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My Story

This is Michael arnstein´s story

Tell us about yourself: your age, where you live, your job, your family, etc? My name is Michael Arnstein. I was born in January 1977; I’m 36 years old. I am married with 3 children, ages 12, 11, and 7. I run a small to medium-sized software/ecommerce business in the jewelry industry, The Natural Sapphire Company. I live and work in New York City.

Describe your journey to Fruitarianism. Tell us about the other dietary approaches you tried, how you learned about veganism, to now being a Fruitarian. I grew up in a home that ate what I consider a better-than-average Standard American Diet (SAD). My mother’s idea of a healthy eating was something like this: Breakfast: 2% milk (not whole milk), and any cereal where sugar was not the 1st ingredient on the box. Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly, or tuna fish (with oil), carrot sticks, and maybe a chocolate cookie. Dinner: Lamb chops, meatloaf, or fried fish, steamed broccoli (with butter), mashed potatoes (with more butter). Fast food on weekends was a treat, and soda was something reserved for parties or special events. Growing up I was chubby, but not a heavy kid. I was usually at the doctor for strep throat or viral or bacterial illnesses on a 5-6 times a year. I grew up taking all the medications found in drug stores from cold syrups to antibiotics. I thought it was normal. I had an older brother and sister who began to lean more toward healthier eating when they entered high school sports. I developed the same habits of trying to eat more healthfully from their lead as I entered high school at the age of 15. Healthier eating basically meant cutting out red meat and fried foods. So my journey to improve my diet effectively started when I was 15. Over the years I began to eliminate more and more unhealthy foods as I learned more about nutrition and athletic training performance. I was a competitive runner through high school and was ranked on a state level by my senior year. By this time I considered myself a vegetarian; mostly eating cooked low-fat plants, grains with rare occasional inclusion of fish, dairy/cheese and egg ingredient foods. I prided myself on my discipline at a young age. I thought I ate extremely healthy, and felt good about the ethical and environmental aspects of eating almost no animal based foods. As I entered my 20s, I began to eliminate other foods each year for on January 1st as a New Year’s resolution. Fish one year, then cheese another year (that was tough!), then dairy altogether (milk/cream), then eggs and products made with eggs, and lastly, all fried foods. By the time I was 26 or 27 years old, I was a very strict vegan. Soon I didn’t have anything in my diet to ‘give up’ on January 1st…so I thought. At 27 years old I tried the traditional ‘raw-food’ diet which composed mainly of very high-fat nut butters, super-foods, tons of avocados and all kinds of dehydrated fatty ‘raw crackers.’ One of the reasons I was looking to make yet another diet change had to do with my weight steadily rising over the last few years. I was getting back into competitive running again after an extended break (while my wife and I had our kids) and knew that body weight was an important performance factor. For about eight weeks, I ate the high-fat-raw diet. I lost some body fat, but in the end I admitted to myself that there were lots of downsides. On the high-fat-raw diet I had really bad digestion, feeling lethargic and dehydrated often, and developed an almost binge eating response to some very stimulating concoctions that are popular in a high-fat-raw diets. Soon after this raw diet attempt, I decided to try the Atkins diet approach but not with animal meat rather, I ate vegetable and whey based protein shakes – and lots of them! I lost a lot of body fat while eating loads of protein shakes until dinner time each day. Although my body weight dropped significantly, and I did have a small improvement in my running speed (from the big drop in body fat/weight), I struggled with maintaining the high-protein diet. I completely gave up on high protein diets when a stress fracture in my lower leg (tibia), which completely sidelined my running for nearly 6 months. I subsequently went back to my low-fat cooked vegan diet, eating lots of vegetable soups, beans, and grains. (If you are familiar with the diet that Dr. Fuhrman prescribes in his book Eat to Live, this is how I primarily ate throughout my 20s). Through the rest of my late 20’s, I pursued running and triathlon training, yet did not improve upon my performances much even with increased training focus. I continued to read many books on diet and how it affected athletic performance, spent a lot of money on supplements at times hoping to find the silver bullet. Then just before New Year’s, in December of 2007, my wife was reading a book about another raw-food diet. She urged me to read this new book called 80/10/10. I brushed off the idea of trying a ‘raw diet’ again; I told her that raw doesn’t work, been-there-done-that. She exclaimed that this wasn’t a high fat raw diet, no crackers, super-foods or supplements, it was all about low-fat fruits and vegetables, mainly fruit. At her continued urging I picked up the book and agreed to read the first few chapters. I absolutely laughed out loud while reading the sample meal suggestions: Breakfast: 8 bananas peel them and eat them. Enjoy. Lunch: 2-3 honeydew melons, cut them in half, use a spoon to eat it. Dinner: 3 heads of romaine lettuce, half to a whole avocado, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, mix it up and maybe some fresh oranges for snacks. Enjoy. 48 hours later, I finished reading the book and thought to myself; ‘this all raw fruit and vegetable diet is insane, but it I might as well try it for a week…’ I started out eating tons of fruit, and I fell in love… my life has never been the same. This was in fact one of the single greatest turning points in my life.

