Amanda Basham
Arc of Attrition 50
Cornwall3rd, FPROAmanda's headline numbers
Amanda's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Amanda would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
" I had low energy all day, but I don’t think it was related to my fueling as I have been sick on and off for the past month. I also picked up another bug while traveling, which didn’t help. It wasn’t the worst it could have been, but still pretty rough."
Amanda tried to stick to her plan of ~60g of carbohydrates per hour, consuming 12 PF 30 Gels and 2L of Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix. However, this still put her below the recommended 90g per hour for a race of this effort level and duration. Under ideal circumstances, she would have undergone gut training ahead of time to make sure she could tolerate ~90g/h during the race. That said, this race was far from ideal, as Amanda had been battling a prolonged illness leading up to the event, which likely impacted her energy levels. She also experienced some GI discomfort until mile 39, where she had to stop briefly to let her stomach settle before being able to push through to the finish. This GI discomfort, part of the lingering illness complications, was certainly a contributor to her lower-than-ideal carb intake from the start of the race.
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.
Drinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Amanda start optimally hydrated
" I felt very hydrated. It wasn't very hot out and I wasn't moving fast."
Without a sweat test to guide her, Amanda tried to estimate her fluid and sodium needs, which can be a bit tricky. She decided to replace around the average amount of sodium lost per litre of fluids, alternating between soft flasks of Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and plain water, while supplementing with Electrolyte Capsules to help fend off any dehydration related symptoms. Given her past issues with stomach distress, she took a more cautious, experimental approach. This strategy ended up working well and suiting her mild losses on the day, as she felt consistently hydrated in the cooler conditions and while running at a lower intensity. For hotter and/or faster events, we’d recommend some further sweat sodium as well as sweat rate testing to determine her total losses and better understand how much fluid and sodium her body requires to perform at her best.
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
Other than a pre-race coffee and some cola from an aid station, Amanda didn’t consume any additional caffeine. Given the well-documented performance-enhancing effects, she could refine her strategy to include the stimulant while on the move. Taking a PF 30 Caffeine Gel at the start line, followed by one or two more during the race, could help her reach the recommended 3-6 mg/kg dose, potentially boosting her energy levels, masking fatigue and keeping her moving along the course.
How Amanda hit her numbers
Here's everything that Amanda ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“My nutrition and hydration actually went pretty well. I mostly did what I planned, although it's on the low end of my long term goal. I was able to keep it consistent since I wasn't moving very fast and mostly had a good stomach. My inability to move fast was due to sickness, but my attitude was really good the whole race so I'm proud of it.”
“Amanda raced well despite challenging circumstances, demonstrating resilience and commitment to the plan. Hopefully, future races won’t be impacted by prolonged illness, allowing her to focus on increasing her carbohydrate intake and strategically incorporating caffeine to enhance her performance.”
PF&HAmanda'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 good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).