Depleted

The last couple of runs have been very painful. At the same time, I saw my weight go below 143Lbs.

At 2 weeks of the marathon, it triggered all sort of alarms in my brain.

I could barely run 5 miles, how can I run 26 ?

Which could be awesome if it was for real. What happened is - almost certainly - I have not been eating enough to replenish my carbohydrates stores (i.e. Muscles and Liver).

Typically, it creates an overall tiredness, overall slowdown and running becomes painful, excruciating.

But it is doable.

Running with low carbs, is possible, It is called : "beating the wall". At that point, you are sustaining your effort mainly on fat, and overall your pace go down as your heart rate and perceived effort skyrocket.

You still need sugar to go though. For the brain, etc...

For most mortals, "the wall" slow you down or call you to walk, until you can grab some magic "gel" or sugary drink to keep slowly going. or DNF.

For athletes, hitting the wall can look like that.

Iron Man finish 97

Yesterday, I ate "only" 600 calories above my daily limit, and this morning I gained already more than 1Kg or 2 pounds (water joins the carbs in the muscles, which explain usually up and down on the weight curve).

Later today, hopefully, a small recovery run will prove me it was just that.

Starvation.

Hopefully.