Why Can't My Body Handle Long Runs?

[Kat Kuz]

Hello! I am 28 and newly Celiac as of January, so I have been Gluten-Free and lactose free for almost three months. I have been iron deficient for over 10 years. I haven't felt 100% yet but definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel some days. One issue I wanted to bring up is muscle fatigue during exercise.

I was a college tennis player and would cramp up almost every match, no matter how much I trained/stretched, how many bananas I ate or hydrating drinks I drank prior to the match. I started training for my first half marathon in january and just finished a 10 mile race for training purposes. Every time I push myself hard for a run or if the run is longer than 6 miles, I would be completely out of commission the rest of the day. I slept the whole rest of the day after the 10 mile race last weekend and still felt 'off' the next day. Primary symptoms: muscle fatigue, dehydrated, tight muscles and just overall tired. I am very active, play on a tennis league and volleyball league during the week on top of working full time and running or walking after work prior to my leagues. I don't always react as extreme as noted above but I definitely do not feel as in shape as I should be with all of my exercising.

My vitamins and minerals all came back WNL. I take Juice Plus, B12 supplement and benefiber daily on top of a well-balanced diet. Wondering if anyone else has any of my same concerns and issues and if you have a solution. Also, any thoughts on malabsorption? Please let me know if I am not making sense, I may not be expressing my questions well. I have many... Thanks for reading!

[dilettantesteph]

I trained for a mini triathlon which I did summer before last. My daughter is a distance runner and does weekly long runs of about 2.5 hours. We both find that we need to have a really clean diet with that much exertion. Do you eat a lot of processed foods?

[Kat Kuz]

Well I have been gluten free and lactose free since the end of january so now I am not eating a lot of processed food. By clean diet, do you have any food or drink suggestions besides just eating Gluten-Free?

[dilettantesteph]

Well I have been gluten free and lactose free since the end of january so now I am not eating a lot of processed food. By clean diet, do you have any food or drink suggestions besides just eating Gluten-Free?

Not really. I avoid thing which might have cross contamination. I also keep a food journal to help identify such items. I keep track of what I eat and when I get symptoms and do a lot of challenge/elimination diets. Things bother me which I wouldn't expect. Sometimes I can eat something from one source and not another. It takes a lot of trial and error.

[Gemini]

Hello! I am 28 and newly Celiac as of January, so I have been Gluten-Free and lactose free for almost three months. I have been iron deficient for over 10 years. I haven't felt 100% yet but definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel some days. One issue I wanted to bring up is muscle fatigue during exercise.

I was a college tennis player and would cramp up almost every match, no matter how much I trained/stretched, how many bananas I ate or hydrating drinks I drank prior to the match. I started training for my first half marathon in january and just finished a 10 mile race for training purposes. Every time I push myself hard for a run or if the run is longer than 6 miles, I would be completely out of commission the rest of the day. I slept the whole rest of the day after the 10 mile race last weekend and still felt 'off' the next day. Primary symptoms: muscle fatigue, dehydrated, tight muscles and just overall tired. I am very active, play on a tennis league and volleyball league during the week on top of working full time and running or walking after work prior to my leagues. I don't always react as extreme as noted above but I definitely do not feel as in shape as I should be with all of my exercising.

My vitamins and minerals all came back WNL. I take Juice Plus, B12 supplement and benefiber daily on top of a well-balanced diet. Wondering if anyone else has any of my same concerns and issues and if you have a solution. Also, any thoughts on malabsorption? Please let me know if I am not making sense, I may not be expressing my questions well. I have many... Thanks for reading!

I think that to expect to be able to run long distance or exercise hard after only 3-4 months of being gluten-free is unrealistic. It doesn't matter what vitamin or mineral levels are because it takes the body a long while to fully recuperate to the level where you can stress it and bounce back like a 28 year old should. I know that's hard to fully comprehend but it's what most Celiacs experience.

I went many years before the diagnosis and it took me 5 years into recovery before I could start a really hard exercise program and be able to do the routines. I weight train and do cardio. It will come back but

you have been suffering from malabsorption and that depletes you of storage energy. I can only say eat well but don't deprive yourself of carbs or be afraid to include some processed gluten-free foods. If you exercise and play hard, you'll need the carbs. There may be foods that you find don't agree with you and if so, wait awhile before trying to introduce them again. You will have to be patient and don't over do it but keep at it routinely and slowly, you will regain your ability to recover faster. I'm doing things I could have never done a few years ago so I know you'll get there also. From the sounds of it, you are pretty active already!

One more thing.....Celiacs are often dehydrated and this can really prevent recovery from happening normally.

You know how bad a work-out can be if you aren't hydrated.....that can cause muscle problems, as you stated in your post. It takes awhile for that to correct itself but in the meantime..... keep slugging back the water or Gatorade, although I hate the stuff myself!

Good luck!

[JoeBlow]

I think that to expect to be able to run long distance or exercise hard after only 3-4 months of being gluten-free is unrealistic. It doesn't matter what vitamin or mineral levels are because it takes the body a long while to fully recuperate to the level where you can stress it and bounce back like a 28 year old should. I know that's hard to fully comprehend but it's what most Celiacs experience.

I went many years before the diagnosis and it took me 5 years into recovery before I could start a really hard exercise program and be able to do the routines. I weight train and do cardio. It will come back but

you have been suffering from malabsorption and that depletes you of storage energy. I can only say eat well but don't deprive yourself of carbs or be afraid to include some processed gluten-free foods. If you exercise and play hard, you'll need the carbs. There may be foods that you find don't agree with you and if so, wait awhile before trying to introduce them again. You will have to be patient and don't over do it but keep at it routinely and slowly, you will regain your ability to recover faster. I'm doing things I could have never done a few years ago so I know you'll get there also. From the sounds of it, you are pretty active already!

One more thing.....Celiacs are often dehydrated and this can really prevent recovery from happening normally.

You know how bad a work-out can be if you aren't hydrated.....that can cause muscle problems, as you stated in your post. It takes awhile for that to correct itself but in the meantime..... keep slugging back the water or Gatorade, although I hate the stuff myself!

Good luck!

I am much older, and bicycle. I had a Great Plains Lab Organic Acids test. One of the recommendations was to take AKG (Alpha KetoGlutarate). I have to take AAKG 1500-3000 mg an hour before cycling, or I can be wiped out for 1 to 3 days. I will still be wiped out if I cycle more than an hour and 15 minutes. There are indications I have a krebs cycle problem, and mitochondrial energy issues, and there are some other recommended supplements I should try.

[Kat Kuz]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I figured it was too early to be pushing my body like I am but I signed up for these runs prior to the celiac diagnosis. My doctor said that going forward with the runs and keeping my active life will not deter from my GI healing but it just may be more challenging than a person with a healthy small intestine. I'm excited to get to where you are with your exercise program and still feel great. Thanks again!

I think that to expect to be able to run long distance or exercise hard after only 3-4 months of being gluten-free is unrealistic. It doesn't matter what vitamin or mineral levels are because it takes the body a long while to fully recuperate to the level where you can stress it and bounce back like a 28 year old should. I know that's hard to fully comprehend but it's what most Celiacs experience.

I went many years before the diagnosis and it took me 5 years into recovery before I could start a really hard exercise program and be able to do the routines. I weight train and do cardio. It will come back but

you have been suffering from malabsorption and that depletes you of storage energy. I can only say eat well but don't deprive yourself of carbs or be afraid to include some processed gluten-free foods. If you exercise and play hard, you'll need the carbs. There may be foods that you find don't agree with you and if so, wait awhile before trying to introduce them again. You will have to be patient and don't over do it but keep at it routinely and slowly, you will regain your ability to recover faster. I'm doing things I could have never done a few years ago so I know you'll get there also. From the sounds of it, you are pretty active already!

One more thing.....Celiacs are often dehydrated and this can really prevent recovery from happening normally.

You know how bad a work-out can be if you aren't hydrated.....that can cause muscle problems, as you stated in your post. It takes awhile for that to correct itself but in the meantime..... keep slugging back the water or Gatorade, although I hate the stuff myself!

Good luck!

[user853]

Kat - I agree with your doctor that you don't need to quit training due to celiac.

Post run fatigue is most often from overtaining. How many days a week are you running? What do your weekly short runs look like. In my younger days, I was able to run 5 - 6 days a week and be fine. Now, in my 30s, I only do 3 days a week of running. Two short rund mid week and a long run on the weekends (when I am training, right now it is also for two half marathons, my 4th and 5th).

Another issue is not enough food and fluid while running. Any run over 5 miles on a cool day or 3 miles on a hot day requires you to drink while running. Plain water is fine for me. But, if I go over 8 miles, or if it is really hot and I will sweat a lot, I want some electrolytes too. I use nuun because it is low flavor and no sugar (I hate gatorade or sugary stuff.. ugh).

The rule of thumb for eating while running is you need to eat if you will run over 90 minutes. For me, that is 60 minutes. So, any run over 6 miles for me means bringing along a snack. I can't do the "gu" or gel type things (yuck). I usually have Sharkies (I like the kids version, haven't tried the adult version for some reason) or Sport Beans.

If you haven't been eating and drinking on a run yet, note that there is a bit of trial and error to it. But, it is good to get down before race day. For me, I have to do small sips often and a few small bits of food (washed down with water) along the way. My belly is not a fan of being full or having water sloshing around during a run! It is a bit annoying to those who run with me (I basically walk a few yards after every mile to drink) and I always have to carry water during races, but I get to blow past people at water stops!!

Post run nutrition is also very important. You need to protein and carbs within an hour of finishing. I usually go for a big bowl of quinoa with rice milk, almonds, and banana when I return from a long run. And always have a green smoothie on the day of a long run.

With the leg cramps and iron issues, make sure you are getting enough vitamins and iron. Green smoothies with lots of kale or other green leafy vegs, yum!

Oh, and I targeted this response assuming you were a beginner runner, if not, I apologize.

[Takala]

Ditch the Benefiber.

It may claim to be "gluten free," but it has wheat dextrin in it.

Open Original Shared Link

And please tell me you are not taking the "Juice Plus" "Garden Blend," which contains BARLEY. And OATS.

pdf download of ingredients - Open Original Shared Link

Yeah, they're claiming that they removed the gluten, but who is really checking ?

To be gluten free, you have to not be ingesting all possible sources of gluten cross contamination, and stick to items that are not made of gluten bearing ingredients. This includes supplements.

You may also want to experiment with going soy free or soy light (a tiny amount of soy such as in lecithin or made in a shared facility, as opposed to the extent you need to avoid gluten, which is going to be much stricter.)

I do not sweat normally because of other auto immune problems and I am over twice your age, so I have to be really careful with how much outdoor exercise and what I eat before and afterwards. Eating enough real vegetables is crucial, and because I am relatively simple carb intolerant, I have to make sure to get enough good fats (this is counter- intuitive from most athletes, who live on foods that make me feel lousy ) besides real proteins from real foods - not any of this supplementy- stuff like "protein powders." Just a gluten free B complex, gluten free multivitamin, gluten-free calcium,D,magnesium supplement. Just as a horse needs fiber from hay, grass, and beet pulp to hold moisture in his/her gut, so do humans, just with different foods. Obviously, drinking water is important.

So is the cool - down phase. This is where you walk, stretch, and drink more water.

Really, you are sort of pushing it with that schedule ! Try backing it off and doing shorter runs on alternate days. You do not have to do half marathons.

It's not unusual for fun exercise to wipe me out afterwards the next day, and I crash pretty hard sometimes after dinner, but I accept it as part of still being able to at least do something because so many of my peer group would be doing nothing at this point.

[Kat Kuz]

Thanks for the advice but Juice Plus is most definitely gluten free. The video that comes with it talks about how these pills can benefit people with celiac. And, I could feel the difference in just one week of taking them and now its been almost 3 months and feel a lot better. I recommend you start taking them too, big advocate!

I finished my half marathon! Pretty miserable but I finished and will never do it again. My body hated me for a good week. So now I'm just doing shorter runs and now training for the 3 day breast cancer walk. So my body likes me again

Thanks again everyone for all the advice.

[robertwilburn35]

I have been gluten free for a lil over three months and have begun feeling better on my long runs. I am 42 and my long rruns are only 12-15 miiles but seem to recover well. I only take celi-act supplement and am very ridgid on the gluten-free diet. that is the best I got for ya.

[~**caselynn**~]

I have been diagnosed Celiac and gluten free for over a year now, but went undiagnosed for years and that takes a long time to recover. I'm really only beginning to feel better at this point, I've gotten back into running but only a little at a time. I'm doing 5k at this point and running into the same issue. I've learned that if I alternate running and strength training days that I get less fatigued. Keep the water flowing, and I eat very cleanly. By clean I mean, fruits and veggies (organic when possible), very little dairy (yogurt pretty much) and lots of protein whether it be lean meats to nuts and seeds. I know it sounds bland and boring but when I stray from this diet I pay for it, my body "runs" best on organics. My parents say its just my body's way of getting back to its hippie roots where it belongs. I hope my routine can help you a little, happy running!

[RonSchon]

I have been gluten free for a lil over three months and have begun feeling better on my long runs. I am 42 and my long rruns are only 12-15 miiles but seem to recover well. I only take celi-act supplement and am very ridgid on the gluten-free diet. that is the best I got for ya.

Robert, I'm chomping at the bit to get where you are. I might be able to make it through a 10 miler, but it will wreck me for 2-3 days.

I hope I can get back there again, I will respect the run like never before if I can get her back...

[cyberprof]

I think that between the benefiber and the juice-plus, you're getting more gluten than you realize and more than would be good for a celiac. Oats that are not certified gluten-free are most likely contaminated. Barley bran itself (just the hull) may not have the offending protein, but you can't convince me that there aren't protein particles adhering to the bran. See this for reference: Open Original Shared Link

Perhaps that would be ok for a non-celiac gluten intolerant, but to my knowledge you are taking a risk.

[robertwilburn35]

1342202036' post=810800]

Robert, I'm chomping at the bit to get where you are. I might be able to make it through a 10 miler, but it will wreck me for 2-3 days.

I hope I can get back there again, I will respect the run like never before if I can get her back...

You might wanna try to build up the iron, folic acid and b12 in your blood. I know they appear WNL but if your body is defficient for a long time then it gets used to it. Primarily, the kidneys perform and secrete the hormones that increase rbc count which is rarely WNL for me even when my H and H are. So, I have been increasing these vits as a sort of experiment to see if my h and h and total FE levels can bounce up. IDK for you but I have only given it about 3 weeks now and am beggining to feel a lil better in general and during heavy workout days

[robertwilburn35]

and cyberprof has some really good points about gluten and sources too. I find the more rigid I am the better I feel.

[RonSchon]

I'm rigid, and will forever be now, but my damage was pretty severe - so while also being about 3 weeks clean I feel incredibly improved, but still am having the weeding out of things that should be gluten-free but actually aren't - such as my powerade snafu's.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to do another longer run.

Perspective is everything.... Now a 5 miler is a long run, a month ago a 5 miler wasn't even a dream i was having. A mile walk was body wrecking. lol.

[rosetapper23]

Okay, you may not believe my answer on this, but it's been proven to my satisfaction that taking a certain ratio of Omega 6's to Omega 3's will oxygenate the cells of the body. After reading, "The Hidden Story of Cancer," which is about cellular oxygenation, I came to understand how important it is to proper muscle function to take a daily ratio of Omega 6's and 3's. If I hadn't tried it myself, I wouldn't have become such a believer; however, the difference is like night and day. Until two years ago, I was a lifelong runner; however, I always experienced muscle weakness and difficulty recovering from running and exercise. I simply thought I was one of those persons who just had muscles that needed longer time to recover. Wrong! Because of celiac, my cells were starved for oxygen. As long as I take the proper ratio of Omega 6's to 3's, I NEVER experience muscle weakness or any kind of recovery time. Painful muscles after a workout? NEVER! I feel not even the slightest muscle exhaustion or soreness after intensive exercise. If you want to buy the book, it'll explain the concept, but if you'd just like to know how to get the proper ratio, here's the formula: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of organic flaxseed oil and 3/4 teaspoon of safflower (or grapeseed) oil into a smoothie or heavy juice. That's it! You can take this mixture once or twice a day. I've taken it every day for more than five years, and if I know I'm about to have a big workout, I take some more. It actually helps you work out harder with little effort, and it helps you exercise more easily in high temperatures. After taking this ratio of Omegas daily for a while, you'll find that you also don't get sunburns (really--I've tested this in Australia, and I didn't even get a little pink while outdoors all day). It also makes your skin very soft...and at the age of 50, I started getting asked for my ID when buying wine. Weird...but true.

[RonSchon]

Because of how many years my body has not been able to absorb nutrients, my world view of them became "placebo's"

I will go out tonight, and find these products.

A couple questions... I don't do smoothies.... Can I take them in another form?

Is safflower/grapeseed and faxseed oil universally the same potency?

Can I take tablets at the ratio you have listed?

I can't wait to be able to experience benefits that so many people take for granted.

Once again, thanks for the information L, you are proving to be my guardian angel!

[rosetapper23]

Ron,

Unfortunately, there are no capsules or pills that contain the correct ratio (unless you go to a specific website where the products are available based on this book's recommendations--and, trust me, they're expensive since they're the only game in town). It's just as easy to mix the ratio yourself, and the cost of the oils is minimal. Since you don't do smoothies, a thick juice will suffice. I've just found that thin juices cause the oils to sit on top (yuck!), so you can taste/feel the oil. In a smoothie (or just juice whipped with some yogurt or a banana), the oil gets mixed in so that you can't even detect it.

I prefer safflower oil over grapeseed oil because it has less of a taste, but I listed the grapeseed oil because it contains more or less the same amount of Omega 6s and 3s as safflower oil. If you find that the mixture helps you, you might consider reading the book to learn why these oils are able to oxygenate your cells and allow you to exercise without lactic acid buildup in your muscles. I spent a lifetime in pain until I read about this solution, and I will be forever grateful.

[justlisa]

Rosetapper...

I'm very interested in trying this omega ratio... Where do I find these oils?

[Celiac Ninja]

Hello! I am 28 and newly Celiac as of January, so I have been Gluten-Free and lactose free for almost three months. I have been iron deficient for over 10 years. I haven't felt 100% yet but definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel some days. One issue I wanted to bring up is muscle fatigue during exercise.

I was a college tennis player and would cramp up almost every match, no matter how much I trained/stretched, how many bananas I ate or hydrating drinks I drank prior to the match. I started training for my first half marathon in january and just finished a 10 mile race for training purposes. Every time I push myself hard for a run or if the run is longer than 6 miles, I would be completely out of commission the rest of the day. I slept the whole rest of the day after the 10 mile race last weekend and still felt 'off' the next day. Primary symptoms: muscle fatigue, dehydrated, tight muscles and just overall tired. I am very active, play on a tennis league and volleyball league during the week on top of working full time and running or walking after work prior to my leagues. I don't always react as extreme as noted above but I definitely do not feel as in shape as I should be with all of my exercising.

My vitamins and minerals all came back WNL. I take Juice Plus, B12 supplement and benefiber daily on top of a well-balanced diet. Wondering if anyone else has any of my same concerns and issues and if you have a solution. Also, any thoughts on malabsorption? Please let me know if I am not making sense, I may not be expressing my questions well. I have many... Thanks for reading!

malabsorption and you may need a ton more magnesium and calcium and vit D than udusl dur to previous glutn damage and malabsorption. I had to increase that for bad episodes just to make through the day (post chrmo/radiation) and during pregnancy (had gluten episoders then too..mild though) but I wasn't athleticaly active. Depends on how much your taking now and where your body is at in recovery. This is primarily based on my experience and communication with a natural path about suppliment uptake and some research I did on Magnesium/calcium/vitamin D. Water intake should be enough that you pee clear since your so active, you need to get lactic acid out of your muscle or you will feel like you've got a crumby day to come (flu like symptoms in the mjuscles). Im also a licensed massage therapist for over 6 years, so I gotta push the water increase Hope you can find a solution and enjoy your activities.