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Question:

Hi, just an interesting question here.  What do Muslim runners do during Ramadan?  The question came up as my colleague at work is Muslim (but is a lazy git who does no exercise!)  How can Muslim runners maintain a running schedule when they also have to fast during the day?  Any runners of the faith out there?  It would be interesting to hear how you juggle the two – Islam and that distance 10K PB goal!     Neil.

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I am Muslim and have fasted during Ramadan and continued running. It’s not as difficult as people expect. We refrain from food and fluids from sun up til sun set. Either I time my run so that by the time I am done, I can drink and eat…(lately that’s easy since the break-fast time is around 5 PM where I live.) I usually run 4-5 miles per day. OR I run after my first meal of the evening…which I do not recommend! I don’t like the feeling of a full stomach holding me back, although when I  am fasting I cannot eat as much as I’d LIKE to! Some very early birds could (and do ) get a run in before the start time for the daily fast which is about 5:20 where I am. I am not that compulsive.(yet) I run for fitness and stress relief..I do not race. Teresa

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there was a guy named arif that used to hang out on r.r. about a year ago. he was somewhere in dubai and had this problem(?) for a race during ramadhan. check out: http://groups.google.com/groups?as_oq=ramzan%20ramadhan%20fast&safe=i… jobs Hi, just an interesting question here.  What do Muslim runners do during Ramadan?

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I am Muslim and have fasted during Ramadan and continued running. It’s not as difficult as people expect. We refrain from food and fluids from sun up til sun set. Either I time my run so that by the time I am done, I can drink and eat…(lately that’s easy since the break-fast time is around 5 PM where I live.) I usually run 4-5 miles per day. OR I run after my first meal of the evening…which I do not recommend! I don’t like the feeling of a full stomach holding me back, although when I  am fasting I cannot eat as much as I’d LIKE to! Some very early birds could (and do ) get a run in before the start time for the daily fast which is about 5:20 where I am. I am not that compulsive.(yet) I run for fitness and stress relief..I do not race. Teresa

Probably the best thing is to run early in the morning on an empty stomach or light snack (gel or bar), then get back in time for a large breakfast.  The other thing you could do is run in the evening by eating just a little snack after sunset, run, come back and eat dinner.   Also, the further north you are during the fasting period, the better off you’ll be, since the sun rises later and sets earlier at this time of year in the northern latitudes.

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I am Muslim and have fasted during Ramadan and continued running. It’s not as difficult as people expect.

I wouldn’t expect it to be hard.  It’s not like is without fuel for weeks. A half a day without food isn’t a terribly big deal.

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Also, the further north you are during the fasting period, the better off you’ll be, since the sun rises later and sets earlier at this time of year in the northern latitudes.

Alas, Ramadan can fall smack in the middle of a northern summer, too:-) (Ramadan moves 10-11 days "backwards" each year in our Gregorian calendar.) Anders

Response:

Hi, just an interesting question here.  What do Muslim runners do during Ramadan?  The question came up as my colleague at work is Muslim (but is a lazy git who does no exercise!)  How can Muslim runners maintain a running schedule when they also have to fast during the day?  Any runners of the faith out there?  It would be interesting to hear how you juggle the two – Islam and that distance 10K PB goal!

Hi Neil Right now in the UK, the fasts are fairly easy so I have ran a few times during Ramadhan. Not sure how I would manage when we get to the stage that the fasts are 19-20 hours long!!! So far (in the last 7 days): A 4 mile run on a treadmill about an hour after eating. It was not bad but I felt that if I pushed hard I would have spewed! A 5 mile slow jog in the middle of the day – easy pace about 9 mins per mile A 5k hard treadmill run in the middle of the day in about 23 mins – this is quite slow for a hard run, but I could feel the effects of lack of food and water, so it wasn’t too bad. I wouldn’t recommend a half marathon while you’re fasting, but I intend to continue running 3-4 times a week and varying this between indoor and outdoor, slow and fast. I’m going to increase my mileage each week and see if this has an effect. I’m also going to increase the distance of the slow jog to 7 this week, 8 next week and 9 the following week all going well. There’s a 10k race the day after Ramadhan so I don’t expect to perform too well but it will be interesting to see if the fasting has had a good or bad effect on the running.

