How long have you been on induction? Have you been running 80 miles on <20G og carbs?
I'd like to hear more about how you feel and what you maintain for a carb level.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record. I am starting real slow and have some weight to lose before I up my mileage. I am looking for Carb/Mieage stats though.

I have only been on induction for a few days, b/c when I tried 2x before I failed miserably! So, I'm not sure how running this much and being on induction will work for me. I'll have to see.

JKMOM, thanks for the advice on the almond butter/protein snack. I'll definitely start implementing that. Today a triathalete in my office brought me two packets of Gu, and I couldn't help but laugh as I though of your post. Everyone is always so worried about the lack of sugar in my diet. I think half of the motivation to keep going when I started training was to defy the people who said I couldn't run a marathon eating low carb. I'm so proud of our little running clan and really glad to have the support!

Hithere: definitely keep us posted. I only was running up to 6 miles when I was on induction, but I noticed that doing mileage much higher than that required more carbs for me. I couldn't get by on a cup and a half of salad greens so I added more veggies and that seemed to do the trick. You're incredible. I can't believe how many miles you run in a week! My long run is only at 15 miles right now.

Hithere, I've never run 80 miles/week

I generally follow a hard run by a day off or a very easy run. Its always worked for me. My hard runs are generally very challenging and I make the most of those workouts. I dislike running everyday. Everyone is different though.

I could not run on the "Atkins induction torture". I believe its not even recommended to do a lot of exercise. I skipped it as you don't really need it to lose weight.

The test comes on the weekend as I do one of my last long runs for the marathon. I'm going to run 24-25 miles on sunday morning. I'll know to add it carbs I have major problems,as I ran 23 quite comfortably 2 weeks ago. I've been eating lots of veg as my main source.
My next marathon is March 29th in Ellerbe NC. Its a small rural race with only about 100 competitors. I hope to run the inaugural Charlottesville, VA marathon on Easter Weekend. Then I have Grandfather Mountain in July which I ran last year and is very tough, and after that a few easy months. I may run the Masochist Mountain 50 Miler in October if things go well.

Keep up the great work everyone.

hithere! Great to meet you! Great mileage! I have never done a full marathon but am working up the courage to very soon I hope! I'm sorry I can't answer your nutrtion question better. The almond butter works great for me on my long runs because I actually get soo hungry some times! I never get thirsty luckily - just hungry. Keep up the great mileage!

Wow. I love this thread. I have been on Atkins since Dec 6, and still am averaging 15-30 carbs per day. I just graduated from walking to running, although I have been exercising 300-350 minutes per week. I just run about 30 minutes 3-4 times per week, and have been worried about not having enough fuel. This has been an inspiring thread. My husband is a long-time triathlete and is DEAD SET that carbing is necessary. I am trying to prove him wrong. I completed my first triathlon in October, before Atkins but still after a 10-pound loss (I walked the run).

Maine Daddy, you and I are in the same boat! Two years ago I was training for the Vancouver Marathon. Once my long runs got up to about 25km (just over 15 mi), I found I was so sick and bloody tired of running I pretty much quit, never made it to the marathon.

Since then I've resumed running and quit TWICE!

Happy to say, this week I started running again (after a 6 month break!). It's funny how the body maintains a fitness level tho. I ran the vast majority of 5km my first time out just this past Monday.

Finding time has been a huge hassel for me. Currently my husband is out of town (Mississippi), and with 3 kids there's challenges! The youngest is in Junior Kindergarten three mornings a week, which works out great and I'm planning to force a run (or two!) in on the weekends. Once Lance returns from the US I really want to try and get MOTIVATED for the early morning run. He leaves for work around 6:30 am, so I'm talking out the door at 5:30. I'm a bartender, some late nights, oh well, we make our choices!

What is motivating me right now is recalling what a sense of accomplishment I had running those long distances. "You ran HOW far today?". I remember on my long run days, people would pass me on the running path along the Bow River and I'd say to myself, "Yes, you may be faster, but I bet I'm going a helluva lot further!".

JKMOM, Maine Daddy, ReadyAmi, KGHamilton, Livvy; a real pleasure to be in your company!

Janice

Janice

You can do the marathon!

The key is doing what you are comfortable with. You can successfully run a marathon by running 3 days per week. Cross train or rest your body on the other days. I usually run 4 days a week; but have often gone to three days a week. The important thing is to not take too many days off in a row. However a 3 day break occasionally can do you wonders both mentally and physically.

There are 2 keys to training for me: the long run and hill training/speedwork.
Gradually buildup up your long run on the weekend to 13 miles, then switch the long run to every other weekend. On alternating weekends, do a quicker pace 10-12 miles. Try to do as hard a workout as possible on Saturday and take the Sunday off. I rarely run twice on the weekend. Build up to about 23-25 miles in your long run, so you have trained the distance.
On tuesday night, I run hills, incline treadmill or stadium steps. this builds power in your legs. Workout usually lasts 6-9 miles.
Thursday I will also put in 6-7 miles and do some pickups. Friday I don't run because I want to be ready for the long run. Monday/Wednesday depend on how I feel. I know a lot of people who give up because they think they have to run these huge mileage weeks. You don't. Many years ago, I ran a 3:15 marathon training with this type of schedule. Don't feel guilty for taking days off. Your body needs it especially if you are running a 20 mile run. There are virtually no benefits to running the day after; but you do risk injury.

