Labor of Love

 Runners are passionate about their hobby.

You could even call it a labor of love.

Literally.

Reuters reports that a woman ran yesterday's Chicago Marathon at nearly 39 weeks pregnant. After the race, she went into labor.

I have to admit, I'm tempted to judge. I've always read it's unsafe to run beyond the 5-month mark. Although I understand she was under a doctor's supervision. And generally speaking, I want to support those who love the sport.

But a marathon?

A marathon takes a serious toll on the body. Some studies even suggest that distance running increases the chance of some cancers due to the prolonged strenuous physical activity that affects white blood cell counts. Therefore, I can't even imagine subjecting a fetus to that. As a woman in my 30s who is yearning to have a baby of my own someday, if there were even a slightest chance of endangering my baby I don't think I'd do it. Would you?

What's your opinion? Is this safe? Would you run a marathon with a baby in your belly? I'm curious to know!

One Small Step for Man...

 Just when you think you've heard it all.

A 31-year old man is training to be the first person to run a mile on the moon.

ABC News reports that distance runner Jonathon Prince is scheduled to be the first person to blaze a trail atop the lunar ball.

But although he will fly to the moon Prince doesn't necessarily think he's superhuman. When interviewed, he says nothing is impossible in life; you simply have to put a massive amount of commitment and dedication behind your dream. His dedication includes logging long hours training at a private space facility to learn everything there is to know about the space industry.

But that's not even the most impressive part.

Whereas I thought my measly 5Ks were impressive, Prince is currently logging a whopping 100 to 120 miles per week. When you consider that there are approximately 1,760 steps in every mile that is run, this means Prince is running more than 176,000 steps per week.

That is one giant leap for mankind.

To see the interview with the first man who will run a mile on the surface of the moon, visit here or follow him on Facebook.

Fingers Crossed!

 

This morning I was thinking about an upcoming race, and I was reminded of my infamous “race day rituals.”

Ahh, the race day ritual. Those twitchy little superstitious habits in which we engage in anticipation of the starting line.

Society has its rituals. And the running community is no different. In fact, I’m certain that the best professional athletes have them. I’m sure I’ve heard NFL players share their game day superstitions. And I, for one, have seen runners do all sorts of crazy things on race day.

I know some runners who request specific bib numbers, or demand bib numbers that end in odd or even numbers. I have heard that fights break out over specific numbers. Some runners eat a very specific breakfast on race day. Lay their race outfit out the night before. Wear a lucky bandana or a coin in their shoe (although that sounds awfully painful for 26 miles...) A more common ritual is to create a race day playlist on the iPod. Some people meditate. Pray. I’ve even seen a man doing jumping jacks at the starting line. Says he started doing it 20 years ago and it went so well, he's done it ever since.

Whatever it takes to get in the zone, man.

Mine? In the interest of sharing with the running community that shares it all (and I do mean, all) my worst race day habit has got to be running to the ladies room multiple times before the shotgun start. I'm sure it's the nerves. It is a habit which I became accustomed to during my ballet recitals as a little girl and a habit I have tried to break in the running world, as jetting off to the port-a-pottie every 5 minutes really defeats the purpose of getting that good spot at the starting line.

I also try to wear the same outfit on race day that I have worn to prior races. While it’s no guarantee, I figure that past success is a great indicator of future performance. (If it fits and doesn't chafe, it's a winner.) I also write or apply iron-on lettering the night before to my race day shirts to send a message (especially when running for the Troops). 

I have one other odd little habit – repeatedly tying and untying my shoes. I'm sure this started as a mere safety precaution, but it has now gone to the extreme. To make matters worse, since I double-knot my laces for safety it takes me twice as long to tie and untie them. I have no idea what this habit indicates. Probably that I was an axe murderer in a former life.

But enough about my quirks. I want to hear from you.

I’m curious: What are your race day rituals? What do you absolutely, positively, have to do in order to ensure a good race? Share it here, or Tweet it!

Finish Strong

After a few weeks of travel, there's nothing I crave more than getting back home and getting back into a routine. After weeks of airplanes, taxicabs, political conventions and dinners out, I've got a little catching up to do in my Marathon training.

Okay, a lot of catching up to do.

So, last week I laid down the gauntlet. If I am going to succeed in running the Marine Corps Marathon on October 30th, I have to step it up a notch. Rather than running my already-respectable 5K a day, I have no choice but to up the ante: 5 miles per day, minimum. And this isn't even counting the longer weekend runs. After all, I have a Marathon to run, people! The MCM is just a short (gulp!) five weeks away.

But I'll be ready.

I've succeeded at getting a couple of 5+-mile runs under my belt last week, and tomorrow will run my first 8-miler in nearly four years. Even though this means earlier ups in the mornings, or later evening runs after work, it's worth it. And even though I'm undoubtedly lining the pockets of my future orthopedic surgeon with my occasional knee pain, it feels really, really good just to be back out there. Any runner out there who's ever been sidelined will know what I mean.

I am looking forward to these final weeks of training. I'm excited for the further changes I will see in my body, and my level of personal fitness. Furthermore, I can't wait for the regalia of Marathon Day itself. All great reasons to Finish Strong!

Willpower

It has been said that the friends you have today, and the books you are reading right now, will tell you more about where your life will be in 5 years than any other indicator.

Well, I love my books. And I am proud to know some of the coolest people in the world who allow me to call them "friends."

The newest book I cannot put down is Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by renowned psychologist Roy Baumeister and New York Times writer John Tierney.

Now, I realize that no fewer than a million books have been written on this subject which is as old as time itself. But this new gem explains the science deep inside the brain which drives Willpower. And I love that.