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i fasted for a week (only h20) and kept my running up 6 – 3 miles every other day ,,,, other than being real hungry all was ok,,, plodzilla – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, just an interesting question here.  What do Muslim runners do during Ramadan?  The question came up as my colleague at work is Muslim (but is a lazy git who does no exercise!)  How can Muslim runners maintain a running schedule when they also have to fast during the day?  Any runners of the faith out there?  It would be interesting to hear how you juggle the two – Islam and that distance 10K PB goal!     Neil.

Response:

Also, the further north you are during the fasting period, the better off you’ll be, since the sun rises later and sets earlier at this time of year in the northern latitudes.

The calendar shifts 11.24 days earlier each solar year, so in the course of 32 solar years, 8 Ramadans will be during the more challanging long-day summer season. (The Islamic calendar is 12-month lunar *without* solar synchronization months like the Hebrew or Chinese lunar calendars.)

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I wouldn’t expect it to be hard.  It’s not like is without fuel for weeks. A half a day without food isn’t a terribly big deal.

depends on where you live and what time of the year it is. folks real up north (alaska, etc) would find it tough on days that have 18+ hours of sun. jobs

Response:

Hi, just an interesting question here.  What do Muslim runners do during Ramadan?  The question came up as my colleague at work is Muslim (but is a lazy git who does no exercise!)  How can Muslim runners maintain a running schedule when they also have to fast during the day?  Any runners of the faith out there?  It would be interesting to hear how you juggle the two – Islam and that distance 10K PB goal!

Cannot speak for our Muslim friends who run, but I run on an empty stomach most of the time. In fact part of my prep for a marathon is to do a couple of the long runs after eating something to get used to having food on my stomach when I run (so slow on a marathon I have to take on food while on the course).

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says… Hi, just an interesting question here.  What do Muslim runners do during Ramadan?  The question came up as my colleague at work is Muslim (but is a lazy git who does no exercise!)  How can Muslim runners maintain a running schedule when they also have to fast during the day?  Any runners of the faith out there?  It would be interesting to hear how you juggle the two – Islam and that distance 10K PB goal! Cannot speak for our Muslim friends who run, but I run on an empty stomach most of the time.

Most of us do though, or at least we don’t run immediately after a meal. However, after running on an empty stomach I can have a big plate of food or an enrgy bar just after my run. A runner observing ramadan has to decide whether to run early in the day, some time after breakfast, knowing they can’t eat again until the end of the day. Or, whether to run later in the day, having not had any food since day break, so that they can have a post run meal outside of the fast period but. Colin

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Teresa, If I can assume you are a woman, I am curious about something that you may know a bit about. What do Muslim women do about clothing during exercise, either the veil or the long body covering? I suspect that in Western countries they could go without that, wearing a modest exercise outfit while running or exercising but what about in countries with a much stricter interpretation? Do they have a separate gym where all the women inside can dress as necessary to exercise without any problem?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am Muslim and have fasted during Ramadan and continued running. It’s not as difficult as people expect. We refrain from food and fluids from sun up til sun set. Either I time my run so that by the time I am done, I can drink and eat…(lately that’s easy since the break-fast time is around 5 PM where I live.) I usually run 4-5 miles per day. OR I run after my first meal of the evening…which I do not recommend! I don’t like the feeling of a full stomach holding me back, although when I  am fasting I cannot eat as much as I’d LIKE to! Some very early birds could (and do ) get a run in before the start time for the daily fast which is about 5:20 where I am. I am not that compulsive.(yet) I run for fitness and stress relief..I do not race. Teresa

Response:

Hi, just an interesting question here.  What do Muslim runners do during Ramadan?  The question came up as my colleague at work is Muslim (but is a lazy git who does no exercise!)  How can Muslim runners maintain a running schedule when they also have to fast during the day?  Any runners of the faith out there?  It would be interesting to hear how you juggle the two – Islam and that distance 10K PB goal!    Neil.

