Today was an amazing day for marathon running. Houston, Texas was the stage for all the qualified contenders to race for a spot on this year’s United States Olympic marathon team. The team has been determined and Team USA is going to be strong in London this summer.
Marathoners across the country have been busting their tails to even make the qualifications for the trials. For a man to enter the trials he had to run a 2:19 or better marathon, a 1:05 or better half marathon, or a 28:30 or better 10K race. The women’s standards for “A-Standard” qualification is a time of 2:39 or better in the marathon. “A-Standard” qualifiers receive a paid trip to the trials, there is no “B-Standard” for the men anymore. However, the “B-Standard” remains for the women. These women are entered based on a 2:39:01-2:46 marathon, a 1:15 or better half, or a 33:00 10K. The field was big this year and it was full of amazingly fast runners. The top three male and female finishers made the Olympic Team for this summer’s London games.
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Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin made a surprise appearance on NBC’s The Biggest Loser Tuesday night. The daughter of two former Soviet champion gymnasts was on the show to introduce the first challenge to test the contestants’ stamina. The winner of this challenge received $10,000 to Subway, which ended up going to Brendan.
The five time Olympic medalist was the perfect choice for a challenge dealing with stamina and perseverance. One of only three women to medal five times in the Olympics, with the distinction of being the 2008 Olympic individual all-around gold medalist, Liukin’s personal motto is “Never quit on a bad day”.
Liukin stays in shape with daily workouts, often lasting more than 7 hours each day. She prefers healthy and organic food for her diet. Her breakfast favorites include oatmeal, eggs, or yogurt. For lunch she enjoys a salad with protein, either chicken or fish. Dinner is very often her lighter meal, like protein with veggies, but she is a big fan of sushi. She does admit to an occasional splurge when it comes to ice cream, though!
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Few things things inspire us to get moving like an Olympic athlete. Kerri Walsh, two-time gold medalist and mom, shares her favorite workout gear. Being properly equipped can make or break a workout, and we know Walsh spends a lot of time training, so she’s really got the insiders scoop.
Workout cloths should be comfortable and practical. “It is important that the clothing is made with a dry fit material to help with sweat,” Walsh says. But they don’t have to be frumpy. “When I am not feeling cute, I wear leggings to work out. I really love cropped leggings and a tank. Oh, and you cannot forget a good sports bra!”
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Carl Lewis is a 10-time Olympic medal winner in track and field. Nine of those were gold! He also set world records in various track and field relays.
Since his retirement, Lewis, one of the world’s most famous Olympians in history, has made it a point to empower people to enhance their lives through physical fitness.
One of the ways he is doing that now is through his website, FitForever.com. The website is a fitness community that has been referred to as a “fitness Facebook.”
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As many of you know, the Women’s and Men’s U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey teams lost to Canada during the finals of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The women’s team lost two to nothing capturing the silver medal for the second time ever. The men’s team lost a heart-breaker in overtime three to two, thus capturing the silver medal as well.
There is more to hockey than just suiting up and playing. Physical conditioning is a huge aspect of the game. Ice hockey takes a toll on the body, thus making it extremely important to be in great physical shape. Hockey requires a great deal of stamina, muscular strength, and muscular endurance. Upper body, core strength and endurance are important for the handling of the puck, shooting of the puck, checking an opponent, and fighting (several fights break out during hockey games).
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