Body in Motion

Fast times in Boca

Susan Harper reports that the Boca Raton Road Runners had a blast during their "fast'' training on A1A and Palmetto Park Road Tuesday night. "We ran the bridge six times and it was a good workout," the marathoner says.  I would have joined them, but I was stuck inside a cubicle at 1 Herald Plaza. They meet each week at 6:30 p.m. for a 12-week session, then take three weeks off before starting a second session, which is a bit more difficult. Are you up for the challenge? Join them: www.bocaratonroadrunners.org

Work and play

I used to think it was kind of silly to go for a run during your lunch break. Time is limited and you'll get sweaty and hungry afterward. Today I gave it a shot  any way, only because we have a shower in the Ladies Room. Well, it wasn't exactly during my lunch break; it was around 10 a.m. I met my pal Liz here at work and we took off for about a 5 mile run. She was about two or three steps ahead of me the whole time. After all, she did qualify for and run Boston one year.  When we reached the turnaround point, she kept going while I turned around. It was hot but breezy, traffic was light and the bridges gave my thighs a good workout. I was tempted to stop and walk on the way back, but I knew Liz was trying to catch me, so I did intervals instead. What a wonderful workout. I can't think of a better way to start the work day.

WOMAN challenge

The WOMAN Challenge --  Women and girls Out Moving Across the Nation -- kicks off Sunday, May 11. It's an eight-week physical activity challenge that encourages women and girls (ages 9 and up) to set and achieve goals. It ends July 5.  Be one of the first to register and get a tracking log to record your progress, motivational e-mails and health tips and a virtual route throughout the United States to move along during the challenge. To register, visit www.womenshealth.gov/woman/

Annual Corporate Run Guide

If you plan to cheer on your co-workers Thursday, here's how to spot them among the sea of 20,000 in the Miami Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run:
• THE PEACOCK: She's showing off the spandex outfit that she couldn't wait to change into.
• THE COMPLAINER: He's hot, he's tired, he's sweaty, his feet ache . . . and everybody within earshot knows it.
• THE SMOKERS: They'll put on a good run. . .until they reach the bridge.
• MISS SUNSHINE: She's smiling and telling others, ‘You can do it!' while running up the bridge.
• ANGRY GUY: He'll get tired and stop running, then scream when someone bumps into him.
• CASUAL CRETIN: He'll show up in his work clothes and you won't even notice.
• THE HOARDER: She's the one carting off all the Gatorade, and she didn't even do the race.
• THE LOUD TALKER: Everyone speeds up to pass him, but (darn!) he's still ringing in their ears.
• THE INVISIBLE WORKER: He'll arrive late and quit before the race ends.
• THE PUSHOVER: Poor kid is the last guy to cross the finish line.

It's a jungle out there

The most frightening thing I've ever encountered on a run was a long black snake basking on the sidewalk. As soon as it heard me coming it slithered into the bushes. The snake incident was scarier than another run when a guy looked both ways and then stopped me and asked if I had the time, even though I was not wearing a watch. I was heavily into martial arts then, so I was prepared for anything. His sixth sense must have kicked in because he scurried away when I shifted to a defensive mode. These are good reasons why you should carry a cell phone when you're running. You could get attacked by a human, bitten by a dangerous creature or hit by a car. And if you like to run in the middle of nowhere, a phone with a navigation system would come in handy. The question is, where do you put it? Put it in your pocket and it'll get wet and die. Put it in a fanny pack and, um, who wears a fanny pack any more? One solution is the Hold-a-Phone, which comes in four styles, flip and bar. It holds your phone and attaches to your wrist for easy access. Even with the Hold-a-Phone, you could still face danger, but you can also dial 911. More info: www.jaminnov.com

Top Boston runners

  Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya won his fourth Boston Marathon on Monday, running away from the pack in a blistering official time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 46 seconds, The Associated Press reports.
   Ethiopia's Dire Tune, above, outkicked Alevtina Biktimirova to win by 2 seconds, the closest finish in the history of the women's race. Tune's unofficial time was 2:25:25.
  Cheruiyot missed the course record he set two years ago by 33 seconds. He became the fourth man with four victories in the men's edition of the world's oldest annual 26.2-mile race.  Cheruiyot and Tune each earned $150,000.

Boston wheelchair division

  The Boston Marathon has wire-to-wire winners in the men's and women's wheelchair divisions, The Associated Press reports.
   Japan's Wakako Tsuchida won her second straight title, finishing in 1 hour, 48 minutes and 32 seconds, besting her time from last year by 5 minutes.
    On the men's side, South African Ernst Van Dyk, left, led from the start, finishing in 1:26:49 to win Boston for the seventh time. Though it was the second slowest time of his seven victories, no one was near him when he crossed the finish line on Boylston Street.

