Can you **really** eat a truly lc diet AND run???>>>>>>>>

[UpErMei]

I'm about to begin the couch to 5k running program, but wonder if it's compatible with low carb? So many people I know who run say that they've tried to run lc and just couldn't do it.

Thoughts or advice?

TIA!

[HaleyRoo]

Haha! You need to talk to Betty (sugarless4life)! That amazing woman has been maintaining LC for something like 7+ years and runs I don't know how many miles per day!!!

[Remykins]

Originally Posted by HaleyRoo

Haha! You need to talk to Betty (sugarless4life)! That amazing woman has been maintaining LC for something like 7+ years and runs I don't know how many miles per day!!!

She is a machine! absolutely amazing, i think she runs like 10 miles.
I am low carb, VLC most of the time, i have been starting to train to run. I have found it makes me feel better, i feel lighter and my head is clearer.

[Jo-Jo]

I'm certainly no expert, but here's my experience. I've been LC since March and was running 4-5 miles at that time. I stopped for the first few weeks of LC and have had a hard time getting my endurance back up since then. It's just different and I burn out quicker (I also injured my IT just before starting LC, I thought the 'break' would help it heal; it didn't) My hubby continued running throughout my break and had a very hard time--he had to go back to building up from one mile, then one and a half, then two etc. He said it took him about a month to get his body and mind re-synched with running and using something other than carbs for his fuel. Now he's running 6 miles a day--more than he's ever run before. The fact that he's lost 30 pounds helps :-)

I'm still struggling to get back to where I was and it's been discouraging enough that I haven't been as consistent as I was before. I'm up to two miles without stopping. It's frustrating because I had worked so hard to get where I was distance wise--but despite my improvements in time and speed I wasn't losing weight. Now I'm losing weight, albeit slowly, but don't have the endurance.

I'm hopeful that in time I'll get to where my hubby is and outshine my former levels, until then I'm just trying to get my butt smaller and out the door in the mornings :-) Good luck.

[Houston Heather]

I ran a low carb half marathon and beat my goal time by half an hour.

The hardest part was finding appropriate eats afterward.

[sugarless4life]

Thanks guys!!! A machine!

I have run LC since November 2003, and roughly guestimating, that's approx 9,500 miles. Two 26.2 mile marathons, too many 13.1 half marathons to count, and a boatload of 15ks, 10ks, and 5ks. And a bazillion pair of shoes!

All LC miles.

Currently I run 30-35 miles consistently every week, year round in Florida heat and humidity ... Need I say more? YES, IT CAN BE DONE.

Betty

[Nelle Belle]

Unlike Betty, the machine, I am not a machine but run LC and have since 1999. I started running around 1995 at age 45 (do the math).
I don't run as many miles as she does, but I do my fair share of organized runs, 1/2 marathons, 5Ks

[UpErMei]

A big thanks to everyone who has replied! And Betty...wow, just wow!

As crazy as it sounds, I want to eventually run a marathon. I've made alot of changes in my life over the past year and I've come to realize that life is what you make it and you CAN do anything you put your mind to. So, within 12-15 months, I'd love to run my first marathon!

I am about 20-30 lbs overweight. Eating lc while running seems like a perfect plan to me. I know for a fact that running alone might not be enough for weight loss because I attend road races that my dh is in and while the people running are amazing (just for the fact that they are just doing it), alot of them are quite overweight. So diet has to play a big factor.

What do you all think? Will eating lc *while* running help me lose my fat in a decent manner?

[Remykins]

Well eating a roasted chicken *while* you are running a 5k, not a good idea.

Exercise plus reducing carbs or calories = success, period.

[sugarless4life]

What do you all think? Will eating lc *while* running help me lose my fat in a decent manner?

In a word: YES.

WTG setting your sights on a marathon!! That's an awesome goal and let me tell you, crossing the finish line is a feeling unlike ANY OTHER.....most gratifying pain you will EVER feel.

Just be sure you are well hydrated and you have good quality running shoes that you replace every 300 miles. Water and shoes .. a runner's best friend ... followed closely by an MP3 player!

Betty

[UpErMei]

Just did my first C25k workout session! It was fun, but hard as I am VERY out of shape.

I read somewhere that ideally you need to being running a year before you begin actual marathon training. Is this true?

tia!

[Houston Heather]

I'd say yes. You need to condition your body.

Many will disagree, but I feel running the whole distance BEFORE the race is important, you know you can do it, your body is conditioned, no worries about "hitting the wall". You can enjoy the race instead of worrying about crashing.

