As the days heat up, your hydration strategy needs to level up too. More sweat means more fluid and electrolyte loss, and if you're not replacing what you're losing, it’s only a matter of time before performance dips—or worse, your body pulls the plug on your workout.
Here’s a simple, athlete-tested guide to keep you running strong in the warmer months.
1. Start the Day Hydrated
Kick off your morning with 8–16 oz of water. It doesn’t need to be fancy—just start early and build from there. On run days, this gives you a solid baseline before you lose anything to sweat.
2. Pre-Run: Hydrate Like You Mean It
About 1–2 hours before you head out, aim for 16–20 oz of water or a low-sugar electrolyte drink. Add a pinch of salt if you tend to sweat heavily or if it’s humid. This isn’t just about avoiding thirst—it’s about performance and safety.
3. During the Run: Time, Temp, and You
Your hydration plan should flex based on duration, intensity, and conditions:
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Runs under 60 minutes: Water is usually enough.
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60–90 minutes: Begin sipping water mixed with electrolytes. Around 8–16 oz per hour is a good starting point.
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90+ minutes: This is where strategy matters. You’ll want both fluids and electrolytes. Go for a sports drink, electrolyte tabs, or something salty like pretzels or pickles. As a general rule, aim for 300–600 mg of sodium per hour. If you're a salty sweater, you might need up to 1000 mg/hour.
4. Post-Run: Rebuild and Rehydrate
Recovery starts with rehydration. A good rule of thumb is to replace every pound lost with about 16–24 oz of fluid. Weighing yourself pre- and post-run (especially during heat) can give you helpful data—but even just checking your thirst and urine color goes a long way.
5. Don’t Skip the Salt
Sweat isn’t just water—it’s mostly sodium. And while water is important, drinking only water over time without replacing electrolytes can actually work against you. Use a mix that includes sodium (and ideally potassium and magnesium) or make your own with sea salt and a splash of juice.
Here's a comparison chart of some popular sports drinks and electrolyte values for you to learn more:
6. Listen to Your Body
Cramping, nausea, dizziness, or the dreaded sloshy stomach? Those are signs your fluid/sodium balance is off. Use your training runs to test what works. Everyone’s sweat rate and electrolyte loss is different—get curious about yours.
7. Bathroom Check = Data
Yep, we're going there. Pale yellow = you’re probably good. Crystal clear = too much water. Dark yellow or amber = time to drink.
Bonus Pro Tip:
Curious how much you actually sweat? Do a simple weigh-in test: weigh yourself before and after a run (without clothes soaked in sweat) to estimate how much fluid you lose per hour. That info can really dial in your hydration plan.
Bottom Line:
Don’t wait until you’re thirsty or cramping up to think about hydration. Create a simple routine, adjust based on heat and effort, and keep electrolytes in the mix. Your summer running will feel smoother, stronger, and way less miserable.