Grok was a marathoner? page 3

[NicoB]

I listened to Born to Run and really enjoyed it.


And from what I've seen online, and what was said in the book, I'd have to believe Grok might have been a marathon hunter.


The logic behind persistence hunting, and I can attest that running barefoot without heel-striking is quite a bit easier (just so we are very clear, I'm 6'1" and 275lbs, big and tubby), and I'm finding it quite enjoyable.


On top of that I don't see why Grok wouldn't have ran (still waiting on the book...).


Anyways, once the book is in my hands, I'll read Mark's arguments, and write up an article.

[Daughter of Grok]

Born to Run is my favorite book! Great read for us primal folks. I ran a marathon barefoot in July, and it went very well, feet did hurt a bit afterwards since they are still adapting, but I got less blisters than when I wear shoes, and muscularly I felt like I had never run. It was a very slow 5 hour marathon. My stride was naturally shortened by not wearing shoes thus resulting in the slow time, but I felt like I could run one every day like that and not need any recovery. People get injured running marathons because they're running in clodhoppers and have terrible form, just stand on the sideline and watch sometime, or even just listen, you hear nothing but constant "plod plod plod" I can't hear myself running barefoot, utterly silent, like a hunter, the way it should be.

[greggor]

It seems like you eat a lot of sugar. Why be fixated on endurance competition? It will do harm to your body that may continue until old-age. Try to cut the sugars out of your diet. Today's fruits are nothing close to what they were a millenia ago. Meat, fat, nuts, vegetables, and the occasional splurge on heavy cream. That's what I would recommend.

[Daughter of Grok]

i eat less than 50 carbs a day. i don't know what gave you the idea that i eat a lot of sugar. i disagree with the premise that it does harm to your body, and i know we aren't going get anywhere with an argument on the matter since we both have our own beliefs on the matter, so i'll leave it at that.

[Marie]

Thrilled to see this post... as I have been reading a lot lately on trail running, ultras, and the Tarahumara (running indians.) Thanks for all the helpful advice... now if only there were a few more trails in northeast Ohio!

[LivinginYes]

Check out http://www.youbars.com ~ you may be able to design/create an optimal fuel for your ultra marathons. Good Luck!

[fragileknees]

so excited to find this post! i broke my ankle in october and am returning to running, but in vibrams. just starting my PB journey and happy to hear i can keep my love: running. i'm planning to either run short and hard (5k) or long and super slow to be more primal. would love to know what your training plan looks like

[OnTheBayou]

Long and super slow is "anti-primal."


While this is an ongoing argument here and elsewhere, the overwhelming evidence is that Grok seldom ran long and slow. If he/she did, we would not be such lousy long distance runners compared to animals that are born as runners.

[nzkoobi]

Was Grok a marathoner. Of course not! But can you enjoy an active life running long - of course yes!!


Being primal is not a rigid must follow weigh and measure dictated plan. Being primal is summed up beautifully by Mark on this site and in his book. It is about balance.


My take is that if you want to run - go for it. Listen to your body. Go hard when you want and go easy when you want. If you don't want to run - fine - don't run but don't discourage others. Running (for those that love it) is simply the best thing to do. I love it because it is pointless, doesn't matter and it takes you to beautiful places and you get to know wonderful people.


Good luck fragileknees - take it easy, build up gently and listen to your body.

[VanillaSpice]

Grok may or may not have run marathons, I don't know and I don't care. I can say though that Grok didn't sit in front of a computer screen, read forums, and debate with other Groks whether 100g or 150g carbs in his diet was better. Grok probably did what he wanted to, what felt good at the time, and likely didn't do or the eat the same thing another did Grok did 100's of miles away. To each Grok his/her own.

Regardless, I came here to talk long distance training and foods. Here is what works for me, found through trial and error. I came from the typical CW triathlete/marathoner high-carb diet which only worked for me because I didn't know any better. I've been paleo/primal since last fall with huge benefits.

In the on-season I train 10-14hrs/week, often doing sessions 2x/day. I do a mix of LSD and speed, depending on the day. Yes, chronic cardio is my drug. I eat 1-2 pieces of fruit before a workout, I used to do gels beforehand but they left me drained presumably from the sharp up/down in blood sugars? Biking and running for me require different fuels. On the bike I can eat nuts, dates, Lara bars and do OK. On the run, those foods are too heavy and upset my stomach. I had doubts about it at first, but I've learned that my long runs don't need the 250-350 calories/hr (of carbs!) recommended by CW. I'm doing better than ever now eating a gel every 5 miles on any run over 15 miles, which works out to abt 125 calories/hr. Shorter runs I may or may not need a gel. To my understanding, some carbs are needed for us to burn fat.

And when I say "a gel", what I'm really eating varies. I've experimented molasses and honey and there are gels on the market that are honey-based. I hate that many of the commercial gels and sport drinks have food coloring, stevia, xylitol, etc, depending on which brand you buy. Ick. But I see it as part of my 90/10 rule--90% good food and 10% less than ideal.

What I've found to matter the most is the post-training food. As soon as I can tolerate it, I eat a baked potato, banana, or similar easily digested carb along with water. Then an Ensure or recovery fluid with 4:1 of carb: protein. I aim for 200-400 calories asap. Then in about an hour a real meal with protein and fat. If I skip the recovery carbs, I'm dead for the next session. Not sure why, but I need to do it.

This may or may not be the same for everyone. Pardon the pun, but YMMV. But I'm enjoying the thread and wanted to share what I've learned. One Grok might get by on less carbs, while another needs more. One Grok might prefer Crossfit-type stuff another might prefer the LSD. Then there are Groks like me that do both!