Running Zaidy

Big Pharma First, let me state one caveat. This article is not intended for people who through no fault of their own must take some sort of medication. It is targeted at a group of people who don’t take care of themselves, overeat, eat the wrong foods, and lead a sedentary lifestyle. Unfortunately, these people represent most of the population in North America.   Let’s face it. We are a society of blamers. Nothing is our fault, it’s always someone else’s. Did you know that 95% of the lawsuits in the world, that’s right “the world” take place in the United States? So, when I hear the trope “Big Pharma” and the implicit conspiracy theory I cringe. Is it Big Pharma that, in cahoots with the medical profession, is responsible for our pill taking?  Is there some vast conspiracy that forces us to take the pills that Big Pharma produce and our doctors prescribe?  A while back a savvy entrepreneur opened a Kosher hamburger restaurant in Manhattan. With huge fanfare and an ad ca...

My Back Story No, it's not a story about the details of another story. It's about my lower back problem. About 25 years ago I experienced a bout of terrible lower back pain. I went to my doctor and took medications. It didn’t help. A friend recommended a chiropractor. I tried a few sessions, but it didn't help. Another friend suggested a massage therapist. I went a few times. After each session I would feel better for a day or two but after that the pain returned. At my last session with the therapist, he asked me to take him through my day to see if he could pinpoint something I was doing that would explain the problem. We did that.  At the time I was running a software company. Unlike today not all my work involved using a computer. I had a desk and a computer table. The computer table was near my desk and to get to it I would push my chair (which was on wheels) over to the computer desk. When finished I would roll back to my desk. The distance was about 7 feet, and the f...

Here is an article in The Suburban in Montreal about my journey. Here is a link to the article with some pictures At 69, Shmarya Richler is a marathon runner on a mission By Dan Laxer The Suburban Mar 4, 2026 Shmarya Richler was 59 when his doctor raised the alarm about his blood pressure. And he had other issues. He has since turned running into a mission to raise awareness about healthy living. In March 2016 he took out a new lease on life with a pair of running shoes. Eight marathons later, he is still running, using the empty bottle from the blood pressure medication he no longer needs as a shot glass for a finish-line l’chaim. Richler, a Chabad Hasid, was 59 when his doctor raised the alarm about his blood pressure. He had other issues: weight, elevated sugars, acid reflux, recurring gout. Theprescription was simple: watch what you eat and get some exercise — or take pills. Thethought of having to deal with a daily pill organizer didn’t sit well with Richler’s aversionto taking pi...

Marathon Memories It's been a week and there are so many memories and highlights of the race and the people I met. Here are some of them. Meeting my son and 4 grandchildren on 59'th street. A police officer took this picture. Running in North Williamsburg where the crowd was so thick I raised both my arms and high-fived people on both sides of the streets at the same time. High-fiving little kids who had their hands out. Waving my arms at different places and getting the crowd into a frenzy. The party in Harlem. Stopping to talk to people and telling them my age. Telling people why I am running. I took out my pill bottle to show them.  Acknowledging spectators who called out my name. Talking to other runners. Saluting police officers. Stopping outside a fire station and telling the firefighters that I ran 2 marathons in Laval for the firefighters. Having random people tell me congrats while walking to the train and on the train returning to Brooklyn. Asking the volun...

  NYC Marathon 2025 Pictures The Verrazano Bridge, the first of 5 bridges that we cross. They are The Pulaski, The Queensboro, The Willis Avenue, and The Madison Avenue. The Pulaski. Half way. The Queensboro The Willis Avenue Bridge 59'the Street about 1 mile to the Finish My son Sruli and 4 of his children From right to left Malka, Mendy, Sima, and Ita Approaching the Finish Line Crossing the Finish Line The Medal

NYC Marathon #5 In 2021 I took my blood pressure pills to the NYC Marathon and threw them in the garbage at the finish line. I kept the bottle and every year since then I've taken it to the race. I fill it with a bit of scotch and at the finish line I say L'Chaim (to life). Here is this years video. I try to stay as close as possible to the line without interfering with other runners who are crossing it. You can see them behind me. 

