Hello All,
The evenings are getting darker still and outdoor training is significantly hampered by cold wet weather and the unfortunate pains and strains that seem to accompany the cold weather. Having given it some serious thought, I have moved away from thinking that injuries are increased during the cold weather because people are not warming up enough - having spoken to and treated a number of runners at the recent New York marathon, I have come to the conclusion that hydration is a big issue during the winter. The common reminders to stay hydrated (heavy sweating during the warm summer months)(physical heat accompanied by thirst) are absent and so ongoing hydration is not as important to those individuals training hard. That is - not until the few days before a race, or a match or competition. If you start intensive hydration the day or two before a race serum electrolytes can become imbalanced (dilution) and cramping may occur. Schwellman et al (2004) discovered very low sodium and very high magnesium levels in runners who experienced cramp during ultra marathon distance. Miller et al (2010) advise that adequate continuous hydration with an electrolyte solution should be one of the preventative measures that should be taken. Moreover, adequate fuel intake during a longer run will help to prevent cramp. Does this mean that if we always cramp at mile 23, we should have some salty carbs at mile 22 to prevent it? The pretzels in New York are now beginning to make sense! The NYC marathon took a lot of runners by surprise as the day was very warm for November and cramping was a big issue during the race. I saw a few runners afterwards for recovery and they all felt that the gently myofascial stretching techniques used yielded amazing results compared to the standard self administered post marathon 3 minute stretching routine (ya....I know....3 minutes was the average!!!).
Anyway, the point being made is that hydration doesn't just mean water ! And a well hydrated body means well lubricated tissue and joints - meaning less injuries! So drink up!
There are two big issues really Alvaro- one is dehydration resulting in dizziness and nausea at best, and the other issue was that it was so warm, people were taking on lots of water and diluting the electrolytes in their blood. When the day was so warm, a lot of salt was lost in sweat and not replaced- this, as well as people not taking on enough water were two big issue for runners on the day.
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