i have been running for about 3 years now and over those years ate junk and assumed that high protein was the way to go. in dec 2011 i started having headaches...constant headaches along with frquent nosebleeds. 2 weeks later they finally stop but i begin to think it was the junk i was eating making me ill. i just recently began a raw food diet and was wondering if its ok to keep running long distances and if its safe. (i usually run 10 miles every other day)

andydufrane Wrote:
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> ......and was wondering if its ok to keep running long distances and if its safe.

Running long distances is very hard on a human body. You must pay for it later in life, no matter what your diet. I would opt for shorter distances...say 5K......WY

I must respectfully disagree with WY

I am a long distance runner and would like to reassure you that it's absolutely fine to keep running those distances.

I would like to add that it does depend on the type of running that you do and here I will agree with WY that if you like to RACE or do endless interval training frequently over any distance you will put a big strain on your body.

I am a marathon plus distance runner but I run to enjoy the countryside and take enormous pleasure from just trotting along for hour after hour. I don't believe this type of runnning is damaging either now or in later life. I would add that is is important to build plenty of rest days into your schedule and mix the distance up a bit too - no more than one really long run a week. Don't let it become a religion ( I have been guilty of that in the past and that is very damaging )

Keep yourself well hydrated, eat as much as you need to and enjoy it.


p.s - have you thought about barefoot running? I am transitioning to that right now and feel that as far as injury prevention goes and healthy joints into old age this is the way to go. Check out Vivobarefoot for good solid well researched information



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2012 10:20AM by flipperjan.

im training to run a half in april. its not my first long race but its the longest race i have signed up for this year. i have three 5ks spread out through the year. they are fun races so ill go easy on myself. after training is over i am going to go to about 5-6 miles every other day with weight training to keep muscle tone. i never what you say "compete" in the sense that i dont run fast at all. my watch says i run average 10:30 min/mile. i usually run trails which are soft sand and dirt. i have thought of the barefoot running. i was looking into a minimalist shoe to get me started i just havent taken the plunge i know two things for certain i want to always be a runner and keep eating raw vegan in hope the two will greatly improve my quality of life

Andy,

Google Tim VanOrden, if you don't know about him already.

Well, if you have done this for a long time, then your body is already trained to store more calories in the liver and muscles and your heart to whitstand prolonged effort when compared to us ordinary mortals. Running is a great cardio exercise.

However, given that you frequently do this type of resistance training, i'm guessing that you need to consume a lot of slow release carbs and also store more fat than the rest of us. You simply need more claories in your diet.

I would assume your body consumes around 1200 calories just while running for 10 miles (according to some studies, males on average spend around 125 calories per mile while running). If you run less than that, you can easily calculate what a man's average energy expenditure would be.

However, how many calories you personally consume depends on your weight, age and metabolic rate.

Keeping it raw at [rawfoodhealthwatch.com]

Yes Tamukha - well said. I mean't to mention a few raw runners - also another wonderful runner is Stephania:

[www.raw-food-health.net]

and also:

[www.brendanbrazier.com]

non raw but amazing vegan ultra runner is Scott:

[www.scottjurek.com]

and another:

[www.happycow.net]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2012 08:27PM by flipperjan.

the only one i have heard of is tim but i will def. check on the other ones. today is day five and ill admit im struggling with candy cravings today. anyways thank you for all the advice and links you guys are great support for me right now

Why not find some raw chocolate and see if that helps (or some dark vegan chocolate). Don't beat yourself up about it - find something that helps. Make sure you are eating enough - don't get hungry because that will make any cravings much worse

anyone ever read this? A great book...


[www.amazon.com]

The Tarahumara have a saying: “Children run before they can walk.” Watch any four-year-old—they do everything at full speed, and it’s all about fun. That’s the most important thing I picked up from my time in the Copper Canyons, the understanding that running can be fast and fun and spontaneous, and when it is, you feel like you can go forever. But all of that begins with your feet. Strange as it sounds, the Tarahumara taught me to change my relationship with the ground. Instead of hammering down on my heels, the way I’d been taught all my life, I learned to run lightly and gently on the balls of my feet. The day I mastered it was the last day I was ever injured.

