Woefully Lacking in Carbs (or so I'm told)

fatozzig

posted: 5/1/2008 at 1:00 PM
modified: 5/1/2008 at 1:01 PM

So my friend asked me for a list of what I've eaten this week, considering last week I got nauseated on our 2.5 hour run. She said that a brief skimming indicates I am not taking in enough carbs. Do you guys eat pasta like every day?? I'm just not getting this. This is my food so far this week (thru 5/1): Sunday: Morn Potato/Egg Burrito Afternoon Beef Sand w/cheese (wheat bread) w/Corn Chips PM Don’t remember Monday: Morn Bagel w/cc Coffee, Raisin Bagel (late a.m.) Afternoon Beef Sand w/cheese (wheat bread), Chips, Orange PM Tacos (2), Yogurt, Flour Tortilla w/PButter Tuesday: Morn Bagel w/cc Coffee, Raisin Bagel (late a.m.) Afternoon Beef Sand w/cheese (wheat bread), Chips, Apple and Fig Bars (6) (late p.m.) PM Pizza (2 slices), Flour Tortilla w/PButter Wednesday: Morn Yogurt, Bagel w/cc Coffee, Raisin Bagel (late a.m.) Afternoon Bagel w/cc, Chips, Small apple, a few carrots PM Chicken (leg/thigh), ½ Baked Potato, ½ cup Green Beans ½ Mango Thursday: Morn Bagel w/cc, Raisin Bagel (late a.m.) Afternoon Chicken (leg/thigh), Baked Potato, ½ Mango I ate the same kind of sandwich 3 days in a row 'cause we needed to eat leftovers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Leslie
Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain
-------------

2013: March 16 - Rodeo Valley 50k; May (Mem Day Wknd) - Western States 3-Day Training Camp (70 miles); July 13 - Mt. Hood 50 Mile; Sept 14 - Headlands 50 Mile
"The farther you go outside, the farther you go inside." (Unknown)
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Bonkin

posted: 5/1/2008 at 1:25 PM

I eat pasta of some kind almost every day. Looking at your list - it looks like you are getting plenty of carbs. When I'm low on carbs (glycogen) I don't get nauseated - I just get (a lot more) tired in situations that I normally wouldn't when my tank is topped off. Nausea for me (and others I've spoken with) is more about taking in calories that don't agree with them during or immediately before the run. The list I'd be looking at is the one that started 3-4 hours (or more) before the run and included everything I ate or drank during the run.

Passion is a rather frightening thing because if you have passion you don't know where it will take you.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

fatozzig

posted: 5/1/2008 at 2:34 PM

Before the run, I had my usual bagel w/cc (can you tell I'm addicted??) and about half a cup of coffee. This is my usual pre long run food, about an hour before. During the run, I took in GU2O for fluid, Clif shot blocks about every 15 minutes, 2 Endurolytes beginning after the first hour of running, and munched on a mix of Rice Chex, pretzels, and nuts. In looking back at the amount of mix I ate, I don't think I ate enough, a situation I am constantly trying to correct. It was within the last 20-30 min that I started getting nauseated and thought it might also be due to the sweetness of the GU mix Dead

. I am now trying a combo of GU2O and maltodextrin to cut the sweetness. Once we got back home, I ate a yogurt and things settled down. Let me also say that I have stomach issues anyway, and have decided that I need to start taking Zantac or something a couple of days before these long runs, and especially before theh 50k.

