Getting ketoadapted for running
 

I'm a long-time low carber and newbie runner. I started running on August 18 and let my diet go to hell. Tons of carbs. And not even good carbs. Crap carbs. Sugar. I tightened things up a couple of weeks ago when the scale started going up, and although I haven't tested my blood, all signs are that I'm in ketosis.

These last few runs and workouts have been harder than usual. I'm not sure if I'm psyching myself out, because I've heard so much about how you need to eat carbs to run or if I'm genuinely going through the phase where your body adapts to using ketone bodies to fuel the exercise.

At any rate, I have to go out in a few minutes and do the longest run I've done to date - 3.5 miles. And on top of that it turned cold last night, so it's going to be the coldest temperature I've run at - 34 degrees.

I just needed to tell someone that I'm dreading this run - someone who won't tell me to eat carbs. :lol:

So, here I go: I'm really dreading this run.

Why must it be a 3.5 mile run? Why not do what your non-keto adapted body is ready to do? From what little I know of running, pushing yourself too hard is a bad thing.

I'm following a program to increase from running 3 miles to running 5 miles in 8 weeks.

I do wish I'd been in ketosis when I started the running program. At first I was mostly walking with short 2 or 3 minute runs thrown in occasionally. In a way I feel like I'm starting over, adapting. I don't really want to back down on the miles at this point, but if it gets too rough I may go back to the run/walk program.

I went out and did it last night. It really wasn't bad. I could have easily gone longer. It took me just under 49 minutes to complete the 3.5 miles. I recovered quickly and I'm not sore today, so I didn't overdo it. During the run itself I didn't feel any more tired or out-of-breath than usual, and I didn't feel any significant loss of energy. So maybe my years of going in and out of ketosis mean I'm already ketoadapted or will adapt more quickly/easily?

The temperature, btw, was 28 not 34. I'm glad I didn't know that when I started, or I might not have started. :)

But you're determined to do it. Good for you.

My wife just finished her first half marathon. The longest she had run in training was 9 miles. During her race she bonked. Bonked hard. Bonked at 9.5 miles. She was crying by mile 10. Experienced runners tell me that is a little early and that over a long time training the bonking distance increases. She didn't give up even though the helpers asked her if she wanted to stop. She started running again at mile 12 and finished the race running 1/2 mile up a hill. That determination against utter hopelessness, against all adversity and with kind people asking her to stop is probably why she's stayed married to me.

So now we are into Goo. Goo is interesting. A Goo pack is about 100 calories meant to be eaten about every 45minutes in distance races. Even fully carbed up runners need carbs in the middle of a race. I do not know when a carb depleted person would bonk. Phinney and Volek say it changes, it takes longer if at all, and have some data to back it up but given the highly competitive world of distance races, the amount of serious research done by Olympic committees and athletes willing to inject anything into their bodies for an edge, I find it hard to believe that P&V are correct.

Goo is the semi-solid equivalent of Gatorade. It has electrolytes, which do a body good, and.... sugar. Sugar is bad generally but the running community likes it over other alternatives, even glucose tablets. Peter Attia has been going on about an alternative, Super Starch http://eatingacademy.com/sports-and...erstarch-part-i , and he may be onto something there.

I'm sorry I have nothing definitive but hopefully I've given you a few leads.

Thanks, inflammabl. It's helpful. I don't think I'm ever going to want to run as far as a half-marathon. But, then, I was surprised that I was able to run a 5k. And now I'm aiming for 5 miles. I'm going to go out and do 4 miles in a minute here.

I'm really wanting to stay away from sugar, so if it's a requirement, I may have to stay with shorter runs.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to reply. I hope I never bonk. :)

Happily I was mistaken about how far I was supposed to run last night. I'd skipped ahead a week. I should have run 3 miles Tuesday and 3.5 last night. Since I did the 3.5 miles on Tuesday, I only ran 3 miles last night. About 40 minutes. Slow - and very cold out - but it wasn't all that hard.