From Apple Juice to Lemonade

Warning: I'm writing about pee today. More specifically, the colour of pee.

As anyone who frequents Running on Carbs will notice, I like patterns.

The one I've been paying attention to for a while now - the colour of my pee.

See, I have a fairly regular workout schedule. Unless something causes me to miss one, I wake up six mornings out of seven and workout before breakfast. Three of these mornings are runs, three are swims.

Being keenly aware of hydration and how it affects a workout and my blood sugar - I have a large bottle of water by the bed and try to take a few gulps every time I wake up during the night.

On Sunday, when I don't do any activity, it takes me about an hour after I wake up to go from apple juice-coloured pee to nice pale yellow lemonade pee. You know, the kind we're supposed to have.

is way better than...

When I run, I drink before my run and drink a lot after my run. I continue to drink a lot all day and, normally, by about 10am, I'm peeing lemonade rather than apple juice.

When I swim - it's a whole other story.

I drink about 500ml of water on the way to the pool. During my swim, I drink an entire 1L bottle of water with two Nuun tablets dissolved in it. On the drive home, I drink an entire 1L bottle of water. I continue to drink all morning but it takes me until noon before I am rehydrated again.

To recap:
1 hour to rehydrate in the morning when I don't exercise.
3 hours to rehydrate in the morning after a run (even a long 18k one)
5 hours to rehydrate after a swim - despite drinking more before, during and after than I do when I run.

Keeping in mind of course that, by rehydrate, I mean pale yellow pee. I am sure I could drink more during my runs but I don't think I can handle much more during my swims - not without having to leave the pool mid-swim to run to the ladies (apparently they frown upon peeing in the pool...).

Anyway, I don't know if this is normal or whether I should be concerned. Whatever it means - I have definitely found another pattern.