In a WhatsApp running group, one of our friends recently shared an article from Menâs Journal Magazine praising the benefits of training in a fasted state. The sub-title alone was promising: The Science-Backed Benefits of Running on Empty, by Spenser Mestel.
I opened it as I thought of how pseudo-science has affected even the most mundane, easy runs lately. Most come from unqualified social media influencers or studies commissioned by companies that will benefit from their results. Dr. Tim Noakes is famous for questioning Gatoradeâs science-based recommendations about the benefits of consuming Gatorade. And like that, examples are plenty.
Running on empty has its scientifically proven benefits (Image by ChatGPT)
We tend to forget that humans have been running for thousands of years. Hunted gatherers did so for hours while chasing an animal until it collapsed. Yet, they were able to pick it up and take it home to feed their families. They didnât carry water packs to replenish every drop of sweat. They didnât carry chews or gels to replace every calorie they burned.
Sure, we have evolved in those thousands of years. The bushmen of the Kalahari were not used to spending their day under air conditioning, sitting in front of a computer, or wearing shoes before they went hunting. But we havenât entered devolution either. Our bodies were built to withstand a certain level of dehydration and caloric deficit.
I want to leave no room for doubt that I am not advocating against electrolyte replenishment, chews, gels, or any other product. God knows I could not have finished my last few marathons without the help of Maurten gels. What I am advocating against is their overuse, to the point where our bodies become unable to learn how to use their own resources.
Running on an empty stomach is not a fad passed around by social media influencers. Based on the article in question and the study on which it was grounded, it is a well-rounded premise that âfasted cardioâ and âlow-glycogenâ training are similar but distinct practices that can offer real metabolic advantages if done right.
While skipping breakfast can be beneficial, you don’t have to do it for every run (Photo Pexels)
Mestel brings in Professor Richard J. Bloomer, Dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Memphis, to clarify the lingo. According to him, a âfasted stateâ can simply mean not eating for 10â12 hours, like overnight. But low-glycogen training goes further. It implies depleting your muscle glycogen stores, typically by limiting carbs over a longer period. Both approaches can shift your bodyâs fuel source away from sugar and toward fat, especially during lower-intensity sessions.
According to the study, these are some of the benefits:
Fat Adaptation: By skipping that pre-run snack or breakfast, your body is nudged into burning fat for fuel. Studies cited in the article showed that both men and women increased fat oxidation after exercising in a fasted state. Simply put, youâre teaching your body to tap into a steadier, more abundant fuel source.
Less Stomach Drama: Fasted runs can reduce gastric discomfort for those with fussy guts. No food means nothing sloshing around in there. Itâs a win for morning runners whoâd rather not eat at 5:00 AM just to avoid bonking at 6:00.
Convenience: This one isnât science; itâs life. Rolling out of bed, lacing up, and getting it done before breakfast is just easier sometimes.
The science goes even deeper. In a 2010 study from the Journal of Applied Physiology, Beneficial Metabolic Adaptations Due to Endurance Exercise Training in the Fasted State by Van Proeyen et al., this wasnât anecdotal evidence; it was a tightly controlled experiment. Two groups trained identically on bikes for six weeks. One ate carbs before and during workouts; the other trained fasted.
The result? While both groups got fitter, the fasted group showed superior metabolic adaptations. Their muscles improved at burning fat, their ability to use stored fat (even deep in the muscle) improved, and they kept blood sugar stable over long workouts. The carb-fed group? They didnât show those perks.
Conclusion
It is not about skipping breakfast forever or starting every workout on an empty stomach. But if you mix in a couple of easy runs each week without eating beforehand, especially when effort is low and stakes are even lower, your body might thank you. Youâll become more metabolically flexible, able to use fat when needed and carbs when it matters most.
Donât go overboard. Itâs about teaching your body to adapt so it can rise to the occasion, whether chasing a PR or just running for joy.
Curious to try it? Leave a comment and let me know your experience. And donât forget to subscribe to the Foultips.Run newsletter by clicking the button below.
In the last post, we discussed the importance of building a strong aerobic base, one on which everything else can solidly rest. That post sparked valuable feedback. Many readers asked, “So, what comes after the boring stuff?”
Now that the foundation is in place, we build on it to get stronger and faster. Opposed to “the boring stuff” is what we Iâve heard called as “The Sexy Stuff”.
