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ACTivism: Team In Training

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:15:00 PST

Do you want to run a marathon and don't want to train alone? Are you are interested in participating in a triathlon and want some outside motivation? Then Team In Training (TNT) might just be for you.

With TNT you raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society so you are training for a cause. Plus, you join a team that is training (hence the name) for endurance events just like you. Once you join the team in your area, you receive personalized fitness training by certified coaches for a four to five month period, access to training clinics, your own Web site for online fundraising, and lodging and airfare to your event. All that and you are going to make a lot of new friends as you train with your team.

Interested? Just enter your zip code on the entry page of the Team In Training to find out what events folks are training for in your area.

Want to Run a Marathon? Team in Training Can Help

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 09:30:00 PDT

Have you always wanted to run, cycle, or walk to help fight or raise awareness about a deadly disease? Not only is it a powerful feeling to cross the finish line, but it makes it even more worthwhile if you know your efforts are going to support a cause. Your accomplishments will give you the sense that you did something more important than just get in good shape.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program will help you get there. They offer training from certified coaches for four to five months, training clinics, your own website for fundraising, lodging and airfare to the event, and they'll connect you with a patient so you know who all your hard work is going to benefit.

In exchange for their training and support, the money you raise will go towards finding cures to help beat blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

To get started, all you have to do is type in your zip code here. You can train with the largest endurance sports training program that's been saving lives for 20 years, and has raised over $700 million. It's a great way to help make a difference.

"ACT"ivism: Team In Training

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 10:30:00 PST

Did you know that every five minutes, someone in the United States learns that he or she has leukemia, Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma or myeloma and that every ten minutes, someone dies of a blood cancer?

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training is one of the world's largest endurance sports training programs. Basically thousands of runners, walkers, cyclists and triathletes have participated in the world's major marathons, half marathons, centuries and triathlons this year on behalf of the Society. What happens is in exchange for training and support, you help raise money towards cures for blood cancers like lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia -- the No. 1 disease killer of children.

By helping to raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma research and patient services, you'll get:

Personalized fitness training by certified coaches for a period of four to five months
Your own personal Web site for online fundraising
A supportive group of teammates
Lodging and airfare to more than 60 accredited events in the United States and abroad

What's a better reason to train for that 5k? To find a chapter near you, go here.

An Everyday Athlete Is Still an Athlete

espnW — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:59:39 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Risa Isard

On June 23, 1972, Title IX was signed into law, leveling the playing field for female athletes. To mark the 40th anniversary, espnW explore the impact of this landmark legislation.

You might not know me, but chances are you know someone like me. I'm that girl who grew up playing hoops in the driveway with my dad and brother every night after dinner. The one who played rec soccer for 10 years, starting out on a boys team. The one who persuaded her middle-school gym teacher to let her run the monthly timed mile against boys, then wrote her target time on her arm - in permanent marker. The one who took field day just a little too seriously.

The one who is thankful every day for Title IX.

Counting down the best of the past 40 years

Growing up, I wasn't an elite athlete, but I had passion to spare. I ran, jumped, threw, and kicked on a daily basis and eventually I found my calling in high school track and cross country. I was good (I earned seven varsity letters), but not good enough for the next level.

So when I arrived at Duke nearly four years ago, I found myself wondering something that had never crossed my mind before: was I still an athlete?

Answering that question was no easy task. As I read about various elite athletes, I recognized our shared pasts. Like gymnast Jordyn Wieber, I used to pull old cushions into the middle of the family room and do cartwheels, somersaults, and front handsprings. Like many WNBA stars, I was the only girl in neighborhood basketball games. I lacked their natural ability, but I came to realize that we are connected through dreams and experiences. We all began by thinking of ourselves as athletes and scheduling our lives around sports at a young age. That doesn't just go away.

Read on for more.

Swimmer Dara Torres on the Quest For Her Sixth Olympic Games

espnW — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:12:32 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Luke Cyphers

Dara Torres once wrote a book called Age Is Just a Number. Nowadays, though, the feel-good story of the 2008 Olympics admits to, well, feeling her age. Torres won two silver medals as a 41-year-old mother and swimmer in Beijing, but she harbors no illusions about repeating the feat four years later. "You have to be realistic," Torres said. "I am 45 years old. I'm that much closer to being 50, and my body just can't recover the way it used to."

Her goal was gold in 2008. In 2012? "I don't feel like I have anything else to prove going into these Olympic Games," said the 12-time medalist. "It's not about medals. I have enough."

So why does she put herself through grueling training five days a week in the hopes of making her sixth - and she swears last - U.S. Olympic team? Because, at her best, she's still one of the fastest sprinters in the world. She placed second in the 50-meter freestyle (25.24 seconds) at the winter nationals. Last month, she swam a solid 25.36 seconds in the prelims of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, but faded to 25.47 in the final to finish sixth. She'll need to place within the top two at the Olympic trials in Omaha in June to make it to London.

