By Coach V (copyedited by Gavin John)
1. How & Why of Hydration
A. Please watch this video with your son
2. Aids to manage core temperature
A. Starting with summer volunteer practices, 30 minutes pre-practice before he leaves the house. I recommend your son starts to drink a slushy, approximately 1 1/4 cups made of 50%-60% crushed ice and 40%-50% sports drink before each practice to assess. The reason why this works can be found here: https://www.floebottle.com/science. You do not need to purchase the bottle. Parents can use this as well when exercising. Your son should not wait for a meet or 90 degree day to try this method of managing heat. He needs to assess his bodies response to this method several times to make sure he feels comfortable during the run.
B. All runners should have a wick-away shirt to wear when training. Unlike a wick-away t-shirt, a cotton shirt absorbs the sweat and clings to the skin, causing very poor evaporation. Your son will feel the burden of running with a wet blanket on his torso, his training session will be miserable and not safe.
C. I recommend an insulated water bottle, because cool water is ingested faster than warm water. I’d suggest a 14-24oz container.