Run to Win: Aerobic Base Training

"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - New Living Translation

In the world of exercise, there are 2 main types of activities: aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise.  The prefix 'aero' is actually a Greek word meaning air.  Aerodynamics and aerobatics are words that have to do with air.  Aerobic is an adjective that has describes the involvement of air.  The 'an' in anaerobic is a negative, so anaerobic is an adjective that describes something that doesn't involve air.  You are probably thinking, "How can exercise be anaerobic if all exercise involves air?"  Well, let me explain.  When tagged with exercise, aerobic refers to the use of oxygen in the body's metabolic or energy-generating process.  Conversely, anaerobic exercise is exercise that uses energy resident in the muscle tissues and does not involve oxygen in the generation process.

There are basically two ways in which energy is stored in the body: glycogen and fat.  The majority of a body's glycogen stores are in the liver while some small amounts of glycogen are stored directly in the muscle fibers and other organs.  Once the body's glycogen stores are "full", any remaining energy is stored as fat.  Initially, during aerobic exercise, glycogen is broken down to produce glucose; which then reacts with oxygen, producing carbon dioxide and water, and releasing energy. As glycogen stores are used up, fat metabolism is initiated instead.  Fat metabloism is a much slower process than glycogen metabolism. The sensation of running out of glycogen and switching over completely to fat as an energy source is known by runners as "hitting the wall."  In anaerobic exercise, the glycogen within the muscle fibers is burned without reacting with oxygen.  That process burns up muscle glycogen rather quickly, therefore anaerobic exercise can not be sustained for very long.  Operating anaerobically, an untrained 400 meter sprinter may "hit the wall" before even completing the full 400 meters.

Not only can understanding the differences between aerobic and anaerobic exercise help with our physical training, it can also help us become much more efficient spiritual athletes as well.  In a previous blog post (Run to Win: Fuel), I talked about how the physical food that we eat symbolizes the spiritual food that we consume.  The same is true of the basic components of the metabolism process.  Basically the food that we eat is the Word of God: Rhema words and Logos Word.  Those words are stored within us... in our heart, in our psyche, in our spirit:

"I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11 - New Living Translation

The stored Rhema words are similar to glycogen stores: readily available and efficient stores of energy.  When we remember and/or rehearse those specific, spoken, pulsating-with-life words that we have receive from the Lord, we are using our glycogen stores.  The large chunks of the Bible that we memorize - verses like John 3:16-17, Psalm 23, Psalm 24, Psalm 133, Proverbs 3:5-7, Matthew 5:3-16, Matthew 6:9-15, and Hebrews 12:1-3, to name a few - are like our fat stores.  They may not be as dynamic as our remembered and rehearsed Rhema words, but they are long lasting and fuel us when all other fuels have run dry.  Just as we can either exercise aerobically or anaerobically (and one is much more efficient than the other), we can also choose to walk according to the Spirit or according to the flesh:

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die (or at least seriously "hit the wall"); but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." Romans 8:12-14

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16

When we walk or run in the Spirit, the Spirit works much like oxygen does in the metabolic cycle: it helps us process the Word and the words of God and applies them to our life in the way that works best.  If instead, we decide to run the race in the flesh, we burn up and squander the words that God has spoken to us and over us, leaving us empty, burned-out and completely spent - much like that untrained runner that I mentioned earlier, trying to run a 400 meter sprint, only to come up short before the finish.

In order to strengthen our bodies' aerobic abilities (both physically and spiritually), we need to train.  As the Apostle Paul wrote, "all athletes are disciplined in their training." When training to win, there are three general types of running exercises that are employed to improve the body's aerobic capacity and overall fitness: Aerobic Base Training, Lactate Threshold Training, and VO2Max Training.  The first two are aerobic exercises, while the third is an anaerobic exercise.  Over the next few weeks, I want to spend some time talking about each of the three.  This week, I want to focus on the first and most fundamental part of endurance training: Aerobic Base Training.

