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So tired during my runs......


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I am on day 7 and am so tired during my runs. I was running 4x a week 3, 5, 3, 6 or 8 miles. Now my 3 mile runs (which were my easy/quick/26-27m) are now my hard/slow/29-30m runs.....it's really frustrating. I haven't even ran more than 3 miles since I started. I was hoping to run/train for a 1/2 marathon at the end of June and I need to figure out the problem. Has anyone else experienced this? Maybe I should just give it more time?

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I have seen posts around here from other runners/athletes with the same problem. Apparently the change creates a bit of decrease in performance, but it comes back around the 2-3 week mark. I might be wrong on the weeks of when it starts/when it recovers, but the general consensus is that there is a typical decrease in performance which DOES return once the body is more adjusted to the new lifestyle.

Just keep plugging along and you'll be good to train for the half!

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I felt awful from days 4-11 on my first Whole30, but then it all came back for the last 2 weeks. Just slog through it and make sure to give your body enough rest (it is making some pretty major adjustments). It will be worth it-- I promise! :)

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Ditto! Make sure you are getting enough carbs from things like sweet potatoes and healthy fats. I found my performance tanks when I don't eat those things consistently-as in every single day. And it's true-you will feel better in by about week 2-3. Your body is learning to use fat for energy and doesn't have those quick burning carbs available to use now...it takes some time. Hang in there.

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I'm on day 19 today and I have very few if any good afternoon runs :( . Most of my morning runs are okay, but not great, but afternoons are always tough but tougher of whole30. Going to eat an egg before I hit the trails and see if that helps.

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I'm on day 12 of my first Whole30, and for the first week, my runs were absolutely terrible. On an easy two-miler, I would have to stop to catch my breath, and my heart rate was through the roof. Somewhere between weeks one and two, I turned a major corner. This Monday, I set out to struggle through a 4 mile run, but I felt SO good that I went an extra mile. You WILL get there, but it definitely takes some time for your body to adjust. I know how easy it is to get discouraged, so just be patient. And ditto what everyone else said about higher carb veggies.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am on day 21 and am still having very sluggish runs. I forced myself through a 10 miler last weekend, but it was a struggle (which really shouldn't have been). I just tried running this morning (day 21) and I could tell a half mile into it that it was more of the same so I just turned around and came back home. I am anxiously waiting for my breakthrough as I am beginning to train for a marathon.

21 days seems like a longer time than most seem to be posting about their runs. Any advice?

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I am on day 21 and am still having very sluggish runs. I forced myself through a 10 miler last weekend, but it was a struggle (which really shouldn't have been). I just tried running this morning (day 21) and I could tell a half mile into it that it was more of the same so I just turned around and came back home. I am anxiously waiting for my breakthrough as I am beginning to train for a marathon.

21 days seems like a longer time than most seem to be posting about their runs. Any advice?

Hi, I turn out about 80 miles per week. What I find works for me is the following. On easy runs or recovery runs I tend to do them fasted so straight out of bed. I bring a recovery drink with me (carbs & Protein) and I drink that immediately after I stop running (when I have ran fasted) I then get home and have startchy carbohydrate (sweet potatoe, Bananas etc) with my breakfast. (breakfast is withing 2 hours of finishing training). On days when I have a hard effort eg track work or hill reps. I have a startchy carb heavy breakfast, and a recovery drink immediately after training. This keeps my glycogen levels topped up so I don't hit the wall when training, but it doesn't stop my body from burning fat when it needs. You cannot train high intensity on fat fuel, you need carbs (timed properly) to fuel your training otherwise you'll be in the horrors. A lot of the studies that show you train for longer burning fat as fuel are based on a 60% effort which even on your long slow runs you will be exceeding.

Hope this helps

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Okay, this is reassuring. I just ran a horribly slow 10k with my first night of my marathon training group and I felt like such a fool for crashing and burning like I did but the pace was my normal pace...very discouraging! I added about 15 minutes to my training pace. Hopefully this remedies itself soon-ish. I'm on day 4. 

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At day 21 if you still feel sluggish, make sure you are eating enough high carb veggies the night before your runs. DON'T eat carbs right before you run - try one egg and 1/2 a portion of fat - per the meal template: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

Do you eat starchy veg's/carbs before long runs? Just wondering if the meal template changes with long runs. Did 12 today for marathon training and felt sluggish and struggled through it, thought maybe I should start having some sweet potato or butternut on long runs over 10 miles.

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I eat starchy/high carb veggies in the couple of days leading up to a major distance run. But not right before the run -- that just signals your body to burn carbs. And you want it to burn fat since that's what you have oodles of. DURING the run I do take in sweet potato baby food, LARABARS, etc if I am running longer than 2 hours or so. Probably don't really truly need until up to 3 hours, but that's what I do.

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I eat starchy/high carb veggies in the couple of days leading up to a major distance run. But not right before the run -- that just signals your body to burn carbs. And you want it to burn fat since that's what you have oodles of. DURING the run I do take in sweet potato baby food, LARABARS, etc if I am running longer than 2 hours or so. Probably don't really truly need until up tot 3 hours, but that's what I do.

Did you notice a decrease in performance while your body adjusted to this new way of fueling? What do you drink during runs?

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Lesley, yes, the first 10 or so days I had no energy at all. I didn't do much, knowing that would be the case. And then it took me awhile to figure out my fueling. OTOH, my friend Katie nailed it right off the bat.

 

Here's my detailed writeup on my fueling struggles:

 

http://www.ultrarunnergirl.blogspot.com/2013/05/ultrarunning-and-fueling-on-whole30.html

 

And my friend Katie's posts on what she was doing:

 

90 Mile Week on Whole30: http://iseetrails.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/90-mile-week-on-whole30/

Whole30 and Beyond: http://iseetrails.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/the-whole-30-and-beyond/

 

I drink water ... though after my Whole30, on my 70 miler, I did eat some Nuun tablets (contain sorbitol) for the magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium.

 

Hope these help!



 

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  • 3 weeks later...

So glad I found this! I had a 5.2 mile race yesterday, I felt tired and my time was awful! I almost didn't go, but I signed up as training for an upcoming 10k, then 1/2. The 10k is in 2 weeks, I hope I can figure out the right balance of protein, starch, & fat and really do as well as I can...I don't know what that is yet!

I knew racing at the start of a Whole 30 wasn't recommended, but I couldn't pass up this "Mass Whole 30" especially now, when the farmers markets are bursting with fresh local goodies!

Does anyone know of links that show what people eat who are in training?

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Or salt? Only last week I realized I wasn't getting enough sodium, which may have been the reason my first week or so was not so good. The clue came in the form of an eyelid twitch, I know from past experience this is electrolyte related, so I took a magnesium supplement and a potassium supp, added some salt to the food I was eating. Next day the twitch was reduced. I only added salt to food that day, no supplements. Next day, twitch was gone. Been feeling good as far as physical activity since, while making sure I do eat something salted every day. It could just be because I eat a lot of food whole/raw and never add salt so that's how I ended up lacking sodium, but may be worth considering...

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