Proper hydration has long been an acknowledged factor in how well you perform during a race, and how much you enjoy it! As it with many things in life, however, it's not about how much, but when and how you do it. Lets take a closer look.

1. Get into a regular schedule

Many people think proper hydration is all about downing gallons of water immediately before a race, without paying any attention to water during your normal daily schedule. However, your pre-race hydration is much more effective if your body is already used to having lots of water every day. It is very tempting to recite the oft-repeated '8 cups a day rule here' - it is a very good guideline, but the truth is you have to see what your body needs. You can drink a variety of fluids to avoid that feeling of drinking something you don't really want - juices, herbal teas ect.

Try to cut down on caffeinated products which act as a diuretic and deplete your water supply - switch to decaf tea or coffee or a substitute such as rooibos tea.

2. Practice in training what you'll do in the race.

The fact is there is far from a uniform consensus on how much water we should drink during a race. In the past few years, the problem of hyponatremia (low sodium levels caused by drinking too much water during a long race) has come to light, and put paid to the notion that 'you can never drink too much water'. Some authorities on the subject believe thirst is a reliable indicator of whether you need water or not, others believe thirst always comes too late and you should go by a set amount every so often (e.g 250ml every 15 minutes has been suggested).

With such varying opinions, the best thing for a runner to do is to fall back on the old reliable - listening to their body. Experiment during training with drinking whilst thirsty one day, experiment with drinking set amounts every so often another day. Scan yourself for signs of fatigue, crankiness, unclear thinking (especially during a long training run) which may be a result of dehydration - and see if extra fluid intake alleviates those symptoms. Weigh yourself just before and just after a run - if you weigh more afterwards, you are overdoing it.

3. The most important time is the day before

The 24 hours before the race is by far the most important time to get the water in; space your fluid intake throughout the day. Drinking large quantities of water just before a race is very rarely helpful, and indeed often leads to the inconvenience of a mid-race bathroom stop. Your serious drinking should have largely stopped 2 hours before the race; it's sips from then on in.

4. On race day: little by little

For short races like 10K, a mouthful or two of water at the halfway point should be enough if you have hydrated well before the race - anything else will just slow you down! For longer races such as the marathon, carbonated drinks can be a big help to restore depleted glycogen levels in the body. Try not to have these drinks too sugary - around 4-5% sugars is the recommended value.

The above-mentioned problem of hyponatraemia will only really come into play if you are out there on the course for over 4 hours: just make sure you are not drinking more fluids than you are sweating out (weighing during training can be a very reliable indicator of this) and combine your drinking with elecrolytes that contain sodium. (Note: Hyponatremia only seems to result from drinking too much during a race, not before or after)

5. Post-race hydration

Your post race fluid intake is an opportunity to get some glucose into the muscles and electrolytes back into the system. Ideally, a good post-race drink should also contain some protein to help with muscle repair. There are specialist recovery drinks to cater for all three needs, however you can also make your own with the aid of a blender - you can't go wrong with a mix of juice, bananas and protein powder. Miso soup is also good for protein and electrolytes. Try to get these drinks into your system as soon after you stop as possible - as a friend and fellow Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team Member, Tarit Stott, once told me: Recovery starts from the moment you finish!