Ollie Jones
Gritfest
CarmarthenshireTop 50, M25-29Ollie's headline numbers
Ollie's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"This was a bit of a strange race. I came into it super tired and was able to eat and hit the numbers I wanted but it felt like it wasn’t helping the legs. At the Prologue on Friday, I had good power numbers but for the stages on the next two days, I couldn't get close to what I wanted. I did find it really easy to take on fuel though and love the gel and drink mix combo because I can hit my numbers easily without any GI issues."
After a few heavy weeks of racing and some great performances, Ollie struggled with some fatigue across this weekend of riding at Gritfest. He focused on fueling consistently throughout the separate stages in an attempt to maintain his energy levels as best as he could. In doing this, he averaged ~121 grams of carb per hour on Saturday’s stage (65km and 1600m of climbing) and ~70g/h the following day (57km and 1360m of climbing). Ollie used a combination of PF&H products and some food from the aid stations to hit these numbers and did well to average close to his target total target intake of ~90g/h of carb overall.
Hydration
Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.
Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.
Ollie880mg/L
Ollie has been Sweat Tested to dial in his hydration plan
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Ollie's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I managed to stay pretty hydrated. It wasn’t too hot so it was easy to get enough fluids in during the stages but because I was camping all weekend, it was tricky to get enough water in throughout the day before and after the stages."
With each stage taking less than 4 hours, Ollie focused on replacing a good proportion of his fluid losses during and after each stage, and consumed sufficient fluids over the event to avoid building up a large fluid and sodium deficit. Despite not supplementing with sodium during the stages, he ensured his sodium needs were accounted for by pre-loading on both mornings prior to the race start with PH 1500. With cooler, shorter races, like at Gritfest, this is likely sufficient and aligns with his subjective ratings of his hydration strategy. In future races where conditions are hotter, Ollie could carry some Electrolyte Capsules as a back-up or swap a bottle of PF Carb Only Drink Mix to PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix to mitigate any hydration-related issues and ensure he takes on some sodium during the intense efforts of racing.
Caffeine
Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Ollie sensibly consumed a couple of PF 30 Caffeine Gels across the weekend, staying in line with the scientific recommendations, and ensuring he reaped the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant and hopefully provided a little more energy to his already fatigued legs. When considering this was total caffeine intake, Ollie could possibly have benefited from an additional PF 30 Caffeine Gel on each stage given the fatigue and depletion he was feeling.
How Ollie hit his numbers
Here's everything that Ollie ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Overall, I wasn’t very pleased with my performance. The race came after a mid season break and it felt like my body hadn’t recovered enough to be racing full gas again. Also, a tent is probably not the ideal sleeping location for recovery…”
“After a tough few weeks of racing, Ollie’s body struggled to hit the performance goals he set out for himself. He did a great job in sticking to his fuel and hydration strategy throughout the weekend to navigate his energy levels as best as possible.”
PF&HOllie's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.