FitSugar

Running in the Family Way: Pregnant Marathoners Unite

FitSugar — Wed, 12 May 2010 09:00:00 PDT

Two elite runners were absent from recent marthons. We knew Kara Goucher was skipping the Boston Marathon in hopes of getting pregnant (but hadn't heard word before that big race) and then mommy marathoner Paula Radcliffe skipped her hometown marathon after announcing she was pregnant with her second child.

We have since learned that these two Nike-sponsored athletes have been training together, and that both marathoners have known since January that they're pregnant. Kara Goucher announced, right before Mother's Day, that she's expecting a baby boy with a due date of Sept. 29, which she coincidentally shares with Radcliffe. The two marathoners have been training together in Portland, OR, near Nike headquarters and have forged a friendship. Although Radcliffe told the New York Times that she doesn't see herself as a "mommy mentor," she has offered Kara some sound advice; namely to listen to her body and stop when she feels a twinge, and to forgo timing hill repeats.

These two are fierce competitors and both are aiming to run (and win the gold) at the London Olympics in 2012. But these two runners have forged a sweet friendship while logging mileage side by side. Radcliffe said, "When both of us stand on the start line and the gun goes off, we both want to win that race. But there’s room for a really good friendship at the same time."

Congrats to both Kara and Paula. I wonder who will reach the delivery finish line first?

And the NYC Marathon Winners Are . . .

FitSugar — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:00:10 PST

Although she has won the race three times, favorite Paula Radcliffe placed fourth in the New York Marathon. The first woman to cross the finish line was Derartu Tulu - the first Ethiopian woman to claim first place in the NYC Marathon in its 40-year history.

Tulu ran the course in two hours, 28 minutes, 52 seconds and was there to comfort Radcliffe as the world record holder limped across the finish line, holding her knee and crying in agony. Second place went to Russia's Ludmila Petrova , who ran the course in two hours and 29 minutes flat. Christelle Daunay, of France, came in third (2:29:16), nine seconds ahead of Radcliffe.

Tulu, who gave birth to her second daughter in 2006 and increased her brood by adopting four orphans, wasn't ready to quit racing. With two Olympic gold medals under her belt and a previous marathon win in London in 2001, Deratu ran with a calm confidence and proved that returning to the sport was well worth it.

For details on the men's race,

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Eritrean born American citizen Meb Keflezighi won the men's race in two hours, nine minutes, and 15 seconds. Filled with emotion on winning his first major marathon in his adopted country, Keflezighi said, "U.S.A. gave me all the opportunity in the world, education, sports, lifestyle.This is so special to me." Ryan Hall, considered the future of US distance running, came in fourth. In fact, six Americans finished in the top 10! Robert Cheruiyot, of Kenya, placed second (2:09:56) with Jaouad Gharib of Morroco coming in third, racing the course in two hours, 10 minutes, and 25 seconds. Hall finished the race in two hours, 10 minutes, 36 seconds.

Thinking of running the marathon in the Big Apple next year? The application for the lottery will be available Nov. 2. If you're not ready to commit to a marathon but still love to run, join the RunningSugar group.

Don't Run Yourself Into a Stress Fracture

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:00:29 PDT

Over training happens. You love what you do. You do it too much. Your body starts to break down. Your bones begin to crack. An over use injury you definitely want to avoid is a stress fracture.

Common in professional sports that intensely work the lower body like running and basketball - hoops star Yao Ming has been suffering from one in his foot for two years now and marathoner Paula Radcliffe has battled one in her femur.

A fracture, aka broken bone, is caused by a sudden trauma like a fall. A stress fracture occurs when a bone can't hold up against repeated stress overtime. Cells known as osteoblasts make bones and attempt to keep the bone strong and rebuild them while under strain, while osteoclasts are cells that remove damaged bone tissue. The repeated stress weakens the bones, and ultimately the osteoclast cells win creating a microscopic fracture on the surface of the bone. This small crack can create lots of pain. X-rays usually cannot detect the fracture, but an MRI or bone scan if deemed necessary can diagnose a stress fracture. Often a stress fracture can be diagnosed based on your history, since over use injuries often run a specific course.

Learn how to avoid a stress fracture.

Mommy Marathoner Wins NYC Marathon Again!

