Low-carb & marathon training

[Mymadworld]

Am I ok to start bootcamp (will go solo for the first few weeks then join the next official start) alongside a fairly heavy marathon training programme or is there anything I need to change?

In particular I'm thinking about fuel for my runs as it's taken me a while to strike the balance between full & fuelled and it's working with a small bowl of porridge & banana pre-run then egg on toast after which I can't do on bootcamp. I can't eat eggs before I run (they go through me ) so any other suggestions?
Also, I'm ready to start tomorrow should I join the latest thread or just wait until the next round?

I'm not an expert on this by any means - I run, but not the sort of distances you're talking about although am registered for a half in October.

If you go LCHF you will probably notice a drop off in your running performance (like running through treacle), but after a few weeks, your muscles should become "fat adapted" - in other words, the mitochondria in your muscles become adapted to burning fat instead of carbs as their primary source of energy. There are even ultra runners out there who are low carb.

I have been low carb for 5 weeks now and have noticed that things are just starting to improve (zero sugar electrolyte tablets/drink help a lot). I also actually find it feels better when I run fasted - ie in the morning without having any breakfast.

The fat adaptation also means that you won't "hit the wall" in a marathonas this is what happens when you run out of carbs to burn - but your muscles will be adapted to burning fat, so it won't be a problem.

I think it's fine to dive straight in in the forum - I joined halfway though.

Hope that helps a bit

I can't really advise you about how you'll perform, other than to say your performance is likely to suffer to start with, until you become fat-adapted (which means your body is burning fat rather than carbs).

Training for a marathon is a pretty big commitment, though, and it might not be a good idea to start low carbing right now! That does, though, depend on when your race is.

I would recommend that you read 'The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance' by Drs Volek and Phinney, as that will give you a really good idea as to how low carbing and serious exercise works.

But that aside, you're welcome to join Bootcamp/the Bootcamp threads whenever you want!