Long distance running and weight loss

BerryH

Runner's World UK has a feature this month that suggests you should do one of your long runs of up to two hours in the morning on an empty stomach to "teach your body to burn stored fat". I can see the logic, though it goes contrary to most things we've been told. However, though it may in the long run make surviving the marathon more tolerable and help burn body fat, I can't help thinking I'd keel over after an hour!

CallmeSbo

Runner's World UK has a feature this month that suggests you should do one of your long runs of up to two hours in the morning on an empty stomach to "teach your body to burn stored fat". I can see the logic, though it goes contrary to most things we've been told. However, though it may in the long run make surviving the marathon more tolerable and help burn body fat, I can't help thinking I'd keel over after an hour!

Thats interesting..I do most of my long runs on an empty stomach anyway.

grinch031

Runner's World UK has a feature this month that suggests you should do one of your long runs of up to two hours in the morning on an empty stomach to "teach your body to burn stored fat". I can see the logic, though it goes contrary to most things we've been told. However, though it may in the long run make surviving the marathon more tolerable and help burn body fat, I can't help thinking I'd keel over after an hour!

There is a concept that I am following for my next marathon, called "Train low, Race high". The premise is that you should train with low glycogen stores and then carb-load for race day to optimize your performance. This way you are highly adapted to fat burning, but can benefit from the added performance of glucose. Its not proven and maybe a little controversial, but so far my performance is just as good, if not better than it was while I was eating high carb. I just ran 10 miles yesterday without breakfast, and I hadn't eaten any significant source of carbs in the prior 18 hours, and I felt pretty good throughout the run.