RADCLIFFE WINS!!!!!
Paula Radcliffe will be hitting the pavement in all five boroughs of New York City on Sunday as she takes on the New York Marathon -- her first competitive marathon in two years since becoming pregnant and giving birth to a daughter.
The New York Times takes a look at Radcliffe's experience, including her extensive training during her pregnancy:
Here is an internationally competitive athlete, at the pinnacle of her career, who continued training during pregnancy at a level most runners who are not pregnant would find daunting. For the first five months, she ran twice a day, 75 minutes in the morning and 30 to 45 minutes in the evening. Then she cut back, running an hour in the morning and riding a stationary bike at night.
She even did training regimens like hill repeats — repeatedly running up hills to build strength and endurance. She was closely monitored by her doctor.
"People were looking at her as if she was crazy," says Gary Lough, Radcliffe’s husband and manager.
Radcliffe's OB insisted that she not push her heart rate past 160 (her max is 190, so this was a relatively easy effort for her). She ran the day before giving birth and then 12 days after delivering Isla, she laced up her shoes again. She suffered through two injuries during her training -- a stress fracture in her lower back and a foot injury -- but she was able to train for the race.
Now that race day is nearly upon her, she is a bit nervous. There are so many variables, so many things beyond training and ability that can make the difference between winning and losing.
Still, Radcliffe says that she thinks she will run better than ever. Her endurance is better than it was before she was pregnant, she says. And her recovery from hard workouts has been faster.
"If I’m happy, I train better and I race better," Radcliffe said. "And the fact that I’ve got a little angel in my life makes me run better."
I can't imagine being an elite runner like Radcliffe. Whipping off 5:10-5:30 miles for 26.2 miles? Running upwards of 140 miles per week! Astounding and inspiring.
An additional NY Marathon note. I got an email from the talented woman we have taken children's yoga classes with, Kira, whose husband David(Editor in Chief of Runner's World) will be part of the race day coverage on NBC. He'll start the morning running with Lance Armstrong (!) and interview him, then move through the race to interview a variety of regular people running the race -- breast cancer survivors, a heart transplant survivor, a man who lost 140 pounds and won the UK's Biggest Loser show. These interviews will air on New York's NBC affiliate, and some may air during the NBC highlight show later in the afternoon nationwide. Or, savvy netizens that you are, you can stream it at nbcsports.com!!! I am looking forward to it -- it's always fun to see someone you know on TeeVee!
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