If not, consider that humans were born to run.
Or so says an article published Monday in the New York Times.
Humans evolved to run long distances in the heat, evidenced by a suite of characteristics -- our forward pointing big toe, our relative lack of body hair, springlike ligaments and tendons in our feet, a narrow midsection, a keen sense of balance and an extremely powerful gluteus maximus.
Contrary to wisdom that says running long distances is bad for our health and causes injuries, this article presents another view: Running is not only good for humans, but it is what we were made to do.
I asked Katie Valle, 21, about her training for the Women's Running Magazine Women's Half Marathon in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Nov. 22.
Q: Why did you begin training for a half marathon?
A: "I had been wanting to do it since freshman year, and it's taken me four years to finally buckle down and start doing it. Originally, I saw some seniors in my sorority who were doing it, and I thought it was bad ass -- but not something that I thought I could do. I wanted to challenge myself, and it turns out I'm capable of much more than I thought I was."
Q: What has this training taught you about yourself as an athlete?
A: "I'm typically one to work on something for two weeks and give up on it. By increasing my training a little bit week by week, I realized that I can be successful at something in the long term."
Q: So did you want to give up after two weeks?
A: "Yes. I knew that if I skipped a long run one week, I wouldn't be able to catch back up. Having the race deadline was a good motivator. Knowing that I have to do a long run at the end of every week motivates me to keep working out."
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start training now that you've been doing this for a while?
A: "Find a training plan online, but know that if you can't follow it exactly, it's okay. You can alter it to fit your schedule. And find someone to do it with. Running partners help keep me accountable, and give me the motivation to get up and do the long runs."
Q: What are your goals for your first half marathon?
A: "They say you're not supposed to have a time goal -- but me being my competitive self, I want to get less than 2 hours and 30 minutes. But I get nervous saying that because I'm worried I can't do it. When I'm there, I know I'm going to be happy that I finish. I will be running across the finish line; I will not walk."
Q: What are your goals for after this race?
A: "I do want to run another one, but not until March. I want to not completely lose my running endurance. I'll probably still run at least 6 miles once a week. I also want to focus on eating right and muscle toning. You would think I would be losing weight, but I'm not doing anything else right -- besides running."
Q: What advice can you give about eating before, during and after a long run?
A: "It's been kind of trial and error: What should I eat beforehand? What should I eat after? Should I eat in the middle of a long run? I want to be ready for race day so I can know exactly what to eat. For breakfast on the day of my race, I'm going to have a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I've found that all the sports gels make me sick, so I'm going to use gummies during the race. They give me a quick burst of energy and they're easy to eat on the go."
Katie's 15-week training plan
Sunday: Long run (increase from 4 miles to 12 miles over 15 weeks)
Monday: Recovery day -- stretching and minimal strength training
Tuesday: Short run (increase from 3 miles to 5 miles over 15 weeks)
Wednesday: Cross-training (spinning, racket ball, elliptical)
Thursday: Short run (same as Tuesday)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Cross-training (increase from 30 minutes to 60 minutes over 15 weeks)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Punishing Workout
At our last regatta in Jacksonville, our women's varsity 8+ beat out every other team in Florida, including our rival Nova Southeastern University, a true varsity crew.
Florida Crew has never come out this far on top of the state's rowing competition, and we owe it to our new coach and the discipline she has instilled in us this semester.
On the Thursday after our win, however, we didn't have enough rowers show up to practice to float two eights on the water.
Clearly, we needed to be punished (so our coach said).
Here's the workout we did. Needless to say, I don't think practice attendance will slip for the rest of the semester.
Proper form for mountain climbers.
Florida Crew has never come out this far on top of the state's rowing competition, and we owe it to our new coach and the discipline she has instilled in us this semester.
On the Thursday after our win, however, we didn't have enough rowers show up to practice to float two eights on the water.
Clearly, we needed to be punished (so our coach said).
Here's the workout we did. Needless to say, I don't think practice attendance will slip for the rest of the semester.
- Timed 5-mile run. If we didn't beat our previous time, we were to do it again, and again until we did. Luckily, everyone made it on the first round.
- 25-minute legs circuit. 5 exercises: 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Complete the circuit 5 times. Lunges, squat jumps, mountain-climbers, squats, burpees.
- 25-minute upper body and core circuit. 5 exercises: 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Complete the circuit 5 times. Tricep dips, planks, pushups, sit-ups, reverse crunches.
