Since I transformed my lifestyle 6 years ago, it’s been my goal to try and inspire others to get rid of their sedentary ways and get active. I personally saw what it did for my health and well-being and wanted to share that with as many other as I could. While I was less successful than I had hoped, I’ve taken satisfaction in the few people who joined our ranks. It’s also fun to watch as they have in turn inspired others to take up running as well.

With that being said, I pose a challenge to all runners. To combat the challenges our country faces with childhood obesity, it’s time to ingrain in our kids our healthy, active way of living. If you have kids, you’re already having an impact and you don’t even know it. Kids are extremely receptive and just seeing you head out on your training runs or supporting you at races already is making a huge impact.

Now it’s time to take it to the next level…let’s get them out there with us!!! It’s going to take a little sacrifice on our parts. You’ll need to change up your training schedule to get some short runs in with your kids but it’s going to be well worth it. I have so much fun running with my boys. You’ll share more with each other on the roads and watching them achieve goals you’ve set is rewarding for not only them but for you as well.

This weekend’s Running with the Devil 5K will mark the first timed 5K my kids will run. I’m hoping that the competitive juices will flow thru their veins and they will experience the same joy and rush we adults get out of races. This is where the foundation will be laid for what I hope will be a long, rewarding lifetime of fitness.

While I’ve had to change my own running goals, I can’t imagine a better reason to change course…can you?

RMFR

As part of the the Rock-n-Roll Las Vegas Marathon, the Competitor Group is also offering Kids Rock Las Vegas presented by McDonald’s and Springfield. Basically, kids are asked to run 3-4 times a week for 8 weeks. After the 8 weeks, their total mileage will be 25.2 miles. Then, on the Saturday before the Las Vegas Marathon, all the kids participating in the program get together at the UNLV track facility to run the last mile.

Included in the $25 entry fee you get:

• A Springfield Training Guide & Activities Booklet that includes a training program, kid articles on fitness and nutrition plus some activities and games.
• Rockin’ Race T-Shirt (I thought it funny they didn’t ask for sizes when registering)
• Official Race Number (kids love anything “official”)
• Finisher’s Medal (we’ll see if they’re actually metal)
• Kids Goodie Bag
• Post-Race Refreshments (if McDonald’s doesn’t have chicken nuggets at the finish, my boyz are going to be so disappointed)

My boyz aren’t into any team sports but they love running with/like dad. With so many of our youth obese and inactive, I think we should all encourage our kids to run and exercise as much as possible. If you’re running the Las Vegas Marathon, check this program out and get your kids involved.

RMFR

4 years and 70 pounds ago, my transformation is finally complete. Thursday morning when I stepped on my bathroom scale, it was the first time in 17 years that it didn’t reach 200.

Much of the weight I lost was all in my first year of running. That long year saw 65 pounds disappear in the thousands of footfalls I logged training for my first marathon. In the years that followed, I saw my weight fluctuate between 220 and 230 pounds. I was running more than ever but I wasn’t eating right. I justified fast food and late night snacks with early mornings and long runs. That was until my doctor looked at me cross-eyed when she saw my cholesterol levels.

Since then I’ve become a vegetarian (like my wife) and saw those extra 25 pounds fly off me while still keeping up my regular regimen of running. I sort of plateaued after that until I stepped up my training for the Rock-n-Roll Las Vegas Marathon. With the extra long runs now in the mix, I’ve watched a couple of pounds erased every week. When I stepped up to the plate Thursday morning, I could barely believe my eyes. Between my battle driven toes were the numbers 199.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t obsess about my weight. To be honest, I think I look a little gangly (except for the small tire around my waist line). If I could just get myself to do sit-ups and work on my core, I think I might be able to shave off another 15 pounds and reach my high school weight of 185. Stay tuned because I feel great!!!

