Marathon - Women's Fitness, Pregnancy, Post-Partum, and Pelvic Floor Health

From 5K to Marathon in a Year!

November 29, 2012 by trinity Leave a Comment

At 65, he started running and accomplished a marathon in a year…and so much more!

I saw this post on SparkPeople and thought I would repost it here for my 9 Kid Fitness readers…Great story!

From 5K to Marathon in One Year

On December 3, 2011 I ran my first race, a 5K in Orlando, FL. I had just turned 65. This was after 10 weeks of training, which started quite innocently as a way to lose a few pounds. I enjoyed it so much I thought I would try to do a 5K. Fast forward just about one year, and I have completed my 1st Marathon. The Savannah Rock N Roll Marathon, on November 3, 2012. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Getting Started, Running Tagged With: 5K, Marathon, new runner

Winning By Losing…Have You Read This Book?

September 14, 2012 by Whitney Hetzel 1 Comment

Most of us, by the time we are in our forties (some even earlier), have discovered that losing weight or even maintaining our ideal weight can be more difficult than when we were younger! Metabolism starts to slow, exercise routines become routine, and even our attitudes need revamping as we age. In other words, most of us understand the meaning of hitting a plateau when it comes to our weight. However, knowing what to do when this happens can be confusing. There are lots of diets out there claiming to be the answer as well as plenty of promising new exercise programs designed to recharge our system. It’s hard to know where to turn. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Family Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: exercise, Jilian Michaels, Marathon, motivation, nutrition, Pure Barre, the Biggest Loser, weight loss, winning By Losing

Dedication Miles, Running with a Purpose, and Throwing Caution to the Wind

October 27, 2011 by Whitney Hetzel 8 Comments

I’m leaving for Washington, DC tomorrow and will run the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday. Trying to dismiss the hamstring pain that seems to now be creeping around my hip, I thought I would re-read a favorite book, “Born to Run”, to get psyched up and forget my soreness for a while. I should have remembered the kind of emotion the book evoked from me the last time I read it, but just like that time, I got sucked into the way Christopher McDougall tells a story. If you haven’t read his book , I highly recommend it, whether you consider yourself a runner or not.

This time, though, I realized that one of the reasons I enjoyed reading his book so much was the intriguing people he wrote about. They are not like most of us, who, while we all may be a little nuts, are definitely more sane than crazy. The characters (real in every way) in McDougalls’s book are definitely not afraid of pushing themselves and living on the edge…the closer to it the better. These are people who run for long distances (way longer than 26.2 miles) for the fun of it…literally. FOR THE FUN OF IT! I guess we can all live a little vicariously through these wild runners who seem to throw caution to the wind.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Motivation, My Favorite 9 Kid Fitness Posts, Running, Spirituality Tagged With: Born to Run, Dedication miles, Marathon

One of Coach Dan’s Favorites: Kenyan Outbacks

August 24, 2011 by trinity Leave a Comment

kenya I don’t know about you, but sometimes the same old run can get a little stale. As a cross country coach, I am always looking for something different that is both challenging and fun at the same time. I asked Coach Dan for a favorite running workout and he told me about Kenyan Outbacks. After doing this today with my cross country runners, I realized that I could also include it as a part of my marathon training. I can’t wait to tell my running buddies about it…I know my friend, Susan will be up for it! Even if you run solo, this is a different way to get some fast stuff in without doing a full blown speed workout on a track (something I usually avoid like the plague). Coach Dan used this a lot when he was coaching his running club in Minnesota in preparation for their marathons. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Running Tagged With: Kenyan outbacks, Marathon, running

Meet Coach Dan… “I Can Do This”!

July 14, 2011 by trinity 5 Comments

I had the privilege of running six miles with Dan Finanger this morning. Dan served as executive race director of the Twin Cities Marathon from 2000 to 2004, and himself ran 20 marathons in 20 years. A natural coach and great story-teller, Dan knows how to motivate people. He was just the right person for me to run with as I begin my training for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon (October 2011). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Getting Started, Motivation, Running Tagged With: Dan fin anger, Marathon, running

Quote of the Week: By Failing to Prepare, You Are Preparing to Fail

May 16, 2011 by trinity 1 Comment

running By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail…Benjamin Franklin
I’ve got the marathon on my mind. I guess I would much rather think about it than start training for it! I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon after enjoying it so much last year. It isn’t until the end of October, and so it is too early to start any serious training yet. However, since I am not a big planner, marathon training always presents a challenge for me. I have friends who love training for marathons. They say having a goal helps them become structured about their running and keeps them focused on the prize. Maybe it’s because I’ve started and then had to stop training for marathons a number of times that I tend to be a little hesitant about planning too far out. Whether it was a pregnancy, an injury, or just life that got in the way, for many years the marathon seemed elusive. In fact, last year’s Marine Corps Marathon was my first marathon in ten years! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Running Tagged With: Marathon, running, training