In order to improve your body's aerobic fitness, you need to see improvements in oxygen delivery, energy production and utilization, and fat metabolism.  Since oxygen is transported from your lungs to your body in red blood cells by way of the circulatory system, you need to see improvements in blood circulation and heart efficiency as well.  Aerobic base training works on all of those.  Prolonged aerobic base training produces muscular adaptations that improve oxygen transport to the muscles and increases energy production and utilization. These adaptations occur slowly over time.  Over the course of a base period your body learns to break down and utilize fat as an energy source more efficiently. As an added bonus, this adaptation helps post-exercise fat metabolism as well. The fat we have stored in our bodies can actually provide enough energy to perform many distance events back to back. Glycogen depletion can occur in as little as one hour. The less muscle glycogen you utilize, the more efficient you are. Other adaptations of aerobic base training include increased stroke volume of the heart and capillary density.  Stroke volume increase simply means that your heart pumps more blood per beat. Increasing capillary density means that the body actually builds additional capillary vessels to effectively transport more blood to the working muscles. The process of building capillaries occurs gradually. Because high-stress training actually breaks down capillaries, base training is best for allowing the slow growth of capillaries.

For aerobic base training to be effective, it must be long, consistent, and performed a low to moderate levels of effort. The hard part of base training is having the discipline to train at these low intensities. It may mean running very slowly or even walking. It may mean laying aside what you are capable of doing to embrace what you need to do for a season. It may actually require you to lay aside the pride that you have in your accomplishments and instead, humble yourself to undergo the transformation/adaptation process that is needed to take you to the next level (sound familiar?).  I can tell you from my own experience, aerobic base training was initially one of the most frustrating things that I have ever undertaken on my own accord... but it ended up becomming one of the most rewarding.

The best way to insure that you stay within the aerobic base training zone is to use a heart rate monitor.  Your heart rate is probably the best measure of actual effort.  Many times, you may feel that you are running at a relaxed pace, only to find out that your heart is racing along near it's max.  If you don't have a heart rate monitor, you can judge your effort level based on how long your conversations are.  If you can carry on a lengthy conversation with your running partner, then chances are that you are at a good relaxed aerobic effort level.  If your sentences morph into one and two word replies, then you have stepped out of the aerobic zone. Also, when you are in the aerobic zone, you are fully aware of your surroundings.  As you creep into the anaerobic zone, your peripheral vision goes away and you get tunnel vision, where the only things you can see clearly are directly in front of you. If you do have a heart rate monitor, the aerobic base zone is typically between 55% - 75% of your maximum heart rate.  Initially, when I began aerobic base training with my heart rate monitor, staying in the aerobic base zone meant that I couldn't exceed a 12:30 pace without driving my heart rate up... and it also meant that I had to, at times, walk up hills.  For me, someone that was used to running at 9:00 - 8:30 pace, and at one time could rattle off mile after mile at 8:00 pace, that was extremely frustrating. What I soon found out, was that I was not as aerobically fit as I thought I was.

I can honestly say that there were many times that I just wanted to scrap the whole idea of aerobic base training.  In fact, there were a few times when I did. The sound of my heart rate alert going off everytime I began going up even the slightest incline drove me crazy... crazy enough that to keep from yelling at my watch, I just turned my alarm off and forgot about monitoring my effort for the rest of the run.  What kept me hanging in there and staying with the training plan was the word of many seasoned coaches that testified to the effectiveness of that type of training.  Then, lo and behold, as I stayed true to the training, I began to see improvement.  My 12:30 pace, soon became 12:00... then 11:00... then 10:00.  By the time my training period had ended, I was able to maintain a 9:30 pace for 15+ miles without exceeding the the 75% of Max threshold.  And because I was running at an easy effort, I was able to log more miles per week than I ever had in my 8 years of running... which translated into another great benefit: 10 pounds of weight loss.  Aerobic Base Training works and it should be, if you are serious about improving your fitness and your performance, the foundation of any training program you undertake.

