Paleo and marathon training

Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    don't do it?

    wait. hold on.
    Let me adjust that.

    Don't.Do.It.

    not a question. that's my advice.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    j8s0qxngdwyn.jpg

    Picture might not directly fit in with this scenario, but no. No.


  • rushbabe0214
    rushbabe0214 Posts: 105 Member
    I wouldn't say "don't do it." I'm mostly Paleo and low carb and have run 2 half marathons. I did not carb load before my long runs or either race.

    If you do feel like carb loading, sweet potatoes are gluten-free.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    It's fine, just make sure you release an ungulate and stab it with a spear so it starts bleeding out first. Then you have a perfect paleo reason to do marathon distances.
    Don't preload, your ancestors weren't preloaded, they were hungry, they didn't just want to win, they HAD to win. Instead, you should eat any and all food you can easily obtain in your path while tracking the ungulate. Don't worry about sanitation.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I have trained for a few half marathons and never really bothered with carb loading, but I do tend to eat plenty of carbs (like 40%). It's possibly worth experimenting with adding in carbs before your runs (or the evening before if you run in the morning and don't like to eat much before a morning run) just to see if it makes a difference with how you feel.

    My understanding of the paleo diet (which I did for a bit and know various people who do, well, sort of, along with exercising since I do CrossFit and it's a common thing, of course) is that it's not low carb, or certainly doesn't need to me, and that it's often encouraged to eat carbs around workouts if you are working out a lot. Grains aren't the only carb source, of course--potatoes and sweet potatoes are actually my favorites. My vague impression is that white rice, while a grain, is increasingly something that paleo diet people will experiment with to see how it affects them and same with oats. There's also fruit, of course. (And beans, but they aren't paleo either.)

    IMO, it kind of depends on why you are paleo--if it's mainly because you don't think wheat (or grains) agree with you, there's a lot of room for experimentation with other carbs, even those not technically paleo.

    There are a couple of paleo-focused books for people who train or exercise. I think the two I know of are both titled Paleo for Athletes.
  • 74Patricia
    74Patricia Posts: 75 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have trained for a few half marathons and never really bothered with carb loading, but I do tend to eat plenty of carbs (like 40%). It's possibly worth experimenting with adding in carbs before your runs (or the evening before if you run in the morning and don't like to eat much before a morning run) just to see if it makes a difference with how you feel.

    My understanding of the paleo diet (which I did for a bit and know various people who do, well, sort of, along with exercising since I do CrossFit and it's a common thing, of course) is that it's not low carb, or certainly doesn't need to me, and that it's often encouraged to eat carbs around workouts if you are working out a lot. Grains aren't the only carb source, of course--potatoes and sweet potatoes are actually my favorites. My vague impression is that white rice, while a grain, is increasingly something that paleo diet people will experiment with to see how it affects them and same with oats. There's also fruit, of course. (And beans, but they aren't paleo either.)

    IMO, it kind of depends on why you are paleo--if it's mainly because you don't think wheat (or grains) agree with you, there's a lot of room for experimentation with other carbs, even those not technically paleo.

    There are a couple of paleo-focused books for people who train or exercise. I think the two I know of are both titled Paleo for Athletes.

    Thank you for this advice. I do want to add that I have celiac disease and have gluten elminated. I have decided Paleo to eliminate all other, dairy and grain specifically for I do have skin breakouts that are clearing on the Paleo.

    For those advising I don't do it, ....ok, nice try but I will do it! :D
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    74Patricia wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have trained for a few half marathons and never really bothered with carb loading, but I do tend to eat plenty of carbs (like 40%). It's possibly worth experimenting with adding in carbs before your runs (or the evening before if you run in the morning and don't like to eat much before a morning run) just to see if it makes a difference with how you feel.

    My understanding of the paleo diet (which I did for a bit and know various people who do, well, sort of, along with exercising since I do CrossFit and it's a common thing, of course) is that it's not low carb, or certainly doesn't need to me, and that it's often encouraged to eat carbs around workouts if you are working out a lot. Grains aren't the only carb source, of course--potatoes and sweet potatoes are actually my favorites. My vague impression is that white rice, while a grain, is increasingly something that paleo diet people will experiment with to see how it affects them and same with oats. There's also fruit, of course. (And beans, but they aren't paleo either.)

