Fuel

Stephen Clendenin

English 202, Writing About Sports

03/14/11

Fuel

Open water swimming requires months of training and mental toughness, but to truly be successful, one needs to keep up a healthy body and healthy lifestyle, in and out of the water. During prolonged exercise, the body's fuel deposits are used to provide energy for the muscular contractions. The primary fuel sources for the body are fat and carbohydrate. During the long and often grueling races that take place out in the open water, large quantities of fuel will be burned to sustain the effort. The average competitive swimmer must eat between 3,000 and 6,000 calories a day, but there is something far more important and easy for any athlete to do, and that is stay hydrated. 60% of the human body weight is water.  Believe it or not, dehydration can be a problem in swimming, especially if the air and water temperature is warm. Now that is not always the case in open water swimming, but the same principles apply. Sweating is the body’s main mechanism for cooling itself, and even though most swimmers practice in the water, a swimmer can still lose a lot of body water from sweating. Dehydration robs the body of its primary means to cool itself and generate energy. A rule of thumb is to drink every fifteen minutes during practice, and drink 2-8oz glasses of water for every pound of weight that is lost during exercise. Drinking water and staying hydrated builds energy, and replenishes the body’s essential fluids. Without proper hydration, a swimmer’s body could shut down during a race. Water carries minerals, proteins, vitamins, and nutrients through the body to where it needs to go. The better hydrated the body is, the better it functions.

However, one of the mistakes many athletes make is over-hydration. Nutritionists and coaches the world over tell their athletes to keep drinking until they need to urinate during their events to avoid dehydration. While dehydration has a terrible effect on an athlete's effectiveness, over-hydration can be just as bad. Water, by its nature is great at carrying other substances into our bodies, but when a swimmer over-hydrates, all those vitamins, proteins, and minerals that they worked so hard to put in their bodies are carried away by all that water they're passing through their body and into the toilet. Another rule of thumb is that if the swimmer has to urinate more than once every two hours, they're over hydrated and losing effectiveness both in and out of the water. By cutting back a little on the water, the swimmer will be able to recover from over-hydration.

When preparing for an open water swim, it is best to avoid milk, soda, and orange juice at least twenty four hours before the race. It is best not to drink those extra calories or risk the acidic side effects of a fruit juice (no matter how healthy it is), and especially not the hard-to-digest side effects of dairy products. Sodas are a really bad idea because they can leave the swimmer feeling bloated, gaseous, and jittery with sugar and caffeine. Water keeps the swimmer hydrated without additional calories or unexpected side-effects. Depending on the length of the open water swim, it is best to try and get some water and nutrients sometime during the race, especially if the race is over ten miles long. Drinking water often is a healthy life choice for everyone, and especially for open water athletes. The hard part is often not just drinking the water, but avoiding other junk-products that can hurt the swimmer’s system if take too close to race time. That’s where the mental toughness comes in. The best of the best are always on their game, in the water, and out of it. Stay strong, stay hydrated, and keep swimming.