Three Deaths at the NYC Marathon

CNN mentioned last night that there were three deaths associated with this year's NYC marathon. Bloomberg says two HERE and they mention that there were three other cardiac arrests at the event. These were the first reported deaths associated with the famous run since 1994.

This sad for all involved and my condolences to their families and friends.

In an earlier post I noted a study showing that the after-effects of running a marathon (according to blood panels) looks a lot like a heart-attack. A marathon is a serious undertaking and there are risk as well as rewards. As with any exercise regime, its important to check with your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to engage in the activity.

Marathon and triathlon competitions seem to be gaining more of a mainstream focus, as our general activity and fitness levels drop overall. It seems to be another symptom of the extremes American culture is predisposed to. I think that setting fitness goals (and sometimes using a race is helpful in that endeavor) can be a good thing, but running a marathon at the peril of your life is not worth it.

So, dear reader, let's set reasonable fitness goals for this week. I'm going to the gym Monday & Thursday and I'll walk Friday and do Pilates Saturday. If I get home in time, I might do a bonus Pilates workout Tuesday (business trip that day and Wednesday I teach until 9:00 p.m.).