    IMO, it kind of depends on why you are paleo--if it's mainly because you don't think wheat (or grains) agree with you, there's a lot of room for experimentation with other carbs, even those not technically paleo.

    There are a couple of paleo-focused books for people who train or exercise. I think the two I know of are both titled Paleo for Athletes.

    Thank you for this advice. I do want to add that I have celiac disease and have gluten elminated. I have decided Paleo to eliminate all other, dairy and grain specifically for I do have skin breakouts that are clearing on the Paleo.

    For those advising I don't do it, ....ok, nice try but I will do it! :D

    Your reason for paleo makes more sense now due to your medical issues.
    I'd go to the Long Distance Runner group to ask about this.
    You're getting advice from those who have done halfs and the multiple-marathoners in LDR have stated that carb loading isn't necessary for a half. But they can give you advice for the full distance and I know for a fact that there's a 2-time marathoner in the group with celiacs as well who can give you advice.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners

    I'd also direct any other marathon questions to the LDR group over the main forum
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    I don't eat Paleo but am relatively low carb (aim for 35%, not ultra fastidious about that), and eat at a deficit, and I train. I'm carrying around an ample source of fuel, it's called body fat, and distance running training is an ideal way to burn some of that off.

    Since 80% of your running will be at a slower pace, even your long runs should be fine without being concerned about carb percentages or "loading".

    Experiment with it. Adjust as necessary. Training is not a single day event!

    As for race day, likewise I would experiment but before hand... Come up with a fueling strategy that will work for you.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    74Patricia wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have trained for a few half marathons and never really bothered with carb loading, but I do tend to eat plenty of carbs (like 40%). It's possibly worth experimenting with adding in carbs before your runs (or the evening before if you run in the morning and don't like to eat much before a morning run) just to see if it makes a difference with how you feel.

    My understanding of the paleo diet (which I did for a bit and know various people who do, well, sort of, along with exercising since I do CrossFit and it's a common thing, of course) is that it's not low carb, or certainly doesn't need to me, and that it's often encouraged to eat carbs around workouts if you are working out a lot. Grains aren't the only carb source, of course--potatoes and sweet potatoes are actually my favorites. My vague impression is that white rice, while a grain, is increasingly something that paleo diet people will experiment with to see how it affects them and same with oats. There's also fruit, of course. (And beans, but they aren't paleo either.)

    IMO, it kind of depends on why you are paleo--if it's mainly because you don't think wheat (or grains) agree with you, there's a lot of room for experimentation with other carbs, even those not technically paleo.

    There are a couple of paleo-focused books for people who train or exercise. I think the two I know of are both titled Paleo for Athletes.

    Thank you for this advice. I do want to add that I have celiac disease and have gluten elminated. I have decided Paleo to eliminate all other, dairy and grain specifically for I do have skin breakouts that are clearing on the Paleo.

    For those advising I don't do it, ....ok, nice try but I will do it! :D

    rolls eyes.

    holding out on medical information and still asks for advice.

    sure fire way to get advice that isn't so helpful.

    Add that kind of information in at the beginning and it'll save you a lot of wasted reading- and the rest of us a lot of wasted typing.
  • jvs125
    jvs125 Posts: 223 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    It's fine, just make sure you release an ungulate and stab it with a spear so it starts bleeding out first. Then you have a perfect paleo reason to do marathon distances.
    Don't preload, your ancestors weren't preloaded, they were hungry, they didn't just want to win, they HAD to win. Instead, you should eat any and all food you can easily obtain in your path while tracking the ungulate. Don't worry about sanitation.

    That's just not necessary. The term Paleo is just a label for a diet that fits the bill for people who have food intolerances. I can't have gluten or lactose, and while I don't follow a strict paleo diet, I find lots of inspiration for awesome recipes on paleo blogs. It's always healthy and sure to not make me sick.

