35, 5, and 2

This morning, my Blood Ketone (BK) level lowered to 0.5 from 0.9, yesterday.  I'm not surprised this happened, as it was movie night and while I did not dig into the popcorn bucket with my usual motivation, I did have some.  Last week at the movies, I had much more.  My goal for the weekend is to record a 0.1 or greater.

Also this morning, I went out for a 12 mile run.  This follows yesterday's 8 mile run and is the longest run, under keto-adaption.  I had thought to run either 9 or 10, but I decided to push the envelope a bit.  It's important to me to really test this ketosis thing.

Again, it was 77 degrees with a dewpoint of 74 degrees.

11.98 miles, 2:45:46, 13:50 pace, 140 avg hr, 161 max hr, 1st and 2nd half pace was 13:50.

1. 13:40, 128 bpm
   
2. 13:36, 135 bpm
   
3. 13:36, 132 bpm
   
4. 14:02, 137 bpm
   
5. 13:59, 137 bpm
   
6. 13:56, 137 bpm
   
7. 13:55, 134 bpm
   
8. 13:53, 141 bpm
   
9. 13:53, 145 bpm
   
10. 14:04, 148 bpm
    
11. 13:39, 153 bpm
    
12. 13:44 pace, 156 bpm
    

12 miles in ketosis taught me that burning fatty acids instead of glycogen doesn't make you go faster.  Also, fatty acids and glycogen are a fuel, but muscles do the work.  And when the muscles are tired of doing work, you'll slow down.

I also learned that I only got 1 shot of fresh ketones to the brain around mile 9, I could've used another at mile 11 for clarity.  This is something I will monitor for future use.  If clarity doesn't come as often as I would need, I might carry some Fig Newtons with me to supplement.  Hopefully, my body will adapt.

I was disappointed with the pace of the run, but pleased I had a lot of consistency in each of the miles.  One thing I was very pleased with that 2-1/2 hours after finishing, I have no residual pain or tightness.  There is no rigor mortis effect, like there would have been, not doing ketosis.

For you:  http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/how-to-add-crossfit-to-marathon-training?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-CrossFit

Yes, yes.  Thanks Michele.  I read the article and I will probably do 1 workout per week, but I have some kettlebells at home and a 24 hour fitness membership, too.  So, I won't be paying for CrossFit during marathon training.  Hopefully, they'll let me come by for the weekly yoga class for free.

In August, I'll start switching emphasis to marathon training until mid-February.  I do the CrossFit to support and augment the running.

Oh, and while I'm passing out 'thanks' to you, I want to thank you for recommending to me last year the Tifosi sunnglasses.  They work great.

My pleasure, Doug.  I still need a marathon in Texas you know.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:My pleasure, Doug.  I still need a marathon in Texas you know.

 I wish I could think of one.  I'll look around.

Blood ketone level spiked to 1.8, this morning on 9 grams of carbs.  One of these days, I will figure out what caused a 3x spike from the 0.5 of yesterday.  I wrote to one of the authors of the book and he replied (quite quickly, I might add) that BK levels will increase as the day progresses and will increase after endurance exercise.

As for my missing Ketone boost at mile 11, yesterday, he said it probably is that I'm not fully keto-adapted for that piece and that I out ran my boosts.  He suggested waiting a couple of weeks before attempting another 12 miler and 8 weeks before trying 20.

It was the first time anyone has told me that I have 'outran' anything in running.   

He also said to make sure I keep my protein intake to below 150 grams because if you eat too much protein, the excess protein will get converted to sugar (gluconeogenesis) and will cause the BK levels to drop.  He also covers this in the book.

Finally, he told me that people can lose weight at a morning 0.5 BK level, but that a 1.0 BK level seems to protect people from cravings and fatigue.

ounce wrote:
It was the first time anyone has told me that I have 'outran' anything in running.   
 

 ha ha
I'm definitely impressed with your dedication...and your sense of humor.

I am curious though...if you don't eat carbs and shouldn't eat to much protein what can you eat?  Just fats?

Hey, Nancy.  Yes, the mix is 15% carbs, 20% protein and 65% fat.
 
Rather than spraying some Pam on a skillet for scrambled eggs, drop in a tablespoon of butter or coconut oil.  Some people put butter in their coffee.  I put coconut oil in hot bouillon.
 
If nothing else, it causes weight loss initially and, like a lot of diets, if you don't eat a lot of calories, you will lose some weight.  I'm happy with the plan, so far.