What is it about Fruitarianism that appeals to you? Veganism is a logically an ethical choice. But Fruitarianism is really the healthiest form of veganism. You can eat quite unhealthy just being a ‘vegan.’ Fruitarianism has countless additional benefits, both to the person eating a fruitarian diet, and for the world we live in.

Why do you call yourself a Fruitarian over other terms associated with this type of diet? There are many different terms associated with this type of eating which I call Fruitarianism. Some of the popular other terms used are: Natural Hygiene Diet, Mucus-less Diet, LFRV (Low Fat Raw Vegan), 80/10/10 Diet, Raw-Foodist, Frugivore Diet, Fruit-based diet, and some people even like to use the term ‘Paleo’ since some Paleo promoters suggest a high percentage of calories in their diet coming from fruit. I personally eat about 80-90% of my calories from fruit. The other 10-20% comes from raw vegetables. I rarely eat nuts or seeds, and for this reason I find the best definition of my diet as Fruitarianism. I think anyone who does something 51% of the time has the logical right to define whatever they are doing as a primary. I believe that if a person eats somewhere between 60-85% of their calories from fresh whole fruit, they will achieve most of the benefits that come from a fruitarian diet.

How long have you been eating this way? I’ve been eating this way continuously since January 2008. I absolutely prefer to eat this way and more convinced, comfortable, and confident with the Fruitarian diet the longer I continue on it.

Can you give us a sample of your daily diet and lifestyle routine? My day is based around my daily workouts. Upon waking, I usually drink about a liter of water. Then I might juice 10 oranges or have a few strawberry papaya or similar high water content fruit. I almost always eat one fruit in a meal by itself. I start my workout which is normally my daily 15 mile run to work in Manhattan. After my run, I usually eat one or two types of fresh, ripe, in-season fruit for the rest of the day, until dinner time. Common ones might include; melons, persimmons, mangos, fresh figs, grapes, citrus, stone fruits, berries and beyond; there is an endless variety from week to week. For dinner I’ll have a massive salad of romaine lettuce with larger varieties of tomatoes, carrots, celery, cucumbers multicolor bell peppers, red onion and whatever other vegetables are in season. If I have a dressing it is usually just some blended mango or maybe avocado and lemon juice. A late-night snack might be grapes, mango, or some other more exotic/seasonal fruit.

How does eating a low-fat Fruitarian diet compare to eating a high-fat raw diet? How do you view the two differently? As an athlete I feel and perform much better when I maintain a low-fat diet. If I have too much fat the night before a workout, I feel lethargic the next morning. This is not a psychological reaction; I notice a real physical difference time and time again. The less overt fat I eat, the better I feel, in both my clarity of mind and my daily athletic pursuits. I estimate that my caloric nutrient ratio is approximately 5-15% fat, 75-85% carbohydrates and 10-15% protein. I ate a higher fat diet for most of my life, and even tried the raw-high fat diet for an extended period of time. Since adopting an all raw, low fat fruitarian diet I’ve absolutely, undoubtedly felt and performed my best.

Do you ever have cravings for cooked foods or gourmet high-fat raw foods? I often consider highly processed cooked foods, and even high fat complex raw foods real-life food addictions. I’ve absolutely been hooked on these unnatural foods many times in my life, and hence still occasionally crave eating them. But at this point in my life I am very conscious about how these things make me feel after I eat them; so maintaining a fruitarian diet has become easier and usually effortless for me now. In large part I’ve emotionally divorced myself from eating foods that do not make me feel good and are not good for my health. The same way I look at smoking a cigarette or doing drugs. In my mind, there is little difference. I always want to feel and perform at my best. I don’t like to consider going back on my health; I value my physical health over all other things in my life.

