If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know that I talk about hyperhydrating often, especially in the summer or before races. Let’s dive deeper into why we do this, who needs to do it & how we do it.

What is hyperhydrating?

Hyperhydrating is intentionally consuming extra fluid & sodium the night before a long run, race or other long, hard effort. The purpose of hyperhyrating is to have extra fluid & sodium on board prior to your run, to minimize dehydration for people who are heavy/salty sweaters.

Should I hyperhydrate?

Hyperhydrating might benefit you if you are:

  • A heavy sweater (>1 L/hr)
  • A salty sweater (>1000mg sodium/L)

If you don’t know if you are a heavy or salty sweater, try our sweat rate calculator and/or our favorite gadget, the hdrop wearable hydration monitor. You can also take a guess if you are a heavy/salty sweater if you have any or all of the following symptoms: large amounts of salt on your clothes after your runs, feel much worse running in the heat, GI issues on long runs or in the heat, muscle cramps, sweat that stings your eyes, headaches or dizziness or crave salty foods after runs.

How do I hyperhydrate?

With food: The night before your long run, race, hard/long effort, aim to consume roughly 1500-2000mg sodium + 16-32 oz of water (this is in addition to your baseline fluid needs!) See the graphics below for examples.

With a specialty product: Some products are designed for hyperhydration. My go-to is Skratch High Sodium. These are great for convenience at home or while traveling. Other options are 1.5-2 LMNTs or drinking extra Skratch Hydration or Liquid IV the day before your big run.

Hydration is highly individualized and can be tricky to figure out. If you need help, we offer a Customized Race Fuel & Hydration Plan or complete an application for a Last Minute Crunch Time Session with Meghann.

Disclaimer: The content in our blog articles provides generalized nutrition guidance. The information above may not apply to everyone. For personalized recommendations, please reach out to your sports dietitian. Individuals who may chose to implement nutrition changes agree that Featherstone Nutrition is not responsible for any injury, damage or loss related to those changes or participation.