well this is totally unscientific, but i've been underhydrated for the past few days (according to visuals in the bowl, sorry), had a tough run/bike brick today and now just want to be horizontal. Standing is literally difficult. Is this a BP thing? Could be. Am getting a big glass of water now . . .

Brought tons of water on my 15 miler tonight. A-OK!

:)

Jodi

I rarely run without water. I find I always get thirsty and it drives me nuts to not have something to drink.

Glad your run went better!

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Hey there, I know... I'm a guy but, did you change your BC around when you started having crappy runs? Your runs can be affected by being a little dehydrated obviously, but you can still run a half marathon without drinking water if you're properly hydrated. For 3-5 mile runs you shouldn't feel that crappy. Because of the levels of progesterone and estrogen in BC, they have an effect on your BP, usually higher while taking it. You may want to talk to your doctor and see if there is an alternative BC that doesn't have that effect on you if it's causing your exercise to suffer. That particular BC may also cause water retention during use, in turn you don't drink as much, and on the sugar pills is when your body gets rid of the extra water, you continue the same water consumption (not enough). One more thought is to check for underlying conditions at the doctors office, even though you may be in good shape, your BP could be a little low because of other reasons. Thyroid issues, endocrine issues, there are tons that you may not be aware of that can affect your BP off of BC. I would think anything less than even 105 systolic would cause me to look into it. What is your diastolic at rest, on and off BC?

You probably already know most of this but maybe something may spark ya to think of it from a different view other than just the BC and hydration.

Good luck!

If you read my post, it's the opposite. My runs are crappy when I'm off BC :)

I had the full workup last fall. Best bloodwork I've ever had. First time in my life I'm not anemic (Yay altitude!). I even had a CTPE. My blood pressure has been low as long as I can remember. The only time I've been normal has been the last few years, until I went back off BC. When I was in college and med school it wasn't abnormal to have my BP be in the 80's/50's on a regular basis. My diastolic on BC was 70's, now 60's.

I used to be a total camel. Would train 2+ hours on a regular basis without any fluids. Have run 1/2 marathons with no water before. Not sure what the difference is now but just seem to be way more sensitive to it. Could just be that I live in a constant state of dehydration. I can blame residency for that...

Jodi

 :) I did read your post. The bold could be a factor with water retention, it may be less when you're off causing dehydration faster.

Ah, yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I'm guessing the water retention is also a factor in the increased blood pressure. (it was nuvaring so no sugar pills)

And as Khai pointed out in PM, it's also important to point out that no, I'm not pregnant :-)

Jodi

Athletes are known for that mild state of dehydration that isn't noticeable with normal daily activities but then it accumulates and affects your performance, particularly with a vigorous activity like running. If you are working long hours in residency on your feet, it kind of reminds me of teaching all day... I tend to be mildly dehydrated all the time because I have to control when I have time to go to the bathroom so consequently I load up on the fluids after work and sometimes I don't catch up. I've been using the Tanita scale to loosely track my hydration levels. If I drop below 58%, I don't feel as good, something I've noticed over the past year using it regularly.

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Twitter: @jayasports
Web: http://www.jayasports.com

were you at altitude when you were on BC?

Yup

I know I'm dehydrated when I get palpitations. Haven't really noticed any difference in training though - my biggest limiter is o2 (asthma) so I'm not sure I'd notice anything else. I get headachy and leg burn at very low effort and HR and that's when I suspect my O2 sats are low.

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http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit

I also have very low blood pressure (so low nurses tend to take it twice to be sure). My doctor recommends a high salt diet and salt tabs and plenty of h2o when I train. Just water does not work for me. I haven't had a problem if I follow her advise. If I don't use the salt tabs on the run I feel terrible running and then very lightheaded and pale when I stop.

I've just started getting back into running since I travelled across the pond, but I have been getting headaches early on into my run, which I'm assuming are from dehydration. In the past couple weeks I've been drinking a Gatorade with lunch to help prepare me for my nightly run, which it definitely has helped but I was wondering if anyone had tried their Pre-Event Gatorade Prime? I'm just trying to take the hydration process one step further.


That's an interesting point about the Birth Control, I've been in London for 2 months and have been off of mine since I've been here. I never used to have this problem so I wonder if the two are correlated?

One thing that I haven't noticed mentioned is to hydrate before and after runs too. I only run about 30 miles a week, but I drink a ton of water each day as well. If you're not properly hydrated before your run, your run is going to feel crappy. I've always found that anything longer than an hour does require water, even as much as I hate carrying it. If you stay hydrated during a normal day, then you may be feeling better when you run.