Are You Keeping Hydrated?

I had my penultimate physical therapy session this morning, and I got to chatting with a fellow runner. He told me he’d run two half marathons, one…um, somewhere I didn’t pay attention to…and the other on Long Island.

“It was really hot, like 90 degrees, when I ran the one on Long Island.”

Yeah, that is hot, I’m thinking to myself.

“I was hitting up every water station, and I thought I was staying hydrated.”

I’m thinking he’s going to say he got a little light-headed or threw up at the end or something.

“Around mile 12, my legs started feeling like I was running through mud.”

Okay, as runners, we’ve all had that feeling…

“And then my buddy said I started talking nonsense, like I was drunk, and I was apparently weaving in and out through the crowd. I don’t really remember finishing the race, but apparently I did.

“Next thing I know, I’m on a stretcher in the medical tent hooked up to an IV. I guess I must have passed out again, because next thing I know, I’m in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.”

Turns out that the guy was in the hospital for 36 hours, because he was so dehydrated.

Moral of the story? STAY HYDRATED. It’s important, even in the cold weather. (Especially in the cold weather!)

3 March 2010