Speed over long periods/distances cannot stand alone. Adding speed work doesn’t mean abandoning the easy miles. It means balancing them with strategic sessions designed to improve strength, efficiency, pacing, and recovery.
Speed work isn’t a shortcut; it’s a complement. When done correctly and in harmony with your base mileage, it helps you become the strongest, smartest, and most resilient version of your running self.
Now that we have a base, it is time to work on speed (Image by CoPilot)
There are many types of speed workouts, each one with its own merits to help you run faster, with purpose, and without risking injury. The key is understanding that speed development isn’t about hammering every run to exhaustion. It’s about running with intention. Your easy runs remain the backbone of your training. But now, we are layering specific efforts designed for growth. To get faster, you need to run faster, but only when the time is right.
Examples of “sexy stuff” are the following:
1. Interval Training – Alternate fast running with recovery periods. They challenge your body to hold higher intensities and then bounce back. An example is short bursts of 200 or 400 meters at strong effort, followed by slow jogging. It’s tough but builds both strength and endurance quickly.
2. Fartlek – Fartlek means mixing in bursts of speed during a steady run. There’s no set structure. Just pick a landmark and push the pace, then ease up. It’s a fun, flexible way to teach your body how to change gears mid-run.
3. Tempo Runs – This is your chance to run at a challenging, steady pace that builds endurance and raises your limits. You should feel strong but unable to talk easily. These runs help you sustain faster efforts over longer distances without crashing.
4. Progressions – They are all about finishing fast. Start your run at a relaxed pace, then pick it up gradually. The goal is to finish the last stretch of the run feeling strong and in control, without gasping for air.
5. Hill Running – Short hill sprints build explosive power in your legs, improve form, and speed up your heart rate. They’re good for runners who want to boost their cadence and efficiency. Hills are strength work in disguise.
Other workouts such as Vo2Max, lactate threshold, double threshold etc., require a deeper knowledge of the science and physiology behind them before being tackled. Focus on what you know and understand, not on what the elite Kenyans are doing.
Cross-training is key to remaining healthy while running, especially as you age (Photo Pexels)
But that’s not all there is. To get faster and remain injury-free, you must do work beyond running. Some examples are:
6. Strength Training – Incorporating 2â3 strength sessions per week will make you stronger and, thus, faster. Full-body and compound movements will help with running economy and injury prevention. Think of squats, lunges, deadlifts, and core work.
7. Cross-training â Non-running activities like cycling, swimming, or yoga improve fitness, build strength, and reduce injury risk by working different muscles without the repetitiveness of movement and pounding of running.
8. Plyometrics – These exercises involve jumping and explosive movement to help improve your power and coordination. A few well-timed sets of bounding, hops, or box jumps before your run can sharpen your stride and reduce contact time with the ground.
9. Prioritizing Recovery –Your body needs time to adapt. Without quality recovery, your speed won’t stick, and you’re more likely to burn out or get injured. Sleep well, eat right, foam roll, and stretch as necessary. Gains don’t happen during training, they happen during recovery, where your body adapts and grows stronger.
10. Mental Strategies – Running fast requires mental fortitude. Breaking a tough run into small segments, repeating a mantra, visualizing success or adjusting your thought process may be just as important as the way you train.
Speed work is the exciting part of training, but it only works when done right and is well supported by your solid base. Both elements must work in harmony, complementing each other rather than competing between them. As you start integrating faster sessions into your week, keep your easy runs sacred, your recovery intentional, and your mindset focused on progress, not perfection. When done right, it is this balance what will make you a faster, stronger, and more injury-resistant runner.
Talking about our great workouts and spectacular results is a favorite topic of runners’ conversation. “Johnny’s mile repeats are spot on for a 5K PR!”, “Jimmy is crushing his track workouts.”, “Helen swears by her Fartlek sessions.” So, why am I not doing any of this stuff? Why does my coach have me doing boring stuff?
If you are training for long-distance running, your base is the key. The aerobic base, that is. A skyscraper stands on a solid footing for the same reason the pyramids have stood on their wide bases for 4500 years. They both have a solid foundation to bear the load. The same principle applies to a long-distance runner. Your aerobic base is the foundation of your running. It’s what every training block builds upon, and what ultimately supports your ability to perform. What good comes from running 400 meters in 62 seconds if that is all you can hold, but you are racing a 5K?