RMFR

It seems to me that there have been a lot of incidents/deaths during marathons. Most recently in the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon. We’re not talking about unhealthy individuals either. You have to figure that some amount of training was done for these races. Age isn’t the issue either. One runner was 26 and the others were 35 and 65.

I was trying to wrap my brain around this on one of my runs. I searched a bunch of things and come up with this explanation (or closest thing I could find): Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).

In an article by the PR Newswire, “Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association Says Deaths of Three Detroit Marathon Runners Underscore Need for More Public Awareness,” it is said that nearly 300,000 U.S. deaths can be attributed to SCA each year. With the growing popularity of marathons and half marathons, you have to figure that we’re going to SCA come into play more and more each year.

As reported in Tara Parker-Pope’s blog “Are Marathons Safe?” on the New York Times website, death’s during marathons are rare (0.8 per 100,000) in comparison to triathlons (1.5 per 100,000), dying from diabetes (23 per 100,000) and dying in a car accident (1 per 6,700). But that doesn’t make it right.

As runners, we consider ourselves healthy just by the nature of what we are and what we do. This isn’t always the case though. I urge you to have yearly physicals and listen to your doctor’s advice. You can’t tell if your cholesterol is off the charts (trust me, I know). If you do get physicals, good for you. Now take it a step further and make sure you mention it to your running partner, running organization and friends. Let’s spread the word and keep runners running and not lying flat on their backs.

RMFR

A lot of runners (myself included) are gearing up for our last race of the year. This means we’re putting together our last long runs of our training and being the end of the year, we’ve put on a lot of miles!!! With all the time spent on the road and trails your body can be wearing down. When you wear down, you’re more prone to injury. When you’re injured, you can’t run/race to your full potential. Herein lies the question: When is it time to push thru pain and when you should you stop and get medical help?

As runners, we’re all had to suck it up on a run when we haven’t felt our best – developed a cramp or run on sore/tight muscles. Some of us can suck up the pain and work thru it – benefitting from our “don’t quit” work ethic. But what if the pain is something more serious such as stress fractures? It’s a fine line and one that only you can answer. For me, I lean on the side of caution. Any sharp pain is a warning sign and something to be closely examined.

Liz Robbins recently wrote an article on this subject: Marathon Runners Mull the ‘D Word’ (you have to love real writers that our runners. It makes what I write look like something you scrap off the bottom of your shoe).

I’m not a medical professional and would never pass myself off as someone with any medical knowledge whatsoever. The only advice I can give you is thru experience. Push yourself but listen to your body. If you can make it thru a grueling workout you’ll be better off in the long haul. If it’s a pain that just doesn’t feel right, stop. If it turns out it’s something minor, there’s always tomorrow’s run.

By now, many of you have heard about Jerry Johncock (aptly named). If not, here’s a summary:

This past weekend, Jerry, 81 years of age, ran in the Twin Cities Marathon. At mile 21, he said he had a blood clot that was preventing him from urinating. Not carrying a catheter at the time (go figure, we carry just about everything else), he borrowed and used one from a spectator (who just happened to have one). After inserting the borrowed catheter, Jerry completed the race and finished first in his age division. After the race, there was controversy over whether he was going to be disqualified because he left the course.

OK, this story perplexes me in so many different ways.

• I’m all for runner’s being mental and crazy in some of the things we do, but putting your health on the line just isn’t one of them. A blood clot and the first thing you can thing of is how can I go on? Sorry, but that’s just plain reckless. There’s a line and it’s been crossed. There’s always another race…go get help.
• Sharing a towel (not gross) – drinking out of the same glass (a little gross) – using somebody’s else’s catheter (huh?). I’m sorry, you using that? Mind if I stick it inside me? Do I need to expand?
• He left the course to insert the catheter in his Johncock (I’m sure nobody wanted to see that on the course). He reentered the course and did not take an advantage in the race. Race officials wanted to disqualify him. I’m sorry, an 80 year old man has a blood clot, uses a catheter and finishes the race. Anybody else think the controversy is centered around the wrong thing?

