And What Did YOU Do With Your Sunday??

Well I'll tell you--I ran 20 miles! Yes that's right, today was our longest training run. We met at Boston College and donned stylish neon green safety vests (pictures hopefully to come soon) and headed west on the marathon course. We went as far as the far west side of the Wellesley College campus before turning around and heading back to BC.

I was a bit nervous upon starting this run as previously I had only done 14 miles. A six mile jump seemed pretty big and I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it. But it actually went alright. Well, let me rephrase, it went alright until about mile 18 when I no longer wanted to run up the hills anymore. Then it was less than alright. Bascially, the course that we did ended with Heartbreak Hill. Remember when I said earlier that running Heartbreak Hill isn't that bad? Well it turns out after running 18 miles, it's a lot worse. Those Newton hills will certainly be a challenge on Marathon Day!!

One of the things (well really the only thing) that got me through that tough part was my wonderful running partner Sarah. At one point between the first and second hills we took a quick walk/stretch break. When we started up again, I told her I didn't want to walk again and she shouldn't let me. She agreed to do this....and so a few minutes later as we were running up the second hill the following conversation ensued:

Me: I can't do this (PS, this is like the absolute worst thing you can say as a runner. We ALWAYS can do it)
Sarah: Yes you can. And you know what, you have no choice, you have to.
Me: Maybe I need to walk for a few minutes
Sarah: No, you're not allowed to. You have to keep running, you have no choice. C'mon, lets go.
Me: You know, I don't like you very much right now. You're mean.

Yes, I know she was doing exactly what I had asked, but at that moment, I didn't care :) I ended up walking for maybe 100 feet, enough time to take a few drinks of water, before pushing through it to the end of the run.We finished the 20 miles in just about four hours, which puts us in great position for a good run on Marathon Day!!

One of the fun things about today is that there were so many people out there running on the marathon course. This weekend is the traditional last long run of training so lots of people were out doing various permutations of 20 or so miles. It was nice to be surrounded with so many other runners!

So after today, I feel much more confident heading into Marathon Day--just 3 weeks away! Getting through this 20 mile hurdle was huge and also helped me solidify a few things for race day. Things like what to eat before (peanut butter and jelly sandwhich), what to eat/drink during the run (water/Gatorade mix mostly with maybe 1 or 2 GUs--have we discussed GU yet?) and what parts of the course are my most/least favorite. And now begins the taper period. Basically we don't do any more long runs. Just shorter runs (of no more than 8-10 miles) until Marathon Day!

Remember, it's not too late to sponsor me for the Boston Marathon--go to: http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/miriamst to donate online! Your gift of even just $10 will go a long way to helping me acheive my goal!

Finally, to my fellow Jews--Happy Passover! Enjoy your matzo!

So What's the Deal with High Fructose Corn Syrup??

So I'm sure you've all seen those commercials on TV about high fructose corn syrup. You know what I'm talking about, where someone advocates that high fructose corn syrup is the same as sugar and fine in moderation. I've seen them a lot and have often thought about high fructose corn syrup and whether it is really the same as sugar or whether it is a large contributing factor to obesity.

I am totally not a chemist, but from what I can understand, high fructose corn syrup is created when regular corn syrup goes through some kind of chemical process to change it's molecular structure from glucose to fructose. Then it's mixed with more regular corn syrup (which is made of fructose) to make a sweet syrup. Please don't ask me how corn syrup gets made from corn....I have no idea.

So anyways, there's been a ton of debate about whether or not high fructose corn syrup is worse for you from than regular sugar, which is typically in the sucrose form. In fact, if you do any sort of scholarly search you'll find a myriad of articles either saying that it's totally fine or that it's the worst thing ever invented. So who to believe? Well it's hard to say.

A few years ago, the American Medical Association released a report saying that they did not feel strongly that high fructose corn syrup contributed to obesity more than sucrose. Even a very publicized 2004 study showed that while there did seem to be an association between high fructose corn syrup and obesity, it was unclear if it was a direct cause. And just the other day, a study from Princeton was released that showed that rats who ate high fructose corn syrup had a greater weight gain than rats who ate table sugar, even if they consumed the same overall calories. (see below for a funny aside about rats)

So with all this conflicting information, what's a girl (or guy) to do? Well, as always, I'm no expert, but I'd say that avoiding high fructose corn syrup is probably a good thing to do. But that's easier said than done--it's in EVERYTHING. Seriously, soda, juice drinks, candy, salad dressing, and bread...really bread. So for me personally, I try not to buy or consume too many things with high fructose corn syrup, but I don't stress too much about the occasional soda or food that slips by.