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:00:00 PST

British mommy marathoner Paula Radcliffe did it again! She won the NYC Marathon for the third time. Radcliffe, whose daughter will be two years old in January, finished the race in 2:23:56 with the second place winner crossing the finish line almost two minutes later. That is what I call an impressive lead! Congrats Paula!

Paula wasn't the only runner we were rooting for here at FitSugar. To see how newlywed Ryan Reynolds fared in the race, just

Ryan finished the marathon in under four hours with the respectable time of 3:50:22. Not bad for a first timer at all! Speaking of first timers, one of my favorite runners, Olympic middle distance runner Kara Goucher, made her marathon debut and came in third place! Her finishing time of 2:25:53 is the fastest finishing time for an American woman in the history of the New York City Marathon. Goucher is definitely a runner to watch.

Reading about other people running always makes me want to hit the asphalt, but I am not sure I want to run 26.2 miles like these folks. Tell me, how do you feel about running a marathon?

Spource and Source

Mommy Marathoner Wins NYC Marathon!

FitSugar — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 23:30:00 PST

Finding the time and mustering the energy to run is always a challenge. Add to the mix a baby not even a year old and you have the formula for NYC Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe's life. Not only is she a mommy, but her full time job is running – running long distances and running them at a fast pace.

Radcliffe holds the world's record for running the 2003 London Marathon in two hours 15 minutes 25 seconds – that's 5:10 a mile pace over the 26.2-mile course! This seasoned marathoner had her first child on Jan. 17, 2007! She was up and running 12 days after her daughter Ilsa was born, and she trained through her pregnancy, under close supervision of her doctor, of course. Her ambition, talent, and determination helped her make it to the NYC marathon finish line beating her closest rival by 23 seconds. Radcliffe's finishing time was two hours 23 minutes 9 seconds! Congratulations, Paula!

I am sure Paula was not the only mommy racing, because we know Katie Holmes was planning on running too. To see how Katie fared in the big apple run, just

After training for three months, Katie was cheered on by Tom and Suri with a finishing of 5:29:58. We can tell by the photos that Katie opted to wear headphones for the race even though they were strongly discouraged. Not that I can blame her since those 26.2 miles can get a little lonely, even with a super star and a super cute baby waiting for you at the finish line.

Source

Julianne Hough Dishes on Dating Ryan Seacrest

Mackenzie Wagoner — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:41:00 PST

Healthy Dose Link Time: 10 Best New Walking Shoes

FitSugar — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:33:10 PDT

These shoes were made for walkin'! 10 best new walking shoes - Prevention
Shh . . . here's the secret to a better workout - Real Simple
Are breast self-exams more harm than help? - Health
Paula Radcliffe's world record title stripped because she had a male pacer - Fitness
Meet yogini star (and Bethenny Frankel fave) Kristin McGee - Fit Bottomed Girls
Rock it out! The best workout songs for October - Shape
From vegan seafood to coconut sugar, check out the latest health food trends - Vital Juice
20 habits of healthy, skinny people - Men's Health

Gear Review: Nike+ SportWatch GPS

Susi May — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:05:35 PDT

It was only a matter of time before Nike created a GPS sports watch. The company introduced the Nike+ system five years ago, so adding a new component to the system seemed the right way to celebrate the half decade mark. And following its tradition of innovative design, this watch is good looking. Much more stylin' than other GPS watches out there with a relatively slim profile and easy-to-read face.

The company sent me a Nike+ SportWatch GPS ($200), and I've been testing it out. New gear always helps me step up my workouts. Yep, I've been running a bit more these days. The watch comes with a Nike+ foot pod and charging cable, which you will likely never use since the watch has a USB plug integrated into the band. Meaning you can plug the watch directly into your laptop to upload your workout data to the Nike web page while charging the battery of the watch, too. This is super convenient and the coolest feature of the watch, in my opinion.

The Nike+ SportWatch has the most simple user interface of any GPS watch or heart-rate monitor I have ever used. It only has three buttons. One to scroll up. One to scroll down. And one to press enter. You use the Nike website, which opens up automatically after you plug in the watch to your computer, to program your personal data: age, weight, etc., as well as preferences (sound off/on, splits, create interval workouts).

Keep on reading for more details about this watch.