Salt, Sweat, and Hydration: Dr. Patrick Burns - 07/01/2020

Salt, Sweat, and Hydration: Dr. Patrick
Burns 

Should you be taking sodium and other electrolytes while racing?
What are electrolytes anyway, and what are the key factors that
affect electrolyte levels when running? Dr. Patrick Burns has
been studying the answers to these questions and more, and shares
his latest research in this episode.


 


Patrick started running as a Massachusetts high school student.
He traded short distances for the two-mile event after
discovering he was “not fast.” At Bowdoin College in Maine, he
made another switch, favoring enjoyable and exploratory running
over competition. This continued as he traveled the world as a
nomadic teacher, using running as a way to explore new
countries. 


 


Eventually, Patrick moved back to be near his family and go to
Tufts medical school. His sister, Katie, had six marathons to her
credit, and Patrick decided to train with her for one. This is
when he really fell in love with running. Patrick and Katie
completed the Boston Marathon, and more long distance races
followed. However, once he began his Emergency Medicine residency
at the University of Washington, Patrick had very little time to
run.   


Four years later, Patrick did a Wilderness Medicine fellowship at
Stanford. Here he discovered RacingThePlanet and ultramarathon
running while working as a researcher on a race in Ecuador. He
was hooked. Here’s Patrick’s definition of Type 2 fun: a
self-supported, 250 km, 7-day race through extreme environments.
He considered this brutal, grueling, and amazing. 


Patrick is currently a clinical assistant professor for the
Department of Emergency Medicine at the Stanford University
School of Medicine and the assistant director of the 
Wilderness Medicine section. He continues to work with
RacingThePlanet to answer questions related to
ultrarunning.  This project coincided with his first RTP
ultramarathon – a fantastically humbling experience.


 
Questions Patrick is asked:

 


2:35 You are an ultra runner and emergency room doctor at
Stanford University and before I get into the main topics that
I'd like to discuss today, how is the current situation there?


 


3:15 Stanford is now doing all their classes online. Is that
correct?


 


3:59 As we head into the summer months in the northern
hemisphere, many athletes become more concerned about
electrolytes.  You are one of the authors of a very
interesting study on hydration and electrolytes and you were also
one of the test subjects.  Before we get into the study, can
you give us a little primer on electrolytes, what they are, and
why they are important for the human body?


 


4:56 What happens when you run long distances and get those
electrolytes out of balance?


 


5:54 Can you explain what hypo- and hypernatremia are and why
that matters?


 


6:23 Can you talk about some of the complications of hypo- and
hypernatremia?


 


9:00 Is hyponatremia more dangerous than dehydration or
hypernatremia?


 


9:34 Is sodium the most important electrolyte?


 


 9:54 Are some electrolytes more important than
others?  Do you have to replace all of them while racing?


 


 10:31 Can you describe the study that you and your
colleagues did?  What was the goal of the study?  How
was it conducted?  


 


13:12 How many people raced in the event and how many people did
you end up studying?


 


14:40 How were samples collected? Were you pricking people’s
fingers? 


 


16:12 How good are we at hydrating and keeping sodium levels in
balance?


 


16:54 Is a too high sodium level from taking in too much salt or
not taking in enough water, or could it be either or both?


 


17:44 Did you talk to the runners in the study about why they
were doing what they were doing with regards to sodium? Why is
there such a big range of what we take in?


 


20:08 Should you change your sodium level intake in a hot race?


 


21:34 Do you have any insight on taking extra electrolytes for
muscle cramps? 


 


23:13  I would love to ask you about the drink-to-thirst
philosophy. We’re reading a lot about that nowadays, that that
should be the only rule: drink to thirst. What do you think about
that?


 


24:50 What about in a race where you’re not carrying your own
fluid for the most part? You can’t really drink to thirst. You’ve
got to wait until you get to that aid station, so there has to be
some sort of plan that overrides the drink-to-thirst. Is this
just, would you say, trial and error and see what works for you?


 


25:55 What questions are still unanswered when it comes to
athletic hydration?  What’s next? Are you planning on more
studies, or what are some of the things that you and the doctors
that you work with are looking to study?


 


27:33 Are you going to test people with blisters to see what
product works best?


 


28:17  What products do you like?






Questions I ask everyone:


 


28:59 If you could go back and talk to yourself when you first
started running, what advice would you give yourself?


 


29:38 What is the greatest gift that running has given you?


 


30:15 Where can listeners connect with you?


 
Quotes by Patrick:

 


“Sodium is the electrolyte that seems to be dysregulated most
often during running.”


 


“Our body does a lot of the work on its own.”


 


“Is there a benefit for hydration status with sodium? Probably.”


 


Take a Listen on Your Next Run


 


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Mentioned in this podcast: 

Racing the Planet


nuun tablets


RockTape


Hammer Nutrition


Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community


RunnersConnect Facebook page


claire@runnersconnect.net


 


Follow Patrick on:


email Patrick


Instagram






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