35, 5, and 2

Additionally, Mark, I'm going to try to see how many days I can stay in NK.  This has been the most difficult thing to do because I didn't know all the intricacies and nuances that I know now.

Do I know enough to make it happen?  Time will tell.

Separately, the first Fall front of the season has arrived and right on average arrival (3rd week of September).  The morning lows for the next three days are to be in the upper 60's.  Additionally, this front signifies the beginning of the end of hurricane season for the Houston area.  Once we start getting into a pattern of regular cool or cold fronts, those fronts will deflect any tropical activity either to south Texas (they need the water) or to the east Gulf coast.

It'll be interesting to follow your process. You seem to like to vary your diet, so there's always some give and take, I'd imagine. I also imagine that it's possible to take the ketosis too far, right? 

Good news on the weather, at last! We have cooler weather rolling into our neck of the woods now, so maybe that'll help once the front press into the continent's midsection.

Mark B wrote:It'll be interesting to follow your process. You seem to like to vary your diet, so there's always some give and take, I'd imagine. I also imagine that it's possible to take the ketosis too far, right? 

Good news on the weather, at last! We have cooler weather rolling into our neck of the woods now, so maybe that'll help once the front press into the continent's midsection.

Well, I like to vary it to see where the boundaries are.  I have been recording what I've eaten on fitday.com.  I know the side calories I have eaten (also called sneak calories) have factored into it.  So, I have to continue to pop my hand to keep me out of trouble.

If a person has a well-forumulated ketogenic diet you can't get much higher than 3.0 millimoloars (I want between 1.0 and 3.0).  It is possible for the blood ketone level to be higher than 10, but that's called ketoacidosis.

I do a fasting blood ketone level which would be the lowest reading of the day.

Moving on to weather, we were at 63 degrees this morning.  Right now, it's 78 degrees with a dewpoint of 53 or 41% humidity.

week 6 of 22
BK level was "Lo", this morning.  I believe I'll get a figure on Tuesday.

As an aside, week 11 (Sunday, October 27) will be my first of three races in the guise of a half marathon.

This morning, 6 miles was on the schedule.  There was a new wrinkle for the run.  Lower humidity.  It was 72 degrees with a dewpoint of 58 degrees.  Saturday a weak cold front came through, preceded by some active thunderstorms that dropped 5 inches of rain on Friday, most of it on Friday night.  Sunday was 64 degrees with dewpoint of 52, but that afternoon, high clouds rolled back in and acted like a blanket Sunday night.  So it didn't feel crisp, this morning, but a whole lot more of my shorts were dry after the run than any time since May.  Okay, done with the preamble.

6.7 miles, 1:26:24, 12:53 pace, 137 avg HR, 158 max HR during mile 1(!?), 1st half pace 13:02, 2nd half pace 12:44.

1. 13:29, 129 bpm
   
2. 12:54, 132 bpm
   
3. 12:56, 135 bpm
   
4. 12:22, 142 bpm
   
5. 13:00, 139 bpm
   
6. 12:51, 139 bpm
   
7. 12:30 pace, 142 bpm
   

First run since Friday's shortened and cramped long run.  I was out to test the legs, so this wasn't going to be a plod run, but a canter.  I had to assess the calves, the legs, and my motivation throughout this run.  Over the weekend, my calf was fine.

This run was pain free.  Whew.  I went back into my garmin runs and I have to go back to May 15, 2012 to find a ~6.7 mile run at a faster pace and a lower avg HR.  That run was 6.7 miles, 12:50 pace, 127 avg HR.  I weighed about 6 pounds lighter than I do now.  Today's weather helped a bit.

Nice run today and the morning weather is supposed to be low 70's or LOWER all week.  Double nice.

The forecast didn't happen, this morning, as the air temperature was 76 and the dewpoint was back in the 70's at 72 degrees and included a brief shower.  My blood ketone level was 0.9 and that was very nice to see.

A 4 mile tempo attempt with a mile warm up and cool down makes for about a 6 mile run this morning.  I'm always hoping for a rabbit to make it easier to accomplish.  The warm up almost mile was not easy.  Could it be that yesterday's run was a little too fast for an easy run?

So, I got going on the tempo and about a quarter mile into the run, I hear the scuffling along of someone behind me.  This girl passes me slowly.  She was much too thin to barely be passing me, but a rabbit is a rabbit.  She went along for about a mile and a half, including slowing the pace, then stopped.  But I was able to maintain the 80% pace for the rest of the 4 miles, but the last mile was labored.  I walked the cool down for most of the way.

