question about running

Hello I am training for a half marathon in January and yesterday I ran 8 miles and did fine however about an hour after I ran I got very nauseated. I had to lie down for about an hour then it passed. I had a protein bar for breakfast after two cups of lite coffee, for lunch I had hamburger steak then I ran at 3PM. After my run I drank water and 10 oz of isopure. I usually run 4-5 miles three times a week and I am training for a dualthon and I run and spin twice a week and I have never encountered this problem. Any suggestions what to do and what to eat before and after a long run.

Hello there! I'm a runner too and I'm also training for a half marathon next year!  It's nice to finally find someone that shares the same goal!!!  I recently ran a 10K race and it was awesome!!! I can't eat a lot of protein before I run because my blood sugar will dip REALLY low and I'll get dizzy and nauseated while I'm running.  Before I run, I usually eat a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter on it and I usually eat it about 2 hours before I run. Afterwards I try to eat a banana with more peanut butter, or a protein bar that has a small amount of protein in it.  If I over-do it on the protein near my exercise time, I get really woozy.  I notice I feel much better if I have carbs though.  I just try and get more protein in other times during the day.  But I do eat more carbs to help fuel my body for the heavy exercise I do. I hope you get some more responses to this post because I'd love to see what everyone else eats before/after their run! Deanna

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try a few more carbs but I hate to get addicted to carbs again.

Way to go on your half goal.  You may find that finishing is one of the best moments of your life.  I would honestly put my first marathon finish up with a college graduation or marriage.  Probably because of where I (we) came from. Anyway, there are two things that are necessary to run long distances.  Water and carbohydrates.  Are you water loading in the days leading up to the long run?  That may help.  You may also need to bring a drink along with you on the run.  4-5 miles is easy to get by without extra water and a carbs but the longer runs need more.  I may also make sure that I have some carbs the days before the run.  I will also bring a power gel or a clif shot to give a carb boost if needed.   I am not sure if this will help with your problem but good luck.  You can check out my marathon blog in my signature line if you would like.

I am so impressed with your running. I wanted to do the Disney marathon but it was full and I am on a budget because I am in school full time to get my masters in nurse practitioner. I bought some power gel that you recommended and I will try it this week because I have a dualathon in two weeks.

Hello, I am glad that you asked this question because this problem is quite common for a couple of reasons (and the answers you have received so far are great). This is most certainly caused by a drop in blood glucose so you need to focus on keeping your blood glucose stable during/after exercise: - due to the caloric restrictive aspects of weight loss surgery, nutrient timing becomes extremely important if you are going to be competing in an athletic event. - many individuals stay away from carbohydrates post op and rather focus on protein.....this will dramatically decrease exercise/sport performance as carbohydrate or muscular stores of glycogen are the bodies preferred source of energy. This is not to say that protein shouldn't remain a focus, but complex carbohydrates becomes more vital. - depending on what surgical procedure you have, may determine how much or what type of feeding you can use during extended exercise. If you have had Lap-Band or Duodenal Switch, consuming gatorade, the gels or other high glycemic index carbohydrate food replacements is ok. If you have had RNY, dumping syndrome may limit what you can consume. When going on long runs I would certainly keep in mind what the others have told you so far....stay hydrated, eat plenty of complex carbohydrates the day before and eat a complex carbohydrate rich meal a couple of hours prior to running. I would also ad an additional, smaller meal (also ri*****omplex carbohydrates) about 60 minutes prior to your run as long as it does not upset your stomach. Any fairly intense exercise session that lasts longer than 60 minutes, will require carbohydrate feeding to maintain exercise intensity. Muscle glycogen becomes depleted and your body, will become more reliant on body fat and protein to meet its energy needs (this is bad). You want your body to use carbohydrate because energy from carbohydrate can be generated far more rapidly. This is where you surgical type may limit and/or make things more complicated (You have not told us your surgical type so maybe you can back to me on that one). If you have had RNY and you experience dumping syndrome fairly easily it may take a little experimentation. Perhaps you dump on Gatorade but some of the gels you can tolerate. I would suggest experimenting prior to running and not during . Post exercise feeding is also important. Again due to the caloric restrictive aspects of WLS in combination with frequent intense or long durations of exercise you need to eat on a regular basis period. One of your biggest problems will actually be getting enough calories to meet your energy demands. Replenishing glycogen after exercise is crucial. If you do not restore muscle glycogen (and liver) adequately prior to your next exercise session, your performance will suffer. Hope this helps and let me know if you need an

UR right on target again, Jeremy. Thanks. I used to bonk (empty glycogen stores) when I first started cycling post WLS. It took me a long time to figure out exactly how my body would react to the various types of cycling (i.e. shorter intense interval stuff vs. 100 mile endurance stuff).

It's amazing the difference in how I feel (and perform)when I eat perfectly leading up to a big ride vs. when I slip up like when I ate a big honkin' chorizo burrito a couple days prior to a day of climbling on the bike.  Cool stuff. 

 

I love cycling too. I did a 50 mile ride in my town and I am doing a duathlon in two weeks which has 2 mile run, 12 mile bike and 2 mile run. Cycling is great. Thanks for your suggestions I just hate to go back to carbs and get addicted and gain weight. I will about three times a week eat a low carb whole wheat wrap with chicken or tuna and its great.

I understand that you may "hate to go back to carbs and get addicted and gain weight," but that is a little troubling. First, it has been shown over and over again that carbohydrate will not cause weight gain anymore than any other nutrient you consume as long as it is the "right" type of carbohydrate. High fiber, complex carbohydrates are the way to go....i can assure you that all carbohydrates are not created equal. Additionally, if you are feeling faint after long runs you have a couple of choices....1) increase your carbohydrate intake or 2) decrease the duration and/or intensity of your exercise. Increasing protein intake is going to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for this! You need adequate carbohydrate to perform exercise like you are wanting to perform. You are setting yourself up for trouble if you don't. I can assure you that having a hypoglycemic index causing you to faint or become sick is not going to make you want to exercise. Become educated in the types of carbohydrate you need to consume for this type of exercise. This includes the myths and facts about carbohydrate as there are many out there.

Funny story in my education regarding nutrition and exercise. Like I said, I was bonking on long rides (75+ mile) on a regular basis so I figured I needed to eat more while on the bike. So, I went out and bought a couple of boxes of protein bars and would eat one every couple of hours.  Needless to say, the bonking continued until I ran into a cross-country cyclist who politely explained to me what you said --- Protein does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for this! I thanked the man then immediately when into a grocery store and got some fruit, a bagel and some almonds (a little fat helps the carbs process more effeciently I've learned). I drank a bunch of water, waited an hour then got on my bike and magically, my energy was restored. For the first time, I kicked ass for the last half of a long distance ride.    What a lesson. After that, I read as much as I could on the science of nutrition and exercise. What I've found is a lot of people feel they need to "carb up" or "load" prior to any form of exercise including walking or "fat burning" stage stuff. All they're doing is ingesting unneccesary calories.  Correct me if I'm wrong but  we only need to do this if we go either aerobic or anarobic for 3 hours or more in our exercise (i.e.maximum heart rate >80%) . In other words, a lot of the energy products being touted (gels, drinks, bars,etc.) are not necessary for our hour-long workout in the gym or for that matter a 4 hour leisurely jaunt on the bike.   Also, so many people are eating energy bars thinking they're health food when in fact, most are nothing more than glorified candy bars.