Low Carb (Paleo) Half Marathon Report

"Ignoramus12690" wrote in message
...
I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards



Congratulations on a phenomenal accomplishment! At my current weight, I
can't imagine running a mile (though I have biked 80+) and to do a half
marathon is really cool. I appreciate the nature of your experiment, too,
since I have usually followed long rides with too many carbs, thus never
really finding out how my body will react ...... your experiment compels me
to do the same myself next time out.

Good job!


--
John V.
LC - on and off, mostly on lately, as of 1/2/04
262/250/175

Ignoramus12690 wrote:

I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards

8. I recommend to low carbers to run and ignore suggestions that
running using fat as fuel is going to destroy them. (ask your doctor,
YMMV, etc)


Low carbing is a silly idea for most. You were ok because at 2hr pace you
will burn mainly fat, but for most people it is not recommended.


--
Brian Wakem

At least you are not thinking KK or Meb should join you in your madness....

Comments below.
"Ignoramus12690" wrote in message
...
I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards

The weather was absolutely fabulous, fresh and sunny. The road was
mostly flat, with some long but very gentle hills and bridges. Lots of
music bands, kids, "Go daddy go" signs etc. One woman was running with
a child carriage designed for running, with a kid in it, in fact
running quite well despite that handicap! She also ran half
marathon. Everyone was in a great mood. A very enjoyable setting.

The purpose of my run was to perform an experiment and see how well I
could perform running a serious (for me) distance of 13.02 miles
without eating carbs. I tried to be conservative and basically jogged
through the run at 9+ minutes per mile (closer to 10 but below 10). I
do not think that I could run it substantially faster though, perhaps
I could gain 4 or so minutes, had I known better how to distribute my
efforts.

The result of this experiment is that LC did not make me "bonk". In
fact, I ran steadily throughout. Not terribly fast at 9+mpm, but, I
think, being a little better or close to the median running time is
not bad for the first timer with little relevant training. Since I ate
low carb for quite a while, it is my supposition that for the most
part, I ran using fat as fuel.

After the run, I measured by blood glucose. My blood sugar was 59
plasma calibrated, which is not terribly far from my normal level
these days (70). I was functioning fine at that level, went to a farm
supply store in that town and bought stuff. I felt fine and was in a
great mood. Then I drove home, picking up 13 90 lbs concrete patio
blocks at menards. The point of this is that I was not, by any means,
exhausted and still am not exhausted.

I replenished my energy reserves with cooked bacon (smoked pork
belly), and nuts. No carbs or fruits after the run, again, somewhat
for experimental purposes as my diet does actually allow fruits. I
just did not eat them lately due to wanting to take it slow to see if
the diet works in its conservative form, without fruits. Maybe, if by
the end of OCtober I do not start regaining, I will allow myself to eat
some fruits. Picked a bag's worth of free fruits and cookies for my
wife, but have not eaten any yet. Will probably eat some later today,
as the experiment is basically over.

What's most amazing is that my knees are basically fine and I could
easily run more today. Before, I would be all in pain, having hard
times going upstairs or the 3rd story of our house, whereas today it
was not the case.

My conclusions.

1. Saying that I cannot run an extended distance without carbs is
baloney. Even though I am not, by any means, a highly trained athlete.

Not sure anyone said you could not cover the distance, just that it
could not be done as fast. How about now doing a half with a more "normal"
diet if you really want to see a difference.


2. I would like to, tentatively, train for next year's Chicago
Marathon and try to run under 4 hours. That's a major commitment of
time, as I realize -- a marathon is a whole different animal -- so
perhaps I will abandon that idea.

Just make you mind up.


3. I definitely function better on a high fat diet. For a
non-athletic-freak, recreationally running dufus like me, LC helped me
to run the whole thing steadily. And my knees are also better.

1) Not sure how carbs would have made your knees worse. Since you
have never run a half with a "normal" diet you do not know.



4. Female runners are beautiful regardless of age.

5. While the max speed on LC, for a great athlete, may be not better
than with carbs, endurance for the more average person is pretty
unbeatable. I am still full of energy and have big landscaping plans
and generator repair plans for tonight. I ran for 2 hours many years
before, and was basically disabled for a few days due to knee pain,
and was wasted for that day. Now, I am okay -- feeling the effects, but
basically functioning well.