How long did it take?  As a runner I get lots of questions. Some of them are funny, some are based on misinformation, and some provoke thought. After the “knee” question this question is in second place. “So, how long did it take?”. It usually follows the question “How much did you run today?” or after running a full marathon.   After a marathon I sometimes answer “I tied for first in distance” but most of the time I answer that I have no idea how long it took. Really??? they’ll say. Yes, really. I don’t time my runs and haven’t for a very long time. I used to but got to the point where my day would be spoiled if I was off my pace from the previous day or if I didn’t beat my previous best time for a run. Then one day I decided that I would stop timing myself. It was the best decision I’ve made when it comes to running. I now run to run. I stop to take pictures; I talk to other runners. When I run on the mountain here in Montreal, I’ll usually stop to give directions to...

Upon finishing a marathon (26.2 Miles) every finisher receives a medal. On the back of the medal there is a space for engraving a name and finish time. After my finish in New York in November 2022 I debated whether to engrave my medal or not. Do I put my official time, or do I engrave “Six Months” because that is how long it took me to train. Then it dawned on me that the reason I started running was to control my high blood pressure without having to take medication. For me the marathon is a celebration for the good health I have enjoyed over the past nine and a half years. And I don’t take any medication anymore! So, what better way to commemorate my marathons than recording my numbers on my medal as in the pictures below. I hope to do it again this coming November! New York City Marathon November 2022 New York City Marathon November 2023 Laval Firefighters Marathon June 2024 New York City Marathon November 2024

 I just got back from Pasadena where I gave a talk about healthy eating and exercise from a Torah perspective. The event was very well organized and well attended. Many thanks to Chabad of Pasadena who hosted the event and especially to Rabbi Zushi Rivkin who arranged everything. And thank you to the Honokas who hosted me during my stay. The best feedback I got was hearing that 2 people started running after hearing my story. 

Welcome to my Blog! My name is Shmarya Richler. I live in Montreal.  In March 2016 my doctor prescribed medication for my elevated blood pressure. I was 59. At the time I was also suffering from a hiatus hernia and gout. The hernia was causing severe acid reflux. The doctor also told me that my sugar numbers were creeping up. I decided that I really did not want to take pills because I felt that once I start one pill begets another. At the time I was doing some power walking but was very inconsistent. I was not watching what I eat so my weight was high. I read that running revs the metabolism better than walking. So, I started doing some running and changed my eating habits. When I started I couldn't run 200 yards without stopping. So, I started slowly by running a little and then walking. Slowly but surely, I built up endurance to the point where I could run 5K without stopping. From there I kept building mileage and in June 2018 I ran my first full marathon. I’ve done a lot of ru...

  I recently read a post where the author compared some life events to running a marathon. I’m guessing that he never ran a marathon. I’ve completed five since I started my running journey in 2016 at 59. I’m 67 now and as long as G-d gives me strength I hope to complete many more. From my perspective there really is nothing in my life experience that compares to running a marathon. I’ve planned events for 400 people, I’ve done Pesach many many times, I built a software company. Nothing I’ve done can physically and emotionally match running 26.2 miles. I would say that we should look at it the other way around from the authors perspective. That is, rather than comparing life to a marathon we should use the marathon as a model to help navigate life. Let me explain. A marathon is 26.2 miles. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. What the spectator is seeing when they watch and cheer the runners is actually the end of the marathon. The real marathon started months before race da...

  First of all, welcome to the wonderful world of running! The only sport that has no half time, bench, seventh inning stretch etc. As we say: running is a mental sport, and we are all insane! Here is some advice I can give you. Most of this I learned the hard way. The most important thing is to get the proper shoes. You should go to a running store to get them. Not a general sports store. The salespeople in those stores are probably kids doing summer jobs and know nothing about runners. At a running store most of the people are runners so they will know what they are talking about. They will analyze your gait and suggest the best shoes. In my case I pronate which means when my foot falls it tilts inward. So, I wear a stability shoe. Some of the shoe brands are Brooks, Asics, Saucony, Mizuno, Hoka etc. I am wearing Brooks and Saucony now. I used to use Asics, but I was having some leg pain issues during long runs, so I switched, and the pain went away. When choosing a shoe make...

