Running problems

#1

Hey everyone, new here. I’ve been eating keto for 6 weeks now. I went on a run today (8k) and my endurance is completely tanked. I felt sick and nauseous. I had a bunch of electrolytes before my run and a small package of almond butter during - which made my stomach knot up in pain. I ate is as I was so nauseous. Will this pass? I previously could run an hour non stop and now I can barely do 10 mins. I want to start training for a 1/2 marathon but that’s a far off goal if I can barely run. Thoughts? Advice? Hope for me?

Running links
(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

You are probably not fat-adapted yet, and you can expect difficulties until you are. This is normal and will pass, as your body gets better at mobilizing its fat reserves. Check out The Art and Science of Low-Carbohydrate Living, by Phinney and Volek, or the most recent book by Tim Noakes for an understanding of how it works. It will take a little while, but you will probably find your performance quite enhanced once you’re fat-adapted.

(Edith) #3

I don’t know your age but I believe it takes longer to get fat adapted the older one is. I am 51. It took me almost 8 weeks for the muscles to stop feeling like lead when I exercised and then there was steady improvement over time. It was not an instant, “Wow! I can go for hours!”

I know it’s frustrating, though. It does get better. Just keep up your electrolytes. That helps.

Edith

(Allan L) #4

I battled with just walking my first month on keto but as the cells slowly adapted to ketones this problem gradually went away.

#5

I’m 40 so that may be part of it! I’m glad it finally settles. I’ve been really successful with weight loss and I want to continue but it was making me second guess if it was worth it if I couldn’t do the activities that I love.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #6

I hear you! Just bear in mind that you’re going through a phase that you’ll be out of soon. You’ve disrupted all your body’s mechanisms (in a good way), and it just needs time to get its feet back under it (so to speak). :grin:

Have you heard of the doctor, nutrition researcher, and runner, Tim Noakes? He’s still running ultra-marathons in his seventies, and he’s been ketotic for years at this point. His times are pretty good, too, especially for a guy his age. Dr. Stephen Phinney, a researcher who’s been ketoing for two decades, still skis, and he’s not much younger than Dr. Noakes. Phinney’s research partner, Dr. Jeff Volek, is a competitive weight lifter, I read somewhere. I figure that these guys have it figured out, if anyone has!

(Tim W) #7

Keto runner here, background is… I’ve been eating keto most of 2017 (A few cheat days with beer here and there…) and I’ve trained for and ran a marathon and 50K using IF, keto etc. I am 43 and have been running 20 miles a week or so for many years.

To answer your questions:

  1. Yes, this will pass. It will get easier although the start of your runs will be more difficult, I’ve experienced this myself and it’s been stated by others in podcasts about keto athletics. Seems to have something to do with the energy cycle taking longer to “get going”.
  2. Why did you eat something on an 8K? If you are well fed then, I’m sorry but eating something to get through an 8K is kind of overkill. Unless you have a condition of some kind, you can probably make it with out anything other than water depending on temps. If it’s cool enough I enjoy running up to 4 hours with zero water/intake of any kind.

Advice:

  1. Good job having the electrolytes before the run but here’s a tip, have some sodium 30 minutes prior to exercise and start warming up 10 minutes before your run, I know it’s a pain, especially if it’s only a 3-5 mile run but, it will make the start of the run MUCH easier. Example, have your sodium at +30 minutes, then at +10 minutes do 10 pushups, 10 jumping jacks, 10 air squats and such, just get the blood flowing and move around. I don’t do this myself, I just start running and expect my first mile to SUCK, it will be slow and feel like it’s taking 150% effort to run a really crappy mile. For me, 20-30 minutes into the run I start to feel good and get my mojo, your results will vary.

So, give that a try and see how it works out for you. The more you “push the envelope” the quicker you will get fat adapted as your body is forced to turn to fat stores to power your exercise efforts. From what I’ve read and listened to, the “slow start on keto” won’t go away, that’s why endurance is great when keto, and explosive power events (think track and field long jumps/cross-fit stuff etc) not so great, those type of athletes are often advised to add a few carbs to get through the initial energy needs and then the fat will kick in, that’s not needed for endurance if you either warm up longer before or just get used to it.

