At church about a week ago, Rachel was there and we talked a little about carbohydrates and exercise and how low carb eating effects exercise. I admit I am not eating enough carbs to run long distances. But now I think I understand things better.
See, I can, very easily, walk for an hour on the treadmill or do an hour on the elliptical. That's not a huge deal, even at under 50g a day. So I think it's how fast a body can turn what's available into fuel that matters. Carbs are easy fuel and easy to turn into energy. For long, hard exercise, they are essential to doing well. This is why I "carbed up" before the Bay To Breakers race this last May. On low carb my body can't make the conversion of fat to energy fast enough to keep up with the energy demanded.
But at a lower intensity (such as walking), it's much easier for my body to make the conversion fast enough to deliver the energy I need. And that's why I can do a lower intensity exercise for an hour or more.
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