But obviously, this points to the fact that we need more research about that factors that contribute to obesity. The Tufts President's Marathon Challenge, which I am so honored to be a part of, is raising money that will fund this important research so that we will not only better understand how things like high fructose corn syrup contribute to obesity, but how we can intervene to curb obesity in this country. You can help me out by sponsoring me at: http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/miriamst

So what do you all think about high fructose corn syrup? Is it something you work to avoid, or something you don't think much about? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And for a parting note, one of my most favorite TV shows, The West Wing has a hillarious scene about doing medical research in white rats. Here you go:

Margaret (one of the White House aides talking to the Surgeon General): Red meat has been found to cause cancer in white rats. Maraschino cherries have been found to cause cancer in white rats. Cellular phones have been found to cause cancer in white rats. Has anyone examined the possibility that cancer might be hereditary in white rats?
The Surgeon General: Let me tell you something, I'm not a hundred percent sure we've ruled that out.

Just a little something to brighten your day :)

My dear blog readers: Why I need your help

So it is now a little more than a month before the Boston Marathon. I'm getting more and more excited, and a bit nervous, each day. Amazingly enough, I only have two more long runs left before the taper period begins.

While my training is going well, I can't say the same about my fundraising. I've set out to raise $2,500 as part of the Tufts President's Marathon Challenge, which raises money to fund important research to fight childhood and adolescent obesity. I know this is a lofty goal, but I do believe with your help, I can achieve it.

For those of you who have already contributed a HUGE thank you! You are really helping me make this experience extra special. For those of you who haven't quite gotten to it yet, I hope you will contribute even just $10 to help me achieve my goal.

If you're still wavering about contributing, here are a few reasons to give:

• It's incredibly motivating for me to have all of your support. It may sound cheesy, but when I am struggling with training it's so helpful for me to know that there are people out there who are supporting me. I know that the marathon itself will be an even bigger challenge, but your support will help me through the tough parts.
• Your donations are fully tax deductible and go to an incredibly important cause--fighting childhood and adolescent obesity. The Tufts School of Nutrition has been at the forefront of the fight against obesity, both on a national and local level. They do amazing work and your contribution will help them do more.
• And if none of these serious reasons convince you, think of your contribution as a small price to pay for the hours (or probably minutes) of enjoyment you've received from reading this blog :)

We'll return to our regularly schedule talks about running and fighting obesity soon, but I wanted to interrupt with this important message and request for help. If all of you reading this gave just $10 (or even better, $26-one for each mile!) it will go a long way to helping me achieve my goal.

You can donate online at: http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/miriamst. If you'd prefer not to donate online, just let me know and I'm happy to give you the address to mail a check. Thank you all so much for your support!

Running in the Rain (Or why I am a hardcore runner)

So I woke up this morning at 6:45 (after successfully changing my clocks before going to sleep!) and peeked outside to see that it was pouring....and windy....and the kind of day that makes you want to just stay in bed. I checked the computer to see the forecast, and pretty much just saw this icon...for the whole day.

I'll be honest, I almost went back to sleep, I was pretty close. And then I remembered that the Boston Marathon is only a little over a month away and that training days are precious. So I dragged myself out of bed and headed over to Tufts for the weekly long run.

When I got there, I was impressed, about 30 other people had also managed to drag themselves to the run. The rain had mostly stopped and so off we went. For about 10 minutes, I thought it might be ok. And then...it began to pour again. Very quickly I was soaked....likely dripping wet, squishy shoes soaked. But there was nothing to do but continue on. And so, thanks to the support of my running buddy Ann, we finished our 14 mile run, battling the rain, the wind, the puddles of questionably clean water and drivers which seemed to think it was really fun to splash the poor runners.

As we sloshed our way through the rainy streets, Ann and I decided that having showed up this morning for the run made us hardcore runners. After all, a lot of people would decide to stay inside on a day like today, or cut the run short, but not us. And I'll say, while it wasn't the most fun run ever, it gave me a pretty good sense of accomplishment, that I could battle the elements as well as the usual sore muscles and tiredness. While I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed that Marathon Day weather is not like today, at least I'll have experience running in the cold rain if it comes to that!

And remember, if you want to support your favorite hardcore marathon runner, you can do so at http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/miriamst. All money goes to a great cause-research to fight childhood and adolescent obesity. Even if you can only give $10, every little bit helps!

Heartbreak, You (Didn't) Get the Best of Me

Ok, yes, I butchered a classic song, but it's been stuck in my head all day. But today was a big day--I had my first taste of the infamous Heartbreak Hill. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Boston Marathon course, it overall is a net downhill. But starting at mile 16, there are a series of hills, culminating in what is known as Heartbreak Hill just after mile 20 before the course begins to go back downhill towards Boston.

