Carb Loading vs Fasting for Best Marathon Results

Ever wonder what diets are best for running marathons? It's tricky!
Some swear by keto diets, but aren't we meant to carb load before races?
This is the ultimate guide on optimizing your marathon performance through nutrition strategies! Uncover the debate between carb loading, fasting, and keto approaches for the best race results. The discussion delves into the complex relationship between nutrition, insulin, metabolic consequences, and chronic diseases. We'll explore the proposed benefits of intermittent fasting, its impact on runners, and the significance of recovery nutrition.
Discover the role of carbs and fats as fuel sources during different intensities of exercise. Sports dieticians weigh in on the importance of pre-run and recovery nutrition, shedding light on why fasting might not align with performance-focused goals.
The concept of metabolic flexibility takes center stage, with @drwilloconnor highlighting its significance in buffering energy loss during endurance runs.
Join us to unravel the complexities of nutrition and running performance, and subscribe to become a part of the Run Smarter Tribe! Don't miss out on crucial tips to maximize your marathon potential while ensuring a healthy approach to fueling your runs.
💥💥80% of Runners are Injured EVERY YEAR 😲 But it Doesn't Have to be You!
Avoid being a statistic & sign up for the FREE 5-Day Injury Prevention Challenge mailchi.mp/runsmarter.online/...
Resources:
Check out @drwilloconnor and his KZbin Channel
Paper 1: Time-restricted Eating for the Prevention and Management of Metabolic Diseases pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34550...
Paper 2: Chronic carbohydrate restriction does not reduce endurance capacity in men and women www.jsc-journal.com/index.php...
00:00 Intro
00:12 The Diet Dilemma
00:40 What Happens When Eating Carbs
01:20 Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation
02:03 Intermittent Fasting for Health
02:50 Fasting for the Athletic Population
03:20 Two Fuel Systems for Running
04:00 Importance of Carbohydrates
04:45 Generic Diet Advice
05:20 Red Flags when Fasting
05:38 High-Intensity Exercise with Carbs
06:20 Training Your Body to Burn Fats
07:40 Running When Fasting
08:20 Improving Metabolic Flexibility
08:40 Individual Responses to Different Diets
09:20 The Best Diet Approach for You
10:44 Carb Loading for Marathons
11:20 Become a Run Smarter Scholar
12:08 How Pro Runners Carb Load
13:00 Carb Loading Recommendations
13:40 Problems with Fueling & Running

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

💥💥80% of Runners are Injured EVERY YEAR 😲 But it Doesn't Have to be You! Avoid being a statistic & sign up for the FREE 5-Day Injury Prevention Challenge mailchi.mp/runsmarter.online/5-day-challenge

[@English.runner.en.Espana]

Less than a 1000 views…. This channel will blow up one of these days! Keep up the graft Brodie!

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Thanks Ben. I appreciate the encouragement! Loving the process none the less.

[@ultramightyd]

Thanks Brodie! Excellent content as always!

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

You’re welcome! 😇

[@igloozoo3771]

It also depends if your body is efficient at processing carbs. I actually run on butter and heavy cream in the morning and leave my protein and carbs at night.

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Sounds delicious 🤤 haha

[@GuoGuangChiou]

Great topic and I have never thought of fasting for training, which I can try to see how my body reacts to different carb levels

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Glad you enjoyed! Looking forward to hearing about your results

[@raginald7mars408]

… as a German Biologist - An Amateur Runner and Endurance Trainer It is always the MIND Mental Composition and ARETE That determines what I do And never be any ambitions ever I encourage all other runners to enjoy it… Keeping some from giving up… Creating Memories And Friends

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

This has to be one of my favourite comments 🥰 thanks Raginald, well said

[@geoffb2900]

In addition to continuing discussions with Meaghann Featherstun, you may want to reach out to Matt Fitzgerald, if you have not already done so. His book, "The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition," provides fact-based nutrition information for training, racing, and recovery and has become my "go-to" reference on this subject.

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Thanks Geoff, very useful! I have interviewed Matt a while back but might need to get him back on the podcast! Appreciate your add to the topic 👏

[@omfgbbqlol]

Let’s goooooooo! Finally new upload 🎉

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Sorry mate, a lot longer than expected. Took ages to edit this bad boy 😅

[@Jimdaewong16]

Great advice about running based on your personal relationship with carbs. I ran a half marathon PB of 1:46 during training at the end of an 16 hour fast and felt great. I’m 52 and a relatively new runner, but I know I can run totally fasted as long as I don’t drink coffee. I’m not sure if the caffeine blocks the body’s ability to access fat as energy, but something goes wrong.

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Glad you enjoyed Jim, thanks for sharing your experience. Seems like you have tested a few different ways

[@bev9708]

Gosh Brodie for us RSSs who devour your podcast episodes, we desperately needed this!! Thank you so much!! I kinda avoid carbs during training and relatively lightly carb load before marathons and ultras compared to most. PLUS I’ve never yet used any gels nor sports performance nor recovery drinks either, You can imagine I think what ALL other runners tell me!! I do consume lots of bananas before and during marathons and sometimes I make my own energy balls with blended up dates, almonds, honey and Himalayan pink salt! My next marathon is only 3 weeks away too!! THANKS so much for this!!