Yes Fresh i have - it was the beginning of my barefoot running

That 'relationship with the ground' that Christopher talks about is extraordinary - the sense of running on your'feet' and 'feeling the ground rather than running in cushioned trainers is amazing. It's hard to explain but maybe it's a bit like listening to beautiful music with ear defenders on and the sense of pure joy when you take them off and really hear the music.

so are you running forefoot first now?

Yeah, flipperjan, I have serious qualms about the forefoot first thing. I should think it would be very difficult to do after a lifetime of the other way around, and could result in injury, no?

fwiw, i'm not a serious runner like fj but i've done forefoot first and
- sustained a minor strain by overdoing it on the beach

however i think it is better overall with less pounding

i'm not able to do it effortlessly yet
and running speedily that way is particularly challenging
not a no brainer but worth trying

i've read some on it and there is a particular technique as far as body position, and mechanics and gliding/pushing to make it efficient.

anyway i suppose that stuff may be in fjans link...

raw chocolate?!?! ill have to check on that. and ill have to log my calories and make sure im eating enough. i think that may be the reason!

Chocolate isnt the best thing for you, especially on a regular basis and if you are an athelete. Eat more soaked nuts, seeds and sprouted grains! if you are not already.

Sure chocolate isn't the 'best' for you but it is so far ahead of what one could be eating. Andy isn't even a week in yet so I think some raw chocolate is absolutely fine - specially if you want some sweeties and are contemplating something non vegan and yucky!!!


Tam - there is a lot to barefoot running and yes potentially if you take your cushioned trainers off and do exactly what you would have done in them in barefeet (or minimilist shoes) you are extremely likely to make several areas of your feet and legs hurt very much.

I spent 2 hrs with a barefoot coach and I believe it was money very well spent. As a seasoned marathon runner I went back to running half a mile a day only; my feet knew about it and my calves knew about it. One has to transition very slowly.

Tam - it feels very odd the first couple of times that you go out forefoot striking but after a few short weeks it feels as normal as if I'd always been running this way.

Fresh - there really is a correct technique and cadence which will protect you from injuring yourself. In a nut shell you land on your forefoot but not on your toes - very important. Your foot naturally pronates round on the outer edge and your heel 'kisses' the ground. This is vital - if you run 'up' on your toes you will really hurt your gastrocnemius muscles (calf) and shorten your achilles.

The stride is much, much shorter and the cadence much faster - somewhere near 180 beats a minute - this is about the speed that the lovely natural spring in your arches and achilles like to work at. Barefoot runners look and are so much lighter on their feet.

So many people try barefoot running, have no idea how to do it and really hurt themselves and blame the style.

Ones feet are so weak really - they have been cushioned, (held in a cast some aliken it to) protected, supported to such an extent that the muscles have stopped working for themselves. This is why it takes time to transition from nike running trainers or what ever. I found that my ankles ached to begin with but now i am feeling fine and am beginning to build the mileage.

It's never to late to change to barefoot running but watch video's, read around the subject and take it slowly. This company know what they are doing and the shoes are superb. They do some vegan shoes and plan on doing more and say they don't use sweatshop labour - [www.vivobarefoot.com]

If you are not a runner you can buy barefoot 'lifestyle' shoes - I am saving!!! I don't want to wear ordinary shoes again - it feels WONDERFUL to be on my own feet!!! when i put on some of my old everyday shoes they feel really weird now, most uncomfortable with arch supports and moulded soles etc etc - and I used to think they were wonderful!!

Sorry to have strayed somewhat from the OP

I've got some Vibram Five Fingers... picked up my pair before the company added the kangaroo skin option. =\ There may still be vegan ones... not as discreet as the shoes linked above!

[www.vibramfivefingers.com]