Jonny Tye
Bowline CC Charnwood Hills Race
LeicestershireTop 50Jonny's headline numbers
Jonny's strategy
Fueling
A carb rich meal (low in fat & fibre) ~1-4 hours before would help Jonny start optimally fueled
Jonny would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"I didn’t have any GI issues but my legs felt tired and heavy for the first half and generally battered in the latter stages despite my energy levels being good.it was just one of those days."
Jonny’s fuel intake for a race this relatively short race was above general recommendations, though he has worked hard on training his gut to be able to tolerate this high carb intake. As he didn't have any GI issues, we wouldn't recommend he greatly alters his fueling strategy next time out as evidence suggests higher carb consumption is associated with improved
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.
Jonny1300mg/L
Jonny 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 Jonny's losses are High (1,300mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy remains important, even when it's Mild.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I’m basically happy with my hydration plan. I was able to pick up fluid when I had planned and needed to, even with it being warmer than expected. I was thirsty when I finished but didn’t feel like I wanted much more in the race."
Jonny had a well thought out hydration strategy going into the race, which ultimately helped him in the warmer than predicted conditions. He was diligent in preloading with a strong electrolyte the night before and morning of, as he knows this is crucial to starting hydrated. Jonny also made it a priority to take some fluid with him by carrying a soft flask with PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix in order to top up his losses during the race. This allowed him to get fluid, sodium *and* carb all in one bottle which worked very effectively over this shorter, higher intensity race. Despite Jonny’s relative sodium intake being slightly lower than his losses, he didn’t report any hydration related issues, suggesting he likely replaced the majority of his losses, which is what we’d expect over a shorter event. Considering total fluid loss (aka ‘sweat rate’), Jonny accounted for this by drinking 463ml/h which likely replaced the majority of fluid lost.
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
Jonny had a final top up of caffeine using a PF 30 Caffeine Gel 15 minutes before the gun, after having a large amount of caffeine in the form of three coffees the morning of the race. Whilst his in-race intake of 2.53mg/kg was slightly lower than recommendations for a race of this duration, Jonny had a sufficient amount in his system from his extensive caffeine load to gain the full ergogenic effects.
How Jonny hit his numbers
Here's everything that Jonny ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It was a solid day out but nothing to write home about. Struggled in the slippy mud and not definitely not done enough hills. I think I’ll go back next year for another go…”
“Jonny had an good day out at Charnwood and was relatively positive about his result. His fuel and hydration strategy was well considered for a race of this duration and allowed him to maintain such a high relative intensity throughout.”
PF&HJonny'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.