Good luck, of course there is hope for you if you have the drive. You’l finish your 1/2 and never look back. Someday you’ll run 13 miles as a training run, and laugh at it.

#8

Thank you all so much for your advise and experiences! I will try and have patience as I move through these next few weeks.

(Tracey A) #9

Gah! Thank you for this. I started in the new year and have been religiously keto for 2.5 months. I used to love running and it has been, well, unfun, since starting keto, but I’m pushing through and waiting for things to improve. I was terribly discouraged yesterday on a short run, but after reading your post, I’m encouraged again. Thank you!

#10

As above, it definitely gets easier. At 6 weeks in your body is probably fine turning fat into energy doing your daily life/job activities, but it needs to get used to turning fat into energy at the higher rates it needs to support exercise.

For me it took about 6-8 weeks, I just tried to run easy and keep my heart rate down to under 140, and gradually my times came back to my pre-keto times. Once adapted it’s great, I did a fasted half marathon and set a PB - it was incredibly liberating to to it without gels and just a few cups of water.

Stick with it :slight_smile:

#12

Great news to report- I am well into my training for my half marathon now. I am up to 8-9km runs and I do them fasted mostly and I am back to my pre-keto times. My energy feels different, hard to explain but I am able to run with energy again :grinning:

(Stacy) #13

Haha just noticed your original post is from October. Oops!

Took me 7 weeks to be fat adapted. My attempts before seven weeks were horrendous. Since then I can bang out an 8k fasted with no need to refuel. I’m running faster and stronger than I ever have before. Fingers crossed you get there soon!

(Tim W) #14

You are welcome!

It will come, I promise!

I paced the 5 hour group in a marathon this past weekend, I ate the day before and not at all the day of the marathon, I hate a salt cap (you can get them from amazon) every 30 minutes or so, even though I didn’t “feel” like I needed them. It was a nice run at a much slower pace than I normally run but I wasn’t hungry, wasn’t tired, wasn’t worn out afterwards.

My co-pacer (who is very small in size) ate a large breakfast, several gels before the 1/2 point, then stopped and “cleared his bowels” and, because he was hungry, ate something every time it was offered (an orange slice, 1/2 a banana, several more goos)…

I was able to run past the aid stations and just enjoy running, no issues with energy/hunger/pace…

Bottom line, running on keto (or even fasted for several days) has MANY advantages, you just have to put in the time and the miles and get past the adapted point and run through the “this sucks, I have no energy” point.

It will come, trust me, it will come.

On another note, you might want to try the MAF method (search the forums, @ianrobo discusses it often) during this time. Since you are running slower than usual, layer the MAF protocol on top of your run and let it be your guide rather than pace times, might be a win/win/win/win (not sure what the four wins are for but hey, we are all winners!)

Cheers!

Tim

(Tim W) #15

Good on ya! Did any of the stations feature plasma?

(Tim W) #16

Sodium 30 minutes prior! And… maybe… a cup of coffee to help overcome the initial drag. Long/slow warm-ups help as well. For example, I’ll walk on the treadmill at home for 15 minutes, get nice and warm, and then go run, it helps. For long runs, I just start the first mile at about 60% pace, knowing I’ll pick up after that.

Good luck!

(Kel) #17

I’m so glad I found this thread! Running has been a complete disaster for me, but I’m only starting my 3rd week on the diet. I only jogged 3 miles today, but still got sick after my run. Guess I will stick to walking on the treadmill for the next few weeks and then try it again. When you started running on keto, did you just jump in to your long run or did you start over at a lower mile total?

(Casey Crisler) #18

I’m going to try the pre-run sodium idea myself. Starting out is brutal for me. I have a 4 mile run on Sunday and need all the help I can get.