Has anyone noticed a difference in their running stress recovery cycle when burning fat rather than carbs? I am convinced I am recovering quicker now on fat than when I was burning carbs, but this could be much more to do with my weight loss than fuel.
Any other experience out there?
Cheers
Alec (avoiding acronym wastage Aimee! 
)
This has been my experience. I’ve added a Saturday or Sunday 8 mile jog, now that it doesn’t kill the rest of my day, as it used to. It does help to have a shot of salt before my run.
Very understandable. The Type 1 muscle fibers used in running utilize fatty acids and ketones very efficiently, and recently there are more and more assertions out there that it’s actually preferentially.
So maybe this is the mechanism: I think when we burn carbs it is a “dirty” burn, and leaves some junk around?
Kinda, sorta. It does appear to be why Type 1 fibers continue to operate after glycogen has been depleted, the “Runner’s High”. Contrast this to Type 2 exercises like Resistance Training when, depending upon level of stimulus, the fibers fairly quickly are exhausted once they reach the Lactic Acid threshold. Once that is reached, if stimulus continues, you experience the limited cellular disruption that initiates the cascade of biochemical processes necessary for repair, growth, and recruitment of new fibers. That doesn’t really apply as much for Type 1 fibers, and is why thy the majority of muscular growth through resistance training is Type 2 fibers. That’s why, if Resistance Training, hitting the Lactic Acid threshold (The Burn) is so important, to stimulate repair and growth. No stimulus, no results.
I’ve been able to sprint and I feel the old leg pain go away! This has surprised me as I have lived sedentary for too many years.