Halfway through marathon training & gaining weight......

[MrsFrankTurner]

.......despite being very aware of my nutrition and incoming/outgoing calories I'm running about 50km a week with my long run currently up to 2 hours the rest being interval/hills/tempo & fartleks. I also tap dance once a week and do a Pilates class.......I have cut out sugar & alcohol completely since new year (I am taking my training VERY seriously!) and I'm eating a high protein/low carb diet only eating brown rice/pasta, quinoa etc when I do have carbs and yet I've GAINED 5lb since I started training and 2lb in the past week ARGH why why why????? I have had a quick chat with Google and it seems I'm either not eating enough or I'm storing glycogen & water; I know I'm not eating too much and yet the temptation to reduce the calorie intake is overwhelming I did not expect to gain weight during blardy marathon training-anybody else experience this or got any words of wisdom to help?! After stepping off the scales this morning,very disheartened, I told DH I shall just eat dust from now on......

[Sleepwhenidie]

Actually - I should have said, your body must think its on a desert island being chased by a lion! Be kinder to yourself, you can't sustain that level of activity with that kind of food intake, you will make yourself ill - and apart from anything else, that won't do your marathon time any favours

[MrsFrankTurner]

Oooooh Mitchy that all sounds lovely -can I live with you

Ok -so need more carbs (I acknowledge today has been a bit low in food but Tuesdays are my busiest work days backtracking)

Yesterday I had peanut butter on Wholemeal toast for breakfast, chicken & brown rice for lunch and a 'deli' tea of cold meats, houmous & olives

[Sleepwhenidie]

hmm - its a bit better, still not seeing a lot of veg or good fat or calories though. Did you train yesterday?

[Mitchy1nge]

if you like cats dogs horses and teenagers you'd be very welcome!

which marathon are you training for?

I was chewing up everything in sight, edible or not, until I upped the horrible high GI carbs - although people do train for marathons on lower carb diets don't they, am not sure how they cope or if they are any good

[MrsFrankTurner]

Thank you sleep -I shall take heed -guess my body's in starvation mode

Need to make time for nutrition; 3 DS's, busy job & marathon training is all a bit time consuming!

Weirdly I'm not constantly knackered but I do worry about injury & getting ill-I'm usually a very well informed person and will only do something once I've studied all the info out there but this is one of those situations where I've over-read and confused myself with high protein/low carb versus good carb/bad carb and no sugar diets and it's all gone a bit in my head!

Thank you all-scales put away, more carbs & enjoy the running

[Sleepwhenidie]

There's anecdotal evidence of it mitch, but I think the jury is still out. Interestingly, my DH's friend has been low carb for a couple of years and despite not being a regular cyclist managed a 3hr bike ride in the Alps (massive climbs, obvs) last summer without bonking, he didn't think anything of it but I pointed it out later when we chatting about nutrition, it was interesting to see that pure fat-burners apparently do exist. My DH, a regular cyclist, definitely feels better on low GI though, ate we low/moderate for a while but he felt permanently exhausted, not just when cycling. Added a few more lentils etc to dinner and he's a changed man

[MrsFrankTurner]

Mitchy -Manchester marathon, doing the Blackpool half as a training run. Did the Blackpool one last year & loved it!

Yes I did train yesterday sleep, just a 25 min treadmill (10 jog, 10 run, 5 jog)

I read out the replies to DH who gave me a 'told you so' face smartarse

[Sleepwhenidie]

Gotta love the knowitall DH

Definitely relax about the food a bit and enjoy the running

[Mitchy1nge]

is Manchester a spring one?

do you take any fuel during your long (10 mile+) runs? whether you do or not it's supposed to help recovery if you have some protein immediately after - something like chocolate milk and an almond butter sandwich?

thanks to the wonder of my record keeping I can see that during this non-running period I'm enjoying 50% carbs, 30% fat and 20% protein but have lost a bit of weight

[Lazysuzanne]

I've always considered lentils to be a panacea

[MrsFrankTurner]

Yes it's the first Sunday in April. Don't take fuel out with me at the moment as eating when running has me made retch in the past but after my last 2 hour run (21km) I felt rough when I got home so going to be experimenting with different foods on long runs now-I can't do the energy gels they upset my stomach (don't need sharting on a 2 hour slog!) but I'm going to give banana a go-what do you take out? Lots of friends have suggested things like jelly babies & haribo but I'm trying to cut out processed sugar.

I do have either a smoothie or alpro choc milk when I get in from a long run

[Mitchy1nge]

I've been experimenting with the gels but am often sick unless I sip them very very slowly, if I eat well the night before and that morning I can run for about 3 hours (or 2:51 according to Garmin) and just spend the rest of that day eating back all the lovely calories, but I do drink lucozade diluted 50:50 with water

[MrsFrankTurner]

Oh I can't wait to get my garmin! Should be able to get one in Feb-on longer runs my phone battery can't cope with the Map my run app & music so end up with no battery for last 20 mins!

Right -will try some liquid then -will see what I can get that is low in processed sugar thanks Mitchy

[Mitchy1nge]

torq are the gels I had most success with so far, someone on here recommended them

was desperately hoping to get the hang of high5 as they are the ones at Edinburgh but they come up every time within a few miles of taking them

[MrsFrankTurner]

Haven't tried torq but yy to the high five ones but mine go.....ahem.....south I am on good terms with many a local public toilet (McDonalds & the village hotel are regular shit pit stops!)

[Mitchy1nge]

argh I couldn't cope with that, much as I hate being sick it's definitely less traumatising (plus am in middle of nowhere, there are no loos, just spew into a hedge, I don't fancy the southern version of that at all)

is bad enough running and muttering to myself 'I need a poo, I really need a poo' in time with my feet (I don't, it's just my body trying to talk me out of it)

[MrsFrankTurner]

It's a rare long run when I don't have to sprint the last 10 mins home to my lovely own lav! Oh to be somebody who doesn't need a poo on a long run-I could enjoy the run without 'clenching'

[Sleepwhenidie]

You're all making endurance running sound ever so tempting ...back to the weights and HIIT I go!

[Mitchy1nge]

and that's without a description of my disgustingly blistered feet or my poor right calf all taped up and currently useless

[Sleepwhenidie]

!

[Mitchy1nge]

it helped me stop smoking though and lose 9kg, and at least some of those were good to lose, and it helps me to eat well and be less disordered generally all round

and find lots of new friends, and even the injury has been great because I'm making myself get in a swimming pool regularly to get my 'fix', even a public one (phobic) and learn to do Proper Swimming and discover that I'm really fucking fit compared to the last time I tried to swim!

honest, it's great

[MrsFrankTurner]

Oh but the headspace & the peace (when I'm not bottom clenching!) is so worth it!

Should I not mention how many toenails are black & hanging off then?!

[MrsFrankTurner]

Helped me stop smoking too Mitchy

[Mitchy1nge]

yay, high 5 (not the sticky yuck stuff) to the ex-smoking runners

when I'm back and running again I will just be super extra careful to warm up fully and stretch obsessively and rest more and all that, I will be so thankful to have my running powers back

it's only been a couple of weeks too

[MrsFrankTurner]

I have a regular sports massage which I think is helping prevent injuries as I'm rubbish at warming up but the pain during a 60 min massage I zone out at times & have to find my 'happy place'! It's worth it though as running post massage is like having new legs!