When I first started running I told myself that good Health was my objective. As I trained my endurance became stronger and I was able to run faster and further than I ever have in my life. I lost weight. I called this good health. I ran marathons and was proud of my accomplishments. I thought of myself as being healthy. I won ribbons and medals in the shorter races and believed that I was healthy.

But was I really all that healthy? I may have been physically fit with larger muscles and greater endurance but did I feel good? The answer is no. Being fit is not the total picture and I had alot of physical issues. With long distance training I developed a chronic fatigue that wouldn’t go away. I would sometimes go to bed tired and still be unable to sleep. I had GI problems that I believe were borderline IBS. I would develope muscle cramps while just going about my everyday business. In the 2007 Air Force Marathon I had to walk the last three miles with the aid of another runner.

I had ignored diet and nutrition. I got careless with what I put into my body for fuel. I didn’t pay attention to proper nutrition. I thought that just because I didn’t gain weight I could go ahead and eat anything I wanted. I payed for this attitude with the slow decline of my health.

I don’t just pop a vitamin pill in my mouth whenever I think I need one. I don’t take just any pill found on the drug store shelf. I have done my homework and I have a new course to run. The new finish line offers more self-respect. Any PR now will not be earned at the expense of my health, but will be an improvement to it.

I eat Natural organic food and the vitamins I take are from a natural organic source. I now know that ones digestive system has to be working properly in order for the body to absorb the vitamins and minerials that are ingested. The multivitamin supplement I take has a synbiotic culture in it that helps maintain the natural bacterial culture of the human digestive system. I want to make sure that I am getting all the nutrients needed to recover from the stress of distance running. This especially important for someone my age[58] as recovery time gets longer as I get older. I want the vitamins I take to be from a natural source. I want the food I eat to be natural and not processed. At the finish line my good health is awaiting.