“I have worked too long in pro cycling to [not] know how incredibly important carbohydrate is for day-to-day performance. Every cyclist who has tried to move away from carbohydrate has failed miserably, quickly.”
I think that spells it out pretty good. Not if we can accept people have been willing to take epo, steroids and more they are looking for every edge they can and if avoiding carbs made them faster that would be well documented.
At the lower level you can always find someone that stands out that's following any eating pattern. I'm sure I've been beaten by vegetarians, carnivores and everyone in between it doesn't mean they are better.
I had already been planning to try carb loading more before my next half.
I agree with other comments. This was well written and so much truth. Ive tried lots of fad crap and in reality endurance is simple but not easy. Train lots easy, eat lots of good carbs and lower stress. Oh and train hard occasionally but not too hard. This approach has given me more improvement than anything else and my energy level outside of training is much better. Shooting for a 4:15 HIM soon and for once I believe I can get there.
This is some of your best writing - I love the way you can dig into the existing literature, translate it into digestible reading and then put your No BS spin on it.
Nice article! There are quite a few low carb "athletes" out there who realise it blunts performance, me included, but works for other reasons. As someone with T1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases, it allows me to exercise all day with no problems, something I never managed on high carb. There are also lots of high carb athletes with T1 who get on just fine!
Great, pragmatic writing here Matt. An approach based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. The approach of "real world" results, such as what works for elite athletes, should always supersede lab tests, which as you stated often come with multiple variables in the study set up.
In the Ultra world, David Roche was the first I was exposed to the ultra-high carb intake, performing well at 90+ grams per hour. My former coach, Zach Bitter was really the poster runner for HFLC, and he's been moving toward a higher carb diet for the last 8 months or so. Zach is a smart, experienced, elite runner who is going to use what works, not what "should" work in theory.
I have made the switch to high carb myself, but am finding you need to "train" your digestive processes to make it work. I had good success last year at race distances marathon and 50K, but still struggle with the 50 mile distance on a high carb routine. Digestive fatigue sets in around mile 38-40 (5-6 hours), and consistently for me, it's happened 3 times. It's hard to simulate that late stage in training, as I don't train past those distances.
“I have worked too long in pro cycling to [not] know how incredibly important carbohydrate is for day-to-day performance. Every cyclist who has tried to move away from carbohydrate has failed miserably, quickly.”
I think that spells it out pretty good. Not if we can accept people have been willing to take epo, steroids and more they are looking for every edge they can and if avoiding carbs made them faster that would be well documented.
At the lower level you can always find someone that stands out that's following any eating pattern. I'm sure I've been beaten by vegetarians, carnivores and everyone in between it doesn't mean they are better.
I had already been planning to try carb loading more before my next half.
good humor: listened to the voice version, which sounded even funnier.
I'm glad the levity came through.
I agree with other comments. This was well written and so much truth. Ive tried lots of fad crap and in reality endurance is simple but not easy. Train lots easy, eat lots of good carbs and lower stress. Oh and train hard occasionally but not too hard. This approach has given me more improvement than anything else and my energy level outside of training is much better. Shooting for a 4:15 HIM soon and for once I believe I can get there.
Sounds like you've found a winning formula. Let us know when you get that 4:15!
Thanks for diving into this! It's always great to hear an actual scientific approach :)
You're welcome, and thanks for reading it!
I appreciate the energy in this post, Matt. Thanks for 'FIsking' Noades.
Thanks, Tony!
This is some of your best writing - I love the way you can dig into the existing literature, translate it into digestible reading and then put your No BS spin on it.
Thanks, I put a little more time into this one. Lots of typos, though! 🤦♂️
Nice article! There are quite a few low carb "athletes" out there who realise it blunts performance, me included, but works for other reasons. As someone with T1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases, it allows me to exercise all day with no problems, something I never managed on high carb. There are also lots of high carb athletes with T1 who get on just fine!
Great point. Performance is one thing, health another. As an ME/CFS sufferer, I've had to make some adjustments as well.
Great, pragmatic writing here Matt. An approach based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. The approach of "real world" results, such as what works for elite athletes, should always supersede lab tests, which as you stated often come with multiple variables in the study set up.
In the Ultra world, David Roche was the first I was exposed to the ultra-high carb intake, performing well at 90+ grams per hour. My former coach, Zach Bitter was really the poster runner for HFLC, and he's been moving toward a higher carb diet for the last 8 months or so. Zach is a smart, experienced, elite runner who is going to use what works, not what "should" work in theory.
I have made the switch to high carb myself, but am finding you need to "train" your digestive processes to make it work. I had good success last year at race distances marathon and 50K, but still struggle with the 50 mile distance on a high carb routine. Digestive fatigue sets in around mile 38-40 (5-6 hours), and consistently for me, it's happened 3 times. It's hard to simulate that late stage in training, as I don't train past those distances.
I'll bet your legs are pretty sore too after 5-6 hours. There's no way to attempt these events without running face first into our various limiters.