SPARTANS, What is Your Profession? - Cramping and Dehydrated

My brother-in-law has a tendency to rope me into crazy adventures that on at least two occasions have almost killed me, so I wasn't surprised when in January of 2022 he called me seeing if I wanted to join him in doing our first Spartan race.

The Spartan races are a series of obstacle course races that consist of three main distances. The Beast - 21k with 30 obstacles, The Super - 10k with 25 obstacles and The Sprint - 5k with 20 obstacles.

The obstacles can range from jumping over a five-foot wall, throwing a javelin at a target to climbing twenty-five feet in the air on a rope. It isn't for the faint of heart. Now, I imagine most people would want to become familiar with the race and start with one of the shorter distances. We, however, wanted to get our money's worth and went for the longest distance just below the Ultra distance and settled with The Beast!

The races you run, shouldn't be determined by your perceived economic value. I didn't realize that I might have made a mistake until I was at the starting line and the announcer asked those of us who chose The Beast as our first ever Spartan race to please raise our hands. I proudly raised my hand to which he quickly replied, "Idiots! Don't die out there today."

Our race would take place in the high altitudes of the Solitude Ski Resort in Northern Utah in a July heat. I was overweight at 180 pounds and had not trained near enough to be ready for the race, but regardless, I figured at the very least, I could grind out a finish. I wasn't out to win, just finish. Unfortunately, I almost didn't do that.

The list of reasons as to why I almost didn't finish is long. I was overweight, I didn't know what to expect, I hadn't trained sufficiently, etc.. However, I feel the biggest reason was my ignorance on how to fuel and hydrate for an endurance event. In this blog post, I'll explore the benefits of electrolytes for endurance athletes, natural sources of electrolytes, and when to best use them during a race. Fueling will be covered in another post.

What are Electrolytes?

Electrolytes are minerals that conduct electrical impulses throughout the body. They play an essential role in regulating fluid balance, maintaining nerve and muscle function, and supporting the body's energy production. For endurance athletes, electrolytes are especially crucial because they lose significant amounts of these minerals through sweat during prolonged exercise.

Benefits of Electrolytes for Endurance Athletes

1. Regulate Fluid Balance: Electrolytes help regulate fluid balance in the body, which is essential for endurance athletes. When athletes sweat during exercise, they lose fluids and electrolytes. Without proper hydration and electrolyte balance, athletes may experience dehydration, muscle cramps, and fatigue.

2. Maintain Nerve and Muscle Function: Electrolytes play a critical role in maintaining nerve and muscle function. They help transmit nerve impulses and allow muscles to contract and relax properly. Without adequate electrolytes, endurance athletes may experience muscle weakness, cramping, and even seizures.

3. Support Energy Production: Electrolytes also support the body's energy production. They are involved in the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the body's primary energy source.

Natural Sources of Electrolytes

1. Sodium: Sodium is an essential electrolyte that helps regulate fluid balance and maintain nerve and muscle function. Good natural sources of sodium include table salt, sea salt, pickles, olives, and celery.

2. Potassium: Potassium is another important electrolyte that supports nerve and muscle function and helps regulate fluid balance. Good natural sources of potassium include bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach, and coconut water.

3. Magnesium: Magnesium is a crucial electrolyte that supports energy production, muscle and nerve function, and bone health. Good natural sources of magnesium include almonds, cashews, spinach, black beans, and whole grains.

Building up your electrolytes doesn't start on race day. You should be incorporating the healthy foods listed above in your regular diet. Many beginning endurance athletes underestimate the importance (and the amount) of salt in your diet.

The week before a race, my liquid intake is 50% water and 50% electrolyte enhanced drink. There are quite a few options out on the market. Some of my favorite are LMNT CURE or NUUN. You can also use classics like Gatorade or other sports drinks, but be careful of the sugar content. I typically try to stray away from these if I can.

When to Use Electrolytes During a Race?

You should consume electrolytes throughout the race to maintain proper hydration and electrolyte balance. It's essential to start hydrating and consuming electrolytes before the race to ensure that the body has enough fluids and minerals to sustain endurance performance.

During the race, you should aim to consume electrolytes every 15-20 minutes. This can be in the form of sports drinks, electrolyte tablets, or natural sources of electrolytes such as bananas or coconut water. Electrolytes can also be consumed through food sources such as energy gels, bars, or chews. Again, we'll talk about fueling during a race, during another post.

The day before my Spartan race, I tried to drink as many electrolytes as I could. I felt like I was in school cramming at the last minute for a test. There was over 4,000 ft of elevation gain and once I got to the obstacles that required me to lift heavy objects over a long distance, I started to cramp!

I had brought along two hydration salt packets to dump in my water, but I was quickly out of those. I will forever be grateful to the random guy on the hill who had brought a bottle of electrolyte tablets and was willing to share. He told me that the year before someone had helped him and he wanted to return the favor. Thank you! Whoever you were! I would like to think I coined the phrase, "Drop Salt". I try to drop salt steadily throughout trainings and races now and especially if I feel even the slightest twinge of a cramp coming on.

I was eventually able to finish, but it wasn't pretty. It took me 5:59:11 to do the whole course. That's a long time on a mountain in the summer heat. I vowed in that moment, I would never do that again! Of course the next day when I was feeling better and in the right mind, I was motivated to do it again and train.

I'm currently registered to run the Trifecta Weekend in Utah July 2023, which would be the combination of all three, The Beast, The Super and The Sprint over two days. My goal is to be so much more prepared and cut at least an hour off my time...To Be Continued!