Valencia Marathon

This was Sarah’s first attempt at a structured carb-load leading into the race which she began three days beforehand. She had practiced this numerous times in training to avoid feeling anything adverse on race-day, and it clearly paid off with her feeling strong throughout, despite a lower carb intake mid-race than we’d recommend. To improve her strategy, taking one more PF 30 Gel would have brought her well within the recommended guidelines for a race of this intensity and duration, and ensure she’s leaving no stone unturned from a fueling standpoint.

Sarah mentioned pre-race that she hadn’t simulated drinking in training runs enough, as she felt like it “broke her rhythm” when she did. Consequently, whilst she didn’t feel any adverse effects during the race, it clearly impacted her recovery, and potentially contributed to the painful final few kilometers. She was bed-bound for several days with sickness, and felt it was largely related to being dehydrated. Simulating drinks stations in training is an essential part of a marathon preparation, so for her next race Sarah should try to replicate picking up drinks, perhaps on a looped course where she can pick up several times. Furthermore, Sarah’s preloading routine could be optimised slightly, by swapping her PH 1000 tablet for a more concentrated PH 1500 to trigger maximal fluid retention and plasma volume expansion, which isn’t typically seen with a concentration below 1,500mg per litre.

As the first race where Sarah introduced caffeine, she was apprehensive about how her body would react. Having trained her gut throughout her final training block with Caffeinated Gels, she tolerated the dose without issue at race intensity, and felt a definite energy boost and reduction in perceived effort. She hit the scientifically recommended intake perfectly, so should look to replicate a similar caffeine plan in future races.