    OP: If you feel you need to carb up, you can use sweet potatoes, rice, fruit... I personally wouldn't change my eating strategy for a half marathon; i.e. not eat that much more carbs than usual in days leading to the race but might start my race-day with sweet potato pancakes, and have a banana with peanut butter about 1h before race.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    jvs125 wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    It's fine, just make sure you release an ungulate and stab it with a spear so it starts bleeding out first. Then you have a perfect paleo reason to do marathon distances.
    Don't preload, your ancestors weren't preloaded, they were hungry, they didn't just want to win, they HAD to win. Instead, you should eat any and all food you can easily obtain in your path while tracking the ungulate. Don't worry about sanitation.

    That's just not necessary. The term Paleo is just a label for a diet that fits the bill for people who have food intolerances. I can't have gluten or lactose, and while I don't follow a strict paleo diet, I find lots of inspiration for awesome recipes on paleo blogs. It's always healthy and sure to not make me sick.

    OP: If you feel you need to carb up, you can use sweet potatoes, rice, fruit... I personally wouldn't change my eating strategy for a half marathon; i.e. not eat that much more carbs than usual in days leading to the race but might start my race-day with sweet potato pancakes, and have a banana with peanut butter about 1h before race.
    I love that Paleo is trying to rebrand its bad science by calling it a food elimination diet now. Paleo wasn't created as a food elimination diet. It was created by trying to claim it was imitating a golden era diet of prehistoric man that has more to do with romanticism of an earlier era than it does actual historical and biological data.
    Go look up Cordain's original book, it was 0% billed as an elimination diet.
  • sunfastrose
    sunfastrose Posts: 543 Member
    You really don't need to carb load before a race until you get up to full marathon and longer distances. Race as you trained - including how you ate.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    how can you carb load on a diet that eliminates grains/carbs??????????
  • jvs125
    jvs125 Posts: 223 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    jvs125 wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    It's fine, just make sure you release an ungulate and stab it with a spear so it starts bleeding out first. Then you have a perfect paleo reason to do marathon distances.
    Don't preload, your ancestors weren't preloaded, they were hungry, they didn't just want to win, they HAD to win. Instead, you should eat any and all food you can easily obtain in your path while tracking the ungulate. Don't worry about sanitation.

    That's just not necessary. The term Paleo is just a label for a diet that fits the bill for people who have food intolerances. I can't have gluten or lactose, and while I don't follow a strict paleo diet, I find lots of inspiration for awesome recipes on paleo blogs. It's always healthy and sure to not make me sick.

    OP: If you feel you need to carb up, you can use sweet potatoes, rice, fruit... I personally wouldn't change my eating strategy for a half marathon; i.e. not eat that much more carbs than usual in days leading to the race but might start my race-day with sweet potato pancakes, and have a banana with peanut butter about 1h before race.
    I love that Paleo is trying to rebrand its bad science by calling it a food elimination diet now. Paleo wasn't created as a food elimination diet. It was created by trying to claim it was imitating a golden era diet of prehistoric man that has more to do with romanticism of an earlier era than it does actual historical and biological data.
    Go look up Cordain's original book, it was 0% billed as an elimination diet.

    I hear what you're saying, and you are right. However, when you search for "gluten and lactose free", you get lots of things that are "paleo" that come up. It tastes good and gives me what I need. It would be stupid to discard it just because it was labeled with the word paleo even if I don't agree with the "science" in it. Also, if you had nothing constructive to tell the OP, there was no need for you to reply at all. Uncool bashing of her effort to accomplish a fitness challenge.

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    jvs125 wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    It's fine, just make sure you release an ungulate and stab it with a spear so it starts bleeding out first. Then you have a perfect paleo reason to do marathon distances.
    Don't preload, your ancestors weren't preloaded, they were hungry, they didn't just want to win, they HAD to win. Instead, you should eat any and all food you can easily obtain in your path while tracking the ungulate. Don't worry about sanitation.

    That's just not necessary. The term Paleo is just a label for a diet that fits the bill for people who have food intolerances. I can't have gluten or lactose, and while I don't follow a strict paleo diet, I find lots of inspiration for awesome recipes on paleo blogs. It's always healthy and sure to not make me sick.

    OP: If you feel you need to carb up, you can use sweet potatoes, rice, fruit... I personally wouldn't change my eating strategy for a half marathon; i.e. not eat that much more carbs than usual in days leading to the race but might start my race-day with sweet potato pancakes, and have a banana with peanut butter about 1h before race.