I'd been curious about this hill since I started training for the Boston Marathon and have definitely wanted to check it out before the actual race day. The Tufts group had a long run on the Boston Marathon course this past weekend, but I couldn't attend. But since I'm currently on spring break, and didn't have class today, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to give the hills a try. So off I went.

After a somewhat torturous T ride out to Newton, only increasing my hatred of the Green Line, I arrived at Riverside station and found my way to Commonwealth Ave and headed back in the direction of Boston. I went up one smallish hill, then another. Then a bit later, I went up a slightly longer hill, but still nothing too bad. I was still waiting for this Heartbreak Hill. Then, all of a sudden, I was at Boston College heading downhill. I realized that that last hill was in fact, Hearbreak Hill. And it wasn't that bad. Now, we'll see how it is after running 20 miles, but at least I know I can do it!

I had hoped to do 16 miles today, but it wasn't in the cards. I've had a slight cold the past few days and once the cold meds started to wear off, running became more difficult. I pushed through it a bit, but then bailed out. When I got home, I mapped it out and found out that I had done 13.5 miles. Not the best, but not too shabby.

Perhaps most excitingly, I got to wear shorts to run today! Maybe possibly spring is coming!

Thanks again to all of you who have contributed to my marathon running effort! I still have a ways to go though, so I would appreciate any help that you can give. You can visit http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/miriamst to contribute.

More Thoughts on Obesity

Sorry for the lack of posting recently, this crazy thing called grad school got in the way. But I did want to follow up on last week's post about how best to address the problem of childhood obesity. Before we get to that though, a few things. First, I am not, nor do I pretend to be an expert on any issues, least of all obesity. I'm just a wee public health student sharing my thoughts. Second, I do love that my last post about soda taxes prompted so much discussion, I think it's great that you all are not only reading, but sharing your thoughts. So please continue to do so!

Ok, on to the main attraction. Last week, I talked about how I wasn't a huge fan of a soda tax as a way to fight childhood obesity. So lets talk about what I am a fan of. I should start by saying, I don't think any one thing will be successful, it will take a comprehensive plan. But here are some key elements:

• Better health education about nutrition. We have to help parents and children understand what proper nutrition is and what it means to be appropriately physically active. I think this is one area in which public health has been a bit behind in the times. It's easy for people to be swayed by food advertising, the public health community has to do a better job getting the message out there. And it's got to be more than just about counting calories--portion sizes, healthy choices, healthier cooking methods, being active--all these things can be part of a comprehensive, culturally appropriate, health education campaign. This means it can't be a one-PSA across the whole country sort of thing, it needs to be tailored to particular audiences.
• Provide incentives for grocery stores to open in what are currently food deserts (areas that lack access to affordable, quality and nutritious food). Too often these food deserts coincide with low-income areas, which means that not only is there limited access to healthy options, these options are prohibitively expensive. As has been pointed out by many, obesity disproportionately affects low income people. If we're really going to solve this obesity problem, we have to give everyone an equal opportunity to access healthy nutritious food.
• Re-think the way we currently subsidize food. The way we currently subsidize food has made food cheaper, which is good, but it has tended to make unhealthy food the cheapest, which is bad. We should revisit these subsidies and figure out a way to subsidize fresh fruits and vegetables and drive the cost of these, and other healthy options, down. Again, that gives people a better opportunity to make healthy choices with a limited budget.
• Change how we build and maintain our communities. Why can't we make sure that we build more sidewalks so that people can walk safely in their neighborhood? And we need to ensure that our children have safe places to play and be active. There's a group here in Boston that has had some really good success in working within communities to empower youth to help clean up parks and make them safe places to be. Working within the community to make changes will be an important part of being successful.

There are of course more components, but at the risk of putting you all to sleep, I think I'll stop here. Just as a note, a lot of these things are also a part of First Lady Michelle Obama's new Let's Move campaign--hopefully it will be successful. Also, if you're interested in a really neat map tool that clearly illustrates some of the disparities that we face in area of nutrition, I'd encourage you to check out the FDA's Food Environment Atlas (thanks to Rachel for the link!).

Finally, because I don't want to be accused of hiding information, a study came out recently which showed that taxing unhealthy food was more effective than subsidizing healthy food. I haven't had a chance to read the whole study, but it is interesting and certainly seems to support what some of you all were saying about a soda tax. However, I still think that if you don't have access to healthy food, then taxing unhealthy food only makes it all cost more. I'd rather go the method of improving access and empowering individuals to make healthy choices.

As always, please share your thoughts! And remember, as part of my marathon training, I'm raising money to support research to fight childhood obesity and solve these important problems. I'd appreciate your support, you can make a contribution at: http://www.tuftsmarathonchallenge.com/runners/miriamst.