(edit: the quote disappeared....I'm referencing putting butter in coffee)

Well, now....that sounds disgusting!   

Hey, if it's working for you, that's what matters.  Is this something you're doing for a given point in time such as this race season and will you eat differently in your recovery period?

dot520 wrote:(edit: the quote disappeared....I'm referencing putting butter in coffee)

Well, now....that sounds disgusting!   

Hey, if it's working for you, that's what matters.  Is this something you're doing for a given point in time such as this race season and will you eat differently in your recovery period?

Hey, Dot.   I'm not a coffee drinker, so I don't know.  But for people in the pursuit of increasing the percentage of consumed fat calories, without consuming protein, it is a vehicle worth tasting.  As for me, coconut oil has no flavor, so I could put it in anything.  Coconut oil is solid above 78 degrees.

It is working for me, Dot.  I've lost 15 pounds since Memorial Day.  It is customary on any new diet to lose 5 - 7 pounds in the first two weeks.  And I've lost 8-10 pounds in the next couple of weeks, so it's working for me.

I've noticed that when my blood ketone (BK) gets above 0.8, that I don't desire carbs at all.  So avoiding carbs isn't quite the chore.

The goal of this n=1 experiment is to determine if I can run long distances successfully by tapping into my own fat stores and not carbo-loading, ultimately running Houston in January in this 'keto-adapted' state.

If I determine that I am not getting the desired effect, then I will revert to the carbo-loading process.  But I'll be lighter, regardless.   I tried this last year, without the benefit of the book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performace.  It didn't work because I now know that I wasn't allowing myself enough time to adapt to ketones.

Sorry for the long reply, but since I believe this is a pretty new topic on the boards, I think I need to write a little more about it.

ounce wrote:

Sorry for the long reply, but since I believe this is a pretty new topic on the boards, I think I need to write a little more about it.

 Yes, definitely.  I'm slowly but surely grasping the concept, though I don't think I'm convinced it'll work in combination with marathon training.  It just seems to me that regardless of how efficient your body becomes at burning fat, it's still a less efficient process in general that burning sugars and will give you a net lesser performance in a marathon.  Now, for other non-endurance sports or a 5 or 10K, I might be able to be talked into it. 

I definitely buy into it as a method for weight loss, though I do question the long term sustainability of eating this type of diet, especially when it comes to cardiac health.

mul21 wrote:

ounce wrote:

Sorry for the long reply, but since I believe this is a pretty new topic on the boards, I think I need to write a little more about it.

 Yes, definitely.  I'm slowly but surely grasping the concept, though I don't think I'm convinced it'll work in combination with marathon training.  It just seems to me that regardless of how efficient your body becomes at burning fat, it's still a less efficient process in general that burning sugars and will give you a net lesser performance in a marathon.  Now, for other non-endurance sports or a 5 or 10K, I might be able to be talked into it. 

I definitely buy into it as a method for weight loss, though I do question the long term sustainability of eating this type of diet, especially when it comes to cardiac health.

Indeed, two very valid points.  And the proof of the pudding for me, and to me, is a faster time in a race, while retaining mental clarity, and an as good or better blood numbers on my annual physical, probably in December. 

I'm a 6 hour marathoner, so a faster time for me would not necessarily encourage a 5, 4 or 3 hour marathoner to try low carb-high fat because I have a lot more fatty acids to burn (over 250,000 calories).

But burning fatty acids during a period of 'carbohydrate restriction' takes a few weeks until the body becomes more efficient at burning fatty acids.  This adaption in my legs has occurred and is in progress in my brain.  In the liver, fat converts to ketones, which feeds the brain in the absence of glucose.  The adaption is called in the book, "keto-adaption", by the authors. 

I no longer have a craving for mostly all carbohydrate foods.  Right now, I'm trying to stay under 25 grams a day.  And this is gross carbs, not net of Fiber carbs.  Ketones just know that a carb is a carb whether fiber or sugar.  A blood ketone reading of >1.0 has shown in others that cravings and fatigue are dramatically reduced.

When running under keto-adaption, I don't notice any difference in how my legs get fuel.  I remember fully carbo-loaded and starting out with this extra bit of zing in my legs, then it goes down as the run moves along.  Not now.  My legs feel the same on the first step, as on the last.  I notice 'tired' near the end of the run, but no resentment from my legs on what I'm doing.

Well, it's still early in the process.  Thanks again for the comments.

