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Why Lance Runs

FitSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:00:00 -0700

The prestigious and tough Boston Marathon is a week from today. And my man Lance (who seems to be everywhere these days – is there a product he isn't the spokesperson for?) will be running in it.

When you're an elite athlete, other elite athletes give you advice. Winner of the 2007 NYC marathon Paula Radcliffe told Lance to practice his on-the-run hydration to help keep his finishing time low; but Lance replied that he was just hoping to finish the race. Oh Lance, we have so much in common, because I would respond the same way to any advice on running a marathon.

So why does Lance run after winning the ultimate cycling endurance race seven times? To find out

Get Motivated: If He Can Finish the Boston Marathon, So Can You!

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 13:30:00 -0700

I love a good motivational story. It was pretty cool to see an astronaut running the Boston Marathon, but this lesser known participant takes the cake in my eyes...

Jacob finished the Boston Marathon. You may think, so what? Big deal, lots of people complete marathons. However Jacob is different, he was the last place finisher. Weighing in at just under 400 pounds when he ran the race (though he was over 400 pounds when he decided to run the race), Jacob finished the marathon in 9 hours and 40 minutes (the winner finished in 2:29:18).

Point is, he finished, which is more than most people can say they did. I, for one, am proud of Jacob as I pride myself on fitness and have yet to complete a full marathon myself. He retells his tale on his own blog here and I've got to say, Jacob is hilarious.

Fit's Tip: Overweight individuals should talk to their doctor before taking on such a task like running a marathon.

Boston Marathon: And the Winner is...

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:17:31 -0700

Lidiya Grigoryeva, 33, from Russia was the first woman to cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon, becoming the first non-Kenyan woman to win in 8 years and first Russian to take the top prize in 14 years.

Her unofficial time was 2 hours, 29 minutes, 18 seconds. For a woman, that is incredibly impressive considering that Robert Cheruiyot, the first man to cross the finish line had an unofficial time of 2 hours, 14 minutes, 13 seconds. She was running and average of just under 6 minute miles!! Holy moly that's fast!

Not only did they run 26.2 miles, but they dealt with very strong winds, excessive rains, and flooding from the Nor'Easter.

Remember astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams? She began running her version of the Boston Marathon 210 miles above the Earth at 10 am. She was strapped to a treadmill in a harness so she wouldn't float away.

Suni qualified for the Boston Marathon before heading up into space by placing among the Top 100 in the women's category in the Houston Marathon! She's running in space to encourage kids to make physical fitness part of their daily routine.

Want to know what else Suni's done? Then

Space Run: Boston Marathon from the Space Station

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:30:00 -0700

I have never run a marathon. I have never been to space. But when I look up at the sky on Monday, April 16th, it will be with respect and reverence for astronaut Sunita Williams. Even though she is 210 miles above Boston, living in orbit on the space station, she will be running in the Boston Marathon.

I don't know about you, but I think that is just super cool. Astronauts are required to exercise while living on board the space station to prevent muscle and bone density loss. The microgravity of space doesn't tax their muscles or the bones so without regular exercise their muscles would atrophy and their bones would become weak.

Sunita, a Massachusetts native, has been training for the Marathon with 4 weekly runs, divided into 2 short and 2 long runs. On April 16th, she will not only run 26.2 strapped to her space station treadmill, she will also circle earth not once, but twice. Why is she doing this, you might ask? Her answer - to encourage kids to start making physical fitness part of their daily lives.

Well, I am inspired. We may not all be astronauts, or marathoners, but we can make physical fitness part of our daily lives.

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