    Then why is it named after the Paleolithc era, and why do people claim that eating in this fashion is superior?

    That would be like saying I am on the "modern" diet but it has nothing to do with how modern people eat.

    I guess the whole "Paleo is not really based on the Paleolitchic era" are the new talking points from the Paleo Kabal...
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    how can you carb load on a diet that eliminates grains/carbs??????????

    it only eliminates grains and nightshades as carb sources.
    sweet potatoes.
    paleo gingerbread brownies - uses coconut flour and dates. pretty delicious actually (i only made them since my former neighbor gave me a pound of dates as an apology)
  • jvs125
    jvs125 Posts: 223 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    jvs125 wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    It's fine, just make sure you release an ungulate and stab it with a spear so it starts bleeding out first. Then you have a perfect paleo reason to do marathon distances.
    Don't preload, your ancestors weren't preloaded, they were hungry, they didn't just want to win, they HAD to win. Instead, you should eat any and all food you can easily obtain in your path while tracking the ungulate. Don't worry about sanitation.

    That's just not necessary. The term Paleo is just a label for a diet that fits the bill for people who have food intolerances. I can't have gluten or lactose, and while I don't follow a strict paleo diet, I find lots of inspiration for awesome recipes on paleo blogs. It's always healthy and sure to not make me sick.

    OP: If you feel you need to carb up, you can use sweet potatoes, rice, fruit... I personally wouldn't change my eating strategy for a half marathon; i.e. not eat that much more carbs than usual in days leading to the race but might start my race-day with sweet potato pancakes, and have a banana with peanut butter about 1h before race.

    Then why is it named after the Paleolithc era, and why do people claim that eating in this fashion is superior?

    That would be like saying I am on the "modern" diet but it has nothing to do with how modern people eat.

    I guess the whole "Paleo is not really based on the Paleolitchic era" are the new talking points from the Paleo Kabal...

    No, what I'm saying is that many people use it to find inspiration for recipes that fit their own health concerns, not necessarily because they want to imitate cavemen, even if that was the original theory. Again, I don't care about the pseudo-theory behind it, I care that it doesn't make me sick and provides me with tons of idea for great tasting recipes.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    how can you carb load on a diet that eliminates grains/carbs??????????

    it only eliminates grains and nightshades as carb sources.
    sweet potatoes.
    paleo gingerbread brownies - uses coconut flour and dates. pretty delicious actually (i only made them since my former neighbor gave me a pound of dates as an apology)

    I was not aware that our paleolithic brethren made brownies...
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Someone suggested sweet potatoes. Also, if you use one or two Gu's during a marathon you get as much energy as you get from serious carbo-loading the day before or two days before. It's why people put much less stress on carbo-loading these days. They have realized it is not so necessary.
    So, I would suggest you try the good, old-fashioned, orange slices during the race. that is going to be a lot of good sugar. I suspect it will be enough.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    jvs125 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    jvs125 wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    It's fine, just make sure you release an ungulate and stab it with a spear so it starts bleeding out first. Then you have a perfect paleo reason to do marathon distances.
    Don't preload, your ancestors weren't preloaded, they were hungry, they didn't just want to win, they HAD to win. Instead, you should eat any and all food you can easily obtain in your path while tracking the ungulate. Don't worry about sanitation.

    That's just not necessary. The term Paleo is just a label for a diet that fits the bill for people who have food intolerances. I can't have gluten or lactose, and while I don't follow a strict paleo diet, I find lots of inspiration for awesome recipes on paleo blogs. It's always healthy and sure to not make me sick.

    OP: If you feel you need to carb up, you can use sweet potatoes, rice, fruit... I personally wouldn't change my eating strategy for a half marathon; i.e. not eat that much more carbs than usual in days leading to the race but might start my race-day with sweet potato pancakes, and have a banana with peanut butter about 1h before race.

    Then why is it named after the Paleolithc era, and why do people claim that eating in this fashion is superior?

    That would be like saying I am on the "modern" diet but it has nothing to do with how modern people eat.

    I guess the whole "Paleo is not really based on the Paleolitchic era" are the new talking points from the Paleo Kabal...

