Training for a marathon while on keto

mirianyusm

I am training for the Chicago marathon (My first Chicago marathon but not first marathon) in October and I've been eating keto since February. Now that I am running longer mileage I feel depleted soon and after my run I feel tired, my shoulders feel like when I am getting a bad cold, etc. Is it possible to run a marathon while on keto? Thank you for any comment and advice.

mbaker566

how are you fueling?
longer mileage will make you feel tired. but you need to refuel(sometimes during a run) and stay hydrated and keep your electrolytes in balance.

mirianyusm

I only replenish electrolytes. I just bought UCAN super starch but haven't started to use it. Everything I used in the past to fuel is full of sugar. I don't really know what to use. Thank you for responding.

DX2JX2

If you are doing keto as a way to control calories, then it might not be entirely necessary during marathon training. The miles you log will do quite a bit to net you some eating space.

If doing keto for other reasons, then it still seems doable. According to various web sources, keto can actually improve endurance performance (your body isn't dependent on limited glycogen stores) but you've got to give yourself plenty of time to adapt. Give it a google, it looks like most are OK loading up on fats for pre-meal races or for fueling (nut butters and such).

mbaker566

nut butter, jerky, that coffee with butter thing, broth, nuts, string cheese, summer sausage
i am not keto but a quick google search showed these as options

ronocnikral

you need to slow down in your training. Your liver can't keep up with your fast twitch muscles. You can also eat some sugar if you train under the "no pain no gain" mentality.

mirianyusm

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I have also found some very interesting articles in women's running and other sites. I'll put in practice some of your suggestions and will keep you posted. Thank you again!

mirianyusm

Hi everybody, This is a little update on my journey to the Chicago Marathon. Three weeks ago I run a half marathon while on keto. I finished it but it was like hell. I thought about quitting every step of the way. I just wanted to stop and call my husband to come pick me up. I am not fast. I've never been. I am 59 and 40 lbs overweight but my average half marathon time is 2:50. I finished last with a time of 3:17!!
I ran an official 20 miler last Sunday but I decided to carb up prior to the run. What a difference it made! I was still slow but I had so much more energy and felt much better except after mile 16 when exhaustion started to kick in.

I have three more weeks to the Chicago Marathon but I am feeling better about it. I will try to eat clean and healthy but natural carbs are going to be part of the regimen.

My only problem now is that I am not losing weight no matter the amount of exercise. I'll have to figure that out.

deannalfisher

there are very few endurance athletes who are pure keto...most increase carbs prior to races

losing weight while training for a marathon is a hard proposition - the stress you are putting on your body can lead to increases in water weight; and fully replenishing calories burnt can be hard

spiriteagle99

Are you still logging everything you eat? I find that I continue to lose weight (or maintain it) until right around the race as long as I log everything. Then there's an issue with cutting back on the miles just before and after the race while still having the appetite of a long distance runner. I figure a few pounds the week before and after the race is okay. When the appetite calms down, it's easier to get back on track.

Another possibility is that your body is retaining more water at the moment. Low carb eating causes the body to not store water the way it does when you're eating carbs. It's the reason people lose 10+ pounds in the first week or two of low carb eating. For a runner, that can lead to dehydration, which is part of why your race was so hard. When you started eating carbs again, your body started to hold onto more water. This is good for you as a runner, but makes it likely that you won't see any weight loss until your body gets more in balance again. If you continue to eat under your calories, you should be losing fat, though the water gain will mask it. A lot of people who start maintenance eating find themselves gaining a few pounds of water weight. It goes away.

Djproulx

mirianyusm wrote: »

Hi everybody, This is a little update on my journey to the Chicago Marathon. Three weeks ago I run a half marathon while on keto. I finished it but it was like hell. I thought about quitting every step of the way. I just wanted to stop and call my husband to come pick me up. I am not fast. I've never been. I am 59 and 40 lbs overweight but my average half marathon time is 2:50. I finished last with a time of 3:17!!
I ran an official 20 miler last Sunday but I decided to carb up prior to the run. What a difference it made! I was still slow but I had so much more energy and felt much better except after mile 16 when exhaustion started to kick in.

I have three more weeks to the Chicago Marathon but I am feeling better about it. I will try to eat clean and healthy but natural carbs are going to be part of the regimen.

My only problem now is that I am not losing weight no matter the amount of exercise. I'll have to figure that out.

I do not follow a ketogenic approach, but the experience of three of my friends may resonate with you:

Three of my training partners follow a ketogenic diet and all three of them have done long distance events this year, two of the guys doing a stand alone marathon and all three of them racing a full iron distance triathlon in August. Of the three, only one of them, Bryan, is truly "fat adapted". The other two guys experienced the symptoms you described and needed to supplement with carbs in order to maintain their ability to perform during races.

In Bryan's case, he tests himself daily to monitor his levels and is in ketosis regularly. He consumes electrolytes and UCAN before races, and refuels with fats and electrolytes during the event, often with a beef jerky type bar and basalt. At Ironman Mont Tremblant, he also stocked his Bike Special Needs bag with a thermos full of bacon and eggs! He consumed this at roughly the halfway point in the race. He also tries to be very diligent about electrolytes and water intake. Upon his IM finish (with a very strong time of 12:48:00) he said he felt fine, but then got dizzy shortly after finishing and needed a trip to the medical tent. The medics gave him 4 liters of fluid to replenish what he lost, and he was fine several minutes later. For reference, the day was sunny and temps hit about 90 degrees that afternoon.

So, my observation is that it takes time and diligence to become fully "fat adapted", and some practice is needed to find the right balance of fuel/electrolytes to support your long distance running.

fishgutzy

I generally do low carb.
But when I am trying to swim more than 10km I use honey during the swim.
Just did 17.6km today. 4800 calories burned.
Was stuck at 10km until i started using honey during the swim.

mirianyusm

Thank you everybody for your input! When I ran the half marathon while on keto I woke up a couple of hours before the run started to take Ucane but it did not work. Regarding my weight I still log everyday. I've been eating more than I used to before upping my weekly mileage but I will give it time as my body adapts as spiriteagle99 mentioned.