Dean can’t stop running

Let’s say you’ve run 300 miles non-stop, you’ve run 1310 miles in 50 days (make that 50 marathons, in 50 different states), and logged over 5000 race miles in a single year.  What do you do next?  How about becoming the first human to run across all five major deserts in the world in a single calendar year.  Does that sound crazy?  It sounds like Dean Karnazes.

In between desert runs - he just ran across the Sahara Desert and leaves for the last desert run in Antarctica in two weeks - Dean is out and about promoting his new book 50/50: Secrets I learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days along with his continued commitment to improving youth health through his Karno Kids organization.

At the end of the day Dean is all about Inspiration.  He is inspired to test the limits of human endurance, inspired to live a life of activity, inspired to help improve the health of kids,  as well as to inspire everyone to achieve goals greater than they thought possible.  “It’s a two-way street.  I also draw inspiration from the many people I meet along the way,” says Karnazes.

Dean described his goal of running 50 marathons in 50 days, in 50 states as his ultimate family vacation.  The original inspiration was a family traveling by camper, seeing the country, and testing his ability to chain together daily endurance runs.  “I remember hearing about a George Thorogood tour where they played 50 concerts in 50 days in 50 states and thought, ‘wouldn’t that be fun to do with running.’”

But when The North Face jumped in to sponsor the effort along with hiring a world class logistics company the idea was hatched to make this a much larger event where people could join Dean for runs.  The formalized logistics team and sponsors worked with race directors in every state to make sure they were covering official marathon courses with official start and stop times.  The marathon tour also took advantage of premier events that are held on weekends such as the marathons in Boston, San Francisco, and New York.

“I really enjoyed running with people every day.  I am normally an introvert and enjoy the solitude of running but I found during the course of the 50 marathon journey that I really looked forward to meeting with a new group of people the next day.” said Karnazes.  “I ran with one woman who was 53 years old and was completing her 50th marathon on the day she ran with me.  By the way, she never ran a marathon before she turned 50 and she had survived a battle with breast cancer.  Talk about inspirational.”

How does one train to get ready to tackle 50 consecutive marathons?  “I worked with Chris Carmichael who trained Lance Armstrong for the Tour de France races and ran eight 100 mile or greater races leading up to the 50:50 effort.   The thinking was that if I could run and recover from races over 100 miles then 26.2 miles wouldn’t feel so bad every day.”

In response to why he did it and why he wrote the book Dean had a pretty simple response.  “One, for the challenge.  But also to get peoples attention that you can do great things.  My hope for the book is really that when the reader turns the last page of the book that they are inspired to go out and do something.”

When asked about his favorite local run - Dean lives in Marin County - he lit up in describing the course.  “I like to tuck the kids in bed on Friday night and then head out north of San Francisco, through Nicasio and Napa Valley to Calistoga.  It is a 75 mile route and when the kids wake up in the morning the family drives up to Calistoga and meets me for breakfast.”

That is a story that might make you feel a little guilty for sleeping in on Saturdays.  Run, Dean.  Run.

Stroke, Back or Brain – More Evidence on the Benefits of Exercise

Medically speaking it was a good week for the proponents of exercise.  At the same time that Ali Vincent has become the new spokeswoman for 24 hour fitness, five studies have been released within the last several days highlighting the benefits of exercise.

Proper exercise and physical activity can speed up recovery from back surgery, lessen stroke severity, reduce uterine cancer risk, as well as reverse mental decline in older adults.

Here are the results:

• Dr. Lars-Henrik Krarup, from Copenhagen University Hospital, and colleagues looked at 265 people who had suffered a first stroke. “Subjects with the best outcome were up to 2 hours more physically active than the most sedentary subjects on a daily basis,” he added. “The activities included not only specific exercises but also physical work in the garden and heavy housework,” emphasizing that physical activity can be incorporated into daily routines.

• Dr. Alpa V. Patel and colleagues at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta identified 466 women who developed endometrial cancer between 1992 and 2003 among approximately 43,000 older “postmenopausal” women. Questionnaire responses showed that physically active women engaged primarily in low- to moderate-intensity activities, such as walking, biking, aerobics or dancing, equivalent to about 2 hours of moderately paced walking per week.

• Prof. Art Kramer, of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois, says there is substantial evidence showing the benefits of aerobic exercise and physical activity on such executive-control brain functions as task coordination, planning, goal maintenance, working memory and the ability to switch task.  Some studies found that six months of aerobic exercise reversed age-related decline and that older adults’ brains retained plasticity — the capacity to grow and develop.