    No, what I'm saying is that many people use it to find inspiration for recipes that fit their own health concerns, not necessarily because they want to imitate cavemen, even if that was the original theory. Again, I don't care about the pseudo-theory behind it, I care that it doesn't make me sick and provides me with tons of idea for great tasting recipes.

    OK, but that is not Paleo.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    74Patricia wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have trained for a few half marathons and never really bothered with carb loading, but I do tend to eat plenty of carbs (like 40%). It's possibly worth experimenting with adding in carbs before your runs (or the evening before if you run in the morning and don't like to eat much before a morning run) just to see if it makes a difference with how you feel.

    My understanding of the paleo diet (which I did for a bit and know various people who do, well, sort of, along with exercising since I do CrossFit and it's a common thing, of course) is that it's not low carb, or certainly doesn't need to me, and that it's often encouraged to eat carbs around workouts if you are working out a lot. Grains aren't the only carb source, of course--potatoes and sweet potatoes are actually my favorites. My vague impression is that white rice, while a grain, is increasingly something that paleo diet people will experiment with to see how it affects them and same with oats. There's also fruit, of course. (And beans, but they aren't paleo either.)

    IMO, it kind of depends on why you are paleo--if it's mainly because you don't think wheat (or grains) agree with you, there's a lot of room for experimentation with other carbs, even those not technically paleo.

    There are a couple of paleo-focused books for people who train or exercise. I think the two I know of are both titled Paleo for Athletes.

    Thank you for this advice. I do want to add that I have celiac disease and have gluten elminated. I have decided Paleo to eliminate all other, dairy and grain specifically for I do have skin breakouts that are clearing on the Paleo.

    For those advising I don't do it, ....ok, nice try but I will do it! :D

    OP - it would of been great if you would of included this in your OP.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    74Patricia wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have trained for a few half marathons and never really bothered with carb loading, but I do tend to eat plenty of carbs (like 40%). It's possibly worth experimenting with adding in carbs before your runs (or the evening before if you run in the morning and don't like to eat much before a morning run) just to see if it makes a difference with how you feel.

    My understanding of the paleo diet (which I did for a bit and know various people who do, well, sort of, along with exercising since I do CrossFit and it's a common thing, of course) is that it's not low carb, or certainly doesn't need to me, and that it's often encouraged to eat carbs around workouts if you are working out a lot. Grains aren't the only carb source, of course--potatoes and sweet potatoes are actually my favorites. My vague impression is that white rice, while a grain, is increasingly something that paleo diet people will experiment with to see how it affects them and same with oats. There's also fruit, of course. (And beans, but they aren't paleo either.)

    IMO, it kind of depends on why you are paleo--if it's mainly because you don't think wheat (or grains) agree with you, there's a lot of room for experimentation with other carbs, even those not technically paleo.

    There are a couple of paleo-focused books for people who train or exercise. I think the two I know of are both titled Paleo for Athletes.

    Thank you for this advice. I do want to add that I have celiac disease and have gluten elminated. I have decided Paleo to eliminate all other, dairy and grain specifically for I do have skin breakouts that are clearing on the Paleo.

    For those advising I don't do it, ....ok, nice try but I will do it! :D

    The two books I was mentioning are: Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel (Friel also wrote a triathlon training book I've read, not paleo related) and a newer one, The Paleo Athlete, by Stephanie Gaudreau. I'm sure there are tons of others. Gaudreau has a website with lots of recipes: http://stupideasypaleo.com/recipe-index/.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    how can you carb load on a diet that eliminates grains/carbs??????????

    it only eliminates grains and nightshades as carb sources.
    sweet potatoes.
    paleo gingerbread brownies - uses coconut flour and dates. pretty delicious actually (i only made them since my former neighbor gave me a pound of dates as an apology)

    I was not aware that our paleolithic brethren made brownies...

    Totally not.
    I think the paleo name is absolutely absurd and inaccurate.
    But the brownies are really good lol
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited June 2015
    It needs to be understood that when athletes are talking about "low carb", they're talking about reducing the percentage of carbs in their macros, not actually limiting 20g/day. When the Lakers went on their infamous "low carb" diet, the athletes were still eating hundreds of grams of carbs/day...it just happened to be not as many 100s as before.

