Marathon Training on a GLP-1: A Dosing Mix-Up and New Fuel

So a couple of weeks ago, I posted about running the Urban Cow Half Marathon, my first race since starting a compounded GLP-1 (Compounded Semaglutide/Glycine Injection) in June. The race was rough. I had low energy due to not being able to fuel correctly. I just couldn't eat the day of the race.

The week after the race, my appetite returned and I started to wonder if maybe it was just race-day nerves that had my stomach flipping and flopping. My weight rebounded a bit and everything started to feel better. Even my training runs didn't feel so bad, including my 14-mile run on Saturday, October 3.

Then Monday rolled around and my recovery run was really hard. My knees ached, I had low energy and it was warm out. But I didn't let that stop me. I pushed through and finished the workout.

The next day I got a notice that my next GLP-1 shipment was getting ready to be processed and that if I changed from the 2-month to the 4-month subscription plan I would save $80. So I switched. 

Once the order was placed, I logged in to see if my dosage was going to remain the same 1.25 mg that I have been taking. To my surprise, the dosage had dropped back to 0.22 mg for four weeks, increasing to 0.44 mg for the next four weeks. It was back down to where I had started in June.

I contacted AgelessRx to see if this was correct. I mean, what did I know, maybe there was a cycle and the dosage would increase and then drop again. The company responded the next day and informed me:

"It appears that when you switched from the 2-month to the 4-month option, the prescription restarted the titration schedule rather than continuing from your most recent dose." 

They immediately corrected the oversight and issued the correct dosage. My next dosage amount, starting on October 15, will be 1.5 mg followed by an increase to 1.9 mg the following month. We’re way past microdose territory now. What was I thinking? I was already struggling to fuel correctly and now my dosage is going up...less than two months before CIM.

New Fueling Options

Through trial and error, I have found that a banana (sometimes just a half) is a good pre-run option on the mornings I just can't seem to eat anything, let alone a bowl of apples and cinnamon oatmeal. On my longer run days, I try to get a gel down too for a little something extra.

I ordered a trial pack from The Feed to see if anything worked better. I've been using Maurten for a few years now, but recently I've found it difficult to get the jelly-like gel down. It's become a bit off-putting. Maybe it's me, but maybe it's time for something different.

Sample pack from The Feed

So far, my favorite has been the Amacx Turbo Gel. Don't let the word "gel" throw you, though. In small print, it says "ready to drink". My sample pack included the flavor Lime/Cola. This alone was almost enough to make me not want to try it, but I'm glad I did. Five miles into my long run, I dug the Amacx packet out of my leggings pocket and ripped open the top.

My favorite so far

While I expected to hate the taste, it really wasn't that bad. The "lime" flavor was very subtle and the "cola" wasn't much stronger. It reminded me of a sip of warm Coke during an IRONMAN. And it was drinkable, so there was no holding it in my mouth and trying to force it down. It just flowed. I was so impressed with this product that I ordered a box of it.

Styrkr Gel - Thick and Quick

The only other product out of the sample pack I have tried is the Styrkr gel. This gel had the consistency of very thick syrup and I found it a little hard to get down. It did, however, seem to give me instant energy, so I'm going to keep this in mind as more of a pre-run option.

Progress Report

I have a goal weight of 135 for CIM and I may actually get there. I do weigh myself every day and I track it along with a weekly average. There were some significant drops in the beginning, most likely water weight. And there have been weeks where my weight seems to bounce up for no reason (NOTE: hormones still play a role even in postmenopause).

Looking at my averages, it's been between one and two pounds a week. So nothing extreme.

Daily weight tracking

What’s Next

A while back I heard Dr. Terry Dubrow from Botched talk about going off Ozempic before the holidays. The drug had taken the joy out of eating, and he wanted a “food vacation.” He also admitted the weight came back once he stopped, so it’s not exactly a free pass.

I’m not looking for a food vacation. I’m looking for fuel. But it has me thinking. What if I held my dose, or backed off it, for the last few weeks before CIM? I’ve put too much into this training block to show up on December 6 running on half a banana. Before I start the increase to 1.9 mg, I’m going to reach out to my doctor and ask what my options are. I’ll let you know what I find out.