What are some of the benefits you’ve experienced while transitioning to a Fruitarian diet? There are many many benefits that will almost immediately take place when adopting a Fruitarian diet. I continue to notice other long term improvements and changes over the years. Some of the most immediate benefits that I noticed in the first few weeks were: Body odor: I literally did not have a smell. My clothes at the end of the day didn’t have an odor. Skin: My usually oily facial skin was nearly oil-less. The usually white dry skin lines on my hands, arms an legs were gone, even in the winter months. My skin was softer, had more color and I tanned exceptionally fast. Hair: My hair was softer, less oily and I never had dry scalp. Body fat: I lost considerable body fat in the first few weeks, belly fat that I could never seem to lose on any other diet. Mucus: I didn’t have any mucus in my throat or nose; my sinus passages were extremely open. When I woke up in the mornings I had no crust in my eyes, dry mouth or sticky phlegm in my throat for the first time in my life. Digestion: I was never tired after a big meal of fruits or vegetables. I rarely had gas nor did it have an odor. Ear wax: I noticed that when I cleaned my ears after a shower, almost no wax was present anymore. Smell: My sense of smell improved. Smell became highly intensified. Taste: I noticed improved sense of taste; I was more sensitive to small differences in the same type of fruit. Nails: My toenails used to have flaky scaling or some kind of fungus; my nails become very clean and new looking within a month. Immunity: When my kids and wife were ill with viral colds, I didn’t notice any cold symptoms as I was expecting. Lighter: When I woke in the morning I would feel light when I got out of bed, fresher. Elimination: Bathroom visits became fast, efficient, and effortless. Exercise: I almost immediately saw improvements in my running efficiency; I was running faster. Sweating: My sweat did not smell. When sweat would go in my eyes it did not burn, nor did it taste hardly at all. Teeth: I did not have a film buildup on my teeth like I normally experienced on my old diet. Breath: I never had bad breath, never. Cravings: I stopped having the intense feelings of I have to eat something now! Strong hunger stopped. Simplicity: Mentally I freed up a large part of my day that normally was devoted to planning meals. Mental clarity: I absolutely noticed that I no longer daydreamed or had any brain fog at work. Positive attitude: I noticed that my personality and mood became very optimistic. I never felt depressed. These were all very significant changes soon after adopting a strict Fruitarian diet. Changes continue to occur in my health and athletic abilities the longer I maintain this diet and lifestyle.

How has your Fruitarian diet changed how your family eats? When my wife and I married, we both had some personal requests of each other. One of mine was that we would never allow animal meats or fastfood/junk food in our house. We have had these mutual agreements in place since day one, so adding more fresh raw fruits and vegetables was not a big change. We simply bought less grains and processed vegan foods. Our kids aren’t tied up in the basement starving, they are regular American kids with parents that push them to go for the good options, but let them have the bad ones while hoping they’ll eventually figure it all out on their own like their parents. But we’d be lying if we didn’t give them hell about ice cream, pizza and donuts when they eat them!

Can you tell us about any challenges, issues, or difficult realities you’ve experienced while eating a Fruitarian diet in a world of SAD (Standard American Diet) eaters? By far the most noticeable issues with eating a Fruitarian diet is when I am in social environments, such as family holiday gatherings, or going to a restaurant. No person wants to feel like an outcast, the oddball, or the antisocial eater. Very often I find that the people who are most uncomfortable with what they are eating are the SAD diet eaters in social gatherings. They question, ‘why, why, why??’ ‘why don’t you eat regular food like everyone else?’ Even after I explain that I’m a Fruitarian, they still are so pushy that I eat the same thing that they are eating, to the point of seeming like it makes them uncomfortable about my own diet choices. If I am not going to have access to fresh fruit at a social gathering I try to bring my own, or chose healthy options that may be there such as carrots or celery sticks and club soda. Still, social stigma with family, friends, co-workers etc becomes an annoying reality that you must learn to deal with. Keeping your commitment to your health and maintaining your healthy habits in social settings is worth the annoyance after you see everyone taking antacid medications and complaining of health problems as they eat their after-dinner drinks and cakes. I remember what it’s like to wake up the next morning with a lead stomach, and I don’t miss it one bit.

Describe your current athletic training. My diet is the foundation of my health, but there are so many other very important variables in achieving optimal health and performing well athletically. The other main factors that I find extremely important are enough sleep, low mental stress, range of motion/flexibility, not over- or under-training. As a competitive runner, I train differently at various times of the year for different events such as 5k/10k, half-marathon, marathon, ultra marathon, and triathlons. My diet fluctuates mainly on quantity of calories that I consume. If I am working out more, I eat more. It is almost impossible to overeat on a Fruitarian diet; you eat until your body naturally tells you to stop.

