Track and Field, need advice please! page

[diesel_girl]

Hi Everyone, First off not so new to low carbing been doing that on and off for awhile, however I've been kind of afraid to add back carbs, but I know my body is craving some- fruits being ideal. But also I'm doing track this semester at school, going to be going for 200m and a throwing event, but most importantly I want to know- if anyone has experience, what i should eat before training, I don't want to feel out of energy for my sprints, I need some carbs, I know I do. Mark recommends low carb fruits like berries but what about for an athlete. I still need to shed some fat as well, a good 15lbs would be ideal! So I'd imagine low carb most the time, plus I'm going to try and keep it paleo- kicking out dairy, artifical sweetners and even protein powders etc.

Any advice soooo greatly appreciated!

[diesel_girl]

BTW: I know about fat adaption and such, even when I've been pretty low carb for time, I still can't seem to run as well as I have with a good amount of carbs, especially sprinting!!! Curious though if I add in a some fruit right before will it be just enough??

[Adventure8410]

Howdy DG


Mark has a couple of posts out about this very topic

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/prima...e-compromises/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/athlete-training-advice/

[beeface]

BTW: I know about fat adaption and such, even when I've been pretty low carb for time, I still can't seem to run as well as I have with a good amount of carbs, especially sprinting!!! Curious though if I add in a some fruit right before will it be just enough??

Hi Diesel,
i too run, do intervals, sprints, whatever that has to do w/ running, dont care as long as i am out there!
try to fit in one of each work out a week, long, tempo, interval or fartlek, plyometrics, sprinting....to about the tune of 38-40m a week. and i NEED carbs. compltely and utterly, in fact i tried to run on two hardboiled eggs (not on them duh) w/ them in my belly the other day. and WOW that sucked butt! not good. so i was just toying around w/ foods, and whatnot, and the only thing that gets it up for me, each run, is carbs. i usually have a large spoon ful of molasses, or a few figs, and a small bite of low cal peanut butter, which has some fat, protein, but some carbs too. yeah yeah, i know we need to really eat the real stuff (and NOT pb, but almond, or cashew butter) but in the case of a "BEFORE" run snack, this works well. there is no better mix, the tummy cannot run on fatty/protein stuff alone. it is too heavy and unless you have two hours to wait....then i would go ahead w/ the very small amt of carbs prior to your workout (again small amoutn being key)
I have also found that after: fat/protein/smal carb from fruit (berries) is a great mix!!! after matters in terms of muscle re-building/fixing. boy oh boy, sorry i am not too eloquent here----- but you know what i mean. just get a mix.
doesnt have to be much. i find if i follow this sort of regimented "cheat" if you will, as an athlete, it really works. and i dont gain weight, have plenty of OOMPH for each run no matter what type, and am almost following primal the rest of the time.
toy around w/ this. honey may work too. but fruit will just cause acid in your tummy to churn. no good. figs are great though. Primal/paleo doesnt LOVE dried fruits, too much sugar, but as a track and field person, runner per se, you do need a bit of that.
if you dont like my advice, maybe someone else has other good or better advice. this is what works for me
and i have been running up to 70m a week for 6 years now. with good success.
good luck. if you have other questions, i may have answers!!!

[Panthek]

Beeface--

Couldn't tell from your post whether you've ever been in this position, but...any idea how to maximize BOTH running potential AND weight loss? It seems they are at odds with each other...cut out carbs, and running sucks (and I do long distance, so it sucks for a LONG time) or don't cut out carbs, and make little/no progress losing weight.

I've been trying to discover the answer to this question for awhile now, but no luck yet. Lately, I've been low-carbing (below 50g most days), and living with horrible (and therefore, shortened) runs. But, don't know how long I can mentally take not being able to run well. I'm aiming to lose about 45 lbs (to get to my best racing weight...to be middle of my ' healthy weight-range', I really only need to lose about 24...). I held out hope for awhile that fat adaptation would occur, but I think I lack the patience it will take to occur (I'm guessing months rather than weeks), and I have several important races coming up. Every day I run (or attempt to run) and eat low-carb, I feel like c***.

