dara torres

Innovative Body Solutions – Doing the Home Stretch with Dara Torres

by Monica on July 30, 2009

Dara and I are tight…tight-muscled that is. When I read her book ( Age is Just a Number) that included her pre-olympic routine I wanted to know more about the stretching she came to rely on to get her there. She called it her secret weapon. Now, I do not have the very apparent resources of Dara so when I saw the Resistance Stretching DVD with Dara Torres online, I was in. It is the work of her resistance stretching team of Anne Tierney and Steve Sierra of Innovative Body Solutions. I have been doing these stretches for a few weeks now and I come to look forward to them at night. At first I wasn’t sure if I was doing the resistance part correctly (and this is where a trainer or one of their classes would be good)…but I managed to go back and watch their very detailed tutorial again and again until I was confident I fully understood.

If you are an older runner like me you may also find these stretches very helpful as part of your cross training. I have been off the road for two weeks now due to my foot injury but continue to cross train and stretch. I am not as sore as I am usually. [click to continue…]

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Salad Days – Dressed to thrill: 7th week back from an injury

by Monica on July 12, 2009

The Anderson's Garden

A salad a day….my training mantra for these past weeks. This has required effort on my part. As much as I love to order a good salad in a restaurant, it’s not what I crave at home. My husband planted this fabulous mesclun lettuce mix in our garden (photo) and it is making my daily quest for a salad actually tolerable. It is truly amazing how lettuce fresh from a garden can taste so much better! My 13 year son and I sometimes have what we call “power salads”- – just eat it raw and get it over with! But I have also found some really fabulous dressings that have helped me make it through these salad days:

Trader Joe’s Champagne Pear Vinaigrette (This is my favorite on a salad with a sliced pear, walnuts and a handful of gorgonzola cheese).

Trader Joe’s Cranberry, Gorgonzola and Walnut Dressing (I like to add a handful of their Omega Trek Mix)

Wegmans’ Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Organic extra virgin Olive Oil and Seasoned Rice Vinegar (my daughter Isadora’s favorite — a combination her Grandma Luanne taught her).

Cross-training has taken on new meaning as I nurse yet another foot injury. This time on the top (same foot), the result of a shoe tied to tight? Frustrating to say the least, but it’s been getting better every day. One day running, then two or more days off. Cross-training on off days and one full day of rest. This has been working so far to keep me fit with less running.

I received my Resistance Stretching with Dara Torres DVD (Dara’s’ secret weapon for training over 40) and I am into a few days of trying it out. [click to continue…]

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What’s the “right” BMI for a woman marathoner?…Weighing in

by Monica on May 3, 2009

I went to the sports medicine doctor this past Friday and it looks like I have two more weeks in the cast, two weeks of PT, then I can begin to ease back into training. It gave me such a light-hearted feeling to know the end of my lay-up was near. Take something away from someone to make them appreciate it…I miss running.

I am now thinking that I need to start getting obsessed about my body again (I know some people are good at that all the time- I am not one of them). Not being able to exercise has taken it’s toll. It’s time to shed those extra pounds that have made my jeans a little tighter and my stomach soft. If I cut back on sugar and ramp up the intensity while training, I am usually able to get rid of the excess. But what if I wanted to try (before training–because cutting back while training is so hard) to lose even more to improve my marathon time? If losing weight makes you faster, how much do I need to weigh?

I measure my BMI on the Runners World BMI Calculator…mine is 23.17. The scale says this is normal. That doesn’t seem right, so I decide to calculate the BMI of some of women’s best marathoners:

Paula Radcliffe: 5’8″ -119lbs > BMI 18.09

Written on the bottom of the page on RW: “BMIs below 20.7 (for men) and 19.1 (for women) are considered unhealthy” (fine print must read…unless you are a really fast marathon runner).

Deena Kastor: 5’4″- 104lbs > BMI 17.85 (does this make her really unhealthy?)

Kara Goucher: 5’7″-120lbs >BMI 18.79

Why not try someone who doesn’t run…a swimmer…

Dara Torres: 5’11.5″ (She is almost 6 feet!) -149lbs >BMI 20.78…perfect.

Maybe these runners are just young…I try:

Joan Samuelson: 5’2″- 101lbs > BMI 18.47

Ok, so now I am thinking…next to my BMI it should say “not really normal (actually kind of overweight) if you are trying to improve your marathon time.”

I think I found my answer.

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{book preview} More on Dara Torres — Age is Just a Number

by Monica on March 20, 2009

I finally went to the doctor today to check out the constant nagging pain in my foot. The one that has been keeping me off the road and out of the Boston Marathon. Feeling a bit defeated, I decided to get an official diagnosis. The doctor thinks it is a stress fracture or heel spur and sent me for an x-ray. On my way out of the house, I grabbed the mail which included the newest edition of More magazine (April 2009 issue).

As I sat there, if there was an ounce of pity in my thinking, it was now gone after reading the cover article on Dana Torres. Motivation in the form of a 42 year old fireball. I read the excerpt from her new book, Age is Just a Number , and was completely engaged. She describes the tedious, mythodical pre-race ritual for her Olympic medal winning effort. Funny, honest and totally inspiring commentary from a hard working perfectionist.

I love it when she says…”you don’t have to put an age limit on your dreams, that the real reason most of us fear middle age is that middle age is when we give up on ourselves”. (this is why we run ladies!)

I chuckled at her describing her rolling suitcase being laughed at by the younger swimmers and was intrigued by her relationship to her body. It’s a great article and truely made me re-think the way I look at my own injury. I look forward to reading her book. Go Dara! You’re amazing.