You know how sometimes, things in life (events, experiences, people, books, thoughts, dreams) just sort of swirl around the top of your head, like a vortex of the all the answers to any question you may ever think of, but you just can't quite get to it? It is like that word on the tip of your tongue: its there, you know it is but you just have to quit thinking about it so you can get it.
Well, my ultra running nutrition has been like that for me.
Then in December I finally got around to reading the October issue of UltraRunning and low and behold, the vortex reached down and touched my brain. There was an article by Sunny Blende in which she writes about Metabolic Efficiency and how to eat and run to train your body to more efficiently burn FAT. The beauty of this idea is you don't have to focus as much on carbohydrates while running long (or short) which can really save your race if you end up with any sort of stomach or intestinal distress.
Now, I've been pretty lucky. My gut is either pretty hardy or I treat it right and we work well together. I don't usually bonk, unless I do something stupid like not eat enough (Pigtail's Challenge 2012). But still, I'm always looking for a little edge, a little way to improve myself as an athlete. And, to be honest, I've put on a few pounds since I started running ultras. And while I would like to think it is all muscle, unlike some disgraced former winner of a little bike ride in France, I must be honest with myself. I am not rock hard.
To make a long story short, I did some additional quick research about this idea and it makes sense to me. I know it has critics but with my limited knowledge of cells and human biochemistry and energy pathways PLUS what I have experienced with myself and that whole vortex of experience swirling above my head thing I had to give it a try.
I listened to this informative podcast on Trail Runner Nation with Sunny Blende and Tim Flemming. Ok, I listened to it like two or three times because I kept falling asleep. Admittedly I listened while in bed with the electric blanket set to high. But I digress.
I bought the book "Metabolic Efficiency Training" by Bob Seebohar and "Nutrition Periodization for Athletes" also by Bob Seebohar. Oh, and then I read them. Twice. Each.
Then I jumped in. Well, after Christmas I jumped in to metabolic efficiency training (MET) because John get me a heart rate monitor/GPS watch which is a handy tool to use to keep your training honest. Which I like to be honest, unlike some people in the professional biking world. Can you tell I'm a bit miffed about Lance? I digress again.
After more research and calculations I decided my heart rate should be no higher than 145 and hopefully closer to 135 for all of my runs for 2 solid weeks. For my diet I chose to ELIMINATE grains, most excess sugar (very hard to do) and alcohol for those weeks as well. I chose two weeks just as a starting point.
I found that my diet drastically improved. I ate WAY more veggies and fruits. I ate MORE fat and protein. I felt good. Running felt SLOW but it was. I wanted to run faster but I didn't. I tried to be honest.
After 1.5 weeks of this MET running and eating I ran the Bridle Trails 50k. Now, I'm not really fit for a 50k right now. This was a training run. I planned on doing my MET through the whole 6 long hours of it.
And guess what?
It worked!
A couple of days prior to the run I did add a slice or two of yummy bread to my diet. Maybe I even had some hot chocolate one night. The day of the race I did not "carbo load" with grains. I ate a piece of toast for breakfast, some cottage cheese, fresh salsa and an avocado for lunch and then I ran (it was an afternoon/evening race).
For the first 3 hours I ate NOTHING. No gel, no bars, no potatoes. I ran through the aid stations and I followed the beeps of the heart rate monitor.
For the second 1/2 of the run (3 hours) I did eat (not bonking was a big goal) but not much. In total I had 1 Larabar, 1 orange slice, 1 potato chunk, 1 handful of chips, 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of noodles. And never once did I feel like I needed it. I know I did but not so badly I could feel it.
In fact, when I got finished, I could have kept going. It was a beautiful night and there really was no need to stop.
I guess, I was amazed at all this. Now, perhaps I was/am pretty efficient already so maybe I am just fine tuning my diet. But so far it is going well. I will try it again at the Capitol Peak MegaFatass tomorrow and see how it goes, although I have been eating more grains this past week (recovery and another big run).
According to my at home scale, my weight and body fat percent have dropped but I'm not convinced that my scale is perfectly accurate for body fat and I only have two data points so far. However, running today I was able to keep a faster pace with a lower heart rate (which is also an affect of MET).
So, this is my experiment of one. It is not something I will do 365 if you know what I mean. But right now I am really appreciating how it is refocusing my eating onto real, fresh foods instead of processed grains and carbs.
If you have any questions I'd love to share my experience while we're out running!
How much fat, protein, carbs do you take when you are training? What about on race day? Do you take carbs on the actual run?
