Lauren Puretz
Gorge Waterfalls 50km
Cascade Locks, Oregon3rd, FPROLauren's headline numbers
Lauren's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Lauren would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"It took me about seven miles to warm up and get in the groove. I felt pretty low in energy and sluggish so chose to have a PF 30 Caffeine Gel a lot earlier than planned. It wasn’t until the last 10 miles that I actually felt good."
Lauren doesn’t enjoy eating much during races, so she usually chooses to consume more energy-dense gels. However, she felt hungry during the race and found herself fueling more frequently than in her previous races. This increased hunger was likely as a result of a slight change to her pre-race nutrition, as she didn't have her usual pre-race high carbohydrate breakfast or her usual final gel in the last 30 mins before the race. Regardless, Lauren managed to stick to her overall fueling target *during* the race to reach and exceed the recommended carb guidelines without any GI discomfort.
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.
Lauren1044mg/L
Lauren 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 Lauren's losses are on the moderate side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Lauren start optimally hydrated
"I managed to drink more fluid than usual, but it wasn't very hot so I didn't finish all the water I planned to take, and just used it to wash down the gels. I definitely want to get better at this for my future races."
Lauren experienced some cramping in her calf in the last three miles of the race after she had a small fall. It’s fairly common for runners to get cramps in the latter stages of endurance events, so understanding the multifactorial causes of cramp can help when reflecting post-race. In Lauren’s case, it *may* have been prevented, or at least attenuated, by increasing her relative sodium concentration to more closely match her losses, but this twinge was most likely a result of the fall itself and didn't last too long. Since the milder climate in this race discouraged her from consuming the fluids she was carrying, it would be good practice for Lauren to start increasing her fluid intake in preparation for the warmer conditions expected at Western States in a few months to get her body used to tolerating more fluid.
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
Lauren’s caffeine intake was in line with the recommended guidelines for races of this duration. Despite consuming a PF 30 Caffeine Gel earlier in the race than she usually would, she could have benefited from pre-caffeinating in the last 30 mins before the race, and strategically timing another caffeine gel later on to perhaps offset the symptoms of fatigue.
How Lauren hit her numbers
Here's everything that Lauren ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Overall, I’m not very happy with how the race went. I know I did well, but it felt harder mentally than it should have, and I just couldn't get into it or get my body going.”
“Lauren navigated her energy issues as best as she could to finish on the podium amongst tough competition. With some further adjustments to her hydration and pre-fueling strategies, we can't wait to see how she performs in her next few races.”
PF&HLauren'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.