Marathon running while on a low carb diet?

Question

I am 17 years old and a wrestler.

I wrestled at 152 lbs. this year. But that was in the winter while eating a very strict diet. I got up to 188 lbs. recently and decided it is time to get back down to weight. This year 160 At first I tried to do low cal. but with the amount of running that I was doing it just made me feel weak. So this weak I switched over to low carb. I feal a lot better and I have done Low carb before just not running this much. Can any one answer these questions for me please.

What can I drink on my runs to replace sugary drinks like powerade?

Right now the only thing I know of is powerade zero. I am looking for calories with out carbs.

Is it normal to gain weight while training for a marathon?

I actually gained weight since I started doing heavy training running 13 miles plus. The most I have done is 20

The race is in mid September.

Any other info would be very appreciated.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hey there,

I have been low carbing for a few years now, and have run a marathon, a number of half marathons, and trained for an Ironman triathlon all while low-carbing. I love the low carb way of eating and think that it can definitely be part of an athlete's training plan.

While training on a low-carb diet has not gained favour with the mainstream or many old-school coaches and trainers, you will find more and more athletes out there eating less pasta and sugar, while eating more lean meats, great veggies, and other real food that will fuel your body without having the highs and lows of eating high carb diets. Whatever you choose to do, eat good food (low carb does not necessarily mean super high fat), and don't cut your calories (which is easy to do while low-carbing). Cutting calories too much while training is a surefire way to suffer from fatigue and lousy training sessions.

Having said that, I think everyone is different and you need to know what works for you. Michael Phelps is obviously doing okay with his high carb diet. :)  

Most trainers and doctors still subscribe to the old idea that carbs are best, but more and more athletes are changing their thinking on this. I can only speak to my own experience (which goes against traditional thinking) which is that when I trained while low-carbing I felt good, managed my weight easily, and never had sugar highs and lows. Other times when I was on a high carb diet I had a much harder time. The trick is to find what works best for you.

To answer your specific questions:

1/ What can you drink on your runs to replace sugary Powerade? I use a sugar free energy drink called Ultima. I love it, it replaces my electrolytes but doesn't give me any sugar highs. Other options include cutting your Powerade with water, or checking out some of the new products by Gatorade and Powerade that contain less sugar. Gatorade has one called G2 that has a lot less sugar than their traditional drinks.

2/ Is it normal to gain weight while training for a marathon? Not usually, but everyone is different. For my first marathon I lost a bunch of weight quickly and then gained a bit back (5-10 lbs) before the race.

Best of luck with your race!

Cheers -