What has your dad taught you about your health?

Hi there! So glad you asked your question. It's an important one. The big thing I learned from all of my distance running over the years is that you have to find a good and healthy balance. At one point in my life (my teens and early 20's), I was running too much and couldn't keep enough body fat on my body to have periods. I was competing on my high school's, and later, on my college's cross country teams and also competing in marathons. On a typical day, I would run 15-18 miles. One of my biggest accomplishments was running the Boston Marathon in a decent time, but I weighed only about 90 pounds which was not at all healthy for a 5'9" 19-year-old girl.

With all of the running I was doing, it was really impossible to eat enough to make up for the calories/fat that I was burning each day. So even though I was an athlete and thought I was in great shape, I was not healthy, and at one point when I was 20 years old, I ended up in the hospital for several days and needed a blood transfusion. My body fat percentage was so dangerously low that my internal organs were rubbing against each other and causing internal bleeding. There was just no padding on my body, which is very dangerous. I had to get 2 pints of blood, which was a huge wake-up call. Under doctor's orders, I gave up running for a year and focused on gaining weight. My period started several months after my hospital scare for the first time in my life.

Fortunately, I recovered from being completely caught up in my running -- I'd let it take over my life and it nearly killed me. I think we can do just about anything in excess until it's harmful. I was lucky that the experience didn't impact my ability to have kids -- I've had four babies, including a set of twins. Fertility was never an issue for me, but my doctors are always amazed that I didn't have a period until I was 21.

I guess, long story short, that my experience with running when I was younger is a good example of what not to do -- don't go overboard with your running. Don't take it to the extreme. But if you want to train for a half marathon, and you follow a good and healthy training schedule, take care of your body and rest when you have pulled muscles or any aches/pains, etc., then go for it. You can always shake up your training by substituting some runs with cycling, swimming and/or fast walking, so that you still get the same cardio benefits from exercising in a way that isn't as rough on your joints. And don't forget to re-fuel with healthy food, lots of water and rest.

I actually just did a half-marathon in January (I'm 43 now), and it was the first long race I've done since I was in my 20's. I didn't push it at all, didn't go crazy with training, ran it slow, and just enjoyed the fact that my body can still do something that physically challenging at this point in my life. I have no desire to do another one, but it was nice to know that I can run and keep a healthy balance.

Do you run a lot at this point? Will you be training with a friend or relative for the half marathon? It's always nice to train with someone else. Please let me know how you do!