Back in November when I did my first Whole30, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. More food prep? Sure. Good mood? Definitely! Running totally sucking? Not so much.
That first weekend after starting the last Whole30, I went running with a few friends at a local trail. I was planning on running about 6 miles that day, and started with a guy who was doing a 10:00/mile pace or so, which is typically not hard for me. By Mile 3, my legs felt dead, and I could barely talk with this poor guy who I was running with because I was SO out of breath. The second week of my Whole30, I did a 10k with my sister, again, at a pace that wouldn't normally give me second thought. However, once again - Mile 4.5 this time? Death. Dead legs. Ugh!
That's when I started doing my research. I found the Whole30 forums, and checked out the Whole30 for Athletes section. It turned out there were plenty of others who were like me, struggling. What I found out is that as your body adapts to the dietary differences, especially when it's a relatively big change from the previous diet (like it was for me), so that fat is burned in the body as the primary fuel vs. carbohydrates. (I'm sure this is an incredibly simplistic way to describe what happens, but that's what I understand). So basically, you're messing with the fuel for your workouts - of course things are going to change!
Basically, for that reason, I wasn't going to do another Whole30 or try Paleo at all. Running sucked. Then after the Whole30 was done, and I pretty quickly went back to eating all sorts of non-Paleo foods, it was easier.
The thing is, though, as I've mentioned, I like the idea of sticking with Paleo. The more I learn about it, the more I feel like I want to keep at it. So... what about the running?
First of all, I feel like last time, I didn't give myself nearly enough time for my body to get used to it. 30 days is not a ton of time for the body to get used to something totally new like that! This time, I'm giving it a much longer commitment... I'm not sure completely what yet, and I'll have to go with how I'm feeling, of course. But, longer. It's happening.
Second, I'm making some changes with what foods I'm including in my diet. The biggest change is that I've made an effort to include some more starchy veggies, basically with every meal. I've been eating LOTS of sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, beets, and more.
Third, I'm eating a little more as I run. That was a suggestion given to me last time when I was having a super struggle with workouts, and it's been pretty helpful. I've been doing half a Larabar (sometimes just a few bites suffices) on normal runs, and I've seen suggestions to do those puree packs that contain sweet potato and fruit on a helpful Whole30 Forum Thread. So I'll definitely be considering those as I train for my next half!
The thing is, a lot of people do say that they've had great results while doing a Paleo or mostly Paleo diet and running - feeling generally fitter and faster. I guess time will tell if it's the right thing for me!
And as for now? Heading into Week 2 of this Whole30, I think the addition of more starchy veggies has helped my runs. I did 3 miles yesterday and 6 today, both somewhat slower than my typical pace but like, okay. Not a total slog. Not completely out of breath by mile 4. Okay.
This time too, I'm not setting any lofty goals. I'm still doing a lot of cross-training (body pump, Insanity, other cardio, yoga) and not doing any races this month or next. I'm also not concerning myself with pace at all this month, just keeping it up and getting some miles on my legs. I think that will make it easier than last time, when I was like, okay, Whole30, I'm eating great, so my running will also be awesomelysuperfast, right? (Not how it works.)
So we'll see! You never know until you try!
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