London Marathon

Jen didn’t start her virtual marathon run until 1PM in the afternoon allowing her to sufficiently pre-fuel with carbohydrates across the morning to ensure her glycogen stores were topped up. During the marathon, Jen used two packets of energy chews (providing a total of 96g of carb) to fuel her run. Ideally, we would encourage an athlete to consume around 60-90 grams of carb per hour if it can be tolerated with no GI issues. She subjectively reported that her energy levels were consistent as she got going, but noticed that they started to dwindle around mile 24. This is fairly common in marathon events and despite taking her last couple of energy chews, she still felt hungry. This is another encouraging sign that she should look to increase her carb intake which will give her some more energy in the latter stages. Between now and her next race, Jen could do some structured gut-training to ensure she can consume more carb when running, without the added GI discomfort she has previously suffered from.

Jen consumed an average of ~240ml/hr across the marathon which she achieved by carrying 2 bottles of fluid, one containing a caffeinated electrolyte tablet and one just plain water. This approach was sensible given the cooler conditions on the day. It also gave Jen the option to drink what her body was craving during the race. Her fluid consumption was relatively low given the duration and ideally she will increase this in her future races to ensure she replaces the majority of her sweat losses to avoid dehydration. Next time, Jen could also consider taking some Electrolyte Capsules to increase the sodium she consumes in the future as we know this will help her retain more fluid.

Jen used a little caffeine over the course of the race by having a caffeinated electrolyte tablet and a cup of tea before she started. However, she could consider experimenting with more caffeine during her training and then in races, to further reap the ergogenic benefits associated with the stimulant.