I read an article today by Carmichael Training System on the use of Ketosis for athletes and felt compelled to respond. The article is not entirely off base, but I think that the decision to consider any diet is an individual one. The athletes that come to CTS aren't necessarily indicative of the general population. Diets are lighting rod conversations and I am not trying to suggest this diet is superior for everyone, just presenting an opposing view based on experience.
Before responding to the points in their article, a quick bit about me. I am a former football player turned adventure junky (runner). There is nothing spectacular about me as a runner. My best mile time is basically 6:00 flat. I weigh about 195 pounds at a relatively lean 13% body fat, hardly an endurance build. I am a relatively large, aging athlete with a family history of high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes. Yet, I am a self-coached athlete that has managed to go sub-24 hours at Western States and qualified for Boston (3:09:55). Having tried to train and race for both health and performance and both using high-carbs and high-fat, I think I have an educated opinion on this topic. I have read the research and walked the walk. That said, I don't believe this diet for everyone. Individual factors -- age, body composition, etc... -- may sway someone to consider this diet or leave it.
After years of experimenting with many diets, including Atkins, I converted to LCHF in February of 2014. I was coming off knee surgery and unsure of what to expect once I returned to racing. Somewhat unexpectedly, my racing took off and I have had an incredible run of races the past three years, without changing much about the way I train. I have found that I need far less fuel on the run and that I recover much better from races on LCHF. What's more, I am not obsessed with eating during ultras and my energy levels are more consistent, though I still have highs and lows. Perhaps the best thing for me is that my blood pressure has dropped significantly (20 pts) and my blood markers are impeccable (particularly my triglycerides and HDL).
KETOSIS DOESN’T IMPROVE ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE
I have to say I disagree with this point. This might true if you look at lab results of indicators that we use to approximate performance, but in the field I don't know that this is true. My best races have all come since I converted to LCHF, everything from marathons to 100 mile races. I attribute this success to eating less during training and races: not being consumed mentally by a nutrition plan, no GI distress, more constant energy, less muscle wasting. Low carb by itself did not improve my V02 max, but it sure makes racing ultras simpler.
A good friend of mine -- a much more typical endurance (build) runner -- ran the Leadville 100 two years in a row. The first year he suffered horribly from a rotten gut and nausea. A year later, without training appreciably different, he ran two hours faster and finished 4th overall (18:43). He attributes nearly all this success to a paleo/LCHF diet which freed him from having to eat so much. Athletes such as Zach Bitter, Tim Olson, Jeff Browning, and Jason Schlarb have all used similar approaches with great success. (Jason Schlarb's post-RRR interview in 2013 was the "aha" moment for me.)
KETOSIS MAY PREVENT GASTRIC DISTRESS
Chris Carmichael was listing this as a positive, and I agree. This really gets at the heart of what I was saying above. Jason Koop, whom I respect very much, thinks the gut can be trained. I agree with this to an extent. Athletes have limited opportunities to train the GI system for a race that is likely more than double the length of their training runs. And, each day and each race offers something different whether it be altitude, heat, etc... There is no limit to the amount of "specifity" to train your gut for: taking a gel on a big climb, having certain products after 12 hours without real food, etc... I ran the Leadville 100 as my first 100 as a high carb athlete, eating an impressive 10,000+ Kcals (nearly 400/hr). Overall my experience was positive, but I definitely had issues with diarrhea in the second half. Converting to LCHF, I now eat more like 5000 Kcals in a race and my gut thanks me. My nutrition plan is quite simple and I can typically carry 5-6 hours of my preferred products with me at a given time.
Also, at a certain point, you have to ask if this is the right idea. Endurance sports are demanding and there are lots of questions marks about long term health on the heart as well as just the physical wear and tear. So we are all paying a bit of an unknown price. That said, is eating these products all day to train and race the best thing? The Boston Marathon race director has heart disease.
WEIGHT LOSS FROM DIETARY KETOSIS IS PRIMARILY FROM CALORIC RESTRICTION
This shouldn't be the case if done properly. I eat the same, or more even, on LCHF. Each gram of fat has more than twice as many calories as gram of carbohydrates. Eating half the volume would yield an equivalent amount of calories in one's diet. Perhaps the issue is that the athlete finds the diet too limiting (more on that later) and just eats too little involuntarily. It can be a chore to eat enough fat to keep your macronutrient ratio at 75+%. I regularly eat oils to keep my ratio high enough. The majority of the weight loss should come initially from water as the athlete's muscles dump glycogen (and the associated water) and later from fat burn. One difficulty here is the body composition of the athlete -- leaner athletes may struggle to convert their fat stores to energy.
One last thing, there is a difference between nutritional ketosis and fasting/starving ketosis. Unless you a purposely fasting, athletes should be trying to stay in nutritional ketosis. As for me, I was only in ketosis for a few months and switched to LCHF instead, allowing myself "strategic" carbs. I get plenty of benefits from the higher fat burning overall improved gut.
COMPLIANCE IS A MAJOR BARRIER TO SUSTAINING KETOSIS
This point I very much agree with. Ketosis is black and white and therefore very difficult to maintain in our western culture. That is the reason I consider myself "LCHF" and not in ketosis. A typical training day for me consists of fewer than 75g of carbs -- often strategically planned around hard or long workouts -- and I occasionally cheat. However, the closer I say to ketosis recommendations, the better I feel. More importantly, when I am keeping strictly with the diet, my blood suggests my body is in superior health.
KETOSIS IS A COMPETITIVE DISADVANTAGE
While I understand the author's point, I disagree. While exercising, the body is more tolerant of carbohydrates without bumping you out of ketosis and it actually makes you more flexible. And, you could easily take the opposite side of this point of view -- what if you need carbohydrates and get lost? What if your crew gets lost and the aid stations don't have high-carb products you've trained your gut with to avoid GI distress? As a low carb athlete, I regularly go hours without eating with zero fear of a "bonk". When I ate carbs regularly, I was obsessed with my next feeding interval and hitting that 300-400 Kcal/hr mark.
My experience with LCHF has been very positive and I encourage all athletes, particularly larger ones or those with family history of diabetes, to try it out. People in the LCHF community often say each of us is an experiment of one. There are likely aspects of this diet that can help anyone. The points in the CTS article are all worth considering, but I hope I have given a point of view from someone that has used the approach successfully.
Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Leadville 100 ~ 2015 Race Report
Guest post ~ Chuck Radford
Here it is …a race report only because I want to look back and recall some of the unfathomable events that happened on this day …this crazy, cool, amazing day.
A bit of history: Signing up for the Leadville Trail 100 was an impulse reaction when I did not get into the coveted Western States 100 race for 2015. However, when I found out in January that I got into the Leadville Trail 100 race, my emotional reaction was, “YES …CRAP …well, time to get on board.”
I officially started training at the end of March bleeding my off-season training into my regular training and not really seeing much difference except a little more structure. I ran a couple tune-up races to prepare for my LT100 adventure including the Dirty Thirty (50K), finishing 15th overall in a talented field and the Leadville Trail Marathon, finishing 3rd overall. I banked a couple long training runs with my final one being up in Leadville for a double Hope Pass crossing with good friend Mike Mizones. Unfortunately when we finished, we tried to relax with our feet in the water, and I fell, throwing myself (and my knee) into a rock to prevent myself from floating down the river.
I then dealt with a patella contusion for the next month …my PEAK training month, trying to work through pain, frustration and doubts. My peak training ended and I had logged a measly 50 miles a week before officially shutting it down a full week with no running the last week of July. That turned out to be the best decision of the month as it allowed my knee to fully heal and for me to log some “taper training” unlike I’ve ever done before. I was then faced with glute and IT band pains leading into the race, leaving me extremely doubtful, concerned and incredibly “stuck” trying to find a way to rise to the occasion.
Days before the race, I learned that iRunFar included me in their “Men to Watch” LT100 Preview, completely flabbergasting me. I actually found it to be an additional stress, even though my friends and family tried to get me to see that it wasn’t undeserved (it was solely based on my Leadville Trail Marathon finish, which I didn’t think translated into a small write up in the LT100 preview, but there it was).
With all the small details planned (house, pacers, crew, pacing plan, nutrition, etc.), AJ Wellman and I headed up to Leadville for a nice easy Hope Pass hike to get my legs flushed a few days before the race. We hit the race check in where I picked up bib, shirt and race bag, but something was just missing this year as there wasn’t the same excitement in the air. It was almost as if it was all business this year. I later realized that’s exactly what the whole race was about …business. AJ and I had numerous talks about things that didn’t go well last year and the goals for this year and how I could accomplish them. Goal #1: Stay positive; Goal #2: Eat less, but eat smart (approximately 100-150 calories/hr); Goal #3: Troubleshoot through the race; Goal #4: Keep it simple.