Weekend races

Saturday, April 19 
  •  7 Mile Bridge Run, Marathon: If you haven't already registered, you're out of luck.
  • Stampede in the Park 5K, Quiet Waters Park, Deerfield Beach, 7 a.m., 786-337-0501.
  • Walk & Roll-athon, Markham Park, Sunrise, 8 a.m., 954-434-3306.
Sunday, April 20
    •  AIDS Walk, Miami Beach, 8 a.m., 305-576-1234.

Better body, better planet

 

It takes a lot of energy to process, package and transport food -- organic or not -- and it takes a toll on the environment. In honor of Earth Day, NutritionData.com offers five ways to make your diet healthier for your body and the planet.

1. Eat locally. The average American meal travels 1,500 miles to reach our plates, guzzling fuel and releasing CO2 emissions all the way. Consistently choosing foods from growers close to where you live can significantly reduce the environmental impact of your diet. To find farms and growers near you,
visit www.LocalHarvest.org.

2. Eat seasonally. When you eat foods that are not in season where you live, they have either been stored from another season or transported from another climate. Both consume energy and degrade the nutritional quality of the food. To find out what's in season where you live, visit www.SustainableTable.org.

3. Eat fewer packaged and preprocessed foods. Even when they are organic or all-natural, processed foods consume energy and water, add cost, and create waste at every step of production, packaging and distribution. To lower your food bill, improve the nutritional quality of your meals and reduce the negative impact of your diet on the planet and buy whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible.

4. Support small farms. Large industrial farms (whether organic or conventional) generally end up cultivating just one or two crops because it is more efficient for them. But a monoculture is tough on the environment, stripping the land of certain nutrients and overloading it with particular waste products. Small farms are more likely to grow a diverse mix of crops and raise a variety of animals, which creates a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem.

5. Choose organic. Organic foods preserve healthier soil, air, and groundwater by eliminating or strictly limiting the use of pesticides, drugs, hormones, and artificial fertilizers. Organic practices are healthier for farmers, neighbors of farmers, consumers, and the planet than industrial farming practices. But buying organic is not enough to maintain a healthy environment: Choosing foods that are local, sasonal, unprocessed, and sustainably grown is just as important.

Snack time

Do you get hungry after your workouts? Try these snacks from Soy Connection:
Edamame hummus is rich in protein and fiber and tastes great on whole-grain crackers or pita bread.
2 cups edamame, shelled and cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup soybean oil
3 tbl lemon juice
2 tsp chopped garlic
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
Puree edamame, oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt in a food processor for
30 seconds, scraping the sides twice, until almost smooth. Cover and
refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mango banana soy smoothie replaces lost fluids and potassium.
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 cup orange juice
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 sliced banana
2 tbl soy protein powder
1/4 cup ice cubes
1 tsp honey (optional)
Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

3 good reasons to walk this 5K

1. 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease -- 400,000 of them live in Florida -- 200,000 live in Southeast Florida.
2. One in eight people age 65 and over has Alzheimer’s disease.
3. Every 71 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer’s.

What: Alzheimer’s Association Gold Coast Memory Walk 2008
Where: Hollywood North Beach Park, 3601 N. Ocean Dr., Hollywood
When: Saturday, April 12, registration: 8:00 a.m., opening program: 8:30 a.m., 5K memory walk: 9:00 a.m., closing program: 10:30 a.m.
More info: Call Laura Uribe, 1-800-861-7826, Ext. 203.

Do you stretch?

I admit I never stretch. I used to stretch daily when I was a karate student.  Maybe if I started stretching again I'd lower my risk of running injuries. I say "maybe" because evidence that a pre-exercise stretch keeps injury rates lower is inconclusive, The Washington Post reports. But stretching has been proven to increase flexibility, and that's a good thing. The USA Track & Field is sponsoring a study to try to isolate the effect of pre-run stretching and is looking for volunteers to participate. The goal, according to Alan Roth, one of the project's coordinators, is to enlist several thousand regular runners to keep tabs on their activity for three months. Participants must run at least 10 miles a week and be at least 13 years old. Half will be asked to do a series of assigned stretches before their runs, and half will be asked not to stretch at all before their workout.
   Interested? You can sign up at www.usatf.org/stretchstudy

Photo: Emilie Amaro, a runner at Cypress Bay High School.

