Fasted running
Replies
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Just eat a banana and go. You might feel hungry, but you're not gonna die. One could theoretically go an entire marathon on a banana, just sayin.
I'm saying the opposite, I don't get hungry before and if I eat anything, even a banana, I hurl.0 -
I run in the morning before eating, I just don't do well with food in my stomach.. Glass of OJ is about all I have.
For long runs, anything from 8 miles and on, I use GU chomps for fuel.
I have a high protein snack after my run.
Just to be clear: drinking OJ before a run is "eating". It can be a good way for some people to "eat" before exercise.
it works for me-I can't do solids. Perhaps I should have been more clear.0 -
Just eat a banana and go. You might feel hungry, but you're not gonna die. One could theoretically go an entire marathon on a banana, just sayin.
I'm saying the opposite, I don't get hungry before and if I eat anything, even a banana, I hurl.
then don't eat-simple as that.0 -
OK! Here is my skinny on fasted and unfasted running.
First some fueling tips if you do decide to eat before running.
Try different things. Different people react to different foods differently. You want to experiment in training runs so you know what works and doesn't work as you prepare for races. When you find something that works, you gonna want to replicate that before a race. This includes your day before pre-race meal.
Eating too many calories before a run can lock up your stomach pretty bad and cause discomfort. As you run, blood is being diverted to the areas that require oxygen and liver glycogen and fat absorption during your run. This blood is diverted away from other functions such as digestion. I go by Runner's World Big Book of Marathon and HM Training. 600 calories approx 3 hours before a big run in simple carbs or 200 cals 1 hour before. As you are running, 100 cals 30 minutes into the run and 45 minutes thereafter.
Why fuel up as you are running? As your body uses the anaerobic system (burning fuel without the presense of oxygen) you will be burning up your internal carb stores (glycogen). You have a limited supply. Different people have different levels and it depends how intense you run, but for most experienced runners, they should be able to run 15-20 miles and even beyond without worry of bonking (clearing out their glycogen supply). Running way beyond your aerobic threshold or poor training may cause you to bonk much sooner. The idea is to supplement the amount of glycogen you use up as you run but not replace it all together during the run. If you bonk too fast, then you are running faster than you should for your goal distance.
If you run at a pace that is below your aerobic threshold (burning fuel in the presense of oxygen) then your fuel supply relies more on your internal fat storage as opposed to glycogen. Your body (in comparison to gycogen) has a virtual endless supply of fat to fuel long term activity.
So this leads us into training and especially fasted training.
If you have long steady training runs that you rely on your aerobic system, your body will begin to learn to rely more on fat burning as opposed to glycogen burning. Training fasted during these runs will slowly deplete your glycogen and will stimulate growth in this area. In other words, your body will soon learn to store more glycogen for future runs. As you sleep, your body begins to use up and lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar goes below a certain point, it may either use fat or glycogen to fuel your bodies survival mechanisms as you sleep. If you train to rely on fat burning, your body will burn less glycogen but it will burn some glycogen none the less. So unless you eat something in the morning before you run, you will have diminished glycogen stores.
This could be a good thing tho if you don't mind diminished performace in trade for stimulating growth.
At a certain point, your body will experience diminished returns and poor performance will outweigh the benefits of stimulating the growth of glycogen storage. But in the beginning of the training season, the diminished supply of blood sugar and glycogen during fasted runs will take some getting used to as your body learns to power from your fat storage and aerobic system.
If fasted running causes the body to learn to store more glycogen, it will become increasingly difficult to do fasted running, n'est-ce pas? ????
Fasted running will train the body to run while burning fat for energy. It's a necessary strategy for the marathon distance and/or anything over 2ish hours, height/weight varying of course. If you train on a larger meal or insist on taking gels on 3 mile training runs, your body will use that as fuel since it is easier to burn. When it's gone though... BOOM.0 -
If fasted running causes the body to learn to store more glycogen, it will become increasingly difficult to do fasted running, n'est-ce pas? ????
At a certain point, your body really won't store more glycogen. Thus I said you will eventually experience diminished returns. In other words, you get to a certain point in your training where your body stops trying to store even more glycogen and your run just suffers from it in terms of performance. So you might as well fuel or carb up before a run to get better performance because your body won't learn much more from a fasted run.