Leslie
Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain
-------------

2013: March 16 - Rodeo Valley 50k; May (Mem Day Wknd) - Western States 3-Day Training Camp (70 miles); July 13 - Mt. Hood 50 Mile; Sept 14 - Headlands 50 Mile
"The farther you go outside, the farther you go inside." (Unknown)
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RigMan

posted: 5/1/2008 at 7:04 PM

I'll preface this with saying, like everything in running, everybody is different. But I'm usually fine on a two hour run without taking in any calories. You have enough glycogen stored in your muscles for a 2 to 2.5 hour run. If you know you're going much over 2 hours, then you can start taking in calories early. But your digestive system can only absorb about 250 calories per hour. If you input more than that, then things are going to start backing up, and you'll have sloshing in your stomach. So I'd take a look at how many calories you're taking in per hour, and play around with that number. Also, experment with different sports drinks and snacks. A lot of poeple can't handle GU20. It makes them sick. Ronnie

Trent

posted: 5/1/2008 at 7:15 PM
modified: 5/1/2008 at 7:16 PM

How hard are you running. Slow and easy running requires almost no carbs. Heck, my "long run" last weekend was during a week with no carbs and I took very few while out running for 4+ hours. RigMan, you have enough glycogen stored in your muscles for 2-2.5 hours of HARD running. At lower efforts, your body burns relatively more fat, and fat can carry you nearly forever.

I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.

Poor baby

ultrachick

Ultrachick

posted: 5/2/2008 at 6:03 AM

I agree with RigMan-everyone is different. I'm not a nutritionist but I'm not seeing a lot of veggies in there! (This is coming from someone is who has been repeatedly commented to on how much bread I eat-especially when I want to lose a few pounds so I try to replace my bread carbs with veggie carbs) I would agree also your nausea was probably from what you ate during the race, lucky for you it was in the last half hour and not the middle. I myself like to run a little bit on the empty tank side. I try to keep the GUs at 45-60 min intervals and drink as necessary but I don't try to consume a certain quantity every time. When my rings on my fingers start to get tight then I know I'm drinking too much. I've used GU2Go but have switched to Amino Vital-it's not too sweet eitherand various formulas have more or less electrolytes. You'll just have to keep experimenting to find what works for you. Kelly

If you never go fast, you'll never go fast.

fatozzig

posted: 5/2/2008 at 4:56 PM

You're right, there's not a lot of veggies in there, which is not normal for me. Call it a bad week! I bonk really easy and have a tendency to not drink enough, so my coach has me drinking at 15 min intervals and getting some food in about every 30 minutes or so. He also has me cutting the GU with maltodextrin in combination with an electrolyte supplement (Endurolytes). The GU was just too sweet. Tomorrow will be my first day on the trails with the new GU mix. I used it this last week on my short training runs and found the taste much more palatible. Yep, trying to figure out does and doesn't work is a constant, isn't it? Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

Leslie
Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain
-------------

2013: March 16 - Rodeo Valley 50k; May (Mem Day Wknd) - Western States 3-Day Training Camp (70 miles); July 13 - Mt. Hood 50 Mile; Sept 14 - Headlands 50 Mile
"The farther you go outside, the farther you go inside." (Unknown)
3 Nonjoggers Podcast

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Trail Runner Nation

Fatozzig's Place

mbk

posted: 5/2/2008 at 9:59 PM

I've struggled with nausea in my last few races and some of my training. Well, not really nausea, but "pre-nausea" or feeling on the edge of nausea, which has caused me to stop taking in enough calories and either bonking or DNFing. I think it is the sports drink - I like it, but after a while the sweetness is hard to take and makes me feel ill. I've used several - Gatorade, Accelerade, HEED, Clip2, and have noticed this problem recently with Gatorade, Accelerade and HEED (I haven't used Clip2 in a while). I've decided to start experimenting with more solid calories and water + electrolytes. Given what was said previously (you can only absorb about 250 calories per hour) I would say that I'm getting too many calories in the beginning, then unable to get any later when I need them. Last weekend I went out on a 20 mile run and drank water, took one electrolyte cap per hour (it was cool and rainy) and ate a PowerBar every hour on the hour and Jelly Belly Sports Beans every hour on the half hour. I also had a bunch of donut holes at about mile 13. I felt strong and steady the whole time and never felt nauseous. Now this is only one test but I've read of other runners who have similar struggles with sports drinks and who take a similar approach. It will work well during a race because of the typical abundance of solid foods at ultras. It's also possible that the combination of electrolytes from sports drink and food (and supplements if you take them) could be too much and you have an electrolyte imbalance as a result of too many electrolytes. The only time I've ever thrown up during training or racing was likely due to too many electrolytes, not too few. Anyway, as everyone has stated, I am an experiment of one. Good luck finding a strategy that works for you.