How many times do you become frustrated at the spiritual course you are on.  Do you ever feel like the pace you are running is far to slow... That you are capable of so much more... but feeling like no one knows how gifted you are... no one knows the calling you have on your life... feeling like you are hidden and held back from really letting things loose and getting after the things God has called you to?  Sometimes the most difficult part of walking in the Spirit is having the discipline to hold back when He is saying to hold back.  Many times there are things that the Lord wants to develop in you so that you can go the distance with Him and not burn out after a month or two.  If God has called you to something, you can be assured that as long as you stay true to His training plan, He will bring it to pass.  Just like I ultimately had to trust in the word of the proven running coaches - even though I wasn't seeing any results and experiencing nothing but frustration; we all have to trust in the Word and words from our Lord.  He knows what we need and He knows the exercises that will work into and work out of us the adaptations and transformations that we need.  I love this scripture that King David wrote.  I think it summarizes this post perfectly:

"I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart." Psalm 119:32

Sounds like aerobic base training to me.

Let's run the race, remembering that slow and steady... well... wins the race.

Run to Win: Recovery

"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - New Living Translation

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that the 3 components of running to win are genetics, nutrition and training.  There isn't much that we can do on the genetics side of things (apart from being reborn - see Run to Win).  Over the past couple of weeks, I have focused on the nutrition component.  Beginning this week, and over the next few weeks, I want to look at the training aspect.  As Paul wrote in the scripture above, bodies have to be trained to do what they should.  In order to do that, we have to discipline our bodies.

Whenever someone jumps into a training plan for a long race, the first thing they look at is the number of miles that will need to be run, or how difficult and challenging the workouts will be.  After all, it's the hard work that gets us in shape... it's the hard work that disciplines us, right?  Isn't discipline supposed to be hard and painful?  We've all grown up with the saying, "No pain, no gain," and that is what we expect from a good training plan.  It is true that you do need to challenge and stretch your body inorder to grow and improve as a runner... but before we jump into the fray of this workout vs that workout, I want to take a look at an often overlooked but very critical area of a training plan: recovery.

This may seem a bit counter-intuitive, but much of the benefit of any workout comes in the time after the workout, while the runner is recovering from the stress he just put on his body. Recovery periods give the nervous, endocrine and musculoskeletal systems a break from the traumas of training, and the opportunity to carry out some vital repair work. Runners need to give their bodies a chance to grow and repair themselves after their workouts are complete. It is during the recovery process that runners actually reap the benefits of the workouts themselves, for it is the repair work that actually makes their bodies stronger, more responsive, and more physically fit.

Because I can't say it any better, I want to share with you a blog post that was written by Terrence Mahon, coach to some of our country's best elite runners:

Balance Your Training with Recovery - By Terrence Mahon

September 17, 2010

Long distance running is a labor of love. To be a great distance runner requires a lot of work and a lot of time. Major career goals for the elites are planned over 8 and 12 years spans. It is not uncommon for these world class runners to log over 80 miles a week for 48 weeks a year for 8 years before one sees the results necessary to reach the podium. Most sports scientists will tell you that this number may be modest and it may be more in the range of 10 years of aerobic conditioning needed to compete at the very top levels of international distance running.

To put it in a different light we see that these athletes will be running somewhere between 30,000-40,000 miles before they are ever in serious contention to chase an Olympic medal. All of this adds up to a lot of time on their feet and a lot of dedication to the sport. What often separates the great distance runners from the good ones is not in how much work they can endure, rather it is how well they listen to their bodies.

Great athletes understand that their desire to train harder and run faster is governed primarily by their ability to recover. If they have not yet recovered from the last hard training session then to do another intense workout would put them in a deeper training hole than is warranted.

Sometimes the smartest plan for the day is to not push too hard on the run or workout and to let the fitness come to the athlete. Or in fact, it may even be better to take a rest completely and allow the body to fully recover before challenging it again. As we are working through Ryan’s preparations for Chicago we are seeing great increases in his aerobic fitness in a very short time. His 15k uphill run this week was 3 minutes faster than the one just 2 weeks ago. That is a huge improvement in a very short time.

Obviously a workout adaptation like that one will get him excited and chomping at the bit to do more. However, when I see times drop like that I have come to understand that we need to hold on to the reins a little harder as the race is still well down the road. Good training is not always about pushing to go harder and harder or faster and faster. Good training is when you understand that this pace is fast enough and it is just the right effort for where I am now in my preparations.

