Tash Cooper-Smith
IRONMAN 70.3® Weymouth
Weymouth3rd, F25-29Tash's headline numbers
Tash'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 had pretty good energy levels across the day, especially on the run, no doubt a result of my high carb intake on the bike. I also went easier than I could've on the bike: after a recent crash, racing on a borrowed bike affected my nerves a little, so I probably saved my legs."
Tash from our Sports Science team started her race prep the day prior, with her well-practiced carb load of 12g of carb per kilogram of bodyweight, eating mainly several bowls of rice, sweets and a couple of bananas. This set her up well and ensured she started with high energy availability. It didn’t stop there, for breakfast she topped up with a similar high-carb meal of rice, banana and honey.
During the race itself, Tash took on ~420g of carbohydrate, split between ~106g/h on the bike, before easing back to 64g/h on the run. Her bike-leg intake sits just above the cited 90g/h target most endurance nutrition guidelines points to for a race of this length, certainly achievable for well gut-trained athletes racing at such high intensities for this duration. Front-loading her fuel on the bike when it tends to be easier than the half marathon, is very likely what made the run feel as good as it did. Tash has raced several times over the last couple of years and has identified PF 300 Flow Gel as a key component of her nutrition strategy, this time mixing this bottle with some PF 30 Caffeine Gels to even further simplify her intake.
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.
Tash737mg/L
Tash 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 Tash's losses are on the low 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
"It wasn't a hot race, but I made sure to chuck lots of water on my head on the run anyway: feeling hot makes effort feel tougher, so cooling down helped keep my perceived effort in check. I never felt dehydrated during the race, so I think I did a solid job staying on top of my sweat losses. "
Tash hydrated as she has done consistently in her races; leaning on PH 1500 in her pre-made bottles and then reaching for plain water at the aid stations as her thirst dictates and to dilute the relative sodium concentration as the day went on. Although her intake was slightly higher than her own sweat sodium losses, she’s found a strategy that works well for her, boosting blood plasma volume and limiting the risk of dehydration that has triggered her migraines in the past. There was no real difference between the relative sodium concentration of her bike vs run intake, averaging ~1000mg/L, as she followed the same PH 1500 strategy, other than an Electrolyte Capsule taken on the run (always carried as a back up in her tri-suit pocket in the event of muscle cramping).
Additionally, pouring water over her head across the run, even though it was never truly hot, is a well-evidenced habit: cooling the head lowers perceived effort more than it changes core temperature, so it's a low-cost way to make hard efforts feel more manageable.
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
A regular at the PF&H HQ coffee machine during her working day, Tash utilised the stimulant effectively to ensure she got the most out of it across the race. She consumed four PF 30 Caffeine Gels across the day, starting with an early cup of coffee before the race, one PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the last 30 minutes pre-start, two across the bike and one on the run. This worked out to be a touch above the 3-6mg/kg range most research associates with a performance benefit, though the in-race dose on its own sits comfortably inside it, and Tash has never and did not suffer adverse effects from this strategy. It was a dose that provided the alertness and perceived-effort benefits caffeine is best evidenced for, without tipping into the jitteriness or gut upset higher doses can sometimes bring.
How Tash hit her numbers
Here's everything that Tash ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“After a crash two weeks ago, and borrowing a bike for the race, I'm pleased I could string together a result that got me my first ever overall podium. Having a bike following me and a camera man on the run was surreal and truly an incredible feeling. I'm satisfied I did my best out there, but certainly hungry for more.”
“This was a race won as much in the two weeks before the start line as on it. A crash, a week with no training, and a borrowed bike meant on paper a podium seemed out of the question. Racing conservatively on the bike to protect her legs and her nerves, then trusting the carbohydrate she'd banked to carry her through a strong run, turned out to be exactly the right call. ”
PF&HTash'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 good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).