- Laps. 8 laps around the track (1/4 mile). Run the straight-aways and jog the curves.
Proper form for mountain climbers.
(Good) Temptations
Sometimes athletes go off the deep end.
They scrupulously keep track of their training, their weight, their eating, their sleep – it seems like nothing is unplanned for and everything is calculated.
But Men’s Health, in a recent article online, urges athletes to slow down -- and do something a little naughty.
Temptations they say are worth indulging include skipping your workout, ordering hot wings at dinner and smoking a fine cigar.
According to Eddie Carrington, a fitness director quoted in the article, athletes benefit from a break in their routine, especially if they’ve been working out three to four times a week for six to eight weeks.
Switching it up shocks your body, forcing it to develop in ways a routine just can’t compete with.
My favorite indulgences:
They scrupulously keep track of their training, their weight, their eating, their sleep – it seems like nothing is unplanned for and everything is calculated.
But Men’s Health, in a recent article online, urges athletes to slow down -- and do something a little naughty.
Temptations they say are worth indulging include skipping your workout, ordering hot wings at dinner and smoking a fine cigar.
According to Eddie Carrington, a fitness director quoted in the article, athletes benefit from a break in their routine, especially if they’ve been working out three to four times a week for six to eight weeks.
Switching it up shocks your body, forcing it to develop in ways a routine just can’t compete with.
My favorite indulgences:
- Treating myself to a nice dinner after a hard week of work and exercise.
- Having a glass of wine with dinner at home.
- Revamping my favorite baked goods using healthy ingredients and substitutions.
- Skipping my workout and doing something spontaneous, like a bike ride or playing soccer, so my muscles are still engaged.
- Pressing snooze on my alarm clock on the weekends and staying in bed to read my favorite magazine.
Back to the lunchroom
Last week, the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, released new guidelines for school lunches in the U.S.
The standards, which many physicians and researchers are blaming for epidemic of childhood obesity in America, hadn't been revised since 1995.
They lack emphasis on fresh, whole foods, and are based on the functionality of outdated kitchen equipment and the knowledge of undertrained "lunch ladies."
In an article from ABC news, British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has remade school lunches on T.V. in the U.K., said training lunch staff in how to cook freshly prepared meals, in addition to having better ways of storing fresh food and adding new kitchen facilities, is the best way for schools to improve breakfast and lunch menus.
Even though I am no longer subjected to eating rubber pizza and stale chocolate chip cookies, these new guidelines got me thinking about my lunch.
During long days on campus, my fellow students and I reach for offerings from fast food chains or dining halls to provide us the energy we need to learn.
Even though these options have improved over the years, they're still loaded with fat, sodium and preservatives that can influence a pretty unhealthy diet if eaten regularly.
So this semester, I've tried packing my lunch for the first time since middle school. I even got a new lunchbox as an incentive for me to spend 10 extra minutes in the morning preparing a healthy lunch and a couple snacks for throughout the day.
Adults can benefit from the same kind of well-rounded, nutritious lunch as kids can. Check out this article from MSNBC about how to pack a good lunch.
And here's what I'm packing for lunch this week. Taking the time to plan lunches over the weekend can reduce stress in the morning and make it more likely that you'll actually bring your lunch to school or work.
The standards, which many physicians and researchers are blaming for epidemic of childhood obesity in America, hadn't been revised since 1995.
They lack emphasis on fresh, whole foods, and are based on the functionality of outdated kitchen equipment and the knowledge of undertrained "lunch ladies."
In an article from ABC news, British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has remade school lunches on T.V. in the U.K., said training lunch staff in how to cook freshly prepared meals, in addition to having better ways of storing fresh food and adding new kitchen facilities, is the best way for schools to improve breakfast and lunch menus.
Even though I am no longer subjected to eating rubber pizza and stale chocolate chip cookies, these new guidelines got me thinking about my lunch.
During long days on campus, my fellow students and I reach for offerings from fast food chains or dining halls to provide us the energy we need to learn.
Even though these options have improved over the years, they're still loaded with fat, sodium and preservatives that can influence a pretty unhealthy diet if eaten regularly.
So this semester, I've tried packing my lunch for the first time since middle school. I even got a new lunchbox as an incentive for me to spend 10 extra minutes in the morning preparing a healthy lunch and a couple snacks for throughout the day.
