That's Fit

Dick Hoyt, 67, and his son Rick, 46, have accomplished more than many of us could imagine. They've climbed mountains, completed 224 triathlons (including six Ironmans), 66 marathons, a 45-day cross-country bike ride, and more. Obviously, that's inspiring in and of itself.

What makes it AMAZING is that Rick is a quadriplegic and cannot walk or talk -- he was born with cerebral palsy, which kept him from ever being able to control his muscles and limbs, including his vocal chords.

Dick started participating in races and endurance events with his son when Rick was just 11, and the duo hasn't taken more than two weeks off since. Dick continues to train and compete because Rick gets so much joy out of it, and it makes him happy to see his son happy.

Dire Tune, of Ethiopia, and Alevtina Biktimirova, of Russia, made Boston Marathon history yesterday with the closest women's finish in the race's history.

Part of a pack of 10 women who had stuck together from the beginning of the race, Tune and Biktimirova pulled ahead and fought it out until the end. Biktimirova held the lead, but Tune overtook her during the final stretch. Both women have won other marathons this year. Tune took first in the Houston Marathon in January and Biktimirova won the Honolulu Marathon last December.

The top American woman, Ashley Anklam, took 15th in Boston. Though most of the top women runners ran in the Olympic trials, their place in this race doesn't guarantee them a spot in the Olympics.

After winning the Tour de France seven times, Lance Armstrong is certainly worthy of a relaxing retirement. However, that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Since his retirement, the 35-year-old has found himself constantly on the road, promoting LiveStrong Challenges, the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research, joining with Nike and Apple to publicize his involvement in their partnership, and trying to be home to spend time with his kids. Still, his crazy schedule hasn't stopped him from running marathons.

I've never been able to follow a training plan. I always check them out, but end up using them as guidelines, when it works for me and my schedule.

This is one of the reasons I don't think I could do a full marathon -- I can't commit completely to a training schedule over several months. I came across this post on Runner's World Daily about a guy who's in Marathon (in the Florida Keys), and he had a 16 mile training run to do, so he did it. In Marathon. That meant eight miles one way and eight miles back on hard, unshaded concrete, in the blazing heat. And, he's leaving tomorrow to go home.

That's some serious commitment. I think I would've put it off until I was somewhere more comfortable and less muggy. What about you? If your training plan called for a big run at the end of your vacation, would you do it? Or would you wait a couple of days and do it later? Or not at all? If you choose to follow one, there are tons of choices -- check them out in the gallery!

I love inspirational sports movies, and I'm always excited when I hear a new one is coming out. That being said, I don't think we're in for another Hoosiers or Remember the Titans with Run, Fat Boy, Run, but then again, it's not meant to be that kind of movie.

This movie is about a man who does a horrible thing to his fiance and, years later, decides to run a marathon to prove to her that he's changed. I think we can all agree that this is not the best reason to decide to run 26.2 miles, but hey, that's why it's funny.

And, while I wouldn't opt to run a marathon to impress someone, I can't say that I haven't ever taken part in an athletic event in order to look good in front of a cute boy or impress a friend -- can you?

Run, Fat Boy, Run hits theaters tomorrow. Will you be running out to see it?

For most of us, it's getting warmer out, and for many of you that probably means long runs, walks, bike rides, and hikes. Some of you are also probably gearing up for race season -- there are some fantastic marathons coming up, as well as halfathons, triathlons, 10Ks, etc. All of this means that you're going to need to drink lots of water.

But wait! If you've been here at That's Fit for a while, you've already read that drinking too much water during exercise can be harmful, even fatal. It's a serious issue that warrants revisiting as the summer sun starts heating up.

Over-hydration, or hyponatremia, occurs when you take in more water than your kidneys can excrete because you've been sweating out lots of salt and you're replacing it with plain water (which is why sports drinks are used during long-distance runs and major workouts). Unless you're embarking on a serious workout, like an endurance race or a long hike, you'll probably be fine, but listen to your body -- make sure you're drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, but not too much. Check out this post on FitSugar for warning signs of hyponatremia.

Forbes published some tips for choosing the best sneakers for your sport, and to be honest, I found it a bit lacking. They covered a lot of running and outdoor sports, but some of the sports for which shoes are really important (like volleyball and basketball) were totally left off.

I did a little research and added what sounded like the best shoes for those sports. However, it's important to remember your sport-specific needs when shopping for a shoe. If you will be making quick, side-to-side movements, you'll need different support than you would for running a marathon. If you really don't know what you need, try to find a store that specializes in your sport and ask for help. The right shoes might not make you a better athlete, but they will make your sport more enjoyable.

Saint Patrick's Day is a day for wearing 'Kiss Me, I'm Irish' t-shirts, consuming copious amounts of green beer and loudly belting out Irish folks songs that you hardly remember the words to. It's fun, yes, but let's just say that March 17th is not commonly thought of as a healthy holiday (but then again, are any holidays healthy?)

