Hello Runner,
Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!
Happy Weekend!
How are you?
I'm fine! Now 100% recovered and readjusted to training and life in Spain.
The doctor cleared me to start running again. I'm back to training and running with total focus and strength, and even though I'm tired and have some muscle pain, I'm happy as can be! My week was also very hard-working.
In the last email, I showed you how to calculate your sweat loss.
But there is one detail that completely changes the way your body responds to hydration:
What you are losing along with the water.
In addition to water, your sweat contains an essential combination of minerals that affect your pace, recovery, and even your heart rate.
→ The most important of these is sodium.
What are electrolytes, and why do they matter when running?
Electrolytes are essential minerals that help your body function properly during physical exertion.
The main ones are sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
When you sweat, you lose all of them—especially sodium.
And without enough sodium, your body struggles to:
maintain a stable heart rate
absorb water efficiently
activate muscles properly
avoid cramps and dizziness
Some athletes/runners sweat more than others and lose more sodium.
Studies show that the average sweat loss in endurance athletes/runners is 800 to 1500 ml/h. And that sodium loss is 1150 mg/L.
If you run in hot, humid environments, sweat a lot, and have salty sweat, you lose many minerals and need to replenish them with electrolytes.
Replenishing water without replenishing sodium can be as bad as not drinking anything at all.
This is because your body needs an adequate salt concentration to retain fluid.
If you drink only water, you further dilute the sodium in your blood—which can cause hyponatremia (a dangerous drop in sodium).
If you are a sweaty runner, the best way to find out how much sodium you lose during training is to take a sweat test. This will allow you to estimate how many electrolytes you need to replace.
If the sweat test is not an option, and if, after calculating sweat loss, it is less than 2% of your body mass, you can experiment with 300-600 mg/hour of sodium.
RECOMMENDATION
How to Replenish Electrolytes in Practice
You can do this in three simple ways:
1- Homemade sports drinks
Ex: water + natural juice + pinch of salt + honey or sugar
2- Electrolyte capsules or tablets
Practical for long training sessions and competitions (adjust the dose according to your sweat)
3- Sodium-rich foods after training
Coconut water, homemade vegetable broth, eggs, cheese, and natural salty snacks.
Gif by kimsconvenience on Giphy
Proper hydration is not just about drinking water.
It's about understanding what your body has lost and replenishing it in the right amounts.
And when you get it right?
→ You run better, feel less fatigue, recover faster — and still feel good all day long
Track of the week 🎧️
This week's Track of the Week it's a classic funky + acid jazz track. I've always liked Jamiroquai's songs. They have a freer, more enjoyable vibe... good for dancing and running.
I've chosen the track Space Cowboy (Classic Radio) by Jamiroquai, David Morales
Any questions or something you would like to share, drop me an email
Wishing you a great weekend and week ahead!
Here’s to health and good runs⚡️
Ana Paula Alonso