Olympic moment: watching the women's marathon

The last time I remember being this transfixed with the Olympics, it was 1984, the summer of Mary Lou Retton. '88, '92, '96, '00 (where were these even held?), and '04? Did not watch, except for the Atlanta bombing news from the 1996 Olympics. Well, it's 24 years post-Mary Lou and here I am barely moved from my couch over the past 14 days. Maybe its just clever marketing from NBC, but for reasons unbeknownst to me, I am in full blown Olympic fever.

Lolo Jones, Nastia Lukein, Michael Phelps (of course!), synchronized diving, beach volleyball... This has become all I think about. But, it was watching one event that I had what I consider to be my own "Olympic moment". Here's what happened when I watched the women's marathon, run last week.

Have ou ever watched a 26-mile run in real time? I did last week as I lay in bed, my 2-year sleeping beside me. I thought for sure NBC would show the beginning of the race and then cut to Dalhouser and the Professor, Michael Phelps, Dana Torres, or some other more TV-friendly events. Except NBC didn't. I watched the beginning in Tiannemen Square. Saw the women start off in a tightly packed group, looking more like some kind of Shriner act than a group of determined racers. Off they ran, each with her two legs going and going. I could see the muscles ripple, but the faces were so relaxed. I could tell that for them, this was like breathing. And then an American was down! Gone! Just like that, a foot injury or cramp spelling disaster. She sat on the side of the road and cried. I don't think they ever interviewed her.

The women ran on, passing the Forbidden Palace and other landmarks. The announcers gave an informative travelogue about Beijing as the women ran relentlessly, on and on. A pretty British women was out in front for the first several miles. I don't remember her name, but the announcers didn't think very much of her chances. Paula Ratcliffe, the much beloved runner from the UK was a few paces behind the leader. I was told by the announcers that she had been sidelined by a leg fracture and not to expect much of her either -- she hadn't done much training. Still another woman, this one from Kenya, was near the front of the pack and even in the early miles, you could tell this runner was really pushing herself. The announcers thought it was an aberration for her because her marathon times were typically much slower. This bore itself out as she slipped from the front of the pack as the race went on.

At mile 11, the race suddenly shifted. This is the traditional breakout point in the race, I learned from the announcers. It's the point when the wheat begins to shift away from the shaft. And that's when I first saw her. The Romanian contestant came around from the right side of the pack and you could tell she was pushing it. She ran past Paula and the Kenyan, ran past the pretty blond Brit who had been in front for miles. And she kept running and running. It was bursting in action. As she began to hustle, other runners tried to follow suit, but following their own rules for the road, they let her get ahead. Probably figuring that this runner would eventually fall back -- the "chase pack" as they are called, would catch up.

I was amazed to see this physical principal in action. Here's a women doing something already that most of us can't (run a steady and relatively fast pace for 11 miles) and then she kicks it into even higher gear. And keeps it there. It was truly amazing.

The announcer seemed to realize that this Romanian might actually be the true leader and not just someone showboating for some international facetime. They must have had google in the control booth because we were soon informed that she had actually won a few notable races, and always did pretty well wherever she competed. And then they announced her age. 38. Wow, just wow.

It was then that I began to root for her. I watched her feet and studied her face for signs of fatigue. She just kept running steady, looking over her shoulder from time to time to see if anyone was close to being on her heels. I looked at her muscular frame and just kept thinking, She's 38! She's 38! Come on 38!

The Bird's Nest appeared on the horizon. She grabbed a water bottle and took a swig, stride unbroken. She started running faster, stronger. The chase pack started to tighten its grip. The two Chinese runners trying to close the gap.

She ran into the Bird's Nest and kicked it -- really kicked it -- out of nowhere around the track. She was about one lap around when the two Chinese runners entereded the track. And then it was over, she was across the finish line and wrapped in the Romanian flag, taking her victory lap. Paual Ratcliffe was soon in the Bird's Nest, painful to watch because she was obviously in pain. Paula didn't medal.

