35, 5, and 2

For my next to last CrossFit seesion, it was back squats for the strength.  It was a potentially painful strength session.  Back in May and June, we did back squats on one day and dead lifts on another day.  I think that combination strengthened and balanced my leg and back muscles and contributed to my PR of 205 pounds on the back squat and 215 on the dead lift.

This time, I don't seem as strong for back squats, but I foraged on.  I was up to 165 pounds in the session where I did 2 squats, where I was supposed to do 3 in that set.  The last set was 1 rep of 95% of max rep + 10 pounds or 215 pounds.  I knew I couldn't do that, so I loaded up the bar with 175 pounds.  It was going to be difficult, but I only had to do 1.

The bar rests on the area just below the base of the neck with all the weight.  I got under the bar and lifted up the very heavy weight.  I set my feet under me, inhaled, tightened my core, and went down, then started going up.  I got half way up and realized I couldn't make it.  Okay, so now what?  How do I bail?  I'm not strong enough to lift the bar over my head, then drop it.  And I can't release my grip, then straighten out my arms fast enough to let the bar drop behind me.

So in my half crouch position (keep in mind this is happening in less than 2 seconds), I release my grip as I lean backwards enough for the bar to slide down my vertabrae through to the middle of the shoulder blades and to the ground, as I roll onto my fanny.  The bar rolls away from me and I am completely whole, except for some minor bruising on my vertabrae (very minor).  The instructor said I perfectly executed that bail.

When I was taking the plates off the bar, my legs were shaking from the stress of it.  This is going to affect the weight I can do for the conditioning, but that's okay.  I made it through the conditioning piece and all is right with the world.


Strength: Back Squats
5 x 45%, 5 x 55%, 5 x 65%
3 x 75%, 3 x 85%, 1 x 95%, 1 x 95%
*Percentages based off of 1RM + 10 lbs
Conditioning: For Time
300m Run
15 OHS 37 pounds
30 Russian KB Swings  45 pound Kettlebell
200m Run
12 OHS
24 Russian KB Swings
100m Run
9 OHS
18 Russian KB Swings
Time was 8:23

They have posted Tuesday's workout a little early and it's a 'name' workout which are usually intense.

WOD: “Christine”
3 Rounds for Time:
500m Row
12 Deadlifts (Bodyweight)
21 Box Jumps (20″)
*RX box height is 20″ for EVERY ONE. Games standard for box jumps does NOT apply.

I've never done Christine, but the deadlifts will be difficult at 190 when my 1 rep max is 215, especially the 2nd and 3rd rounds.  I do like that my last CrossFit session for this year will be a named WOD.

My time for Christine was 15:45, this morning.  I used 145 pounds for the deadlift.  I was pleased with the effort, but probably could have done better at 135 pounds.

I also wanted to see how high I could lift myself up on a pull up.  I was almost able to get my upper arms parallel to the floor (or almost 90 degrees), but not quite.  When I started or soon thereafter, I was probably at a 45 degree angle.  And I can do five to eight accurate lower downs (eccentric) of a push up.  The up part is acceptable to wave the back (as opposed to having a plank back fro the up or concentric part of the push up).  Both are things I couldn't do in February.

Tomorrow starts the marathon training with a day of rest, in the Hal tradition.  And I probably need it after doing 63 box jumps and 36 deadlifts.

Week 1 - Wednesday was indeed a day of rest for me.  Those kind of days are going to be welcome in weeks to come...22 weeks as a matter of fact.

Today on the schedule was a 7 mile run.  The biggest curiosity was if my legs had recovered from Tuesday's WOD.  Tuesday evening, I did yoga, which helped.  I'm really starting to see some progress on slowly going from high plank to low plank.

I also received my replacement for the Forerunner 305 that died last week or, more accurately, wouldn't transfer data to the software from the watch.  I got it all set up, last night, except for turning on the Auto Lap feature.  So, that resulted in 1 line, once uploaded.

I ended up changing my distance and ran 8 miles.  Things seemed to be clicking along, and that continued through the run, although I had to push to beat or maintain the 1st half pace. 

I think I was excited and a little anxious to begin another marathon training because I have some 'out there' goals to attain.  And I really have to perfrom, this time, because Reina is also registered for Houston and she said that she's going to pace me.  I didn't know that was her plan while we were talking about her coming to Houston, so I have to make it worth her while.  I am so pleased with her coming to town.

