The Fast Diet -- I Thought it Was Supposed to Help Me *Run* Faster

I am reading the Fast Diet by Michael Mosely and Mimi Spencer. It's about the joy and benefits of intermittent fasting. There's a Huffington Post article about it. There is also a PBS Program that initially got my attention.

Now then, just possessing a diet book doesn't guarantee that you will lose weight. Even keeping it close by doesn't necessarily help. And I've now learned that even reading the dang thing, in and of itself, won't do the trick for sure. One actually needs to follow the advice for there to be any benefit at all. Isn't that a bummer?

We're going to find out just how much of a bummer it is. It's supposed to be not too painful, this fasting business. You only fast for two non-consecutive days per week, and you don't totally fast - just restrict yourself to 500-600 calories for those two days. And that's it - you can eat normally for the other five days.

The book gives all sorts of rationale. Besides weight loss, the fasting is supposed to help one's heart, aging and brain function. I won't trouble you with all those details, but suffice it to say that I'm absolutely convinced. The book also provides some suggested diet specifics for the fast days, as well as some encouragement.

And so I'm finally taking the plunge; today's my first fast day. I've been really apprehensive about this whole thing, but maybe it won't be so bad. The plan is to have a salmon salad for lunch, and then a couple eggs with asparagus tonight. Yes, I might just be able to do this.

I was only kidding about the diet making me faster. But then, if I lose even a couple pounds, maybe that will be another benefit. I'm not counting on this a whole lot, however. What I am counting on is racing myself into shape, in addition to simply stepping up the training.

I did run a small 5K in Brunswick (the Race for Blue Pride) yesterday. Even though there was a decent turnout, very few fast people showed up. I wound up as the second male (a girl passed me in the final mile). My time was 21:28. This time seems pretty slow for me, even these days. But it was cold, and the course was a little on the long side. My first two miles were at 6:30 pace, and I really didn't slow down all that much. I'll take it. And there will be more shorter type races to come.