With the recent deaths of long distance runners in big name races, I would think USATF would focus on runner safety before $225 in prize money. We run because we enjoy it and have fun. Nobody should have to mimic Pheidippides and actually die at the end of the marathon.

When I was in high school almost 20 years ago, I tore my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a football game. After going thru arthroscopic surgery and a full season of rehabilitation, I completely tore the ligament in my first football game in college. This time I had to have ACL reconstruction surgery and decided that maybe football wasn’t meant for me. During follow up appointment with the doctors, I was also told that the cartilage (connective tissue that provides a cushioning effect in joints) that I did have in my knees wasn’t plentiful either.

Fast forward to 2006. I’m running and seriously overweight. My knees constantly ached. With my knees taking the full brunt of my HUGE body, there were not many days that I didn’t have to pop ibuprofen just to make it up and down stairs. As I dropped the weight, the aches and pains were not as severe but they hadn’t gone away.

Today I’ve found my best friend. My wife introduced me to fish oil omega-3 and omega-6 dietary supplements. Besides the claims that omega fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease there is research to suggest that those with Rheumatoid arthritis have also experienced the benefits – myself included!!!

So, I did it.

Scared stiff by my latest physical, I took a leap of faith and joined my wife down the Vegetarian Road. To be honest, it hasn’t been a huge lifestyle change. I wasn’t eating mass quantities of meat in the first place – unless you count fast food burgers and pizza by the box!!!

The biggest change has come in the grocery aisles. I no longer grab food that just looks good or fills and urge I might have at that moment. No, now every shelf item is scrutinized by it’s nutrition facts label. Low fat, low sodium and low cholesterol. I’m starting to grow fond of tofu and rice cakes and have a LONG way from the first time I tried them.

I think it’s going to stick. If my energy levels stay high, the scale keeps getting lower and I can assist my chances of spoiling my grand children in the future – it shouldn’t be an issue. Thank goodness Bonnie’s Country Classic Barbecue Sauce is on the “approved” list.

So, you started running to get healthy. Dropped a few pounds, lowered your heart rate and you don’t lose your breath coming up the stairs anymore. Feels good doesn’t it! If you continue to run and cross train, you’re in the clear right? WRONG!

I’ve fallen into this trap. Didn’t even think about. The first year I started running, I lost 65 pounds and felt on top of the world. I was able to get myself off anxiety medication and my heart rate and blood pressure were things of legend among local nurses (I actually had a nurse take my pulse three times because she couldn’t believe it was so low). I was the definition of health – I run. Of course, there was that one thing I didn’t do…

Blood work. Who likes to fast and then go get 2 liters of blood taken out of their arm? I certainly didn’t. I could always find an excuse not to go do it too. Work, sleep, kids, it’s a long run day, it didn’t matter what the excuse was, I would find a way out – I run. This year was a different story. First, my wife can be very persuasive and secondly, my doctor ripped me a new one for skipping my previous tests. After receiving a letter from my doctor to come get my results, I humbly returned with my head between my knees – I knew this was going to get ugly. There had to be something wrong but why – I run.

My family has a history of high cholesterol. I knew it but rejected the notion because I’m a runner – I run. I watch what I eat, I don’t eat a lot and that’s a bunch of bull. While I had fooled my brain to believe these things (and others) I like many others is prone to snacking and eating when I feel like it because – I run. It all accumulated into a giant ball of shame and fright last Friday when I was told my cholesterol levels were dangerously high. It can’t be – I run.

I am writing to you today to ask you, no beg you to go get yearly physicals. Don’t skip your blood work and follow through with your results. If I continued down my same path, there’s a good chance one of my “long runs” could have been longer than I (or my family) had EVER planned.

Don’t be fooled like I was. Just because you run doesn’t give you a free pass on the healthy train. It sure doesn’t hurt but it’s not the only thing. I’m back on track and hope to be running for a very, very long time.

I run.