How do you meet the demands of your training through your nutritional choices? I listen to my body. In the summer I crave celery and tomatoes more than I do in the winter months, so I simply increase my intake of what I crave. My body is very in tune with what it needs when I eat a very clean natural raw diet. When I am doing loads of long-duration workouts, I turn to bananas and melons, as they give me a lot of calories to fuel my workouts. When I am working on increasing my speed and doing shorter workouts, I find myself eating more citrus, which feels right for those workouts. If you give your body a chance to clean house and you eat a clean, low-fat Fruitarian diet, you will notice incredible powers that your body possess.

What other aspects of health do you find important in complementing a Fruitarian diet/lifestyle? A clean low fat raw Fruitarian diet is the foundation for good health. I find so many other parts of my life flow and improve from the success and health benefits that my diet provides. I feel like my diet is like rich soil, and from it a strong tree of a person can grow in all directions. First and foremost, my relationship with myself improves greatly from eating so simple, natural and pure. I have self-love and respect, choosing not to harm myself with my old diet of addictive foods that make me feel physically and mentally poor. When I have self-love, self-confidence, and a positive mental attitude, these things carry over, making me a better person in every other area of my life: I am more giving, more patient, and less selfish than I was when I was eating pizza or other processed vegan foods. Fruitarianism is a foundation for a positive attitude. I am able to think with more clarity and speed when eating this way. This allows me to manage my business and daily job duties far more efficiently. This arguably allows me to make more money and have more free time for other things in my life. Intensive exercise is something that I fully enjoy. I like to see how much I can push my body, to see its full power and potential. This to me is excitement in life. My Fruitarian diet allows for these physical challenges. Sleep becomes more of a priority, as I want to fully rest my body after intensive workouts. Eating a Fruitarian diet allows you to sleep far better, as your body is not preoccupied with digesting heavy cooked foods. There are endless benefits and rewards that originate with eating this natural way.

Can you tell us about your athletic performance improvements eating a Fruitarian diet? I immediately noticed my body composition change in the first 4-6weeks. I went from about 10% body fat to 3-4% (lost about 10 lbs; went from 133 to 122 lbs. I am 5’4″ tall). This was a remarkable change, as I was able to drop to this weight in the past only while attempting the Atkins diet (on non-animal protein shakes), yet my energy levels were extremely high, and I was eating a tremendous amount of fresh raw fruit. My running times in training and races began to drop significantly. I attribute this to many factors, the main ones being: Lower body weight/reduced body fat. Oxygen absorption improvements: Almost no mucus in my respiratory system. Improved recovery: I found myself recovering so quickly from my workouts and slept better. These three core changes work to improve countless secondary reactions, such as efficiency and form improvements. Muscular contractions are improved with less intramuscular fat.

What are some of your recent athletic achievements while maintaining a strict Fruitarian diet? I ran my first marathon when I was 18 years old. I ran it in 2:52 and qualified for the Boston Marathon, where I ran a 2:47. For literally the next 10 years I could never run faster than a 2:45 marathon. No matter what my training, I had completely plateaued in my performance. In January 2008 I adopted a fruitarian diet, less than 2 months later I ran the Napa Valley Marathon in 2:34.07, finishing second overall. Astonished at my performance improvements I continued with fruitarianism. I have subsequently run dozens of marathons under 2:40 with many wins, my current best time of 2:28.12 (5:39 per mile) at the 2011 NYC Marathon placing 29th overall, and 5th American finisher. I also lowered my half marathon from 1:17 to 1:10 and my 10k to 32 minutes. I’ve had a very successful career in the sport of ultra-running as well. Currently having run the 8th fastest American time ever at the 100 mile distance in 12 hours 57 minutes (7:46 average for 100 miles!) These are not incremental improvements. These are incredible changes in a runner who most would argue is past his prime. I am now in my mid 30s and running faster than I ever have in my life, and I continue to run faster and faster the longer I eat this way.

What athletic goals do you have, going forward? My future goals include: ◦Running more of the legendary hundred-mile ultramarathons, 24 hour races and beyond. ◦Breaking 9 hours in an Ironman Triathlon (current PR is 9:38 at the Ironman Lake Placid NY course) ◦Running a sub-2:25 marathon ◦Running a sub-1:10 half marathon ◦Running at sub-32:00 10K ◦Running a sub-15:30 5k ◦Running a sub-9:40 2 mile ◦Running a sub-4:30 mile

What reactions have you gotten to your dietary choices from your family/friends? My extended family and friends look at me with a sense of curiosity and wonder. They thought I was nuts when I adopted a Fruitarian diet, yet now after so much time and success eating this way, they don’t crack jokes or worry about me, they are asking questions about how they can eat cleaner and what tips and advice I have to share..

