“Training for My First Marathon” Part 3, by Dr. Donaldson

One of my fellow MDs in the ER ran the marathon every year so I told him I wanted to run a marathon because Barry Sears said if you eat the Zone diet before and during you won’t hit the wall at mile 20. I asked him how I could set up a training schedule for the next year. He said, “Well really, if you have been running 5 miles 4 times a week you should be able to run 15 miles and if you can run 15 miles you can run a marathon.” Joy to my ears. I wouldn’t have to wait a year! I immediately went out that weekend and ran 15 miles. Boring and long but I did it. I didn’t take any water with me. I didn’t know that would probably be a good thing to do but I didn’t want to have to carry anything and ruin my first 15 mile run. In fact, after two weeks, I even did it again to make sure I could do it. The next weekend after my second 15 mile run was the marathon. No one had told me and I didn’t ask, but you are not to do a long run before the marathon because it wears you out too much for the marathon. To say the least I was poorly trained and very ignorant when it came to training for the marathon. I had always lived my life, “Just do it or move on”.

Marathon day I was prepared with my waist pack all filled with zone bars. I had cut them up and would eat one piece at every mile or 2. I had eaten my Zone breakfast. I had lavender oil for any cramping and eucalyptus oil if I got short of breath. I was all set. At home, this day was like any other day. Mom was going to be gone for the day to run the marathon just as if I was going to work in the ER. Dad would have to go pick her up in the afternoon so he would be gone also for a while. My mind however, was focused on Mom was walking out of the house to do scientific research on herself. And I was excited! If it worked, I could with pride and resolute tell the naysayers in the ER and administration that I was right and they should look beyond what they are taught and maybe even try the Zone diet themselves; that Barry Sears’ Zone diet does work and I am living proof. 20 miles here I come! I was determined to show those people this was an incredible diet.

It saddened me, however, that I was told by the hospital administration I could not tell people and especially type II diabetes about the diet even though Sears had done clinical research on Type II Diabetics showing their sugars and their energy were better on his diet. I was told it was not medically accepted at this time and the attending physicians were getting upset I was telling their patients in the ER about a different diet than the ADA diet.

My thoughts were, “How can these people be so engrained in the system to not even look at Sears’ studies? Why do they not want to join me in researching this diet for their patients if it has the potential for making their patients better? Why don’t they experiment on themselves like I am doing first if they are so afraid of the diet?”

Little did I know this was the start of many, many “experiments” I would do on myself without colleague support as I subconsciously began to build what would eventually become an integrated Regenerative Medicine Center (RMC) where I could do my own clinical research and be on the cutting edge of many new things that help people without harm. Just as Hippocrates stated long ago, “Do no harm”. Hippocrates also stated, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”. At this moment in my life, with all the passion I had, I decided to follow Hippocrates’ .teachings as I had vowed to do when I became a doctor, only now it had far greater meaning to me.