Carb needs for runners

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amsparky
amsparky Posts: 825 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all!

I'm looking for opinions. I jog (waddle really) and I'm noticing that my legs feel dead a lot of the time. My hubs thinks I need more carbs, but that makes me super nervous. I am severely hypoglycemic, so I have to eat carbs for that anyway, but would upping my carbs a little help?

I only do about 16 miles a week. Not sure if it's relevant, but I also have food allergies, so no wheat, dairy or leafy greens. I do occasionally have gluten free bread or crackers.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!
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  • amsparky
    amsparky Posts: 825 Member
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    .Edited...posting from phone accidentally
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    Heavy legs are either a sign of too few carbs or low blood iron. I normally get around 100g carbs a day but when I am running a lot I need more like 160g. Also try an iron supplement.
  • jessicamckay13
    jessicamckay13 Posts: 297
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    Since you have specific dietary restrictions you might want to talk to a doctor or nutritionist.

    That said, if you are running for an hour at a time you should have 30-60g carbs/hr.

    Or do you mean in general not while running?
  • jessicamckay13
    jessicamckay13 Posts: 297
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    For athletes, the ADA recommends 3-5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight.
  • the_fish_guy
    the_fish_guy Posts: 5 Member
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    As another has said, I'd recommend bringing the question to a physician (I'm less a fan of nutritionists), especially given your specific concerns and medical history. That said, as a runner I've had some experience with heavy legs myself over the years, and am happy to share my experiences.

    I have a question: What is your breathing like while running? While a number of deficiencies (iron, calcium, magnesium) can contribute to "heavy legs," as can low carbs/blood sugar, in my experience it's vastly more commonly caused by either over-training or training beyond your aerobic threshold. If you can't hold a conversation without pausing to breathe, try slowing down and see if that resolves it. Another good (and if you're alone, better) way to check it to try closing your mouth and breathing through your nose while running. If you can't do so, you're going to0 fast (unless you're working on speedwork, hillwork, fartlek, intervals, etc.).

    Unless you're running long and hard enough to exhaust your body's carbohydrate stores (which for most people takes several hours of fairly intense effort), I'd be very surprised if it were carbohydrate related, unless you were restricting caloric intake severely.

    I run 40-60 miles per week, don't watch my micronutrient intake that closely, and generally only feel "heavy legs" when I'm running faster than I should, or stepping up training too fast. I actually don't worry, at all, about my carbohydrate intake, but closely watch my protein intake to ensure an adequate supply to promote muscle recovery.

    Regarding macronutrient intake, frankly I'd look to low protein intake before I'd look to low carbs . . . due to poor muscle recovery . . . my legs feel heavy (I'd actually describe it more as "dense") when I'm not consuming adequate protein post-training.

    Good luck!
  • amsparky
    amsparky Posts: 825 Member
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    Thanks guys!

    I eat like 200g of carbs a day, but mostly in fruit. I'll have to do some research on if it matters whether it's carbs from fruit vs. complex carbs.
  • amsparky
    amsparky Posts: 825 Member
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    Um, I am a s l o w runner (I wasn't kidding when I said I waddled - LOL!) I will look into the protein connection too - I've talked with my dr, who sent me to the nutritionist. I didn't feel very confident with her info, but she is a professional after all. I will also chat with a trainer about it at the gym tomorrow.

    I have been struggling to increase my protein, so I will make this a goal too.

    Thanks again!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    I found my legs are a bit shaky or heavy if I get all my carbs from fruit and veggies - one thing that I found helped was adding in some potatoes - not a lot, but steamed new potatoes worked well for me (1-2) - something about the starchy, complex carbs. But like the others have said, talking to a nutritionist or a doctor is always a good idea (in contrast to one of the other posters, I think a good nutritionist might be able to help more - most docs get very little education on nutrition - 1 course at some med schools, 0 at others - but the best would be a doctor who has a serious interest in nutrition, or talk to both). Also, at the running classes that I take, we often have an expert from the Cooper Clinic come in an talk, and there's one who gives a nutrition talk - they recommend refuleing with a protein/carb mix within 30 minutes of your run to replenish glycogen stores (chocolate milk has the right carb/protein ratio).
  • amsparky
    amsparky Posts: 825 Member
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    I think I will add in a carb to lunch for a week or so to see if it improves. Thanks again!
  • amsparky
    amsparky Posts: 825 Member
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    I will also report back what the trainer says for comparison. Thanks!
  • mdb120776
    mdb120776 Posts: 34 Member
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    You definately need carbs to run. That is where you get your energy from. I have a bagel or banana an hour or so before I run.
    The heavy legs do not really sound like something food related. In my opinion, I think that your legs are just tired. Try building up slowly to the amount you run instead of running that distance right away. Even a 5 minute warmup walk would help..
    Good luck out there.
  • road2peachtree
    road2peachtree Posts: 309 Member
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    bump
  • christinehetz80
    christinehetz80 Posts: 490 Member
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    Heavy legs are either a sign of too few carbs or low blood iron. I normally get around 100g carbs a day but when I am running a lot I need more like 160g. Also try an iron supplement.

