Barrettscv 

Can it be done?

Every now and then I read about drinking plenty of fluids a day or more ahead of an endurance event. Does this help avoid dehydration?

Michael

Bacciagalupe

Not exactly.

You're going to sweat and otherwise use up water during the event, and that means you need to hydrate, period. It's not like carbo-loading; your body generally doesn't store water the same way as you'd store glucose.

Drinking prior to the event merely ensures that you aren't starting the event dehydrated. But it's not like drinking 3 gallons of water for a week prior to the event is going to make you any more efficient during the ride.

Barrettscv 

I would continue to drink as needed (or more) during a ride longer than 2 hours.

But does the body store any extra water? I assume that it would be lost as urine.

Bacciagalupe

If you are healthy, and are not nearing the end of your menstrual cycle, then you won't retain excess water.

Generally speaking, water retention is not a good thing. Usually water retention results in slightly swollen legs, for example.

In comparison, you can carbo load for a week prior to an event, and this will make it easier for your body to draw from those glucose storage reserves. (I may be wrong but I believe that glucose is stored in the liver and muscles.)

Since water works differently, there's no particular reason to try and "water load" prior to an event, and you should generally try to stay reasonably hydrated.

Carbonfiberboy 

In addition to my normal fluid intake, mostly fruit juice, coffee, and herb tea, the day before a long, hard ride or event I always drink 2-3 bottles of either Cytomax or HEED. I don't know how if that "prehydrates," but as others have said, it does make sure I'm good. The interesting thing about that is the almost constant sipping drives up my insulin levels so I get a little hungrier than usual, which I satisfy by just taking another sip. My theory is that it tops off glycogen stores. Maybe it also stores a little fat, but 200 cal. of fat before an event I can afford. I usually have a good ride when I do that, anyway.

Richard Cranium

It is true that you can start an event in a "bloated" condition by ingesting plenty of fluids and carbohydrates just before the start. Some think this condition gives them an edge in events where they expect to expend a lot of energy and sweat profusely.

This might work for an event lasting two or three hours but will have no benefit for something like a century ride. More over, so many athletes have had digestive troubles that the "super hydrate" carbo-load idea is mostly forgotten. Just drinking by itself is worthless and stupid.

EGUNWT

I tend to not drink enough water daily anyway, so pre-hydrating would probably get me up to "normal" before a ride. Get everything *into* balance before I go screwing it all back up with lots of sweating.

Just a thought.

Richard Cranium

Yeah - that's an excellent point. It is possible that some people walk around daily in a partially de-hydrated,, or at least under hydrated state. So for them, they need to up intake to become normal.

But remember this, there simply is no way to "store" excess water for muscle usage. It goes to the kidneys and bladder without at means of getting to muscle tissue. Only water, bound to salt (sodium) or bound up in glycogen can be retained. And the interstitial fluids that are known as "bloating" are still not available for muscle metabolism. So drinking too much can have a downside before a ride as well.

pmt

I make sure I'm super-hydrated the day before an event; that includes taking some Endurolytes. If I'm not using the loo frequently, I'm not hydrating enough. Pre-event prep is important.

Yesterday we did a 200k ride, start temp 85F, finish over 100F. No troubles with hydration.

Bacciagalupe

It is, but just keep in mind that hydration is different than, say, carbo-loading.

You can benefit from spending a lot of time the week before an event tanking up on carbohydrates. However, as mentioned a few times, you don't retain water in your body the same way you retain glucose.

It is simply not possible to "super-hydrate," you are either properly hydrated or you aren't. Water retention is, in fact, a (mild) medical condition that most people prefer to avoid.

And obviously, no form of "pre-loading" is a viable substitute for eating and drinking properly during a long ride.