Water

Water is important.  60-65% of a man is made up of water, and in the human body, blood, bones, and muscles need that water to function properly.  When the percentage goes down, our body doesn't work properly, and when we become dehydrated, we can first feel it through our muscles cramping, and our mouth becomes dry.  Without water, we cannot survive.  Today, I ran two times.  Once during the hottest part of the day, and once at night.  Before I ran during both, I prepared myself by drinking a lot of water, because I don't like to bring water with me as I run.  I went out this morning and ran 11.81 miles in 1:44:01, an average of 8:49 min/mile.  During that run, I perspired profusely, losing the water within me in order to maintain my body temperature, as it was rising due to the sun being out and me running.  During the night, I ran 6.98 miles in 56:37 an average of 8:07 min/mile.  It was at night, so I didn't perspire as much.  After that, I went to the gym and worked out and went to the sauna... it was a good night.

Our body is always using the water that we put in it, using it to maintain temperatures, sending nutrients from one area to another, as well as many other things.  Water is vital, yet we use it up.  That's why it's important to always keep yourself hydrated.  Sometimes, I forget about hydrating myself, and usually that ends bad.  I start seemingly okay, but as I continue to run, I would feel a little more tired, and would have to push harder.  I remember one time during the summer between my freshman and sophomore year in college.  I decided to go for a ten mile run and didn't properly hydrate myself.  Because of the heat, I had to stop running after about 6 miles into the run, and I was still a ways home.  On the way back, I stopped by a gas station, and the man that was there gave me a bottle of water so that I would be able to hydrate my body again.  As the water went into my body, I realized just how important water was for me.

Water isn't the only thing that keeps us going.  Food is important, sleep is important, as well as many other things, and lacking those things will affect us negatively.  Taking care of yourself is an important part of training for your goal.  If you're not taking care of yourself, you might end up getting hurt.  Taking steps towards your goal means to prepare properly, so that you can put yourself in a good scenario, whether it be drinking enough water, eating enough food, or getting a good night's rest.