"Long-distance runners have to be very strange people. You have to really want to do it. You don't have to win or beat someone, you just have to get through the thing. That's the sense of victory. The sense of self-worth." ~Ted Corbitt

corrade

Valet Parking

posted: 5/3/2008 at 2:07 PM

Quote from mbk on 5/2/2008 at 9:59 PM:

It's also possible that the combination of electrolytes from sports drink and food (and supplements if you take them) could be too much and you have an electrolyte imbalance as a result of too many electrolytes.

I've recently settled on this as the cause of my recent problems. I was mixing my fluids too rich. The shift from winter running to spring means just a lot more fluid. Fatozzig, at a glance that is a lot to be taking in during only a couple hours. Digesting all that is too much work, give your belly a break Smile

I used to compulsively over-fuel, always a bottle in hand for anything over 6 miles. This winter I broke myself from the bottle. On others advice I went for 10 miles, over an hour, without a sip in the cold and it was no problem. Now I require much less stuff in the fluids I do take.

Trent

posted: 5/3/2008 at 6:51 PM

If you think you may have an electrolyte imbalance, I would get your electrolytes tested by your doc.

I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.

Poor baby

mbk

posted: 5/4/2008 at 4:38 PM
modified: 5/4/2008 at 5:57 PM

Quote from mbk on 5/2/2008 at 9:59 PM:

Last weekend I went out on a 20 mile run and drank water, took one electrolyte cap per hour (it was cool and rainy) and ate a PowerBar every hour on the hour and Jelly Belly Sports Beans every hour on the half hour.

For what it's worth, I tried this again today on a 24 mile fairly rugged and somewhat hilly trail run. Almost five hours of running, and again I felt good the whole time, never felt nauseous and never felt like I bonked. I was certainly tired toward the end, but I still felt fairly strong. So this may work for me. Anyone know of a decent alternative to PowerBars? I kind of like the taste, but they are so chewy that my jaw hurts and it takes too long to eat one. I'm not very fond of Clif Bars, either. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

"Long-distance runners have to be very strange people. You have to really want to do it. You don't have to win or beat someone, you just have to get through the thing. That's the sense of victory. The sense of self-worth." ~Ted Corbitt

Bonkin

posted: 5/4/2008 at 5:38 PM

Quote from mbk on 5/4/2008 at 4:38 PM:

Anyone know of a decent alternative to PowerBars?

Poptarts fuel all my long runs. I think I got the idea from Trent last summer.

Passion is a rather frightening thing because if you have passion you don't know where it will take you.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

mbk

posted: 5/4/2008 at 5:57 PM

Quote from Bonkin on 5/4/2008 at 5:38 PM:

Poptarts fuel all my long runs. I think I got the idea from Trent last summer.

That sounds really tasty, but I think by the time I got them out of my pack they would be destroyed. Maybe I could snort them!

"Long-distance runners have to be very strange people. You have to really want to do it. You don't have to win or beat someone, you just have to get through the thing. That's the sense of victory. The sense of self-worth." ~Ted Corbitt

Trent

posted: 5/4/2008 at 7:09 PM

Pop Tarts prerun. Star Crunch during the run.

I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.

Poor baby

Bonkin

posted: 5/4/2008 at 7:23 PM

Quote from mbk on 5/4/2008 at 5:57 PM:

That sounds really tasty, but I think by the time I got them out of my pack they would be destroyed. Maybe I could snort them!

They survive just fine in the outside pocket of my race ready shorts. Add a ziplock bag to make them sweat proof. I don't advise snorting them though - the conversion to glycogen takes way too long.

Passion is a rather frightening thing because if you have passion you don't know where it will take you.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

Ultra Runners

Woefully Lacking in Carbs (or so I'm told) (Read 419 times)