I'm Back!

So the last 2 months have sucked to an extent.  My car was in an accident and was in the shop for a month and then my computer died immediately after finals.  I lost all my previous bookmarks and I am still trying to recover my files from my old hard drive... FUN!

So a little bit about my running history.  I have been running since I started playing tennis at age 2.  I essentially ran about 10 miles a week for 10 years until I retired from playing tennis and began to run half marathons and triathlons.  For some reason when I switched over to long distance running the first shoe I bought was a Nike XC shoe. I then switched over to the Nike Zoom XC Flat and finally over to the Asics Hyperspeeds.  I have always been a mid foot striker and have been injury free all of my life.  I had a bit of hip bursitis once from having changed my technique but aside from blisters I have been 100% healthy. 

Over the coming weeks I will be writing about why a midfoot/flat strike is healthier than heal striking.  There is NO REAL right way to run but it does seem that if transitioned properly the health benefits of a mid foot strike are significantly better.  I will explain the three types of foot strikes, recommend different shoes to try, and how to transition injury free.

Fasting

I apologize for the delay.  I have been enjoying the extra time I have had these last couple days to catch up on my reading of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. Highly recommended.

So I mentioned I would post the conversation that started this whole blog and here it is... a bit edited as it was super long...

• Patrick  Yep. Been doing it for years. My favorite way to train, even for long 4-5 hr training days
• Natural Running Store I am so intrigued by this whole concept. How long would the fasting last for? Would you do this for one day or one week?
• Joe  Before a planned long run I won't eat and I'll drink very little starting at least 24hrs prior. For me, running on an empty stomach just feels better. . .especially if it's going to be for 10+ miles.
• Patrick A fast usually doesnt last more than 16 hours. For yrs I used to only eat a banana before tennis matches because I didn't like the feel of a full stomach. When I got into endurance events I found research explaining the benefits of improved fueling by training fasted. Then I went paleo/primal and fast 2-3 times a wk 14-16 hrs
• Natural Running Store Joe-What was the length of the first run you did after fasting? Did you follow a method to build up to it?
• Natural Running Store Patrick-On the 2-3 times per week idea. How many weeks in a row would this last? What about coffee?
• Joe  It was a fluke discovery. The first time I ever ran a race, it was a 5k and I chalked it up to nerves not wanting to eat but I ran great. Next race I ran I had a very small breakfast 2hrs prior and felt gassed running the whole time. Now I feel better if my stomach growls before I start running.
• Patrick -Typically a person would fast 3-4 days once a month for 16 hrs, so after dinner you dont eat until lunch the next day(There are extreme cases but this is as suggested by Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, etc if Im not mistaken). Water only no coffee as its a stimulant.. The trick is to do it when you have the least amount of stress with minimal inflammation because Fasting stresses your immune system. So you wouldnt do a fast coming off illness or after a long endurance race such as a marathon because of the fatigue and inflammation caused to the immune system...
• Natural Running Store Joe-Funny you say that because some of my best races were run with what I perceived to be not enough fuel. Any thought on marathon or ultra distances.
• Natural Running Store Patrick-During the fasting period would you maintain the same training schedule.
• Joe  On runs over 20mi I will take the precautions necessary to make sure I'm not dehydrated and that my blood sugar is regulated whether it's a gel, supplement or water, but it's a limited and very controlled amount.  
  • Patrick  Absolutely... you train your body to use fat more efficiently as a fuel source.
  • Theo  Bryan Powell mentions something similar in his book Relentless Forward Progress. He talks about doing B2B long runs and not fueling in between so that you bonk in the second run.
  • Theo I don't fast every day or run only in a fasted state. I usually fast during the week and take the weekend off. It is weird because I usually have more energy when I'm fasting and I don't seem to get tired around 2-3pm like I normally would. I'm hoping that training this way will make me more use my fuel more efficiently when I run a marathon this fall and maybe an 50k in November. Maybe I won't have to eat as much during the races. Who knows. I am just doing an "experiment of one".
  • Natural Running Store Theo-When you fast during the week (M-F) are you doing the 16 hours drill. How many weeks in a row would you typically do this?
  • Obsessive Runner I typically do around 19 hours. I have been doing this for about 3 weeks straight now. There are people who always eat this way. I don't think I could do this indefinitely but I have enjoyed it so far. I think when I'm not training for a particular race I wouldn't fast. Maybe it won't work for me and I will never do it again. Not sure.
  • Patrick Theo about your crash when not fasting. That's usually an insulin spike after lunch. Too many carbs. When fasted your body is significantly more alert and uses it's energy much more efficiently than when you eat a normal cycle.
  • Chris - Love Powell's book! I'm interested in either style of fasting, but I think I'll hold off until the fall -- right now I'm home for the summer with our two kids, and can't really afford to bonk right when the toddler goes crazy :)
  • Natural Running Store Patrick-Would you say that is carbs from any source or from more processed foods (bread, pasta, etc?)
  • Natural Running Store Ari-Very interesting. How soon after a fast would you resume normal training? Do you have to recover from a fast?
  • Obsessive Runner Great post I found http://www.trekoblog.com/?​p=188
   

