SparkPeople Member and Certified Running Coach
Nancy Howard has a degree in nursing. Her mission is to help others learn the process of living a healthy lifestyle and to let them know it is never too late to start. An avid runner, Nancy has competed in more than 100 road races since 2006, including 12 half marathons and Hood to Coast Relay--the largest in North America. She has lost 80 pounds--and kept it off--since joining SparkPeople in 2005. In 2009, she achieved two amazing goals: She became a Runners Club of America Certified Running Coach and ran the Chicago Marathon. She wants to inspire the world and let everyone know you don’t have to be an Olympian to run.
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Running Down a Dream: I Did Just That in Chicago
There are many days in our lives that will define who we are and what we are made of. Let today be your day!
One of the most defining days in my life came on Sunday, October 11th, the day I ran my first marathon--the 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. A dream I have been envisioning since I took up the great sport of running 3 1/2 years ago in the spring of 2006. The journey hasn’t always been easy, but it has been well worth the blood, sweat, and tears I put into the training.
While waiting to board my plane on Friday I had my first run-in with another runner traveling from the Dallas area to run his 50th marathon. Having already qualified for Boston in 2010, he was running Chicago to improve his qualifying time for a faster corral. Talk about feeling out of my league, that was a true understatement--but he was more than kind to tell me the tales of his own 30 year running career. What I learned is, we all came to running with our own goals in mind, but quickly discovered the great joy it brings to our lives as we overcome the obstacles the sport can bring to us. I have learned so much hands-on knowledge from other runners, but most importantly I take away much more--the camaraderie that few amateur athletes share and that is our true love of the sport!
Posted 10/14/2009 2:11:44 PM By: : 124 comments 22,084 views
Is it OK to Exercise When You're Sick?
When temperatures begin to dip, it isn't too unusual to see a rise in the number of people walking around with the sniffles and the dreaded runny nose. Much of this has to do with the colder temperatures outside while the warm, dry air inside becomes a breeding ground for these viruses.
It is important to note that a cold is not the flu. While colds and the flu are both caused from viruses and can share common symptoms, colds tend to have milder symptoms, such as a runny nose, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention colds generally do not result in other health related issues such as pneumonia.
Flu on the other hand, can be quite contagious, lead to fever, aches and pains, chills, upper respiratory symptoms, a cough and other more serious health related risks such as pneumonia, which may or may not require hospitalization.
Many health experts advise one to continue an exercise regimen at a moderate pace but avoid doing any high intensity workouts if you have a cold, however, now is not the time push your body into some high intensity activity.
Posted 10/10/2009 6:37:05 AM By: : 132 comments 44,713 views
The True Champion Exists in All of Us
"Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character." T. Alan Armstrong
Photo courtesy of Mike Brennan
In less than 4 days I will be taking on the Chicago Marathon and to be quite frank I am tad nervous and some would say petrified--not that I will NOT finish, but that I am not ready. I have spent the better part of the week reading inspirational stories and quotes from others who have taken on this great journey to push their bodies beyond what many people never have the courage to do. Knowing that I am not alone in my doubts will be a huge factor in helping me to cross the finish line. As my former running coach reminded me a few days ago, "You have done the homework Nancy, now all I have to do is take the final exam."
Hearing this brings me an eerie sense of calm and a great sense of excitement to be running with over 40,000 other runners, including Coach Jen and a dear pal from the Road Runners SparkTeam, Jean.
Posted 10/7/2009 4:25:48 PM By: : 63 comments 20,136 views
Lessons I Learned from the Cincinnati SparkPeople Convention
What a wonderful weekend it was to spend with so many inspirational members . The conventions are becoming the highlight of my life in ways many of you may understand. For those non-SparkPeople members this may be hard for them to appreciate, but trust me, I walked away with more friends this past weekend than I did when I arrived. Life doesn't get any better than that! I was so touched and moved by everyone who has had the courage to walk this journey. We are more than just members of an internet site, WE ARE A FAMILY!
Posted 10/3/2009 5:27:21 AM By: : 82 comments 18,826 views
When Things Don't Go as Planned, What Do You Do?
In a little over a 11 days I will be running in my first marathon--Chicago. A race I have been preparing to run since I first laced up my pair of running shoes back in the spring of 2006. For the past 15 weeks I have managed to run through the Texas heat, being chased by a Pit Bull, being dived bombed by a mockingbird, as well as running countless miles along the shores of White Rock Lake trying to pass the 2-3 hours in the most efficient way--until IT happened only 3 weeks out, my first 'real' set back.
