If your usual 10k suddenly felt like a half marathon during Ireland's recent spell of hot weather, you weren't imagining it.
Irish runners are well adapted to cool temperatures, drizzle and headwinds. Running in sustained heat is a very different challenge.
As temperatures rise, so does sweat loss — and with it, the loss of important electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and magnesium.
That's why hydration becomes about more than simply drinking more water.
Running Performance
Electrolytes are essential minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in body fluids, helping support hydration, nerve signalling and normal muscle function.
You lose electrolytes through sweat, so replacing them can be especially useful after heavy exercise, hot weather, illness, or significant sweating.
When hydration is properly managed, your body is better able to regulate temperature, transport nutrients and deliver oxygen to working muscles.
In simple terms?
Your body can focus on running rather than playing catch up.
Injury Prevention
Most runners think about stretching, mobility work and strength training when it comes to staying injury free.
Hydration rarely makes the list.
Electrolytes help support normal muscle contraction and nerve signalling — both of which play an important role in movement and coordination.
When fatigue creeps in, running form often starts to suffer.
And poor form over thousands of strides can eventually become niggles, overuse injuries or setbacks.
Consistency is the real secret to progress, and staying on top of hydration can help support that consistency.
Muscle Function and Fatigue
Running involves thousands of muscle contractions repeated over and over again.
Magnesium has many roles in the body including supporting muscle function, energy, and electrolyte balance, as well as helping reduce tiredness and fatigue. Both potassium and calcium also contribute to normal muscle function.*
Together, these minerals help keep your body moving efficiently from the first kilometre to the last.
Temperature Regulation
Anyone who has trained through an Irish heatwave knows that running in warmer weather feels very different.
As body temperature rises, sweat production increases and electrolyte losses rise alongside it.
Sodium and other electrolytes play an important role in fluid balance, making hydration strategies increasingly important during longer sessions and hotter conditions.
Meet Your New Running Companion
That's where One Nutrition Hydrate & Go comes in.
Formulated with all five essential minerals— sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and chloride — Hydrate & Go provides a simple and convenient way to support hydration as part of an active lifestyle.
Featuring calcium, magnesium and sodium sourced from Atlantic sea minerals alongside potassium and chloride, naturally produced from salt deposit mines, each refreshing citrus sachet mixes easily with water and is ideal for:
- Long runs
- Summer training sessions
- Race weekends and travel
- Gym sessions and cross training
- Busy, active days on the move
Plus, like all One Nutrition products, it has a clean formulation without unnecessary fillers, excipients or additives.
The Bottom Line
Training plans matter.
Recovery matters.
Nutrition matters.
Hydration deserves a place on that list too.
Because sometimes improving your running isn't about doing more.
It's about replacing what you've lost and giving your body what it needs to keep moving forward.