As I tweeted last Thursday, I called it quits after 6 weeks on a ketogenic diet. Basically, I decided to go back to carbs because I just didn’t feel like tolerating the valleys anymore, along with a near-constant feeling like I was at 80%. Being on carbs means feeling 100% most of the time, with the occasional low spot, easily cured by a quick hit of sugar. Being on fat means 80% most of the time, with an expected evening dip. The only time I didn’t feel at 80% was when I was exercising, or for several hours afterwards, presumably because that’s when my ketone production was cranked up.

I terminated the experiment just 3 weeks out from the KC Marathon. I would have liked to assess performance there while fully keto-adapted, but I just couldn’t stomach (pun intended) the thought of going to Disney with my family and saying no to all the stuff I am going to want to eat there. Disney has some excellent restaurants, and we have long since had reservations set up for them. Plus, I just wasn’t sure I’d have the energy level necessary to go 18 hours a day there like we usually do. Even with those excuses aside, I really didn’t feel like 3 more weeks of it regardless, even in an easier setting.

I’d like to run well at KC. It’s hard to say what the diet has done to the 4 weeks after Heart of America from a training perspective. I don’t know that I have either gained or lost any fitness during that period. There hasn’t been as much speed work as I would like during the last month. It feels like I have been doing a lot of medium intensity, medium length runs. I can comfortably say that I feel like I have enough time to switch back over to carbs before 10/19. I’ll be trying to toss in a lot of fartleks during the taper, which began this week.

Yes, there has been some sugar binging in the last few days. (mmm, donuts). I think I’m ready to move on now. I’m going back to semi-Paleo (meaning plus dairy, with one cheat day per week).