It was 77 degrees with a dewpoint of 76 and no wind.
8.09 miles, 1:43:38, 12:48 pace, 139 avg HR, 157 max HR, 1st half and second half paces were the same.

I was tickled at the sub-13 pace, although the last two miles were challenging to maintain or beat the 1st half pace.  In spite of a blood ketone level of "Lo", this morning, I didn't have any problems with a fatty acid related energy burning.  This could lead me to believe that a few days of a Lo BK level doesn't screw me on not burning fatty acid.  I still had good concentration and clarity during the run.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nicely done! I think you are going to have a great training cycle and an even better marathon in Houston.

Let's hear it for big, hairy, audacious goals!

Sounds like you are certainly ready for the training that is to come, Doug.  Nice work.

Mark B wrote:Nicely done! I think you are going to have a great training cycle and an even better marathon in Houston.

Let's hear it for big, hairy, audacious goals!

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Sounds like you are certainly ready for the training that is to come, Doug.  Nice work.

Thanks, y'all.  We'll see as the days go by and the words are logged.

10 miles were on the schedule, but I could only finish 9 because my right calf had issues, when going up an incline, then it because a general ache in the lower calf muscle.  I'll blame it on the faster pace yesterday and the Tuesday CrossFit workout of rowing, dead lifts and 63 box jumps.  My quads were a little stiff at the start, but loosened up before finishing mile 1. 

I'll have the weekend to let my calf heal.  Doing weights on Monday at 24 Hour Fitness and will just do upper body for most of the workout.  I'll probably get on the treadmill to test the calf for a little bit, if nothing else to loosen it up.  Since this is week 1 of 22, I can miss a couple of running days without any harm.

I guess I'll have to pick when I want to run fast, as it seems I can't do it two days in a row. 

It was 77 degrees with a 75 degree dewpoint with no wind again.  Toasty.

9.10 miles, 2:11:48, 14:29 pace, 124 average HR, 135 max HR during mile 8, 1st half pace 14:28, and 2nd half pace of 14:30.

1. 13:43, 124 bpm
   
2. 14:03, 127 bpm
   
3. 14:29, 124 bpm
   
4. 14:51, 123 bpm
   
5. 14:41, 121 bpm
   
6. 14:59, 119 bpm
   
7. 14:10, 126 bpm
   
8. 14:34, 127 bpm
   
9. 14:37, 128 bpm
   

Week 2 of 22
Sunday is the first day of my weeks and I did nothing yesterday.  Regarding my calf issue from Friday morning, I had a little tenderness in Saturday morning but that was about it.  On Friday night and Saturday night, I took 1 pill of 15 mg Meloxicam, which really speeds up recovery.  It's a NSAID that just works really, really well for me when it is needed.

Today was weight training.  I want to continue to keep the muscle tissue I have developed since February, especially in the upper body.  I will probably work the upper body two-thirds of the time and one-third the lower body.  I also will be doing a lot of forearm and grip work, plus doing the weights in an eccentric emphasis.  Doing the weights eccentrically builds the muscle, while lifting weights concentrically makes the muscle look good.

So, I started with a 500m row, then 40 lb strict press, eccentric tricep extension, eccentric bicep, eccentric bench press, farmers carry with a 30 & 40 lb kettlebells, pinching 2-5 lb weights together with two fingers, then alternating on other two finger combinations.  By this time, my forearms and hands were pretty tired, so I could only do 7 toes to bar.  I was surprised to see at my 24 Hour fitness location a couple of metal frame jump boxes, but I didn't want to jump due to my calf.  I finished off with a 1,000 meter row.  The rowing machine could only handle a leisurely rowing motion, not at the rate I could do.  Management was informed.

Then I came home and did 24 leg raises, where my hands are on the floor, above my head and holding a 30 lb kettlebell to keep tension on my trunk muscles as I lift my legs above me at 90 degrees.  My goal is to get to 80 of these split up into 4-20 lift sets.  

Also this morning, my blood ketone level was at 0.3, which is the first reading I've had in a week that wasn't "Lo", so that was good.

I enjoyed the workout.

My blood ketone level shot up to 2.0, this morning, which is up from yesterday's 0.3.  Nutritional ketosis is 1.0-3.0.  Last night, I added some cilantro to the creamy spaghetti squash recipe and it gave it a little spark.