To understand the importance of an aerobic base for a long-distance runner, know that even the fittest and fastest Kenyan elite runner runs a marathon 99% aerobically. Even Olympic 5000-meter champions require about a 90% aerobic effort to compete at that level. You’ll likely never be there, but this doesn’t preclude you from the reality of human physiology.
In his “Guide to Coaching”, Coach Steve Magness states: “We have a temptation to want to skip to the ‘cool, sexy’ stuff. It’s boring to do endless easy runs or to spend hours working on the starting position in the sprints. But the ‘boring’ work serves as our foundation. We need a firm understanding of the basics before we move on to the next step. And once we have moved on, we must continually go back to the basics to ensure that they are ingrained.”
Is this clear enough?
The Boring Stuff
It is counterintuitive to accept that you must run slow so you can run fast. Yet this is one of those things you must accept, trust the science, and move forward with if you aspire to become a successful long-distance runner.
The slow (boring) stuff is the key to becoming a strong runner (ChatGPT Image)
Training at slower paces is the foundation of endurance because, among other things, it enhances mitochondrial density (improving oxygen delivery to the muscles), enhances capillary development, and increases fat utilization as fuel, which will make you a more efficient athlete. Low-intensity training also stimulates aerobic enzymes without overstressing the body, allowing more consistent training and better recovery. Over time, these physiological improvements will enable you to maintain faster paces with less effort.
Structured properly within your training, slow runs support speed, stamina and contribute to a better race-day performance. And this takes time. It doesn’t happen by running slow for a week or a month. If you trust the process and keep a written record of your workouts, before you know it, you will be running longer, easier and faster with the same effort. What once was your pushing pace, will now be your warmup pace.
The Sexy Stuff
Now that you have a strong base, we build on it.
Do you want to enjoy the runner’s highs? Build a base (Photo Pexels)
I often compare runners with F1 engines. They can do amazing things, but they require a lot of work, constant modifications and adjustments. The engine is the base, which is solid, but it can’t perform at the expected level without testing, tweaking and failures.
Short intervals, long intervals, Fartlek, mile-repeats, track, threshold, VO2Max, progressions, and so many more are part of the arsenal of workouts you have at your disposal to become a faster runner. These workouts will leave you pleasantly exhausted, provide you with that exhilarating feeling we have learned to love, and get you to enjoy the sweets of a runner’s high.
But be warned. These should be just a fraction of your workouts. You shouldn’t do them day after day after day just because you built a solid base. Maintaining and solidifying the base is a lifetime pursuit. The base of the Eiffel Tower has been constantly maintained since 1889, and thus, still stands strong.
Speed work is essential to becoming a faster runner, but easy recovery runs in between hard workouts and the ubiquitous long run should not be skipped. It should all be in balance.
So, next time your coach asks you to slow down, be patient, or play the long game, understand he/she is not doing so because he/she is mean. There are proven scientific and physiological reasons behind it. So, embrace the boring stuff and become a better, faster runner.
Can you share your slow running experience in the comment box below?
Running works just like your day job: push too hard for too long without proper rest, and burnout is inevitable. The fact running provides great health benefits doesnât preclude you from getting there if you overdo it.
The most successful professionals arenât the ones working the most hoursâtheyâre the ones who work smart, stay focused, complete their tasks, and maintain a well-rounded life. The same mindset applies to our running journey. To thrive as runners, we must balance training, recovery, and personal life to stay healthy, motivated, and injury-free.
Hereâs a list of areas where opposite forces must balance out so we can have a healthy life where running is an important component of it:
Tread carefully around the fine line between growth and burnout:
Working hard is awesome. The feeling of a runnerâs high after a solid workout is exhilarating. Setting up that PR and/or climbing the podium in front of all your friends validates your sacrifices. However, the human body can only be at its peak for a limited time. It requires rest and recovery to keep itself functioning properly. Donât overdo it.
Pay attention to detail without overthinking everything: Unless your livelihood depends on your running performance, it is important to keep the reason you are a runner present. Enjoy the journey and have fun with it. These days, our watches and wearables measure everything. Vertical oscillation, VO2Max, and critical power wonât help you if you donât know what they are. Donât let the mumbo-jumbo take away your enjoyment. Once itâs gone, you will start looking into golf or checkers.