What I loved about the Romanian was that she kept running, even after she won. She ran around and around the track, Romanian flag cluctched in her hands, fanning out with the wind behind her. Romania. I'm sure not many people in the stands knew much about her home country or were from her home country to root her on. It didn't matter. She kept running, the biggest smile on her face. 38 and an Olympic gold medal champion. This transcends political boundary.

Nothing else I watched that night matched the intensity of the women's marathon. And this was in the middle of Phelps and gymnastics mania. The next morning I woke up and I think the effect of watching a 2-hour and 30-minute race in real time had a virtual reality effect on me. I rose actually thinking I could run a marathon. I went to the track for my usual morning walk and tried to tap into that. Could I run one lap? Two? Three?

Have to admit that I got a blister on my foot during lap one and couldn't run, but that feeling has stayed with me. I want to run. I want to run a marathon. I've watched one from beginning to end and know how it's done. Now I just have to do it!

Regular exercise cuts breast cancer risk for perimenopausal women

Get active! New research reveals that girls and women (12-35) who exercise regularly have a substantially lower risk of breast cancer before menopause compared to those who are less active.

In the largest (65,000 women) and most detailed analysis of how exercise impacts premenopausal breast cancer rates, the study found that those who were physically active had a 23 per cent lower risk of breast cancer before menopause. In particular, high levels of physical activity from ages 12 to 22 contributed most strongly to the lower breast cancer risk.

The study was conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University in Boston.

For the complete article, click here.

Exercise as a Tonic for Aging

Skimming the headlines, this might seem like yet another exhortation for older Americans to be more active. No news there, Americans of all ages have grown steadily more sedentary over the past few decades. The New York Times, however, manages to uncover some new facts and recommendations specifically for the aging boomer crowd. What's the scoop? Aerobics is still in, but its time to add weight training and strengthening, stretching, and balancing activities (yoga) to reap the full benefits of physical fitness. More from the Times here.

Giving Menopause a Workout

An article in the Denver Post today discusses the benefits of exercise for menopausal women:

It is frustrating to be confronted with the seeming inevitability of menopausal weight gain, but daily exercise can do more than burn calories: It helps protect women from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and other disorders. These conditions rise dramatically with the reduction of heart- and bone-protecting estrogen among postmenopausal women. Consistent physical activity and exercise become crucial. Good bone health is supported by resistance training (in the form of weightlifting, taking power yoga, or Pilates) two to three times per week, and by weight-bearing aerobic activity (walking, jogging, and dancing) most days of the week.

The heart responds to aerobic activity in general and according to Bryan L. Haddock, who has done research at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas, cardiorespiratory fitness can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women regardless of whether they used hormone replacement therapy.

Also listed were several workout options for women of varying ability levels.

Get Moving!

As part of your plan to finally shed those excess pounds, you've been on a exercise regime since New Year's -- and this time you're actually sticking with it. Think you have to reach your ideal weight before reaping the benefits of stepped up physical activity? Even if the scale shows that you have a ways to go before reaching your weight loss goal, all that sweating is already paying big rewards to your health. Researchers have recently found that regular exercise cuts the risk of heart disease in overweight and obese men and women. Hallelujah, finally a little good news! Though the study is quick to point out that exercise REDUCES the risk for heart disease and does not eliminate the risk. So, keep hitting the gym, but feel a little bit of wind at your back now that you know you are already getting better, no matter what the scales says today.

Here's the link to the Washington Post article on this topic: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/29/AR2008042901539.html

Exercise Beneficial for Women -- Even in Small Doses

Maybe it's because my own exercise habits really fell off the rails this winter, but a recent article from the Dallas Morning News has motivated me to get back on track with daily physical activity. Here's the scoop...

According to researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, exercising 10 minutes to 30 minutes daily improves the quality of life for older, overweight women. A study of 430 obese women with an average age of 57 was the first large trial to prove the conventional wisdom that older, sedentary women who exercise have more energy and feel better. The benefits extend to those who get a minimal amount of daily exercise.

Women who exercised were happier and had better social skills. Those with the most daily activity had additional health benefits such as improved physical function and fewer limitations at work. While some women lost weight from the activity, the benefits extended to those who didn't, researchers said.