FitSugar

Catching Up With Biggest Loser Tara Costa

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:47:08 -0800

Even though she is no longer required to pull big numbers at the weekly Biggest Loser weigh-ins, Tara Costa is still working it. She told Life and Style that she's "still battling the last 10 pounds."

Tara currently weighs 164 pounds (down from 294 at the start of the show), but the second runner-up of from last year's season says she'd "love to live at 155-ish." Her plan of attack is twofold. She's headed for a week-long stay at the Biggest Loser Resort and Spa, located in Ivins, UT, where guests can reenact the rigors of the weight-loss reality show: six hours of daily exercise and a healthy diet. Her second method is running. Tara ran in the New York City Marathon last Sunday, completing the 26.2-mile course in 4 hours, 23 minutes, and 12 seconds.

I love keeping up with past contestants from the show and seeing that they are still living healthy lives. Like Tara, are you battling the last few pesky pounds that refuse to go away? Join the Weight Loss Support group, to meet like-minded people who share your goals.

Photos courtesy of NBC and Getty

Alanis Morissette Marathoning For Eating Disorders

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Many celebs have laced up their sneaks and finished marathons, including Will Ferrell, Mario Lopez, Oprah, David Lee Roth, and Katie Holmes. Now you can add Alanis Morissette to that list. She's planning on running this Sunday, Oct. 11, in the Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon, in Lassen National Forest in northern California.

Alanis is running to raise money for the National Eating Disorders Association, since she knows firsthand what it feels like to struggle with anorexia and bulimia. Alanis began running about a year ago after seeing her assistant Leah running "like a gazelle" while on tour. This singer-songwriter feels that running this marathon is allowing her to use her body as an instrument and raise awareness about an important and personal issue. She knew she couldn't get through the many hours of grueling training unless there was a higher purpose and explains, "I wanted to offer this run to anyone who has had a fraught relationship with their food, their body and their heart and soul."

To find out if training triggered unhealthy eating disorder behaviors, read more.

Alanis said that marathon training did trigger some eating disorder type behaviors, but she knew there was no way she could undereat and maintain the high level of energy needed in order to run. So training for this marathon actually helped her find balance in how she fueled herself. This amazing singer was also aware of not exercising obsessively. She has an order of priorities now: Sleep first. Food second. Run third. Alanis said, "I don't have the first two nailed, I can't run. So it incentivized me to nurture the first two. When I run healthfully I feel empowered and kind. When I run obsessively I feel nervous, stressed out and disassociated."

Have any of you ever walked, biked, or run for a cause? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

Are Marathons Bad For You?

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:00:57 -0700

With marathon season winding down (NYC marathon is 11/1) there is an ongoing debate in the medical field over the effect the 26-mile race has on the heart. Some scientists are claiming that running a marathon causes long lasting damage to the heart, while others say the damage is only temporary and is brought on by the extreme physical demands of the race.

Last year studies were conducted in Australia, Canada, and Germany measuring the effect running a marathon had on the hearts of elite to novice runners. Tests were given on the participants immediately before and after running a marathon. The end findings were similar across the board - the participants showed marked blood indicators of cardiac damage.

“We measure those same blood markers when someone comes in to the emergency room and we suspect a heart attack,” says Davinder S. Jassal, MD, an assistant professor of cardiology, radiology, and physiology at the University of Manitoba as told to the New York Times. Blood profiles like those displayed by the runners are similar to those in a very mild heart attack.”

Those scientists that oppose the findings, site that the research is premature and the studies were too small. They also say that accurate results cannot be determined since researchers in the original studies did not follow up with any of the participants after the race day. A later second study conducted in Canada seems to support this claim - a week after completing a marathon, researchers followed up with the runners and found none of the initial damage was lasting.

As the debate continues please keep in mind that running long distances is definitely taxing on the heart. Check out our tips to avoid any risks while training and share your own tips with us below.

Get Inspired: Man Finishes 13-Day Marathon on Crutches

FitSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:00:00 -0700

Phil Packer was doing his duty as a British soldier in Iraq when a rocket attack changed his life as he knew it. The event resulted in a spinal injury that doctors said would prevent him from ever walking again. Just one year later, motivated by raising money for the Help for Heroes a British charity that supports wounded military personnel, the strong soldier walked two-miles a day on crutches to finish the London Marathon in 13 days.

But that's not all. Packer already rowed the English Channel in the spirit of raising money for the charity, and next month he plans to climb California's 3,000-foot El Capitan. He told CNN, "I don't want to be helped. I want to help other people. Not that I'm not grateful, but . . . you know . . . I really want to be able to help people."

After he crossed the London Marathon finish line, Packer was asked if he'd be heading home to soak in a warm bath, but the army major said, "No, I'm going to have a drink." Packer toasted his supporters with a shot, but I say cheers to this courageous man. What an inspiration.

