Hydration

Hydration affects comfort, performance, and safety during training and racing. Your needs can change with temperature, humidity, workout duration, intensity, body size, sweat rate, and how much sodium you lose in sweat.

There is no single perfect formula for every triathlete. A practical starting point is to arrive at workouts normally hydrated, drink during longer or hotter sessions, and pay attention to how your body responds. Thirst, urine color, body weight changes after long sessions, and how you feel late in workouts can all provide clues.

For shorter sessions, water may be enough. For longer workouts, hot conditions, or heavy sweaters, a sports drink or electrolyte source can help replace sodium and other electrolytes. After training, replace fluids steadily and include food or drink with sodium if you lost a lot of sweat.