• Exercise therapy after surgery for a slipped disc may help people get over their pain and disability more quickly, a research review suggests.   And there was no evidence that rehab raised the risk of repeat surgery.

Related Links and information:

• Physical Activity May Lessen Stroke Severity (Reuters Health)
• Exercise May Cut Uterine Cancer Risk in Heavy Women (Reuters Health)
• Aerobics Can Reverse Mental Decline in Older Adults (HealthDay)
• Exercise After Back Surgery May Speed Recovery (Reuters Health)
• Strength Training Good for the Aging Brain (Reuters Health)

Dara Torres promotes exercise, embraces role model status

Dara Torres has been an inspiration to many in her return to the pool and recent Olympic success.  She authored her own article for the USA Weekend newspaper insert where she talks of being a role model and provides motivational tips.

The important thing to remember is that you can always find time to exercise. If, say, you’re a working mom, instead of taking the elevator in your building, take the stairs. You can always try to find little ways to do a little bit of exercise each day or every other day.

And then there’s diet. When I wake up, I have this nutritional drink, which I had before each one of my races. It has every single nutrient and protein that I need in a meal. The point is that getting the right nutrition is essential to your health and fitness, even if you aren’t an Olympic athlete.

The active lifestyle is one that she is already introducing to her 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Tessa.

Exercise was very important to me growing up, and I am already trying to teach Tessa how important it is. The funny thing is, she already loves it.

Read the entire USA Weekend article “You can always find time to exercise.”

Here are some other relevant Dara Torres articles:

Dara Torres: 2012 Olympic Games a ‘possibility’ - MSNBC
Dara Torres throws out first pitch at Yankees game - AM New York
Dara Torres Walks The Runway At Fashion Week - NY Post
Doctor dives in to repair swimmer Torres’ shoulder - CN

Active Video Games Help Kids Exercise

Video games and kids is a subject that spawns multiple debates in a household.  A question as simple as ‘Do I let my kids play video games?’ is followed with concerns as to whether certain video games lead to problems for kids such as increased violence, school performance, attention spans, and obesity.

A recent study from the University of Hong Kong provides some evidence that active video games can help address some exercise and health concerns.  According to this new study children playing active video games have higher heart rates and burn four times as many calories a minute than children playing passive video games.

“Technological change in our homes, schools and workplaces has meant the amount of walking we do has declined significantly, and in its place, disproportionately greater amounts of time are spent seated,” said lead researcher Alison M. McManus, from the university’s Institute of Human Performance. “With childhood obesity posing the largest international health riddle, converting seated activities into active ones is an important goal.”

Parents need to be creative in their endeavors to get children active, McManus said. Children play video games, because it is fun, exciting and challenging, but it is largely conducted seated, she added.

“The children in this study had a lot of fun playing media games and burnt up calories, showing that making video game media active can certainly help in our efforts to get children active,” McManus said. “The challenge is for industry to continue developing new and exciting games that integrate physical activity into the virtual game environment.”

The report was published in the September issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Susan Finn, chairwoman of the American Council for Fitness & Nutrition, noted there needs to be a balance between how much children eat and the amount of exercise they get.

“When it comes to obesity, the other part of the equation is the consumption of calories,” Finn said. “This half of the solution is often more difficult. The American Council for Fitness and Nutrition has partnered with PE4life and The American Dietetic Association Foundation to teach energy balance — what you do and what you eat has to be in balance. This report deals with half of the equation and demonstrates that there are many ways to get kids active,” she said.

Common Sense Media is a great resource for parents in understanding media content and media’s impact on children.  They list the top titles for getting your kids moving as part of a series of top media picks.

Best Games to Get Your Kids Moving

V-Motion Active Learning System Wii-type gaming for wee ones can get them moving.
Wii Fit Exercise is a blast on the Wii Balance Board.
We Ski Ideal for the Wii Balance Board and skiing fans.
Wii Sports Inclusive sports played a new way. Fun for all!
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Good entry level DDR game for kids.
Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party Adds arm movements; some lyrics are a bit iffy.
Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA Perfect way to get kids moving!
Karaoke Revolution Party Now with dancing! Great for kids — and parents, too.
Smart Cycle A video gaming system that works by bike-riding.
ION Educational Gaming System Eye Toy-type games get preschoolers moving!
Dance Factory No-frills dancing game adds new step: Your music.
DDR Max 2 This creative — and aerobic — game gets the whole family moving and grooving.

Source: National Library of Medicine, Common Sense Media

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