Invest emotionally while still knowing when to let go: Bad runs are part of the equation. Failure, injuries, lack of motivation, and others are also factors. Once we know and accept this, we can use these peaks and valleys as growth opportunities instead of measuring our value as a runner or a person. If your spouse/friend wonât love you because you are not a Sub-3 marathoner, maybe itâs time to reevaluate that relationship, not your running.
âPain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.â â Haruki Murakami
Pushing with intensity without causing harm: Training consists of two equally important elements: work and rest. It is impossible to perform at your best if you skip or skimp on one of those elements. Working hard is essential. It feels great to nail that workout and start dreaming about whatâs possible. But if you do it again tomorrow and the next day and refuse to take a day off when your body screams for it, you will harm yourself physically. Then you wonât be able to run, which is what you originally wanted anyway.
Running is important but there are more important things in life: We have all sacrificed something at one point so we can run long tomorrow. But one thing is skipping happy hour on Friday; another is missing your sonâs wedding because he chose to marry on Friday night, and you have 20 miles to tackle the next morning. Keep your running and your competitive schedule in perspective, and always know whatâs most important. Allow a friend/spouse to keep you in check and be able to have uncomfortable conversations if necessary.
Believing in yourself without becoming arrogant: You must be confident to perform at the level you have trained for. But your next race is not a dog fight. You earn bragging rights if you beat your training buddy or if you win a friendly wager. Enjoy that PR. Share it on Instagram and get tons of likes. But donât become a jerk because of it. No need to belittle your friends or opponents. Donât become âthat runnerâ we all know.
In Conclusion
Running is awesome. It can add so much to our lives. It provides health, social interaction, distraction, me-time, and more. So, if you want to be like Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, who says: âIâll be happy if running and I can grow old togetherâ, make sure you keep opposing forces well balanced. It does require work and even the occasional intervention. But it is worth every step and sweat drop.
How do you balance opposing forces to avoid burnout? Share your tips or stories in the comments belowâyour experience might be exactly what another runner needs to hear.
A few years ago, in a Facebook group I belonged to, someone asked for recommendations on what to include in a kit for a 5K she was putting together for some community center. âA tech shirtâ, said someone. âA good bag that you can actually use after the raceâ, stated someone else. âA travel mug with the race logo,â chimed in a 3rd person. As asked, I added my 2 cents: âA pair of custom-made running shoes delivered to my door by Eliud Kipchoge himselfâ.
And I was not being facetious. I was expressing how much I would love for Eliud Kipchoge to personally hand-deliver a pair of custom-made running shoes as part of that 5K. The point was that you may include whatever you want in a race kit, it is just a matter of cost.
For those of us who have been competing for a few decades, races where you only got a bib and traffic control were commonplace. Races with medals, tech shirts, expos, and celebrity participation were the exception. Or they were the exclusive domain of races with a major sponsor, the New York City Marathon, or similar events.
In a recent Runnerâs World Newsletter, they stated that âveterans of the first running boom in the late 1970s and early 1980s love to recount the simplicity of that eraâs races. âSomeone would draw a line in the road, yell âGo!â, and then hand you a popsicle stick with your place as you finished. Entry fees were a dollar or two. The post-race party was a tailgate at someoneâs station wagon.â
Even the convenience of registering online adds to the price of a race (Photo Pexels)
Now we complain if the medal looks cheap, if hydration has no options, if there is no entertainment along the way, if all we get is a banana, if the race shirt design is not to our liking, if there are no finish line professional pictures, if the race kit has only a handful coupons, etc. All great optionsâbut they cost money, and you have to pay for them.
When you have water, Gatorade, or multiple flavors of gels every two miles, understand that it is part of the $80 for 10K or $150 for a half marathon you ponied up. When you go out of your way to thank all police officers for being there, donât forget you paid for their time. This is when you should be mad at a crappy medal, a cotton race shirt, not having a banana, or them cramming age groups every 10 years.
According to that same RW post, âa RunSignupâs 2023 report found that the average 5K cost $29.90. Half marathons in the $100 range are now typical. And in December, 1,000 runners will get boutique treatment (personal fluids, pacers, indoor warmup space, etc.) at The Marathon Project in exchange for a $500 entry fee. Even allowing for inflation and exaggeration, races cost relatively much more than in days of yore. What gives?â
There are always cheap race organizers. The ones who charge premium prices yet donât have crowd control and mix hundreds of runners with regular space users, such as a beach boardwalk. Sure, there are the ones that accommodate a half marathon within the confines of a public park, donât have police control in place, get you a cheap generic award, and have no qualms about overcharging you. You should not participate in those races.
