Running on White Rice

I seem to be really struggling to get the right balance of nutrients this week. I’m either getting too many carbohydrates or too much fat, but never enough protein. Which isn’t good as this is the middle training week of my three weeks ‘on’ and tends to be the hardest as running mileage and number of reps in the gym increase. I also seem to be a bit low on vegetables, which in turn means I’m low on fibre most days. I need to remember to order some edamame with my sushi!

Part of the problem yesterday was that once again I ended up having rice as my carbohydrate twice in one day, in the sushi I had for lunch, then again in the risotto I had for dinner. Though the simple carbohydrates at lunch could explain why my run went so well. Despite yesterday’s run being longer, I found it much easier than my last run on Saturday, and that was on a soft treadmill in a warm gym, not pounding the pavements in the cold. Not only did I feel I could have gone longer but I had no problem keeping my heartrate below 80% of max, even when I was unconsciously picking up the pace. Of course this means I was burning fewer calories but it probably also means I’m getting fitter. I already knew that a high carbohydrate diet improves running performance by making sure there is ample glycogen in the muscles, which they can then use for energy. I had just never really witnessed such a clear demonstration in my own performance before. The problem is I don’t want my muscles using glycogen at these low speeds and effort levels, I want them to use fat, preferably my body fat.

So for that to happen I need to get the percentage of calories I get from fat back up around 30% and cut back on the carbohydrates, especially simple ones like white rice. I could also do with more protein and fibre, so I feel a few lentil or bean based meals coming on!  

The Score:

Calories:	Protein:	Carbs:	Fat:	Alcohol:	Fibre:
1969.53	94.46g	268.21g	49.31g	14.30g	20.42g
	19%	54%	22%	5%
Calories burned through exercise:		464

What I ate:

Time	Item	Amount
08:15	Vitamins - Centrum Advance A to Zinc, 400iu of Vitamin E, 1000iu Vitamin D3 and 500mg Glucosamine sulphate	1 each
	Cold water	500mL
	Whole Scrambled egg with 2 egg whites	3 eggs
	Genius brown bread toast	2 slices
	with Flora Light	7g
	with St Dalfour Four fruits jam	40g
	Sainsbury's pressed apple and cherry juice	200mL
09:15	Black Tea	500mL
10:15	Raspberry and Echinacea tea	250mL
12:30	Sushi	10 pieces
	Green Tea	300mL
14:30	Easy run - 36 minutes
15:15	Lemon Lime Nuun electrolyte tablet in water	750mL
15:30	Sponser Chocolate Recovery Shake	30g
	in Skim milk	225mL
19:45	Orange, mango and cinnamon tea	250mL
20:30	Homemade chicken and butternut squash risotto	307g
	White wine	150mL
21:00	Sainsbury's Freefrom iced rich fruit cake slice	1 slice
22:00	Ellactiva Chocolate Calcium Chew	1 chew
	500mg Glucosamine sulphate	1 pill

Plus 500 to 1500mL of cold water sipped from a water bottle throughout the day.