It is called "Training low and racing high"
http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/lab-report-fuel-management?page=single0 -
Just eat a banana and go. You might feel hungry, but you're not gonna die. One could theoretically go an entire marathon on a banana, just sayin.
I'm saying the opposite, I don't get hungry before and if I eat anything, even a banana, I hurl.
I'm not seeing the problem
However, I thought you said something about eating eggs or a protein shake. Those are slow digesting and would absolutely give you stomach crap on a run. On my weekday runs, I go around 11am, so yes I do eat before. Usually 3 eggs at 7, and a banana at 830 and oatmeal at 9-930.0 -
Just eat a banana and go. You might feel hungry, but you're not gonna die. One could theoretically go an entire marathon on a banana, just sayin.
I'm saying the opposite, I don't get hungry before and if I eat anything, even a banana, I hurl.
I'm not seeing the problem
However, I thought you said something about eating eggs or a protein shake. Those are slow digesting and would absolutely give you stomach crap on a run. On my weekday runs, I go around 11am, so yes I do eat before. Usually 3 eggs at 7, and a banana at 830 and oatmeal at 9-930.
I was just wondering if I'm making things harder for myself by not eating, maybe my performance would be better if I ate? maybe I'm supposed to eat and I'm a freak of nature for getting an upset stomach?0 -
Just eat a banana and go. You might feel hungry, but you're not gonna die. One could theoretically go an entire marathon on a banana, just sayin.
I'm saying the opposite, I don't get hungry before and if I eat anything, even a banana, I hurl.
I'm not seeing the problem
However, I thought you said something about eating eggs or a protein shake. Those are slow digesting and would absolutely give you stomach crap on a run. On my weekday runs, I go around 11am, so yes I do eat before. Usually 3 eggs at 7, and a banana at 830 and oatmeal at 9-930.
Not only slow digestion, the protein won't really act as a fuel which is what you need more.
Although protein is important to maintain muscle mass and you need some of this after a long run, it really won't help you as much before a long run. Fast carbs is what you really need the most.0 -
It's worth bearing in mind that our physical responses were designed to guide us many millions of years before we had mfp, nutritionists or protein shakes. Listen to your body and if it feels fine then it most likely is fine.
If you are very keen to get some protein in before running, a 250ml glass of milk has 10g of protein and won't be too heavy on the stomach. You can even mix it in with coffee to make a latte if you like a coffee before you go out.0 -
I'm an experiment of one, but I do ALL of my running in a fasted state. I've done 90+ mile weeks with 22 mile long runs in a fasted state. I didn't bonk, lose muscle mass or anything else. It works just fine for me. You'll just have to try it and see.0
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Just eat a banana and go. You might feel hungry, but you're not gonna die. One could theoretically go an entire marathon on a banana, just sayin.
I'm saying the opposite, I don't get hungry before and if I eat anything, even a banana, I hurl.
I'm not seeing the problem
However, I thought you said something about eating eggs or a protein shake. Those are slow digesting and would absolutely give you stomach crap on a run. On my weekday runs, I go around 11am, so yes I do eat before. Usually 3 eggs at 7, and a banana at 830 and oatmeal at 9-930.
I was just wondering if I'm making things harder for myself by not eating, maybe my performance would be better if I ate? maybe I'm supposed to eat and I'm a freak of nature for getting an upset stomach?
For the short distances that you're doing, not eating anything before your run isn't going to affect anything. I know for short distances, I actually feel better when I don't eat first (and my times show it) :happy: 0 -
Short distance runs like that are fine. If you feel weak or tired during the run, try some gatorade or other sports drink.0
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Just eat a banana and go. You might feel hungry, but you're not gonna die. One could theoretically go an entire marathon on a banana, just sayin.
I'm saying the opposite, I don't get hungry before and if I eat anything, even a banana, I hurl.
I'm not seeing the problem
However, I thought you said something about eating eggs or a protein shake. Those are slow digesting and would absolutely give you stomach crap on a run. On my weekday runs, I go around 11am, so yes I do eat before. Usually 3 eggs at 7, and a banana at 830 and oatmeal at 9-930.