The next two days passed with some relaxation, the pre-race meeting, greeting my pacers, friends and family, and then trying to get a good night’s rest before race morning. Always easier said than done as you sit pondering on the pain, struggles, highs and lows you’re about to experience WILLINGLY the next morning on your 100 mile journey.
Race Morning:
As I did last year, I woke before my 2 am alarm, not able to sleep in anticipation and nervous energy before the race. I dressed, made coffee, eggs and bacon, and then woke everyone interested in going to the race start with me. I believe my comments to my wife were, “Oh my GOD, 100 miles!!!!” as a wave of anxiety ran through me. This was about to go down.
Jennifer (my supportive wife), Mia (my amazing daughter), Mike (my crew chief and section 2 pacer), Heidi (Mikes wife and a great friend), and Savannah (AJ’s daughter) all accompanied me to the race start. We took the obligatory family pictures, I gave kisses and hugs to all, tried to find my game face and lined up with all the other 100 mile hopefuls, as we waited for the official gun shot to kick off this little shin-dig of a day.
I stood in quiet, not able to find the spark or drive I thought I needed at this point to have a stellar day. I was curious how the day would play out. Ten second count down …headlamps turn on …watches start to beep …BANG …game on.
To MayQueen (Mile 13.5)
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| Hagerman Rd to Powerline Race photos courtesy of Athlinks |
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| Powerline |
To Outward Bound (Mile 24.5)
I spent only a minute at the MayQueen aid station and got right out onto the Colorado Trail up towards Hagerman Road. I traveled well through this section, continuing to feel my glutes, but passing runners and still not having any kind of feeling (good or bad) about how the race was going so far. I was kind of in a “blah” state of mind, but with 86 more miles to go, I guess there was time to figure all that out.
As I ran up to the top of Powerline, I saw my friend Matt Curtis, with whom I also ran a lot of LT100 in 2014. Knowing Matt better the other runners, I had no problem chatting and passing some miles with him leading into Outward Bound. While a supporter informed Matt and I that we were in 17th and 18th place, we both agreed that we were committed to running our own races regardless of place.
As we entered the Outward Bound aid station, I was energized knowing I was going to see my crew for the first time today after 3 and half hours. I ran straight up to them as they strategically placed themselves right next to the water station. I immediately noticed a small weather front moving through and worried my crew would be cold, but luckily it didn’t stick around long and even provided a nice rainbow (sign of things to come???). We replaced bottles, I ate an Epic bar, dumped my warm clothes, yelled “Peace out,” and headed out.
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| OB Crew station with AJ, Jon and Mia with a weather front behind us |
To Halfpipe (Mile 31)
As I made my way to Halfpipe, I simply replaced water and some Skratch and blazed through it, high fiving a couple volunteers obviously eager to see the mass of runners heading their way.
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| Colorado Trail Section ~ Beautiful |
To Twin Lakes (Mile 39.5)
As I ran down the hill into Twin Lakes, I once again was excited to see my family and for the first time realized I was feeling strong. I flexed my muscles coming in thinking that’d give them an idea of how I was feeling, but really ended up looking silly. I quickly sat down, changed my shoes, ate another Epic bar, took some Tylenol, swapped water bottles, gave kisses and felt incredibly confident all of a sudden. If there was a place to feel that kind of confidence, now was the time. Hope Pass killed me last year and was where I lost all the time I made up at that point in the race. It was time for revenge.
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| Flexing muscles - dork |
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| My crew taking care of me like a race car |
To Hopeless (Mile 45)
To Winfield (Mile 50)
Back to Hopeless (Mile 55)
If you don’t know, I fell six or seven times in last year’s race, leaving me frustrated and injured. I was happy I had made it 50 miles without falling once. Unfortunately, that was to change on the Sheep Gulch Trail, as I shortly took my eyes off the trail and went down hard on my hand and leg. I quickly jumped back up and tried to shut out the pain, but it stung badly. With the 6th place runner right in front of me, I was committed to keep him in my sights, knowing full well that not only had my confidence been building, but so had my competitiveness.
After getting off the Sheep Gulch Trail, it was a hard turn left and up the belly of the beast, facing up to 40% inclines, a lack of oxygen and heavy humidity. We worked and we worked hard up that monster, claiming the 6th place position and moving in quickly on 5th place. AJ and I were all business while cracking jokes keeping the levity light. AJ reminded me numerous times that I was doing well and to just keep doing what I was doing. At times I worried I was going to pay for the workload I was giving now later in the race (I think even AJ was concerned). We caught the 5th place runner at the top of Hope Pass, but once we reached the peak, he floated away to an eventual 2nd place finish! |
| All it took was one fall to do enough damage |
After some coaxing, I pledged to AJ that I’d climb hard to the top, where we were met with some technical downhill into Hopeless. Unfortunately we were also faced with a ton of outbound runners and a lot of cross traffic. After hitting Hopeless, AJ made me fill up my bottle with Skratch in the event he and I got split up on the downhill.
Back to Twin Lakes (Mile 60)
Again I was pleasantly
surprised at how well I was running downhill …how was this possible? It goes back to my eating goal and having
energy and good energy at that. The
cross traffic runners were amazingly accommodating and moved out of the way, as
I made my way down. I made it to the
meadow, through all the water sections and back into Twin Lakes with no more
falls, but finding myself a little low on energy after all the effort I just
put out on Hope Pass both ways. Running
into Twin Lakes pepped me up though, as there were a ton of fans/supporters
cheering me on.
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| Apparently everything was "thumbs up" at this stage of the race |
Back to Halfpipe (Mile 69)
As I sat down at Twin Lakes,
my wife (a Godsend) changed my wet shoes and socks for me (now that’s love) as
I drank, applied sunscreen, replaced bottles and chatted strategy with
crew. My daughter was immediately
concerned about my cuts and bleeding, but I assured her I was fine. I thanked AJ for his pacing duties and picked
up Mike, as we headed out up the underrated 1400 foot climb out of Twin Lakes
and out to Halfpipe. I started to feel my
stomach going “South” on the uphill climbs and let Mike know I’d do what I
could. We worked a good run-walk
strategy all the way into Halfpipe and troubleshot some ideas on what I could
eat, as my eating rate was dropping quickly. Like miles 30-39, I find miles 60-69 equally as difficult mentally, but
Mike did well keeping me "up" and moving well through those sections. I had some watermelon with salt on it at the
aid station and set out for a good long running section.
Back to Outward Bound (Mile 76)
Mike and I ran well six good
miles with only a couple breaks and passed the time with good chatter. As we came into the unofficial Treeline
station, my daughter was running up towards me. She turned and we ran back to
the crew hand in hand. There was nothing
really for me at Treeline except my amazing family and crew who continued to
pep me up knowing this is where the race REALLY gets mentally (and physically) tough. I realized back at mile 40 that
the intense body pain was manageable …not fun, but manageable, and that it’s the
mental side of running that keeps you in the game late.
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| Still smiling 70+ miles in |
After a short four mile road
run and back through the field, we made it back to Outward Bound and to our
crew again. A quick note: running is a
raw sport and ugly things happen. Mike
can attest to me running down the road with my shorts half way down (bare-butt to the world) as I rubbed
some Biofreeze on my glutes before pulling my shorts back up. That’s ultra running at its finest ... but I
didn’t pee on myself like last year sooooo …
Back to MayQueen (Mile 86)
I was once again hitting a
bit of a low after dropping Mike off and picking up Jon for the final 24 miles.
However, with a change of pacers, comes a change of venue and Jon really helped
me pep up a bit heading up to the final HUGE climb up Powerline.
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| Pep talk from Mike |
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| Heading out for the final 24 miles with Jon |
Last year at this same time, we were dawning headlamps and preparing for the dark. Jon and I made it this year all the way to the top of Powerline with tons of sunlight still shining. We came upon the unofficial aid station at the top. I sat down and we chatted for a few seconds with the fun volunteers. They informed us that the 4th and 3rd place runners were just ahead of us and none of them looked as strong as us or were moving as well as us. That was motivation to get out of that chair and MOVE.
We made it down a couple of switchbacks and up ahead was a runner. As good of a friend as Mike Aish is, I did NOT want to pass him. Unfortunately, he was struggling and we came up to Mike and Nick Clark and they very graciously cheered us on to catch the next guy. This put me into 4th place …CRAZY!
