How to Hydrate for Running in the Summer Heat

We're entering the dog days of summer, where every run leaves us drenched and panting no more the speed or desired effort levels. And what does that mean? Depleted energy stores and the risk of dehydration. Here's how to combat that risk and hydrate for all your tough summer runs.

How to Hydrate for Hot Summer Runs

In the summer where I live it gets up to 90 to 95 degrees in the afternoon. If I'm going to be doing a double run day, which I often due to hit my high mileage goals while in aerobic base building season, I know that I need to hydrate to replenish the lost salt in my body. Here are three tips to make the hottest runs a bit easier.

Tip 1. Reach for Water First in the Morning

The first thing I do is I make sure when I wake up everyday that the first thing I'm reaching for is my big 48 ounce Nalgene. They say that the first thing you reach for in the morning is what you'll reach for throughout the day. Now that just might be placebo, but it also might have a real effect on our behavior. So instead of reaching for my phone first thing in the morning, I reach for my water and start hydrating. 

I used to be extremely regimented about my water intake in the morning, drinking a full 48 ounce Nalgene before drinking my coffee; now I just make sure to take a few sips when I wake up to encourage the behavior throughout the day. I also aim to drink half the bottle before I get out the door for my morning run, so roughly 24 ounces before I start sweating it out.

Tip 2. Drink Water Whenever You Have Caffeine

My second tip is to make sure to drink water with your morning coffee and any other doses of caffeine. As a diuretic, caffeine is dehydrates you and increases the amount of water lost when you pee. To combat the potentially negative effects, make sure to drink at least one glass of water with your caffeine, so as you're flushing the system of wate due to caffeine being a diuretic, you're replacing it at the same time.

I've also found using larger bottles to be helpful during the workday. Before I sit down in the afternoon to have my second cup of coffee, I fill my large 48 ounce Nalgene with water and try to finish it around the same time that I finish my coffee. It's a good system for making sure my water intake is high enough to replace fluids I'll lose through both exercuse and caffeine.

Tip 3. Use An Electrolyte Supplement

Another easy way to get water—plus the essential minerals that keep your muscles firing—is to get an electrolyte supplement that you really like. I personally use Nuun—I'll throw two Nuun tables in my 32 oz Nalgene filled with water. I'll have at least one of those a day, sometimes two on heavier workout days. Using electrolytes is a good insurance policy that sets you up for success when you're out there on the run sweating out buckets.