This morning, I recorded a blood ketone level of 0.8, down from Saturday's 1.8.  I'm comfortable with the number because I went out to dinner with my brothers and I'm not all together sure what was in the parmesan crusted fish.  So, I'm allowing for the 1.0 drop, day over day.

I'm also creating a new recipe for a party on the 4th.  It has zucchini, bacon, heavy cream, some bread crumbs I made and an egg.

I might have 20 grams for today.  An interesting blood ketone level for in the morning.

This morning's blood ketone level dropped a hair to 0.7 from 0.8.  This is within the range of 0.5-3.0 for Nutritional Ketosis.

I'm working on creating a couple of recipes that I can take to a party that will have the potential to please the masses, while being compliant with the carb restriction.  A major flavoring ingredient is bacon.  Everybody loves bacon, unless you're on a low-fat diet.

This morning's blood ketone level was 0.5.  This is down from yesterday's 0.7, but within the 0.5-30 effective range.  The pee stick showed I was not in ketosis, so I reckon this is why using the blood is more accurate, as the pee is further down the road I guess.

A blood ketone level of 1.6 greeted me, this morning.  It was triple yesterday's level.  I consumed 11 grams of carbs or 3%, yesterday.  Fat consumption was 65% or so of calories consumed.  I've lost 16 pounds since Memorial Day.

-30-

I hadn't done CrossFit all week due to family commitments and I didn't really feel like doing this morning's WOD, so I ran instead.  It had been last Friday since my last run.  I should be fairly fresh for this morning's run.  A break in the usual summertime Houston weather came through on Monday in the clothes of 68 degree mornings and dewpoints in the 60's.  This morning, it was a wee bit warmer at 71 degrees with a 67 degree dewpoint.  It was a welcome change from the 77/74 morning temp setup, not equivalent to 50's, but in July, it's welcome.

I set out to do 9 miles with the not as warm conditions.  And not surprisingly, I was boppin' right along.  The legs felt fine and/or dandy.  I haven't been able to really gauge my pace without looking at my watch.  I wasn't panting, so it wasn't a blistering pace, but it didn't feel slow.  The past couple of runs, I hadn't been looking at my pace, so I can just concentrate on the run and let the time be what it is.  I couldn't resist today.  13:23 pace at 1.5 miles.  Nifty!  Anything under 13:30 is nice.

When I arrived at Memorial Park, there was a runner about 2 street lamps ahead of me.  He's usually faster, but this morning, he wasn't pulling away, like usual.  So, I tried to slowing, methodically catch him.  It was going to be interesting to see how long I could try to do this.

I was able to chip away at it over the course of a mile, but he sped up and that was all she wrote.  I was able to keep a lot of the pace and at the halfway point, my pace was 13:17.  At about 6 miles, I wanted to see if I could make the final 3 miles worth while.  At 6.29 miles, my brain got a ketone boost.  I wasn't lacking clarity at that point, but my mind became sharp.  So, I increased my pace to see what would happen.  My legs responded without complaint.  Then, it seemed like I received another boost at mile 7.71.  I didn't ask for it, but it arrived.  Boy, was my mind sharp.  I really started pushing it, then.  My legs were still chugging along without complaint.

I finished the run at a 13:03 pace.  Last week during my 12 mile run, I only got 1 boost around mile 8, but nothing else.  One of the co-authors of the book told me that my body hasn't completely adapted to supplying ketones to my brain from the liver.  My body has adapted to fatty acids being supplied to muscles.

The two unexpected boosts were really nice.  If this is what I can expect to get on longer distance runs, look out!

8.79 miles, 1;54:46, 13:03 pace, 146 avg bpm, 174 max bpm during the last mile, 13:17 1st half pace, 12:49 2nd half pace.

1. 13:27, 126 bpm
   
2. 13:19, 134 bpm
   
3. 13:27, 137 bpm
   
4. 13:02, 149 bpm
   
5. 13:05, 150 bpm
   
6. 13:10, 149 bpm
   
7. 13, 154 bpm
   
8. 12:52, 157 bpm
   
9. 11:47 pace, 167 bpm
   

You just have to love those unexpected boosts of clarity and power. Woot!

And BTW, congrats on dropping 16 pounds so far. Good work!

Mark B wrote:You just have to love those unexpected boosts of clarity and power. Woot!

And BTW, congrats on dropping 16 pounds so far. Good work!

One second, you're running normally, then you get this feeling in your brain like that Claritin commercial when they remove that film across the TV screen.  I'm going to test it over the weeks to see if it is pace-based or something else.  My leg muscles are not aching from the intensity.

