When my young son came home from school on April 15, I had to share with him the sad news about the Boston Marathon bombings. I was gentle and only gave the information a nine-year-old needed to hear. I had the TV on and he walked into the room and saw the cleared scene of the crime. He immediately said, “Mommy, that’s exactly where we stood.”

I knew that the moment the news broke, my husband did, too. But it didn’t quite sink in until our child was impacted by the closeness of this terrible event. The second time I ran Boston, my son and husband stood under the international flags and cheered for me as I finished. My son’s world changed on April 15, 2013. It changed in a way that broke my heart.

Erin Kreitz Shirey also had a similar sad moment with her little girl on April 15. Instead of being able to report the winning times, she had to tell her about the tragedy and how the race was stopped.

“What about the kids cheering on their parents? Mom, are they OK? Are the kids hurt?”, innocently questioned Shirey’s daughter that night. Her daughter, like my son, had cheered for her mother at many races as well.

We and many other parents struggled to talk to our kids about this event, especially our fellow running parents. We’ve all had our kids at races, standing on the curbs, hanging on the fences cheering. Now what are we supposed to tell them?
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A first time event surrounding such a worthy cause will take place this summer. The Women Survivors Alliance (WSA) will be hosting the Celebrate Survivors 5K and the National Women Survivor’s Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

The convention runs from August 22-24, 2013 and the 5K is Saturday, August 24 at 7:00am. In a press release issued recently, the WSA stated they are issuing a national call for women affected by all types of cancer. The intention of the conference is to help women improve their quality of life, embrace their new life, and help others. The convention aims to bring together survivors, caregivers, family members, and health care providers.

The 5K is expected to have a casual tone, with many of the participants expected to be from the convention. However, the race is open to all. Many are expected to jog or walk the event, yet organizers are anticipating some avid runners to attend as they plan to run in celebration or in memory of a cancer patient.
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Wow. The running scene has really taken on a new look the last year or so. Weekend race options are much more varied than before. While true timed foot races will always have their place, themed runs have given rise and along with them a whole new crop of participants who have traded their couches to cover some miles.

Colorful Runs

Several series of color races have painted the nation a rainbow in the name of fitness. Essentially they are all about the same. You start the race in white clothes and finish doused in color. The major contenders that are seeing tremendous attendance numbers are The Color Run, Gnarly Neon 5K, and Color Me Rad. All are 5Ks that seem to attract people who are new or novice runners. Who knew getting covered in colored powder was such a motivator?
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The market is saturated with food documentaries. A new one is about to surface, yet this one doesn’t seem to be filled with the same information told in a new way. This one rarely mentions obesity, doesn’t really get into what vegetables you should be eating, and I don’t think there’s much mention of fast food. This one is different. It’s bringing to light an important issue that has been hidden in the dark for too long. Genetic Roulette, The Gamble of Our Lives will be released soon and so will many frightening yet true facts about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).

GMOs have become a hot button issue in the food, health, and related industries. Grassroot efforts are rising up as Non-GMO advocates try to get ears to hear the hard truths about the food we’re being fed and the food we’re feeding to our kids. This film may be the voice advocates need. There are many details that compelled me to listen closer and research more about this topic. One of the harshest truths was revealed early on in the film – we are all likely eating food that causes insects’ stomachs to explode. Stomachs explode, yes, you read that right.
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Stretching: Possibly the secret weapon for any successful athlete, especially runners. The trick is knowing when to stretch and how to stretch. It’s also important to know some stretches are better for runners than others, and even if you have just a little bit of time you can make a big difference in your performance with a few specific moves. 

Hanna Rosov, ACSM, HFS, and owner of Zeal Fitness in Wichita, Kansas, works with many runners and lent some insight on proper stretching routines for those who run often. “There are a couple different kinds of stretching that are appropriate at different times,” said Rosov. “Dynamic stretching works best as a warm up prior to running. It tells the muscles ‘get ready we’re going to do something.’”

Dynamic stretching looks different than traditional floor moves, as they’re typically active movements that can be safely done before a workout or run without expending too much energy. “Dynamic stretching doesn’t use a lot of energy; you are putting your muscles through a range of motion while gradually increasing heart rate,” said Rosov.
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