Is Paleo A good marathon training diet?
I've been doing strength and conditioning training for the last 4 months whilst adopting the Paleo diet from the outset, this has yielded positive results and I'm very happy with how things have gone.
I will soon be starting to train for my first marathon (eek!) and when I do my training regime will alter dramatically.
Instead of doing weights 3 days a week I'll be running 3 days a week with a side helping of strength training at weekends.
Is the Paleo diet still a good choice for marathon training?
Update: My typical daily diet
Breakfast:
3 x Eggs
Optionally 2 x Bacon Rashers
Post Training Snack
Protein Shake w/whole milk
Lunch:
Large portion of Chicken
2-3 Portions of cooked vegetables
Optionally a flaked Salmon Fillet on the side if I've trained particularly hard in the morning
Dinner:
Pork Medallions
2-3 Portions of cooked vegetables
Optionally some Sweet Potato Mash
Protein Shake before bed
Thanks in advance
(3)3 Comments
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That's quite a fad. And you can't be sure that it's a good choice.
The fact is that the energy you lose is replenished by carbs.
Yes, there is a mechanism by which you can get energy from fat but it's not quite clear by which extent you can learn to use this pathway "fat -> enefgy" instead of "carbs -> energy".
However, while writing this answer, I have recollected a research relating to this topic.
Low carbohydrate, high fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers
I think that this sheds some light on the topic.
A takeaway: you can but your performance will decrease.
Quite weird, that despite the topic is hot, as I know, only this serious study has been conducted so far.
You'll need to pay attention to the amount of carbs you're eating; while the basic paleo prescription tends to run lower carb, you'll want to eat things like yams and sweet potatoes pretty frequently. I would recommend Loren Cordain's The Paleo Diet for Athletes as a good resource for more specifics.
The phrase that comes to mind is "earn your carbs". If you're training for a marathon you're certainly earning 'em. I'd add yams, potatoes, or fruit to every single meal you listed.
I'm not sure why you're relying on another protein shake before bed. Real food would be superior for the simple reason that supplements are meant to be, well, supplementary.
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