I ran 12 miles a few weeks before my half marathon. Even though I had a horrible sinus infection for weeks before the race, I KNEW I could do it.

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by seldomcontent

Just did my first C25k workout session! It was fun, but hard as I am VERY out of shape.

I read somewhere that ideally you need to being running a year before you begin actual marathon training. Is this true?

tia!

Heather is right; you simply MUST have a considerable mileage base established before attempting a long run (half or full marathon). You must be able to pound the pavement for 3-6 hours non-stop and to do so, you have to have that base, which takes TIME to build. Never ever add more than 10% to your miles at any one time. If you do, you risk burnout or injury or both, trust me. So to build miles up to 20-25 SAFELY takes a long time. I trained for a year before attempting my first marathon and I ran it non-stop. The longest training run I had was 22 miles.

Marathons are grueling and very hard on the body. You will have pain where you never knew you could have it ... but the pain is temporary; the pride (and the medal!) lasts forever.





Good luck and happy trails!

Betty

[zizi]

KUDOS TO BETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't run anymore because I destroyed my knees and shins while jogging excessively (while mainly eating a low fat diet/low cal diet and/or being anorexic).

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by zizi

KUDOS TO BETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't run anymore because I destroyed my knees and shins while jogging excessively (while mainly eating a low fat diet/low cal diet and/or being anorexic).

Wow, girlie ! So sorry to hear that!!

Again, please build mileage SLOWLY ... and give your body adequate REST. Critically important.

Betty

[zizi]

Thanks, Betty.

[ab1ht]

Originally Posted by seldomcontent

As crazy as it sounds, I want to eventually run a marathon. I've made alot of changes in my life over the past year and I've come to realize that life is what you make it and you CAN do anything you put your mind to. So, within 12-15 months, I'd love to run my first marathon!

Not crazy at all. Your 12-15 month goal is very conservative and reasonable. Probably won't even take you that long. When I ran with Team In Training, plenty of newbies went from 0 to marathon in about 4 months. At the time, I hadn't run more than 3 miles at a time.

[t_tom_LC]

Originally Posted by seldomcontent

So many people I know who run say that they've tried to run lc and just couldn't do it.

When I started LC years ago, I ran over 3 miles a day for 121 straight days.(missed a day while traveling for vacation....Damn it!...made it up with an 8 mile run the next day)... I did it because I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I backed off to 2-3 times a week after I hit my goal of 175. I was never a runner before I started this WOE, so if folks claim they can't run while eating LC then I would say they are just not runners regardless of how they eat.

If you want to make your weight loss double on a LC WOE, start running.

Tom

[GME]

Originally Posted by seldomcontent

As crazy as it sounds, I want to eventually run a marathon. I've made alot of changes in my life over the past year and I've come to realize that life is what you make it and you CAN do anything you put your mind to. So, within 12-15 months, I'd love to run my first marathon!

I don't think you are crazy at all. You can certainly train for and run a marathon if you put your mind to it.

I've been running for about 15 months kind of moderate carb. It's low compared to the rest of the world, but not by Atkins induction standards. I do a cycling plan, so some days I eat < 10 (and low calorie) and some days 75-100. I can run up to 4 miles or so no matter what I ate the day before. The days after my "down" days I do struggle with higher mileage. The days after my "up" days I run 6 or 7 with no problems. I am upping my mileage now in preparation for a half in the fall. I just make sure to do my long runs after an up day.

My long term, ultimate weight goal is 145-150 (I picked my profile goal when I weighed 250 lbs and really would have been happy at any weight under 199 and figured that was the best I was ever going to do). When I get there I am planning a marathon as my celebration.

Some people get tummy tucks and new wardrobes. I want to run 26.2 miles, where cars are available, to wind up right where I started, with no one even chasing me. So I don't think you are crazy at all- or we both are.

[wannabethin55]

What do you eat before and after your runs?

I haven't been running lately, but plan on getting back in to it. Just don't know what to eat, since I'm relatively new to LCing.

Thanks!

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by wannabethin55

What do you eat before and after your runs?

I haven't been running lately, but plan on getting back in to it. Just don't know what to eat, since I'm relatively new to LCing.

Thanks!

Any distance under 10 miles, prior to running I don't eat anything. 10 or more miles, some nuts, maybe a banana and some diet soda an hour or two beforehand. During a long run in the FL heat/humidity, some Powerade Zero. After a run, lots of fluids, not much appetite for a few hours. After that, a steak or some chicken and a non-starchy veggie.

Betty