Kim Rhode is not your typical Olympian

Dara Torres says it is harder for her body to recover compared to when she competed in the 2008 Olympics. "If I had to just swim the race once, I don't think it would even be an issue making the team," she said. "But I have to swim it three times, and having my body recover for those three races is my issue."

Torres embraces the actuarial challenge of capping an Olympic career 28 years after it began in 1984, even as her world has changed and her body has creaked. Her longtime coach, Michael Lohberg, died of a rare blood disorder in 2011. One of Lohberg's assistants, Bruno Darzi, now coaches her. Her daughter Tessa is now 6. And her left knee required surgery and more than a year to rehab. Through it all, "I still have a passion for the sport of swimming," she said.

But there's also a sense of obligation to the public following she has built through her success and frequent television appearances. (The former telecommunications major and frequent morning-show guest announced her comeback on "Live with Regis & Kelly.") "I have so many people come up to me and say I'm inspiring them to do things that they thought they couldn't do because they were too old, or that they put off because they couldn't find a balance in their life to do it," Torres said.

Keep reading for more on Dara Torres' Olympic past and present.

A Cancer Survivor's Goal: 50 Triathlons by Her 50th Birthday

espnW — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:26:06 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Julia Savacool

It's a good thing Jenn Sommermann discovered triathlons when she did. "I was turning 40 years old, and my friend and I were looking for a way to commemorate the occasion," Sommermann said. "We decided to train for a triathlon." Because Sommermann was on the East Coast and her friend was on the West, the two trained together virtually, exchanging workout notes and messages of encouragement. Several months later, they competed in the Danskin Women's Tri in Seattle.

"That was it, I was in love with triathlons," Sommermann said. Little did she know, two years later the fitness she gained through the sport would help her win a battle against ovarian cancer.

It was December 2006 when Sommermann received her diagnosis. She'd been feeling out of sorts for months, but had been reluctant to see her doctor.

The symptoms for ovarian cancer are subtle: Bloating, weight gain, fatigue and indigestion are all indicators for the disease, but they are also common symptoms for many women during their monthly cycle. The main difference with ovarian cancer, explained Sommermann, is the symptoms don't go away.

It was by chance she discovered the cancer - she was pressing on her stomach one night and came across a hard lump. "I called my husband over, and he felt it, too," she said. "I knew this wasn't good." She went to see her physician immediately, and an ultrasound revealed a tumor about the size of an eggplant. "I had Stage 3 ovarian cancer," said Sommermann. "I was in shock. The disease is 94 percent curable if you catch it by Stage 2. But after that, the numbers are not in your favor."

Surfing gets Anastasia Ashley through tough times

Read more about Jen's inspiring story after the break.

How a Determined Desiree Davila Won a Spot on the US Olympic Marathon Team

espnW — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:25:02 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar! This week's is an inspiring story about marathoner Desiree Davila, who will be representing the US in the Olympics for her first time. The following is an excerpt; read the entire story here.

By Bonnie D. Ford

At last January's Olympic trials in Houston, Texas, four top women had distanced themselves from the field: Desiree Davila, fellow favorites Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher, and Amy Hastings. Davila increased her tempo. Hastings dropped back. Davila forged on with Flanagan and Goucher, her five-foot-two, 98-pound frame dwarfed by her taller rivals. Then, with two miles to go, Flanagan kicked into a higher gear, and Davila was faced with another decision: should she try to match the surge and bid for the win, taking the chance that her cramping calves would betray her, or maintain her pace and protect her spot on the team?

Davila weighed the situation and decided not to risk it. Flanagan soloed to the line, and Davila secured her Olympic spot by finishing second, 17 seconds back, in 2:25:55. It was a tough, savvy race, and the latest evidence that Davila's gradual climb to the top is peaking at an ideal juncture.

After a largely anonymous high school and college career in the arid heat of Southern California and Arizona, she migrated to Michigan to join the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in 2005. The elite training environment in a harsher climate helped her transform herself into "a contender, not just someone who's on the line and might have a good day," as she put it.

The Lesson Learned From Second Place

Davila debuted at the marathon distance in Boston in 2007 and ran 2:44.56 in a raging northeaster. A year later on the same course, Davila thought she had progressed enough to make the Olympic team. At mile 21, running fourth, it looked as if she'd been right. But Davila, who hadn't hydrated and eaten enough before the race, ran out of gas and faded to 13th.

She was devastated. Fellow marathoner and friend Amy Hastings was there to comfort her, and so was sister Natalie Davila. "If I'm investing my money in someone right now, it's you," the older sister said. "You're going in the right direction - you're going up."

Read on for more of Desiree Davila's road to the Olympics after the break.