I was just wondering if I'm making things harder for myself by not eating, maybe my performance would be better if I ate? maybe I'm supposed to eat and I'm a freak of nature for getting an upset stomach?
Like I said, you're doing fine. Everyone is different, and your body may or may not change, depending on your mileage and "rungries." Sometimes I will eat a slice of pizza and run, other times it's a sip of water. Once, I ate 22 donut holes and ran 4 miles, throwing up 3.5 into it. Heck, on Friday, I ate an apple and ran and had the worst stomach cramps and side stitches. It's trial and error, and there really isn't a right or wrong way.0 -
I'm an experiment of one, but I do ALL of my running in a fasted state. I've done 90+ mile weeks with 22 mile long runs in a fasted state. I didn't bonk, lose muscle mass or anything else. It works just fine for me. You'll just have to try it and see.
Me too. Except the 90+ mile weeks. Never done those!
Oh, and I have breakfast three hours before a race. And occasionally I have to run in the evening, in which case I have a mid-afternoon snack. But otherwise I just do all my runs - long, short, fast, whatever - before breakfast. Otherwise I'd have to get up WAY earlier than I'd like.0 -
The only time I eat or drink anything before I run is if I am racing something with "marathon" in the title and even then I try to eat 2-3 hours before hand to avoid stomach issues. A lot of people have GI problems when they run, your training will not suffer if you do your runs in a fasted state.0
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I'm an experiment of one, but I do ALL of my running in a fasted state. I've done 90+ mile weeks with 22 mile long runs in a fasted state. I didn't bonk, lose muscle mass or anything else. It works just fine for me. You'll just have to try it and see.
Me too. Except the 90+ mile weeks. Never done those!
Oh, and I have breakfast three hours before a race. And occasionally I have to run in the evening, in which case I have a mid-afternoon snack. But otherwise I just do all my runs - long, short, fast, whatever - before breakfast. Otherwise I'd have to get up WAY earlier than I'd like.
And I am the total opposite. I always eat before my runs... I usually don't fuel up during though, except for one long run in which I try to test my race day strategy including gels and water.
And I didn't bonk or hit the wall in my one and only marathon because I've never run fasted!!
Experiment, you will figure out what works for you.0 -
OK! Here is my skinny on fasted and unfasted running.
First some fueling tips if you do decide to eat before running.
Try different things. Different people react to different foods differently. You want to experiment in training runs so you know what works and doesn't work as you prepare for races. When you find something that works, you gonna want to replicate that before a race. This includes your day before pre-race meal.
Eating too many calories before a run can lock up your stomach pretty bad and cause discomfort. As you run, blood is being diverted to the areas that require oxygen and liver glycogen and fat absorption during your run. This blood is diverted away from other functions such as digestion. I go by Runner's World Big Book of Marathon and HM Training. 600 calories approx 3 hours before a big run in simple carbs or 200 cals 1 hour before. As you are running, 100 cals 30 minutes into the run and 45 minutes thereafter.
Why fuel up as you are running? As your body uses the anaerobic system (burning fuel without the presense of oxygen) you will be burning up your internal carb stores (glycogen). You have a limited supply. Different people have different levels and it depends how intense you run, but for most experienced runners, they should be able to run 15-20 miles and even beyond without worry of bonking (clearing out their glycogen supply). Running way beyond your aerobic threshold or poor training may cause you to bonk much sooner. The idea is to supplement the amount of glycogen you use up as you run but not replace it all together during the run. If you bonk too fast, then you are running faster than you should for your goal distance.
If you run at a pace that is below your aerobic threshold (burning fuel in the presense of oxygen) then your fuel supply relies more on your internal fat storage as opposed to glycogen. Your body (in comparison to gycogen) has a virtual endless supply of fat to fuel long term activity.
So this leads us into training and especially fasted training.
If you have long steady training runs that you rely on your aerobic system, your body will begin to learn to rely more on fat burning as opposed to glycogen burning. Training fasted during these runs will slowly deplete your glycogen and will stimulate growth in this area. In other words, your body will soon learn to store more glycogen for future runs. As you sleep, your body begins to use up and lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar goes below a certain point, it may either use fat or glycogen to fuel your bodies survival mechanisms as you sleep. If you train to rely on fat burning, your body will burn less glycogen but it will burn some glycogen none the less. So unless you eat something in the morning before you run, you will have diminished glycogen stores.