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Glad your enjoyed and thanks for sharing. Good luck with your marathon and I hope the taper goes well. Let me know how you go 👏 🥳

[@bev9708]

@@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe THANKS Brodie, but this one is only a training marathon, a way to get in a really good long run AND start off the year with a bang! My big goal is a big 50k trail ultra start of April. Hey Brodie, I’m only 31km off my big 6000km for this year 😆😃😁… totally injury free!!!🎉💃🏻🎊

[@sheldon59]

Great video, new subscriber here!

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

And a new scholar 😅😅 I am glad you found it useful

[@SalTorres]

Thank you

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

You’re welcome 😇

[@Hotshotzwifting]

Hi Brodie , interesting video 👍 . I am a keen cyclist and I have always been carb driven . I have never really lost any weight whilst doing my cycling training with carbs . So I decided to fast and start a low carb diet . I lost 10 kgs in 9 months and felt a lot fitter . I would do fasted zwift workouts about twice a week and felt great after them . Unfortunately over Christmas and January the carb amounts went back up and 3 kgs back on . I am back to fasting now and watching this video has made loads of sense ( too me ) . I have always thought the more carbs I eat/drink puts the weight on me . I definitely feel I am a middle to the right of your ‘ carb bar ‘ . I have had years of arthritis/cartilage problems with my knees ( gave up running due to this ) but I have just got back into running. I am starting the couch to 5k program as I feel my knees aren’t getting worse but also not better . I have had 2 osteotomies plus various cartilage ops over the years , aged 59 and I want to be moving as much as possible. Any tips on preventing pain in the knees would be great .👍

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Glad you found the video helpful! Fluctuations in exercise has never shifted my weight, only when I change how I eat so we are similar there. Good luck with your 5k journey and the other videos on my channel will definitely help you along.

[@drewhunter5277]

Thanks!

[@drewhunter5277]

Another great Golden Resource from the BrodieVerse! Many Thanks!

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Haha thanks Drew 🥰🥰

[@toddboucher3302]

For me, I guess what is mattered and I probably follow the OFM mostly Zack bitter kind of format and during the week I’m more or less carnivore and that is really helped my mental health I mean day and night and I long run or races. I’ll use carbs but I find out I’m using them at about Half or less than I used to and it’s my digestion issues I used to have her all gone for for me. This is that really help me. It’s a lot of healing before I always think that all these gels and drinks can’t be good for me and they were not for other people I know they’re fine, I tried to be a vegan ones and they all that plants gave me a lot of gut issues so even though we’re all the same humans I guess we’re all a little different but for me this is really really worked and if you have mental health issues like I had and if you had a lot of digestion issuessome thanks I would say give it a shot give a keto kind of thing a shot and it really helped my life So in the end Monday through Friday, say this is my average day. I have my last meal probably 7 o’clock the night before I go to work about lunchtime I go for a run easy run hard run fast run whatever I go for about an hour run and then I come back and I eat again so I’m usually eating two meals a day And that satisfies me but it actually helped me to burn in my fat and it’s really working so that’s my daily routine like I said on weekends I probably start a long run fast and then I’m adding stuff to it about halfway through and if I feel little bit more rundown if I’m going 3+ hoursI’ll have some carbs so kind of something on the way back home that

[@bev9708]

Quick question please Brodie, my next marathon is 9 days away! The head coach at my running club insists that I need to carb load for a minimum of 2 weeks else it's a total waste of time ... any thoughts on that please?? Btw I'm vegetarian (I eat eggs and dairy), I do try to train to burn fat and I never use gels nor energy drinks either !

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

Ohh!! That’s exciting! Wow I’ve never heard of anyone carb loading that long before. 3-4 days seems to be the max from the runners and dieticians I have spoken to. I am not a dietician though so it’s hard to provide you with concrete advice. Good luck with your race!

[@bev9708]

@@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe Exactly my own thought!!🤷🏻‍♀ THANKS!! Yep I'm really starting 2024 off on the right "foot"!!😆😁 🎉🥂 HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and the fam Brodie!!🥂🎉

[@RC-qf3mp]

Your scale of carbs, some carbs, no carbs is absurd for a number of reasons. 1) there’s only two logical distinctions, carbs or no carbs. “Carbs” and “some carbs” are the same, just difference in degree. 2) you could do a scale with ANYTHING like this. Cocaine, some cocaine, no cocaine. Start off with no cocaine and see how you run and then add more until you get your optimal amount. Or, start with lots of cocaine and run and see how you do and then go lower as you see fit. Duh. C’mon man. Wait a waste of time.

[@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

I appreciate that. Comments like this help me keep on my toes for creating future videos. I totally agree with you in hindsight