The Comrades Marathon

An overview of an annual event that all long distance runners aspire to.

Raw Foods Diet to Live Naturally and Long

Ever wonder as to why the average age of the Japanese people is 92 for males and 94 for females? For that matter the average age of the people in so many other Asian countries where most live above 80 years. It can simply be pointed to their diet which includes a lot of raw foods. Raw foods diet is a revolutionary albeit a very old concept of living a healthy, clean and simple life which is in harmony with nature. Raw foods are very rich in dietary nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Most people would have heard that the enzymes that are provided with raw food are usually flushed out along with all the vitamins and minerals when the food is cooked. However what most do not know is that when the cooked food is digested without these nutrients and the enzymes, the digestive process suffers and leads to disorders such as constipation, gastritis, and heartburns. Besides our bodies are just not designed to take in the kind of junk that is such a norm these days. The oxidants that are added as a result steadily destroy the body's regenerative abilities and lead to severe diseases such as cancer and asthma. People who live on raw foods diet naturally have all these issues taken care of as the body gets what it requires. It is worth noting that people who live entirely on cooked food are the ones who face almost all the problems mentioned above apart from obesity and other chronic ones; while those who rely on raw foods diet are seen to experience almost no such issues while having existing health problems solved. Try some raw recipes and see the difference it creates in your life.

Ever wonder as to why the average age of the Japanese people is 92 for males and 94 for females? For that matter the average age of the people in so many other Asian countries where most live above 80 years. It can simply be pointed to their diet which includes a lot of raw foods. Raw foods diet is a revolutionary albeit a very old concept of living a healthy, clean and simple life which is in harmony with nature.

Raw foods are very rich in dietary nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Most people would have heard that the enzymes that are provided with raw food are usually flushed out along with all the vitamins and minerals when the food is cooked. However what most do not know is that when the cooked food is digested without these nutrients and the enzymes, the digestive process suffers and leads to disorders such as constipation, gastritis, and heartburns. Besides our bodies are just not designed to take in the kind of junk that is such a norm these days. The oxidants that are added as a result steadily destroy the body's regenerative abilities and lead to severe diseases such as cancer and asthma.

People who live on raw foods diet naturally have all these issues taken care of as the body gets what it requires. It is worth noting that people who live entirely on cooked food are the ones who face almost all the problems mentioned above apart from obesity and other chronic ones; while those who rely on raw foods diet are seen to experience almost no such issues while having existing health problems solved.

Try some raw recipes and see the difference it creates in your life.

Long Runs During Marathon Training

There seems to be so many theories about long runs during marathon training. How often should you run? How far to run? How many long runs? How fast? It is my turn to give some opinions and theories about this topic.

I believe that building mileage for a marathon is the biggest robber of performance. Training for weeks and weeks plus adding mileage leaves a person worn out. Weeks and weeks of long runs add to this exhaustion.

I consider a long run to be over 15 miles in length. When the length starts approaching 20 miles even more stress is added to your training. I prefer to run long runs two weeks in a row. Resting the third week and taking one additional day of complete rest.

Example: Week 1 – Sunday Long
Week 2 – Sunday Long
Week 3 – Sunday Rest, Monday Rest

The next controversial topic is how far to run? My own experience from running 15 marathons has taught me that I need to run one 23 or 24 mile long run in training approximately three weeks before the actual race. I recommend this because, of the confidence that I receive and the time spent on my feet. Every time I tried to run just 20 mile long runs I always hit the wall at 20 miles. Going beyond 20 miles and increasing to 23 or 24 miles always prevented the wall form happening.

Pacing for marathon long runs should be very comfortable. The reason for your marathon long runs is purely aerobic. Other aspects of your marathon training will address marathon pacing etc. I recommend using a heart rate monitor for all training, especially during long runs. Keep your heart rate below 75% of maximum. Going above 75% will lengthen the recovery time of your long run.

How many long runs? I prefer to train 20 weeks for a marathon. I don't believe training plans less than this are very effective. The body needs time to adapt and become stronger. Most injuries incurred during shorter training plans are caused by adding to much stress in a short amount of time.

I will not begin my marathon training until I have finished training for a half marathon in the early spring. After running a half marathon my long runs will be over 15 miles. This is a good point to begin adding runs over 18 miles. I will try to run 6 or 7 long runs of 20 miles during marathon training. My last long run of 23 or 24 miles will be done three weeks before marathon race day. Then I will begin my taper.

How to Run a Marathon : Fixed Schedule for Marathon Training

Regular workouts are the most effective. Learn some training tips for marathon runners in this free online video guide. Expert: Turner Wright Bio: Turner Wright is a competitive distance runner with over 11 years of experience.

Nike Women’s Marathon 2009 San Francisco (Part 1 of 4)

2009 Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco. Part 2: www.youtube.com Part 3: www.youtube.com Part 4: www.youtube.com

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