Neil, I’m not a muslim by any means but I do quite often go from dawn to dusk without eating anything. It has never stopped me from running. I have no idea what you think the issue is. — Ken

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i fasted for a week (only h20) and kept my running up 6 – 3 miles every other day ,,,, other than being real hungry all was ok,,, plodzilla

One could continue to run and quit fasting. But then one would miss the spiritual benefits fasting offers. Spiritual benefits do have this price tag. Zube

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Also, the further north you are during the fasting period, the better off you’ll be, since the sun rises later and sets earlier at this time of year in the northern latitudes. Alas, Ramadan can fall smack in the middle of a northern summer, too:-) (Ramadan moves 10-11 days "backwards" each year in our Gregorian calendar.) Anders

My bad.  I was thinking the Ramadan was always in the late fall just from watching the news during the Desert Storm coverage.

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What do Muslim women do about clothing during exercise, either the veil or the long body covering?

I do wear the veil to work, because I want folks to know that Muslims can be humane, decent, compassionate people…just like them. I wear shorts and a cool max shirt or tights and long sleeves if it’s cold.(I am not so strict about dress during exercise, and I am out doors for about 1 hour total.) I have seen women and girls wear long pants (like a warm ups) and a longer top. They still cover their hair, but if you put it in a bun and wear a baseball style cap, it’s covered. I see a lot of Indian women in their saris and sneakers, walking quite briskly around the parks I run in. but what about in countries with a much stricter interpretation?

I am in the US, so hardly anyone cares or looks! The other countries? I don’t know.  I am sure they have ladies only gyms.(we have them here, too) Teresa

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Muslims abstain from ALL food and fluids during the fast, which is basically from sunrise to sunset. For the whole month. It’s not easy, particularly towards the end of the month. But at least we have food and drink in the evening. Some people around the world don’t have the security of their next meal. Fasting teaches us self discipline and empathy. Teresa

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Actually there was a spot on TV about one Muslim country, perhaps Turkey but I am guessing, where some enterprising person has come up with a long pants/top combination with a quick-drying fabric of some sort suitable for swimming that many women are buying for a trip to the beach there. Not to get too off-topic here but I bet there are plenty of women in Muslim countries that don’t get enough exercise because of these issues. In the long run that is going to be the biggest challenge for those countries’ religious leaders, to allow more political and religious freedom and women’s rights. After hearing so much about that part of the world recently it will be interesting to look at the next Olympics to see how many women athletes they send. Off the top of my head I can’t recall what they do in that regard.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What do Muslim women do about clothing during exercise, either the veil or the long body covering? I do wear the veil to work, because I want folks to know that Muslims can be humane, decent, compassionate people…just like them. I wear shorts and a cool max shirt or tights and long sleeves if it’s cold.(I am not so strict about dress during exercise, and I am out doors for about 1 hour total.) I have seen women and girls wear long pants (like a warm ups) and a longer top. They still cover their hair, but if you put it in a bun and wear a baseball style cap, it’s covered. I see a lot of Indian women in their saris and sneakers, walking quite briskly around the parks I run in. but what about in countries with a much stricter interpretation? I am in the US, so hardly anyone cares or looks! The other countries? I don’t know.  I am sure they have ladies only gyms.(we have them here, too) Teresa

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Teresa, Thank you for your interesting replies.  There have been some good questions. This is what I value most about this newsgroup…we each have something different to bring to the group, and we all can learn from each other. Mary – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I do wear the veil to work, because I want folks to know that Muslims can be humane, decent, compassionate people…just like them. I wear shorts and a cool max shirt or tights and long sleeves if it’s cold.(I am not so strict about dress during exercise, and I am out doors for about 1 hour total.) I have seen women and girls wear long pants (like a warm ups) and a longer top. They still cover their hair, but if you put it in a bun and wear a baseball style cap, it’s covered. I see a lot of Indian women in their saris and sneakers, walking quite briskly around the parks I run in. but what about in countries with a much stricter interpretation? I am in the US, so hardly anyone cares or looks! The other countries? I don’t know. I am sure they have ladies only gyms.(we have them here, too) Teresa