Look. I am not saying âthe old times were betterâ. I am not here to advocate the return of the $15 Boston Marathon. The point here is to understand that you get what you pay for. When racing is labeled as a charity event it is because funds are being raised for a noble cause, not because sponsors want to subsidize your racing ego. So, there are two clear options:
A â Treat every local 5K as if it were a World Marathon Major celebration and demand what you pay for if you donât get it.
B â Accept a no-frills race at a no-frills price and then donât go complaining on Tik Tok about how crappy the medal was.
Do you think race fees are justified? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
A few of my running buddies have asked me through the years how it is possible that I always look good in the finishing pictures of my races. Even if I donât have a good race. I donât âalwaysâ look good in my finishing pictures, but do I have many outstanding ones.
Is this a frivolous topic? Sure, it is. But letâs be honest: Do you rather look good in your finishing pictures? Or do you not care if you look like crap?
Yep⌠I thought so, too.
There is an art to this, and a story behind it, too.
As I have stated in previous writings, my dad was the first person I knew to run a marathon. He ran NYC in 1982. NYC was famous for many things; one of them was that they offered for purchase an image (meaning only one) of your finish. As my dad told me about his marathon experience, I couldnât wait to see his finishing picture, which came weeks later.
The picture was so underwhelming. Check the image below, and you will think my dad is the runner number C328. But no, he is the guy behind him, looking down at his watch. In those days, you only had one shot per race for a picture. And he screwed it up in his first marathon. Lesson learned for me, as I was certain I would someday run one myself. I wanted to make sure my finishing picture would reflect not just a finish, but that it would be epic. That it would reflect my true emotions.
As you can see, it took many failed attempts for my dad to get a great finishing picture.
Through my years of racing I have learned how to maximize the opportunities of a good picture, which is not always guaranteed. It is an art, not a science. Sometimes, you finish so happy and exhilarated, but when you look at the race pictures, you donât feel that they reflect what you were feeling, or you are not even in them. But in general, I have realized that if you let your emotions out and you are aware of the situation, not only will you enhance your chance of amazing images to reminisce your races, sometimes you will even make it to the local paper. Yep, it did happen.
To improve your chances of a great picture at the finish line, I follow these easy guidelines:
1 â Be aware that even in the smallest runs, most likely there is a photographer at the finish line. Big races will have multiple.
2 â Understand that photographers donât have time to frame you up. They shoot at everything, hoping to catch that great shot. If you help them out, there is a better chance you could be that great shot. How do you help them:
Spot the photographer as you approach the finish line and position yourself in a prime spot.
Find an opening in the crowd (if there is one) so you can enhance the chances of being seen.
If you are not pushing for a PR or have already secured it, look behind and make sure no runner behind you will sprint and block you.
3 – Express your genuine emotions freely. Show your happiness, disappointment, pain, thankfulness, or whatever you are feeling openly and honestly. Donât fake it, as it will be captured.
4 – Donât just crash the first inch after the finishing line. Photographers shoot multiple times, and your best image may be a second or two after you are done.
These are three of my marathon finishes. Solid images to celebrate the accomplishments.
As for my dadâs finishing pictures, they got better with time, but it took a few failed attempts. In the 1985 Madrid Marathon, he finished with a PR and raised his arms, but he was right behind another guy. You can only see his head and arms raised. My brother and I kept coaching him, hoping for a good one. In 1995, he ran his last marathon, and he finally got the finishing picture he deserved after a long and inspiring marathoning career. It only took 13 years and 8 marathons.
In the meantime, I learned so much about how not to do it that Iâve accumulated many awesome finishing images. Enough that my friends ask me how I do it. And if that wasnât enough, I get to write about it.
What is your experience with race-finishing pictures? Let me know in the comment box below.
Tread carefully around the fine line between growth and burnout:
Working hard is awesome. The feeling of a runnerâs high after a solid workout is exhilarating. Setting up that PR and/or climbing the podium in front of all your friends validates your sacrifices. However, the human body can only be at its peak for a limited time. It requires rest and recovery to keep itself functioning properly. Donât overdo it.
