One week, everybody’s telling you to load up on electrolytes. The following week somebody’s saying keep far-off from sodium and simply drink water. So what do you really have to learn about sweat, sodium, and runners?
Perhaps you’ve seen white salt streaks in your hat or shirt after a future and puzzled if which means one thing.
Or possibly each time you drink throughout a run, your abdomen feels sloshy and uncomfortable.
Or possibly you’ve sworn off electrolytes altogether due to one run the place you felt nauseous the whole time.
If any of these sound acquainted, you’re not alone. Sodium is likely one of the most complicated matters in working vitamin, and regardless of what social media would possibly let you know, there’s no magic quantity that works for everybody.
After getting numerous questions from runners, we sat down on the Tread Calmly Operating Podcast to speak about what you really have to learn about sweat, sodium, and runners.
How A lot Sodium Do You Really Want?
The sodium debate tends to swing between two extremes: everybody wants a ton of it, or no person wants it in any respect. The actual reply is someplace within the center, and it’s totally different for everybody.
In contrast to carbohydrates, the place most runners can goal for the same quantity (60-90 grams per hour), sodium wants can fluctuate so much from runner to runner. Genetics, coaching, medicines, sweat price, and even the climate all play a job.
There are two issues to remember when determining how a lot sodium is required:
- Sweat Price: how a lot fluid you lose every hour. This could change primarily based on the climate, your health, and the way laborious you’re working
- Sweat Focus: how a lot sodium is in your sweat and tends to remain pretty constant over time.
Runners with a better sweat price have to drink extra fluids to exchange sweat losses… and people with a better sodium focus may have to exchange extra sodium (i.e. electrolytes with greater sodium focus).
For runs lasting longer than about two hours, normal tips recommend aiming for 400-800 mL of fluid and 300-600 mg of sodium per hour. This can be a good place to begin, however as we talked about, it’s going to fluctuate runner to runner. Some will want extra and a few will want much less.
Sodium isn’t simply changing what you lose in sweat. It additionally helps your physique take in fluids and carbs, each of which you want, particularly in case you’re coaching for a half or full marathon.
Have you ever ever had that sloshy feeling since you thought you drank an excessive amount of water whereas working? That truly could also be an indication it’s possible you’ll want extra sodium to assist transfer fluid and carbs out of your intestine to your bloodstream.
A 2025 research of 160 runners discovered that the majority runners had been falling quick on fluid and sodium throughout their race, not simply carbs. On common, runners had been getting nicely underneath 200 mg of sodium per hour, which means some had been getting none in any respect.
In the event you want some concepts of methods to carry electrolytes with you, now we have put collectively a listing of the Finest Hydration Vests for Runners.
Too A lot or Too Little Sodium?
That is the place it may get somewhat tough as a result of the signs of an excessive amount of and never sufficient sodium can really feel so much alike.
Indicators you want extra sodium:
- Have to pee often despite the fact that you’re consuming so much
- Sloshy, heavy abdomen after consuming plain water
- White salt streaks in your garments or pores and skin
- Robust salt cravings put up run/race
- Cramping or your coronary heart price begins to steadily climb throughout lengthy or actually scorching runs
Indicators you might have consumed an excessive amount of sodium:
- Puffy fingers or fingers
- Cotton mouth or simply actually thirsty
- Nausea or upset abdomen
As a result of the indicators/symptons overlap, it’s most secure to make small modifications at a time and observe how you are feeling, relatively than leaping straight to a better quantity. In the event you enhance your sodium a bit and begin feeling higher, that’s normally an indication you wanted extra.
You wish to be sure you’re at the very least getting even a small quantity of sodium when working so that you simply keep away from hyponatremia. That is when the sodium in your blood will get too low. It will possibly even occur in case you’re hydrating so much, which is what confuses a number of runners.
Signs of hyponatremia can embody nausea, vomiting, confusion, and complications. In the event you expertise any of these items throughout a race, don’t simply preserve pushing by it. Cease working and head to a medical tent.
The place to Get Sodium Whereas Operating
Identical to with fueling, there are various choices on the market for getting sodium. There isn’t the most effective #1 decide; it needs to be what you’ll really use and works nicely along with your physique.
Some runners get most of their sodium from a high-carb sports activities drink, which takes care of each carbohydrates and electrolytes on the similar time. Others want including electrolytes to their water to allow them to regulate sodium primarily based on how a lot they’re sweating and whether or not it’s actually scorching/humid.
In the event you’re somebody who wants extra sodium however doesn’t wish to use solely liquid vitamin, high-sodium gels could be a straightforward resolution. Some to take a look at are SIS, Carbs Gas and UCAN.
Salt tabs are one other common choice as a result of they’re simple to hold on race day and lengthy runs.
One factor to remember is that salt tabs and capsules should be digested earlier than the sodium could be absorbed, so they often take somewhat longer to work than sodium that’s already dissolved in your hydration.
Timing with sodium issues right here, too.
It’s not like carb loading. Loading up on sodium greater than 8-12 hours earlier than a race doesn’t actually assist, since your kidneys filter the additional pretty rapidly. The actual profit comes from getting sufficient sodium nearer to race begin, so that you’re heading in already nicely hydrated.
Is a Sweat Check Useful?
Sweat testing has develop into far more common over the previous few years, however that doesn’t imply each runner must spend $200 on one.
In case your hydration and fueling plan is working nicely, a sweat take a look at would possibly simply offer you some attention-grabbing knowledge.
However in case you’re constantly struggling, it might assist level you in the proper course to feeling higher whereas working.
Right here’s when it’s possible you’ll wish to think about getting a sweat take a look at:
- Continuously cramp or discover your HR climbing greater than anticipated
- Persevering with to have GI points regardless of adjusting your fueling and coaching your intestine
- Lose a major quantity of weight throughout lengthy runs
- You’re hydrating however really feel such as you’re simply not getting sufficient fluids
In the event you resolve to get examined, we’d suggest looking for a lab-based sweat take a look at. Our crew has examined at-home sensors just like the h-Drop, however they usually aren’t dependable.
There’s a straightforward approach to take a look at your sweat price at dwelling. Now it received’t let you know precisely how a lot sodium you’re shedding, nevertheless it does offer you a very good estimate of your fluid losses.
Listed below are the steps to do it at dwelling in case you’re comfy utilizing a scale:
- Document your physique weight, ideally after you pee (with out garments for a extra correct studying earlier than/after)
- Go in your exercise and observe how a lot you drank
- Publish-workout, report your weight once more (keep away from sporting your moist, sweaty garments)
- Subtract your post-workout weight out of your pre-workout weight to get the burden misplaced in the course of the run
- Subtract the quantity of liquid in your bottle earlier than and after your run to get the quantity of liquid consumed
- Take Weight Misplaced + Liquid consumed/time = sweat price
There isn’t one good sodium quantity per hour that works for each runner.
An important factor is taking note of how your physique feels and being keen to regulate your plan throughout coaching.
Even in case you discover a technique that works nicely, keep in mind that your wants can change from one run to the following. Hotter climate, greater humidity, or an extended race can all imply you want extra fluids and sodium than ordinary.
This barely scratches the floor of every part that was coated about sweat, sodium, and runners. Head over to the Tread Calmly Operating Podcast to hearken to the total episode.