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For a period of my life I fasted from after dinner on Saturday night until breakfast on Monday morning. I did take liquids. Water and unsweetened apple juice. That was tough. More of a psychological battle than anything. That is where the phrase ‘break fast’ probably came from. But in the end I think it may have slowed my metabolism down which is not what I wanted to do. Doing that occasionally is probably good though even if just for health reasons. Most people in America at least are so over-fed and they think that if they miss one meal they are going to die. Sometime later in the year when you are not on your religious fast trying going a whole day like I’ve described. It is much harder.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Muslims abstain from ALL food and fluids during the fast, which is basically from sunrise to sunset. For the whole month. It’s not easy, particularly towards the end of the month. But at least we have food and drink in the evening. Some people around the world don’t have the security of their next meal. Fasting teaches us self discipline and empathy. Teresa

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Not to get too off-topic here but I bet there are plenty of women in Muslim countries that don’t get enough exercise because of these issues.

I would be willing to agree, except that (often) in those countries the women don’t have the luxuries of many electrical appliances we take for granted in the west. (dish washers, washers and dryers). They have to exercise by *default* as it were, because they have to do the physical chores that we have machines do for us. My husbands family never owned a car, or a TV until the mid 1970’s. Their idea of a washing machine was an old wringer type model that our grandparents used to have! So they ended up getting their exercise doing the wash by hand, working their land for crops, walking to and from work or school..and so forth. Nowadays they all own cars, TV’s and PC’s…and eating a western diet they have heart disease, diabetes and other diseases that their forefathers never had. They have Pizza hut, Starbucks, McDonald’s and KFC. What a trade off, eh? If they don’t get enough exercise nowadays it’s by choice! A generation ago it was a different story. In the long run that is going to be the biggest challenge for those countries’ religious leaders, to allow more political and religious freedom and women’s rights.

Women do have rights in Muslim countries. They do vote. Pakistan had a female Prime Minister years ago, (Benazir Bhutto) remember? We have yet to elect a female President! The religious leaders *personally* do not impose or oppress their female populations. Many times it is tribal custom, tradition and culture, more than religion, that combine in an ugly misogynistic stew. Very sad. Teresa

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Thanks Mary, this is one of the best groups, for many reasons! Teresa

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i coach/run with a female muslim in our group,,, she runs in sweat pants and long sleeve top, head covered not to bad in winter but in summer in texas at 8 miles a day it was tuff ,,, we talked and i wore long shorts/running pants and t-shirt to respect her wishes ,, i tell yall what 8 miles a day in the texas summer 95-100 degrees well and no complaining she did and is doing better than the guys in our running group. plodzilla – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What do Muslim women do about clothing during exercise, either the veil or the long body covering? I do wear the veil to work, because I want folks to know that Muslims can be humane, decent, compassionate people…just like them. I wear shorts and a cool max shirt or tights and long sleeves if it’s cold.(I am not so strict about dress during exercise, and I am out doors for about 1 hour total.) I have seen women and girls wear long pants (like a warm ups) and a longer top. They still cover their hair, but if you put it in a bun and wear a baseball style cap, it’s covered. I see a lot of Indian women in their saris and sneakers, walking quite briskly around the parks I run in. but what about in countries with a much stricter interpretation? I am in the US, so hardly anyone cares or looks! The other countries? I don’t know.  I am sure they have ladies only gyms.(we have them here, too) Teresa

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Hi, Teresa and Plodz, i coach/run with a female muslim in our group,,, she runs in sweat pants and long sleeve top, head covered not to bad in winter but in summer in texas at 8 miles a day it was tuff ,,, we talked and i wore long shorts/running pants and t-shirt to respect her wishes ,, i tell yall what 8 miles a day in the texas summer 95-100 degrees well and no complaining she did and is doing better than the guys in our running group.

Hmm, this would explain some of the running attire I’ve seen around here in the summer. Now, I’m embarrassed because I didn’t think of it before. Old dog, new views. Thanks! Layne The rec.running report archives may be found at http://kinder.cis.unf.edu/rec.running

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