Lack of carbs?? Distance runners

myname, don't you have it the other way around?

What about cycling? It would seem that cyclists and the way they have to endure 2 hours of lactic acid burning through their thighs at each stage of the race burn through a lot of glycogen.

Honestly though, is the difference in percentage of glycogen vs. fatty acids burned when recruiting slow-twitch fibers vs. fast-twitch fibers THAT great? I think unless you are doing some pretty low-intensity work, like walking, I would bet that someone who runs a marathon is burning through a pretty good amount of glycogen. Probably a hell of a lot more than someone who does sprint intervals for 30 mintues or even an hour.....

I ask because a certain intensity is required to activate fast twitch. The glycogen stores in muscle can't be released into the blood stream, just used for local energy needs of the muscle. So, it would make sense to me that they would need to account for that in terms of available glycogen, and glycogen that will need replaced. Take me that is a sprinter with lot's of fast twitch. I'm going to have to refuel a lot sooner than someone with a lot of slow twitch on a distance run.

Yes, other than liver glycogen, a runner would be limited to (mainly) glycogen from slow twitch leg muscles.

I'm not sure you have fast or slow twitch "muscles," just fast and slow twitch fibers.

Sorry, I should have said slow twitch leg muscle fibers.

Oh hindsight, that was a poor comparison... Weighted for time, sprint intervals will deplete glycogen and burn through more overall calories than medium intensity endurance training.

I think the only point I was trying to make is that "IF" carb loading is even required (for example, someone who is on a cyclical ketogenic diet), I think it is more crucial for endurance athletes than someone who regularly does high intensity intervals for 30 minutes.

So I run 30-45 minutes on a treadmill 4-5 times a week. I also have this ammonia like smell when I am done. I am only running about 3 miles not a marathon. I've been wondering the same thing.. If someone could explain this to me more in detail I would appreciate it

I am a heavy carb eater and I walk about 8 to 9 miles a day. I lost 29 pounds in a month and a half (thereabouts). I am a type 2 diabetic so please don't use the insulin excuse against me.

Your body uses carbs first, after 20 minutes, it burns carbs and fat or carbs or muscle (depends what you have more of on your body) but it is not intensity so much as the length of cardio. So marathon runners burn carbs in the beginning but at the end of the marathon, they are burning nothing but fat (if they have any).

This is my opinion, and I lost weight and I walk a lot everyday. So you can show me urls to prove your point but I am living proof. My diary is also open to the public.

So I don't carb load before cardio but if you are on a low carb diet, you might want to eat some before your cardio so you can last longer and not get so hungry faster.

So I run 30-45 minutes on a treadmill 4-5 times a week. I also have this ammonia like smell when I am done. I am only running about 3 miles not a marathon. I've been wondering the same thing.. If someone could explain this to me more in detail I would appreciate it

Not much to explain. When you are glycogen depleted, your body starts to breakdown your muscle for energy.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/290746-acidic-smell-after-cardio-exercise/

Your body uses carbs first, after 20 minutes, it burns carbs and fat or carbs or muscle (depends what you have more of on your body) but it is not intensity so much as the length of cardio. So marathon runners burn carbs in the beginning but at the end of the marathon, they are burning nothing but fat (if they have any).

taem, actually your intensity level does dictate to some degree the glycogen/lipid ratio your body will be burning. If your cardio consists of doing walks, then you are getting a higher percentage of your energy from fats than from your glycogen stores.

Yes, you are right. But I am making a comparison from a walker (me) to a runner (the poster).

I'm off walking so see you folks in about a few hours.

Once again, thanks for the awesome feedback so far.

This only seems to happen after prolonged period of activity. I've kept to a plan on here with a 3.66/1 carb to protein ration and given my body time to adjust to it. I think I just may have to up the ratio a day or two before long runs.

Burning up muscle on long runs isn't a huge deal if you add strength training to recoup the losses. You still want to protect that metabolic tissue and the systems that adjust to support it(organs, heart, skeletal). Lose muscle the other systems shrink since they have less to support. It's really a personal preference. Just keep in mind that if you shrink muscle mass, your shrinking glycogen storage.