Anyway, if you're trying to make healthy choices, why not make the choice to forsake green beer and do something fit this St. Patty's day? There are a number of great St. Patrick's Day runs across the country, of all different levels of difficulty. Hey, you can always grab a green beer afterwards if you really want -- you'll have something really impressive to celebrate!

(Via Fitsugar)

Last summer, my four-year-old ran a 2K with her dad. It was a "fun run," so he assumed they'd be walking much of it. Instead, she ran the entire thing, then sprinted over the finish line. I've promised to run it with her this year, but she's so fast I may not be able to catch up!

Just to prove that you're never too young or too old to get into the fitness game, I bring you the story of Mr. Buster Martin. Mr. Martin is 101-years-old, a father of 17, and became a plumber three years ago because he had nothing better to do. Oh, and he recently finished a half marathon and plans to run the London Marathon in April.

After each of my husband's marathons, he usually needs a long soak in the tub to ease his muscle pains and walks pretty slowly the next day. But Mr. Martin was back at work on Monday ready to polish the vans. Inspired yet?

There are all-women's gyms and all-women's sports teams, so why not all-women sporting events? Athletic bigwig Nike has just announced its Women's Marathon in San Francisco in October of this year. What makes it different from a regular marathon? Here are some of the highlights:

• Participants get an official Finisher Necklace designed by Tiffany & Co., as well as a Nike Dri-FIT Finisher T-shirt available in women's sizes.
• The marathon also features a three-day interactive Expotique in Union Square.
  
• The after party consists of fine food and massages, among other fabulous offerings.
  

Interested? You have plenty of time to train -- the race isn't until October 19th. Better sign up soon though -- last year's event was a sell-out. For more details, visit the official website.

Have you ever considered joining a training group like Team in Training or TeamChallenge, only to realize that you have no idea how to go about raising the massive amounts of money required? Sure, it's a great idea to use an event that will benefit your body to raise money for other worthy causes, but it's hard to hit up friends and family for donations. But what if you could sell them a cool, unique product, and use the profit for your race?

You can, with spreadshirt.com! It really works -- one runner raised $1000 in just a week this way.

For those of you who'd prefer to lose weight without having to partake in the pesky thing called fitness, here's a bit of news that might disappoint you: recent studies show that people who are successful at taking off--and keeping off--weight are those who do a fair amount of exercise. 60 to 90 minutes a day, to be exact. Or, to put it another way, those who walked the equivalent of a marathon a week.

I'm into fitness and even this number surprised me a bit -- really, who has 60 to 90 spare minutes every day of the week? I can manage to work in a hour a day three times a week and 30 minutes a day the rest of the week. I can't do any more than that and still keep my job and family happy, but I try to work in small bits of exercise where I can--by taking the stairs, walking to work and so on.

My point? 60 to 90 minutes is a lot, so try to find a compromise. But do know that fitness is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.

On Sunday, a marathon will take place in my city. There will also be a half marathon, a kids marathon, and a 5K. I've got a handful of friends of who will challenge themselves in the name of fun and fitness by running in these races and while I won't be one of the competitors this year, I may entertain the idea next time around. Part of me is intrigued by the physical accomplishment I could make by conquering more than 26 miles. Part of me just wants to participate in an event that has the power to save lives in five different ways.

The Five Points of Life races, sponsored by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, are designed to raise awareness about the need for five life-saving donations -- blood, apheresis, bone marrow, organs and tissue, and cord blood. Some event participants and volunteers are donors, some are recipients, and some are both. Donors are asked to wear an orange ribbon on race day. Recipients: a blue one (we're Gators here, hence the orange and blue). The ribbons will serve as reminders of the importance of saving lives.

Should I run next year, I'll be wearing a blue ribbon, in honor of the several units of blood I received while hospitalized three years ago with chemotherapy-induced low blood counts. What a thrill it would be to publicly acknowledge the gift I was given. What a thrill it would be to run all those miles.

As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

I used to work with a woman who did Ironman competitions. Though I had a healthy dose of respect for her, I'll admit I thought she was a little bit nuts. I mean, isn't one big race enough for one day? I couldn't help but notice, however, how her excitement and anticipation would grow as training ramped up and race day neared.

I always thought I'd like to try a mini-triathlon, you know the one that endurance racers do in their sleep? Maybe once I master running, I'll work on my swimming skills and we'll see what happens. Until then, I'll get my fill by reading blogs by people training for their own triathlons:

Because I Tri

Veg Triathlete

Diary of an Amateur Triathlete

Blood, Sweat, and Beer

If you're an amateur triathlete, I hope you can find some inspiration here!

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Elizabeth Lienhart

Age: 23

Occupation: Mechanical Engineer

How often do you exercise? Five to seven days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Spinning, running, kickboxing, weight training, dancing around the house.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Two piece swim suits and skinny jeans!