On today's schedule, interval training of around 4 miles is the item.  To me, interval training is based off of Hal's definition where you just go for a period of time at a pace you think is fast enough.  You're not looking at your watch for anything.  It's about maintaining the pace without looking at time or heart rate.  Going on feel.  I drew up the schedule where interval training and hill training alternate each week.

So, I went up to Memorial Park to see what I could do on the three mile loop.  This run might be short-lived, if my right calf hasn't recovered from Friday.  During Monday's weights, my calf was transparent to the user.

The air temp wsa 73 degrees with 100% humidity and a light breeze.  It felt somewhat cooler than usual, even if that difference is only 5 degrees.  It could've been the trees and trails did not hold the heat like concrete does. 

I walked from my car to the trail, then ran about a hundred yards under no pain, then I started increasing the speed and got into a groove.  The calf was compliant without issue.  I was going to run for what I estimated to be 20 minutes.  I had the added benefit of a marked course as a gauge as to when I was getting close to 20 minutes.  I was probably in the 80% range and I started laboring a bit at 75% of the distance.  No pain in the calf.  Here are the results of the first half:

1.80 miles, 19:21, 10:43 pace, 155 avg HR (77%), 167 max HR (83%)

1. 10:52, 148 bpm
   
   
   
2. 10:33 pace, 163 bpm
   
   
   

I got a drink of water and paced around until my heart rate lowered into the 110's.  Reset the watch.  GO!

Restarting the second half of the interval started a bit slow, then downshifted and got going again.  At about a tenth of a mile, I was fortunate to have someone passing me that was slowly pulling away from me.  So, I sped up to keep pace with him.  He was doing the pace more comfortably than I, but I wasn't slowing down either.  He stopped at the one mile mark, but I kept going.  There was a pair of girls that I slowly passed earlier with my rabbit.  I could hear them talking behind me after the rabbit stopped, so I was trying to stay in front of them and did for a quarter mile.  Then, I slowed up a tad for them to pass me and I resumed their pace.  They were gradually pulling away from me, as I was probably tiring from the preceeding mile.  I had already decided back at the start of this 2nd interval at the 1.5 mile mark.  Again, the calf is doing great.  I stopped my run and saw my heart rate was at 182 bpm or 91%.  I wasn't gasping for air, but I don't think I could've made it at that pace for another half mile.

1.52 miles, 15:44, 10:20 pace, 161 avg bpm (80%), 183 max bpm (91%)

1. 10:22, 152 bpm (76%)
   
   
   
2. 10:16 pace, 179 bpm (89%)
   
   

I realized there were a whole lot of people that can run 10-11 minute pace that I can use as rabbits.  But first, I must carve my times down to where I can run further at that pace.  I can do that.  But maybe I can find just as many 11-12 minute rabbits, this training cycle.  For some reason, I think my success at Houston is a little dependent on finding those rabbits.

Stay tuned.

Note to self:  Make the day after yoga a weights day.  Too many stretches and multiple-asama positions doesn't make for a good 10 mile run the next morning.  Quads didn't appreciate it for the whole run.

10 miles was on the agenda and it was executed, although I don't have it on my watch.  It would seem I forgot to restart my watch at 1.63 miles until I was at about 4.25 miles.  Reset, then restarted the watch for the final almost 6 miles.  Had I not had yoga residual discomfort, I think I would've had a better time.  I wanted to get under 13 minutes for pace, but didn't achieve that.

Morning temperature was 76 degrees with a dewpoint of 73.  Less than a month until the first weak cool front bumbles through Houston.

5.8 miles (total of 10 ran), 1:17:10, 13:17 pace, 142 avg hr, 159 max HR during the last mile.

1. 13:05, 138 bpm
   
2. 13:20, 139 bpm
   
3. 13:03, 141 bpm
   
4. 13:22, 143 bom
   
5. 13:49, 141 bpm
   
6. 13:02 pace, 149 bpm
   

BK level was "Lo", which I don't understand why when I ate almost the same thing.

Thursday was a rest day.  Today's blood ketone level was 0.8, just about in the nutritional ketosis range.

I am running 20 miles, today, for the express reason of assessing what will happen during the run when burning fatty acids as the primary fuel, instead of glycogen, plus how my mental clarity changes to assess how ketones feeds my brain instead of glycogen.