1. 12:15, 141 bpm
   
2. 11:26, 154 bpm
   
3. 11:52, 160 bpm
   
4. 12:35, 158 bpm
   

I had no pain, including LT.  I guess this tempo went okay as to the numbers, so I would appreciate y'alls analysis.  Yoga tonight and weights tomorrow.  Thanks.

Some cooler air came through again, as i was 68 degrees with a 67 degree dewpoint.  It's suppossed to be 65 tomorrow morning.  That'll be nice for the run tomorrow.  I did wieghts, this morning but forgot to do a 1,000m row at the end because I needed to scoot.

Blood Ketone level was 1.6, this morning, compared to 0.9 yesterday.  If I can maintain this to Saturday, I'll do the 20 mile run.  I am in nutritional ketosis (a blood ketone range of 1.0-3.0), which is where I want to be.

Blood ketone level was 0.9, this morning, which is down from yesterday's 1.6, and just about in the therapeutic range.

This morning was a sorta long run of 12 miles.  Part of the run was to assess how all the parts and pieces are working and getting along with each other.  Last week, it was some calf cramps and the realization that I've fallen enough out of Nutritional Ketosis for long enough that the 15 mile run had to be truncated to 10.  This week so far, I've had three consecutive measurable blood ketone levels of 0.9, 1.6, and 0.9 with 1.0-3.0 being the sweet spot of Nutritional Ketosis.  I just don't now if my body is fully converted to fatty acids or not.

It was 71 degrees with a dewpoint of 68 degrees, so muggy, but not oppressive.  I'll post in the actual times, this eveing, as I was running short on time.

12.02 miles, 2:39:10, 13:12 pace, 137 bpm, 155 max bpm during miles 10, 11, & 12, 1st half pace 13:26, and 2nd half pace of 12:58.

1. 13:32, 124 bpm
   
2. 13:11, 129 bpm
   
3. 13:22, 134 bpm
   
4. 13:31, 136 bpm
   
5. 13:27, 134 bpm
   
6. 13:31, 131 bpm
   
7. 13:03, 136 bpm
   
8. 12:55, 142 bpm
   
9. 12:51, 143 bpm
   
10. 13:02, 144 bpm
    
11. 12:51, 149 bpm
    
12. 13:08, 148 bpm
    

The first half of the run was nice on time, but it just seemed my legs were not wanting to cooperate.  I had no pain, but I guessed that I wasn't fully burning fatty acids and there sure as hell was not any carbs to burn.  So, at the point on the trail at Memorial Park where if I turn left, then it's 12 miles or turn right and it's a 9 mile run.  I turned left.

At my turnaround point, I started speeding up a bit.  I try to do negative splits, after all.

The first half pace was averaging in the mid-130's HR.  I was churning in the 140's and to my surprise, it felt good!  The legs had lost any memory of the first 6 miles.  I don't exactly know why, unless there was some physiological event (like Draino) to welcome fatty acids to the Burning Machine of Energy!  Sounds good, at least.  I don't usually get this 'feeling good' feeling by speeding up.  So maybe the ketones were feeding the brain and the fatty acids are the preferred fuel, now.  It is the hypothesis I'm playing with.  Now, it's up to me to keep the blood ketone levels up (that means eating what I should be eating).

Now to ponder doing the 20 on Saturday.

I'll type in the mile splits later.  Thanks for reading.

I'm not sure what happened halfway into your run today, but I've noticed in the past that something seems to kick in after an hour or so that allows me to find a good cruising pace. A Burning Machine of Energy sounds as good an explanation as any!

Tip: Just remember that tendency when you're out racing. A rough start doesn't mean it'll stay rough forever. You might just be warming up.

I laughed when I typed "Burning Machine of Energy", but what the hell.  I started thinking about the movie "Toy Story" and the comment was born.  Maybe the drugs kicked in.   

I forgot to mention that I had a small twinge in my right calf.  Seemed to be more cramp related and I didn't ingest any salt prior to the run.  I will lower the threshhold to 10 miles for the time being.  I'm also going to increase the salt intake from 2 grams/day to 3 grams/day in the days leading up to a long run for as long as my shoes squish.

Mark, I'm reading Hadd's link that you provided.  That boy likes to type.

ounce wrote:I laughed when I typed "Burning Machine of Energy", but what the hell.  I started thinking about the movie "Toy Story" and the comment was born.  Maybe the drugs kicked in.   

I forgot to mention that I had a small twinge in my right calf.  Seemed to be more cramp related and I didn't ingest any salt prior to the run.  I will lower the threshhold to 10 miles for the time being.  I'm also going to increase the salt intake from 2 grams/day to 3 grams/day in the days leading up to a long run for as long as my shoes squish.