I have also come to understand that as the workouts get faster and faster that there becomes a feeling of invincibility in the mind of the athlete. This is a phenomenal state of being, but also a precarious one. Over a few cracked eggs of my own I have learned that when this form starts to take shape then it is time to start adding in additional recovery periods. It is because Ryan can now start to dig deeper into his mental and physical reserves when doing his marathon preparation that he needs to recover even more. The system must always maintain a balance of stress and recovery. The harder he pushes the more he must rest. The lessons of the elites are great lessons for all runners.

As we balance families, jobs, weekend tasks and more there is a constant challenge to do it all. I believe that this is one of the allures of the marathon as it is one of the Everest challenges that we seek to achieve from such a work ethic. It is an event for those athletes that love to test their resolve as it rewards them more for their dedication than talent. Unfortunately I have seen many marathon build ups get squashed by injuries, fatigue or illness when the runner pushed themselves beyond the limit. If we can all understand that a balance must be maintained in training, as in life, then we will make great progress towards the finish line. Rest must follow work.

These are interconnected states of being for all athletes. You cannot have one without the other. If we keep the system in balance then the finish line will be there sooner than you think.

If you are interested, here is Ryan Hall's take on the importance of rest and recovery during hard training that he posted a couple of weeks ago: To Run or Not to Run?

In our race of life, it is also key to our success and survival to include times of rest and recovery into our day.  In our driven American culture, it is easy to fall into the trap of burning our candle at both ends, trying to do everything ourselves, and never taking the time to recover and recuperate. If we are disciples (or followers) of Jesus, then our discipline is to follow His disciplines.  If we take a look at Jesus' life, we see that He had the discipline of including times of recovery and rejuvenation in His busy schedule.  This is what His recovery time looked like:

"So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." - Luke 5:16

"Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." - Luke 6:12

"And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying 'Who do the crowds say that I am?'" - Luke 9:18

"Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.'" - Luke 11:1

"Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His discipled also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.' And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.'" - Luke 22:39-42

Some have called the Gospel of Luke a gospel of prayers with signs, wonders and miracles in between. Throughout the book, we see Jesus going to the "secret place" to spend time with His Father in order to be strengthened, empowered, rejuvenated and refocused... and afterward, we see Him moving in great power and authority: people being healed, forgiven, delivered from demonic posession, raised from the dead... you name it.  It was because of His times of rest and recovery with His Father, that He was able to move in such profound ways and ultimately (as we see in the Luke 22 passage) win the race.

As we train and discipline ourselves, let's make sure that we do not forget to rest and recover... and as we run the race, let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and not forsake the secret place of prayer and communion with our Father.  It is critical.

Let's run the race as Jesus did... making time for the secret place.

Run to Win: Hydration

"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - New Living Translation

 Last week we took a look at properly fueling your body for optimum performance and recovery.  As important as good and healthy food is for running, proper hydration is even more important. Proper nutrition can be the difference between a good run and a great run. Proper hydration can be the difference between life and death... it really is that important.

Without water, there is no life.  Believe it or not, the human body is 55-60% water.  That's right... more than half of you is water. To remain alive and functioning properly, you need to keep a healthy amount of water in your body. Throughout the course of the day, we are constantly losing water, whether through perspiration, evaporation, respiration, urination, etc. Since we are constantly losing water, we have to consistantly replace the water that we lose.  Otherwise, we will become dehydrated.  It is a never-ending process.