ReplyDeleteHey! I wish I could answer your question with specific numbers BUT I'm more of a go by feel kind of person. I will say this: After Badwater this year (2013) I realized I have had adrenal problems for a few years now. So, I have had to stop running (ouch) and revamp my diet. What I have learned, and what I will be experimenting with as I return to ultra running, is that I need to really limit my carbs, even when training and racing. I did do 30 miles pacing an injured runner in a 100 miler (i.e. we weren't running, more hiking) and I would eat 1/2 a larabar and then supplement that with a low carb food, such as chia seeds. I try not to, in training or living and when I start racing again, conusume more than 12 to 15 g of carbs at once.
DeleteWhen I did the MET I pretty much avoided the carbs entirely, and then didn't use sugar. My future plan is to focus on the fat and protein and low carb options (which are becoming more available in ready to eat runner food) for the health of my adrenals. I hope that answers your question!
Hey Heidi, thanks for the blog post! I am currently doing MET. I started with Maffetone in November but after 3 months of faithfully following it I was seeing little result. I think it was because of my diet (which was, the past 3 months, anything goes). So I've gone whole-hog with MET and have eliminated all grains most of the time.
ReplyDeleteMy question for you: What about fruit? I have recently been reading about low-carb endurance training, which labels most fruit as too high in carbs. They say you should keep your carbs under 50g/day. Now fruit is one way I get through the day with no grains (my breakfast is usually nothing but). So this would be hard for me.
So what kind of fruit have you been eating (or not eating)? Thanks!
Hey Eric!
DeleteI hope I can answer your questions and will certainly try. Have you read the book or listened to the podcast? Honestly, I can't remember what I did for fruit but I'm pretty sure I ate some and I KNOW I did whatever was recommended in the book (which I can't find right now) or whatever Sunny Blende talked about in the podcast. I would have to look that up to remember. I can say I avoided grains EXCEPT right before and after and a little bit during any long event. It wasn't something that I did (or do) all the time, but more what I tried in the "off" or "building" season, then gradually put some grains back in my diet. As I recall, you really have to focus your runs at a painfully slow pace. Needless to say, I ran alone a lot during the MET phase.
With that being said, in an attempt to get my adrenals healthy (still working on that one!) I have pretty much eliminated grains, sugar and alcohol from my diet and I feel a ton better. I have found that it is better for me to substitute veggies (rather than fruit) for grains. Instead of pasta I will have spinach or squash. Of course, I'm not afraid of a sweet or regular potato either. Little bit of coconut oil and, man, you got yourself a meal.
As I understand it now, fruit can be pretty tough on the body. yeah, it is good for you and all that but to eat it for bfast could be pretty hard on your energy levels throughout the day. At least it would be for me. I have gone to no fruit in the a.m., maybe some in the afternoon or for desert (cooked apples with some saigon cinnamon...yum). Instead I eat a chia seed "cereal". I just buy the bags of chia seeds at costco, put some with some water, heat it up, add some coconut oil, saigon cinnamon and sliced almonds. Virtually no carbs and my energy stays constant until lunch (with a protein/fat snack in the late a.m.). Of course, stay away from fruit juice, grapes are really high in sugar (I don't eat them at all anymore, but mostly b/c my adrenals can't handle them), bananas and pineapple (although I will have pineapple for desert sometimes b/c it is too good). Really, I'm finding I don't miss the fruit too much. I miss beer and cake more.
I don't know if this helps you or not, and it is just my experience with MET overlapped with my more recent experience of trying to get my adrenals healthy. Good Luck with your training and your MET!
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ReplyDeleteHi, Heidi - I was searching the 'net for other runners' experience with ME training and found your blog. I started ME training on March 1, 2014, and am at around Week 7. I remember Sunny's said to try to not eat anything for the first 2 hrs of running, and of course as some point you'll have to add in some carbs. I've been using almond butter, Babybel cheeses, a baggy of nuts/raisins, and have started using UCAN before my LRs and at about Hour 2.5 to 3 because I find myself consistently sliding downhill if I go any longer without taking in something. It's definitely an experiment of one and we have to figure out what works best for us, individually.
ReplyDeleteBeing a slow runner in the first place, having to slow down even more for the HR training has probably been the hardest part for me. On the upside, I've lost 7 pounds, my energy levels stay remarkably consistent throughout the day, and I haven't had any digestive issues on my LRs since I started all this. My goal is to get things nailed down as much as possible by the time I run Mt. Hood 50. It would be nice to not upchuck at the beginning of the second 25-mile loop this year!