Back Home (Mile 100)
We got to Boat Ramp, and I secretly made a personal pact that I was going to run all way to the parking lot (2+ miles) and I did. From there it’s a final struggle back up into town where we never did see the 3rd place runner, meaning he was moving as well as me.
We saw the lights of town FINALLY and then made our way to 6th St.. As we ran 6th St., we came across my wife, daughter and Mike. We all ran the final stretch and there I was …at the red carpet. I ran down the carpet, threw my hands up in the air as I crossed, and immediately fell, tripping on the carpet ...yeah, that JUST happened. I bounced up and laughed knowing NOTHING was going to ruin that moment and gave Marilee (race co-founder) a hug and received my finisher’s medal.
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| Finish line |
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| My recreation of falling across the finish line the next day |
We headed home to some beer,
a shower and some VERY uncomfortable sleep. I got up the next day and had the best breakfast burrito of my life
before heading to the awards ceremony to claim my award, buckle, and
sweatshirt.
I am absolutely blessed with
an amazing crew. These people were my inspiration through the day, my light
when I was dark, my motivators and my comfort. My wife and daughter are my rocks, my long time friends Mike and Heidi
help me have fun and enjoy every moment, my friend Jon is always a running
inspiration who often reminds me of my potential and skill, and AJ is my
coach/training partner/blood brother. I truly hope they celebrated the day as
much as me.
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| Left to right: Jon, AJ, Jennifer, Mia, Me, Mike, Heidi, Savannah ~ The "A" Team |
If you know me, you know I am a humble person, a family man and a trusty friend. I live life like any other average Joe, balancing family, work and running. I prioritize things the best I can and try to prevent my passion of running from interfering with my family as I constantly sacrifice sleep to do so. Are there challenges? Of course, but I only hope I can be a strong role model to my children and other runners. I am open and honest and am more than willing to give my thoughts, advice and support to anyone seeking it. If you ever want my thoughts, please reach out to me.
A shout out to Epic bars, Fuel 100 Electro-bites, Skratch Labs, Tailwind and Vespa as my running nutrition and to Hoka (Stinson) and Brooks (Pure Grit) as my running shoes. Anyone want to sponsor me? Please?
Parting thoughts
**Special thanks to AJ for letting me guest post on his blog. Check it out ...it's got a wealth of information on it if you haven't seen it already.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Leadville 2015: Pacing and other thoughts
Warning, this one could ramble a bit....
First, I should set the stage. I've been running seriously for about six years now. My journey, as has been the case with my life, has always been about exploration and learning and tinkering. One core value for me has always been health. After ballooning to nearly 250 lbs before my 30th birthday, I decided that my 30's would be a decade where I focused on health, hoping that it would pay dividends later in life. Through that lens, I have always explored running as means of getting healthier and improving my life, not just performance. Not coincidentally, as my health improved, so has my performance. I have learned more about nutrition and physiology than some people who study them in school, because I have dared to follow those people teaching outside the box. Train easy to race fast. Eat less to run farther. Eat fat -- gobs and gobs of fat!
About half way into my journey, I met Chuck Radford, a co-worker of mine. As co-workers, we obviously saw each other quite a bit. But it was our mutual interest in running that really got us to be friends. Chuck is also an eager learner and has watched what I've done and taken what I've learned and applied it to his own running. I don't think of myself as his "coach" per se, but there is definitely an element of that in our relationship. These days, I really am just more of a friend and someone who can give him my thoughts and sometimes advice. I jokingly call myself his "mental coach".
Anyway, Chuck and I have been together through all of our ultras, pacing, crewing, and generally supporting one another. Our mutual friend, Jon, called it a "blood bond" we've made with one another. I like to think that my break-through race at Western States 100 this year inspired Chuck. This weekend, he took the lead and inspired me to wonder if I have new levels I can achieve, finishing 4th at the Leadville 100.
When Chuck signed up for Leadville I agreed to pace. I was also to be his pacer in 2014 before injuring myself on a training run the day before and having to stick with crew duty. We joked that year that none of us would be able to keep up with him. As it turned out, he had a pretty good race (as ho-hum as sub-21 hours can be!), but none of his pacers struggled to keep up with him. This year, I requested to pace him for 25 miles, thinking I was going to be able to hang. As the weeks went by, I decided give up some pacing miles so I could spend more time in the mountains that weekend and not have to "taper" for the experience. I enjoy climbing and getting out in nature on adventures and figured that would be a good compromise. That was such a good decision....
Chuck went out at what we thought was an aggressive pace (hindsight suggests he went out quite conservatively) and we knew it was game on. He was at least 25 minutes faster than we expected into Twin Lakes and we hurried out to Winfield to await him and my pacing section. Last year, Hope Pass really gave him a tough time and it took nearly 6.5 hours for him to do the double cross. This year, he arrived at Winfield just a bit before 12:30 and ready to rock. He was focused and composed. Without much lost time, we took off and by the time we got on the Sheep Gulch Trail, he was already pushing me. PUSHING ME. This guy has 50 miles on his legs and I am working hard to hang! I stayed a consistent 15-20 yards behind him, trying to keep up and trying to yield the right away to the runners (he was in 7th place, so pretty much the entire field) coming at us. It was difficult jumping into a pacing section in the heat of the day and without having had lunch. I was sweating like crazy. Mercifully, we started going up the mountain and I was able to catch up and chat with him. He moved very well, rarely stopping, but climbing is definitely a strength of mine. Plus, the wind was blowing near the top of the pass and cooling me off. We saw many of our friends (Matt C, Woody, Trevor, Jeremy B) coming back at us along the way.
Cresting the top, we caught two runners. One runner we easily passed on our way to Hopeless aid station. The other, Kyle Pietari, seriously floated down the mountain on his way to a 2nd place finish. That was quite impressive. I helped Chuck fill his water bottles at Hopeless and told him not to look back for me going down, sensing he was going to drop me easily. And he did. Within a tenth of mile I could barely see his orange shirt up 100 yards in the forest. I was on the way to breaking everyone of my Strava segment PRs on this section and I still couldn't hang! (Jon later told me he and I ran the second fastest split over this section all day.) Once again, I tried to yield to the on-coming runners, many of whom were just starting their first Hope Pass ascent and likely not going to finish. But, I had to have looked like a rhino rumbling down the mountain and many of them got out of the way just out of fear, I think. One or two even joked about him "working me hard". Indeed. I wasn't even thinking about pacing at this point, just trying not to get dropped and the teasing my friends would have given me back at Twin Lakes. Oh, and trying not to do a face plant on the rocks and tree roots in my path.
We arrived at the meadow and he seemed to slow a bit, allowing me to go into threshold pace and actually catch him. I got to jog (for him, run for me) the final few miles into Twin Lakes where he seemed to gain some energy as I began exhaling. I survived. No way I would have lasted the next 16 miles with him -- so glad I "gave up" those pacing miles. I will let him tell his story, but the short version is that he had just done a double Hope Pass crossing in 5 hours after running 40 miles!!! That was the moment we all knew he had a chance to make it a special day, and he pushed on for 40 more miles and delivered (4th overall in 18:43). I retired to a chair with some beer, happy for my friend and knowing I'd be sore as hell the next day.
I am still thinking about 2016, but, as I said, Chuck has inspired me to think about new levels I may have. I thought maybe my 23:30 at Western States was my ceiling. Of course, I thought his ceiling at Leadville was 19:30. In fact, I am pretty sure I told him outright I didn't think he could break 19-hours at Leadville, something only a few dozen runners have ever done. He proved me wrong in a big way. And maybe that's the kind of thing I need moving ahead. Leadville is definitely on my short list for 2016. A big buckle is still one of my few remaining running goals. If not for the lottery, I may have already committed to that plan.
I keep thinking I'll give up 100s, but it is addicting. So much happens in those 24 hours that you just cannot explain to people. So much life. So much pain. So much joy. So much bonding. It truly is a transcending experience, impossible to explain to someone not present in that moment. Thanks to my daughter, I recently started listening to Zac Brown Band. And when I hear their song "Beautiful Drug", I think of running 100s. What a perfect, beautiful drug....