Any insight you might have on this issue would be greatly appreciated!!!

[mstrudle]

I started running the 800 meters this year as my only event, and it has been a bit of a change from doing the one and two mile races. Before each race I eat nothing all day, because when you are running the 800 you feel like puking afterwards and I would rather not. My best time so far has been 2:27, which isn't the best but I'm confident I can get it down to at least 2:20 by the end of the season.

Going very low carb has been problematic, so I have added potatoes back in and have felt great doing so. I find that having carbs RIGHT before a track practice doesn't matter, as lunch is 2-3 hours before practice and I generally eat 1-3 potatoes then depending on how I feel at the time.

@Panthek

The best way to maximize running potential is spending time in the weight room. Speed is dependent more on your hamstrings and gluteal muscles than your quadriceps, so training on the deadlift will build power which will translate to better times on the track. Weight training also has the added effect of increasing metabolism, which is the biggest contributing factor to burning off excess weight. Do deadlifts 5 times per week with very limited reps, this will increase myofibrillar strength without creating excess bulk in the muscle cells, allowing you to stay at the same weight and run faster. The man who coached Allyson Felix, one of the best female 200m racers in the world, used this method with her to great success.

Since you do long distance, you need to be fast (relatively speaking) for a very long time, which requires greater carbohydrate levels. Don't fear the carbs, you will run optimally in these sorts of events with them.

[Panthek]

@mstrudle--

Thanks for the ideas! But I still have a few questions.

When I referred to 'maximize running performance', I really meant specifically preventing bonking, which I essentially start out every run already having bonked with the carbs as low as they are (I try to run around 70 mpw). One of the factors that I was attracted to in the low-carb way of life (or diet, whichever you prefer), is the rate at which you can lose weight (i.e. faster than most other diets). The faster I can dispose of this fat (within reason), the less time my running will have to suffer, and the less time I will have to compromise running performance for weight loss, or vice versa.

If I bump up the carbs, I will (I'm sure) definitely run better, but I think that will basically eliminate the advantage of eating low-carb, yeah? In order to lose weight somewhat quickly with that approach, I would then have to drastically cut calories, and basically eat high-carb (to support the exercise level), which is really no different than your standard American diet. Granted, I don't have to (and won't) eat 'junk' carbs, but that would still be eating high-carb...But maybe that is the answer...endurance running is not conducive to eating Primally? I've read the various posts on MDA concerning endurance exercise and eating Primally, but of course, none of those athletes needed to lose weight...which is an entirely different, and potentially contradictory, problem to fueling this way...

So basically, my question boils down to: How do I maximize rate of weight loss and not hinder endurance running performance (if there is a solution to this problem)? I've lost weight before using CW calorie-cutting while running, but it was very slow, and as soon as I got injured, I gained most of it back (probably mostly my fault, but I also think the constant calorie-cutting made my metabolism more sluggish than it should have been given my high level of activity).

[Charles Farley]

Send Dan an e-mail. He is an accomplished lifter, thrower and T&F coach. Additionally, he is very in tune with giving good diet advice for the paleo/primal eater.

http://danjohn.net/dan-john-bio/

[arthurb999]

I would just time the carbs before and after the events... fruit and sweet potatos.

[Primalmox]

I also run track, the 1500m.. i have been primal since the start of the season and i had some troubles with going fully primal and recovery from workouts.. I experimented a little and i have a few things now that keep me energized and healthy before and after a race/hard workout. Chia Seeds are an everyday thing for me now.. i have them every morning and i eel fantastic.. As for carbs, before a race or hard workout i will have sweet potato for lunch (or breakfast, depending on when i race).. for me 1 sweet potato gets me through a hard workout and a race and im PR'ing so i cant complain.. After the race i will go fully primal which i love and this in effect doesnt hamper my body composition. (i moniter my weight every day).
Cheers