  • Patrick Correct. Grains cause a spike in insulin and that's what causes the crash. Your insulin is highest when you wake up and decreases as the day goes on, your lowest levels should always be at night unless you spike it. It's different from when your tired and need am afternoon nap. That's your body telling you it's tired
  • Natural Running Store Patrick-Based on what you are saying, traditional cereals (grains plus sugar) may be a super bomb. I think for an athlete it would have some consequences, but it did get me to thinking about kids targeted cereal.
  • Patrick Here's the thing. Even for athletes getting rid of grains and gluten makes a big difference. You can substitute the grains with a salad with eggs and some protein or have a Gian fruit salad. Even though the fruit has sugar you would eat fruits on the lower end of the glycemic side such as any type of berry. Bananas and pineapples are good from time to time but too much will cause a spike in insulin.
  • Natural Running Store Patrick-Agree 1000% percent. Do you have a blog or a book? If the answer is no to either, time to make it happen. You have some great insight.
  • Obsessive Runner Patrick-is there a difference physiologically from eating low or no carbs for an extended period of time and fasting?
  • Patrick  Lol thanks! I have neither. I simply had read 3 books that changed my life over the last yr The Primal Blueprint, The Paleo Solution, and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. I'm a grad school student in psychology right now. Going to be going for a Psy. din Sports Psychokogy in a few yrs. A blog sounds like a great idea. Any suggestions on how to start?
  • Natural Running Store Yes it is a good idea and you are on to something smart. Most of the people in this response have some blogs and I would reach out to them. Most are free and the sky is the limit. There is a huge opportunity (while finishing school) to establish yourself as an expert. This could be the next natural running. Meaning I don't believe natural running is a trend, but a monumental shift in how we think about running.
    • Patrick  Physiologically from what I have read, yes. Low carb is very wide open when it comes to a definition. What do you consider low carb?
      

      
      From the two books I mentioned they use the following scale:
      
      0-50 carbs is to lose weight and fat quickly.
      50-100g is to maintain muscle but lose fat
      100-150 is maintenance of current numbers
      150+ can get out of control quickly!
      
      When you say zero carb you must be careful. Going Ketogenic for am endurance runner is not usually recommended if I recall properly. Ketogenic diets are used to treat kids who suffer from epilepsy. The was a study that was published in Fitness Rx for Men this past month on how sustaining a Ketogenic diet long term would prevent muscle growth.
    • Patrick - Natural - I would love to be an expert. My goal is to first become Newton Running Certified(soon) and Paleo Nutrition Certified. Then I want to essentially study human movement the way Ido Portal teaches it. I think the evolutionary lifestyle is going to be huge in the coming years. Ultra's are getting huge and we have been running for thousands of yrs, climbing crawling etc. Same goes with nutrition, we started eating grains on 10,000 yrs ago, it's not natural. Applying all that with my sports psychology background I see big things. I just need to figure out how to start a blog! Lol
      

      
      Sorry if I went on a rant!
    • Obsessive Runner Thanks for the response Patrick but I guess I was referring more to if I fasted for say 20 hours and then ran and then ate. Would there be any difference if I ate normal with out carbs for 20 hours than ran and then ate carbs. I guess what I am asking is it more about carbs or food in general when it comes to fasting and running?
    • Obsessive Runner Starting a blog is pretty easy. I just started mine with out anyone showing me(you can probably tell) but if you have something interesting to say people will usually read it.
    • Ari  I usually take the day after Yom Kippur off from training. I like to give myself a full 24 hours to replace nutrients lost during the fast and to bring my hydration levels back to where they should be.
    • Patrick  I think you should experiment with it... everyone reacts differently. I would guess your body would become highly efficient at burning fat... try it and let me know how it goes!

       

      Most of what I have learned about fasting comes from having read The Paleo Solution  and The Primal Blueprint.  I was also linked to this website, http://www.leangains.com/ and he has a PHENOMENAL section on fasting.  I read that about 3 times.  Definitely not much knowledge on fasting but from the lean gains blog and the reading Robb and Mark's stuff I have definitely learned how to and when to fast properly!

Welcome

So this is something I have been thinking of doing for a while. My girlfriend Cristina(who will also be posting for the females that follow us) had mentioned it a while back, my buddy Bryan Ballart who runs Bring It Bootcamp in Miami had suggested it(we actually almost started one together! I shall definitely have him guest post!) and then I got into a conversation about Intermittent Fasting with the owner of Natural Running Store (http://NaturalRunningStore.com) and another blogger Theo (http://obsessiverunner.blogspot.com/2011/06/fasting-for-running.html#comment-form)  and they also suggested I start a blog, I even got asked if I had written a book! Thanks for the compliment!! So here I am!


I have to give credit where its due.  Everything I have learned about Paleo/Primal Nutrition is from reading the following websites:

1.  www.marksdailyapple.com
2. robbwolf.com
3. www.paleodiet.com

These guys have posted research, case studies, nutrition tips, and recipes.  Highly recommended. 

As far as movement and fitness goes the list is short but the two that I will list are the best in the business.

1.  www.movnat.com
2.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ido-Portal/191927830849205

Erwan is the mastermind behind the modernization of Movnat aka Natural Movement.  I took his one day course and instantly fell in love with the work we did.  In the future I plan on getting Movnat Instructor Certified.

Ido Portal is simply NOT human!  He can manipulate his body to balance on one arm, he does capoeira, he does gymnastics etc! He is probably one of the most if not the most well round human that walks this earth.  Not only does he love to teach what he has learned but from what I have seen on FB he is always happy and inspiring.  He eats paleo and the results speak for themselves! He makes wolverine look WEAK!! Hopefully next year I am able to attend his 1 week clinic as not only would I like to be a student of his but I would love to learn from him in person. 

Thats it for my first post.  I shall be posting something later this week from the conversation that got this all started!  Thanks for reading!