First, I should set the stage. I've been running seriously for about six years now. My journey, as has been the case with my life, has always been about exploration and learning and tinkering. One core value for me has always been health. After ballooning to nearly 250 lbs before my 30th birthday, I decided that my 30's would be a decade where I focused on health, hoping that it would pay dividends later in life. Through that lens, I have always explored running as means of getting healthier and improving my life, not just performance. Not coincidentally, as my health improved, so has my performance. I have learned more about nutrition and physiology than some people who study them in school, because I have dared to follow those people teaching outside the box. Train easy to race fast. Eat less to run farther. Eat fat -- gobs and gobs of fat!
About half way into my journey, I met Chuck Radford, a co-worker of mine. As co-workers, we obviously saw each other quite a bit. But it was our mutual interest in running that really got us to be friends. Chuck is also an eager learner and has watched what I've done and taken what I've learned and applied it to his own running. I don't think of myself as his "coach" per se, but there is definitely an element of that in our relationship. These days, I really am just more of a friend and someone who can give him my thoughts and sometimes advice. I jokingly call myself his "mental coach".
Anyway, Chuck and I have been together through all of our ultras, pacing, crewing, and generally supporting one another. Our mutual friend, Jon, called it a "blood bond" we've made with one another. I like to think that my break-through race at Western States 100 this year inspired Chuck. This weekend, he took the lead and inspired me to wonder if I have new levels I can achieve, finishing 4th at the Leadville 100.
When Chuck signed up for Leadville I agreed to pace. I was also to be his pacer in 2014 before injuring myself on a training run the day before and having to stick with crew duty. We joked that year that none of us would be able to keep up with him. As it turned out, he had a pretty good race (as ho-hum as sub-21 hours can be!), but none of his pacers struggled to keep up with him. This year, I requested to pace him for 25 miles, thinking I was going to be able to hang. As the weeks went by, I decided give up some pacing miles so I could spend more time in the mountains that weekend and not have to "taper" for the experience. I enjoy climbing and getting out in nature on adventures and figured that would be a good compromise. That was such a good decision....
Chuck went out at what we thought was an aggressive pace (hindsight suggests he went out quite conservatively) and we knew it was game on. He was at least 25 minutes faster than we expected into Twin Lakes and we hurried out to Winfield to await him and my pacing section. Last year, Hope Pass really gave him a tough time and it took nearly 6.5 hours for him to do the double cross. This year, he arrived at Winfield just a bit before 12:30 and ready to rock. He was focused and composed. Without much lost time, we took off and by the time we got on the Sheep Gulch Trail, he was already pushing me. PUSHING ME. This guy has 50 miles on his legs and I am working hard to hang! I stayed a consistent 15-20 yards behind him, trying to keep up and trying to yield the right away to the runners (he was in 7th place, so pretty much the entire field) coming at us. It was difficult jumping into a pacing section in the heat of the day and without having had lunch. I was sweating like crazy. Mercifully, we started going up the mountain and I was able to catch up and chat with him. He moved very well, rarely stopping, but climbing is definitely a strength of mine. Plus, the wind was blowing near the top of the pass and cooling me off. We saw many of our friends (Matt C, Woody, Trevor, Jeremy B) coming back at us along the way.
Cresting the top, we caught two runners. One runner we easily passed on our way to Hopeless aid station. The other, Kyle Pietari, seriously floated down the mountain on his way to a 2nd place finish. That was quite impressive. I helped Chuck fill his water bottles at Hopeless and told him not to look back for me going down, sensing he was going to drop me easily. And he did. Within a tenth of mile I could barely see his orange shirt up 100 yards in the forest. I was on the way to breaking everyone of my Strava segment PRs on this section and I still couldn't hang! (Jon later told me he and I ran the second fastest split over this section all day.) Once again, I tried to yield to the on-coming runners, many of whom were just starting their first Hope Pass ascent and likely not going to finish. But, I had to have looked like a rhino rumbling down the mountain and many of them got out of the way just out of fear, I think. One or two even joked about him "working me hard". Indeed. I wasn't even thinking about pacing at this point, just trying not to get dropped and the teasing my friends would have given me back at Twin Lakes. Oh, and trying not to do a face plant on the rocks and tree roots in my path.
We arrived at the meadow and he seemed to slow a bit, allowing me to go into threshold pace and actually catch him. I got to jog (for him, run for me) the final few miles into Twin Lakes where he seemed to gain some energy as I began exhaling. I survived. No way I would have lasted the next 16 miles with him -- so glad I "gave up" those pacing miles. I will let him tell his story, but the short version is that he had just done a double Hope Pass crossing in 5 hours after running 40 miles!!! That was the moment we all knew he had a chance to make it a special day, and he pushed on for 40 more miles and delivered (4th overall in 18:43). I retired to a chair with some beer, happy for my friend and knowing I'd be sore as hell the next day.
 |
| This is about as close as I got to him during my "pacing" section. Who's pacing who? |
 |
| A big thanks to my daughter for capturing my humbling moment |
I am still thinking about 2016, but, as I said, Chuck has inspired me to think about new levels I may have. I thought maybe my 23:30 at Western States was my ceiling. Of course, I thought his ceiling at Leadville was 19:30. In fact, I am pretty sure I told him outright I didn't think he could break 19-hours at Leadville, something only a few dozen runners have ever done. He proved me wrong in a big way. And maybe that's the kind of thing I need moving ahead. Leadville is definitely on my short list for 2016. A big buckle is still one of my few remaining running goals. If not for the lottery, I may have already committed to that plan.
I keep thinking I'll give up 100s, but it is addicting. So much happens in those 24 hours that you just cannot explain to people. So much life. So much pain. So much joy. So much bonding. It truly is a transcending experience, impossible to explain to someone not present in that moment. Thanks to my daughter, I recently started listening to Zac Brown Band. And when I hear their song "Beautiful Drug", I think of running 100s. What a perfect, beautiful drug....
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
LCHF in Practice
I have had quite a few people ask me about low carb high fat (LCHF) recently and I decided detailed post was in order! One thing I need to mention upfront is that you will often hear that this journey is an experiment of one (n=1). The reason is that we all have different physiological profiles that we bring to the table and we all have something why are trying to accomplish as well as certain tastes and preferences. However, the core idea of reading labels to understand what we are eating, avoiding cheap, processes foods, and allowing our bodies to adapt to a more natural metabolic state remains the same. Once you learn the foods that are good, bad, and in moderation (or green, red, and yellow according to Noakes), then you can develop a routine that works for you. Understand that you are fundamentally changing the way your body processes and maintains energy each day. This is not a small undertaking, usually requiring 1-3 months at a minimum and possibly up to a year to see full benefits. This post contains a ton of information and is best used as a reference. The easiest way to get started is just to track what you eat and eat more fat and less carbs, particularly those from grains and sugars. A book is another good place to start. And, I highly recommend tracking your diet -- calories and macro-nutrient breakout -- before you start so you have a means to compare.
As I have taken my running to greater time and distances, eating (and energy) has become a common source of problems. If you are carb addicted, you need to eat an almost endless supply of carbohydrates to keep your energy level constant. But that is tough to do. Your body can only process something like 250 calories an hour -- it varies person to person -- and you are burning like 800. The math doesn't work. Making the problem worse, many of the products we eat are from sources that, given enough time and quantity, will make us sick -- either GI distress or nausea. And, much of what we drink comes in the form of a sugary beverage which can lead to hydration issues from consuming too much liquid. When I first read that Jason Schlarb ran a 100 mile race (and won!) on 1700 calories, I decided to investigate this topic more. (I probably ate something like 10,000 calories in my first 100 mile race.)
The other thing that has remained with me and been somewhat elusive is a bit of a "fog" that comes over me once in a while. I think the difficulty here is with the central nervous system (brain), which requires lots of energy, mostly from carbohydrates. You need to keep the brain energized and alert. In races I started using amino acid pills to aid in keeping my central nervous system from being overcome by fatigue. As the central governor to your entire body, once your brain fatigues, it will shut everything down. The pills were expensive and kind of a hassle. Lately I have been experimenting with an amino acid supplement (called Biosteele). I use it before and during workouts and even as an energy supplement during the day. It contains no sugar and no caffeine.
*UPDATE* I have recently started using VESPA before and during my long runs, particularly my long races. The product is crazy expensive, but it works. It has really helped with my mental clarity and keeping my energy stable. I was genuinely amazed at how stable my energy was for all 23+ hours at Western States 100.
Eating on the run is a bit of a moving target. Fat adaption does not mean that I do not eat sugar during runs. It means that my body is quite happy to burn fat. In fact, it burns fat as the primary energy source. However, for shorter distance races (up to 50 miles), I find the convenience of gels hard to pass up. They are easier to pack, cheap to buy, and convenient to eat. I just eat fewer of them. For North Fork 50, I ate Hammer Bars and drank Skratch Labs for the first 25 miles, then I switched to gels and plain water in the second half of the race. Pretty simple.
