Drink and Run

One common thing I always do when I train is that I rely on thirst to signal drinking. That’s one fact I’ve found out in an article I read in the internet while goggling “Running” and “Diet” - http://www.nismat.org/traintip/runner/diet.html

Maybe it’s because I’m not brought up in a family who frequently force you to drink water when you’re young (I know some family even schedule their kids drinking time). Like in school, most people would bring their Water Tumbler and drink from time to time in class. A habit acquired since young. I still see that habit in University and also in work place. According to my observation, mostly Chinese people would have that kind of Water Tumbler habit –young and old.

But I’m not like that. In school, I bought drinks from the mamak stall; that’s only when I’m thirsty. Sometimes I drank straight from the pipe, a common trait which I learned from my fellow Malay and Indian friends back in school. I still remember, Baharudin, once told me “Air the Penang bersih punya.”

Then I asked “Mana you tahu, nanti minum saya kena cirit birit macam mana?”

He replied “Bapa yang cakap. Dia kerja kat PBA” (Perkhidmatan Bekalan Air / WaterResource Service).

In PBA I trust...

* * *

Now back to the article I read. It suggests that one should drink two cups of water 2hours before training. Then 30minutes before training drink another cup. Then while training, drink one cup every 20-30minutes.

The article also noted to drink only beverages with less than 8% sugar (it did not state why). Also avoid fruit juice since it frequently leads to stomach cramps and diarrhea.

There is also an after training drinking requirement. Drink one cup of fluid every 30-60 minutes through- out the day, such as water, low-fat milk, juice or sports drinks. It warns runners to limit caffeinated beverages, especially during hot weather.

I got a feeling that I'm not able to abide with this drinking discipline.