Strollerderby : marathon

Nothing Says “Save the Children” Like a Sweet Stache

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Mustaches for Kids, your chance to run a marathon for a children’s charity—“without the exertion, cramps, or dehydration.” Instead of actually running, you simply have to sit around drinking beer and letting the facial hair directly above your upper lip grow. Naturally, friends, family, and strangers on the street will appreciate your sacrifice so much they will be eager to give you donations for children’s charities such a Make-a-Wish Foundation and New Orleans Children’s Hospital. And you better get started now: the Growing Season is from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

If you’re wondering whether this organization is for real, apparently you’re not alone. The FAQ page of Mustaches for Kids’ Web site is filled mostly with variations of that same question. But, as outlandish as it seems, chapters of Mustaches for Kids do exist throughout the U.S., staffed entirely by volunteers. At the end of the annual growing season, Participants (official known as “Growers”) have raised more than $150,000 for charity since 1999.

Sorry, no Hitler staches or “Rollie Fingers handlebar.” And you must shave at least once a week. And you should also probably wear a "mustache-enhancing costume" to the annual Mustache Competition. This is no joke, people. We're talking mustaches, kids in needs, and high-stakes meaningless competition. You're gonna need to bring your A game.

Photo: Mustaches for Kids

Pregnant Women Compete in Marathon

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:50:00 GMT

Meet the Speed Bumps: a relay team of five women who are planning to beat the pants of off their competition in Ohio’s Road Runner Akron Marathon.

The only difference between this team and their 10,000 or so competitors is that the Speed Bumps will all be running for two. All five women are in or nearing their third trimester, with Kimberly Bucey (pictured) the farthest along at eight months.

All of the women got the OK from their doctors before agreeing to compete, but some of their husbands are nervous nonetheless. Naturally, the key to healthy exercise during pregnancy is to listen to your body’s cues (for instance, if you can’t catch your breath, your baby may not be getting enough oxygen), and this may be harder to do when you’re competing.

But the Speed Bumps are marathon buffs who are thrilled to be able to keep running during their pregnancies, and are confident they can do so in a healthy manner. “It’s great to keep running because it’s great to stay in shape,” said Monica Nowac, one of the Speed Bumps. “And it’s great to spread the word about staying in shape while you’re pregnant. To think anything else is simply archaic at this point.”

What do you think? Is "spreading the word" about exercise during pregnancy a laudable goal, or are those nine months when staying in shape should be the last thing you're worried about?

Photo: Ohio.com

Marathon Mom runs big race after birthing sextuplets

Brett Singer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:00:00 GMT

OK, she didn't do it RIGHT after giving birth. But that's about the only thing about this story that doesn't make me feel like a big giant marshmallow.

Jenny Masche, the mother who last year gave birth to sextuplets, recently ran a 26.2 mile race. Yes, in her spare time. She trained after the kids, who are now 1 year olds, turned in for the night. "They’re good sleepers," she told Meredith Vieira on the Today show last week.

And did she enjoy herself? You bet! "The marathon was so fun for me — until I hit 21 miles," Jenny recounted. "Then you hit a wall. You push through and you’re so exhilarated." Oh yeah, I know exactly what you mean. That first 21 miles – just great.

That, in case it's not obvious, is sarcasm at its most sarcastical. If I get to the gym once every two weeks, it's a freakin' miracle. Jenny trained for, and then ran, a marathon. This is in addition to feeding, bathing and changing the diapers (30 per day) of six infants. Her husband helps, of course, and so do the grandparents (Bryan, the proud poppa, also ran the race with her). But, like, yowza. Good for her. This might be the only time in my life when I think it might actually be OK for me to say, "You go girl!" Well, almost.

image: Today Show

Source: ParentDish

'Retired' Tennis Star Returns to Court 6 Weeks Post-Partum

Madeline Holler — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:04:00 GMT

Tennis anyone? Oh, not me. I think the sport is as boring to watch and discuss as it is to play. But what I do love is sports talk that centers on motherhood. Obviously. I can't get enough of stories about women who not only continue to compete during and after pregnancy, but especially when the thrive because of it. Sometimes, kids do just the opposite of draining your aspirations. They turn it around an inspire them.

This is what happened to the 31-year-old tennis star Lindsay Davenport. She retired in 2006, pregnant with her son. But the retirement turned into maternity leave when a few weeks before giving birth, she got the strangest pregnancy craving yet: a return to the tennis court. Six weeks post-partum, she was playing in a doubles tournament.

Her boy, Jagger, is 7 months old now, and mom is making the rounds in the big tournaments. Serena Williams, for one, is in awe.

"I mean, I'm speechless because she looks better than me and she's seven months out of having a baby," Serena Williams said here at a pre-tournament news conference. "I'm convinced if I had a baby, seven months later I'd probably still be in the hospital trying to get over the pain."

Oh, Serena, it's not THAT painful. But the comeback is still pretty cool.

Having a kid has forced her to be selective and make difficult choices -- a refrain lots of mothers know. Baby Jagger's presence has changed her in more than one way. He helps to keep her temper in check -- or at least forces her to creatively manage it.

No matter what, win or lose, the presence of Jagger has changed everything for Davenport. She lost to Jankovic in Beijing and afterward told her nanny, who was with Jagger, that she needed a minute alone.

"I hit my racket on the ground, took a deep breath, and I thought, 'OK,' and we were all good again," Davenport said. "It took about hours less than it used to, to get the anger out. I didn't want him to see me do it.

"I was like, 'Would you mind walking outside for one second with him?' She did. [I] broke a racket. They came back in and it was fine."

With a mom on the court, I'm almost tempted to follow tennis. I mean, I won't, but I am tempted.

Marathoner Who Trained Through Pregnancy to Run in NY Race

Madeline Holler — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 12:12:00 GMT

A lot (most?) women work through their pregnancies, right up until the day before they give birth. Paula Radcliffe was no exception. Even full term with her first baby, she did the work she was accustomed to doing everyday: lacing up her shoes and heading out for a run.

The elite marathoner continued training throughout all nine months of her pregnancy. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl. And 12 days later, Radcliffe hit the road again to resume her running schedule.

Sunday, with her 9-month-old and husband watching, she’ll run in the New York City marathon – her first 26.2-mile race in two years. ** UPDATE Mama Radcliffe won the women's division Sunday running the course in 2 hours, 23 minutes and 9 seconds and taking home the $130,000 first-place prize. **

Radcliffe altered her training schedule when she found out she was pregnant -- for the first five months, she ran twice a day, 75 minutes in the morning and 30 to 45 minutes in the evening. (Is that all?) She cut back in the last trimester, running an hour in the morning and riding a stationary bike at night. (You know, during those months you were complaining about stairs and snacking a lot.)

Lots of scientists and sports doctors will have their eyes on the 33-year-old Radcliffe in the race, wondering whether the recent pregnancy will make her perform better or worse. Research into the effects of pregnancy on sports performance is difficult, since not a lot of women want to subject the fetus to potential harms.

Did you keep exercising all through pregnancy or quit the minute the stick showed a second pink line. Or, like me, did you promise to start and never quite get around to it, pregnant or not?