Beyond 50 miles is the point when all that sugar starts to take a toll on the GI system. And, running 100 miles takes a serious toll! Your body goes through a lot, including missing multiple meals and being awake for up to 48 hours. Having only tried twice, I have not yet perfected a 100 mile diet, but I think it will require more real food (Epic Bars, Nut Butters) and supplements (like Generation Ucan and pure MCT oil) as well as gels. During my recent Bear 100, conditions were miserable (hot early, then pouring rain) and I lost patience with my nutrition plan early. I also think I was attempting to eat too many calories, nearly double what I was eating in shorter races all summer.
I see lots of advantages in a product like Generation Ucan and have attempted to use it -- and will continue to try -- as an in-race fuel source. It is great pre-run. But, it is extremely inconvenient on-the-run. Not only is it expensive, it is difficult to mix, grainy in the mouth, and does not provide an instant energy source when you get low. I am considering just drinking it at aid stations where I see crew. I think my 2015 strategy will be fewer calories between aid stations (some Skratch Labs and Vfuel gels) and then real food at aid stations -- Epic Bars, Ucan, Nut Butters. And, don't forget the amino acids!
*UPDATE* At Western States this year, I had a Coconut Lara Bar every 2 hours, VESPA every 2-3 hours, and a serving of Skratch Labs about every hour. That's it. About 150-175 Kcals an hour and I had stable energy, no GI distress, and no nausea for 24 hours.
Please note that I have no sponsors. Every product I mention above I pay for with my own money. Therefore, I have no allegiance to them an no incentive to push products on you. Most products I choose are either because I believe in them -- usually they are wholesome food with clean labels -- or because they are convenient (cost, taste, easy to carry on the run).
Previous Blog Posts of Mine
Links and Authors I recommend
Peter Attia Blog
Zach Bitter Blog
Timothy Olson Blog
Endurance Planet
Ben Greenfield
FASTER Study
Phil Maffetone
Tim Noakes
Books I recommend
Why I went LCHF?
I have been experimenting with low carb living for more than 10 years now. After my daughter was born and I weighed almost 250 pounds, I went on the Atkins diet and it started there. It has been a bumpy ride because I got caught up in believing the products "nutrition companies" like GU started selling me when I became an endurance athlete. And, I believed in calorie math. If I burned 2500 calories on a training run, then I could eat 2500 calories of whatever I wanted and be even, right? (I no longer believe in calorie math, at least not in an absolute state.) While I have believed for a long time that low carb is a healthy way of life, I just had a hard time reconciling that with the demands of training to be an endurance athlete.As I have taken my running to greater time and distances, eating (and energy) has become a common source of problems. If you are carb addicted, you need to eat an almost endless supply of carbohydrates to keep your energy level constant. But that is tough to do. Your body can only process something like 250 calories an hour -- it varies person to person -- and you are burning like 800. The math doesn't work. Making the problem worse, many of the products we eat are from sources that, given enough time and quantity, will make us sick -- either GI distress or nausea. And, much of what we drink comes in the form of a sugary beverage which can lead to hydration issues from consuming too much liquid. When I first read that Jason Schlarb ran a 100 mile race (and won!) on 1700 calories, I decided to investigate this topic more. (I probably ate something like 10,000 calories in my first 100 mile race.)
What are the results I have seen?
I have seen almost all the benefits that Phinney and Volek predicted in their books -- leaner physique, more constant energy, quicker recovery from races and hard training sessions, stable weight, and solid gut (no more runner's trots!), and more.... I had two of my best race ever in 2014 and I fueled pretty much with one gel every 45 minutes and water, about 150 kcals an hour. My energy level was constant and I was surging past runners after 7 hours. I set a personal best on a segment of the North Fork 50 course after running 43 miles. The best part is that I rarely think about calories I am eating -- unless I am trying to eat more! I eat until I am full.What are the challenges I have encountered?
The main challenges I encountered were early on and part of the adaption phase. I attempted to go extreme low carb (20-50g a day) while training 55+ miles per week and I was groggy all the time. I hated running. Some of this was due to adaption phase and should be expected to take time. Some of this was due to the extreme nature of trying to go so low so quickly. (These days I typically eat 50-150g a day, though I rarely count anymore.) And some was due to the amount water weight I shed. This is referred to as the "Atkins flu" and is cured by drinking some beef broth to get sodium in your system.The other thing that has remained with me and been somewhat elusive is a bit of a "fog" that comes over me once in a while. I think the difficulty here is with the central nervous system (brain), which requires lots of energy, mostly from carbohydrates. You need to keep the brain energized and alert. In races I started using amino acid pills to aid in keeping my central nervous system from being overcome by fatigue. As the central governor to your entire body, once your brain fatigues, it will shut everything down. The pills were expensive and kind of a hassle. Lately I have been experimenting with an amino acid supplement (called Biosteele). I use it before and during workouts and even as an energy supplement during the day. It contains no sugar and no caffeine.
*UPDATE* I have recently started using VESPA before and during my long runs, particularly my long races. The product is crazy expensive, but it works. It has really helped with my mental clarity and keeping my energy stable. I was genuinely amazed at how stable my energy was for all 23+ hours at Western States 100.
What do I actually eat?
Day to day, I eat lots of things and won't waste (much) space here. Google LCHF or Paleo and you'll find lots of ideas. The books I recommend below also have example recipes. I tend to eat lots of salad, soups based with broth and/or heavy whipping cream, red meat, pork, eggs, coconut oil, cheese, high fat dairy, etc... I try to buy organic fruits and veggies and grass fed meat, but I am not super strict about that. I never eat legumes or grains and I rarely eat fruit (typically just berries or organic apple sauce). My beer drinking has been cut significantly down. But, I still have cheat days -- usually pizza and beer. I don't try to be perfect all the time. I think that is a misconception of this diet. My cheat days are fewer (maybe every 2-3 weeks) when training hard. After Bear 100, I went off the diet for several days and ate like a pig.Eating on the run is a bit of a moving target. Fat adaption does not mean that I do not eat sugar during runs. It means that my body is quite happy to burn fat. In fact, it burns fat as the primary energy source. However, for shorter distance races (up to 50 miles), I find the convenience of gels hard to pass up. They are easier to pack, cheap to buy, and convenient to eat. I just eat fewer of them. For North Fork 50, I ate Hammer Bars and drank Skratch Labs for the first 25 miles, then I switched to gels and plain water in the second half of the race. Pretty simple.
Beyond 50 miles is the point when all that sugar starts to take a toll on the GI system. And, running 100 miles takes a serious toll! Your body goes through a lot, including missing multiple meals and being awake for up to 48 hours. Having only tried twice, I have not yet perfected a 100 mile diet, but I think it will require more real food (Epic Bars, Nut Butters) and supplements (like Generation Ucan and pure MCT oil) as well as gels. During my recent Bear 100, conditions were miserable (hot early, then pouring rain) and I lost patience with my nutrition plan early. I also think I was attempting to eat too many calories, nearly double what I was eating in shorter races all summer.
I see lots of advantages in a product like Generation Ucan and have attempted to use it -- and will continue to try -- as an in-race fuel source. It is great pre-run. But, it is extremely inconvenient on-the-run. Not only is it expensive, it is difficult to mix, grainy in the mouth, and does not provide an instant energy source when you get low. I am considering just drinking it at aid stations where I see crew. I think my 2015 strategy will be fewer calories between aid stations (some Skratch Labs and Vfuel gels) and then real food at aid stations -- Epic Bars, Ucan, Nut Butters. And, don't forget the amino acids!
*UPDATE* At Western States this year, I had a Coconut Lara Bar every 2 hours, VESPA every 2-3 hours, and a serving of Skratch Labs about every hour. That's it. About 150-175 Kcals an hour and I had stable energy, no GI distress, and no nausea for 24 hours.
Please note that I have no sponsors. Every product I mention above I pay for with my own money. Therefore, I have no allegiance to them an no incentive to push products on you. Most products I choose are either because I believe in them -- usually they are wholesome food with clean labels -- or because they are convenient (cost, taste, easy to carry on the run).
More Resources
If you undertake this process, I highly recommend reading as much of the following as you can. Remember this is a major life change that impacts your long-term health. I am not a doctor, but many of the of the following folks are.
