What is the best way to stay hydrated during a race? Should I consume large amounts of water the week before the race?
Generally, you should always be drinking plenty of water – whether it is leading up to a race or not. Do not excessively increase your water intake the week before the race. If you want, and if it will be a warmer-weather race, you can increase it a bit, but overall you will just pee away any excess by race day. During the race itself, the important thing is DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE THIRSTY TO START DRINKING. You are already under-hydrated at this point. Once you hit the bike, start drinking your water. Then, throughout the ride, consistently continue to drink. Of course, weather, distance and conditioning are all factors to consider when deciding how much to drink. If it is an Olympic distance race, I probably don’t go through more than 1 to 2 water bottles the whole bike ride – more than that and I will have to pee a lot during the run plus I may even get side cramps.