Why is hydration so key to running to win?  I'm glad you asked.  As we learned last week, to get energy and power from your muscles, you need fuel and oxygen.  That fuel and oxygen is transported to your cells via the bloodstream. Blood is about 70% water (about 50% in the blood plasma and 20% in the blood cells). Blood is also responsible for removing waste (like lactic acid) from the muscle cells.  As you run, you lose water through perspiration and the water vapor in your breath.  If you do not replace some of that lost water, you will become dehydrated.  As you become deydrated, the percent of water in the blood plasma decreases and your blood becomes more viscous (or thick) - which makes the heart have to work all the more to maintain blood flow through your lungs and into your muscles.  Also, your overall blood volume decreases.  To compensate, your blood cells release some of their water into the blood plasma, making them less effective, and the blood vessels constrict to maintain blood pressure... which inturn also makes blood flow more challenging.  Are you starting to get the picture?  Less blood flow means less oxygen and fuel getting to the muscles (and brain as well) and less lactic acid being removed... which means you start breathing harder (because you need more oxygen) and your heart starts beating harder and harder and your muscles begin to ache and fatigue due to the presence of lactic acid.  Meanwhile, your core body temperature begins to rise because the blood is not able to effectively keep your body cooled.  If this process continues, it just gets worse and worse and can become pretty serious.  Not only are red blood cells (the cells responsible for transporting oxygen) and plasma (the part of the blood carrying fuel and removing waste) present in the blood, but white blood cells are also present. White blood cells are cells of the immune system involved in defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. It would stand to reason that if the effectiveness of your circulatory system is reduced due to dehydration, then your immune system would be compromised as well.  So hydration is extremely important, not only as we run to win, but in staying healthy and alive.

The best way to prevent dehydration is to stay hydrated.  Depending on the rate at which you sweat, it may be unreasonable to replace all lost fluids as you run.  A good way to determine the amount of fluids lost through perspiration is to weigh yourself before and after a run. 1 pound of weight loss = about a pint of fluid.  I can easlily lose 4 - 5 pounds in a long run of an hour or more.  That equal to 1/2 gallon or more.  I can't imagine drinking that much water while running.  In fact, the body can't even process that much water at once.  So the best thing to do is make sure you are well hydrated before you run, replace some lost fluids while you run, and make sure you replace the remaining amount of lost fluids over the next few hours after a run.

Not only does the body lose fluids through perspiration, it also loses electrolytes. The water in the body is not "fresh" water.  It has minerals mixed in it that are called electrolytes. Electrolytes are important because they are what your cells (especially nerve, heart, muscle) use to maintain voltages across their cell membranes and to carry electrical impulses (nerve impulses, muscle contractions) across themselves and to other cells.  Two commonly known electrolytes found in the body are sodium and potassium.  If you have ever tasted the sweat that comes from your body, it tastes salty.  That is because the sweat contains the electrolyte sodium chloride (also known as salt).  One mistake that endurance runners (or walkers) often make is replacing fluids without replacing electrolytes. Drinking a lot of plain water with no added electrolytes can create an electrolyte imbalance.  This can also prove to be a serious and potentially deadly mistake.  The body likes to maintain a balance of salinity between the fluids outside of its cells and the fluids inside its cells.  When the fluids outside of the cells become less "salty", the less salty water rushes into the cells to create a balance.  This causes the cells to swell. Most cells can handle the swelling, but brain cells (because they are encased in the skull) cannot. The condition associated with low sodium levels in the body is called hyponatremia.  Some of the symptoms of hyponatremia are confusion, hallucinations, drowsiness, nausia and vomiting, muscle weakness, convulsions, etc.  Not a pretty sight. The body can also suffer from low levels of potassium.  This condition is called hypokalemia.  Symptoms of hypokalemia are abnormal heart rhythms, fatigue, muscle weakness and spasms/cramps, even paralysis.  It is important, if you are replacing a lot of fluids that were lost during exercise, that you also replace electrolytes as well.  Many popular sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade have electrolytes in them.

Now you know that proper hydration is key in running to win. My question now is can you become spiritually dehydrated?  Let's look at the symptoms of dehydration and apply them to our race of life and see.  Dryness: ever feel like your life has just dryed up... or that you are walking through a barren desert? The eyes stop making tears: ever suffer from "dry-eye disease, where you just don't feel anything... you are just numb to the world? Muscle cramps: every move you make just hurts or you are just tense and you are quick to snap out at those around you for no reason at all? Heart palpitations... confusion... weakness... possibly even becoming comatose.  Have you ever experienced any of these?  I ask you again... can we become spiritually dehydrated?  I think, yes.  What is the cure? Where is the prevention?