Source

Boston Marathon: Kosgei Wins, Goucher Takes Third

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:30:00 -0700

It was a dramatic finish for the women running the Boston Marathon today, and the official results are in. Crossing the finish line first was Kenyan runner Salina Kosgei, with a time of 2:32:16. Congratulations to the champ! Just one second behind Kosgei was Dire Tune of Ethiopia, who collapsed soon after finishing the race and had to be carried out on a stretcher. I sincerely hope she is OK; stay tuned for updates.

Meanwhile, third place went to one of my favorite runners, Kara Goucher, who had a time of 2:32:25. She was one of just two American women to finish in the top 10. Pretty amazing considering the Olympic middle-distance runner just started marathoning last Fall!

To see who won the men's marathon and the amount of prize money the winners receive, read more.

American Ryan Hall came in third as well, with a time of 2:09:40. He was a little over a minute behind Deriba Merga of Ethiopia (2:08:42) who won the marathon. Second place winner is Kenyan Daniel Rono with a time of 2:09:32. The prize money for men and women is the same and the winner takes home $150,000, while second place wins $75,000, and the third place purse is $40,000.

Are you watching (or running) any marathons this year? . . . Oh, I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I missed your answer because I was too busy coveting these runners' quadriceps.

Source

Upcoming Marathons For Walkers

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:00:00 -0700

So you're not a runner - that doesn't mean you can't fulfill your dream of finishing a marathon. Many races allow and greatly encourage walkers. Here's a huge list of upcoming marathons to choose from, brought to you by Runner's World.

A1A Marathon: Feb. 21, 2010
Austin Marathon: Feb. 14, 2010
Baltimore Marathon: Oct. 10, 2009
Big-D Texas Marathon: April 5, 2009
Buffalo Marathon: May 24, 2009

There are a whole bunch more, so read more.

Calgary Marathon: May 31, 2009
Carlsbad Marathon: January 24, 2010
Cleveland Marathon: May 17, 2009
Columbus Marathon: Oct. 18, 2009
Country Music Marathon: April 25, 2009
Dallas White Rock Marathon: Dec. 13, 2009
Des Moines Marathon: Oct. 18, 2009
First Light Marathon: TBD
Gasparilla Distance Classic: Was on March 1, 2009
Grand Rapids Marathon: Oct. 18, 2009
Green Bay Marathon: May 17, 2009
Honolulu Marathon: Dec. 13, 2009
Indianapolis Marathon: Oct. 17, 2009
Lake Tahoe Marathon: Sept. 23-27, 2009
Lewis & Clark Marathon: Sept. 13, 2009
Little Rock Marathon: Was on March 15, 2009
Long Beach Marathon: Oct. 11, 2009
Los Angeles Marathon: May 25, 2009
MDI (Mount Desert Island) Marathon: Oct. 18, 2009
Mad City Marathon: May 24, 2009
Maine Marathon: Oct. 4, 2009
Mardi Gras Marathon: February 28, 2010
Marine Corps Marathon: Oct. 25, 2009
Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon: June 20, 2009
Melbourne and Beaches Marathon: Feb. 7, 2010
Mercedes Marathon: TBD
Miami Marathon: Jan. 31, 2010
Mississippi Blues Marathon: TBD
Missoula Marathon: July 12, 2009
Myrtle Beach Marathon: Feb. 11-14, 2010
New Jersey Marathon: May 3, 2009
Nike Women's Marathon: Oct. 18, 2009
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon: April 26, 2009
Philadelphia Marathon: Nov. 22, 2009
Pittsburgh Marathon: May 3, 2009
Portland Marathon: Oct. 4, 2009
Richmond Marathon: Nov 14, 2009
Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon: Jan. 17, 2010
Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon: Nov. 15, 2009
Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon: May 31, 2009
Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon: June 27, 2009
Sacramento Cowtown Marathon: Oct. 4, 2009
Salt Lake City Marathon: April 18, 2009
San Francisco Marathon: July 26, 2009
Seattle Marathon: Nov. 29, 2009
Shamrock Marathon: March 21-22, 2009
Surf City Marathon: Feb. 7, 2010
Tucson Marathon: Dec. 13, 2009
Vancouver Marathon: May 3, 2009
Walt Disney World Marathon: Jan. 7-10, 2010
Windermere Marathon: May 16, 2009

Beginner's Half Marathon Training Schedule

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:30:00 -0800

So you've run a few 5Ks and maybe have a 10K under your belt. Now you're ready to tackle your first half marathon. You'll need a training schedule to get your mileage up, but it's hard to find time to train when you have a full-time job, family, etc. So this schedule from About: Running is just what you need. It allows you to train moderately throughout the week, while working on your longer runs on Saturdays, when most people have free time.

To see this basic 12-week training schedule read more.

Before looking over the schedule, here are some important notes.

Mondays: Rest to prevent injury.
Tuesdays and Thursdays: After warming up, run at a moderate pace for the designated mileage.
Wednesdays: Rest on rest days. On run days, after warming up, run at a comfortable pace for the designated mileage.
Fridays: Do a cross-training (CT) activity (biking, swimming, elliptical trainer, etc.) at easy to moderate effort for 30 to 45 minutes. If you're feeling tired or sore, then rest.
Saturdays: Run the designated mileage at an easy, conversational pace.
Sundays: Recover on this day with easy runs to loosen up your muscles.