Adults can benefit from the same kind of well-rounded, nutritious lunch as kids can. Check out this article from MSNBC about how to pack a good lunch.
And here's what I'm packing for lunch this week. Taking the time to plan lunches over the weekend can reduce stress in the morning and make it more likely that you'll actually bring your lunch to school or work.
- Monday: 1/2 whole wheat flatbread cut in wedges, 2 tbsp. roasted pine nut hummus, 1/2 sliced cucumber, 1/4 sliced red pepper, 4 thin slices roasted chicken lunchmeat, 4 slices Colby Jack cheese. I pack all this in a Tupperware container and make mini sandwiches out of it. Bring 1/4 cup of almonds and an apple for snacks.
- Tuesday: 2 hard-boiled eggs, carrot and celery sticks, 2 tbsp. peanut butter. On Tuesdays, we have our hardest workout for crew. So I pack this lunch because it's high in protein and will give me sustained energy throughout the day. Bring a Power Bar for a snack.
- Thursday: Sanwich on whole wheat bread with basil pesto, 4 slices chicken lunchmeat, 1 slice fresh mozzarella cheese. I heat this sandwich in my George Foreman Grill before I pack it, so it's like a Panini. Bring grapes and a Clif bar for snacks.
Tebow's fighting pose
Watching the third quarter of the UF game against the University of Kentucky sent thousands of Gators fans in Gainesville into a fit of panic at the end of September.
Heisman-hopeful Tim Tebow was injured when his head hit offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert’s knee. Usually unfazed by collisions and tackles, the senior quarterback didn’t get up from the startling hit.
And fans watching the game on T.V., who are familiar with what physicians call the “fencing response,” or the “pugilistic pose,” probably knew why the collegiate wonder boy was taken off the field surrounded by a team of athletic trainers.
As UK professor Dr. Jonathan Lifshitz’s research shows, 60 percent of athletes who suffered blows to the head in sports like football and boxing that resulted in concussions exhibited the characteristic response:
Falling to the ground with both arms raised and bent 90 degrees at the elbow.
And while not all athletes who get concussions demonstrate this response, the fencing position is a sure indicator to parents and coaches that an athlete should be checked out by a physician who can perform a head CT or an MRI of the head.
Here are some other emergency signs that a concussion may have occurred, from the health guide at www.howstuffworks.com.
("Concussion Image." 16 May 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. 26 October 2009.)
I was shocked when the medical team responsible for deciding whether or not Tebow would be healthy enough to play in the next week’s big game gave the UF coaching staff the go-ahead to put him in against LSU.
Most children and young adults who have suffered a concussion should not play sports for at least three weeks after their injury, according to the concussion article.
I am sure he received the best care possible; I just hope the decision to allow him to play will not result in future complications for the quarterback.
Heisman-hopeful Tim Tebow was injured when his head hit offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert’s knee. Usually unfazed by collisions and tackles, the senior quarterback didn’t get up from the startling hit.
And fans watching the game on T.V., who are familiar with what physicians call the “fencing response,” or the “pugilistic pose,” probably knew why the collegiate wonder boy was taken off the field surrounded by a team of athletic trainers.
As UK professor Dr. Jonathan Lifshitz’s research shows, 60 percent of athletes who suffered blows to the head in sports like football and boxing that resulted in concussions exhibited the characteristic response:
Falling to the ground with both arms raised and bent 90 degrees at the elbow.
And while not all athletes who get concussions demonstrate this response, the fencing position is a sure indicator to parents and coaches that an athlete should be checked out by a physician who can perform a head CT or an MRI of the head.
Here are some other emergency signs that a concussion may have occurred, from the health guide at www.howstuffworks.com.
("Concussion Image." 16 May 2007. HowStuffWorks.com.
- Persistent unconsciousness (coma)
- Altered level of consciousness (drowsy, hard to arouse, or similar changes)
- Persistent confusion
- Convulsions
- Repeated vomiting
- Unequal pupils
- Unusual eye movements
- Muscle weakness on one or both sides
- Walking problems
I was shocked when the medical team responsible for deciding whether or not Tebow would be healthy enough to play in the next week’s big game gave the UF coaching staff the go-ahead to put him in against LSU.
Most children and young adults who have suffered a concussion should not play sports for at least three weeks after their injury, according to the concussion article.
I am sure he received the best care possible; I just hope the decision to allow him to play will not result in future complications for the quarterback.
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