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Did you just train for -- and compete in -- your first 5K, 10K, marathon, triathlon or other fitness feat? We want to share your story with the world! Let us know why you decided to train, how you did it and what it felt like to cross that (mental or physical) finish line. Send us an e-mail at successstories [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com.

Michael Wardian is what you'd call a mega-marathoner, running an average of 50 grueling races a year, ranging from the typical 26.2-miler to a 150-mile ultra-marathon in the desert. Though he's won the JFK 50-miler, and the Washington, D.C. marathon three times and holds the world record for fastest marathon on a treadmill. On November 22, he'll be competing for a title he regards as especially important -- world's fastest marathon with a jogging stroller.

Wardian, 35, currently holds the record. He achieved it in 2007 at the Frederick Marathon in Maryland with his then nine-month-old son Pierce in tow, at a time of 2:42:21. But now, with the addition of Wardian's second son -- 11-month-old Grant (pictured with his dad) -- the marathoner thought it was only fair to go after the record again. "We didn't want it to be something one child had and not the other," he said.

Fall marathon season also happens to coincide with the release of the seasonal flu vaccine. While offices, pharmacies and schools around the country are offering up the vaccine, many runners, concerned about whether the shot will negatively impact their performance, are questioning whether they should join the masses and line up for the shot.

I understand the concern. I shied away from the vaccine in the week leading up to running a marathon because I worried that a sore arm wouldn't be conducive to a strong running performance. But I've heard from runners who have also avoided the vaccine over fears that it might leave them feeling sluggish, tired or sick.

When I found out I was getting to try the AlterG "anti-gravity" treadmill developed by NASA -- I think I told everyone I knew. Several times. The AlterG works by pumping air into a chamber that surrounds your body from the waist down. This increases the air pressure and that, in turn, lifts you up so that your feet feel less of your weight as you walk or run. Bring the pressure up enough and it's almost like walking in space. Pretty cool, right?

If you're in decent shape, and are just looking for a standard cardio, muscle-building session, there's not a ton of payoff to this contraption. The more body weight you carry when you exercise, the more burn and benefit you get, so removing weight without some purpose actually makes your workout less effective. However, if you've had a back or leg injury -- reducing your body's impact on the ground can alleviate that hurt. This means you can keep yourself in shape and slowly build back strength in a safe and non-painful way. (Indeed, the AlterG is being used in hospitals to help spinal cord injury patients retrain their bodies for movement.)

Additionally, if you're an athlete training for an endurance race like a marathon or triathlon, not only does the machine reduce the likelihood of stress-related injury, you can also use it to increase your speed and build up your non-dominant muscles. I found the reason for this fascinating: When we're responsible for less body weight, it's easier to loosen up and extend our stride, which increases the range and distribution of muscles we use. This, in turn, will translate to better performance back in the "real world." (Interestingly, the product's press materials say that overweight people can also benefit; it protects joints from weight-related stress, they may be able to work out for longer intervals.)

So, you can run 26.2 miles on the ground and think you're pretty hot stuff, huh? How do you think you would fare if you had to take your race in an upward direction?

Though you might not have tried it, vertical marathons are actually fairly common. On November 15, if you're in the Chicago area, you can take part in Skyrise Chicago Tower Up at the Willis Tower. With 2109 steps, you'll be climbing North America's tallest set of stairs, and you can climb by foot or by using specially installed hand cycles. And lucky you -- they're still accepting registration!

The following weekend, Swissôtel Vertical Marathon 2009 lets you race to the top of one of Southeast Asia's tallest hotels, located in Singapore. Last year, a new record for climbing the 73 stories was set at six minutes, 52 seconds. Think you can beat it? Registration for this year is closed.