Another reason to exercise

 

   That Buddha belly makes your jeans tight. 
     That paunch gets in the way when you bend over for the change in the candy machine. 
     And now a new study warns that a large belly in mid life could raise our risk of dementia when we're old.
   The study, begun in the 1960s, concluded that people who were both obese and had a big belly were three times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia in their 70s and 80s than those of normal weight and belly size. 
     And, because the dementia risk nearly doubled in people who were considered a healthy weight but had large waists, researchers concluded that it matters where you carry your weight.   
    The research, published recently in Neurology, is said to be the first to link mid life belly bulge with dementia in older age. It didn't look at why belly fat increases the dementia risk or whether losing the belly reduces the risk.
    -- McClatchy News Service

Holassie trounces competition

 

Ronnie Holassie won the Miami Mercedes-Benz Corporate run last year, with a fellow athlete hot on his trail. This year he was first in the Fort Lauderdale race, and he could have taken a nap before the second-place finisher crossed the line. His unofficial time: 15 minutes, 21 seconds.  My friend Lou was near the front of the line when the cannon went off, and he told me, "That guy started slow, then turned the corner and took off.'' By "slow," he likely meant a 5-minute mile pace, or a wee bit slower. Those of us who are not Olympians would consider that super fast.

I watched the first 100 or so athletes finish, and it was amazing. Drenched in sweat, they give it all they've got when the finish line is in view and they know the end is near. In all shapes and sizes, they run. They run to stay fit; they run to stay healthy. They run for their lives.

Web goodies

A few goodies for those trying to whittle their waist:
   •   www.NutritionData.com
   Tap into the USDA's National Nutrient Database and information from restaurants and food manufacturers to get complete nutritional analysis for any food or recipe. Along with advice from NutritionData’s chief nutritionist Monica Reinagel, tools such as a daily needs calculator, side-by-side food comparisons and a virtual pantry  will help you to select the best foods to match your diet
   •  www.webmd.com/content/tools/1/calc_calories.htm 
   This WebMD site can calculate the calories you've burned depending on which exercises you're  engaging in and for how long. 
   • http://www.dietfacts.com/fastfood.asp
   Menus can be deceptive, especially those with  "healthier'' choices.  Don't be fooled. Visit the DietFacts database of 452 restaurants and the nutritional information for most of its menus.

More than a T-shirt

Run this race and get a ticket to the hockey game:

What: Panthers Prowl 5K Run/Walk
When: Saturday, March 29
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Place:  BankAtlantic Center, 2555 Panther Parkway.
More info: Check in at 6:15 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Florida Panthers Foundation. $30 registration fee includes race entry, T-shirt and ticket to Saturday evening's Florida Panthers season finale.  954-835-7234.

Celebrity 5K

Run with celebrities on Sunday in the Celebrity 5K, a community partnership for homeless event. Celebs who might be there include: Enrique & Joe, Rey Ruiz, Jim Avila, Belkys Nerey and Lauryn Williams.

Date: Sunday, March 30
Time: 8 a.m.
Place: Miami Beach. The race starts on the MacArthur Causeway on the east side of Watson Island, near the Miami Children's Museum and ends near 1 Washington Ave.
Registration info: www.celebrity5k.com/default.asp
Pictured above: Emilio Estefan runs past Gloria in the 2007 race.

Run strong

Serious runners generally don't like to do a lot of heavy lifting because excess muscle means more weight to carry. That's no excuse to avoid resistance training. Here are some simple chair exercises from personal trainer Carla Fields to help you stay toned:

•  QUAD LIFT
Trains quads and abdominals.
Sit on the edge of a chair and lean back. Hold on to the back of the chair and keep your stomach tight (contract your abs). Extend one leg, flexing your foot. Lift leg off the floor; then slowly lower it and tap the floor with your heel. Repeat, raising and lowering the same leg until you get a burn (30 repetitions). Repeat with other leg.

•  CHAIR SQUAT
Trains quads, glutes and hamstrings.
Sit in the chair with your feet hip-width apart. Extend your arms straight out in front of you (using hand weights, if desired) and hold your stomach in tight (contract your abs). Stand up and sit down. Do not lean or allow your knees to extend over your toes. Do three sets of 20.

•  AB LIFT
Trains abdominals and quads.
Sit on the edge of the chair, lean back holding the back of the chair. Keep your stomach tight (contract your abs). Extend both legs, flexing your feet. Lift both legs at the same time. Lower legs slowly, and tap the floor with your heels. Lift and lower until you get a burn in your quads and abs. Do three sets of 20.
-- COX NEWS SERVICE