lump with a deep home run down the right-field line to bring the Mariner

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.Air Jordan 6 Retro Sale . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Air Jordan 6 Wholesale . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. http://www.clearanceairjordan6.com/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Air Jordan 6 Retro China .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Air Jordan 6 Clearance . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. SEATTLE -- It didnt matter the Chicago Cubs nearly blew a six-run lead against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. As far as starting pitcher Edwin Jackson is concerned, the only important part was that the Cubs hung on for a 7-6 victory. "An ugly win is better than a pretty loss any day," Jackson said. "We were fortunate enough that we had a lot of runs so when they did come back and score there we were still winning. Thats the most important thing, when you come out of the inning that youre still winning, regardless of how they came back." Chicago led 7-1 after four innings. The Mariners comeback started against Jackson (4-10), who pitched into the seventh inning, allowing three runs and seven hits and striking out six. But it really got going once the game was turned over to the Cubs bullpen, which has blown 16 save chances this season and gave up three runs in the eighth against Seattle. "It looked real easy for a while, but we all know thats why we play nine innings," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. It was jokingly suggested to Sveum the Cubs might prefer only playing seven innings to cut out the late-inning issues with the bullpen. "No kidding," Sveum said, laughing. "If we go back to Little League days, wed be OK." The Cubs tied a season high by hitting six doubles, including two each by Alfonso Soriano and Darwin Barney. Anthony Rizzo drove in two runs for Chicago, which took two out of three in the series against Seattle. Kevin Gregg pitched a hitless ninth for his 13th save, a day after blowing his first save chance of the season. "I want to pitch every day," Gregg said. "Coming off a blown save yesterday, I want to get right back out there. I dont want to sit on it at all." Seattle starter Jeremy Bonderman (1-2) was chased after giving up six runs -- four earned -- and six hits in 3 1-3 innings. It was his shortest start since going 2 1-3 innings on July 29, 2007 with Detroit. The loss was the first for Bonderman since being called up June 2 and making his first major league appearance since 2010. That time out, he gave up seven runs in 4 2-3 innings, but since hhe had been on a roll, giving up a total of four runs in the four starts before Sunday.dddddddddddd Bondermans trouble against the Cubs started in the second inning when the Cubs doubled four times, leading to three runs. Soriano and Rizzo led off the inning with doubles, and with one out Brian Bogusevic and Barney hit consecutive RBI doubles. "Doubles are good. Runs are better," Barney said. "Once something good happens, good things start going through your mind, and thats the whole battle in this game." In the fourth, Barney led off with another double and scored when Wellington Castillos grounder to third went through Kyle Seagers legs for a two-base error. Starlin Castros run-scoring single marked the end for Bonderman. Reliever Blake Beavan gave up an RBI double to Soriano and another run on Rizzos single as the Cubs took their 7-1 lead. That was the end of the offence for Chicago, which managed only one hit over the final five innings. "At this level you cant ever assume," Barney said. "Once you start assuming, you start laying down a little bit. Thats just not a luxury we have -- or anyone has." The Mariners comeback got going in the fifth when Nick Franklins single drove in a run. Bays leadoff homer in the seventh cut the lead to 7-3. Raul Ibanez led off the eighth with his 19th homer of the season against reliever Shawn Camp. Kendrys Morales singled and Seager broke an 0-for-19 slump with a deep home run down the right-field line to bring the Mariners within a run before reliever Hector Rondon and Gregg shut down the rally. "We had our opportunities, fought back and got close," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "But thats not good enough." NOTES: Cubs OF Ryan Sweeney will be placed on the disabled list after breaking a rib on his left side crashing into an outfield wall. Sweeney will be held out of baseball activities for four to six weeks. ... Seattle CF Dustin Ackley should be able to return "in a couple days" after spraining his right thumb Saturday, manager Eric Wedge said. "All things considered, could be a lot worse," Wedge said. ' ' '