Lizzie Rayner
IRONMAN 70.3® Swansea
Swansea3rd, FPROLizzie's headline numbers
Lizzie's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"During the swim I felt good, so closer to 9 out of 10 energy levels then down to 7/10 on the bike and maybe a 4 or 3/10 on the run."
On the bike, Lizzie used a combination of PF 30 Gels, PF 30 Caffeine Gels, PH 1500 (Drink Mix) and super concentrated PF Carb Only Drink Mix to fuel her efforts. This strategy kept her energy up in the first half of the race, but may have been more than her stomach could handle, as she felt some GI discomfort on the run and was worried about making it worse by continuing to eat. As a result, she dropped from ~86g/h on the bike to only ~14g/h on the run. A reduction in carb consumption in middle distance races from bike-to-run is expected, but across our Case Study Database the average drop off is ~35%, whereas Lizzie’s was ~84%. Considering her carb intake and energy levels dropped in unison across the race, Lizzie should look to undergo some gut training to practise reaching a consistent carb target (~90g/h across the whole race). Practically, she could implement this plan by sipping frequently on her carb-rich bottle on the bike, and then continuing to drip feed with a PF 90 Gel across the whole run.
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.
Lizzie839mg/L
Lizzie 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 Lizzie's losses are on the moderate side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I thought my hydration was perfect, but after getting my torpedo bottle off my bike post-race I realised it still had quite a bit of liquid left in it when I thought I had almost emptied it!"
Lizzie successfully replaced her sodium losses at a concentration similar to her sweat. Managing hydration involves both sodium *and* fluid, and slightly under consuming fluids on the run may have contributed to her struggles later in the race. Lizzie has used a Soft Flask to keep her fluid intake high in previous runs after the bike, but relied only on aid stations this time out, leading to a slightly reduced intake. While the mild conditions meant her losses were probably mostly accounted for, she reported feeling thirsty and the GI discomfort she experienced may have been impacted by mild dehydration. Going forward, she should be more proactive with her fluid intake, especially on the run, to mitigate any issues with carb absorption.
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
By consuming a black coffee in the morning, one PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the final 15 minutes pre-race, followed by another Caffeine Gel on the bike, Lizzie spread out her caffeine doses effectively and was able to reach the 3-6mg/kg caffeine recommendations to reap the benefits. Since she was still on the lower end of that range, she could look to include an additional caffeine dose towards the end of the bike to counteract the drop in perceived energy levels she experienced on the run.
How Lizzie hit her numbers
Here's everything that Lizzie ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It was all perfect until the run. I biked hard but needed to prove to myself that I could. If you never try then you never know, and I had the potential to run really well following that hard bike so I had no regrets giving it a go.”
“Lizzie had a great race overall and executed an impressive bike. However, her steep drop off in carb intake, as well as fluid consumption, shows room for improvement in future strategies. Incorporating consistent gut training for fueling and hydration will help her prepare for a more consistent intake across races and attenuate any dehydration toward the end.”
PF&HLizzie'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.