Mark, I'm reading Hadd's link that you provided.  That boy likes to type.

Heh. Well Hadd's focus is on endurance, after all ...

Hey Mark, check this out from page 13 of Hadd

To break one unit of glucose down into energy anaerobically (WITHOUT oxygen) you get two units of energy (let’s say that you get 2 paces/strides up the road before you need more energy). If you break that self-same unit of glucose down into energy aerobically (WITH oxygen) you get 36 paces up the road before you need more energy. Obviously this is much better. So if you can make what used to be an anaerobic pace into an aerobic pace, you are a much superior runner and can keep this pace up for much further.
But even better, if you were so efficient that you could break down one unit of fat into energy (instead of glucose) you would get 460 paces up the road before needing more energy. And your HR would be wayyyyy low at the same time.
Now 100% fat-burning isn’t going to happen, but I hope you can understand that the higher a percentage of fat there is (along with a percentage of glucose/glycogen) in the fuel mix you burn at marathon race pace, the more comfortable you will be, the longer you will keep up the pace, and the faster you will run.


 

This is a rest day prior to tomorrow's long run.  And if I can maintain a therapeutic figure for Nutritional Ketosis (NK is 1.0-3.0) as shown by the Blood Ketone test, then I'll probably run 20.  This morning, my blood ketone level was 1.4, an increase from yesterday's 0.9. 

For clarifying purposes, there is a period of time that an individual has to go through to convert from energy by glycogen to energy by fatty acids for running effectively.  It can be 2-3 weeks of being in NK before a shorter than 6 mile run can be accomplished and up to a total of 8 weeks before a longer than 15 mile run can be done.

It is my feeling that since I've been therepeutic for the most part since June, but have not been therapeutic for last week and the week before, that I don't have to start from scratch.  I have been in NK for the past 4 days (or JUST outside of NK) and because the 2nd half of Wednesday's run was noticeably more robust than the 1st, I believe I can do 20.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

ounce wrote:Hey Mark, check this out from page 13 of Hadd

To break one unit of glucose down into energy anaerobically (WITHOUT oxygen) you get two units of energy (let’s say that you get 2 paces/strides up the road before you need more energy). If you break that self-same unit of glucose down into energy aerobically (WITH oxygen) you get 36 paces up the road before you need more energy. Obviously this is much better. So if you can make what used to be an anaerobic pace into an aerobic pace, you are a much superior runner and can keep this pace up for much further.
But even better, if you were so efficient that you could break down one unit of fat into energy (instead of glucose) you would get 460 paces up the road before needing more energy. And your HR would be wayyyyy low at the same time.
Now 100% fat-burning isn’t going to happen, but I hope you can understand that the higher a percentage of fat there is (along with a percentage of glucose/glycogen) in the fuel mix you burn at marathon race pace, the more comfortable you will be, the longer you will keep up the pace, and the faster you will run.


 

This sounds great as far as providing energy for running but how can you lose (or even maintain) weight when your body is so efficient with the available energy?

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:Hey Mark, check this out from page 13 of Hadd

To break one unit of glucose down into energy anaerobically (WITHOUT oxygen) you get two units of energy (let’s say that you get 2 paces/strides up the road before you need more energy). If you break that self-same unit of glucose down into energy aerobically (WITH oxygen) you get 36 paces up the road before you need more energy. Obviously this is much better. So if you can make what used to be an anaerobic pace into an aerobic pace, you are a much superior runner and can keep this pace up for much further.
But even better, if you were so efficient that you could break down one unit of fat into energy (instead of glucose) you would get 460 paces up the road before needing more energy. And your HR would be wayyyyy low at the same time.
Now 100% fat-burning isn’t going to happen, but I hope you can understand that the higher a percentage of fat there is (along with a percentage of glucose/glycogen) in the fuel mix you burn at marathon race pace, the more comfortable you will be, the longer you will keep up the pace, and the faster you will run.


 

This sounds great as far as providing energy for running but how can you lose (or even maintain) weight when your body is so efficient with the available energy?

That's a really good question, Nancy, and unfortunately it's not a short answer, but I'll try to shorten it.

When you decide to eat as few of carbs as possible (<50 grams), your body will run out of carbs for fuel.  And I'm talking a normal person that exercises some (not a runner, but at most the occasional jogger).    At first, your body wants to make sure you know what you're doing, so until that happens, it'll start catabolizing (burning) your muscles and will reserve your body's fat for the last thing because your body is going into starvation mode.

