Training After a Fast

This past Friday night was Erev Yom Kippur, the beginning of the holiest days of the year for Jews like me. It is also the day where we as Jews eat our last meal, try to give charity to those in need, and ask others for forgiveness. The next day (Yom Kippur) is supposed to be a total day of rest. It is our obligation to publicly and privately petition others who we have wronged for forgiveness and confess our guilt. At the end of Yom Kippur, we consider ourselves absolved by God. What does this have to do with running? It is the fact that in Leviticus 16:29 we are mandated to afflict our soul. The Mishnah defines this affliction to include total abstention from food and drink. This abstention begins 20 minutes before sundown on Erev Yom Kippur and ends after nightfall the following day. How can someone who is training for a major endurance race accomplish this? That is the real question.

I have to say that I have always found great value in fasting on this holiday. I find that it gives me significant spiritual benefit as I sit in the synagogue and pray. I can think about my own mortality and the value of life. It is much easier to do this when I do not have to focus inward on my physical needs that day and instead focus on my spiritual well being. The key to an easy fast is to prepare for it much like I would prepare for a race. In some ways, Yom Kippur is a marathon leading up to the concluding service of Yom Kippur, known as Ne'ilah. The Ne’ilah service lasts an hour and you must remain standing the entire service. It is my favorite part of the day as you can feel some desperation in the prayers of this service. It almost feels like that last 2/10th of a mile to the finish line in a marathon. We are all trying to have a strong finish. It is our last chance to get in a good word to God before the holiday ends and the gates of heaven close. I want to have my name and those of my friends and family recorded in God’s Book of Life for another good and sweet year.

The challenge this year was that Yom Kippur was on a weekend. I usually log both of my long runs on Saturday and Sunday. This Sunday is my last big mileage day at 14 miles in my training schedule. As you can imagine, I cannot run on Yom Kippur. I have no issue missing a mid-week or speed work run. But, I have always felt that to truly be prepared for a long race like a half marathon that I cannot miss my long runs. This meant that I had to run all of my runs up to Friday with no break and to run the 14 miler on very little nourishment. I needed to prepare for the fasting and still be ready for a tough run on Sunday.

This week I was very careful with what I ate at each meal. I avoided salt as much as possible. I hydrated each day so that my pee was clear and copious. I ate a normal to slightly larger than normal meal at each sitting focusing mostly on complex carbohydrates (i.e. whole grain breads, pastas, rice, fruits, vegetables and beans). I never felt overstuffed, just full. My fast was not overly difficult this year. What I was hoping for was that I prepared adequately for the fast to allow me to get up on Sunday morning fueled sufficiently for my long run.

I ate a light meal last night after returning from synagogue just to have some fuel in my system for the morning run. I tried to get a good night's sleep as well. But, whenever I am thinking about a particularly tough run or a race, I have trouble sleeping soundly. Last night was no different. I did manage to get in about 6 hours total. It was just not fitful sleep. I finally dragged myself out of bed at 7:00 am and laced up my shoes for the 14 miles.

I had chosen a route that would not be particularly hard. But, it did have several rolling hills. None were particularly steep. The best thing about this route is that most of the streets are not particularly heavily trafficked. This meant I wouldn't need to worry about getting run over out there. I find that most drivers are courteous and move over slightly to avoid crushing me. Of course, there are still a few out there who are not paying particular attention to the road and I try to avoid them at all costs.

I headed out at about a 9:30 per mile pace figuring that I did not need to have this be any type of tempo run. I was just out there to log the miles and try and enjoy the beautiful morning. It was 57 degrees and sunny. Perfect for a long slow run. I have to say I felt surprisingly good for the first 5 miles and even conquered the first couple of hills with relative ease. I knew I had a long way to go. I had gradually increased my pace to a comfortable 9:15 per mile. The miles seemed to fly by and I was feeling almost no fatigue. I wondered if my carbo loading this week had worked to my advantage despite the lack of food yesterday. I concluded that it must have.

It wasn't until I crossed the 10 mile mark that I began to feel my legs getting heavier and my will to push on start to fade. I knew no matter what I could finish the mileage. But could I keep the pace up? I pushed on figuring that if I could make it to the 11 1/2 mile mark the rest of the route was either downhill or flat. Momentum alone could drag me to the finish. I did take a couple of 1 minute walk breaks just to get my mind right and erase those nagging messages to stop and walk the rest of the way. I pushed on.