Another thing that I do is use my resting pulse rate to ensure I'm not overdoing it. When I wake up, I will often check my pulse. If my body is rested, my pulse should be 50-52. If my body is stressed because of training, it might be over 60, in which case I take it easy that day, regardless of what I had planned to do. This will occur for a day or two after my long run. Once I'm up to 20+ miles on my long run, I will even take the next 2 days off and be ready for another hard workout on the following day.

Hope this helps.

Ken

readyami


I also think for endurance exercise that some carbs are necessary. I don't believe that the huge 60% carb diet is needed though. I also think that the glycemic index that the Sugarbusters doctors discussed is important. I lost a lot of my weight while eating a lot of wheat crackers and eating a lot of fruit. I think that it is important to recognize small changes and build on them. There is no need to be drastic and patience is a virtue. I am trying to get through a particularly difficult plateau and am trying some different things. The key is figuring out the balance.

It's so cool to be getting advice from someone who's run a 3:15 marathon! Thank you so much for your words of wisdom! And it's funny because I've been digging thru all my running books. Among them:

The Complete Woman Runner: Runner's World
The Complete Book of Running: Runner's World
4 Months to a 4 Hour Marathon: Dave Kuehls
Marathon the Ultimate Training Guide: Hal Higdon
The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer: Whitsett/Dolgener/Kole

And my personal favourite, "First Marathons, Personal Encounters with the 26.2mile Monster" by Gail Waesche Kislevitz. In this book, each chapter is a personal account of the individual's first marathon experience. One of my favourite stories is from a nun, Sister Marion Irvine who ran her first marathon at 50 and wrote, "There's nothing quite like your first marathon. The adrenaline just flows."

Anyway, hoping for a really nice 8km (5mi) tomorrow morning after all kids are off to school and I've a belly full of coffee!

Thanks again!

Janice

We need to be able to have threads on different subjects:

Supplements: incl. electrolyte supp.: do you dilute your Gatorade/Powerade/whatever for long runs?

Womens' Issues: Do you have a hard time running any particular time of the month ie: PMS? I find I'm good DURING my period, it's the week before that's hell.

Headset?: Do you run with music? If so, what are your fav. running tunes (I personally listen to talk radio). Many marathons are strictly "no headsets", and therefore when training, do you train w/o music?

Coffee: How do you feel about the pre-run cup o' joe? My preference is to run cranked up on coffee!

Time of Day: Do you run on the "first thing empty stomach" credo? What's your best time of day?

Favourite Shoe: Saucony Grid Stabil, hands down!

Dogs: Do you run with your dog? My 8 year old Golden Retriever starts freaking out any time I put my hair in a pony tail!

Weather: What do you do when it's truly inclement? Being a true Canadian, I will run outside in any weather down to minus 15 Celcius. Mind you, I live very close to the Olympic Oval and it is a nice change of pace to run indoors and watch the speed skaters on the inner track (I'm very spoiled! Nice bums!).

Cross-training: Your favourite cross activity.

Injuries: Shinsplints/plantar fasciitis/iliotibial band syndrom/ etc.

Your best, most favourite run: it's at sea level, I can tell you.

Let's lobby the powers that be and get a sub-section!

Janice

Running the first marathon is a tremendous rush. However that feeling still exists after that first one. It was a year ago that I ran Myrtle Beach. It was my first marathon in 12 years. I had let myselg gain 70 pounds through the nineties and was depressed thinking I'd never lose it. I managed to lose 45 before the marathon.
When I turned the corner and saw the finish line, the wave of emotion was incredible. I still get chills thinking about it right now. I had gone from such a low point to being on top of the world in 6 months. I thought I was going to break down and start crying like a baby (I didn't). Although I ran my slowest race ever (4:04), I'm prouder of that race than any other.

The mind is generally the barrier to people's accomplichments.

"There is no need to be drastic and patience is a virtue."




This is very good advise. I speek from experiance when I say take it slow. All through college I would jump into hard training seven days a week after the whole summer off. I thought that I could "Hammer" myself into shape whenever I wanted. The result was often a season plagued with chronic injury, and my body would hold onto the last few pounds of fat. Granted I did run fast when I was racing but, the cycle was exhausting but physicaly and mentaly. It was this unhealthy cycle that caused me to quit running.

Now years later and without any coach to push me I am begining to run again...for the health of it. I still have a very competitive mind set but I will take it slow. Right now I am losing the weight and later I will build the mileage. But the key is to remember that Patience is a Virtue. That and rest is as important as miles. Training is not about "running" yourself ragged, it's about building strenght,endourance, and a positive mind-set.

It must be wisdom

I used to always focus on one race, work hard to get in shape for it and then not have a plan to stay in shape after it. For every marathon I ran, there was another I would enter and be injured for. Not a smart plan. Now its a journey more than an event and if I miss a race its no big deal, because there is always another one to think about.