- http://ajwellman.blogspot.com/2014/09/how-i-get-my-fat.html
- http://ajwellman.blogspot.com/2014/04/diet-update.html
- http://ajwellman.blogspot.com/2014/03/high-fat-diets.html
Links and Authors I recommend
Peter Attia Blog
Zach Bitter Blog
Timothy Olson Blog
Endurance Planet
Ben Greenfield
FASTER Study
Phil Maffetone
- http://www.philmaffetone.com/the-energy-spectrum-part-2
- http://www.enduranceplanet.com/tag/phil-maffetone/
Tim Noakes
- http://talkfeed.co.za/fat-adapted-need-carbohydrates-running-lchf-diet/
- http://realmealrevolution.com/
Books I recommend
- Real Meal Revolution (tough to get in US right now)
- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
How I Get My Fat
Previously.
The toughest part of transitioning to a high fat diet has been finding a way to eat enough fat. I eat something like 3000 Kcals per day when I am training hard and I have a rough goal of about 60% of my calories from fat. That means that I need to eat 1800 Kcals (or 200g) of fat per day. People just assume that you eat the common sources of fat that are promoted as "healthy fats", things like eggs, avocados, and almonds. Those products will help, for example:
Almonds have 45g of fat per cup
An egg has about 5g of fat
A medium avocado has about 21g of fat
The trouble is that each of the above also has significant sources of carbs and protein, which makes the ratios necessary to achieve 60% (or more) from fat difficult. I would have to eat 40 eggs or 5 cups of almonds to get to 200g -- I am full just thinking about that! Before long, you realize that you have to go to the purest sources of fat possible. Through experimentation and talking with others, here are some tricks I've learned to getting my fat intake up:
- Oils. Lots and lots of oils. Sometimes I eat a spoonful of Udo's Oil (15g of fat) plain. You get used to the taste. I put lots of oils (olive oil or flax seed) on my salads as dressings. Eat a nice lunch salad made with eggs and avocados with 2-3 tbsp of oil and you get at least 45-50g of fat. I also make liberal use of coconut oil when cooking and making shakes. Oils are also great for greasing pans and the cooking process to boost fat intake.
- Fat Shakes. One of my favorite tricks is a shake made with coconut milk (unsweetened, about 5g of fat per cup) with a tbsp or two of coconut oil (14g of fat per tbsp) and maybe a splash of heavy whipping cream (6g per tbsp). There are tons of variations here. If I mix in a few strawberries and half a packet of Stevia, it tastes exactly like a milk shake. Your kids won't know the difference. A few unsweetened coconut flakes works well here too. Sometimes I go healthier and mix in some greens (Amazing Wheat Grass, Kale, Hemp Protein, etc...), chia seeds, oils, etc... These shakes don't taste as good, but they are power packed with micro nutrients. Fat shakes are easy to consume and usually contain about 50-75g of fat.
- Fatty Meats. Men will love this one -- red meat is king! Pork too! Put down that skinless chicken breast and get some bacon or salami instead. I often snack on salami as a meal in a pinch. A typical package contains 4 oz with about 8g of fat per serving. This works well when traveling or out and about with kids. Lamb is another super fatty meat that tastes fabulous and has a wide range of recipes to cook. The one caution with meat is that a good high fat diet should also be moderate in protein (20-25%), so eating these products in excess won't work well. And buy the 80% lean ground beef! Take the few bucks you save and put it toward and organic or grass fed meat, if possible. When making ground beef, don't drain the fat!
- Full Fat Dairy (and Greek Yogurt). I sometimes mix whole milk into my shakes from above. We only drink whole milk in my house. If I got to Starbucks, I get a full fat (unless they have heavy whipping cream) latte. Whole milk and whole cheeses usually have 8-9g of fat per serving. Be very careful to pick sources with highest fat content possible. Read the labels because they sometimes slip you a product that isn't listed as low-fat but still has only 5-6g of fat per serving. With my salami snacks, I usually add in a few slices of full fat cheese. Today I had 4 oz of salami (32g of fat) and 4 oz of cheese (36g of fat) for lunch -- 800 Kcals and 68g of fat! Greek Yogurt is a great source, but be VERY careful. They often slip a bunch of sugar into it, even the full-fat brands. Absolutely read the labels and try to get one with less than 10g of sugar per serving. I have only found one brand that contains a great fat to carb ratio (2 to 1). Most are closer to 1 to 1.
Coffee. Coffee is a great way to get fat. I really like cream with my coffee. A tbsp of heavy whipping cream has 6g of fat. Applying the heavy whipping cream liberally to 2-3 cups of coffee per day can add 15-30g of fat to your diet without much effort. You can go the distance and make bullet proof coffee. I have made a substitute with a few tbsp of heaving whipping cream and coconut oil for a total of about 30g of fat in one cup of coffee! Blend that up for about 5 seconds and Yum!!!
Give it a shot! With a little practice and a week or two of tracking things, you'll get it figured out. Eat loads of fat. Eat only to hunger (no need to force food in, your body will tell you!). Be careful with anything that has more than 10g of sugar per serving (eat sparingly). Be careful not to eat too much protein (like not more than 6-8 oz in any serving). Read labels obsessively so you know what you are eating. Like anything, once you have a good rhythm, it is really pretty easy.
One last word of caution: the one type of fat to avoid is the cheap fats high in polyunsaturated fat: safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils are example. These are typically the oils used in fast food chains and cheap restaurants and are typically processing by products of other foods. These are the one type of fat that you want to minimize. Polyunsaturated fat is contained in many healthy products like fish, but the concentrations of it in these products is unhealthy.
The toughest part of transitioning to a high fat diet has been finding a way to eat enough fat. I eat something like 3000 Kcals per day when I am training hard and I have a rough goal of about 60% of my calories from fat. That means that I need to eat 1800 Kcals (or 200g) of fat per day. People just assume that you eat the common sources of fat that are promoted as "healthy fats", things like eggs, avocados, and almonds. Those products will help, for example:
Almonds have 45g of fat per cup
An egg has about 5g of fat
A medium avocado has about 21g of fat
The trouble is that each of the above also has significant sources of carbs and protein, which makes the ratios necessary to achieve 60% (or more) from fat difficult. I would have to eat 40 eggs or 5 cups of almonds to get to 200g -- I am full just thinking about that! Before long, you realize that you have to go to the purest sources of fat possible. Through experimentation and talking with others, here are some tricks I've learned to getting my fat intake up:
- Oils. Lots and lots of oils. Sometimes I eat a spoonful of Udo's Oil (15g of fat) plain. You get used to the taste. I put lots of oils (olive oil or flax seed) on my salads as dressings. Eat a nice lunch salad made with eggs and avocados with 2-3 tbsp of oil and you get at least 45-50g of fat. I also make liberal use of coconut oil when cooking and making shakes. Oils are also great for greasing pans and the cooking process to boost fat intake.
- Fat Shakes. One of my favorite tricks is a shake made with coconut milk (unsweetened, about 5g of fat per cup) with a tbsp or two of coconut oil (14g of fat per tbsp) and maybe a splash of heavy whipping cream (6g per tbsp). There are tons of variations here. If I mix in a few strawberries and half a packet of Stevia, it tastes exactly like a milk shake. Your kids won't know the difference. A few unsweetened coconut flakes works well here too. Sometimes I go healthier and mix in some greens (Amazing Wheat Grass, Kale, Hemp Protein, etc...), chia seeds, oils, etc... These shakes don't taste as good, but they are power packed with micro nutrients. Fat shakes are easy to consume and usually contain about 50-75g of fat.
- Fatty Meats. Men will love this one -- red meat is king! Pork too! Put down that skinless chicken breast and get some bacon or salami instead. I often snack on salami as a meal in a pinch. A typical package contains 4 oz with about 8g of fat per serving. This works well when traveling or out and about with kids. Lamb is another super fatty meat that tastes fabulous and has a wide range of recipes to cook. The one caution with meat is that a good high fat diet should also be moderate in protein (20-25%), so eating these products in excess won't work well. And buy the 80% lean ground beef! Take the few bucks you save and put it toward and organic or grass fed meat, if possible. When making ground beef, don't drain the fat!