I crossed the 11 1/2 mile mark and felt a sense of relief as I hit the long downhill portion of the course. My quads were burning as I tried to hold a steady pace rather than race down the hill. I reached the final 1 1/2 mile flat portion and knew I would finish. I committed to finishing all of my runs strong and today would be no different. I slowly increased my turnover and felt pretty good as I increased the pace. I hit the 14.1 mile mark and hit my Garmin not really knowing how well I had done given what I thought was a significant slow down between miles 10 and 12. I was amazed to find out that despite the perceived effort late in the run that I had averaged 9:15 per mile.

I am convinced that in the last few miles my fasting had an effect on my performance. It wasn't so dramatic that I had to stop running. It just made my effort seem harder than it normally would at that pace. I am convinced that my eating complex carbohydrates during the week did help me. Without those carbs fueling me, I am not sure I could have completed such a long distance. I am three weeks from race day and was able to complete the longest run of my training program. I feel good about being well prepared for the race.

Not only did I survive the run, I also enjoyed the spiritual cleansing that Yom Kippur gave me yesterday. For the first time as I sat in the synagogue, I truly felt like I understood Maimonides 13 attributes of God. They are:

1. The existence of God;
2. His unity;
3. His spirituality;
4. His eternity;
5. God alone the object of worship;
6. Revelation through his prophets;
7. The preeminence of Moses among the Prophets;
8. God's law given on Mount Sinai;
9. The immutability of the Torah as God's Law;
10. God's foreknowledge of men's actions;
11. Retribution;
12. The coming of the Messiah; and
13. Resurrection.

You can read an in depth discussion of each of these on the internet. By embracing these attributes, I realized yesterday that to truly atone for my transgressions I need to (1) be aware of my effect on the world around me and those I come in contact with; (2) take responsibility for my actions; and, (3) learn from my mistakes. If I can do these three things then I can be a better person, husband and father. I know that I will make mistakes again. I certainly have learned that through my training successes and failures. But, we are all in this together and we can all learn from what has happened before.

I look back on Yom Kippur 2010 and my training and realized that what Maimonides said applies to both my spiritual and running life. He said, "Be convinced that, if man were able to reach the end without preparatory studies, such studies would not be preparatory but tiresome and utterly superfluous."

Here are my totals for this week:

Sept. 12 – 8.10 miles (1:13:28, 9:04 pace)
Sept. 13 – 8.10 miles (1:13:33, 9:05 pace)
Sept. 14 – 7.00 miles (58:51, 8:24 pace) – Speed work, Mile Repeats
Sept. 15 – 8.10 miles (1:04:51, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept. 16 – 7.10 miles (1:06:40, 9:23 pace)
Sept. 17 – 8.30 miles (1:17:12, 9:18 pace)

Total Miles: 46.70 miles
2010 YTD Miles: 1,272.20 miles

As the days get shorter...

I have just finished my fourth week of training for the BAA Boston Half Marathon. I have to say that my training is going rather well. I have been able to do all of my speed sessions and tempo runs with no major issues. My longs runs have not seemed particularly difficult either. I attribute this mostly to the fact that I had been keeping up a steady basic training regimen for many weeks. This allowed me to kick up my mileage and hard training sessions with no injury or abnormal fatigue.

What I have noticed is that while the weather is getting better for running, the days are definitely getting shorter. I love running in 50 degree weather. But, I prefer to do it in sunlight or slightly overcast if possible. Here in New England the days start to get shorter long before the Autumnal Equinox which is Sept. 22 this year. Of course, this means when I get up for my morning runs, I know I will be doing most of that run in the dark with all of its requisite hazards.

I think that the hardest thing I had to adapt to when I moved up here to the Boston area was the very short daylight hours in the winter. I grew up mostly on the west coast and spent all of my life in the southern half of the United States. So, I never experienced such a lack of sunlight. As you all know, sunlight is very important to our health both physically and mentally. Even I have succumbed to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or the winter blues. Your body needs exposure to sunlight to get your body to produce Vitamin D.

You may not know that Vitamin D helps to prevent osteoporosis, depression, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and even effects diabetes and obesity. I have read that Vitamin D is one of the most underrated nutrients in the world of nutrition. When I was struggling a bit with my running and feeling overly tired even before I headed out, I learned that if I was going to be able to train and race optimally, I could not have any nutrient deficiencies including Vitamin D. At my annual physical, my doctor let me know that I was slightly deficient in my Vitamin D levels and recommended that I start taking Vitamin D supplements. This winter will be my first time training while keeping my Vitamin D levels at their optimum level.

