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See if you can tolerate sports drinks first. Not every runner can, I am definitely one of them. My first marathon way back in 1985, and the consumption of sports drinks affected my performance adversely adversely. I felt nasuseous and very sick on my run from the effects of the sports drink Gatorade, but I completed it. The very next marathon I did, it also affected me adversely. Several marathons later and I was drinking cool water, which I found much better. Sometimes there is no substitute for cool or cold water. If you want to go the route of consuming a sports drink, try them out on your metabolism first via some good training runs that will demonstrate their performance (or lack of).

Try to avoid sports drinks laden with sodium, sugar and caffeine, even if they offer electrolyte replacement and performance enhancement. They offer quick and fast energy for your run-but you'll "crash" and "burn" energy wise as these substances are like a very cheap form of high-octane. They can also dehydrate your body. Also, try and avoid sports drinks with green tea that doesn't have the caffeine removed. Green tea with caffeine in it can directly impact on your performance. Vitamin, creatine and amino acid enriched sports drinks may be good, but check on how much you're getting per serving and compare it to what you may be taking in supplement form and diet, that you should be doing, anyways.

Research a lot of these sports drinks on the Internet and by asking seasoned runners and other athletes; there are some good ones out there that can really help aid in your performance. But when in doubt, just drink lots of fresh water and eat a good, balanced diet for whatever sport you participate in. There is no substitute for them, anywhere. Most people are chronically dehydrated in regular life, imagine what an athlete goes through. Saturate your body's cells well with water and a good diet. Also, dress in good, light and breathable athletic wear. It will help lower your perspiration rate and keep you much cooler during whatever you do, marathon, bicycling, hiking...whatever.
That's part of being a good athlete, whether you are recreational or not, is being aware of all of these things. Even the top athletes are not all necessarily 'superhuman'. Many not only trained properly, but were aware of their body's needs, before, during and after a workout. Consuming sports drinks are one thing, but understanding them in the larger context of your body and what it needs before, during and after a workout are another thing. The understanding of that goes a long way to making one a better athlete, who can persevere with his or her workout through the ages.

Learn more about this author, Todd Daigneault.
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