And reactions from others in your sport community? At first, many of my athletic training partners, coaches and critics predicted I would get injured or emotionally fail quickly. Now after tremendous athletic success, most people that learn about my experiences are eating a lot more fruit, a lot lot more. I encourage them to try to focus on incremental diet changes and not get too obsessed with changing overnight. It took me nearly 20 years of slow diet adjustments to get to where I am. Over time eating mostly fruit will naturally grow into feeling comfortable and completely natural.

What do you imagine is the future of vegan athletics? I’ve received many athletic/health magazines for over 20 years, and I’m seeing a lot more articles related to increasing our raw fruit and vegetable intake. I think more serious athletes will move to a diet primarily composed of raw foods when they are in serious training. It works, and the word is getting out. Pills, powders, and potions really don’t work long term, Mother Nature’s food is the best bet for optimal performance. There is no other choice. It’s the future, which is a blessing.

What would you suggest for someone who wants to read more about Fruitariansim? The book 80/10/10 by Dr. Doug Graham is a great first read on how to change your diet towards high fruit/low fat raw. It is one of the simplest, most straightforward, logical and easy to read books I have ever experienced in diet. A quick search on Amazon will show countless other authors and books which are all very similar in their main message of eating raw low fat plant foods.

Was there any one point or message eating a Fruitarian Diet that sticks with you above all else? Simplicity. I just felt calmness in the simplicity of it all. It is so natural, so direct, so easy, so right.

If you could change something about your transition to a Fruitarian diet what would it be? I would eat only organic. When I first started with Fruitarianism, I ate conventionally grown produce, and I can say that I feel that is a big mistake. When you are eating conventionally grown produce you are taking in potentially huge amounts of chemicals, and other unhealthy contaminants that conventional food is grown with. I feel organic is an essential element in maintaining good health. Plus organic produce tastes so much better!

Is there anything you plan to change or do differently with your diet going forward? I plan to keep my focus on eating mono meals (eating one type of fruit for an entire meal). I have found this to be very, very beneficial. When I first read about mono meals and issues about food combining, I personally thought that it was a subject of little importance. But now after eating many mono meals, I see and feel a big difference. It is far easier on my digestion.

Do you find yourself frequently debunking myths or inaccuracies about Fruitarianism? I’ve had quite a few blood tests since adopting this diet. I had all types of fears about deficiencies. Yet the first 2 years my blood work was always very good, but my B12 levels kept dropping. Now B12 is something I do supplement with, and it’s the only supplement I take. I’ve improved athletically year after year, even when I’ve been told many times that my health would begin to fail on a fruitarian diet. In the first few years I was worried I might experience another bone stress fracture. Yet year after year I kept increasing my running speed and distances in training. Soon I was sustaining very-high-mileage running weeks (150+mile weeks), I never got sick or injured, bones rock solid! I definitely have never had any protein deficiencies, I don’t even think a medical diagnosis exists for protein deficiency! That’s all BS marketing. I don’t get protein from plants, I get amino acids which I make my own protein from in the form of running superiority.

What suggestions could you offer someone considering Fruitarianism? I would suggest that if anyone doubts or questions a diet, they should only do so after they have given it a serious trial. I would highly suggest a 30 day attempt before passing judgment. It works. It really is the Garden of Eden, the Fountain of Youth. I am living proof, and I place physical demands on my body in my athletic pursuits that very very few people endure, and yet I thrive. ————————————————–

 

Bio

Where were you born, where did you grow up? I was born in Livingston, New Jersey in January 1977. I grew up in northern NJ/suburbs of NYC. I spent my summers at the Jersey Shore. Where do you live now? Right on the Westchester/Bronx boarder in New York, very close to Van Cortlandt Park. Married/Children? I married my wife Victoria in February 1999. We have 3 children: Sam is 12, Nancy is 11, Charlotte is 7 My Height: 5′ 4” (I should mention that the greatest runner of all time Haile Gebrselassie), is the same height!) My Weight: My regular training weight is about 120-122lbs. When I am training at higher levels during during peak racing season my weight is between 118-120lbs.

What’s your profession, what do you do all day? In the late 90’s when the internet was taking off I started an online business/e-commerce business in the jewelry trade. My business grew as I put more time and effort into developing our own unique software systems, which is the backbone of our business today. We have a bunch of web/software related business models and projects that now employ about 40 people full time. It’s been a big rush seeing it all grow, but it’s also a huge responsibility to manage.

