http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700138313/Running-ability-in-middle-age-predicts-heart-status-as-you-age.html

These kinds of studies motivate me because I love to run, but sometimes it’s hard for me to justify spending time on it. This suggests that not only will I be healthier during the years that I run but also exercising will likely protect me from some health risks.

At the beginning of the 2009, I decided to commit to a New Year’s Resolution to run 5 times per week, no matter what. I’m happy to say I kept that goal. Some days I ran only 1 mile, other days I ran many more and even ran a marathon in October. But another neat thing was that I dropped 25 pounds in weight over the year. I didn’t do anything extreme. I just exercised consistently and tried to eat until I was satisfied but not stuffed. Now I’m not super skinny but pretty lean and have been getting faster (but not super speedy) at running. What was interesting is that I thought my previous weight was my “normal” weight. But now I realize I was carrying around some extra weight and had a lower energy level than I do now.

So anyway, I just wanted to share this with all of you. Millions and millions of $$ are made each year on books, videos, and programs trying to help people lose weight. I know that some people deal with challenges that make weight loss very difficult, but for me the ideal recipe has been consistent exercise and eating in moderate amounts.

And people who run regularly have a much better chance of being healthy overall.

This isn’t to say that running is the only type of exercise worth doing. But it does say that this is no longer a valid reason to not run (for most people). Surely running can cause injuries, typically affecting some people more than others, but so can sitting on the couch too much of our lives (and probably much more serious injuries at that).

I recently read a book about the science of running called Lore of Running, which says (in basic terms) that if you have knee problems when you run, it usually can be fixed with something simple like a new pair of running shoes or a pair of custom orthotics, rather than surgery or other drastic measures. The book has lots more detail. But I just wonder how many times people give up on running because they think it’s bad for their knees when something simple could have made it better.

This movie is a documentary that follows about 6-7 runners who were preparing to run the Chicago Marathon. Two of the runners are elite runners. The other runners vary in their abilities and range from a man in his 60’s who is doing his 3rd or 4th marathon to some 30ish women doing their first marathon to a guy about my age trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

This movie does a good job of illustrating why people do marathons and how much satisfaction it can bring a person to complete one or even to excel at one. It explains some of the joys and struggles of doing it. I thought some of you would be interested in watching.

You can watch the full movie (with some short commercials) online at: http://www.hulu.com/watch/85354/spirit-of-the-marathon

I’m not trying to make a political statement. I just thought it was interesting.

http://www.velodramatic.com/archives/3385

Steve Running the Spectrum 10K

Here’s a picture from the 10K I ran last Saturday in St. George. It was a beautiful run through Snow Canyon. Laurel and I drove down and stayed with friends Dustin and Sunny. You can read more about it on our family blog (that Laurel maintains) at http://piccolopages.com. I’ve been training since the beginning of the year and *really* enjoying it.

A friend pointed me to a guy’s Web page that has a bunch of pictures from the Boston Marathon. I guess he ran it while carrying a digital camera. It gives you a feel for what it is like to run the race. It made me want to go run it. One thing that’s neat about it is that every year an estimated 500,000 spectators line the course. That’s over 7 times as many people who will be able to watch the Super Bowl in person this year. Bostonians get so into the race that they hand out water, oranges, and other helps to runners, even though the race has water stops every mile. That’s pretty impressive. The only time I’ve really run in front of a lot of people is in the July 4th parade in Provo, UT…but that’s only because most of them are just waiting for the parade to start. I love the city of Boston, and it’s where my Dad grew up.

Here is the site

You have to qualify for Boston by running a prior marathon at a certain speed, depending on your age and gender (for me, it would be 3 hours and 10 minutes). Anyone want to try for it with me? I’ll help you plan out your training. Dad, that includes you.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090104/ap_on_go_pr_wh/distinctly_bush_analysis