We’ve managed to avoid talking about toilets for weeks, which as most runners know isn’t easy. It’s marathon season now though and it’s time to think about our bladders. (Stick with us on this one – you’ll be glad you did!)
Runners have a bit of an obsession with pee, it seems. I’ve had lengthy conversations about what it should look like, how to time it right, even where and how to do it, for heaven’s sake! It’s not an unhealthy obsession though – your running life will be much happier if you get the pee thing right.
We’ve written about the importance of being well-hydrated before in our Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate post. What many runners don’t do is use the most obvious way of checking that they’re getting the balance right – yes, of course, your lovely pee. If you’re properly hydrated, it will be almost clear or pale yellow. If you’re not it will be dark and smell a little on the ripe side. If you get a whiff of it before you flush, it’s probably time to take in more fluids. That bit’s easy to understand.
The thing that many runners struggle with, particularly those just starting out, is when to pee. If you’ve stood in those interminable queues for portaloos at the beginning of a race, convinced you’re going to miss the start because there are so many bloody weak-bladdered people in the world, you should do two things: a) chill out – you’re one of those with a hamster bladder too and b) time your drinks better next time.
The best tip I ever had was to take in plenty of fluids up to ONE HOUR before the race (water or your favourite sports drink). Then drink nothing more while you’re suffering that goddamned portaloo queue before the start. Then (and only then) top up with water or your sports drink at the start line. That always works for me – indeed, the one time I ignored it I ended up midway through a race peeing in a car park under the full glare of the security cameras. Not my most edifying moment but, hey, needs must – and my shamefaced idiocy reminded me that the tips above are absolutely foolproof!
The photo is of the toilet queues before the 2012 London Marathon, copyright Gretel Insignia.
I’m not sure I’d want to follow this approach for anything over a 10k race. Also, the danger of advising runners to ‘drink as much as you like’ could be interpreted as ‘2 litres’ which, at best makes you heavier and therefore slower (in theory), but at worst could lead to hypoatremia, a potentially fatal condition. There’s a wealth of evidence out there that sits contrary to the mantra pushed by sports drink manufacturers, which is to stay as hydrated as possible, and suggests that it’s probably better to be err on the side of caution and stay slightly underhydrated. A great blog post about it is here which also signposts the relevant research http://sharmanian.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/hydration-tim-noakes-waterlogged-and.html
Hi Cat, Thanks for you comment. Yes, we can see where you’re coming from. ‘As much as you like’ could be taken the wrong way – we’d never be able to drink two litres of water on a morning but maybe some people can! We’ll add a qualifier. The article you linked to is interesting, though our post is about not needing to pee on race day and is intended to help with bladder control for recreational runners. Ultra runners doing Death Valley or the Marathon de Sables clearly have different needs, though some points made in the article could be applied to recreational runners. We do mention hyponatremia in the hydration post we link to in the peeing post, btw. Finally, we have a post from a sports scientist coming up soon on milk as the ultimate sports drink – it will be interesting to see what you make of that 😉
Thanks Janey! Realise that article sounded a bit hardcore (sorry!) but I’m just a bit sceptical of the whole concept pushed on runners that your performance is going to be massively affected if you don’t drink enough. After having ‘issues’ (ahem!) on last 3 marathons it’s an area I’m quite interested and might do a blog post on myself when I have the time to reasearch it properly. I’d certainly be interested to read yours on milk (I love milk!) though and will check back 😀
Hi Cat, yes, yo’re right – there’s a great ‘performance’ lobby that seems to come from people mainly with a vested interest in selling things… We’re not very performance oriented, tbh – we just want to feel good when we run and avoid having to stop for a pee unless we really, really have to! Send us a link to your blog post when you do it – would be great to get the skinny from your POV. Thanks for chatting with us – it’s great to have your input. Milk post coming soon… 🙂
Isn’t it funny how everyone’s digestive system is different?? I’ve discovered (through trial and error, and after mid-race pitstops behind hedges, and queues at portaloos) that I shouldn’t drink anything within 2 hours of the start. I have to make sure I’ll fully hydrated in the days leading up to the race, and I can manage a few gulps of water to help down a banana or flapjack an hour before, but then that’s all and I’m fine!
Oh and always take water from the water stations – even if you only have a few mouthfuls it will clear your mouth, and give you something to do in a long race!
Hi Lucy, I suppose these are *our* tried and tested options – they work for us and people we’ve passed them on to but experience will show what works for you. The point on water stations is a valuable one – thank you. Good luck with avoiding pitstops in future! 😉