I figure with a starting temperature of 79 degrees with a dewpoint of 75 degrees, this assessment will be more valuable because of the slow pace and high temps, than another 20 when it's cooler.

19.93 miles, 4:48:25, 14:28 pace, 135 avg bpm, 163 max bpm during the last mile, 1st half pace 14:34, 2nd half pace 14:22.

1. 14:22, 119 bpm
   
2. 14:17, 126 bpm
   
3. 14:28, 128 bpm
   
4. 14:47, 128 bpm
   
5. 14:52, 126 bpm
   
6. 15:02, 123 bpm
   
7. 14:38, 128 bpm
   
8. 14:15, 126 bpm
   
9. 14:23, 131 bpm
   
10. 14:41, 130 bpm
    
11. 14:37, 132 bpm
    
12. 14:24, 137 bpm
    
13. 14:10, 141 bpm
    
14. 14:18, 140 bpm
    
15. 14:23, 144 bpm
    
16. 14:14, 146 bpm
    
17. 14:25, 146 bpm
    
18. 14:41, 146 bpm
    
19. 14:21, 153 bpm
    
20. 14:07 pace, 157 bpm
    

There were about 3 points during the run where I would've been happy to have shortened the run, due to the temperature.  But because of the goals I wanted to assess, I trudged (or plodded) along.

Last year for a 20 mile run, I would've eaten 2 or 3 meals as a carbo-load for the legs plus carry 4 Fig Newtons for clarity boosts during the second half of the run.  Because when I don't carbo-load enough, I get a muscle spasm in the lower intestine that will stop me in my tracks, until it passes.  It's a guarantee.  Today with a BK level of 0.8, I was able to run the full 20 without any spasms or hints of spasms and my clarity was steady and consistent.  It was a Eureka! moment.

My legs had some residual soreness from yoga, but after about a mile, it went away.  Last weeks's sore lower right calf had resolved and was not an issue.  The only issues were some very slight weakness in the left ankle and a large amount of friction in my arms from the singlet I was wearing.  It's the same style singlet that caused me the same friction a month or two back along the shirt opening.  I had applied Body Glide, but it evidently wasn't enough.  So, I'm going to relegate those singlets from 2007 to shorter distances.

And I don't have any muscle soreness at all.  I don't have any rigor mortis from sitting too long, at all.  I'm in good shape!   

The morning after has a BK of "Lo", probably due to over consuming protein, throughout the day.  I need to learn that my body doesn't need a whole lot of protein to rebuild micro-tears after any run.  I can get by on 60-75 grams a day; lower on non-running days.  My lower back is a bit tight and my lower left calf has a little tightness.  No other soreness.

I am still so pleased in the result of yesterday's run by not needing any carbs at all, just fatty acids and ketones.

My weight for the month ends 1 pound lower than at July 31, or 189 pounds.  I think I forecasted a 2 pound loss with a 4 pound loss in September.  I would be happy with either a 2 or a 4 pound loss for September.  The loss would probably be a result of the CrossFit muscles I built up, but not being used in running, would be burned by the body as quick energy.

I feel like I'm in a good place with my running and, after re-reading the posts to the Multiple 20's thread I started, can tweak my running schedule for the remaining 19 weeks until Houston.

Nice work, Doug! I especially like your interval training session. Keep at it, and those 10-11 minute paces will get easier.

And no intestinal cramps on the long run is a very good thing. Woot!

Mark B wrote:Nice work, Doug! I especially like your interval training session. Keep at it, and those 10-11 minute paces will get easier.

And no intestinal cramps on the long run is a very good thing. Woot!

Thanks, Mark.  I guess those days of doing a 40 minute interval in less than a 3 mile loop are pretty much over.

At least with a charley horse in your calf, there was something to grab to mitigate the pain.

About 30 minutes prior to the run, I took 2 grams of salt.  I carried two S-Caps with me and took one at mile 11 and the other at mile 15.  Once it gets cooler and I'm not losing 6 pounds on a 20 mile run, I won't carry any S-Caps.

week 3 of 22
Took the weekend off from running and returned to pounding the pavement, this morning, with an air temperature of 77 degrees and a dewpoint of 75.  Did I say there was no wind? 

