Justin Metzler
IRONMAN 70.3® Waco
Waco2nd, MPROJustin's headline numbers
Justin's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My energy levels were fluctuating quite a lot during the bike and run."
Justin used a combination of both solid and liquid forms of carbohydrates to fuel his efforts for the duration of this race. Product choice and form are entirely down to the athlete’s personal preference, as the most important factor is the quantity of carbs. Justin has identified what works well for him in training and trained his gut to consume higher amounts of carb. He averaged well over 90g/h, and rated his GI comfort a perfect 10 out of 10, so this is a testament to Justin’s extensive practice and gut-training over the past months.
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.
Justin1044mg/L
Justin has been Sweat Tested to dial in his 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 Justin's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I only took two sips from my soft flask in T2 as I didn’t want to lose sight of those in front of me at the time."
On the bike, the relative sodium concentration of the fluids he consumed was higher than necessary for an athlete with his sweat sodium concentration. This was likely a result of not collecting any additional plain water from the on-course aid stations. Justin put this down to the reduced temperatures and persistent rain, which helped keep his perception of heat stress low. Given his sweat sodium concentration, he should look to dilute this down with some more plain water or perhaps skip some of the Electrolyte Capsules he took to ensure it stays closer to his individual sweat sodium 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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Justin is one of the many athletes who enjoy both the physical and mental benefits of caffeine, and by consuming ~726mg in total throughout the race, he will likely have reaped the performance boosts associated with it. This intake is slightly higher than his previous caffeine consumption during 70.3 Oregon and 70.3 Eagleman earlier this year, and this can be attributed to the additional ~100mg that he picked up on the run course in an attempt to settle the perceived fluctuations in energy levels he had experienced during the race.
How Justin hit his numbers
Here's everything that Justin ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I'm fortunate enough to be entering races with the goal of being on the top step, and so second places are a little disappointing, but fuel to the fire nonetheless.”
“Justin walked away from this race with a whole host of positives, namely his first long-course race without experiencing the cramp-like sensations in his calves or quads. Whilst ruling this out from a hydration standpoint has been a primary focus, he’s also been implementing a structured strength and conditioning program over the last ~12 weeks which has certainly played a key role in reducing these cramping sensations, of which there are many potential causes. It’s plausible that a heavy training volume and end of season fatigue impacted Justin’s energy levels and perception of lethargy beforehand, and so he’s made a concerted effort to maximise his recovery ahead of the final couple of races this season. ”
PF&HJustin'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.