This could be a good thing tho if you don't mind diminished performace in trade for stimulating growth.
At a certain point, your body will experience diminished returns and poor performance will outweigh the benefits of stimulating the growth of glycogen storage. But in the beginning of the training season, the diminished supply of blood sugar and glycogen during fasted runs will take some getting used to as your body learns to power from your fat storage and aerobic system.
If fasted running causes the body to learn to store more glycogen, it will become increasingly difficult to do fasted running, n'est-ce pas? ????
I have actually read some conflicting physiology studies on this. Running (in general) especially in a fasted state burns more fat during exercise than other forms of exercise which up regulates production of fat mobilizing enzymes. This could be a good thing DURING your run; however, after the run the upregulation of these enzymes can make it easier for you to store fat. Whereas, stimulation of glycogen mobilizing enzymes would be best performed with anaerobic methods of training.0 -
Fasted LISS? Sounds like a recipe for muscle loss and high cortisol levels.
If your goals are centered around running then eat a healthy meal an hour or so before you run. If your goals are centered around body composition then eat a meal an hour before you train and stop running. Instead, lift weights and do HIIT. I would recommend a heavy bag, prowler, sledge hammer, kettlebell or a heavy carrying implement (this could just be a big rock) for your HIIT.
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Fasted LISS? Sounds like a recipe for muscle loss and high cortisol levels.
If your goals are centered around running then eat a healthy meal an hour or so before you run. If your goals are centered around body composition then eat a meal an hour before you train and stop running. Instead, lift weights and do HIIT. I would recommend a heavy bag, prowler, sledge hammer, kettlebell or a heavy carrying implement (this could just be a big rock) for your HIIT.
Makes jokes about training specific metabolic systems
Has absolutely no argument, just a meme0 -
You're fine. Just go run.
(and I usually run fasted as well. At most I'll have some toast or a banana, and that's only for runs over 10 miles. The only time I eat while running in training is during trail runs that are going to clock more than 3 hours)0 -
There is nothing wrong with your plan. In fact I think fasted long runs are a great training tool. I've gone up to 20 miles fasted and no gels during the runs. One fasted long run a week is not going to eat all your muscle either like some are trying to claim.0
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these days I do:
60-85 min runs- totally fasted
90-120 min runs- meal 1.5 hours before, nothing on run
120 + I do 50% fasted, 50% I take the same energy I use in race with me (30-50 g carbs per hour)-- when I do take in carbs on these long runs I use them as marathon simulation type runs.
track work: I use carbs most of them time, in my experimenting with performance, I do better with carb intake0 -
I have run a half marathon fasted--from what I have read you should be fine for fasted long runs until they get to the 18 mile plus distance. Our livers store lots of glycogen and our muscles carry some as well. How long are your morning fasted runs?
I also can't eat then run. I have to have at least 3-4 hours after eating before I run, longer for large meals.
Only 4-5 miles, but I have a 10k in November, so I'm currently working towards 6 miles and then further.
I've run a marathon fasted as well as several halfs (and training runs). I can't handle any food before running.0 -
I have been slowly building up my fasted training- last Thursday's trail run was from 10am-230pm and my only "meal" (at 5:30am) consisted of two shots of espresso and a cup of almond milk (about 40cal.)
I have been doing this partially in response to (stupidly) forgetting to eat breakfast on my 100mi attempt, getting sick when I grabbed high fat food at mile 13, resulting in gastric distress, extreme slowdown, and a DNF at mile 75. I decided that I wanted to be prepared for whatever a race threw at me (or that I threw at myself lol) and am making sure that I can push through and train to be stronger under less than optimal conditions. An experiment of one, definitely, but this experiment is going well...proper fueling at my last race (sept 20) resulted in a PR of 52mi in 10:48 and the most even splits of any race thus far. A 6.5mi looped course, and my 8th (last) loop was actually faster than my 7th. Training fasted and fueling moderately (including eating breakfast) before and during a long race seems to be working.0 -
also, for a reduced noise level, I would recommend you check out the long distance running group..
