For the second day in a row it has been very hot in Pittsburgh. With outside runs on both days, I have been taking in lots of electrolytes.

My go to method of taking in lots of electrolytes is using Nuun Sport hydration tablets in water. One tablet in a glass of water provides me with 300mg of sodium and 150mg of potassium.  I have been drinking 3-4 glasses of water with Nuun each day.  Is that getting me enough electrolytes?

Given that I am also taking in electrolytes with the food I am eating, and also the gels I use on a run, I am likely doing quite well.  In reality though, it takes some detailed tracking and testing to know for sure.

The tracking of sodium intake and the intake of other electrolytes is relatively straightforward, even if it is quite tedious.  There are several food tracking apps, that will total up things like sodium intake. You just have to be detailed in tracking everything you put into your body.

Exercise, particularly when it is hot, complicates matters however, because we sweat and lose sodium.  How much sodium is lost is highly variable between individuals.  Some people are ‘salty sweaters’ and others less so.  To accurately determine how much salt is lost during sweating, requires an athlete to take a sweat test that measures this loss.  This lab style testing is not cheap, so many people rely on online questionnaires to get a good estimate.

I have relied on these questionnaires and have not yet run into major issues that I am aware of.  I have had cramps in training and races, but I believe these are more due to fatigue that electrolyte deficiency.