Last night over dinner, I revamped my running schedule to get a couple of runs before the Tuesday evening yoga class and moved weights to Wednesdays.  Wednesday weights also gives me a rest day before the sorta long run, then a called rest day, then the long run of 20 miles when I can run on a Saturday.  I also set it up for when I have a race (Half in October, 25K in November, and 30K in December)that it replaces a 20 mile run, so I can actually race it.

Because of Labor Day, I'm only running twice this week.  This morning, 8 was on the menu.  I didn't have any residual niggles, so it was just a matter of seeing what was squeaky and adjusting accordingly.

8.11 miles, 1:41:29, 12:30 pace, 141 avg HR, 164 max HR during mile 8, 1st half pace 12:46, 2nd half pace 12:14

1. 13:10, 120 bpm
   
2. 12:40, 131 bpm
   
3. 12:34, 135 bpm
   
4. 12:40, 143 bpm
   
5. 12:28, 145 bpm
   
6. 12:16, 151 bpm
   
7. 12:03, 153 bpm
   
8. 12:11, 152 bpm
   

I find that I really improve my times, when there is somebody to chase.  It happened about mile 4.25 when I noticed someone about 300 yards ahead of me, who appeared to not be pulling away from me.  Target acquired.  Intercept course plotted.  Engage.  I caught her with 100 yards to spare, after a pair of girls lazily passed me and I tucked in behind them.  I made the turn back to home and worked on keeping the pace going.  The times involved were miles 5-8.

It's really satisfying to have a run like this.  Weights tomorrow and 15 on Friday.

One other thing to mention about my 20 mile run on Friday.  I didn't eat anything before I started the run.  Pre-LC/HF, I would've had a bowl of Rice Krispies or Special K and a banana. 

This time it was just 2 grams of salt a half hour before running and 8 ounces of water 5 minutes before running.

Yesterday, yoga went well and afterwards, I went to the pull up bar and got a true 90 degree arms when trying to do a chin up.  Now, I need to work on getting my chin closer to the bar.    I'm also getting good at doing a controlled high plank to low plank, rather than high plank to plop on the mat.

Today was weights day.  Some of the weights I didn't remember, but came close.  So, I started with a 500m row, then 50 lb strict press, eccentric tricep extension at 35lbs for each arm, eccentric bicep of 30lbs for each arm, eccentric bench press of 50 lbs., farmers carry with a 30 & 40 lb kettlebells, pinching 2-5 lb weights together with two fingers, then alternating on other two finger combinations.  

I found some dumbbells and did some better exercises on my fingers and forearm.  I finished the workout with a 1,500 meter row.

Thursday is a rest day.  Good chance to catch up on some sleep.  Body muscles are in good shape.

I've temporarily gotten off the program and it showed in today's 15 mile run.  I succumbed to a craving and it takes a few days to get back into nutritional ketosis.  Whereas I did not have any cramping, I just was bogged down some, even though my average pace was faster than last week's 20.

I have a habit over my life of ITAB WODI, which means Is There A Better Way Of Doing It.  I've found two things about nutritional ketosis.  Namely, ANY carbs will affect the blood ketone level (BK).  It could be sugar or spinach.  I can certainly eat more spinach for the same value of carbs as sugar, but it still affects the number.  I am not immune.

The other thing about nutritional ketosis is once you eat a lot more carbs than necessary, for me that would be >30 grams at this point, it takes days to get my body to reset.  Plus, if I eat more protein that my body needs for that day, it's converted to sugar and lowers the BK value.  60 grams of protein seems to be the acceptable daily amount.  The bottom line is to stay within the boundaries.

*30*

Okay, so 15 miles was on the schedule for a long run.  It was 78 degrees with a dewpoint of 75 and NO wind.  There was so much of no wind that the American flag on top of a 40 floor building was limp, which is rare for that flag to be still at 400 feet or so of elevation.

I felt pretty rested with no niggles going on in my body.  I was hoping to have a good time, in spite of falling (or leaning) off the wagon, and continuing to be cramp-free & clarity filled.

14.9 miles, 3:24:52, 13:44 pace, 140 avg HR, 152 max HR during mile 11, 1st half pace 13:45, 2nd half pace 13:43.

