Track and field involve intense running. If you’re fond of this sport, it’s only natural that you’ll be losing lots of water due to sweating.
Unfortunately, the combination of fatigue and the loss of water and other minerals often weakens you and hampers your performance.
Dehydration is marked by symptoms like irritation, confusion, and thirst. To counter this, you’ll need to drink hydrating beverages.
And what’s the most effective hydration beverage, you ask? Well, I’d have to say that energy drinks offer a lot of ingredients that work to keep your body going through the trials and tribulations of track and field.
I’ve compiled a list of my favorite energy drinks that are great for track and field activities. All these drinks have the essential ingredients to hydrate and energize you, so be prepared to be amazed.
Let’s dive in!
What’s The Best Drink For Dehydration?
I’ve mentioned that you can also drink energy drinks aside from water. To get satisfactory performance in your track game, you’ll have to prioritize your hydration.
When adequately hydrated, you’ll have enough strength and stamina to finish your lap. If you’re not, you’ll be getting the opposite results.
I understand that the first thing that may come to your mind is that water would be the best drink. But aside from quenching your thirst, energy drinks contain electrolytes.
Electrolytes are capable of replacing the fluids you lost in your system. In this way, the muscles in your cells will function properly.
To name a few, Raze and XS Energy are the best examples of energy drinks that contain electrolytes.
How Much Energy Drink Should You Drink?
This article suggests that you need 17-20 fl oz of drink three hours before your workout. Therefore, you need to keep track of your fluid intake as well.
On the other hand, you should consider taking only 1-2 cans or servings of energy drinks per day. This amount may be good if you only consume water and other electrolyte drinks without caffeine and sugar. With energy drinks, you have to consider the side effects you might get from each of its ingredients.
The FDA suggests that it’s safe for you to take no more than 400mg of caffeine per day when it comes to caffeine content.
Energy drinks typically contain around 80-150mg of caffeine. However, there are energy drinks with 300mg of caffeine content like Celsius as well. It’s best to consume lower than the suggested amount to avoid caffeine overdose.
Meanwhile, consuming more than 24g of sugar for women or 36g of sugar for men can cause headaches and fatigue. But that’s only its mild symptoms. Worse, you might experience the following issues:
- Diabetes
- Overweight
- Tooth decay
| Gender | Recommended Daily Intake |
| Men | 150 kcal/ 37.5g / 9 tsp |
| Female | 100 kcal/ 25g / 6 tsp |
Should You Drink Energy Drinks Before a Track Meet?
Yes, it’s a good idea. Some runners are in favor of drinking 2-3 cups of coffee before a run. A serving of coffee is said to boost your speed and endurance with only 80mg to 100mg of caffeine.
A study also states an improvement in the running quality of runners who drank energy drinks before running. The said study uses energy drinks that contain caffeine, glucose, and taurine.
With that being said, I think you should also note the said ingredients when looking for a running buddy. But don’t forget to practice stretching first.
Stretching readies your body before a run, ensuring you have sufficient energy for it is also significant. Regardless of whether it’s just a casual run or a vital race, energy drinks can give you an increase in power. And also an increase of your psychological concentration.
I have here additional tips that might help you. Just like consuming energy drinks before running, you should have a few post-workout practices. This article advises the following steps for post-workout practice:
- Get hydrated
- Eat snacks
- Do light stretching
- Don’t forget to cool down
Energy Drinks vs Sports Drinks
You might be wondering whether they are the same or not. Sports drinks are flavored drinks with other vitamins, but they always have carbohydrates and minerals. On the other hand, energy drinks can also contain minerals and vitamins, but they usually contain stimulants like caffeine.
There are three kinds of sports drinks, here’s a table that will show you its main characteristic. In this way, you won’t confuse it with energy drinks.
| Type | Function | Example |
| Isotonic drinks | – has the same amount of salt and sugar in your body. Because it has carbohydrates, it’ll also replace the fluid in your body. | Pocari Sweat Gatorade |
| Hypertonic drinks | – good source of carbohydrate intake and replace your glycogen level after exercise. | Regular Cola Lucozade Energy |
| Hypotonic drinks | – This has a higher concentration of salt and sugar than your body. Because of this, it will quickly replace the fluid in your body. | G Active and G2.Powerade Zero. |
Which Energy Drink Is Best For Running Athletes?
Any energy drink will do for as long as it contains the ingredients discussed below. You must check for these contents on an energy drink’s nutritional label and ingredients.
- Carbohydrates – Carbohydrates are stored in your body as muscle and liver glycogen. This can be used as additional fuel for your run.
- Electrolytes – allows your muscle to maintain water balance while running. Drinking beverages with electrolytes will make your blood pump through your core.
- Vitamin B – to support your nerves in pumping blood, it’s good to have vitamin B to keep your blood cells healthy. It can help prevent muscle cramps too!
Best Energy Drinks for Track and Field
I bet you’ll be happy to check out my list. These are just a few I could suggest to you, but all of them would work for you effectively. The list also includes my favorite one!
Red Bull
Red Bull is associated with cliff-diving and trail runs. It has only 27g of sugar and 80mg of caffeine. Because you can get a lot of energy with these two, it just explains why Red Bull’s name is prominent in adrenaline-fuelled sports.
It also contains 11g of carbohydrates and amino acids, which increases aerobic performance and concentration. Although its caffeine content is not that high, its sugar content is something you should watch out for.
Amino Energy
After running, Amino Energy is a perfect energy drink because it can help you recover fast through its electrolyte content. It has 100mg of salt with sodium citrate, magnesium phosphate, and potassium chloride that acts as electrolytes.
You can also rely on it to get a boost before your run. Its 100mg of caffeine is just a decent amount that could give you the boost you need.
Two scoops of this energy drink will give you 1g of carbohydrates. Aside from that, it also doesn’t contain any sugar. It means you don’t need to be concerned about any sugar crashes!
Zipfizz
Just like Red Bull, Zipfizz is also known in the sports industry. It contains Vitamins B, C, and E that are helpful for your skin and nerves. With Zipfizz, you have a guard for your skin outside and your health inside of your body.
It’s also rich in electrolytes. It has minerals like potassium, magnesium, and sodium, to name a few.
Its caffeine content is at 100mg, and it is contained in cylinder-type packaging with 2g total carbs. It’s so convenient to mix because it’s in a powdered form.
Therefore, if you want your drink to have lots of water, feel free to add so!
REIZE (My Favorite)
Nothing can help you more than a convenient to-carry energy drink. REIZE is so easy to mix. Just add it to 16 fl oz of water, and you’re good to go!
It’s perfect for drinking before running. It has a moderate yet powerful 50mg of caffeine to help you finish your laps. But that’s not all, it also contains B vitamins, taurine, and inositol. B Vitamins can help you avoid sudden cramps and muscle aches during your competition.
This energy drink is also sugar-free and contains just 11 calories, so you won’t have to worry about any side effects plaguing you after your daily workout.
It has a nice and fizzy flavor that I find just so refreshing and it keeps me coming back for more. You can’t imagine how much REIZE I gulp down after a tiring session.
You can get REIZE for only around $1 per sachet, and you can even have your orders delivered straight to your door.
Try REIZE now and defy your limits!
Other Notable Mentions
Conclusion
It’s not surprising that you look for energy drinks if you love running. For me, you should go with an energy drink that can give you enough power with a low amount of caffeine.
It’s even better if that energy drink doesn’t contain any sugar. This way you don’t need to worry about any sugar crashes when you run.
You can also consider the vitamins in the energy drink of your choice. When all is in the right amount, you’ll have nothing to worry about. It’ll also help you enjoy your run and focus on your performance.