Water intake and sweating

[LemonieJ]

I am increasing distance but my running distance is not governed by how far I can run but where's the nearest loo!! I don't sweat when exercising except perhaps getting a little damp in the small of my back on long distances if I push. I take a mouthful of water to swallow pills in the morning and a strong small expresso and that's it. Does anybody else not sweat but need the loo when running? I'm presuming it's because I'm not losing fluids through sweat but may be something else?

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

It might not feel like it but your body is losing sweat when you run. And you need to replace it. We all need to keep hydrated throughout the day and not just run days. The best measurement of this is the colour of your pee. Aim for a pale straw colour.

If you feel the urge to pee during a run then you maybe need to do more pelvic exercises. Pilates is great for this.

Perhaps it is also a habit. I think more women than men think about going to the loo often when maybe we don't actually need to at all! I'm certainly guilty of this and am trying to overcome it. I know it's a habit with me.

[IannodaTruffe Graduate10]

If you weigh yourself before and after a 10k run, any reduction can be put down to fluid loss. That needs to be made up after your run.

Hydration needs to be addressed by frequent drinking of small amounts throughout the day, ratherdrought and flooding approach.

[roseabi]

Caffeine can promote bladder over-activity; perhaps you should consider replacing the espresso with a cup of tea?

[LemonieJ]

Thanks for the replies. Am going to take the advice on board. Am going to have my usual coffee tomorrow as I had a race and it helps with my vavavoom but will try missing it off in future runs to see how I go. Am doing pelvic floor exercises already and am definitely going to weigh myself before and after. I stay bone dry in the sauna though so am still sceptical about sweating.

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

I would say you need more fluid deffo!! I wouldn't worry about needing loo stops, that's ok. You can just go behind a bush ( depends where you run!!). It's far better to stay hydrated than get dehydrated as you can get quite poorly from this when you run. When I started running I didn't sweat much, but now I sweat like a pig... and not just running. I think running switched it on!!!

[LemonieJ]

Without going into the nitty gritty, it's not just a case of needing the loo but I have a leakage problem when running. I have no problems other than when sneezing in my normal life. I'm presuming it's the impact which is why I need to limit my fluid intake before running. BLUSH. I've been doing serious pelvic floor for a few weeks so hopefully that will kick in at some point.

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10 in reply to LemonieJ]

If you're not seeing improvement, you may want to visit a pelvic floor physiotherapist. It is easy to not do Kegel's properly and only engage one area instead of all the muscles of the pelvic floor.

[ju-ju- Graduate10 in reply to LemonieJ]

Yes keep at the pelvic floor exercises, well done

[miss_august]

It sounds like you need to drink more water. That's hardly any, and if you're exercising you need more hydration.