How it started

In 2019, I trained for and ran my first marathon; 42.2km (26.2 miles) along the coast of Normandy. It was such a dreamy, beautiful run in France, but…it was also the most challenging and painful thing I’d ever done. Immediately after finishing it, every muscle in my body ached, I was incredibly dehydrated, my walk looked more like a wobble, and I had to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes for several hours (IYKYK). So why did I feel this way? Besides the obvious reasons: marathons are long af and running for several hours is undeniably intense. I also did not do myself any favours when fuelling for this race. Most people know about 'carb loading’ (eating more carbohydrates before a long run) but fewer talk about how crucial proper hydration is.

For any distance of running, even if it is only a single kilometre, hydration is SO important. If your muscles are not properly hydrated, they can seize and cramp while you run. For this marathon, I drank three bottles of water the day before and thought that would be a sufficient amount of hydration…it was not. 

So what should I have done differently? 

Drinking water is the most obvious way to hydrate your body, but if you wait until the day before a race to actually do this, you don’t give your body enough time to fully absorb and utilize the water. For my first marathon, I should have started increasing my water intake the entire week before the race, not just one day, and I should have consumed way more electrolytes to ensure my muscles had what they needed. Not only would this have helped me feel stronger during my run, but it also would have made my recovery 10x better. This is where electrolytes come into play–they’re just as critical as water.

But what are electrolytes and why are they important for running?

Electrolytes are super trendy right now, but a lot of people don’t actually know what they are. So here’s a very simple way to understand electrolytes and what they do: think of electrolytes as tiny helpers in your body that keep everything running (pardon the pun) smoothly. They’re minerals, like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, that send signals to your muscles to keep you hydrated and balance things like your blood pressure.

When you sweat (a lot, like during a run), you lose electrolytes–and without enough of them, your muscles can cramp, you can feel super tired, and you might even get dizzy. I once read that taking electrolytes before you go for a run (or any workout) is like pre-charging your body’s battery, and I love thinking about it this way! Every time I take electrolytes before a run, my body actually feels strong and energized the whole time.

For my first marathon, I didn’t really understand how important electrolytes were and I definitely didn’t know which electrolyte powder would be good for me to take. So over the past five years, I made it my mission to try as many brands that make electrolytes as possible and find the best one to support my runs.

Full disclosure, I am absolutely not a doctor or dietician, but after trying what feels like 100 different electrolyte powders, syrups, and gels, I’ve discovered a personal favourite that really works. The best electrolytes I’ve found are Cira Nutrition’s Hydration electrolytes. Not only is the ingredient list amazing (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and more!), but it also tastes AMAZING. You might think that flavour shouldn’t matter if the ingredients are good, but trust me, it does. As someone who has legitimately thrown up on a run because the flavour of a gel was absolutely vile, I can confirm that you want to make sure what you’re putting in your body during a run tastes GOOD. And Cira’s Hydration is the best I’ve ever tried.

In October 2023, I ran my second marathon in Chicago and used the Cira Nutrition Hydration powder during my training and it significantly improved my performance. Just last week, I ran my third marathon in Philadelphia, and not only did I use this product before my runs, but I also tried it DURING my long runs when I could feel my muscles starting to fatigue. 

This was the biggest game changer.

How it’s going

Running the Philadelphia Marathon last week was such an incredible experience. I was able to run the entire thing (somehow without taking a single walking break?!) and I finished with a 9 minute PB! If you stick to a training plan and fuel correctly, you’ll be amazed at what your body is capable of doing. It takes time to build up to big challenges like this, it’s definitely not an overnight thing, but our goals are always possible. In the five years since running my first marathon, I have accomplished so many of my personal running and movement goals and learned a ton about myself and my body along the way. 

My biggest advice for anyone who ever wants to run a marathon, a half marathon, a 10 km, a 5 km, or even someone who just wants to start running for fun, is to just set the goal and go for it. If you start small, give yourself time and grace, and definitely make sure your body is properly fuelled and hydrated (with electrolytes!!), you’ll crush it 100% of the time.  

Now what?

I got back from Philly four days ago and my body actually feels GREAT (shout out Cira Nutrition Hydration). My next goal is set for February when I’ll be taking on the Disney Princess Race Weekend in Orlando. I will be running a 5 km, 10 km, and half marathon and I genuinely cannot wait! And you better believe that my Cira Nutrition Hydration will be coming with me to keep me powered up for all those ~magical~ miles through Disney World. 

See you there!

Written By: Ange States