Cat Bradley
Black Canyon 100km
ArizonaTop 50, FPROCat's headline numbers
Cat's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Cat would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"I had some periods where, despite being nauseous, I felt pretty good."
Cat had been training her gut to tolerate an intended 90 grams of carb per hour during the race, but she mentioned her stomach felt off from when she first woke up that morning which hindered her fueling strategy. As a result, Cat didn’t feel like she could eat until over an hour into the race. And that’s after a two-and-a-half hour delay to the race start meant that she was already playing catch-up with her fueling. She began to incorporate PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Chews as planned, but waves of nausea continued until mile 50 (80km) where she was continually sick and couldn’t keep anything down. As her stomach was unsettled even before the race started and her gastrointestinal (GI) issues began almost immediately, Cat thinks she may have had a stomach bug or Celiac flare. Taking smaller, consistent doses of carb to keep her energy levels up may have been a better tactic at the early signs of GI discomfort, instead of jumping from close to nothing to large amounts in a short period of time, which may have overloaded and worsened the gut symptoms.
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.
Cat757mg/L
Cat has been Sweat Tested to dial in her 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 Cat's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"That rating might be generous. I started to get cramps around mile 17, and had some swelling in my hands. I was worried about my past experience with hyponatremia, but couldn’t tell if I needed more salt or water once the symptoms hit."
While Cat’s average intake across the race may appear suitable at first glance, she actually swung from extreme ends of the spectrum between checkpoints. With a chaotic start to the race caused by the delay, Cat drank very little for the first 13 miles. Although she carried two 500ml flasks, she only sipped occasionally on the go and chugged more at a couple of aid stations. Having these peaks and troughs in fluid intake including downing large quantities at once is harder on the gut and could lead to GI distress. Similarly, Cat’s overall sodium intake averaged out to be an appropriate amount, but she went from having almost no sodium early on to consuming most of her Electrolyte Capsules once cramps started to kick in. She stopped consuming anything as the extreme GI issues took their toll toward the end of the race. We’re working with Cat to practise a more consistent, planned sodium and fluid intake, to achieve a better balance of the two and replace a greater proportion of her sweat losses throughout races.
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
Considering the issues she faced during the race, Cat did well to meet the general caffeine guidelines for endurance performance. She is a big coffee drinker with a high tolerance to the stimulant, so she used three PF 30 Caffeine Gels spread over the course of the race in an attempt to reduce her perceived effort levels.
How Cat hit her numbers
Here's everything that Cat ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I was excited to be back, and had no hip pain which was amazing for my first time putting it to the test. I’m happy but not satisfied at all. I think I might’ve had a stomach bug, but also could have botched up my strategy badly.”
“It was great to see Cat back on the start line this season. Although things didn’t go quite to plan, there is lots to build upon and valuable lessons learned. Despite major GI discomfort, she still took in *some* fuel and hydration to keep her moving to the finish line. Looking forward, she should practise her race nutrition strategy ahead of time to make sure it’s second nature even in the face of a chaotic start. Having more uniformity across her intake will also enable her to adjust each of ‘The Three Levers’ as symptoms pop up.”
PF&HCat'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 some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.