But if you maintain eating about 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% or less of carbs of your calories, then your body stops catabolizing your muscles because you are providing enough protein calories to keep your muscle fibers intact.  Then, your body makes the decision to switch to burning fat for its sole source of energy, which is called ketosis.

And we have a lot of fat to burn.  Even a person with a 3% body fat has enough fat to run a marathon.

Let's take a 100 pound person with a 3% body fat.  That's 3 pounds of fat.  A pound of fat is 3,500 calories, so that person has 10,500 calories to burn, aside from the daily calories eaten.  Let's say a person burns 100 calories per mile, then that person will burn 2,620 calories out of the 10,500 fat calories available.  50 mile race burns 5,000 calories.

So, now, you're burning fatty acids and for the calories you burn just existing, it's fatty acids.  And for any calories you burn exercising, it's fatty acids, for as long as you stay in ketosis.  That's how you lose weight because you're burning fatty acids, instead of carbs.  I think most Americans eat more than 150 grams of carbs a day PLUS the fat from fries, etc. 

So, they're packing on the pounds as fat, because it's so much easier for the body to burn carbs than fatty acids.  But if you're supplying your body with sufficient protein that it doesn't have to catabolize your muscles, while you're eating a low amount of carbs, then your body has no choice but to burn fatty acids.

Regularly eating carbs is just not necessary for the body.  Your thyroid appreciates carbs, but just a little more than 25 grams.  But we don't need to eat sugar nor processed foods and we can get ALL our fiber from green leafy vegetables instead of from bread and grains.

How's that for a short answer?

ounce wrote:Hey Mark, check this out from page 13 of Hadd

To break one unit of glucose down into energy anaerobically (WITHOUT oxygen) you get two units of energy (let’s say that you get 2 paces/strides up the road before you need more energy). If you break that self-same unit of glucose down into energy aerobically (WITH oxygen) you get 36 paces up the road before you need more energy. Obviously this is much better. So if you can make what used to be an anaerobic pace into an aerobic pace, you are a much superior runner and can keep this pace up for much further.
But even better, if you were so efficient that you could break down one unit of fat into energy (instead of glucose) you would get 460 paces up the road before needing more energy. And your HR would be wayyyyy low at the same time.
Now 100% fat-burning isn’t going to happen, but I hope you can understand that the higher a percentage of fat there is (along with a percentage of glucose/glycogen) in the fuel mix you burn at marathon race pace, the more comfortable you will be, the longer you will keep up the pace, and the faster you will run.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!!

The idea behind aerobic running is indeed more than mere mitochondrial production and capillary growth - this is the other big concept behind it. I haven't talked about this part so much when I go on about low heart rate training, but it's quite important.  Glad you found it!

I was like, "Hey, look at this!  Someone is espousing running on fatty acids, even though he thinks it can't happen!"

I think that's called validation.

ounce wrote:I was like, "Hey, look at this!  Someone is espousing running on fatty acids, even though he thinks it can't happen!"

I think that's called validation.

Well, shifting your metabolism to 100% fat burning seems less likely... but yeah: His point is a huge one, and a source of hope for those who want to go insane distances and want to dispense with that whole "wall" nonsense of glycogen deprivation. You just need to hit the right intensity to achieve maximum efficiency. That'll certainly not be maximum speed (which would be, after all, a sprint), but that's not the point, is it? If we're talking human evolutionary biology, it's the ability to outlast, not outpace, that really matters.

It's clear from all that I have read that sprinting or any other anaerobic activity requires glycogen as the only fuel capable of sufficiently supplying the muscles with fuel.  Fatty acids won't cut it because the oxidation process is longer.

You guys are way too scientific for me!

Maybe that's why I haven't really made any progress in several years...

Michael Enright wrote:You guys are way too scientific for me!

Maybe that's why I haven't really made any progress in several years...

Oh, Michael, I ain't no scientist, I'm a bean counter.  Not too late to catch up!

*30*

Saturday's blood ketone level was 1.5, which was up a smidgen from Friday's 1.4.  I was pleased to see that level going into a 20 mile run.  The 20 mile run was an experiment to see if I had enough fatty acids and ketones from which to accomplish the 20 miler.  I did complete the 20 miles, but it wasn't without difficulty and problems.  I screwed up my timing the run by accidentally hitting stop and not finding out about it for about 3/4ths of a mile.  I had some intestinal issues, which I know why it happened and will not make that mistake again.  And my calves started hurting again in the same place around mile 11, but I was able to complete the run, as long as I didn't try to spring up.  This made the times ridiculously slow.  And the temperature was 77 degrees with a dewpoint of 73.