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Friday	Sat	Sun	Total Miles Run
1	Rest	2 miles	Rest	2.5 miles	Rest	3 miles	2 easy miles	9.5 miles
2	Rest	2 miles	Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	4 miles	2.5 easy miles	11.5 miles
3	Rest	2.5 miles	2 miles	3 miles	CT or Rest	5 miles	2 easy miles	14.5 miles
4	Rest	3 miles	Rest	4 miles	CT or Rest	6 miles	3 easy miles	16 miles
5	Rest	3 miles	3 miles	3 miles	CT or Rest	7 miles	3 easy miles	19 miles
6	Rest	4 miles	3 miles	4 miles	CT or Rest	8 miles	3 easy miles	22 miles
7	Rest	4 miles	Rest	4 miles	CT or Rest	9 miles	3 easy miles	20 miles
8	Rest	4 miles	3 miles	3 miles	CT or Rest	10 miles	3 easy miles	23 miles
9	Rest	5 miles	3 miles	4 miles	CT or Rest	11 miles	Rest	23 miles
10	3 easy miles	4 miles	Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	12 miles	3 easy miles	25 miles
11	Rest	4 miles	Rest	3 miles	CT or Rest	5 miles	2.5 easy miles	14.5 miles
12	Rest	2 miles	20 minutes	Rest	20 minutes	Race Day! 13.1 miles	Rest	15.1 miles + 40 minutes

Source

Upcoming, Headphone-Friendly Marathons

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:00:00 -0800

If you wouldn't dream of running without listening to music, then you'll be happy to know that there are a bunch of upcoming marathons that allow headphone use. Keep in mind that some marathons ban the use of headphones and portable MP3 players such as iPods. They're banned for safety reasons - you know, because listening to Queen's "We Will Rock You" just might send your body into uncontrollable speeds, and you may run into the banana and water stand. If you're looking to run 26.2 miles with your headphones, here's a list marathons compiled by Runner's World where you can crank up the tunes and run!

Surf City Marathon (California): Feb. 1
Melbourne and Beaches Marathon (Florida): Feb. 8
Austin Marathon (Texas): Feb. 15

To see the rest of the list read more.

Big-D Texas Marathon (Texas): April 5
OC Marathon (California): May 3
Green Bay Marathon (Wisconsin): May 17
Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon (Anchorage): June 20
San Francisco Marathon (California): July 26
Lake Tahoe Marathon (California): Sept. 25-27
Portland Marathon (Oregon): Oct. 4
Des Moines Marathon (Iowa): Oct. 18
Richmond Marathon (Virginia): Nov. 14
Tucson Marathon (Arizona): Dec. 13
Dallas White Rock Marathon (Texas): Dec. 13
Miami Marathon (Florida): Jan. 24, 2010

Source

Marathon Dangers

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

The New York City Marathon is over now, but many people are still in training for future races such as the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon (Nov. 16), the Philadelphia Marathon, (Nov. 23), and the Atlanta Marathon (Nov. 27). There's just something about conquering the distance of 26.2 miles that inspires so many people. Training for a marathon is a healthy aspiration, but if running this distance is on your to-do list, you should know there are some risks involved.

Running extreme distances is not exactly good for your health. As you run, you experience changes in your immune system and kidney function. The consistent stress signals your body to go into emergency-repair response mode. Your adrenal glands and brain produce the stress hormones cortisol and vasopressin. Also, your damaged muscles churn out proteins called cytokines, which trigger the liver to start producing C-reactive protein. The result is inflammation, and all your muscles feel the brunt, including your heart. In extreme cases, death by cardiac arrest has been associated with running this historic distance.

To find out if it's possible to avoid these risks, read more.

How you train plays a huge role in how your body will react on race day. Averaging at least 45 miles a week while training will significantly lower your risk of heart injury. Even though your body suffers damage on your training runs, it also repairs itself and becomes stronger. So on race day, your body is better equipped to handle the struggle. What's also good to know is that for most runners, if they do end up suffering some heart damage, it isn't permanent. Within a month, the heart is functioning normally again.

With all this in mind, some health officials suggest doing all the training for the marathon, but skipping out on the actual race. The thing is, though, most people train for the sole purpose to be able to cross the finish line. It's an amazing sense of accomplishment, and the difficulty of the race and the risks involved add to its appeal. If it wasn't so hard, no one would want to do it.

Fit's Tip: If running a marathon is on your mind, first have your heart checked by a doctor to make sure you're not at risk for heart problems. Then be sure to train long and well (at least four months in advance). Rack up miles and miles so that come race day, your body will be ready.

Source

How Do You Feel About Running a Marathon?

FitSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:30:00 -0700

'Tis the season for marathons. The Chicago Marathon was last weekend, the Nike Women’s Marathon is coming up this weekend on Oct. 19, and the NYC Marathon is Nov. 2.

Since I love to run, I've always had the goal in mind to run a marathon, but I'm giving myself a few years. What about you . . .