More than 40,000 people will run the ING New York City Marathon this Sunday. Among them will be working mothers chosen to represent all five of New York City's boroughs in the 2009 Foot Locker Five Borough Challenge Team. The women, some running the marathon for the first time, all have unique stories, but share the bonds of being fit, working mothers balancing all the demands that come with those roles. The team of five was also joined recently by another woman, Beth Segaloff, who recently lost her fiancé, Captain Ben Sklarver, just three weeks ago when he was deployed in Afghanistan. The women will run together for the first 13 miles, and then anyone can break away for the second half. The woman with the best time will win a trophy, and bragging rights. But none of these women are part of this team to brag. Instead, they find peace, motivation and solace in their commitment to running. That's Fit recently met the team, along with mom and marathon Olympian, Magdalena Lewy Boulet, to find out how, and why, they have made running such a critical part of their lives.

People who run the 26.2 miles of a marathon or the 13.1 miles of a half-marathon are presumably in good shape. They're not expected to encounter anything more than fatigue and the occasional pulled muscle during a race. They are certainly not expected to die. That's what makes the deaths of three men at Sunday's Detroit Marathon so shocking.

Jon Fenlon, Daniel Langdon and Rick Brown, ages 26, 36 and 65, all collapsed and died within 16 minutes of each other during the last two miles of the half-marathon. Brown fell and hit his head, but the cause of his fall and the deaths of the others are still unknown. All three were reportedly in good health, according to family members.

Since the weather conditions at the race were ideal by a runner's standard -- overcast and in the 40's, some speculate cardiac arrest is to blame. Veteran running coach and exercise scientist, Roy Benson, warns us not to react too quickly though and point the finger at running. "Running doesn't cause heart attacks. Heart disease causes heart attacks."

The best way to get fit? Doing something good for the world.

Edward Norton recently announced that he's in training. This time, it's not for a movie role; rather, the actor is training to run the New York Marathon on November 1. While the actual feat of completing 26.2 miles is impressive (particularly considering the 40-year-old has never run a marathon before), he has another goal -- to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.

Norton will be joined by a team of runners that includes three members of the Maasai tribe (one of whom could likely leave the group behind and finish in two and a half hours, Norton tells CNN. The "Fight Club" star became involved in the Maasai cause about eight years ago, and encourages his fans to donate to the cause.

"The money we raise is going to enable important and inspiring work that the Maasai are engaging in to show that wilderness and wildlife and healthy ecosystems can be integral to economic prosperity and the preservation of a traditional culture," he writes on the MWCT website. "There is a genuine threat to the future of that wildness if we don't collectively value it and engage with the people who live alongside it. Imagine having to explain to your grandchildren why those animals no longer exist." Hear more about what he has to say in the video above.

Photo: Courtesy of Wellness Central

This ultraendurance athlete has earned accolades from everywhere, from Time magazine naming him one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World," and Men's Fitness saying he just "might be the fittest man on the planet." And for good reason too. Following up feats such as swimming across the San Francisco Bay and running 350 miles without stopping, Dean Karnazes decided to run 50 marathons in 50 days -- and did it in 2006. His follow-up book to "Ultramarathon Man" is "50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!," which chronicles lessons he learned from the road. Some lessons we learned in an interview with Karnazes? He believes in the power of taking "baby steps" instead of getting caught up in "mileage markers and distance still left to cover," and doesn't believe stretching can help him prevent injuries, but does believe cross-training can. Read on to find out what he thinks makes someone an ultraendurance athlete and what fitness challenge he's rising to next.

That's Fit: Is doing an ultramarathon or other utlraendurance event a matter of training? If you can run a 10K or a marathon, do you just need to train longer and harder to do an ultramarathon?

Dean Karnazes: Physical training is only part of it. You also have to be mentally prepared. There is a race called the Western States One Day 100-Mile Endurance Run -- [which is] essentially 100 miles of wilderness trail running through the Sierra Nevada mountain range where they say that you run the first 50 miles with your legs, and the next 50 miles with your mind.

Photo: Portland Marathon

By now, you know I'm a travel hound who will do anything to travel. Even if that means tackling a marathon. Granted, I could do a marathon close to home and spend no time on the road. But half the fun of doing a marathon is escaping to a cool destination. Which is why I decided to tackle the Portland, Ore. marathon two years ago.

