Every so often, I do a three-day fast to trigger autophagy – a natural process where the body breaks down and recycles dead or damaged cells. During the fast, I drink water, black tea or black coffee and continue taking water-soluble supplements, but that’s it. This works for me but it’s not for everyone – I’d strongly recommend doing your own research on fasting duration and autophagy, and to speak to your doctor before giving it a go.
I started intermittent fasting back in 2017, with my first prolonged, three-day fast in September 2020. I wrote a post at the time talking through the protocol and the benefits as I perceived them, and today I’m just as committed to them as I was back then. At the time, I had just been diagnosed with epilepsy as a result of an old head injury and I was cautious not to do anything too extreme which might contribute to a seizure, so I took things very slowly, continuing to exercise during prolonged fasts but at a light to moderate intensity.
Pushing the limits
Now some years on and seizure-free for over two and a half years, I thought I would push the prolonged fasting protocol to find out where my limits are. For me, that meant seeing if I could up the volume and intensity of exercise I do during a prolonged fast to match what I’d do during a ‘normal’ week, starting on a Monday evening after dinner.
On the Tuesday morning, I ran 11 hard miles. Other than feeling tired as the day went on, I felt fine and sharp mentally. On Wednesday morning, I did an ‘easy’ two-mile recovery run and felt good for the rest of the day. That evening, I did an hour-long intense strength and conditioning class, involving lifting weights and cardio in between. That did it. I was totally bushed! I walked home, rehydrated and sat down for a couple of hours before deciding to call it a day at 50 hours and break my fast with some scrambled eggs. I’d found my limit. And I was pleased with that.
Energy levels depleted, I didn’t suffer any dizziness and felt good mentally. It might sound daft, but this has given me added confidence to push myself that little bit harder the next time I find myself struggling during an event.
Take it steady and happy running,
– Andy
Life is a Sine Curve 