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says this: "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life (John 4:13-14 - New Living Translation)."  Later in the Gospel of John, Jesus stands up in the midst of a crowd and shouts this out: "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from the heart of anyone who believes in me’ (John 4:37-38)." The cure and the prevention for spiritual dehydration is coming to Jesus and believing in Him. And I imagine the Living Water that He gives us is perfectly balanced with all the things that we need.  Worship is the fountain head for all that we have need of.  Jesus has promised that if we come to Him and remain with Him, we will never experience spiritual dryness.  He may lead us through some dry places, but as long as we stay with Him, we will be an oasis of life in the midst of the desert.  Now, if we stop coming to Jesus, we can expect to experience a little dehydration.  Dehydration is serious stuff... both physically and spiritually. But it is preventable.

Let's run the race... Hydrated with rivers of living water!

Run to win: Fuel

"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - New Living Translation

I have read that the 3 components of running well (or running to win) are genetics, training and nutrition. This week I wanted to take a look at nutrition and hopefully not only give you some information that will take your running to a higher level, but also give you some spiritual correlations that will take your running of the "race" to a higher level as well.

In the scripture passage above, Paul wrote, "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should." You are probably thinking, "but Jamie, Paul says training... he doesn't say anything about nutrition." Well... he also mentioned disciplining the body... and part of disciplining the body to perform well is making sure it is getting the food that it needs.

Last week, I mentioned a blog entry by world class runner and American record holder Ryan Hall - where he gave us a look into what a day in the life of a professional runner looks like.  If you take another look at that post, you will see that eating is an integral part of his training process.  Fueling our body properly is so key... in running and in life.

Let's use a car engine as an example.  Let's say that we have a really expensive, custom-made, high-performance Italian sports car... like a Ferrari.  That Ferrari has the potential to move really fast... but if there is no gas in the gas tank, that masterpiece of a racing machine isn't going anywhere.  The car has an internal combustion engine.  For it to produce the power needed to move, it needs fuel and oxygen (and a spark of course).  Once that fuel and oxygen come together and are ignited, an explosion occurs that powers the engine. Our bodies are no different.  To move, we need power from our muscles.  In order to get power, we need energy.  That energy is created when fuel and oxygen mix within our muscle cells... and then "BOOM" we have movement.  Let's take the example a little further.  Let's say we take our Ferrari down to the closest quicky-mart and fill it up with the cheapest fuel at the pump.  Is our Ferrari going to perform at its best?  No, of course not.  The same is true of us.  If we spend all our time eating low quality foods, we aren't going to get optimal performance.  So how do we eat to win?

If you want to read how Ryan Hall does it, check this out: Nutrition Secrets.  Just like Ryan, I am not a sports nutritionist... never even played one on TV either... but I have done some reading about it.  If you want my layman's analysis, then keep reading.  If you want to see what the professionals say, then check this out: Performance Nutrition Nutshell by Dr. Clyde Wilson.  Basically there are 3 main areas that you need to hit: Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats (lipids).

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates serve as the primary energy source for working muscles and help the body use fat more efficiently. Carbohydrates are stored in the liver as glycogen, but the body can only store a small amount. Therefore, a high-carbohydrate diet is essential for long distance running performance. 50-60% of your diet should consist of carbohydrates, with 1/3 of that carbohydrate intake coming from vegetables.  Since carbs are the primary energy source for your muscles and the easiest energy source for your body to convert to usable fuel, carbs should be the focus before you run and while you run (if you are going to be running for much more than an hour).

Proteins

Proteins are needed for tissue building and are used to build and repair body tissues including muscles, tendons and ligaments. Contrary to popular belief, protein is not a primary source of energy for long distance runners, but it is needed.  Less that 10% of total calories coming from protein will result in a reduction in the body's ability to recover from your runs.  But a diet with over 25% of its calories coming from protein has many negative health effects such as fatigue, arthritis, gout, kidney issues, high blood pressure, etc. So the recommended amount of protein is between 10-25%.  Because proteins are more for building and repairing, and not for high-performance fuel, it is best to include proteins after your workouts.  When I have longer runs (runs longer than 8 miles) I usually like to drink a protein enhanced smoothie soon afterward.  It really helps with recovery.  If you are near the Nashville area, the Choc Full of Peanut Butter smoothie from 9 fruits is a great recovery drink.

