Rotterdam Marathon

Louise successfully carb-loaded ahead of the race by increasing the proportion of carb-rich foods in the days prior to ensure her glycogen stores were saturated. During the race, Louise took on fuel by consuming PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and two PF 30 Gels plus some flat cola to round it off. Despite averaging ~65g of carb per hour (below the Fuel & Hydration Planner's general recommendations), this was the highest carb intake Louise has ever fueled with during a marathon and helped maintain her perceived energy levels. This will have improved her ability to process and digest both glucose and fructose in the gut so that when racing hard, she is comfortably able to tolerate the additional carb in her stomach.

Louise decided to create her own electrolyte mix (consisting of some salt mixed with squash) which she drank on the morning of the race.This became her preferred strategy after having stomach problems when using some effervescent electrolyte products previously. After experiencing some issues with her stomach when previously using effervescent electrolyte products, Louise knew her own tried and tested method was safest for this race. However, it is important to note that table salt (NaCl) is actually only ~39% sodium so it would not contribute to preloading in the same way a strong electrolyte drink would. Going forward, we would recommend Louise trials something without unnecessary flavourings (which may have caused her prior stomach upset) but with a precise, highly concentrated dose like the PH 1500 (Packets) to ensure she starts optimally hydrated. During the race, Louise maintained her hydration levels by consuming PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, some cola and a little bit of water, which was sufficient to ensure she replaced a good proportion of her sweat losses and avoided any dehydration related performance issues. Going forward, having a Sweat Test and performing some sweat rate testing would enable Louise to set more specific hydration targets to incorporate into her strategy.

After some negative experiences with other caffeine-related products, Louise decided for this race to have a cup of tea and some caffeinated chewing gum before the start. However, consuming caffeine during hard efforts is something she plans to experiment with ahead of her next race to reap the performance benefits associated with it and keep her energy levels up.