Hi...long time since I posted on Lowcarber, but in the past few months I have changed up my exercise routine and feel I need to change my diet a bit, too.

For almost 3 years I have been an Atkins gal (started at 181#s)...got within a few pounds of my goal weight about a year ago (down to 124), then over the course of '05 creeped back up to 142. I am now back at 135 and have been running since early Spring. I completed the Couch-to-5k program a few weeks back and have been adding 10 minutes of running to my workouts/week.

Anyhow, my best friend ran in a 25k race (5/3 Riverbank Run in Grand Rapids, MI) this past weekend and I have been inspired to run this with her in 2007. I will also be running about a half-dozen 5-10k races over the course of the next 6 months or so (at least until we are blanketed in snow, then I will continue to train outdoors while roads are good and supplement with cross country skiing, too).

I have been increasing my carbs a bit in the past weeks and have found that my runs feel better--I'm not running any faster, but I can run longer and have more energy. I'm not sure if this is entirely a result of increased carbs or simply better fitness...probably a little of both.

So what I'm wondering is what portion of my diet carbs should constitute. I am currently running about 9 miles/week, but plan to start trying to run 4-5x/week--right now I am only running the 3 mornings that my son is in preschool. Is there any general rule of thumb I should be following to get enough carbs in my system to fuel my runs, but not make me carb-crazy and hungry (I'm 33 and hypoglycemic if that matters any)?

Thanks,
Kirsten

I tried low-carb for years and never found I could run well. I'm still using a low-carb approach but I augment with carbs on days that I run. There are some on this web that say eventually you don't need carb to run but it never happened for me.

You're burning about 100 calories per mile so I'd suggest trying 300 cals before a 3 mile (5K) run. Gels like Gu or Hammergel might work and won't fill your stomach as much as potatos or bread might.

I will say that on the runs after a day of higher carbs or a weekend carb-up that I definitely seem to feel more energetic. I like the idea of "carb-cycling" to fuel me on my running days--hopefully that won't cause too many cravings, since I will be burning those carbs off.

How far in advance do you eat your heavier carb meals before a run? For something as short as a 5k race I know I wouldn't need to bring anything to supplement me mid-run.

k

I don't do runs less than 8 miles. And I can feel the difference as I'm running out of carbs late in the run. I don't eat anything special on those days. For my long run day I'll load up on carbs the night before. I recently read that the muscles only store up to 300 calories of glycogen and the liver stores up to 90. That's not a lot of sugar. So I may rethink the carb-loading stuff. When running I need something that enters the bloodstream quickly. Gu works but I prefer something not so sweet, like potato or bread. I don't understand why but potato enters the blood faster than table sugar.

When running, glucose enters the muscles without stimulating insulin. At races the aid stations are always stocked with fruits, bagels, M&Ms and Pringles, all food the enter the blood as sugar quickly.

At an aid station that I was running, I had Balance Bars in pieces. Runners would grab them because they where chololate covered. If I mentioned Balance Bar they'd spit it out because the bars slow absorption of carbs. :-)

If you're going to "carb up" the night before, something that doesn't stimulate insulin would work. My favorite pre-race food is pizza. Most runners prefer pasta.

I think you could probably accomplish your runs well at around a 20-25% carb intake. I think this is a good % to balance carb intake with staying fat adapted. Because this amount is still low, carb choices won't likely matter much.

I have read that, too--I need to do more research into glycemic index and glycemic load, I think.


Italian...mmmm...good excuse to try some whole wheat pasta or pizza crust. I'll bet Mexican would be good, too, and plenty of protein in beans and meat.



k

That's about what I was figuring to give a try. I was thinking around 25% net carbs, 25% protein, and 50% fat.

k

I can run pretty well on 60 net carbs a day. Any less than that and my legs are absolute stones

How far are your runs and how many miles in an average week are you doing? I'm approaching 15/week, but hope to increase by a few miles each week.

k

I do 35 miles per week right now..moving up 10% each week--and I can eek by with 100grams a day of carbs and one complete off day (anything goes). If you want to be successful in running, you can't really get by on a ketogenic diet you'll want to concentrate on low glycemic index carbs mostly.

I'm interested in what everyone is doing as well. I also run 30-35 miles/wk. This week dh and I are doing induction just to get us back on track. I have been sloppy about my diet lately and my weight has been creeping up. I was following NHE (a carb-cycling diet) but had difficulty when I got up to 30 miles/wk. When I eat more carbs I have a lot more problems with hypoglycemia. On the flip side, the carb-ups are a nightmare for me since I never feel full and want to just binge all evening. I'd be interested in more details on your diet, Roguecloud.

I've been thinking about this same thing lately.

I started jogging about 3 months ago and have worked up to running (on a treadmill) a minimum of 2 miles 4-5 times/week at 6 mph. Right now I'm also doing several intervals at 6.8 mph tossed in during my run just to increase the intensity. That's how I worked up to my current rate -- intervals. So I'm normally on the treadmill for 25-30 minutes. Then I "do" 15-20 min on the stairmaster. I do upper body weights on machines 3 times/week.

I've been LC for almost 2 full years. Scary to think about adding in more carbs. But I'm wondering if I need them now to have enough energy during exercise. Tonight, for example, I was just too tired to do much beyond my 2-mile minimum. Whipped. Scary to think about gaining any of my weight back!

So what to do? I know I'm not running much right now (10-15 miles/week) but I'm thinking of working up to a 5K in the fall.

Did you still find yourself losing while supplementing?

I follow a low-carb diet and run 50 miles a week training for a marathon. I have plenty of energy and my times keep getting better. I have tried several things and have found a diet high in protein (tons of egg whites, chicken, fish etc) and vegetables and lower fat works real well. But, I have to make sure I eat enough protein. I can give you more of what I eat if you want. Good luck in your training!

I would be interested in a typical daily diet if you have time to post it, including macros if you have them.