Jessica Hardy: "I'm on the Right Track For This Year"

espnW — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:18:38 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Jessica Hardy
Jessica will be blogging for espnW in the lead-up to this summer's London Olympics. Follow her journey on espnW.com

Going through a moment of crisis transformed me, humbled me, and brought out what mattered most in my life. During my suspension from competing, I probably would have lost my spirit completely if I didn't have a loving group of family and friends there, supporting me through it all. Giving up my spot on the Olympic team was extremely traumatic. But more than anything, I needed to fix it and I knew I couldn't do it alone - though I wanted to. For the first time in my life, I was forced to let my guard down and let people help me.

Jessica Hardy Getting Better Not Bitter

Janet Evans Comeback Whirlwind

My mom is a practicing, licensed psychotherapist, but I'm sure it wasn't easy for her to play the role of my mom and therapist. She was so good at talking me through emotions, calming me down, pumping me up, and helping me process my own thoughts. My sister, Amanda, who was a junior national team-level athlete in water polo, and stepdad, Bill, who's a lawyer, were amazingly understanding, too. Luckily, I had the perfect support group for an unlucky situation. I couldn't have survived the ordeal without them.

As supportive as my family was, it was my fiancé, Dominik, who encouraged me to seek help outside of my family. At one point, I was depressed, feeling really negative and taking it out on him. He sat me down and urged me to see somebody. Looking back, I realize I had put him in a really uncomfortable position. Every time he tried to cheer me up, I'd shoot him down. So it was a reality check and definitely the right thing to do. When I told my mom, she suggested I revisit my childhood family therapist - the one I used to see after my parents' divorce. I also sought the services of the US Olympic Committee's sports psychologists.

Amber Neben turns challenges into opportunities

Read on for more on Jessica's road back to competition after the break.

Congratulations to Sharon Cherop, 2012 Boston Marathon Women's Winner

Michele Foley — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:07:56 PDT

Sharon Cherop of Kenya is the 2012 116th Boston Marathon winner of the Women's Elite Race; Cherop, 28, finished with a time of 2:31:50. Following behind Cherop was Jemima Jelagat Sumgong from Kenya with a time of 2:31:52. Georgina Rono of Kenya finished third with a time of 2:33:09. With 600 meters to go, Cherop broke away while turning onto Bolyston Street in downtown Boston, maintaining her lead to the very end.

Temperatures at today's starting line were in the 80s, making for a conservative start as the women adjusted to the unusual heat. Defending champ Caroline Kilel and 2011 New York City Marathon winner Firehiwot Dado were both favorites to win, but were dropped from the lead pack along the infamous Heartbreak Hill section of the race. After Dado and Kilel fell behind, it remained a tight two-women race until the very end with Cherop and Sumgong separated by a matter of seconds. On what attributed to her win, Sharon said, "I’m so happy because it’s my second time being here in Boston. This time around I was really prepared. Last time the race went so fast and I didn’t know I was about to finish. This time, I spent more time training it. Today we also started slowly, which also helped." Cherop placed third at last year's Boston Marathon, and with this win, may have secured a spot on the Kenyan Olympic marathon team.

Shawn Johnson Takes Us Inside Training Camp

espnW — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:04:59 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar!

By Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson is blogging for espnW throughout her training for the Olympics in London this summer. Follow her journey and other Olympic hopefuls on espnW.com.

Say "camp" to an ordinary kid and she'll probably tell you about bonfires and sing-alongs and arts and crafts. Say it to an elite gymnast, and she'll tell you camp is every four weeks outside New Waverly, Texas, at "the ranch" - the national team training center.

Shawn Johnson in the Driver's Seat

The ranch is a lot different than it sounds. Yes, there are animals (camels, peacocks and lots of deer!), but it's also fully equipped with multiple gyms, a row of cabins for gymnasts, a separate row for their coaches and dining facilities. It's an honor to be asked to attend the national team camps, but spending a few days there is also really hard work, especially for a slightly older body like mine. I'm used to it, though - after all, I've been going to camp since I was 12 years old, and I'm now 20.

When we're there, we wake up around 6:45 a.m. and head straight for breakfast. Most of the girls grab eggs and coffee before we go back to our cabins and get ready to hit the gym. National team coordinator Martha Karolyi has an unwritten rule: If you're not 30 minutes early to practice, you're late. So although practice starts at 8:30, we all get there at 8. We get heat packs, get taped and do whatever we need to get ready, then sit in a loose circle on the floor and wait. At 8:30 on the dot, Martha walks out of the office. It's a signal - we stand up, line up and address her. She gives our assignments for the day, and we start practice.

My last camp, three weeks ago, was just a check-in for me. I'm not competition-ready yet, but it was good to be in the gym, working alongside all of the other girls. I'm impressed by them all, but I try not to watch too much because it makes me nervous. I don't want to compare myself to them yet; because of my knee injury and rehab, I'm not where they are right now.

Shawn Johnson Rehabbing, Eyeing London

Read on for more of a day in the life of Shawn Johnson at training camp.