Not only is this marathon consistently ranked in the top 10 in the country, Portland is also one of my favorite cities with its tax-free shopping and awesome restaurants. But there's another reason: Portland is the only U.S. marathon to sanction a division in Nordic walking, an activity I'm addicted to. As crazy as it sounds, it's also the Nordic Walking World Championship.

Scared of marathons? I don't blame you -- the thought of running for 26.2 miles straight is pretty freakin' daunting. Heck, even the thought of running 10 miles non-stop seems like some sort of cruel masochistic punishment to many of us. Sure, maybe you're not a natural-born runner, but have no fear -- according to The New York Times, the Walk-Run Method is a way for regular Joes to get into long-distance running.

Most of us probably already do a version of this whenever we attempt to go for a jog -- as in, we run until we feel like we're going to die and then stop and stagger down the sidewalk, red-faced and gasping for air. But the Walk-Run Method is different -- you stop to walk at regular intervals, whether you're tired or not. If you're just starting, this might mean running for a minute, then walking for a minute -- as you get more experienced and increase your fitness level, though, the walk-to-run ratio will increase.

Intrigued? Click here for more information, and consider working this method into your fitness routine.

You've probably been approached by multiple friends soliciting donations as they train for marathons in support of their beloved charities. You respectfully send what you can afford, secretly wishing you had the courage to try running, walking, cramping past that Wall to finish 26.2 miles. Raising funds for charity has taken marathon racing by storm, but is this trend better at setting the physical stage for lifelong running or churning out one-time charity marathoners at greater risk for injury?

That's one question being raised over at the Chicago Tribune. One notable Chicago running expert thinks first-time runners should try shorter races before a marathon. Poor charity training and preparing too intensely too soon begs injuries and a marathon one-off experience, instead of mentoring novices toward lifetime participation. He's witnessed charities paying more attention to fundraising than properly training runners.

What are charity marathoners saying? I just posed this question to a friend who finished two charity marathons with Team in Training (TNT). In his experience, TNT was invested in proper training, walking, running or run/walking. He acknowledged it's possible charities could abuse their fundraising fleet, but his experience has shown otherwise.

Over 100 comments to the article were mixed. Some elite marathoners criticize that slow-paced charity runners have no business attempting a marathon -- it's a race, not a fun run. Many philanthropic finishers bristle at that claim, retorting they train right, deserve their bib number and have fallen in love with the sport. After sifting through the comments, marathon snobs should unlace their running shoes in shame. If the charity training program is responsible, you line up right and the race has no time limit, who cares if you run, jog, walk/jog or walk/crawl to the finish by dusk? You've got more guts than me, and have raised major cash for an important cause. Oh, and it's OK to take a double-digit score on a Par 3 teeing off with an orange ball, too.

Your charity marathoner thoughts?

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Months of preparation and dedication to fitness and health come before any serious race, whether it be a half-marathon, marathon, triathlon or Ironman competition. Before lining up at the start, athletes will wonder how they'll place. Will they beat their previous best time? For some elite athletes, the question is "Will I win?" Odds are, there aren't too many competitors who lace up their running shoes while thinking they're going to drop out of the race.

But not everyone who starts finishes. In the New York Marathon, for example, about 2 percent of runners take a DNF (Did Not Finish) each year. A non-runner might assume that fitness level is the major reason for taking a DNF, but seasoned competitors know differently. There are many reasons competitors might take a DNF -- out of necessity and sometimes by choice.

"You definitely try to avoid taking a DNF," said Rhonda Armstrong, who has completed four Ironman competitions as well as multiple marathons. But she knows first hand that there are times that it can't be avoided. "Sometimes you can train and train and train, but your nutrition is off," said Armstrong. She recalls one Ironman competition where after completing her swim, she kept getting ill during the bike ride. She knew something was wrong and opted not to run the final marathon. Armstrong also stated that sometimes people in the medical tent won't let athletes continue if their health is at risk.

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