Question:
let me ask you to say more about this answer. I have read (I think Pfitzinger) that
during glycogen loading in the two to three days prior to marathon day, it's
helpful to do a very short, very slow run as an added stimulus to glycogen
storing. What's your take on that?
Answer:If the training is really light, yes, I expect it should be OK. But I
hadn't heard that it actually helped. Interesting. And not at all
unreasonable. The light runs would maybe keep the enzymes levels higher
than by resting completely... Hmmmmmm.
I was aware of the "eyeballs out" run theory, but that was proposed (and
is still is), as the last run *before* carbo-loading (Wednesday or
Thursday morning before breakfast).
This turns out not to be particularly good value-for-money compared to
the tiredness and injury risks it can cause. One isolated run doesn't
have much effect on the overall enzymes activity.
Same with the strict "Scandinavian" diet. Not worth the hassle,
tiredness and risks, except maybe at international level.
Research by Taylor (1972) showed that the enzymes which is supposed to
be stimulated by the "exhaustion" run is actually very active already in
trained endurance athletes (5 times more than sedentary subjects).
Adolfsson provided more on this by having subjects pedal with only one
leg.
The conclusion was that, for a correctly-trained endurance athlete, 3
days of light training, on reduced carb diet, followed by three days
light training on high-carb diet was perfectly good enough, if not
considerably better overall.