It turns out that “Willpower is like a muscle: it can be strengthened with practice and fatigued with overuse" – which I think is very interesting in this multi-tasking world. For instance, did you know that your brain (and thereby your Willpower) can actually get fatigued by contemplating too many decisions in a single day? But by automating mundane daily decisions and taking the guesswork out of it (i.e., whether or not you’ll actually go to the gym), you can conserve brainpower and build up even stronger willpower for more critical moments (i.e., major life decisions that really count). Once again, I cannot help but think how brilliant Nike was with their “Just Do It” slogan. It's as if they've known this brainy little secret all along.

If you think this is kabuki science that doesn't apply to life and death decisions, check this out. In the areas of eating habits, right down to the consumption of glucose (sugar) they cite a study: "Researchers found that Israeli judges making parole decisions were likely to grant parole roughly 65 percent of the time after a meal break, but approved parole almost never right before one." Kind of makes you re-think when to set appointments to pitch business proposals, doesn't it?

The authors also report that the average human faces up to 4 hours of temptation per day. I haven’t gotten to that chapter yet, but I can only imagine that with the temptations stemming from food and drink, social networking, texting, and the glow of online sex, it stands to reason we are a nation going out of our minds. Literally.

This book will change your way of thinking. Whether you're looking to eat healthy, run a Marathon, or just become a better human being. I know it has changed my perspective already. Check it out on Amazon.com when you can. Just don't overthink it.

9/11 "United We Run" Series: Todd Beamer: Father, Husband, Hero, Athlete

There’s something different about athletes.

Something that sets us apart from the rest of the population.

I don’t know if it’s the discipline it takes to rise at some unearthly hour, or the fact that we push ourselves to break new records – but there’s just a little something extra that makes us stand a bit taller in a crowd.

I believe it’s no different in moments of crisis.

Todd Beamer, the man who uttered the inspirational “Let’s Roll” call to action on 9/11, was a lifelong athlete. Although I couldn’t find specific proof in my research that Todd Beamer was a runner, newspaper accounts suggest he was an avid sports fan and a lifelong team player.

One newspaper reports that throughout his life, Beamer “defined himself by athletics. He excelled at a Christian High School in baseball, basketball and soccer. And when his family moved to California before his senior year, Beamer used sports to make new friends… He attended Fresno State University to play baseball, with an eye toward a professional career, but he soon realized that was not in his future…” Then he met his wife on November 2, 1991. After they got married, Todd decorated their game room in festive Chicago Cubs sports memorabilia. They both joined the softball team at church, where Todd continued to be exceptionally competitive and “did not shy away from bowling over another player if it meant winning.”

All too often in today’s society, being competitive is frowned upon. We want every child to have a trophy, just for showing up. Well, imagine for one moment if the passengers of Flight 93 that day had only  “shown up.” Stayed in their seats, just as the terrorists told them to. The outcome would have been very different.

I believe it was a fiercely competitive spirit that led Todd to act that day and bring together a small team of brave Americans to break into the cockpit, fight hand-to-hand with terrorists, and take down an airliner that was screaming toward our nation's Capitol building – saving hundreds if not thousands of lives, according to aall government counts.
There is a quote from Gene Hackman’s character in the legendary sports film, The Replacements, that happens to be one of my favourite quotes: “Winners always want the ball when the game is on the line.” I think it perfectly represents the heroic actions of our fellow Americans – and fellow athletes – that day. As fierce competitors in the game of good vs. evil and like star players who scored just as the buzzer was running out, Todd Beamer and his fellow passengers saved their nation from further death and heartbreak.

9/11.  Never Forget.

9/11 "United We Run" Series: Ronald Buca: Fire Marshal, Special Forces, Father, Hero, Runner

NYFD Fire Marshal Ronald Buca was cat-like. In his agility. His speed. The ability to always land on his feet. And the fact that he seemed to have lived nine lives.

Firefighters Quarterly describes Buca as a firefighter who once survived after he fell five stories inside a burning building. He made a full recovery after plotting out his own physical therapy routine when he was convinced he could do it better. (This makes me laugh for my own personal reasons.) Prior to his 23 years as a firefighter, Buca served as an elite Special Forces operator, a medical professional and an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Military. As the former, he became so convinced terrorists would strike again after their 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, he became an expert on emergency evacuation plans and even kept a set of blueprints of the World Trade Center in his locker at work.

Like many firefighters that day, Buca did not have to report for duty. But he did anyway.

Buca, an avid Marathon runner, was believed to be just the second person to arrive at the point of impact where the first plane went into the 78th floor. The other was NYFD Battalion Chief Orio Palmer (featured in a previous post). Whereas his colleague Palmer was able to ride the elevator first to the 41st Floor, before taking the stairs the rest of the way to the 78th floor – Buca actually climbed the entire distance, starting from the ground floor and going all the way to the 78th floor. Seventy-eight stories takes some serious endurance. Endurance that, in my opinion, only a Marathoner or Triathlete or professional athlete could marshal.

Once he arrived, Buca joined Palmer in evacuating survivors and battling the fire with equipment they had available to them. Like Palmer and other first responders who were busy battling the blaze when the floor underneath them collapsed with the rest of the Tower, Buca died a hero.

The number of lives that both men touched leaves me stunned. And it makes me take a hard look at my own daily life. Am I helping enough people? Am I making a big enough impact in the world? I could be philosophical and say I don’t yet know the answer to this, but I’m pretty sure when compared to these brave men, the answer is “no.” Their heroics make me want to refine myself further – as both a runner and a human being – so that I can be a greater blessing to those around me. I hope that this small action is tribute enough to my fellow runners and the heroes who did so much, for so little, and to their families, who lost everything that day.

9/11. Never Forget.