Agreed
And to answer the original question, for my evening runs I'm comfortable doing 6-7 miles having not eaten for 6-7 hours, although I will have water for most of the afternoon.
For longer than that, my weekend forenoon sessions, I'll generally have something like a bowl of porridge, or a couple of slices of wholemeal toast with banana an hour or so before going out the door.
As I've conditioned myself to running I've become much more comfortable with less fuel and less water, over time.0 -
OK! Here is my skinny on fasted and unfasted running.
First some fueling tips if you do decide to eat before running.
Try different things. Different people react to different foods differently. You want to experiment in training runs so you know what works and doesn't work as you prepare for races. When you find something that works, you gonna want to replicate that before a race. This includes your day before pre-race meal.
Eating too many calories before a run can lock up your stomach pretty bad and cause discomfort. As you run, blood is being diverted to the areas that require oxygen and liver glycogen and fat absorption during your run. This blood is diverted away from other functions such as digestion. I go by Runner's World Big Book of Marathon and HM Training. 600 calories approx 3 hours before a big run in simple carbs or 200 cals 1 hour before. As you are running, 100 cals 30 minutes into the run and 45 minutes thereafter.
Why fuel up as you are running? As your body uses the anaerobic system (burning fuel without the presense of oxygen) you will be burning up your internal carb stores (glycogen). You have a limited supply. Different people have different levels and it depends how intense you run, but for most experienced runners, they should be able to run 15-20 miles and even beyond without worry of bonking (clearing out their glycogen supply). Running way beyond your aerobic threshold or poor training may cause you to bonk much sooner. The idea is to supplement the amount of glycogen you use up as you run but not replace it all together during the run. If you bonk too fast, then you are running faster than you should for your goal distance.
If you run at a pace that is below your aerobic threshold (burning fuel in the presense of oxygen) then your fuel supply relies more on your internal fat storage as opposed to glycogen. Your body (in comparison to gycogen) has a virtual endless supply of fat to fuel long term activity.
So this leads us into training and especially fasted training.
If you have long steady training runs that you rely on your aerobic system, your body will begin to learn to rely more on fat burning as opposed to glycogen burning. Training fasted during these runs will slowly deplete your glycogen and will stimulate growth in this area. In other words, your body will soon learn to store more glycogen for future runs. As you sleep, your body begins to use up and lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar goes below a certain point, it may either use fat or glycogen to fuel your bodies survival mechanisms as you sleep. If you train to rely on fat burning, your body will burn less glycogen but it will burn some glycogen none the less. So unless you eat something in the morning before you run, you will have diminished glycogen stores.
This could be a good thing tho if you don't mind diminished performace in trade for stimulating growth.
At a certain point, your body will experience diminished returns and poor performance will outweigh the benefits of stimulating the growth of glycogen storage. But in the beginning of the training season, the diminished supply of blood sugar and glycogen during fasted runs will take some getting used to as your body learns to power from your fat storage and aerobic system.
If fasted running causes the body to learn to store more glycogen, it will become increasingly difficult to do fasted running, n'est-ce pas? ????
I have actually read some conflicting physiology studies on this. Running (in general) especially in a fasted state burns more fat during exercise than other forms of exercise which up regulates production of fat mobilizing enzymes. This could be a good thing DURING your run; however, after the run the upregulation of these enzymes can make it easier for you to store fat. Whereas, stimulation of glycogen mobilizing enzymes would be best performed with anaerobic methods of training.
The whole point of training, esp endurance running, is to train the body to optimally perform under certain specific conditions. Endurance training effects are meant to improve endurance performance--sometimes that does not coincide with other exercise goals such as weight loss or even overall health. Overall, the idea of doing fasted cardio for fat loss has been shown to be seriously flawed, if not outright debunked--but that's a different topic
Glycogen sparing is obviously a good thing for endurance performance.
Another point: a number of studies have shown that HIIT training can result in some of the same fat-burning adaptations as endurance training.This has lead to some people again trying to assert that HIIT training is a "one stop shop" that obviates the need for endurance training. However, every instinct of training and physiology says that you cannot train for a marathon by doing 20-min max interval training workouts, so I am looking forward to further research on this topic.0 -
OK! Here is my skinny on fasted and unfasted running.
