Chat-World » ers or 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 40 minutes,

AMMAN, Jordan -- After 16 hours without food or water, Moath al-Khawaldeh laces up pink training shoes and begins working up a sweat sprinting across a track in the Jordanian capital of Amman.Running slower than his 4:19 mile best, al-Khawaldeh grimaces on the final lap and looks to the golden sky of sunset.The 27-year-old is on a multiyear quest to run in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.With guidance from nutritionists and coaches in Jordan and the U.S., the runner follows a training program that has lowered his body fat, cut his marathon time by 15 minutes and has enabled him to train while fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.I forget that Im fasting and I just do it, he said. I feel that Ramadan is a one-month marathon.Believers abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk in one of Islams central tenets. Fasting aims to remind Muslims of the hunger pains of the poor.Al-Khawaldeh said fasting also builds mental strength.God will never change a person who hasnt changed themselves, he said, quoting the Muslim holy book, or Quran. For him training, or making the best of ones ability, is a form of faith just like fasting.Fasting for a month changes sleep cycles, body temperature, hormone and blood sugar levels -- all of which can reduce athletic performance if not properly handled, said Asma Aloui, an associate professor at Gafsa University in Tunisia.Her research on fasting athletes playing soccer and judo suggests that those who drink enough water, eat, sleep and train properly can maintain their speeds and strength.A starving body absorbs food differently as it adapts to a lack of minerals, nutrients and water, said al-Khawaldehs nutrition coach Aseel al-Saleh.After a few days of fasting, an athletes body switches quickly into deficiency mode to build up fat reserves, al-Saleh said in her office at DNA, a fitness center in Amman.The funny thing about human physiology is that it cant differentiate between dietary restriction and starvation. It just cant, it shuts down, she said.On the road to Tokyo, Al-Khawaldeh cant afford catabolism, or muscle loss, so he and al-Saleh crafted an athletes Ramadan diet.Instead of five small meals a day, he switched to eating the holy months traditional two meals loaded with vegetables, lean protein and nutritional supplements like omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, fish oil and branch-chain amino acids.During the day, he works as a program officer for the Jordanian peace-building nonprofit Generations for Peace. He naps after work, then rises for the first training session, which ends with the sundown call to prayer -- the signal that its time to eat.Al-Khawaldeh eats a few dates and drinks water at the track, then heads home to a sufra, or Ramadan table laden with foods selected to recover nutrients and hydration lost during the days fast.At the post-sundown meal, or iftar, he typically eats chicken on brown rice and steamed vegetables and washes it down with a smoothie of skim milk, dates, bananas, almonds and protein powder.The meal contains easily digested nutrients and proteins, while the second meal, suhour, eaten before sunrise contains slow-burning proteins.People often gain weight during Ramadan because the days hunger drives many to gorge on fatty foods and sugary drinks, said al-Saleh, the nutrition coach. Many also cut sleep to enjoy social gatherings often surrounded by calorie-heavy snacks.But Al-Khawaldeh interprets Ramadans tradition to his advantage with a support network of people helping him eat, sleep, hydrate and train safely.Two years ago, al-Khawaldeh began working with Lee Troop, a high performance coach at the Boulder Track Club in Colorado, a nonprofit running club and training center. At the time, he could run a marathons 42 kilometers or 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 40 minutes, but he needed to lower that to 2:18:59 to qualify for the Olympics.With Troops regimen and guidance, al-Khawaldeh got faster -- 2:33:36 in Vienna, 2:30:57 in Berlin and 2:27:35 in Hamburg. He still faces thousands of training miles over the next three years to try to shave nearly 10 more minutes off his time to get to Tokyo.Troop said the key to long-term success in long-distance running is determination and steady work. Al-Khawaldehs program during Ramadan left the runner leaner, but not faster, yet the mental exercise of fasting is preparing him well for Tokyo, the coach said.His work ethic is second to none, Troop said. Hes been very resilient and the key for success is that long-term development of every day, week, month and year.If al-Khawaldeh qualifies for Tokyo, he will be only the second Jordanian to ever run in the event, according to the Jordan Olympic Committees website.Jordan has competed in the Summer