You see, I have been doing something that I wouldn't have normally recommend to athletes: following mostly a Zone 1 by way of the FuelTarget which includes focusing on eating lean protein, healthy fats, fruits and veggies and significantly reducing intake of whole grains. In fact, when I first began this experiment, I did not eat any whole grains for two weeks! Now, it is minimal at best (2-3 times per week).
Anyway, I have been tracking my progress through energy intake during long bike rides and runs along with metabolic testing to quantify the experiment. I'm not ready to make any conclusions just yet but I will say that I have not bonked on any training session following this eating plan. And I have done long aerobic stuff, threshold repeats and raced at altitude (10,000+ feet). What I am finding is supporting my theory (more on that after my round of competitions this summer).
So today's run was a 26.5 mile run on the trail. Took my 4 hours and 42 minutes. Good efforts at times, aerobic the other.
Hourly nutrition totals for today's run were:
Calories: 55
Carbs: 7 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Fat: 2 grams
Sodium: 1023 milligrams
Water: 26 ounces
I continue to amaze myself that I can sustain myself on so little for so long. Metabolic efficiency. Enough said.
Stay tuned!
Coach Bob
coachbob@fuel4mance.com