Again, need to perform on a normal diet.



6. training runs on LC, if we accept that my glycogen stores are low,
are using fat as fuel from the beginning. Ie, I run for 30 minutes,
probably mostly using fat as fuel. (it is purely a speculation and I
want to read more articles about this). So, I am training my fat
oxidation energy system at every training run. A carb eater runs on
carbs first, and does not train the fat oxidation system. So, once he
runs out of carbs, he bonks since the fat oxidation system is not
trained. That's instead of continuing running, but more slowly.

False knowledge of physiology and metabolism. Even with the presence
of carbs, the fat oxidation system is being trained.

One does not "run on carbs first"; at half marathon pace a mixture of
fat and carbohydrate is burned. It is not like the body burns of the
glycogen and then switches to fat. This is pure ignorance of physiology.




Again, this is a pure wild assed speculation, but it makes some sense
to me. I will read up on it. The implication of this speculation is
that I could train for good performance on long runs, while running
shorter traiing runs, as long as I eat LC.

A very trained athlete eating carbs, would, of course, not bonk
either. But I am not one.

A well trained athlete can bonk. Bonking is a result of poor
nutrition before the race, poor nutrition during the race, going out too
fast for fitness level, or poor training (or a combination of any of these
factors). Technically if you start out with little glycogen and then go
slow enough, you can never bonk.



7. I had no "electrolyte" issues. I drank a tiny bit of water with
"lite salt" before the run, and drank water provided at the tables.
Thanks to all who suggested to take this issue lightly.

8. I recommend to low carbers to run and ignore suggestions that
running using fat as fuel is going to destroy them. (ask your doctor,
YMMV, etc)

Where was this proposed? Running low carbs is like running your car
on a lower grade of fuel.



I want to thank all rec.running participants who gave me their
suggestions.

What a great day!

i

I appreciate that you are using the term "experiment" in a mainstream
manner, but that lends more credibility than it deserves. Yours is a case
study. Anecdotal information at best.


"Ignoramus12690" wrote in message
...
In article , John V wrote:

"Ignoramus12690" wrote in message
...
I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards



Congratulations on a phenomenal accomplishment! At my current weight, I
can't imagine running a mile (though I have biked 80+) and to do a half
marathon is really cool. I appreciate the nature of your experiment,
too,
since I have usually followed long rides with too many carbs, thus never
really finding out how my body will react ...... your experiment compels
me
to do the same myself next time out.

Thanks! To me, running 13 miles, as such, is not as compelling as
running 13 miles to conduct an interesting experiment. I am becoming
more and more convinced that, at least for my body, LC living is the
natural mode of living, not just a "gimmick" to explore a "metabolic
loophole".

If I were you, I would start carefully experimenting with LC
biking. You might find that LC biking is where you avoid bonking. Of
course, as in any new activity, it pays to be careful and cautious!

i

I appreciate that you are using the term "experiment" in a mainstream
manner, but that lends more credibility than it deserves. Yours is a case
study. Anecdotal information at best.


"Ignoramus12690" wrote in message
...
In article , John V wrote:

"Ignoramus12690" wrote in message
...
I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards



Congratulations on a phenomenal accomplishment! At my current weight, I
can't imagine running a mile (though I have biked 80+) and to do a half
marathon is really cool. I appreciate the nature of your experiment,
too,
since I have usually followed long rides with too many carbs, thus never
really finding out how my body will react ...... your experiment compels
me
to do the same myself next time out.

Thanks! To me, running 13 miles, as such, is not as compelling as
running 13 miles to conduct an interesting experiment. I am becoming
more and more convinced that, at least for my body, LC living is the
natural mode of living, not just a "gimmick" to explore a "metabolic
loophole".

If I were you, I would start carefully experimenting with LC
biking. You might find that LC biking is where you avoid bonking. Of
course, as in any new activity, it pays to be careful and cautious!

i

"Brian Wakem" wrote in message
...
Ignoramus12690 wrote:

I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards

8. I recommend to low carbers to run and ignore suggestions that
running using fat as fuel is going to destroy them. (ask your doctor,
YMMV, etc)


Low carbing is a silly idea for most. You were ok because at 2hr pace
you
will burn mainly fat, but for most people it is not recommended.


