The D word

1) When you are exercising your insulin is blunted. Meaning, that when you are exercising and you consume a high glycemic food, you do not get a strong insulin response and hence you do not get a sugar crash. Your body is very smart and it clearly understands that when you are exercising you want to use the food or drink you consume to fuel your muscles. If insulin kicked in, the food or fuel you consumed would not get to the working muscle.

Very interesting observations from Robert Kunz MS at the First Endurance site. Please take a read at the above linked article on the myths of carbohdryates and endurance. Fascinating stuff.

As many of you are aware, I am smack dab in the middle of another test, this time the relationship of low glycemic foods and high intensity multi-sport training. We are officially in Day 15, and the results to date are equally as interesting. We actually have been testing the CHO insulin factor with this protocol, even anticipating the effects on glycogen stores come race days. By this I mean testing convention. The thinking was this: If I train using LGI CHO (from vegetable sources) how will that effect my race day fuel? Further, can I achieve a healthy w/kg ratio on such a diet and "counter" with HGI simple CHO on race day when I need a higher octane mixture?

Sunday's TJ 31 1/2 Marathon provided some juicy data. I haven't had rice, potatoes, white bread, fries (of any size), processed cereals, soda or Peanut M&Ms since the start of the test. Training has remained constant and consistent, with the exception that we have added intensity to almost every workout, except recovery runs. On Sunday, I ate a huge breakfast (eggs, legumes, cantelope) five hours prior to race start. Two hours prior I had a bagel and continued hydration. I started popping Honey Stingers at mile 4, gulped some Gatorade and two more stingers at 8, and nursed her in. WITH THIS TO REPORT:

The last four miles were strong, smooth and efficient. I hit the line feeling great, taking almost nine minutes of my time from a year ago on the same course, and three off my time from 2006.

My weight is down ten pounds from a year ago, and I could noticeably feel the lightness in the last 5K. Power to weight ratio keeps improving with the HIT sessions so it appears that we are getting positive results from the LGI diet and HIT training regimen.

All of which leads me to believe that we got something here. After the race we celebrated with pizza, beer and mango pie (the most amazing thing since the invention of the pneumatic tire), so I am fairly confident that the test period will be extended through May as a result of my constant craving to balance good and bad.

I leave for the Sea Otter Classic tomorrow for four days on the road and you know how hard it is for me to stay out of Denny's when I travel. They're always open and always cheap. A deadly combination for this type of test.

I will do my best.

In the RCVman laboratory. Gatorade, Clifbar and Honey Stingers will get ya through an event. Denny's otoh.......