For years I’ve had this agonizing stomach pain that was just as annoying from the pain perspective as was from the brain. It just makes its way into my body whenever it feels like with no true way to relieve it. None of my doctors seemed to have an answer for it, despite multiple tests taken and thousands of dollars spent. I’ve been to the ER for it, I’ve had to quit or put-off working out because of it and I’ve had to spend many nights hurled over in bed from the pain. I finally went to a Gastroenterologist, who seems to think my body doesn’t process carbs, garlic, tomatoes or anything acidic at a normal pace. So, the chubbarita (thanks Emily) in me instantly died a little inside when he told me I needed to give these up (or at least restrict them… basically the same thing to anyone who loves food, amiright?!). But actually, the first whine out of my mouth was, “BUT I’M A RUNNER!!” Despite the fact that many of my reactions are, this is not an exaggerated claim.
This was about a month and a half ago – I’ve gone about 75% carb-free and still get the stomach pain, but not nearly as often as I used to. Now that I plan to up my running mileage though, I predict another obstacle to add alongside insult and injury. What am I going to do when I need to run in the double digits and I can’t have my wheat toast with peanut butter and bananas (also another item he added to the ‘give up’ list… I know, I … I KNOW). The doctor’s response was to focus on protein intake, but I still find myself very lethargic when working out. What’s most upsetting is that it puts a dent in all of my nailed down race/training routines. But I guess it’s good to throw complacency out the window… or something.
I thought I’d put a call out to all my readers for their advice on this one. Does carb-intake affect your running routine? What do you do in lieu of? This blog was meant to make people feel like they are not alone, myself included, so lemme hear ya!
(PS; also on the list of can’t-haves: hot lemon water, ibuprofen/advil, gum or mints. So, sorry in advance if my skin isn’t glowing, I’m in a lot of uncontrollable pain and my breath smells.)
Sara and Her Soles 
Focus on fat!! I have eaten a cleaner diet for a long time and normally my only carbs come from veggies and some fruit, but I was worried this might have to change as I up my mileage and start marathon training. My mom is a holistic nutritionist so I always work with her when it comes to my diet and she suggested I stay off the grains because that’s truly how my body runs best (seriously, I feel SO much better). Instead, she suggested i realllly up my fat intake. I know this is not something most people are used to hearing especially with the U.S. (are you in the US?) being OBSESSED with low fat diets. But avocados, grass fed butter/grass fed meats/ nut butters are all tremendous sources of fat that give you great energy–if you research the ketogenic diet you can learn more. It’s actually a really optimal way to burn fat because when you exercise you use energy from your fat stores instead of carbohydrates. Good luck!
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Thank you! YES, I’ve been trying to convert to Keto but haven’t been able to consistently maintain. The weeks where I do, I’m nowhere near as hungry but I wasn’t sure how it was going to affect my long distance runs. Thanks for the advice!
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