I have lived here for 6 years now and still have not gotten used to the short days. I find that as winter drags on, I have a tougher time getting out the door for my runs. Like many people who live in the northern portion of the US, it is not uncommon for me to feel lethargic during the winter with its short daylight hours and overcast days. Our bodies run in accordance with a biological clock each day. Our moods and energy are affected by light and when we don't get enough natural light on our skin during the day it messes with our natural clock. Because I know this is the case, I try to get outside when it is sunny during the winter months to try and keep my clock in balance and my moods upbeat.

I need to remain in shape to be able to periodically run in half or full marathons. This means that I will have to continue to train in the dark during the months of October through April. I will admit that it is sometimes difficult to get up and get out the door. But, even though there is no sunlight to lift my spirit, the act of running always gets me energized for the day.

Here are my totals for this week:

Sept. 5 – 12.10 miles (1:48:43, 8:59 pace)
Sept. 6 – 6.10 miles (55:38, 8:58 pace)
Sept. 7 – 7.00 miles (58:57, 8:26 pace) – Speed work, Mile Repeats
Sept. 8 – 7.10 miles (57:34, 8:07 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept. 10 – 6.10 miles (54:48, 8:59 pace)
Sept. 11 – 10.10 miles (1:30:57, 9:00 pace)

Total Miles: 48.50 miles
2010 YTD Miles: 1,225.50 miles

Tempo Runs are Critical

I have finished 3 weeks of training for the BAA Half Marathon and am actually feeling pretty good. I was a little bit nervous about the speed work and tempo runs because in my maintenance plan, I was not really sticking to any particular work out to keep my speed and goal pace fitness level. I would basically run based on how I felt and if I felt I could push the pace I would. Otherwise, I would do a comfortable run and get my miles in to maintain my overall fitness. I figured I could ramp up my training at any time and not suffer too bad.

I was a bit anxious about the tempo runs because I learned during my training for the Boston Marathon that the tempo run is probably the critical work out in any long distance runner’s training program. It is the one run that teaches your body how to run for long periods of time at a set pace. In my case, I wanted to run the Boston Marathon at a 9:00 per mile pace and succeeded averaging 9:08 per mile. Since then I have wanted to be able to drop my pace by a full minute which is not easy at my age. I know that training at a pace outside my comfort level is not easy but it is critical for fast racing.

Tempo runs, as any serious runner knows, cause your body to produce lactic acid which accumulates in your muscles and causes muscle fatigue. The goal of a tempo run is to train your body to reduce the amount of lactic acid build up over time as your body gets used to running at this faster pace. If you are successful, you will find that when race day comes you will be able to run at a faster pace with out as much muscle fatigue and soreness in your legs.

I have done 3 tempo runs so far and have found that my muscle memory is really helping me maintain the runs at my goal pace. When I set out on a tempo run, I always run the first mile or so at a slightly slower than goal pace. Once I feel warmed up, I then ramp up my speed to the point where I am clocking in at my goal pace. As I near the end of my run, I always try to drop my pace for the last mile to 10-15 seconds below my goal pace to allow me to try and finish strong.

When I finish my tempo run, I always cool down by walking for at least 8-10 minutes. Then I begin my post run stretching routine to help keep my muscles loose. It is also very important to refuel as soon as you can after a hard tempo session. I will drink plenty of water or a 50/50 mixture of water and Gatorade. I will typically make myself an egg and cheese sandwich or bagel using egg whites or egg substitute to keep my cholesterol in check. I find that if I do this my body recovers much quicker than if I skip the food or don’t replenish my liquids.

I only do one tempo run per week. You should never use them for any of your other daily runs. Tempo runs put a lot of stress on your muscles. I use my recovery run days to allow my body to recover from the hard effort and rebuild. As you have probably noticed, I typically do my tempo run on Thursday. This gives me 2 days of recovery running before I have to log my long run. I am convinced that I was able to reach my goal of running a 4 hour marathon because I trained my body to run at a steady pace for a long period of time. If you are not incorporating tempo runs into your weekly training program, I would highly recommend it if you want to get faster and start setting new PRs.

Here are my totals for this week:

Aug. 29 – 8.50 miles (1:15:27, 8:53 pace)
Aug. 30 – 8.10 miles (1:16:07, 9:24 pace)
Aug. 31 – 5.80 miles (49:11, 8:29 pace) – Speed work, Mile Repeats
Sept. 2 – 7.10 miles (57:08, 8:03 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept. 3 – 7.10 miles (1:05:39, 9:15 pace)
Sept. 4 – 7.10 miles (1:03:22, 8:56 pace)

Total Miles: 43.70 miles
2010 YTD Miles: 1,177.00 miles