    I just read about the iron supplement yesterday in womens health beginners running tips. I was anemic in the past and I have noticed I'm not meeting iron requirements so this makes complete sense. Also yes....more carbs. I noticed on nights before my big(ger since I'm still new at this) runs if I have a low carb dinner that the running was beyond torturous. I try to incorporate brown rice in my night before dinners. I run in the am. Good luck!
  • amsparky
    amsparky Posts: 825 Member
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    Heavy legs are either a sign of too few carbs or low blood iron. I normally get around 100g carbs a day but when I am running a lot I need more like 160g. Also try an iron supplement.

    I just read about the iron supplement yesterday in womens health beginners running tips. I was anemic in the past and I have noticed I'm not meeting iron requirements so this makes complete sense. Also yes....more carbs. I noticed on nights before my big(ger since I'm still new at this) runs if I have a low carb dinner that the running was beyond torturous. I try to incorporate brown rice in my night before dinners. I run in the am. Good luck!

    Good idea!

    I should add, I have worked up to the schedule I am on - I run 4 days a week, 5 min warm up, then run, then cool down. I just know that I was a carb addict before (LOVE potatoes, rice, chips, etc) and I know that I can make better choices, but I still get freaked out about adding them into my diet. Weird, I know. :)
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    I'm a distance runner and I get my carbs from vegetables and fruit only. I eat sweet potatoes or squash, (squash is not generally considered a high carb veg, but it does have carbs) the night before a long run. I also eat fats like almond butter and proteins, (eggs) in the morning before. I eat lots of dark leafy greens for iron. Eating low fiber fruits before your run can be beneficial as well. Berries, bananas, peaches are all excellent sources. Also, eating for recovery immediately after is extremely important after a run. Protein and veggies work for me here too. This is what works for me. I definitely used to experience that heavy leg feeling. When I started eating more AFTER a run, I noticed a huge difference in the next workout.
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
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    I'm a distance runner (half and full marathons), and eat around 150 carbs a day - all from fruits and veggies (love sweet potatoes), no grains. This has worked in my experience for me and my body. I'm not claiming this will work for everyone else, but it's great for me :)

    Also, your body is able to actually make carbohydrate in your liver if you do not have enough (http://www.livestrong.com/article/487273-can-your-body-produce-carbohydrates-from-protein-intake/ - Lists references below)

    Now I'm certainly not advocating to stop eating carbs! I also do not know how quickly your liver can produce carbohydrates, so I'm not stating that you can eat 20 carbs a day and your liver can produce enough, quickly enough for running. I don't know :) Just sharing!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Just tossing out a possibility. Rather than specifically pointing at carbs, what is your overall caloric intake? If you are keeping at a deficit while running, that can definitely lead to heavy legs.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
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    For athletes, the ADA recommends 3-5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight.
    Grams per pound? That can't be right. At the low end that would put me at 390g a day, or 83% of my daily caloric intake. At the high end I'd be eating a 30% caloric surplus in carbs alone. Are you sure it's not grams per kilogram?
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    Just tossing out a possibility. Rather than specifically pointing at carbs, what is your overall caloric intake? If you are keeping at a deficit while running, that can definitely lead to heavy legs.

    EXCELLENT point.
  • amsparky
    amsparky Posts: 825 Member
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    Just tossing out a possibility. Rather than specifically pointing at carbs, what is your overall caloric intake? If you are keeping at a deficit while running, that can definitely lead to heavy legs.

    My MFP is set for 1690, but I don't always get there. I'm not a believer in eating back exercise cals either, so not sure if that may impact things...

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