I've started training for a cross country race in November which consists of 11 miles, is Isotonic for me?
Posted by Ray Gill
Filed under Cross Training Answers
I run approx. 2 – 3 miles every day or so and have only started. I hear the arguments for staying hydrated and to replace lost salts/vitamins etc… but then I hear the argument that I’m not an elite athlete and I’d just be wasting my money for something that I don’t need.
Can anyone add their personal expertise/knowledge on this please?
Thanks in advance.
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The problem with this is that the Isotonic could very well give you energy and keep you hydrated through the race, however if you are not use to this then it can also give you a side effect, for example if you haven’t had it a couple of times before then it could end up with you having a stitch in the race, because of your body not being use to it.
The best thing to do if it is important to you is to get a friend chuck a bottle of water to you half way round, don’t drink to much though, enough to hydrate you and to wet your mouth.
Also for races which are as big as 11miles the best thing to do is to build up the miles before hand, so instead of doing your normal 2-3 miles, do 4 then 5 and keep doing that, famous runners have said in the past that the best way to practice for a big race is to have already done that amount of distance , if not more.
This means that when everyone else is running there body will be in shock because it hasn’t done this distance before, where as your body would of already had that shock when you were training and will be able to give a better performance .
Hope I Helped GOOD LUCK IN THE RACE
Hey, if your into it then its not a waste. I run too and put my money and time out there. If you work hard enough you can enter comps and marathons and win money and/or pride!
You will get some benefit from using isotonic drinks on long runs, but for anything under about 5 or 6 miles, you’ll be just as good with water.
You won’t get the salt depletion in runs of under 40 to 50 minutes, that’s only a problem in runs lasting well over an hour or two.
I’m no elite athlete, my best marathon was 3 hours 17 minutes, but I found isotonic drinks helped on runs of 10 miles or more, especially in hot weather.
Hope this helps.