Your best feature? Your worst feature? Hmmm, I think my best feature is my determination, I pretty much don’t ever give up when I want something. I’ve learned to handle discomfort quite well too from all my ultra endurance training. My worst feature is procrastination… funny how the 2 best and worst features are related… I’m a mess on a bad day and superman on a good day…

Favorite Author, Favorite Books/Magazines? Dr. Douglas Graham, his books on natural eating changed my life. Dean Karanazes, he’s a great author and athlete, he really inspired me to take my training to the next level. Anne Osborne, her book ‘Fruitarianism, The Path to Paradise’ inspired me further. Her book distilled me to higher levels. Essie Honiball, her book ‘Live on Fruit’ is another early pioneer of Fruitarianism Arnold Ehret, I’ve only read a few books/writings and he certainly blazed the first trail of natural health and diet. I read the following magazines UltraRunning, Rock + Ice, Kiteboarding, Runner’s World, Gems and Gemology

Favorite Movie, Favorite TV Show? Some of my favorite movies include: Star Wars, The Matrix, The Shaw Shank Redemption, Space Balls, Endurance (Story on Haile Gebrselassie), Forever Running (The life of Yiannis Kouros), Rocky series, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Sound of Music, Some of my favorite TV shows (I almost never watch TV though): Curb Your Enthusiasm

What’s on your Ipod? Favorite music? If I want to get hyped up for a workout anything with a good beat, trance techno is my favorite. I also like classic rock, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, etc. I really enjoy Classical, Opera and even Classical Organ music when I want to relax.

What kind of car do you drive? I only run! No seriously I really do run to most places that I need to go. If it’s a family outing we take our Chevy Express van.

Hobbies? Running, Visiting farms, Nature Preserves – anything that surrounds nature and being outdoors. Mountain climbing, winter mountain climbing, triathlon, hiking, snowshoeing Spending time with my wife and kids, sitting by the fire place with a blanket with snow falling outside.

Favorite vacation destination? Where do you dream of going? The Hawaiian Islands are without a doubt my favorite spot on the planet. I also absolutely love the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Mt. Washington is an incredible place! Canadian Rockies – Icefield’s Parkway, Lake Moraine and Valley of the Ten Peaks is epic! Sri Lanka is a second home to me as well since I do a lot of my business projects originating in that special country.

Favorite time of day and why? Early morning for sure, yet I very very rarely see this time of day. My absolutely best hope and goal as I mature in life is to learn how to get to sleep early – which automatically means I will get up early to meet the day. I can run a 100miles but I can’t seem to get to sleep by 8:45/9pm and rise at 5am with the sun…

Most prized possession? My Health. It’s all we ever have! Greatest Fear? Fear itself.

Favorite Quote? “Do or do not… there is no try” ~ Yoda “A day without training is a day without value” ~ Will from VO2MaxOut.com “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” ~ Ben Franklin “An apple a day is not enough” ~ Michael Arnstein

Pet Peeve? Any form of ‘yelling’ unless it’s is for a happy occassion.

Running PR’s 400m: 55 seconds (In High School) 800: 2:08 (In High School) 1 Mile: 4:36 (In High School) 2 Mile: 9:44 (In High School) 5K: 15:46 10K: 32:48 (2009 in Central Park) 1/2 Marathon: 1:10.55 (2010 NYC 1/2 Marathon) Marathon: 2:28.12 (2011 NYC Marathon) 60K: 4:32 (2008 NYC Knickerbocker) 50 Miles: 5:50 (2009 JFK 50) 100km: 7:27 National Championships 2010 Madison, WI 12 Hours: 91.5 Miles (2012 Desert Solstice) 100 Mile Trail: 14:38 (2012 Javelina Jundred) 100 Mile Road/Track: 12:57.45 (2012 Desert Solstice) 135 Mile: 31:04 2012 Badwater Ultramarathon 153 Mile: 33:20 2012 Spartathlon Triathlon: 4 Time Finisher Hawaii Ironman (PR 9:43) 4 Time Finisher Lake Placid Ironman (PR 9:38)

Why do you run and continue to challenge yourself? To Enjoy Life!

Future goals? Get to sleep early so I can wake up early! Set new running PR’s from the Mile to the 100Mile all in my 40’s! Continue on my Fruitarian Diet Spend more time with my family Climb Mt. Everest Increase the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables in the human diet Enjoy Life!