First some fueling tips if you do decide to eat before running.
Try different things. Different people react to different foods differently. You want to experiment in training runs so you know what works and doesn't work as you prepare for races. When you find something that works, you gonna want to replicate that before a race. This includes your day before pre-race meal.
Eating too many calories before a run can lock up your stomach pretty bad and cause discomfort. As you run, blood is being diverted to the areas that require oxygen and liver glycogen and fat absorption during your run. This blood is diverted away from other functions such as digestion. I go by Runner's World Big Book of Marathon and HM Training. 600 calories approx 3 hours before a big run in simple carbs or 200 cals 1 hour before. As you are running, 100 cals 30 minutes into the run and 45 minutes thereafter.
Why fuel up as you are running? As your body uses the anaerobic system (burning fuel without the presense of oxygen) you will be burning up your internal carb stores (glycogen). You have a limited supply. Different people have different levels and it depends how intense you run, but for most experienced runners, they should be able to run 15-20 miles and even beyond without worry of bonking (clearing out their glycogen supply). Running way beyond your aerobic threshold or poor training may cause you to bonk much sooner. The idea is to supplement the amount of glycogen you use up as you run but not replace it all together during the run. If you bonk too fast, then you are running faster than you should for your goal distance.
If you run at a pace that is below your aerobic threshold (burning fuel in the presense of oxygen) then your fuel supply relies more on your internal fat storage as opposed to glycogen. Your body (in comparison to gycogen) has a virtual endless supply of fat to fuel long term activity.
So this leads us into training and especially fasted training.
If you have long steady training runs that you rely on your aerobic system, your body will begin to learn to rely more on fat burning as opposed to glycogen burning. Training fasted during these runs will slowly deplete your glycogen and will stimulate growth in this area. In other words, your body will soon learn to store more glycogen for future runs. As you sleep, your body begins to use up and lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar goes below a certain point, it may either use fat or glycogen to fuel your bodies survival mechanisms as you sleep. If you train to rely on fat burning, your body will burn less glycogen but it will burn some glycogen none the less. So unless you eat something in the morning before you run, you will have diminished glycogen stores.
This could be a good thing tho if you don't mind diminished performace in trade for stimulating growth.
At a certain point, your body will experience diminished returns and poor performance will outweigh the benefits of stimulating the growth of glycogen storage. But in the beginning of the training season, the diminished supply of blood sugar and glycogen during fasted runs will take some getting used to as your body learns to power from your fat storage and aerobic system.
If fasted running causes the body to learn to store more glycogen, it will become increasingly difficult to do fasted running, n'est-ce pas? ????
I have actually read some conflicting physiology studies on this. Running (in general) especially in a fasted state burns more fat during exercise than other forms of exercise which up regulates production of fat mobilizing enzymes. This could be a good thing DURING your run; however, after the run the upregulation of these enzymes can make it easier for you to store fat. Whereas, stimulation of glycogen mobilizing enzymes would be best performed with anaerobic methods of training.
The whole point of training, esp endurance running, is to train the body to optimally perform under certain specific conditions. Endurance training effects are meant to improve endurance performance--sometimes that does not coincide with other exercise goals such as weight loss or even overall health. Overall, the idea of doing fasted cardio for fat loss has been shown to be seriously flawed, if not outright debunked--but that's a different topic
Glycogen sparing is obviously a good thing for endurance performance.
Another point: a number of studies have shown that HIIT training can result in some of the same fat-burning adaptations as endurance training.This has lead to some people again trying to assert that HIIT training is a "one stop shop" that obviates the need for endurance training. However, every instinct of training and physiology says that you cannot train for a marathon by doing 20-min max interval training workouts, so I am looking forward to further research on this topic.
I agree that HIIT wouldn't be appropriate for a competitive long distance runner to focus a majority of their time on. The SAID principle always applies to sports specific training.0 -
OK! Here is my skinny on fasted and unfasted running.
First some fueling tips if you do decide to eat before running.
