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How to drink on a trail running race without slowing down

We already talked about drinking on a long run, well the only difference in doing it during a race is that we don’t want to slow down during the race, right? For this it’s important to be strategic. 

Every time you have an opportunity to drink, take it, it can be in a climb if the pace allows you to do so or it can be on the descents if the terrain is not too technical.

If you honestly don’t find a moment to drink because you don’t feel comfortable drinking and pushing hard, that’s totally fine, stop for 10 seconds and drink, 10 seconds every 15 to 20 minutes won’t make a huge difference but will keep you hydrated and that can make a good difference for sure.

So make sure you allow yourself to drink. 

As we talked about in another post related to drinking during long runs, try to don’t run out of water. Make sure you pace your drinking between aid stations well so you don’t have to struggle without having something to drink. 

My general rule is to estimate the time I should need between aid stations and add a 20% more, just to be sure I won’t run out of water if I’m going slower. In long races I go with two softflask, one with a carbohydrate drink and the other with just water and mix the drinking one and one normally. Following a rule of 4 sips every 15 to 20 minutes depending on the length of the section between aid stations. 

What’s your rule for drinking during a race? I’m sure we can learn from you too.

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