Hum things have been patchy - several years without exercise due to ill-health, then I have been exercising Nov 06 till now, with a break at the Christmas period, and a break in March, but otherwise regular schedule of 5-6 times per week. It does feel challenging, especially the interval training and elevated heart rate, but I guess I still think of intense as a different level to what I do.

About gluconeogenesis, yes that makes sense, but from what material I can find, that won't be causing a rise in blood glucose for the average person (except for the 'intense' situations). What I'm most curious about is if I can avoid it by different types of training, or at different times of day, or maybe it's a temporary aberration that I can burn off eventually (I hope).