Hi all. In the January issue of Triathlete Magazine there is an article on page 48 regarding sodium intake. The author recommends 800 - 1500 milligrams of sodium per hour. This article was in balance of a November article (page 38), where the author states that there is little evidence that increased sodium intake is beneficial, and he doesn’t recommend more than what is in drink mixes and gels.
Since there are obviously two camps on this issue, I was curious about first-hand experiences people have had with their salt intake during Ironman distance events. So, here is the survey question: **How much salt do you take in per hour during an Ironman? **
If you alter salt intake based on conditions or have any comments on the issue, that would be great too.
It will be interesting to see the range of results. Thanks!
I just did IMFL and it was warm but not too hot and I would say that my sweat rate is average, not excessive. I consumed 1.5 servings of First Endurance EFS (~410mg), 1 EFS Bar (~700mg), 1 Vanilla Bean GU (~55mg), and one salt tab (~215mg) per hour on the bike (~1380mg/hr total) with copious amounts of water the whole way. For the run, I had a water bottle with a double serving of EFS drink mixed in my T2 bag as well as my special need run bag (~540mg x 2). Then I did 1 Gu every 30 minutes (~55mg x 7) and 4 salt tabs (~215mg x 4) again with copious amounts of water. So that makes my sodium intake for the run about 600-700mg per hour. I felt amazing all day, energey level was high and no GI distress. I just repeated what I had done in training. If it were hotter, my plan would have been to drink more fluids and maybe pop an extra few salt tabs throughout the day.
It comes down to about 1/3 through whatever drink is on the course and 2/3 through pills (e.g. Saltstick/Thermolyte). The pills are necessary for some people because even “high sodium” drinks like Gatorade Endurance only have about 1/4 the salt content of sweat. So even if you’re keeping up with hydration you’ll eventually lose the sodium replacement battle without some help. So I generally do the math on how much I’m going to drink of whatever drink I’m using, then fill in the rest with the pills until I’m up 1200mg/hour (for hot days).
Even that much salt - which is considered on the extreme end for supplementation - doesn’t replace what you sweat. I can easily sweat 1.5 liters/hour, and sweat has about 2500-3500mg per liter.
By the way, during experimentation I’ve pushed the limit to see how much salt I could ingest, and once I get over ~1600mg/hour, I start to get the runs…so watch out.
Train in the conditions that your are going to compete in. Figure out what you need while training. IMO - Everyone is different. BEst of luck. I get mine through my liquids.
Learn, I use to take Thermolytes, I am in your camp of sweating, made the switch to salt stick you should check them out. Thermolytes were good but I had to take so many of them like you, basically salt stick has nearly twice the sodium so not as many pills to take while racing. An added benefit was that I reduced my cost while achieving my required sodium in take.
Most folks’ plan is to take x number of salt tabs per hour, often without paying attention to the amount of sodium in the pill, gels, or drinks. The other problem with this method is that conditions change during the race - you need more fluid when it is hotter than cooler. Sodium intake should be correlated with water cosumed. My race day plan is 1 gram of sodium per liter of water. This plan allows for varitation in conditions and consumption of other sources of sodium.
This may be a dumb question, but have you found that taking that many salt pills affected your digestion or stomach in any way?
I use Infinit and figure I will play around with Saltstick to supplement because otherwise I’m imagining the drink mix would taste pretty nasty after a certain point.
First of all, let’s not confuse mere sodium with the need for ELECTROLYTES. Sodium alone isn’t eh complete answer. It’s part, but not the whole deal.
For electrolyte intake, while it is nice to see what everyone else uses, a person should determine on their own. For this someone should weight themselves before a hard, hour long workout and then weigh themselves afterward. This will give you a somewhat accurate idea of sweat loss which is directly correlated to electrolyte depletion.
For me I utilize one Lava Salt tab per hour of racing. That’s everything from Oly distance to IM racing. Lava Salts are a lot like Thermolytes in that they’re for heavy sweaters. All electrolyte supplements are not the same.
I tend to take in too man electrolytes, but I’d rather have too high an electrolyte level than too low.
This can vary by person. The heavy sweaters need a lot more. I’ve learned my intake needs over the last years. You have to replace electrolytes throughout the event. I lace my primary fuel supply with Endurolytes. Based on heat, effort, etc. , i’ll take more (tabs) on demand. I make sure I have small ziplock bags (matchbook size) with 4+ in each in my singlet pockets, T1/T2 bags, and in both special needs bags. Electrolyte depletion at IM distance can ruin your event. Salt stains on your race gear can be a good indicator of your rate of depletion.
This may be a dumb question, but have you found that taking that many salt pills affected your digestion or stomach in any way?
I use Infinit and figure I will play around with Saltstick to supplement because otherwise I’m imagining the drink mix would taste pretty nasty after a certain point.
Thanks again!
Too much electrolytes has given me mild cases of the runs. No digestion problems to speak of.
I would definitely experiment in training before changing too much for a race.
It really varies to be honest. I lose 4-5 lbs in the first hour of activity and that needs to be replaced as I’ll be in a deficit soon thereafter. I don’t know of any widely accepted guidelines for replacement though.
I flirt with hypertension. Is there any guidelines about taking in salt on the bike if you have high blood pressure? My instinct as a heavy sweater is get the electrolytes and worry about the bp later.
Oh sheesh, I think you need to talk to a healthcare provider about that one. Seriously, they are medically managing you and will know more than anyone on an internet message board.
I calculated out my average sweat rate at about 1.9L/hour by measuring my weight before and after a 40 mile bike ride and knowing the exact quantity of water taken in. I checked it with running and biking and it was similar overall. Of course this varies tremendously from person to person, I am definitely on the high end and it was measured at 2pm in sauna-like Floriduh. Sodium concentration typically ranges from 1g to 1.8g per liter so I could be losing 1.9g to 3.4g per hour of salt. The body has stores of around 12g on average. Over an 11 hour IM race I’d lose somewhere around 20g of sodium, which is about 8g more than my body’s stores…big problem.
I’ve tried a number of different supplements including Lava Salts, Elete Tablytes, Thermolytes, Thermotabs, Endurolytes and Saltstick caps. Saltstick has the best overall balance in them by the numbers but they seemed to bug my stomach. Thermolytes worked well for me as well, and I either use them solo or use an Endurolyte (100mg) with a Thermotab (450mg) every 25-30 minutes. This ends up being around 1g per hour intake, slightly more on the bike when you add in the Eload drink mix.