With the Kenya race coming up in just 40 days, I’ve been trying to unravel what really happened with my hydration and fueling during the London Marathon. I knew something was off that day, but I didn’t have the numbers to understand why things fell apart the way they did. So this week, I finally decided to get serious about it and started using an hDrop wearable on my runs to gather real data instead of guessing.
Today’s 13.5‑mile run gave me more insight than I expected — and honestly, more than I was prepared for.
According to the hDrop, I lost 1,783 mg of sodium during the run. Meanwhile, I only took in 1,200 mg, which means I was already in the red before I even hit double digits. No wonder things felt off toward the end. Sodium loss has always been a blind spot for me, but seeing the actual numbers made it impossible to ignore. This is officially a fueling issue I need to address before Kenya.
The water situation wasn’t much better. I lost 77.1 oz and only took in 54 oz. By the end of the run, my body was absolutely feeling that shortage — heavy legs, sluggish brain, that unmistakable “you’re running on fumes” sensation. I ended up cutting the run short by two miles because I ran out of both food and salt around mile 10. Not ideal, but also not surprising given the numbers.
The good news? Now I know. And knowing means I can fix it.
For recovery, I booked some time at the Sweat Houz, which turned out to be exactly what I needed. I spent an hour cycling between the infrared sauna, the cold plunge, and wrapped it all up with a vitamin‑C infused shower. It felt like hitting a reset button — physically and mentally. A small reminder that recovery is just as important as the miles themselves.
So the work continues. I’m dialing in my hydration plan, rethinking my sodium strategy, and making sure I’m not repeating the same mistakes in Kenya. Today’s run wasn’t perfect, but it was productive — and right now, that’s the win I needed.
The Johnsons 