Fat-rich foods

Believe it or not, Fats (or lipids) are very important to a high-performance diet.  I know that over the years, fat has gotten some really bad press... but studies have shown that a diet with less than 20% of its calories coming from fat actually reduces health and performance significantly.  Fats increase metabolism and help with nerve recovery after a hard work out. Now, don't get too excited.  I'm not talking about saturated fats.  I'm talking about the unsaturated fats (the fat that is not solid, but oily at room temperature) that are found in nuts, vegetables, seeds, and fish.  A diet rich in these unsaturated fats has actually shown to help, not only with the things that I listed above, but also with depression, cardiovascular disease, brain and neurological health, inflammation, immunity, and even certain types of cancer.  Therefore, it is recommended that around 25% (less than 1/3 of that from saturated fat) of your calories come from dietary fat.

As followers of Jesus and runners in the spiritual race of life, we are challenged to eat good food as well.  In fact, Jesus Himself quoted this scripture from the book of Deuteronomy: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. (Luke 4:4b)." Just as there are 3 main types of physical food that we need to eat (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats), there are also 3 spiritual "foods" that we need to be filled with each day.

The Greek word that is translated as 'word' in the scripture above is the Greek word 'rhema.'  Rhema is something that has been uttered by a living voice... something actually spoken.  So basically, Jesus was saying that man should not live by bread (a carbohydrate by the way) alone, but by the uttered or spoken word of God.  That opens up an entirely different subject: does God still speak today?  I don't have time to go into that at length, but yes, He does.  God speaks just as clearly now as He always has... and those specific, spoken words from God are 'rhema.'  Another place where rhema is used is:

"Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word [rhema] of God." Ephesians 6:17 - New Living Translation

So "rhema" words have an energy, a fuel, and a dynamic power behind them... much like carbohydrates.  Rhema words are the words that you have heard God speak to your heart that wake you up in the morning and keep you moving - even when it seems like the entire world is against you. Rhema words are key to keeping strong and finishing well.  Seek them out and ask God for them daily.

Another word for 'word' in the Bible is the Greek word "logos."  Logos has to do with a complete understanding or idea.  When we speak of the logos of God, we are talking about the complete revelation of God. Here are some uses of the word 'logos' in the New Testament:

"In the beginning the Word [logos] already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone... So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son." John 1:1-4,14 - New Living Translation

"For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word [logos] of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:13-14

The writer of Hebrews refers to the logos of God as being solid food... much like protein.  When we feed on the "logos" of God, it builds us up... it repairs us... it restores us... it gives us muscle and heft. So how do we feed on the logos word? We daily read and study the written "logos" which we know as The Bible.

As I mentioned earlier, healty, unsaturated fats are oils at room temperature. Olive oil is a good example of a healthy unsaturated fat.  Throughout the Bible, oil is used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  What is the Holy Spirit?  Well, the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and is the actual Spirit of God. When Jesus ministered on earth, He was filled with the Holy Spirit at His baptism... and just before He left this earth, He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to fill us as well:

"If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth... But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:15-17,26 - New Living Translation

In fact, the Apostle Paul challenges us with this statement:

"Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts." Ephesians 5:17-19 - New Living Translation

Just like fats, the Holy Spirit has gotten a lot of bad press... but also like fats, His presence in our lives is absolutely necessary for us to perform at the levels that God calls us to.  Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, daily.  If Jesus needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be effective, how much more do we?

So, in summary: eat carbohydrates for fuel and seek out those "rhema" words from God that keep you going through thick and thin; build up and repair muscles by eating good clean proteins and grow some serious spiritual muscle by feeding on the "logos" word daily; and for optimum performance and protection, include healty unsaturated fats in your diet and seek to be continuously full of the Holy Spirit.

Let's fuel ourselves well, and let's run to win!