Lucy Brown
The New Forest Half Marathon
Brockenhurst, HampshireCompletedLucy's headline numbers
Lucy's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I felt really good up until about 19km and then I could feel my energy depleting and my legs getting heavier but I was still able to keep up the pace until the finish."
For her first half marathon, Lucy's race morning included a cup of coffee, a carb-rich breakfast, and 500ml of PH 1000, topping up her glycogen stores and starting the race hydrated. In the final 30 minutes she had some water and a PF 30 Gel, which turned out to be her only carbohydrate for the full distance, well below what we'd normally recommend. She returned home still carrying another PF 30 Gel with her - having felt dehydrated, Lucy decided it was best not to have the gel at the halfway point. Dialling in her hydration strategy and completing some gut training where Lucy consumes gels during training runs will help this feel more natural and better support her performance.
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.
Lucy961mg/L
Lucy 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 Lucy'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 Lucy start optimally hydrated
"I got super thirsty from 12km onwards, but I had no opportunity for water until a bit later. It was the reason I didn’t take the gel as I felt pretty dehydrated. "
Lucy only took on a couple of mouthfuls during the race, the majority of her intake coming from what she drank in the last 30 minutes before she started. This was likely a logistical issue; with aid stations not as frequent as she expected. In these warm conditions where sweat rates are often high, dehydration builds quickly enough to affect performance, and it clearly had a knock-on effect on her fueling too. For a first half marathon on an unfamiliar course, carrying her own soft flask with electrolytes or water and supplementing with a couple of Electrolyte Capsules would mean a gap in aid stations doesn't leave her without options again.
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
Lucy had a cup of coffee on race morning but took no caffeine-containing products during the race itself. For a similar event in future, a small dose such as a PF 30 Caffeine Gel will help her execute a more precise caffeine strategy without relying only on her morning coffee. This may better support her energy levels all the way to the finish.
How Lucy hit her numbers
Here's everything that Lucy ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I was pretty pleased with it. I went in with little expectation and thought I would find it a lot tougher than I did but felt really good during, so I paced it much better than I expected for the second half. ”
“Lucy’s pre-race strategy contributed to a really strong debut half marathon, although the big improvement will be to ensure she takes on some fuel and fluid during future races. The clear takeaway is around planning for the unexpected: checking aid station spacing in advance and carrying her own fluids on an unfamiliar course. She can then be self-sufficient and stay well fueled and hydrated throughout. With that sorted, there's a good chance she can go quite a bit quicker next time without it feeling any harder.”
PF&HLucy'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.