Thanks on the lbs.  I don't have the carb or sugar cravings anymore.  Now, that's not to say if I see a Domino's or Papa John's commercial that it doesn't create a desire.  I just look away or turn the channel.



And for the teaching moment on Low Carb/High Fat (LCHF) method, I found this interesting bit on Lactate Threshold and LCHF.  "With the enhanced ability to oxidize [burn] lipid associated with keto-adaption, there is less lactate production at any one workload, and thus an elevation in the threshold exercise intensity associated with increased acidity."  page 34.  So, the more fat adapted you are, there is less accumulation of lactate.  Hmmm.

Progress:cheers: !  Congrats on the weight loss and on the new found speed.  Keep up the good work.

I don't understand the organic or bio chemistry, but it sure sounds like it's going well! Just keep it up...

Michael Enright wrote:I don't understand the organic or bio chemistry, but it sure sounds like it's going well!  Just keep it up...

 It seems to be going well, Mr. Enright.  On Amazon is the $10 book, "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance", a 162 page book espousing why fat can supply an inexhaustible source of energy for any form of exercise, including ultra-marathons, so that carbohydrates do not have to be the limited energy source that it is for endurance exercise.

If my testing proves to myself in this n=1 experiment to be true, then it could cause the extinction of pasta dinners before a marathon.  It could be a 'the world is not flat' moment (okay, maybe that's an exaggeraton) in fueling for running.

Hope it works. There's a woman in my office training for her first marathon and worrying about eating all those carbs. I'll follow this with special interest...

Micheal, One thing I learned in the book is that if you over consume protein, the excess converts to sugar, which would convert to fat, if not burned.  You can only consume 400-500 grams of carbs for a carbo load (1,600-2,000 calories), which is why we tend to bonk.

When you drop your carb intake to less than 50 grams, your body turns to fatty acids and ketones to burn.  It takes a  few weeks to convert, but when you do, you have an inexhaustible supply.  Personally, my BMI fat % would equate to about 250,000 calorie supply of fatty acids.  I think a 10% body fat percentage equates to a 40,000 calorie supply.

*30*

This morning my blood ketone level dropped to 0.4.  It was 1.6 yesterday morning.  It dropped because I made some brownies yesterday afternoon for a party today and quality control was necessary. 
 
I walked a bit over 2 miles this morning to scope out a new one mile stretch of the marathon course.  It has a couple of extended dips and I'm going to run this until the marathon, so I'm used to it.  This stretch is mile 17 of the course.  Miles 18-20 of the new course is familiar territory to me, as it is part of my regular route.

I had a 0.5 reading on the blood ketone level machine, this morning, up from 0.4 on Thursday morning.  Which is pretty durn good in my opinion, since I ate 2 ears of corn and a couple of brownies, yesterday.  That recipe really puts out some gooooood brownies.

This morning was a re-running of Wednesday's distance to see what happens.  Wednesday's run was really, really nice and I got 2 ketone boosts during the run.  One thing I wanted to know was weather I would get another boost or not.  I did not get a chance to chase someone, so I tried to maintain a level pace, based on the 1st half pace.

It was 71 degrees, this morning, with a dewpoint of the same and no wind.

8.79 miles, 1:58:41, 13:30 pace, 138 avg HR, 154 max HR during the last mile, 1st half pace 13:35, 2nd half pace 13:25.

1. 13.34, 133 bpm
   
2. 13:30, 133 bpm
   
3. 13:36, 134 bpm
   
4. 13:41, 137 bpm
   
5. 13:32, 138 bpm
   
6. 13:32, 137 bpm
   
7. 13:30, 141 bpm
   
8. 13:17, 145 bpm
   
9. 13:16 pace, 148 bpm
   

I did not get any ketone boosts on this run.  Which begs the question, if I'm not pushing the pace, do I get the boost?  To tweak II Corinthinans 12:9, "My boosts are sufficient for thee."  Only when I was pushing the pace on Wednesday did I get two boosts.  My legs did not feel dead, but my left hamstring was a bit tight through out the race.  The left hamstring settled down after a half mile.

I will have to write the author to see what it may be.  But I enjoyed the run and I was happy to be running at a consistent time.

This morning, my BK level was "Lo", which means I was not in a measureable state of ketosis.

So, this gives me another question to ask the author about a cumulative effect over a couple of days, or not.

the first question is how does the ketone level in the brain drain under increased stress versus not as much stress.