1. 13:50, 123 bpm
   
2. 13:32, 130 bpm
   
3. 13:19, 132 bpm
   
4. 14:05, 135 bpm
   
5. 13:55, 135 bpm
   
6. 13:36, 137 bpm
   
7. 13:44, 139 bpm
   
8. 14:00, 139 bpm
   
9. 14:03, 141 bpm
   
10. 13:45, 143 bpm
    
11. 12:55, 153 bpm
    
12. 13:40, 150 bpm
    
13. 14:01, 146 bpm
    
14. 13:48, 151 bpm
    
15. 13:54 pace, 152 bpm
    

I wanted to have a better negative split than I had, but I was working on making it through the run.  I guess running it at better than last week's 14:28 pace is a consolation prize.  I have no residual tightness nor pain, although my upper gludeal muscle was making a small fuss during the run.  That's very new.

On a side note, the Houston Marathon on January 19th is on the same day as the AFC Championship game.  I mention that because the Houston Texans have a good chance of being in it, if they're healthy, if they're....., etc.  Monday night, they begin their season in San Diego.  AND the game isn't getting broadcasted until 9:20 CT.  I won't be staying up for that, unfortunately.  GO TEXANS!

Just catching up. You've been busy!

I think you ought to plan your uptempo efforts for places where you can target and reel in other runners. That worked very well for you!

Interesting about ketosis. I've noticed something sort of on the other end of the spectrum, when I get naughty at work and get a piece of chocolate or something from the candy bucket. Yesterday, I was foggy-headed and in sensory overload (not good when you're surrounded by police scanners and talking people) within 10-15 minutes. It took an hour for it to clear, and I still felt crappy and yet craved more food for the rest of the night. Maybe this time, it'll sink in: sugar is a drug.

Well, Mark, I know running for Commissioner is a time sink. So, thanks for coming by.

Yeah, sugar is a non-forgiving drug, but high fructose sweeteners are worse because your brain doesn't get the signal to stop, like it does with real sugar.

You might be on to something on the tempo runs. Mile 11 on today's run was a chase mile, but they were pulling away faster than I wanted, so I slowed down.

ounce wrote:Well, Mark, I know running for Commissioner is a time sink.  So, thanks for coming by.

Yeah, sugar is a non-forgiving drug, but high fructose sweeteners are worse because your brain doesn't get the signal to stop, like it does with real sugar.

You might be on to something on the tempo runs.  Mile 11 on today's run was a chase mile, but they were pulling away faster than I wanted, so I slowed down.

Well, you know, it's important to keep in touch with the people. After all, you're the ones who really make it possible. 

I wish I could figure out this sugar thing and what it does to my head (my blood sugar levels have always been fine). It's the sort of thing that could very well get me to swear off of the junk forever. I'd rather not have to do that...

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Well, Mark, I know running for Commissioner is a time sink.  So, thanks for coming by.

Yeah, sugar is a non-forgiving drug, but high fructose sweeteners are worse because your brain doesn't get the signal to stop, like it does with real sugar.

You might be on to something on the tempo runs.  Mile 11 on today's run was a chase mile, but they were pulling away faster than I wanted, so I slowed down.

Well, you know, it's important to keep in touch with the people. After all, you're the ones who really make it possible. 

I wish I could figure out this sugar thing and what it does to my head (my blood sugar levels have always been fine). It's the sort of thing that could very well get me to swear off of the junk forever. I'd rather not have to do that...

There are a couple of things that I do.  I've worked myself up to try to acquire a taste for 85% chocolate.  I can eat 60% like candy, now.  A Hershey bar doesn't do anything for me.  

In the office and if someone has some of those thumbnail size Milky Ways, I will get me one, eat it, then immediately have some carrots or similar to get the chocolate taste out of my mouth, but my brain has acquired the benefit of the flavor without having to scarf down 5 or 50.

I can't keep chocolate in the pantry anymore because the temptation is too great.  Ice cream is the same.

Another thing that helped me, Mark.  When I started this process back on Memorial Day, I immersed myself in the book about 3 weeks prior.  So with the carrot out there on the stick, it was easier to cut out everything, but what I was supposed to eat. 

The coconut oil was a great supplement to curb any cravings, but I don't recommend eating a spoonful of the stuff, if you're consuming more than 75 grams of carbs a day.  I'm in the <25 gram category, when I'm completely committed.  Coconut oil is also a medium chain triglyceride, which is supposed to be one of the best things to consume for the right kind of saturated fat.  Butter is in the same category

Now that I've run 20 miles without cramping at 0.8 BK or less, I am thinking that I can cheat.  And I have.  But as the weeks go by, I need to find other non-sugary and non-processed things to replace what I'm eating.  It's easier to replace a bad habit with a good habit. 

