Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Frosty Fifty (31 miles) Race and My Low Carbohydrate Diet


On Saturday January 4th, my local running friends (Victor, Caleb, Stu, Sonny & Sam) and I went to Winston Salem to run in the annual Frosty Fifty trail races.




The two races are 30K (15.5 miles) and the 50K (31 miles) in length. It was only 12 degrees when we started the race. My friends in Toronto would be thrilled to have 12 degrees / -11 C during this time of the year, so I have to keep what is cold in perspective. The blessings of running in 12 degrees were that when I ran later in the week and the temperature was 24 degrees, it felt warm. The other benefit of running in the cold is my left foot (has been giving me trouble) never bothered me because it never thawed out during the race.  
Salem Lake has wonderful, wide trails (hard packed dirt) which run around the lake. We ran a 7.5-mile loop with the lake on the left and woods on the right.

 The course has one small hill near the dam and a steep hill which we ran behind the parking lot to get back to the starting area. I have said, “I love Hills” for so long in training, I actually believe it. I was lucky enough to pass many runners on the hills. I would increase my intensity on the hills and tell myself “this is who I am and this is what I train for.”
The race did not offer any age group awards. The top 10 male and female finishers received a large pottery medallion.
 
I was lucky enough to finish 10th place.
This race was more of a training run as my upcoming “A” races are the Myrtle Beach Marathon in mid February and the Boston Marathon in April. My only goals were to stay within my upper Aerobic Heart Rate Zone of 150 and over the last 3 miles pick up the pace so I could finish strong in the Lactate Heart Rate Zone of 160. I also did not want to run so hard that I would reinjure my sore hip. Over the last 3 miles I picked up the pace especially on the final hill and noticed my hands going numb which happens year around and lets me know when I am pushing hard. I knew I had to leave enough energy in the tank to have something left for the end of the race. Patience with my running pace is something I am still learning with the longer Ultra distances races. I was happy to see so many of my running friends from nearby cities before the start of the race including Jenn, Masayo, Richard, Dave M, Caleb, Paul & Aaron.
The race volunteers were cheerfully out in force at aid stations every 3.5 miles. I took a small gulp of water at every opportunity and brought gels in case I needed them. I did not use any of my gels. My energy level during the race was constant and I never felt like I was going to bonk, crash or “hit the wall.” My morning breakfast 2 hours before the race was a plain Greek Yogurt. 45 minutes before the race I took Vespa (amino acid supplement) and a serving of UCAN (super starch with water). Vespa and UCAN help my body to start burning fat quicker than typical gels, which contain sugar and carbohydrates.
Vespa Amino Acid Supplement

I come from a long line of diabetics (Type 1 and Type 2) in my family so I am concerned about my diet. Over the last year, I have slowly started following the Paleo Diet (low carb) after I read about how it helped diabetics & long distance runners.

I became interested in some of the claims long distance runners were making about how a low carb diet helps them with their endurance training:

·         More energy during the day especially after meals

·         No hunger pains even after long runs because the body is fueling on fat instead of carbs

·         Less recovery time (soreness) after hard workouts

·         Leaner body to fat ratio

·         Less opportunity for stomach distress during training and racing from gels
Low Carbohydrate Performance 
At the start of 2013, I started removing certain foods slowly. One of the main reasons it took 2 weeks to transition to the Paleo Diet was because my body was addicted to carbohydrates. Now I find I eat even more often than I did before with foods that are high in protein, fat and low in carbs. The carbs that I used to eat regularly were breads, grains, pasta, fruit juices, cereals, and sugar. I also have given up all soft drinks including diet. I am still getting my necessary carbohydrates, which is now around only 20% of my diet from the foods (low glycemic vegetables, eggs, cheese, milk, meat based proteins, Greek yogurt, spinach, salads, hummus, seeds and nuts) I eat on a daily basis. At first, I worked on keep my carb grams under 100 per day. Now I think I am around 50 grams of carbs a day and my weight has stabilized. Most of all foods we consume have carbohydrates in them, which is the reason I do not need to seek them out. When I eat an apple each day, I choose a green variety, which has less sugar than red apples.





 
I am still getting the carbohydrates which I need, which is now around only 20% of my diet from the foods (low glycemic vegetables, eggs, cheese, milk, meat based proteins, Greek yogurt, spinach, salads, hummus, seeds and nuts) I eat on a daily basis. At first, I worked on keep my carb grams under 100 per day. Now I think I am around 50 grams of carbs a day and my weight has stabilized. Most of all foods we consume have carbohydrates in them, which is the reason I do not need to seek them out. Excess carbs (more than you need for basis functions and energy) is stored as fat.
I started training my body to burn more fat by running in the morning without eating anything (fasting) since dinner the night before. Often I will have not eaten anything for 10 to 12 hours before I run including my 20+ mile long runs. After the 2-week transition period, my body was used to using fat for fuel. I was surprised to learn that I have enough fat on my 158lb body to fuel 20 marathons back to back. There is no fear of running out of fat. Over the past year, my Body to Fat ratio has gone from 18.5% to 16.5% while my weight has dropped 5lbs, which tells me I have replaced some fat for muscle. I have heard in the past, every pound I drop between now and my “A” marathon reduces my time by 1 minute. Logically reducing weight and not carrying it over 26.2 miles would be easier on the body and result in a faster race.
Products like Vespa and UCAN help super-charge my body’s ability to burn fat during long runs and races (20+ miles). I appreciate Peter Defty's (President of Vespa) assistance with helping me to understand how to use fat as my primary running fuel. Runners like Zack Bitter and Jon Olsen are breaking 12 hours for 100 miles are using fat as their primary running fuel with great results.


The purpose of this blog is to explain what is working for me as I train for the Boston Marathon in April. I am neither a dietician nor a healthcare professional so your training and diet results may vary.
I have attached some links to resources mentioned above if you are interested in learning more.




 
I hope you are keeping your new year’s resolutions and finding time to enjoy life. Time is passing quickly.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Martin. I too am using a low carb diet and so far I have been very happy with its affect on my training and my daily energy levels. I am running my first 2 winter 100 milers here in Alaska and I find I can go long and hard ( pulling a sled) without the hourly carb spikes. I wish you all the best with Boston. I ran in in 2005. What a great race! Watch out with the longer distances...it is easy to get hooked! My goal this year are all 4 100 mile races in Alaska. best to you.

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