- Full Fat Dairy (and Greek Yogurt). I sometimes mix whole milk into my shakes from above. We only drink whole milk in my house. If I got to Starbucks, I get a full fat (unless they have heavy whipping cream) latte. Whole milk and whole cheeses usually have 8-9g of fat per serving. Be very careful to pick sources with highest fat content possible. Read the labels because they sometimes slip you a product that isn't listed as low-fat but still has only 5-6g of fat per serving. With my salami snacks, I usually add in a few slices of full fat cheese. Today I had 4 oz of salami (32g of fat) and 4 oz of cheese (36g of fat) for lunch -- 800 Kcals and 68g of fat! Greek Yogurt is a great source, but be VERY careful. They often slip a bunch of sugar into it, even the full-fat brands. Absolutely read the labels and try to get one with less than 10g of sugar per serving. I have only found one brand that contains a great fat to carb ratio (2 to 1). Most are closer to 1 to 1.
Coffee. Coffee is a great way to get fat. I really like cream with my coffee. A tbsp of heavy whipping cream has 6g of fat. Applying the heavy whipping cream liberally to 2-3 cups of coffee per day can add 15-30g of fat to your diet without much effort. You can go the distance and make bullet proof coffee. I have made a substitute with a few tbsp of heaving whipping cream and coconut oil for a total of about 30g of fat in one cup of coffee! Blend that up for about 5 seconds and Yum!!!
Give it a shot! With a little practice and a week or two of tracking things, you'll get it figured out. Eat loads of fat. Eat only to hunger (no need to force food in, your body will tell you!). Be careful with anything that has more than 10g of sugar per serving (eat sparingly). Be careful not to eat too much protein (like not more than 6-8 oz in any serving). Read labels obsessively so you know what you are eating. Like anything, once you have a good rhythm, it is really pretty easy.
One last word of caution: the one type of fat to avoid is the cheap fats high in polyunsaturated fat: safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils are example. These are typically the oils used in fast food chains and cheap restaurants and are typically processing by products of other foods. These are the one type of fat that you want to minimize. Polyunsaturated fat is contained in many healthy products like fish, but the concentrations of it in these products is unhealthy.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Weekly Training Wrap - 3/17 - 3/23
I guess I should start this off by saying that I've been struggling with training for the better part of March. My original plan was for a HUGE month with nearly 260 miles planned, but it has been derailed by a minor injury (hamstring tweak lifting weights) and decision to mess with my diet. And, I think that these last few weeks of Winter are sort of wearing on me too. I am ready to run in a t-shirt and shorts everyday! (And not have to plan runs around storms.) After nearly a month of enough "blah runs", I went back and reviewed my 2014 Goals and Resolutions. This is where blogging is kind of fun, it is like writing notes to myself! Right there in cyber-ink I wrote "be kinder to me" and "be more flexible". I get so darn rigid about things that I almost beat the enjoyment out of them. After all, trying to run 50 miles per week and live a life as a husband, father, and full-time employee is hard enough, so why add challenges? I've decided to make a few changes and try to get things heading upward again.
First, I am going to ease off on this new diet. I could write pages and pages about this, but this particular venture just wasn't working for me right now. My amended plan is to meet halfway and follow a plan more like Ben Greenfield where I "time" my carbohydrates around when I am running. Heavy running days I may eat 200g of carbs, including carbs on the run. Easy and non-running days, I may eat more like 50-100 grams. I know this won't put me into ketosis and may ruin some of the benefit of a high fat diet. But, I've decided this isn't something I can really do in the middle of a training cycle. I will likely experiment with it again more when I am not trying to train so hard. It is important to note that I fundamentally believe in eating Paleo and low-carb, but there are extremes to things and eating 20g of carbs a day on a 50 mile per week training plan takes some adjustment. If you look at some of my previous posts, you will note that even at 200g of carbs per day (800 Kcals), this is still very much a low carbohydrate diet as far as endurance athletes are concerned.
One things I will continue to do is eat as much fat as I can tolerate. In previous experiments with my diet, I have discovered that I cannot eat 3000 Kcals a day based mostly in carbs without feeling like crap and gaining weight. This isn't all that surprising because that is the entire argument to eating low carb -- too many carbs mess with your insulin and cause your body to store excess weight. Obviously, this rule is not true of everyone, but the masses for sure. However, the numbers say very clearly that I should be eating close to 3000 Kcals a day (maybe even 3500) to sustain a 190 lb lean frame on 50 miles per week. Eating fat is the answer. Fat is body's preferred energy source and I can "fudge" my numbers a bit more without causing weight gain. My guess is I will land somewhere close to 15% carbs, 20% protein, and 65% fat for my daily intake of food.
Second, I am also going to change some strength training. Again, I could write pages and pages of this, but the bottom line is that I have been pushing XT to the point where it is impacting my running -- several muscle pulls, constantly running on legs ridden with DOMS, etc... Weight training was a pivotal part of my plan to recover from knee surgery. And I believe it should be a key component of everyone's off season plans. But, I am going to shift my focus to more "functional" training: mobility, muscular endurance, body weight strength, flexibility, etc... My plan will be to do at least 2 days in the gym with a focus on those areas and then several shorter workouts each weak for core and maybe some Yoga.
That's all the changes for now. I am sure I'll find something to tinker with in the coming weeks. As for running, this week was OK. I got my volume back up to where I'd like it to be and wound up with a fairly large TRIMP score -- due mostly to my time on feet -- but there wasn't really any spectacular runs in there due to the reasons above. Saturday was stupid and really a dangerous trail run with ice three inches thick in spots. I think I will avoid the mountain trails for a few weeks until Spring really sets in.
First, I am going to ease off on this new diet. I could write pages and pages about this, but this particular venture just wasn't working for me right now. My amended plan is to meet halfway and follow a plan more like Ben Greenfield where I "time" my carbohydrates around when I am running. Heavy running days I may eat 200g of carbs, including carbs on the run. Easy and non-running days, I may eat more like 50-100 grams. I know this won't put me into ketosis and may ruin some of the benefit of a high fat diet. But, I've decided this isn't something I can really do in the middle of a training cycle. I will likely experiment with it again more when I am not trying to train so hard. It is important to note that I fundamentally believe in eating Paleo and low-carb, but there are extremes to things and eating 20g of carbs a day on a 50 mile per week training plan takes some adjustment. If you look at some of my previous posts, you will note that even at 200g of carbs per day (800 Kcals), this is still very much a low carbohydrate diet as far as endurance athletes are concerned.
One things I will continue to do is eat as much fat as I can tolerate. In previous experiments with my diet, I have discovered that I cannot eat 3000 Kcals a day based mostly in carbs without feeling like crap and gaining weight. This isn't all that surprising because that is the entire argument to eating low carb -- too many carbs mess with your insulin and cause your body to store excess weight. Obviously, this rule is not true of everyone, but the masses for sure. However, the numbers say very clearly that I should be eating close to 3000 Kcals a day (maybe even 3500) to sustain a 190 lb lean frame on 50 miles per week. Eating fat is the answer. Fat is body's preferred energy source and I can "fudge" my numbers a bit more without causing weight gain. My guess is I will land somewhere close to 15% carbs, 20% protein, and 65% fat for my daily intake of food.
Second, I am also going to change some strength training. Again, I could write pages and pages of this, but the bottom line is that I have been pushing XT to the point where it is impacting my running -- several muscle pulls, constantly running on legs ridden with DOMS, etc... Weight training was a pivotal part of my plan to recover from knee surgery. And I believe it should be a key component of everyone's off season plans. But, I am going to shift my focus to more "functional" training: mobility, muscular endurance, body weight strength, flexibility, etc... My plan will be to do at least 2 days in the gym with a focus on those areas and then several shorter workouts each weak for core and maybe some Yoga.
That's all the changes for now. I am sure I'll find something to tinker with in the coming weeks. As for running, this week was OK. I got my volume back up to where I'd like it to be and wound up with a fairly large TRIMP score -- due mostly to my time on feet -- but there wasn't really any spectacular runs in there due to the reasons above. Saturday was stupid and really a dangerous trail run with ice three inches thick in spots. I think I will avoid the mountain trails for a few weeks until Spring really sets in.
| Day | Miles | Notes |
| Monday | 6 | Rest |
| Tuesday | Off | PT and Body Weight Training |
| Wednesday | 10 | Easy/Aerobic |
| Thursday | 8 | 5 x 3' @ Half Marathon Pace PT and Body Weight Training |
| Friday | Off | Rest |
| Saturday | 13 | Deer Creek (ice!) |
| Sunday | 14 | Easy |
| Total | 50 | About 5500 feet of vert |
Monday, March 10, 2014
Weekly Training Wrap - 3/3 - 3/9
A lousy training week due to a sore hamstring and a cold. I am not too bummed since it was designated a cut back week. But, I may become easily bummed if either drags too deep into the new week. Instead of training, I will talk a bit more about my LCHF diet....