I'll be re-doing immersion.

ounce wrote:Another thing that helped me, Mark.  When I started this process back on Memorial Day, I immersed myself in the book about 3 weeks prior.  So with the carrot out there on the stick, it was easier to cut out everything, but what I was supposed to eat. 

The coconut oil was a great supplement to curb any cravings, but I don't recommend eating a spoonful of the stuff, if you're consuming more than 75 grams of carbs a day.  I'm in the <25 gram category, when I'm completely committed.  Coconut oil is also a medium chain triglyceride, which is supposed to be one of the best things to consume for the right kind of saturated fat.  Butter is in the same category

Now that I've run 20 miles without cramping at 0.8 BK or less, I am thinking that I can cheat.  And I have.  But as the weeks go by, I need to find other non-sugary and non-processed things to replace what I'm eating.  It's easier to replace a bad habit with a good habit. 

I'll be re-doing immersion.

It can be quite challenging to find healthy snacks, can't it? I suppose one could go gnaw on a broccoli stalk, but I can't imagine that'll really catch on. Probably healthier in the long run to avoid the planned snacks and allow yourself to feeling a little hungry. It's probably a more natural state for humans than being full 24/7...

Those little candies are often what give me trouble. I've eaten one (or two) and had a big reaction. I've done a little research, assuming it was a sugar spike, and found that the reaction I get is more akin to something called reactive hypoglycemia - where eating something with a high glycemic load causes a big insulin release and causes blood sugar to plummet.

The key to managing something like that is pretty much what I know I need to do, anyway: avoiding sugar and trying to focus on low-glycemic carbohydrates. Exercise can help, too. Maybe I'm feeling it more now because I'm down from 50 miles per week to about 20.

Sugar is no different than any other drug.  It creates a craving, like a drug.  You get a high and a crash, like a drug.  You can detox, like a drug.  But it's cheap, legal and highly marketed, unlike a drug.  And there are tons of lobbyists.  One just has to take it one day at a time, like a drug. 

I have found that for some of my 'favorite' foods that are advertised on TV, I just have to mute it or look away.  Pizza is one food.  And since football season is here, Dominos and Papa John's are ramping up the commercials.  So far, I have lucked out on not eating pizza because of its size.  A hamburger or pint of Blue Bell ice cream is so much smaller and has fewer calories.

You mentioned 'reactive hypoglycemia.'  You may want to look at 'insulin resistance' and 'insulin sensitivity.'  For some reason, it took me quite a while and re-reading about it many times to get the concepts down in my noggin.

I'm convinced that Nutritional Ketosis (NK) is helping my running by not using carbs as a fuel.  To me, and you might extend your understanding of reactive hypoglycemia for this, when you're carbo-loaded and the gun sounds for a marathon, you're going to experience a multi-hour, drawn-out, reactive hypoglycemia.  "You're" feeling great at the start, you get in a groove and then your mind begins to change.  You take some GU or just some Gatorade and you get some clarity back, but you know you are on a downward trend.  You hope to just hang on for the final X number of miles.  Then after the race, you re-fuel, gorge, or whatever to get out of the funk.

I am beginning to believe that the attitude of running long runs at MP +60-90 so your body can adapt to run on fatty acids, when you've run out of carbs is a farse.  It took me 3-6 weeks (depending on distance) of eating less than 10 grams of carbs a day to convert my legs to run on fatty acids.  It's not like flipping a switch to allow a motor home to switch fuel tanks, when one runs dry.  The body has to have time to make that change.  The body will burn muscle tissue before it'll burn fat.  Fat is the last thing it'll burn, when it goes into survival mode.  And isn't 'survival mode' what the last 6 miles of a marathon is?

Under NK, if you cut out carbs and give your body enough protein grams to make your body think it doesn't need to catabolize muscle tissue, then it'll turn to stored fat for energy.

Recorded a 0.7 blood ketone level, this morning.  I'm a little surprised by this, considering I had some ice cream yesterday.  So I'm going to work on protecting that nice little number today, especially since it's the first Sunday of the new NFL season.

I know what to do, I just have to do it.