Try different things. Different people react to different foods differently. You want to experiment in training runs so you know what works and doesn't work as you prepare for races. When you find something that works, you gonna want to replicate that before a race. This includes your day before pre-race meal.
Eating too many calories before a run can lock up your stomach pretty bad and cause discomfort. As you run, blood is being diverted to the areas that require oxygen and liver glycogen and fat absorption during your run. This blood is diverted away from other functions such as digestion. I go by Runner's World Big Book of Marathon and HM Training. 600 calories approx 3 hours before a big run in simple carbs or 200 cals 1 hour before. As you are running, 100 cals 30 minutes into the run and 45 minutes thereafter.
Why fuel up as you are running? As your body uses the anaerobic system (burning fuel without the presense of oxygen) you will be burning up your internal carb stores (glycogen). You have a limited supply. Different people have different levels and it depends how intense you run, but for most experienced runners, they should be able to run 15-20 miles and even beyond without worry of bonking (clearing out their glycogen supply). Running way beyond your aerobic threshold or poor training may cause you to bonk much sooner. The idea is to supplement the amount of glycogen you use up as you run but not replace it all together during the run. If you bonk too fast, then you are running faster than you should for your goal distance.
If you run at a pace that is below your aerobic threshold (burning fuel in the presense of oxygen) then your fuel supply relies more on your internal fat storage as opposed to glycogen. Your body (in comparison to gycogen) has a virtual endless supply of fat to fuel long term activity.
So this leads us into training and especially fasted training.
If you have long steady training runs that you rely on your aerobic system, your body will begin to learn to rely more on fat burning as opposed to glycogen burning. Training fasted during these runs will slowly deplete your glycogen and will stimulate growth in this area. In other words, your body will soon learn to store more glycogen for future runs. As you sleep, your body begins to use up and lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar goes below a certain point, it may either use fat or glycogen to fuel your bodies survival mechanisms as you sleep. If you train to rely on fat burning, your body will burn less glycogen but it will burn some glycogen none the less. So unless you eat something in the morning before you run, you will have diminished glycogen stores.
This could be a good thing tho if you don't mind diminished performace in trade for stimulating growth.
At a certain point, your body will experience diminished returns and poor performance will outweigh the benefits of stimulating the growth of glycogen storage. But in the beginning of the training season, the diminished supply of blood sugar and glycogen during fasted runs will take some getting used to as your body learns to power from your fat storage and aerobic system.
If fasted running causes the body to learn to store more glycogen, it will become increasingly difficult to do fasted running, n'est-ce pas? ????
I have actually read some conflicting physiology studies on this. Running (in general) especially in a fasted state burns more fat during exercise than other forms of exercise which up regulates production of fat mobilizing enzymes. This could be a good thing DURING your run; however, after the run the upregulation of these enzymes can make it easier for you to store fat. Whereas, stimulation of glycogen mobilizing enzymes would be best performed with anaerobic methods of training.
The whole point of training, esp endurance running, is to train the body to optimally perform under certain specific conditions. Endurance training effects are meant to improve endurance performance--sometimes that does not coincide with other exercise goals such as weight loss or even overall health. Overall, the idea of doing fasted cardio for fat loss has been shown to be seriously flawed, if not outright debunked--but that's a different topic
Glycogen sparing is obviously a good thing for endurance performance.
Another point: a number of studies have shown that HIIT training can result in some of the same fat-burning adaptations as endurance training.This has lead to some people again trying to assert that HIIT training is a "one stop shop" that obviates the need for endurance training. However, every instinct of training and physiology says that you cannot train for a marathon by doing 20-min max interval training workouts, so I am looking forward to further research on this topic.
I agree that HIIT wouldn't be appropriate for a competitive long distance runner to focus a majority of their time on. The SAID principle always applies to sports specific training.
You're greatly underestimating the importance of enjoying the workout and the importance of being injury free. You'd be sacrificing one or both of these if you were doing HIIT as the majority of your workout.0 -
I think it's an individual thing. I get sick and light-headed if I DON'T eat something before a run, but I couldn't run well on a full stomach, either. A banana or something light 20-30 minutes before works well for me. I drink a lot of water the night before, but only a little right before running, as too much water in my stomach makes me queasy, too. I don't need a lot of water while I run either (unless it's over 8-10 miles depending on the temp.) but I make sure I drink plenty throughout the day after my runs.0
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OK! Here is my skinny on fasted and unfasted running.
