Sodium = Retaining fluid = a good thing?
Team,
As I continue to dial in my fueling, sodium, and hydration needs, I'm really paying a lot of attention to my sodium intake and what works for me. On Saturday's ride (100mi on the bike paths at ~.8 IF, 4:30), I took in about 550mg of sodium per hour, as:
- Bottle of G-ade and a salt tab before I clipped in
- Water only while riding, no G-ade
- 4 x Clif shot blocks and 4 x Clif gels
- A total of another 4x salt tabs during the ride. Each tab is 215mg sodium.
Calories were spot on and I was drinking a lot of water, but I didn't have to pee, but the skin in my arms swelled, wrist HRM got tighter, etc. These are my clear signs that I'm taking in a bit too much sodium and am retaining fluid. However, I wasn't crazy over salted, as ^these^ symptoms then progress to lightheadedness. I didn't have any of that.
Then for several hours after the ride I was peeing often, without drinking much, as my body sorted itself out.
Observations and questions:
I was very encouraged that I got everything I needed from stuff I like (sorta, not a gel fan) and water vs G-Ade. I REALLY like taking water only from the course as it's multipurpose (drink it, wet myself, etc).
Is there value in going a tick high on the sodium on the bike, as it seems, for me at least, to help my body retain fluid so that's in me when I get off the bike vs I've peed a ton out? Then just do water and gels, etc on the run? IOW, I think my sodium per hour number is about 400-500mg max but going a little higher seems to turn me into a bit of a camel. Is there value in this or am I setting myself up for a problem later in the race?
Comments
Too much sodium can cause my stomach to bloat up and can also cause me to stop sweating.
Did you notice any change in your sweat rate as compared to normal?
How did your gut feel at the time you noticed the swelling?
Sweat rate was fine, gut felt ok but not super great. I know I'm doing it right when I've been eating and drinking but I feel a little hungry = stomach is emptying fine. I was beginning to get hungry, I guess.
Maybe one of the smart doc types can explain what's going on when you are over-sodium-ified, but not crazy-so, and your body seems to be retaining fluid?
I sweat a lot.
Your stomach generally has to have the correct (or close to it) Osmolality in order to properly absorb the fluids. If you get too many electrolytes (and/or sugar) compared to your water intake during big work efforts, then your body actually has to shunt water away from your other systems to sort of add extra fluid to the mixture in your stomach/intestines so you can properly absorb everything, potentially leading to stomach issues (or at least sloshing). This can eventually lead to a slightly dehydrated state in the rest of your body. I think this is what @DrJohnson was describing...
If you were "swelling" in the wrists, etc. then it's unlikely that you were dehydrating yourself... I'm certainly not a doctor, but I can't imagine retaining extra water (turning yourself into a camel) is an ideal situation either. Most pro's and really really fast guys will lose a ton of water throughout the run and ultimately end up fairly dehydrated. Lighter is also better for running fast. Our bodies are damn cool systems that can operate in a whole range of environments... But finding the Goldilocks zone is almost always best (not too dehydrated, but also not swelling).
If I had to guess, you'd have a slightly different response in different weather conditions. How hot was it? Humid or dry? You'll likely do a lot more rides... I'd suggest doing exactly the same thing on the next one and see if it was an outlier or if you get the swelling again. Then try with less of the salt sticks and just see how you feel with that.