Olympics since 1980, mainly in skeet shooting and taekwondo. Five Jordanians will compete in martial arts, boxing and the triathlon in this years games in Brazil.The centerpiece of al-Khawaldehs Ramadan training is a midnight run, monitored and timed by Osama al-Qattan, 52, a Jordanian ultra-marathon runner.After a recent night session, al-Qattan drives while al-Khawaldeh relaxes in the backseat, sipping water and a protein shake. Running is 30 percent physical and 70 percent mental, the older runner said. And Moath has a strong will.Al-Khawaldeh said Ramadan is a welcome test of strength.Its a great feeling, the sense that you have that power in your body that you didnt know was there but comes out during Ramadan, he said. Jahlani Tavai Lions Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Detroit Lions Jerseys . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. http://www.authenticnfllionslockroom.com/Youth-Kerryon-Johnson-Elite-Jersey/ . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Austin Bryant Youth Jersey . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. Will Harris Lions Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. LOS ANGELES -- The surprising Ottawa Senators continue their California road trip when they visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon.The Senators missed the Eastern Conference playoffs by 11 points last season and hopes were not high as they entered this campaign with one of the most porous defenses in the league. With a renewed focus on defense by coach Guy Boucher and strong goaltending from the duo of Craig Anderson and Mike Condon, they are in the mix in the early-season Atlantic Division race.Ottawa (16-9-2) comes off a 4-2 victory in San Jose on Wednesday despite getting outshot 37-17. The Senators used a big effort from Condon (4-1-1, 1.77 GAA and .943 save percentage) and effective penalty killing to improve their road record to 7-4-0, a significantly better pace than last seasons 17-21-3 mark away from Canadian Tire Centre.We got a great start and although it seemed like we spent the last half of the game in the penalty box, I liked the last 10 minutes of our game, Boucher said. We finally get two days off between games after playing such a long stretch of games every other game. I am excited to see how we do with the additional rest.One Senator will achieve a career milestone when Chris Neil suits up for his 1,000th NHL game, a rare feat given that in the age of free agency, Neil has spent his entire career with the Senators. Given his rugged style, players rarely have the longevity to play 15 seasons and with the game continuing to evolving to more speed and skill, its unlikely that a player of Neils skillset will ever meet this mark again.Good things happen when you work hard in life, Neil said prior to his historic achievement. Ive approached every training camp like I need to earn a spot on the team. I dont take anything for granted.Los Angeles (13-11-2) comes into the contest on the heels on a poor performance in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. Thhe consensus after a lethargic effort was that the additional time off the team has had over the past few weeks has dulled their recent efforts.ddddddddddddWe had a bad start, Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin said. There should be no excuses, we have to be better prepared mentally to play.The Kings will try to gain a split of the two-game season series, dropping a last-minute 2-1 decision in Ottawa on Nov. 11 as they complete a stretch of eight home games in their last 10 contests. It is their last opportunity to play in front of their home fans until Dec. 31.After a strong start to their home campaign, Los Angeles has lost three straight at home, two in regulation and one via shootout -- so grabbing two points in their final home game ahead of a daunting road schedule is important. The Kings road record is 4-7-1 and with the Western Conference playoff race looking to be more contentious than last season, Los Angeles will need to play close to .500 hockey on the road to be in the mix.Los Angeles may be looking at other options to strengthen its goaltending as Jeff Zatkoff dropped to 1-4-0 in the Carolina loss. The Kings have managed to win games in the absence of Jonathan Quick, who was sidelined with a serious groin injury after just playing one period in the season opener in San Jose.Zatkoff was slated to be the primary goaltender during Quicks absence but he was sidelined with a groin injury that has limited his appearances.While third-string netminder Peter Budaj has given a solid performance and at one point played in 22 consecutive games, the teams .899 save percentage ties with St. Louis for 27th place after being a in the top 10 last season. Speculation is rising that Zatkoff will have to perform well on this road trip in order to maintain his roster spot. ' ' '