My Favorite Hydration Drinks for Running

Pre-Run

Prior to every morning (and even afternoon) run, I like to have a bolt from a caffeinated drink. I don’t play with those powdered pre-workout drinks but, I do choose to have some caffeine. Beyond that, I make sure to hydrate, especially if I’m not brining water or a drink with me while I run.

  • Loose leaf black tea (preferably with almond milk and cinnamon)

  • 1 L of water

  • Arbonne Energy Fizz Sticks (sometimes) with 10oz of ice water

During the Run

I carry a small water bottle with me, especially in the summers. During a hot summer long run, I make sure to have lots of liquids with electrolytes. When it gets cold out, its just as important to hydrate- even when you don’t feel thirsty.

  • Nuun: I buy this pretty regularly as it is available at most stores (Whole Foods, Target etc). It comes in a tablet form that you simply drop into water which makes it easy to carry on the go. I usually will make a batch, refill my water bottle and add in another tablet, as needed. All the flavors are decent. They are relatively light and don’t upset my stomach. I find the texture of Gatorade to be too thick and the taste to be too strong. If you’re on the same page, I’d recommend Nuun for you too! It keeps me going on the electrolyte front but I don’t use it as my main carb source if on a hard run.

  • Maurten: If I’m doing a hard workout, like a track workout or long run, I like to have Maurten before and during my workout. This drink is packed with carbs (basically sugars) and very little else. It uses Hydro-Gel technology to keep your stomach happy despite the huge influx of carbs you are taking in. I’d use this instead of a gel to be quite honest. It’s heavy enough for me so I almost think of as a “liquid gel” or “liquid gu.” It has quite a sugar-water taste (quite strong) so, be wary of that. They are very careful to tell you that you must mix the water with exactly 500mL of water (no more) so you can’t really water it down any more.

After the Run

I’m pretty boring and will rehydrate with a homemade drink, plain water or just some salty food/snacks. My homemade electrolyte drink is as follows:

  • 1L of ice water (can add berries, lime zest etc into ice cube to make this cute)

  • 1 squeezed lime (wash and put the rinds in as well)

  • 1/4 tsp of pink Himalayan salt

Christie Wang