The amount needed can be an individual thing, as people sweat at different rates. The heavier you sweat the more of an issue it may become. For me, using gels and a sports drink like Perform are enough for a regular day (even an Ironman). And it's easy to access because those items are right on the course. However, if it's really hot you may need additional sodium. That's when the salt caps may be of purpose. Others may take it anyway even if it's not brutally hot. I've never used salt tabs in a race though. If it's really hot I'll automatically be drinking more liquid. As long as that liquid has sodium I've always been fine. Others I'm sure will chime in with their 2 cents.

 

This is all entirely true. To add on to it, not only do people sweat at different rates, but salt content of sweat differs per person. Conceivably you could have 2 people. Person A could sweat much less than Person B, but if the salt content of Person A is much greater than the salt content of Person B, Person A may need to ingest more salt than Person B.

Have you noticed signs of hyponatremia on your long workouts?

Depending on the weather, I try and hit between 500 and 1000 mg salt between GUs, Perform or other Sports Drink, and salt tabs as needed. I'm 6'2" and 180 lbs. In cooler weather (below 70), I can do it with no salt. In weather between 70 and 80, I typically supplement 1 salt tab per hour (salt caps are about 215 mg salt). And weather above 80, I'll do two tabs an hr.

I didn't really start this til about 2 years ago when I started working with a coach and it has certainly made a difference in my long course and distance running. It took a bit to figure out the right break points, but after a bit of experimenting, the above is where I personally landed for Salt use.

Reading ST, you'd think that you need to take 20 salt stick pills to survive an IM. There are certainly some people that need that much. But I think a lot of people don't need any supplementation beyond what's in gels and Perform. So I guess I'm saying, gotta figure out what works for you the best you can, but it's not like some kind of necessity.

Salt is definitely needed. I don't like pills for the simple fact that your body absorbs 80% of salt through your mouth and tongue. Your stomach does not digest salt well, which is traditionally why athletes develop gut rot. I saw this video from Base Performance and thought that I would share. http://vimeo.com/103540248

Do you know your sweat rate? That would be the place to start.

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Mike Ricci
2017 USAT World Team Coach
USAT National Coach of the Year
Coaching Triathletes since 1992.