I think I'm going to need to do some hill work, so I can build up my lower calves some or, at least, jump rope.  Because that muscle in each calf that allows you to jump, are the muscles that hurt.  And it only hurts during the run and the hour afterwards.  BUT if the issue is cramps, then I'm going to attack that with some Mag-64 for a magnesium deficit.

That afternoon, I went with my dad to the movie "Rush" about James Hunt and Niki Lauda and their Formula 1 championship battle in 1976.  I had a lot of popcorn.  The movie was good, if you like racing movies.

This morning, as a result of the popcorn, and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie as a reward for getting my cholesterol checked, my blood ketone level was 0.2, down from Saturday's 1.5.  So, I'm going to be rebuilding my blood ketone level over the next day or two.

week 7 of 22
Monday's BK level was 0.4, which is double Sunday's.  I ran 4.5 miles, 3.2 of which was running to and from a parking garage to do some hill work.  I decided on the hill work to build up the lower part of my calf muscles in the hope that would mitigate some of the calf muscle issues on the last two long runs.  I've also ordered some Slo-Mag timed-released magnesium, in case the calf issues is due to cramps.

Today's BK level was 0.5.  I thought that was good considering I had to go eat lunch with my boss at a burger chain called "Red Robin".  I had the grilled chicken sandwich and ate that and the top bun.

This morning's scheduled run was a 10 mile run.  I wanted to run it a little faster, if possible.  I'm not completely convinced that I'm fully keto-adapted as a result of having positive BK levels for the past week.  I'm thinking I am definitely in transition, which includes being able to do runs longer than 10 miles without the anchor around my neck feeling. 

It may have been unwise to have run 20, last Saturday, but I would not have known unless I ran that distance or a distance between 13 and 20 if I was keto-adapted.  And while I did have calf issues to degree of moaning as long as I didn't try to go faster, the long run on Sept 21 was to have been a 15 mile run, but I could only do 10.36 as the calf cramps were that noticeable and debilitating.

It was 76 degrees with a dewpoint of 73 with no wind.  I'll post the mile splits, later, but did okay on the run.  Not stellar, but I had no pain.  I did have a bit of that anchor feeling, though.  If nothing else, it confirmed that 10 days out of any kind of ketosis requires a rebuilding of my body's reliance on fatty acids and ketones.  I couldn't have done 10 miles at that pace, had I just been in ketosis for the week that has just finished.

9.99 miles, 2:12:49, 13:17 pace, 131 avg HR, 151 Max HR during mile 1, 1st half pace 13:20 and 2nd half pace of 13:14.  I think the 305 was not recording the HR well enough, but there is probably some truth to the numbers, which means my heart is working less for a faster pace.

1. 13:39, 131 bpm
   
2. 13:14, 130 bpm
   
3. 13:01, 131 bpm
   
4. 13:28, 120 bpm
   
5. 13:19, 129 bpm
   
6. 13:20, 129 bpm
   
7. 13:04, 133 bpm
   
8. 13:31, 131 bpm
   
9. 13:03, 136 bpm
   
10. 13:08, 139 bpm
    

I ended September at a weight of 187, down 2 pounds from August 31 and within the 2-4 target I had.  That 2 pounds has opened up many more items for me to wear from the 2012 'fashion season'   .  I am wearing 34 waist Dockers without having to suck in.  I wear a 44 suit, now.  I had two suits brought in, recently.  One was a 50R from 2003 (subtle charcoal grey plaid-timeless) and a 46R from 2007 (blue suit-timeless).  In May of 2012, I bought a black suit when I was 180 lbs.  It's a 44 in an Athletic cut, the label said.  It fits now, too, even the pants.  The dude at Macy's said I could wear any color shirt/tie combination and it would look good with black.

Thanks for reading.  Please have your loyalty card punched at the Exit.

I'm not going to recognize the new dapper Doug when I come run Houston in 2015!  Good work!

Nice progress... and great news on the clothes. That's some seriously strong positive feedback there, sir! 

Thank you, thank you, you two.  Michele, the head is still a solar panel.

What's amazing is the pants from the black suit didn't fit right enough at the end of August, but just 2 pounds lighter and the pants fit.  I am very pleased.

I only expect to lose a pound a month until the marathon.

Today's BK level jumped to 1.6, 3 times yesterday's 0.5.  And it tasted good to boot.

I lifted weights this evening, continuing to work on upper body stuff, including grip, which was bookended by a 500m row and a 1,000m row.'

Rest day tomorrow.

Yeah, I can type short reports.