First some fueling tips if you do decide to eat before running.
Try different things. Different people react to different foods differently. You want to experiment in training runs so you know what works and doesn't work as you prepare for races. When you find something that works, you gonna want to replicate that before a race. This includes your day before pre-race meal.
Eating too many calories before a run can lock up your stomach pretty bad and cause discomfort. As you run, blood is being diverted to the areas that require oxygen and liver glycogen and fat absorption during your run. This blood is diverted away from other functions such as digestion. I go by Runner's World Big Book of Marathon and HM Training. 600 calories approx 3 hours before a big run in simple carbs or 200 cals 1 hour before. As you are running, 100 cals 30 minutes into the run and 45 minutes thereafter.
Why fuel up as you are running? As your body uses the anaerobic system (burning fuel without the presense of oxygen) you will be burning up your internal carb stores (glycogen). You have a limited supply. Different people have different levels and it depends how intense you run, but for most experienced runners, they should be able to run 15-20 miles and even beyond without worry of bonking (clearing out their glycogen supply). Running way beyond your aerobic threshold or poor training may cause you to bonk much sooner. The idea is to supplement the amount of glycogen you use up as you run but not replace it all together during the run. If you bonk too fast, then you are running faster than you should for your goal distance.
If you run at a pace that is below your aerobic threshold (burning fuel in the presense of oxygen) then your fuel supply relies more on your internal fat storage as opposed to glycogen. Your body (in comparison to gycogen) has a virtual endless supply of fat to fuel long term activity.
So this leads us into training and especially fasted training.
If you have long steady training runs that you rely on your aerobic system, your body will begin to learn to rely more on fat burning as opposed to glycogen burning. Training fasted during these runs will slowly deplete your glycogen and will stimulate growth in this area. In other words, your body will soon learn to store more glycogen for future runs. As you sleep, your body begins to use up and lower your blood sugar. When your blood sugar goes below a certain point, it may either use fat or glycogen to fuel your bodies survival mechanisms as you sleep. If you train to rely on fat burning, your body will burn less glycogen but it will burn some glycogen none the less. So unless you eat something in the morning before you run, you will have diminished glycogen stores.
This could be a good thing tho if you don't mind diminished performace in trade for stimulating growth.
At a certain point, your body will experience diminished returns and poor performance will outweigh the benefits of stimulating the growth of glycogen storage. But in the beginning of the training season, the diminished supply of blood sugar and glycogen during fasted runs will take some getting used to as your body learns to power from your fat storage and aerobic system.
If fasted running causes the body to learn to store more glycogen, it will become increasingly difficult to do fasted running, n'est-ce pas? ????
I have actually read some conflicting physiology studies on this. Running (in general) especially in a fasted state burns more fat during exercise than other forms of exercise which up regulates production of fat mobilizing enzymes. This could be a good thing DURING your run; however, after the run the upregulation of these enzymes can make it easier for you to store fat. Whereas, stimulation of glycogen mobilizing enzymes would be best performed with anaerobic methods of training.
The whole point of training, esp endurance running, is to train the body to optimally perform under certain specific conditions. Endurance training effects are meant to improve endurance performance--sometimes that does not coincide with other exercise goals such as weight loss or even overall health. Overall, the idea of doing fasted cardio for fat loss has been shown to be seriously flawed, if not outright debunked--but that's a different topic
Glycogen sparing is obviously a good thing for endurance performance.
Another point: a number of studies have shown that HIIT training can result in some of the same fat-burning adaptations as endurance training.This has lead to some people again trying to assert that HIIT training is a "one stop shop" that obviates the need for endurance training. However, every instinct of training and physiology says that you cannot train for a marathon by doing 20-min max interval training workouts, so I am looking forward to further research on this topic.
I agree that HIIT wouldn't be appropriate for a competitive long distance runner to focus a majority of their time on. The SAID principle always applies to sports specific training.
Dude! Do you even run? 0
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