Heavy legs and no fuel in the tank . . .

I abandoned my 30 minute run today for the first time. I am a c25k graduate and all been ok to date but this week all three runs have been relentless with today's just being plain miserable so I quit which makes me more miserable . . . Only thing I can think is wrong is my low carb diet along with 5/2 fasting. I'm not running on fast days but just feel I am running on empty fuel-wise. Is this a thing of do I need to go back to running 20 mins and build up again? Can anyone suggest something to get me back on track?

[backintime Graduate]

Are you drinking enough water ?

The only other thing I can think of is not to run the day after a fast day,

I would have more trouble running on empty than running early in the morning on a fast day having eaten properly the day before...but that's just me. Maybe ask your GP for advice ?

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Eat more... you do need to have enough fuel in the tank to move forward... Still a fairly new Graduate and the running process is ongoing..C25K was just the beginning..You can run well on real food, healthy food , but food to fuel the runs.. loads of advice out there for ordinary running and longer runs.. too I fuelled my HM purely on my existing eating regime and real food.. no gels or sports drinks etc... ( Oh... one jelly baby and a bit of a jaffa cake..yuk)

bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide...

runnersworld.com/nutrition-...

womensrunning.com/2015/10/n...

[Hidden in reply to Oldfloss]

Great link, thank you, reminds me I can't just mess with my diet and still expect my legs to run! I need to approach my weight loss diet with running in mind.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

If you feel that it's your diet, fasting that's making you feel like what you are feeling like and abandoning runs I suggest that you abandon your diet, fasting and your low crab diet and get back to a more normal eating regime. Perhaps go see a professional nutritist for advice about what you can eat.

[Hidden in reply to AlMorr]

Running is not losing my excess weight, I need to find a weight loss diet that will still fuel the running which is a great all round health kick. . .

[backintime Graduate in reply to Hidden]

If you up your water intake you may eat less anyway, first thirst sometimes presents as hunger. So drinking can help stop the hunger pangs.

I am a relatively recent convert to drinking a lot of water. I drink 3 litres a day and it has made a big difference to my energy levels and I am eating less. The first 2 weeks were difficult but in the third week I started to feel much better. My skin is also better. (while not biologically accurate, I have this mental image of a washing up sponge that has dried out and how much more supple it is after adding water, lol)

[Hidden in reply to backintime]

Interesting concept especially as I do find drinking water helps on fast days so must be true to keep munchies at bay . . . Will increase my intake . . .

[Mozzington in reply to Hidden]

Have you tried intermittent fasting instead of 5:2?

[Hidden in reply to Mozzington]

How is intermittent fasting different from 5:2?

[Ozbeth in reply to Hidden]

Hello Jo, try Joe Wicks programme.. hiit sessions (for which you can swap for a run), and good, healthy food!

[Hidden in reply to Ozbeth]

Mmmm Joe Wicks!! Will have to Google the programme as not taken much interest in content before!!!

[Coolcookingteacher Graduate]

Overnight oats after your run?? 50g oats or bircher mix natural yogurt and fresh berries...prepare overnight...eat after your run with fresh juice might help??

[Hidden in reply to Coolcookingteacher]

Love overnight oats, thanks for reminding me . . .

[Ang33333 Graduate]

Low carb and running just doesn't work for me. My weight loss has been slower but I have energy to run.

[RunRunRun13 Graduate]

It sounds like you need more fuel for your running, I eat wholemeal pasta/rice/protein/eggs the night before a run otherwise I would feel too weak.

Plus you need lots of water - 3 to 4 litres daily if you can to keep heavy legs at bay.

Half a banana may help before you run to give you energy.

[Hidden]

Some very good points here, I think I am being a bit arrogant to think I can run even when I change everything around it and expect to be able to run as I have done . . .

[Hidden]

Thank you. Will definitely up the intake of squash. . . Especially now weather warmer

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Check this out...

healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

[Granspeed Graduate in reply to Hidden]

This bit from an old Runners World was interesting to me, about how much hydration is needed in warm weather. I didn’t know how easily dehydration can come on over several days:

“Your baseline fluid needs are about three to four pints per day. On top of that, you need to add your fluid losses from training and other activities. If you replace a little less fluid than you lose each day, after a few days you will run poorly, without obvious reason.”

And remember, we get fluid from food as well as drinks, so if you are fasting....

Good luck sorting it all out!👍

[Hidden]

Dehydration appears to be main culprit here, will step up the intake, I can't imagine at this point drinking so much but all evidence is pointing in this direction. Thanks for all support, will try run again tomorrow . . .

[mrrun Graduate]

No food fuel, no run. In terms of hydration, anything less than a few (at the very least) litres of water daily will leave you dehydrated. Your legs will feel heavy, head blurry, headaches a possible option. Running is demanding and your body needs a correct balance or you will simply shut down and stop mid run.

[Hidden in reply to mrrun]

Well this body certainly shut down this evening so I need to rethink my strategy . . . Thanks for the insight . . . Planning for better tomorrow . . .

[Hidden]

Hi Hidden I also follow a low carb-high fat lifestyle and only eat in an 8-hour window with no snacks between meals. The only time I experience heavy legs is when I've slipped up on the hydration front. I usually have a bottle of water on hand, and drink a little water at regular times throughout the day. If I don't drink enough, sure enough my legs feel heavy the next time I'm out running.

As for feeling running on empty, please make sure you're eating enough fat to feel satiated. Our bodies' primary source of energy is fat fuel. Glucose (sugar) is actually our secondary source of energy - although we've been told our entire lives that body energy comes from carbohydrates. You've got an ample amount of stored fuel in your fat cells—at least 20,000 kcals compared to around 2000 kcals of glycogen (stored sugar).*

Most of the time I run in a fasted state (+12 hours into the fast) in the morning, and as long as I've eaten well/slept well/drunk well, then I'm fine to run, tapping into my stored energy.

* ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/252... "Rethinking fat as a fuel for endurance exercise"

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Many thanks for your support, much foot for thought . . . I hate running in the morning which is probably equal to running on empty, evening is my best time but need to drink more throughout the day. . . . Seeing fat as fuel is worthy of more investigation as my current weight loss plan is not working! Cheers, Jo