Hi Melanie

Congrats on the recent win. I recently finished Xterra Italy. Great and well organized race.

I had a question about hydration and cramps as this is my second year of Xterra and I seem to sufferring from this problem again. I feel as though I have a solid _base_ and can handle the distances, but my quads and hamstrings beg to differ. Typically, I sweat more than the average individual, but I also drink a lot.

Any best practices on how you hydrate yourself leading up to and during a race?

Regards, and thank you very much for being so active on the site.

Gary

Hi Gary,

I have had Gu make an extra sodium version of Gu2O for me. Before that, I just added some electrolyte. I lose quite a lot of salt when I sweat so I just add more.

This might work for you? Also ensuring you drink enough when mountain biking is important. Sometimes tricky courses make it tough to drink and if you are dehydrated by the run it is too late.

If you are racing Alabama... drink lots beforehand! It is going to be HOT!