re all in this, us three together and I dont think one of us was ahead of the other. We were just playing for the team." Portlan

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. Corey Linsley Super Bowl Jersey .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. Paul Hornung Super Bowl Jersey . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Jason Spriggs Super Bowl Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/El...Packers-Jersey/ . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria.SASKATOON -- In most other years, London Knights forward Max Domi would probably garner more attention at the MasterCard Memorial Cup. The son of former tough guy Tie Domi is expected to be taken in the first round of next months NHL draft, but with the three top North American-based prospects all playing at the Credit Union Centre, the 2013 edition of Canadian Hockey Leagues showcase event is far from normal. That suits Domi and a host of other potential picks just fine. NHL scouts have descended on the 10-day tournament as top prospects Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks, and Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, both of the Halifax Mooseheads, play their final games ahead of the draft. Having the trio in one place means that other players expected to have their names called early on June 30 in Newark, N.J., can focus on the tournament. "I know those guys pretty well and theyre great guys and awesome hockey players," said Domi, who is ranked at No. 19 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. "Were just worried about how the London Knights play and not really anything else to be honest. We focus on ourselves and the team and let the rest take care of itself." Knights teammate Bo Horvat, who is ranked 15th, says that although the draft is never completely out of his mind, the goal in Saskatoon is to win the CHL title. "Theres always competition but Ive played on teams with them before and were all good friends," he said. "I dont feel the pressure. Youve just got to play your game and not worry about the draft too much and just focus on the team aspect. "Theres definitely a lot of prospects here and a lot good hockey players looking to raise their stock." A player who has made one of the biggest jumps from the mid-season rankings to now is London defenceman Nikita Zadorov. The six-foot-five Russian scored the winnner in the Knights 3-2 tournament-opening victory over the Saskatoon Blades and has moved up eight spots to No. Tony Brown Super Bowl Jersey. 22 on the North American draft list. Knights coach Dale Hunter says despite being overshadowed by Jones, MacKinnon and Drouin at the Memorial Cup, his players are worthy of the billing theyve received from scouts. "Max and Bo, you can see what they did for us. Theyre young men, just like the Halifax boys and (Jones) from Portland. They both come to play," Hunter said. "Theyre all good players and thats why theyre ranked so high in the draft and deservedly so." Halifax goalie Zachary Fucale, who is listed as the No. 1 netminder in North America and played with both MacKinnon and Drouin for the last two seasons, has witnessed the hype surrounding his teammates. He says the looming draft and playing with and against top talent doesnt change his mindset. "I just concentrate on helping the team," he said. "We were all in this, us three together and I dont think one of us was ahead of the other. We were just playing for the team." Portland forward Nicolas Petan says he enjoys being on the ice against the best junior hockey has to offer. "It obviously elevates your game," said Petan, who is ranked No. 33. "It definitely motivates me to play against the guys who are ranked really high." Domi has an extra edge in terms of preparing for the draft in the form of his famous father, who actually played in a Memorial Cup in Saskatoon as a member of the 1989 Peterborough Petes. "Hes my dad so I talk to him quite a bit about hockey," the younger Domi said. "Hes been through all of this. We joke around about that a little bit. He played 17 years in the NHL so I bounce questions off him all the time and he helps me out a lot. "Having my dad in my back pocket is huge." ' ' '