Sam Appleton
IRONMAN 70.3® Boulder
Sam's headline numbers
Sam's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Sam consumed more of his carb intake on the bike than on the run, which is a common ‘frontloading’ strategy we see triathletes using in races due to the differing logistics of fueling on the two sections. However, he still fell a bit short of the scientific recommendations, so we would recommend increasing his carb intake to bolster his energy levels and better maintain his performance across the race. To meet these higher carb numbers, Sam should undergo some gut training during his key training sessions to make sure he can tolerate this increased volume of carbs without GI distress when working at race intensity.
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.
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 Sam’s losses are on the low 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 moreSam consumed a high amount of sodium compared to his lower-than-average sweat sodium concentration through a combination of PH 1500 and PH 1000 in his bottles, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it would have helped maintain his blood plasma concentration, encouraged water retention and mitigate the risk of cramp. Sam’s fluid intake was lower than he had planned due to the conditions, and this likely contributed to the high concentration of sodium. To make sure he replaces enough of his total fluid losses in hotter races, he should look to increase his fluid intake, again practicing this in training to get used to taking on more.
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.
Sam fell within the scientific recommendations for caffeine usage, after consuming some caffeinated energy gels on the bike.
How Sam hit his numbers
Here's everything that Sam ate and drank on the day...
Sam's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Sam
PF&HSam's full stats
Data Confidence?
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).