After a little more than a week I think I am figuring this diet out. Right now I am targeting 3000 calories per day, but we'll see if I need to up that. Based on other runners' data, that number seems low. My goal has been to target 125-150 g per day in Protein, which I have been doing pretty consistently. My goal is 50 g of carbs per day, which I have exceeded a few days. The devil in the details is whether you consider net (carbs - fiber grams) or gross carbs. There seems to be some disagreement on this. If I count net carbs, I am easily under 50. And finally, I need to be eating upwards of 200 grams per day of fat. That is much tougher than it sounds.
Anyway, week one is in the books and here are a few lessons I learned:
After a little more than a week I think I am figuring this diet out. Right now I am targeting 3000 calories per day, but we'll see if I need to up that. Based on other runners' data, that number seems low. My goal has been to target 125-150 g per day in Protein, which I have been doing pretty consistently. My goal is 50 g of carbs per day, which I have exceeded a few days. The devil in the details is whether you consider net (carbs - fiber grams) or gross carbs. There seems to be some disagreement on this. If I count net carbs, I am easily under 50. And finally, I need to be eating upwards of 200 grams per day of fat. That is much tougher than it sounds.
Anyway, week one is in the books and here are a few lessons I learned:
- Making Bulletproof Coffee (hot coffee blended with butter, ghee, coconut oil or MCT oil) is a good way to start the day and get a ton of fat in easily. I started with 1 tbsp each of Ghee and Coconut oil, which is about 30 g of fat in a cup. Lately I am upping the dosage a bit to get more fat. Soon I will experiment with drinking this before AM runs.
- You can overdue avocados or nuts. They sound like the perfect LCHF food, but if you take them to extremes, they blow out your proper ratios. I am basically targeting a 10 to 1 ratio of fat grams to carbohydrate grams per day and a 2 to 1 ratio of fat grams to protein grams. Avocados are close to a 1 to 1 ratio of carbs to fat. Too much avocado quickly becomes too much carbohydrates. Nuts have the same issue with carbohydrates. Almonds have a good ratio of fat to protein (near 2 to 1), but only a one to one ratio of fat to carbs but only a 2 to 1 ratio of fat to carbs. Even bacon doesn't have near the fat to protein ratio necessary (about 1 to 1).
- Based on the above, I have had to find creative ways to eat pure fat whenever possible. I found and tweaked a smoothie recipe that gives me roughly 45 grams of fat per serving, with little protein or carbs. If I have two of those a day, then I can quite easily get into the ball park for the day. The recipe includes heavy whipping cream, unsweetened coconut milk, and a few tbsp of coconut oil. Then I might include one or two berries or some cinnamon for flavor. It is actually pretty darn tasty. If I want to make it healthy, maybe add some kale or spinach.
- Supplements are necessary to balance things out. I am currently taking Magnesium Citrate and Sodium (in the form of bullion cubes). In ketosis, your body will shed water from the carbohydrate stores. This results in an imbalance of electrolytes and causes people to feel nauseous or light headed. I also take at least one shot of Amazing Wheat Grass each day for additional micronutrients.
I'll keep playing with this and see how it goes. My goal is to be able to run long with much less fuel than the average runner. At near 190 lbs, I need to be more fat adapted than the next guy or prepared to eat 400 Kcals an hour, which is tough. My experimentation will begin with VESPA, UCann, and watered down organic apple juice as my in-run carbohydrates. I may even "game" the ketosis system by changing the amount of carbohydrates I eat each day based on my activity level for the day. In that case, I might even be able to have a beer after one of my long runs!
| Day | Miles | Notes |
| Monday | Off | Rest |
| Tuesday | 9 | Fartleks Strength Training |
| Wednesday | 6 | Easy |
| Thursday | 7 | Zone 2 Strength Training |
| Friday | Off | Yoga |
| Saturday | 6 | Snow Run |
| Sunday | Off | Rest |
| Total | 28 |
Friday, March 7, 2014
High Fat Diets
If you know my story, then you know I once weighed almost 250 lbs and was sort of spiraling out of control from a health perspective. Right after my daughter was born, I hit rock bottom. When I see really obese people, I always wonder what number it will take on the scale before they take action. For me, it was 250 lbs while shopping at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I bought a treadmill and started "running" in my basement. It was all I could do to run 12 min miles for an hour. Not long after, my brother-in-law mentioned to me the Atkins diet and it sparked a decade long research into healthy diets. Of course I dove head first in to try it. And I lost 20 lbs in the first month. I've heard all the criticisms and I've read all the snide remarks from people only capable of thinking in dogmatic ways. (I mean if the government tells us that a diet high in fat is bad, it must be so, right?) The one thing that always stands out to me is that it flat out works. I know more people that have lost and kept of tremendous amounts of weight -- like 50 - 100 lbs -- than any vegan, Jenny Craig, or other calorie restricted diet. I don't live low-carb year round, but it has been a staple of my nutrition choices for more than 10 years now.
I recently came across a great article in the NY Times titled "What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?". That title is extremely appropriate in my opinion. You owe it to yourself to read the article and at least understand the other side. If you still aren't convinced that it is at least possible that there is some truth to this, then fine. But at least give it a shot. There are three points I want to emphasize and then I'll let you read the entire article on your own.
If you are worried about heart disease, take a risk on a diet that works. Bet on the fact that carrying around less weight is more beneficial to your heart, even if scientists don't agree on the causes of heart disease. Sometimes the most obvious thing is right in front of you.
I recently came across a great article in the NY Times titled "What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?". That title is extremely appropriate in my opinion. You owe it to yourself to read the article and at least understand the other side. If you still aren't convinced that it is at least possible that there is some truth to this, then fine. But at least give it a shot. There are three points I want to emphasize and then I'll let you read the entire article on your own.
Don't Believe Everything the Government Tells You, They Aren't Perfect
In the intervening years, the N.I.H. spent several hundred million dollars trying to demonstrate a connection between eating fat and getting heart disease and, despite what we might think, it failed. Five major studies revealed no such link. A sixth, however, costing well over $100 million alone, concluded that reducing cholesterol by drug therapy could prevent heart disease. The N.I.H. administrators then made a leap of faith. Basil Rifkind, who oversaw the relevant trials for the N.I.H., described their logic this way: they had failed to demonstrate at great expense that eating less fat had any health benefits. But if a cholesterol-lowering drug could prevent heart attacks, then a low-fat, cholesterol-lowering diet should do the same.
So the government went ahead and decided to give us a low-fat diet even though they cannot prove it. They made the classic mistake of attributing correlation as causation. What's more, they opened the door to drug companies selling us cholesterol drugs that come with their own side effects. And, worse yet, companies that pay millions of dollars lobbying in Washington are making billions of dollars selling us low cost, low fat alternatives to real food.
The Current Paradigm is Broken, Badly
They (high-fat advocates) say that low-fat weight-loss diets have proved in clinical trials and real life to be dismal failures, and that on top of it all, the percentage of fat in the American diet has been decreasing for two decades. Our cholesterol levels have been declining, and we have been smoking less, and yet the incidence of heart disease has not declined as would be expected.
Americans, being blasted with advice from their doctors and the government, have been trying to do the right things. We are smoking less and eating less fat, and we aren't any healthier. Exercise isn't helping either.
The 1990's data show obesity rates continuing to climb, while exercise activity remained unchanged. This suggests the two have little in common.
It has been my belief for sometime now that diet, not exercise, is the key to weight management and health. If exercise and low-fat diets aren't making us healthier, shouldn't we try something else? Is three decades of data not enough?
Eating Tons of Fat Won't Give You Heart Disease
Atkins also noted that starches and sugar were harmful in any event because they raised triglyceride levels and that this was a greater risk factor for heart disease than cholesterol....
The results of all five of these studies are remarkably consistent. Subjects on some form of the Atkins diet -- whether overweight adolescents on the diet for 12 weeks as at Schneider, or obese adults averaging 295 pounds on the diet for six months lost twice the weight as the subjects on the low-fat, low-calorie diets. In all five studies, cholesterol levels improved similarly with both diets, but triglyceride levels were considerably lower with the Atkins diet. Though researchers are hesitant to agree with this, it does suggest that heart-disease risk could actually be reduced when fat is added back into the diet and starches and refined carbohydrates are removed.
If you are worried about heart disease, take a risk on a diet that works. Bet on the fact that carrying around less weight is more beneficial to your heart, even if scientists don't agree on the causes of heart disease. Sometimes the most obvious thing is right in front of you.
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