Sam's headline numbers
Sam's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Unfortunately, Sam has frequently suffered from gastrointestinal issues whilst exercising and is aware that it is a common symptom among athletes with autism. Due to this, Sam has trialled numerous methods of fueling to figure out what doesn’t upset his stomach, or at the very least reduces the magnitude of his symptoms. This has involved countless hours of gut training during his track interval sessions and long runs to simulate high stress on his stomach whilst processing carbohydrates. As a result of experiencing some anxiety before and during the early parts of races, Sam chose not to fuel for the first hour of the marathon, aiming to give his stomach time to settle down. After ~1 hour of racing, he stuck to his strategy and took on one pack of PF 30 Chews every 30 minutes to deliver 60g/h of carbs into his bloodstream. It's likely that this consistent supply of carbohydrates contributed to his well-perceived energy levels and by choosing a product that worked well for him, he successfully avoided any GI distress. The overwhelming positive from this event was Sam’s perfect (10 out of 10) energy levels with no GI issues at all for the first time in a long distance race.
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.
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 Sam’s losses are on the low side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreSam has previously struggled with a “sloshing” sensation in his stomach when drinking large amounts, so he has found great benefit from preloading ahead of time to ensure he starts optimally hydrated. Sam relied on sipping water at every aid station during the marathon to get fluid in and prevent dehydration-related symptoms. Fortunately, due to his relatively low sweat sodium concentration and mild temperatures, consuming no electrolytes during the run didn't negatively affect Sam's performance. However, ahead of future races, Sam could benefit from carrying some Electrolyte Capsules with him to supplement the water from aid stations and ensure he replaces his sweat losses.
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.
Sam didn't use any caffeine within his strategy for the marathon and might find this to be beneficial for future races. Whilst some athletes tolerate caffeine extremely well, others do experience some adverse effects from the stimulant, so it would be helpful for Sam to trial this thoroughly during his training to identify if it is appropriate for him.
How Sam hit his numbers
Here's everything that Sam ate and drank on the day...
Sam's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
PF&HSam's full stats
Data Confidence?
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.