The Importance of Water before and during the COINS 3 Peaks Challenge

Before the Walking Event
Your body constantly loses water. You should be fully hydrated during your training sessions for the COINS 3 Peaks Challenge and during the event itself so you can perform to the best of your ability. It’s important not to start dehydrated. The average person should drink around 8 glasses of water a day (preferably natural mineral water) and this quantity should of course increase when exercising. To check your hydration, check your urine. It should be pale yellow and you should need to pass urine often throughout the day.

During the Walking Event
You must aim to be fully hydrated before the COINS 3 Peaks Challenge begins. This can be achieved by having a high fluid intake during the days before the hill walking event. As you will be exercising for a long duration, it is advisable to take on fluids regularly. When we are exercising our bodies sweat more in order to cool us down and it is essential to replace these lost fluids. You should endeavour to be continually topping up your fluid levels as you walk – and drinking water is the easiest way to do this. A minimum of two litres per mountain should be your basic target, or more in hot weather (and on training days).You should ideally drink before you become thirsty; a bottle with a sports cap is best. Large amounts of alcohol should be avoided the night before the COINS 3 Peaks Challenge as well.