Jamie Pond
Suffolk Coastal Path 50km
Lowestoft, Sufolk1st, M18-24Jamie's headline numbers
Jamie's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"It felt as though my energy levels were close to bang on throughout the race. Although I hadn’t quite nailed sipping the flow gel in training, today I felt a lot more comfortable taking small sips often."
After some unwanted GI issues in his training and previous races, Jamie chatted with Sport Scientist Tash. Since then, he’s been relentless in his gut training practices to ensure that he can tolerate higher doses of carb without the stomach discomfort. Clearly, this paid off in this race as he consumed frequent doses of carb throughout by sipping on his soft flask of PF 300 Flow Gel to hit ~104g/h. We often see athletes tolerating beyond 90g/h of carbs, and given the correlation between exercise performance and carb intakes, it’s clearly paying off. Testament to this, Jamie reported consistently high energy levels and achieved the course record here at Suffolk Coastal Path 50km.
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.
Jamie1214mg/L
Jamie 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.
Given Jamie's losses are High (1,214mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy remains important, even when it's Mild.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Jamie start optimally hydrated
"Unlike a lot of my training, I didn’t experience any GI issues and I think this could be due to the hydration plan going as well as it did."
Jamie wanted to carry as little extra weight as possible to help him run fast, but he also knew the importance of staying hydrated during the race. After having a Sweat Test he decided that carrying several soft flasks of PH 1000 or PH 1500 with him was worth the weight penalty. This strategy ensured he drank enough fluid and sodium to account for his sweat losses. By doing this, he no doubt mitigated the debilitating effects of dehydration and supported both his performance and ability to absorb carbs, further minimising his GI discomfort. Moving forward, Jamie could also drink a 500ml bottle of PH 1500 a couple of hours prior to the race, something we call a preload, which will ensure he starts his next race as hydrated as possible.
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
Jamie started his morning off with a coffee alongside his breakfast but consumed no other caffeine during the race. Considering the duration of the race, he would have benefited from *some* of the ergogenic effects the stimulant has to offer. Increasing his intake in future races would be sensible due to the fatigue-masking benefits. To do this, he should look to trial some caffeine in his training through PF 30 Caffeine Gels and introduce this into his race plan when comfortable with it.
How Jamie hit his numbers
Here's everything that Jamie ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I would rank it this high as I do believe I stayed very consistent on my splits throughout my race and was very pleased with my percieved energy levels. I feel as though it could’ve been improved with more consistent fluid intake, especially towards the back end of the race, maybe with a hand held bottle. ”
“Jamie had an incredible performance at the Suffolk Coastal Path 50km and came away with a course record and top step on the podium. Ahead of his next (slightly longer) race in Nice, he should look to incorporate some caffeine into his strategy and preload before the race itself to maximise his hydration status and energy levels.”
PF&HJamie'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).