"
Probably only 10% of the field would even choose to do so."
hey, i'm not trying to diminish anyone's credentials. i'm asking for a sensible, self-diagnosing protocol that works in situ -- during the race itself. you're saying it's just weight. you weigh yourself, during the race. that's the protocol. but as you note, probably 10% of the field would avail themselves of this. i rather think it's closer to 1% than 10%. so, unless you're going to go back to 1981 and make weighing in mandatory, i don't think it's abusive for me to ask whether there's a more expansive protocol.
i note that symptoms of hyponatremia are cramping, nausea, vomiting, bloating, swelling and tightness of the hands and feet, dizziness, headache, confusion, diminished reflexes. i also wonder whether very low-salt diets leading up to the race, the taking of diuretics prior to the race, being on diuretic medications, are also elements that accrue toward a propensity for hyponatremia during the race.
accordingly, i would think there is a reasonable protocol that would aid the athlete in achieving
both optimization of effort
and a guarding against hyponatremia. perhaps it starts with what
not to do prior to the race (take diuretics? overhydrate?), and what
to do pre-race (electrolyte load?). then there's your fueling plan during the race, and finally there are the warning signs of hyponatremia. cannot bloating, or skin color or pallor, or skin tension, or excessive tightness of one's shoes, i don't know... are you saying that these have been discounted by the medical community as user-helpful tools for during-race detection of hyponatremia? and, then, what do you do if you think you're potentially going hyponatremic during an event? do you quit the race? do you quit drinking? do you eat some salt tablets? is that last thing useful before some sort of cascading event makes salt intake no longer efficacious?
i don't mean to disrespect to you and the other MDs, i'm searching for end-user tools (beyond searching for a scale to stand on).
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman