Diet and Exercise

Ripped off a 5 miler on the dreadmill yesterday. Ho hum. I suppose I should dedicate one of these hamster-wheel excursions to speed-work, but I am at heart a lazy runner, and I'd rather not run the risk of injury with a long-term goal of long-range miles. 

I usually do my mid-week runs at a pace between 6.7-7 miles per hour. I used to be faster on the daily slog, but about two years ago I started eating a low-carb paleo diet and my times went all to shit. I've since become less carb-phobic, but for whatever reason, I've had a hard time getting back to those 8 minute miles. The Paleo diet, if you've never heard of it, is based on the diet supposedly consumed by our paleolithic ancestors; lots of grass-fed meat, wild fish, vegetables, healthy fats and low carbs. No grains, industrial oils or sugars. This type of diet is worlds ahead of the Standard American Diet (SAD) in terms of nutrient density, but the macro-nutrient profile is all wrong for endurance athletes. 

When I started eating like a caveman, I did lose weight-about 15 pounds in less than two months-but I was so glycogen-deprived that my athletic performance tanked, my energy levels were non-existent and my memory got noticeably worse. I lasted about 2 years like this before I threw in the towel and started adding more carbs to the mix; sweet potatoes and white rice mostly, supplemented by the occasional pizza. Let's face it, unless you want to spend all your time obsessing about food, (which can lead to an eating disorder known as orthorexia), it isn't possible to eat clean 24/7. My current approach is more streamlined-steer clear of processed and junk foods, eat real food and try to avoid too much sugar. This is, in itself, enough of a challenge. As I write this, I'm looking at a piece of pecan pie about a foot away from my keyboard. Someone brought it in for Christmas and it looks damn good. The holidays. What can you do?

At this point I'm wondering whether such a lengthy period of carb-restriction  permanently screwed up my metabolism in some way. There's anecdotal evidence of this on the interwebs, but I haven't seen anything conclusive. All I know is that my weight shot up pretty quickly when I started eating more carbs, despite the fact that my calorie intake remained more or less the same and my exercise levels actually increased. As for the reduction in speed, I can't tell whether that's due to the diet or just the fact that I'm getting older. Maybe as my weekly mileage and long-runs increase, I'll find the answer.