Two weeks ago, after my Tuesday interval run my ankle became a tad 'grumpy' as my running coach used to call it. I really didn't think much of it since I have had these little aches and pains before and within a day I was back to my normal running routine. So I came home iced my ankle and stayed off my feet as much as I could until it was time to run again on Thursday. Oh boy, things where not good from the onset. I could barely run 1 mile. It wasn't painful, but it just didn't seem right. After watching Misty May-Traenor ruptured her Achilles tendon on Dancing with the Starslast year, my biggest fear is tearing that ol' Achilles.
Posted 9/30/2009 10:55:06 AM By: : 108 comments 30,010 views
When Too Much Water Can Cause Problems for Runners
For many runners, our biggest concern after injury, is becoming dehydrated, especially when temperatures start to sore and our mileage begins to creep up. While dehydration can be an issue, overhydration can be an even more dangerous issue, particularly in endurance athletes, such as marathon runners and tri-athletes.
Overhydration occurs when we drink too much water hence flooding our bloodstream with excess fluid. In doing so, we throw our electrolytes out of balance which can lead to deadly consequences if we do not recognize the warning signs early. And this issue does not just affect new runners. In an April 2005 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 13% of all runners who ran the Boston Marathon in 2002, had hyponatremia, or low blood sodium, due to overhydration.
Posted 9/26/2009 8:30:13 AM By: : 108 comments 36,626 views
Confession: Getting Older Really Stinks, but I Guess it Beats the Alternative
Last week I celebrated my 48th birthday. While for many of you that may seem quite young, for others, that means I am old enough to be your mom. Either way, I do not like the transformation my body is undergoing! I wish I could say I am embracing this aging process with grace, but in all honesty, I hate IT!
I do not like the way everything is beginning to dry out and sag just a little more with each passing year. It's hard not to notice the fine lines every morning and the gray hairs that seems to be multiplying by the hour. Thankfully, I have a good colorist! My skin is not so moist, my hair is even thinner than it was before, and yes, sometimes I awaken with a few more aches and pains than I remember just a few short months ago.
Posted 9/23/2009 4:05:45 PM By: : 473 comments 50,381 views
Is Prevention the Way to Drive Down Health Care Costs?
President Obama recently addressed the joint session of Congress and the American people regarding his health care agenda. Regardless of what political affiliation you ascribe to, the truth is health care costs are spiraling out of control--far surpassing the rate of inflation. This is not a blog about party affiliations--Democrats, Republicans or Independents--but what we, as individuals, can do to take personal responsibility for our own health and the health of our kids.
In a letter addressed to President Obama dated September 11, 2009, from American College of Sports Medicine President, James Pivarnik, Ph.D., he states that "prevention and wellness is much more than just clinical
preventive services and should include initiatives designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, including increasing physical activity and improving nutrition." Prevention of disease is clearly one way many of us can help control cost.
Posted 9/19/2009 5:46:38 AM By: : 170 comments 22,139 views
Make Running Fun for Your Kids
"Children may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." Author unknown
Running is such a natural activity for all of us, no matter what our age. Our bodies were designed to run. Teaching our kids the value of healthy eating and exercise is such an important role we, as parents, play in their lives. However, I believe keeping exercise fun and exciting for our kids is what will hopefully keep them interested in healthy living well into their teen and adult years.
For children under the age of 5 or 6, taking them outside and playing running games like tag or chase is a fantastic and fun way to introduce them to the sport without forcing them to follow a regimented running program. As they grow older, if they show an interest in running, then by all means let them run. Here is a link that will help guide you as to what is appropriate for each of the age groups. And if you are still uncertain as to what your child should or should not be doing, then feel free to contact the Road Runners Club of America for a list of running coaches who may be able guide your child.
Posted 9/16/2009 12:02:03 PM By: : 36 comments 21,660 views
Trust the Process: Learning to Accept Change
Last January I attended a two day seminar led by one of the country's premier sports dietitians, Nancy Clark. During her lecture on weight loss and exercise she made the following comment that struck a chord with me. She said, "If what you are doing isn't giving you the results you expect, what is the harm with trying something else?"
This was such a powerful message to me because so many times in the past I was so reluctant to try anything different in fear that it would take me in the wrong direction. This was especially true when I was advised to up my caloric intake when I started increasing my running mileage last spring. I had become so accustomed to eating between 1,200-1,550 calories per day that to increase my calories to 1,500-1,800 seemed so overwhelming. Almost to the point where fear took hold of me each time I logged my food into my food tracker.
Posted 9/12/2009 6:26:09 AM By: : 103 comments 28,584 views
Would This Ad Convince You to Give Up Your Soda and Juice?
Last December New York State had considered implementing a sales tax on sodas and juices to help offset the rising rate of obesity, but that proposal appears to have fallen through the cracks.
