Yeah generally distance runners have a high carb ratio to their diet. Trust me when you get really low carb (with a high volume of exercise) you'll really start to feel the power of carbs LOL!
Sounds a bit like overtraining too. Did she work up to her current mileage or just started suddenly increase it by a large amount (frequency or distance or both)? I think she needs an extra few days of rest ;-P....essentially she is not recovering fast enough.... Could be too that she is not eating enough or not enough carbs in her diet. Is she also training in other things?
I used to run half-marathons (not to be all "miss. I've-done-everything" LOL but i usually only like to comment on things i have myself experienced LOL otherwise i just sound like i'm full of crap ;-P). In the past i used to use those energy gels in training to fuel up during the actual run... Basically anything over an hour i would eat somethign during the run. Some people eat gummy bears LOL and really, anything high glycemic works. Dried banana chips are another example. I liked the power gels cause they were easy to carry and the chocolate flavour reminds me of icing LOL (i'm not going to say what one of the other flavours would remind me of...).
Be encourageing towards her too. If she feels like she can't make it, the psychological impact of that on an athlete can be huge. Having a supportive partner is crucial, so keep encourageing her and also let her know "its okay" to have days where you're exhausted. okay i'm getting into relationship stuff here LOL but men are typically "fixers" and i'm just saying, if she is exhausted, (and i know you are wanting to help her) try not to come across too much as trying to "fix her problems". My ex would to that while i was contest prepping at it would drive me absolutely bananas!!!!!!!! I woudl be exhausted and all i wanted was to hear him say i was doing great and he was proud of me, not try and "fix" my attitude.
So she may actually need your help with her diet, which i suspect may play a pretty big role in what's going on at the moment. But she also needs a cheerleader (don't worry you don't have to wear a skirt LMAO). She CAN do it. And sometimes an extra day of rest is more benificial than a crappy training session.
Let us know what happens. I'm curious
