Boston, June 26-27, 2010
New York, June 4-5, 2011

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Hydration and Nutrition

Dehydration and Hyponatremia
Dehydration: Simply stated, this is when your body has lost too much fluid and you begin to have symptoms.

• Depending on the amount of fluid lost, these symptoms can range from mild to severe and can include thirst, weakness, headache, nausea, and/or vomiting.
• You must maintain a certain fluid/hydration level in order for your body to function properly.
• Your body loses fluid in many ways such as by sweating, through normal breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, or even large wounds such as blisters.
• By the time that you feel thirsty, you are already about 30% down on the fluid level in your body.
• When you urinate, if the color of your urine is light or clear, you are drinking enough fluids.
• Sweating is a natural mechanism that the body uses to cool itself. Excessive sweating can cause dehydration. The more you sweat, the more you need to replace the fluid that you are losing. You should be drinking alternating amounts of water and some type of sport drink every fifteen minutes.
• If you are not urinating at least every hour, you are not drinking enough fluid.

Hyponatremia: Simply stated, this is a condition where the Sodium (salt) level in your body is low. You must maintain the Sodium level in your body within a certain range in order for your body to function properly.

Symptoms of Hyponatremia: Includes muscle weakness, spasms, or cramps, swollen hands and feet, headache, fatigue, nausea, or vomiting. As the Sodium level gets lower symptoms worsen and can include confusion, altered level of consciousness and even coma or convulsions.

Nutrition Guidelines
When you are doing any type of long distance activity, your body needs adequate fuel (food) in order to perform at an optimum level. The amount of fuel that you need increases as the level of your activity increases.

The following guidelines should be followed both during your training walks and the event itself to ensure that you are fueling your body properly.

What to eat: It is important that you refuel your body with foods that contain quality calories that will give you the energy needed to be able to safely and successfully complete your training walks and the event itself. Do not walk when you are hungry. The following foods are great sources of energy:

• Complex carbohydrates: These are a good source of fuel and will help give you the energy that you need. Good examples are pasta, beans, rice, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. If you are walking for more than an hour or two, bring a snack to eat along the way, such as energy bars, fruit, or crackers. It is important to eat them along with a source of protein (see below). Try and stay away from snacks with high concentration of simple sugar such as cookies, candy, etc. Snacks are provided along The Overnight route at all of the pit stops.
• Proteins: These are a great source of calories and will give you a more sustained level of energy. Complex carbohydrates will give you an initial source of energy but, if eaten alone, you may slump later. Proteins will give you sustained energy so that you can avoid this slump.
• Salty snacks: These are needed to ensure that you do not have a problem with low salt (sodium) level in your body (hyponatremia). A proper salt level is needed to keep your body working efficiently and helps keep body fluids where they belong (one symptom of hyponatremia is swelling of your hands and feet).

Fluids: Most sports drinks contain some type of sugar, usually glucose and, while they are important to keep you hydrated and prevent hyponatremia, you cannot depend on them to give you adequate calories to sustain you during the walk.

Symptoms to pay attention to: When your body runs out of fuel you may begin to have symptoms of low blood sugar such as disorientation, headaches, weakness, or loss of body control. When you first begin to notice any of these symptoms, it is important that you stop walking, sit down and start eating and drinking immediately. If you continue to exhibit symptoms, see your doctor. During the event you should see someone from the medical crew. They are stationed at all pit stops along the route.

Low Carb/No Carb diets are not appropriate for endurance events. If you currently are on such a diet you may need to adjust your carbohydrate intake to a higher level. Consult with your physician or nutritionist as necessary. Carbohydrates are fuel and are needed to complement your training diet.

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