Now New York City public health officials are taking the message to encourage people to give up soda and juices to the streets--literally. For a three month time period, 1,500 subway cars will carry an ad depicting fat being poured from a soda bottle into an overflowing glass with the phrase "Are You Pouring on the Pounds? Don't drink yourself fat" in hopes that this type of "in-your-face" ad campaign will encourage many people to give up their beloved sodas and juices.
Posted 9/5/2009 6:09:30 AM By: : 285 comments 31,583 views
How Technology Changed My Life
I grew up in a generation on the verge of the hi-tech genesis. I know I am aging myself but before the mid 1980s I had never used a computer. My high school typing class--yes, they used to offer this as a high school course--used the manual, old-fashioned typewriters with an ink ribbon. And calculators were very expensive and huge. No pocket calculators in my school and that was if we were even permitted to use them. And to think that we would ever give up LPs for digital tunes is still mind boggling. Let's not even begin to talk about cell phones--those were gadgets that James Bond, Maxwell Smart, and Dick Tracy used, not the average person on the street.
The Sony Walkman was one of one the coolest gadgets one could own back in the day. It was a cassette player that one could snap on his/her waistband and listen to the music with headphones until it was time to flip the cassette over-- unless you had the cooler version that reversed the tape without flipping. Although it was quite big, it was considered the iPod for my generation.
Posted 9/2/2009 5:04:35 PM By: : 114 comments 32,053 views
Laughing in the Face of Adversity: How Our Emotions Impact Those around Us
Two weeks ago a friend sent me a link to a YouTube video from a short French movie in which a gentleman boards a subway where everyone is silently absorbed in their own world. Suddenly the gentleman begins laughing uncontrollably. This causes the lady next to him to begin laughing and within a few short minutes the whole train is filled with people laughing. Not one word was uttered--all you hear are the sounds of people laughing. I even found myself giggling and grinning from ear to ear as I viewed the video. At end of the movie, the gentleman departs the train and once silence fills the air as the passengers return to their pre-laughter state. At this point I realized how contagious our emotions are on others.
Growing up I never wanted attention drawn to me. I did everything I could to avoid situations that would make me feel silly or embarrassed or worse make me look like I had no clue what in the world I was doing. I'm not too sure if this was caused by my type A personality, but I know it was far easier for me to sit on the side-lines than to put myself out there for others to see the imperfections--imperfections that many times I focused on all too frequently.However, thankfully with age and a tad of wisdom, I am learning to let go of what others think of me. That still doesn't mean I don't get embarrassed or as we say in the south, flustered when I can't quite master a new activity.
Posted 8/29/2009 6:30:27 AM By: : 152 comments 33,903 views
Use Caution When Taking Anti-inflammatory Meds After Exercise
This past summer I fulfilled a long-time dream to become a certified running coach via the Road Runners Club of America organization. This was a two day in depth program in which the physiology of running was discussed, in addition to the students formulating training programs for future clients.
Day one was spent learning about the body and how it adapts to the rigors of running. I was surprised to hear that 70% of all people who take up running will, at some point in time, develop an injury. And while the risk for injury is a tad higher with runners than with other sports, this should not be a deterrent in starting a running program; but be aware that listening to your body and allowing for timely rest and recovery is essential to keeping you healthy as a runner.
As someone who has spent the better part of three years running, I have had my fair share of minor injuries, however nothing that has kept me away from the sport longer than a few weeks. In my recovery I did what I had read in so many running books and articles and that was to rest, apply ice, and take an anti-inflammatory to decrease the inflammation.
Posted 8/26/2009 5:36:35 PM By: : 99 comments 40,497 views
Update: PETA Pulls Controversial Billboard!
We have a saying in the south, "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar." If you haven't heard, there is a beef taking place in Jacksonville, Florida with PETA and their current billboard campaign promoting vegetarianism. The billboard features an illustration of an overweight woman in a bikini with the phrase "Save The Whales, Lose The Blubber: Go Vegetarian." If this is PETA's attempt at getting people to move away from an animal-based diet, I think they may want to re-think their strategy.
When I first heard this story on the news Tuesday morning, I was shocked and appalled to see the actual billboard. I do not understand why PETA would go to such measures to demean women, no matter what their size. I find this stepped way over the line of integrity and humanity.
Being overweight or obese is difficult enough, but to be the target of such malicious intent is even more frustrating and very sad to me. Why is it that there are those in our society who feel it is OK to humiliate those who don't quite fit the norm, whatever the norm is?
Posted 8/22/2009 9:22:28 AM By: : 521 comments 30,070 views
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