Pre Disposition You are trying to convince someone to put up a Mezuzah. He is not interested. You say that the Mezuzah protects the home. He answers, “I have a friend who is religious, he has a Mezuzah on every door, yet he’s been robbed 3 times in the last 2 years; why would I put one up?”. Someone tells you “Look at so and so, he’s been working for 50 years yet doesn’t make a living, why should I work”. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? So, why is it that when we hear about an exerciser and health buff who dies young we say “Look at him, exercising and watching what he eats all his life, and he dropped dead, and look at me, never exercised, eat what I want, and I’m fine” These arguments and rationalizations don’t really hold water. A Mitzvah is incumbent on an individual. We can’t compare ourselves to someone else. We must put up the Mezuzah because it’s a Mitzvah, we must work because it’s a Mitzvah, and we must live healthy because it’s a Mitzvah. What someone else experiences does...

  Shabboss V’Nishmartem This week is Shabbos Nachamu. We also read Parshas Vo’eschanon, the highlight of which is the Aseres Hadibros (Ten Commandments). Much has been written and said about both and the fact that they occur together. So, it’s quite understandable that two pesukim (verses) in our parsha (portion) do not get as much attention. They are pesukim 4:9 and 4:15: Maybe the pesukim would be remembered better if we were to change the trop on the word V’Nishmartem to an Azla-Geireish as in the famous “Ko’eleh” that everyone loves to yell out on YomTov! All kidding aside, these pesukim are the sources for the Rambam’s statement in Hilchos Deot about exercise and healthy eating. At first glance these pesukim are not referring to guarding one’s health at all.   Yet Chazal rely on them to derive the imperative of guarding our health. (For further research see Levush Ateres Zahav, Siman 116:1). At any rate, based on Rambam Hilchos Deot we are obligated to take care o...

  The Yetzer Horo (The voice of I can't) Last week I was interviewed on a local radio station. One of the questions the interviewer asked me was “How do I stay motivated and what can I tell people to help motivate (and stay motivated) to take care of themselves”. I answered that in my case it’s the blood pressure pills I don’t have to take. I didn’t have much time, the interview was 9 minutes, to offer advice to the listeners so I answered that everyone is different, and motivation can come from many different places. Before we can talk about motivation let’s talk about some of the impediments to eating healthy and exercising. If we can get past these impediments, then we are on the path to being motivated and staying motivated. As I pointed out in a previous article the Rambam in Hilchot Deot mandates exercise and healthy eating. This means that you have the ability to fulfill the Mitzvah. All Mitzvohs have certain properties and requirements for fulfilling the Mitzvah. For ex...

  Children and Sugar In my previous articles I talked about healthy eating and exercise. My primary focus was adults. But today I want to talk about our children. The childhood incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes is on the rise. In most cases this is a direct result of eating the wrong foods and overeating. The easy availability of junk food, sugar sodas, and prepared foods is widespread. Adults are not the only ones who should cut down on their vitamin K (kugel, knishes, karnatzel, kidush club, kishkeh, etc). Children are bound by the same 75% rule as adults. That is, one only needs 75% of what is eaten as the Rambam rules. And children need to exercise. I see so many children using electric scooters these days, most without helmets. Recently I was in a grocery store here in Montreal. I was walking through the junk aisle. What was Shmarya doing on the junk aisle? Didn’t he read the articles he wrote? Well, grocery stores lay out their products in a very clever way. There ...

  Pesach has come and gone, and spring has sprung even in Montreal where I live.   With the start of the new Rambam cycle those who are learning 3 chapters a day will be learning Hilchos Deot this week. Those learning 1 chapter a day will get there in the middle of Iyar. As you know the first 2 Halachos of Perek 4 discuss healthy living. Before discussing the Rambam I want to mention that the Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will be introducing a new course called Healthy and Holy. It’s a two-part course, the first discusses in detail the Torah sources for leading a healthy lifestyle. The second part deals with nutrition and healthy eating. I’m very excited about it and look forward to its formal introduction in the next few weeks. The course is designed to be presented to high school level students and can be used in Chabad Houses as well. The nutrition section was written by a nutritionist and outlines a moderate approach to healthy eating. No fad diets and no drastic uns...

 

The first picture was taken on October 19, 2022 and the second on the 23'rd at the same spot. You can see the difference that short period of time has on the foliage.