--
Brian Wakem

i, I think Brian is correct. You were running at a pretty slow pace. It
was a great job, don't get me wrong. I have never run a 1/2 marathon
myself and don't really look forward to doing it, but I do run some 10ks and
such and I know from cycling that if you exercise at a fairly easy pace you
can do it LC. If you wanted to get into time, I feel that carbs will make
you much faster. I posted my results about LC cycling a while back. Sure
you can cycle 80 miles on LC at a relaxed pace, but if you want to increase
speed, I found that to be too difficult and end up light in the head and so
on. You are in pretty good shape i, and you should be very happy with you
results. That is really excellent that you went out and did 1/2 a marathon.

On other thing that you mentioned in your post was you knees didn't hurt.
This could be a big benefit of LCing that really isn't explored much. It
wouldn't surprise me if you weren't on to something with those findings.

Excellent job! I hope to do that at some point. Maybe next year.
Curt

"Brian Wakem" wrote in message
...
Ignoramus12690 wrote:

I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards

8. I recommend to low carbers to run and ignore suggestions that
running using fat as fuel is going to destroy them. (ask your doctor,
YMMV, etc)


Low carbing is a silly idea for most. You were ok because at 2hr pace
you
will burn mainly fat, but for most people it is not recommended.


--
Brian Wakem


i, I think Brian is correct, although unpopular on this group. You were
running at a pretty slow pace. It
was a great job, don't get me wrong. I have never run a 1/2 marathon
myself and don't really look forward to doing it, but I do run some 10ks and
such and I know from cycling that if you exercise at a fairly easy pace you
can do it LC. If you wanted to get into time, I feel that carbs will make
you much faster. I posted my results about LC cycling a while back. Sure
you can cycle 80 miles on LC at a relaxed pace, but if you want to increase
speed, I found that to be too difficult and end up light in the head and so
on. You are in pretty good shape i, and you should be very happy with you
results. That is really excellent that you went out and did 1/2 a marathon.

On other thing that you mentioned in your post was you knees didn't hurt.
This could be a big benefit of LCing that really isn't explored much. It
wouldn't surprise me if you weren't on to something with those findings.

Excellent job! I hope to do that at some point. Maybe next year.
Curt

Brian Wakem wrote in message ...
Ignoramus12690 wrote:

I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards

8. I recommend to low carbers to run and ignore suggestions that
running using fat as fuel is going to destroy them. (ask your doctor,
YMMV, etc)


Low carbing is a silly idea for most. You were ok because at 2hr pace you
will burn mainly fat, but for most people it is not recommended.

No, he was okay because he had enough glycogen to run the distance.

Cluestick: If you start fueled, and avoid carbs for just a day or two
during which you are not active, you are not in a low carb state. You
have glycogen in your muscles.

To really get into a low-carb state, avoid eating carbs for a longer
period of time. Also, do some running during that period to exhaust
the glycogen stores.

Once your fuel tank is empty, *then* run a half marathon and brag
about how you did it on no carbs.

Brian Wakem wrote in message ...
Ignoramus12690 wrote:

I ran a half marathon today, in Quad Cities. Some highlights:

- next to no carbs eaten yesterday and today (due to eating no vegs to
avoid
"runners trots" that I had on my previous extended run)
- No Gatorade
- No bonking
- Ran without stopping even for a second
- 2:08:50 running time
- Feeling very good afterwards

8. I recommend to low carbers to run and ignore suggestions that
running using fat as fuel is going to destroy them. (ask your doctor,
YMMV, etc)


Low carbing is a silly idea for most. You were ok because at 2hr pace you
will burn mainly fat, but for most people it is not recommended.

No, he was okay because he had enough glycogen to run the distance.

Cluestick: If you start fueled, and avoid carbs for just a day or two
during which you are not active, you are not in a low carb state. You
have glycogen in your muscles.

To really get into a low-carb state, avoid eating carbs for a longer
period of time. Also, do some running during that period to exhaust
the glycogen stores.

Once your fuel tank is empty, *then* run a half marathon and brag
about how you did it on no carbs.