How much hydration??

I always have this fear of not hydrating enough before a run, this does not usually cause me a problem if I am running in the evening, but if I do a long training run at the weekend, I seem to have to end up diving behind a bush after a few miles.

Usually my weekend runs start early as I need the rest of the day to get on with things I can’t get done during the week. I get up about an hour or so before I go out running to give my body time to wake up and have a glass of juice and a yoghurt.

I usually drive out for about 10 minutes to get away from suburbia to do my run and, hey ho, by the time I get to my destination, ……. – yes, I do go before I leave!!!!

I tend to have a glass of water by the bed and usually find I drink this during the night. I am only tiny so how much liquid do I really need??? I must be taking in too much otherwise I would no be getting rid of so much.

I do drink loads of water during the day, and have done for the past couple of years, to try and cut back on caffeine.

I suppose the answer to this is pretty obvious, not take in so much liquid before I go for a run but how much is how much, I suppose this could be down to your individual body requirements and mine seem to be that I need very little liquid.

So, do we believe everything we are told about drinking two litres a day? Or do I just drink less and risk dehydrating, or am I being over cautious. I do usually take a drink with me if I am running over 6 miles. And why does it seem to be a problem in the mornings and not the evenings.

Again, not usually a problem with races as they normally start later in the morning but I am usually the last one in the queue at the loos.