx. Then a single flask can tide you over till the next.

I don't understand water belts for running races and recommend no one drink from the last aid station. It takes about 15 minutes for water to be absorbed anyway. So whats the point when the line is no more than 1.5 miles away.

In any triathlon, if the race is serving calories that the athlete does not like then they should bring their own on their bike but being smart about how many calories they need to get through it.

I think Kurt is pretty right on for his rant in race situations.