    All that said, Paleo != low carb.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    A friend of mine had a cookbook, performance paleo. Had some amazing recipes for those who were very active and needed to fuel thier workouts
  • Urban_Princess
    Urban_Princess Posts: 219 Member
    edited June 2015
    Dates will do the trick. Also, are blackbeans considered paleo? If so check out Explore Asian's pasta range. I used to each the mung bean fettuccine but now eat the black bean spaghetti. huge portions, low cal, high protein and moderate carb (though not as much as regular wheat pasta or rice). http://www.explore-asian.com/

    or you could make oat bars with dates.

    I really like dates lol
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    how can you carb load on a diet that eliminates grains/carbs??????????

    it only eliminates grains and nightshades as carb sources.
    sweet potatoes.
    paleo gingerbread brownies - uses coconut flour and dates. pretty delicious actually (i only made them since my former neighbor gave me a pound of dates as an apology)

    I was not aware that our paleolithic brethren made brownies...

    Totally not.
    I think the paleo name is absolutely absurd and inaccurate.
    But the brownies are really good lol

    we know that's all that really matters.

    is that *ish delicious or not. LMAO
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    74Patricia wrote: »
    Anyone have any information or advice on training for half marathon on a paleo diet? Is it ok to carb load a day or two before long runs with gluten free pasta? Are there other alternatives that can be used instead of pasta? It seems like when I stay Paleo and then introduce grains just for that one time....it reeks havoc on my system and takes days to recover. Please help...any advice would be wonderful!! Thank you. <3

    how can you carb load on a diet that eliminates grains/carbs??????????

    it only eliminates grains and nightshades as carb sources.
    sweet potatoes.
    paleo gingerbread brownies - uses coconut flour and dates. pretty delicious actually (i only made them since my former neighbor gave me a pound of dates as an apology)

    I was not aware that our paleolithic brethren made brownies...

    Totally not.
    I think the paleo name is absolutely absurd and inaccurate.
    But the brownies are really good lol

    we know that's all that really matters.

    is that *ish delicious or not. LMAO

    http://paleomg.com/gingerbread-brownies/

    Warm out of the oven with some ice cream, NOM
  • 74Patricia
    74Patricia Posts: 75 Member
    74Patricia wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have trained for a few half marathons and never really bothered with carb loading, but I do tend to eat plenty of carbs (like 40%). It's possibly worth experimenting with adding in carbs before your runs (or the evening before if you run in the morning and don't like to eat much before a morning run) just to see if it makes a difference with how you feel.

    My understanding of the paleo diet (which I did for a bit and know various people who do, well, sort of, along with exercising since I do CrossFit and it's a common thing, of course) is that it's not low carb, or certainly doesn't need to me, and that it's often encouraged to eat carbs around workouts if you are working out a lot. Grains aren't the only carb source, of course--potatoes and sweet potatoes are actually my favorites. My vague impression is that white rice, while a grain, is increasingly something that paleo diet people will experiment with to see how it affects them and same with oats. There's also fruit, of course. (And beans, but they aren't paleo either.)

    IMO, it kind of depends on why you are paleo--if it's mainly because you don't think wheat (or grains) agree with you, there's a lot of room for experimentation with other carbs, even those not technically paleo.

    There are a couple of paleo-focused books for people who train or exercise. I think the two I know of are both titled Paleo for Athletes.

    Thank you for this advice. I do want to add that I have celiac disease and have gluten elminated. I have decided Paleo to eliminate all other, dairy and grain specifically for I do have skin breakouts that are clearing on the Paleo.

    For those advising I don't do it, ....ok, nice try but I will do it! :D

    Your reason for paleo makes more sense now due to your medical issues.
    I'd go to the Long Distance Runner group to ask about this.
    You're getting advice from those who have done halfs and the multiple-marathoners in LDR have stated that carb loading isn't necessary for a half. But they can give you advice for the full distance and I know for a fact that there's a 2-time marathoner in the group with celiacs as well who can give you advice.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/94-long-distance-runners

    I'd also direct any other marathon questions to the LDR group over the main forum

    Thank you!

    I appreciate everyone's advise on here. Thanks, again.