Day 37, Oct 8th 2018

Running is more than just putting one foot in front of the other, lot

https://www.rivertontrackxc.com/nutrition

Firstly i am no expert on nutrition and can only share my own experiences, hence adding the link above from someone who seems to know their stuff.

I am a avid reader, I like knowledge, and I like to understand why I should do what I do, I rarely remember the technical reason, just the gist of it. I read something a long time ago about nutrition, its easy to forget stuff though so always worth re-reading from time to time. I know one expert will often have different opinions from another but they all seem to agree that carbs are what fuel our runs, primarily at least. I also read that it is good to do a fasted run at least once a week if you plan to run distance, according to some nutritionists. The theory is, as I understand it anyway, that over a marathon it is impossible to maintain the amount of carbs you will need. Carb loading before a long run helps, but during the run you will run out, and your body will turn to the fat stores and begin breaking them down. This is hard work for the body and will add to your fatigue, so training on a fasted run once a week helps teach your body to become more efficient at it. Burning body fat is also a good way to lose weight but, be careful, you need other nutrition to maintain a healthy body. Yes being lighter makes it easier to run, but being light headed is a recipe for disaster. That is why I never do it for a run over 5 miles. This should help teach my body to convert the fat stores when needed. 

I took nutrition, mostly with a pinch of salt, when I first started running, after all, I wasn't running that far anyway. Fast forward 18 months and we decided to put the family on a diet for my daughter. Carb free, fat free, sugar free etc. Everyone benefitted from losing weight so I was very encouraged and we kept going. A month in, I tore my right hamstring, it was only minor, but was followed a few weeks later by a torn right calf muscle, ugh. 4 months later, injuries healed, running had taken a hit, i was so much slower than pre injury and struggling if I tried to up my distance. Several weeks later, it dawned on me that I struggled after 8 miles because of carbs, well, lack of. I had been doing every run on, what was effectively a fasted run. I had eaten, but not what I needed. Lesson learned and I ate a few low fat protein, carb heavy meal the night before, plus, eating a peanut rich bar an hour into the run. I am now able to improve my distance. I have also found it helps to have a small carb meal after my long runs to help top the stores back up. 

The pace hasn't come back yet, but that will in time. I have stopped worrying about it and intend to just concentrate on distance, after all, some experts say you can't do both without a much greater risk of injury, so pace wise, what will be will be