http://www.joebilldixon.com/.html/index.htmlRunning Life with CharacterenChad DixonCopyright 2012, Chad Dixon2012-01-29T21:07:58-06:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Mon, 9 Jan 2012 20:03:48 -0600Chad DixonRunning2012-01-29T21:07:58-06:00http://www.joebilldixon.com/.html/blog/files/d6b65f738dfabdce214a75f7804e4d43-7.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.joebilldixon.com/.html/blog/files/d6b65f738dfabdce214a75f7804e4d43-7.html#unique-entry-id-7
Of those that use it as an excuse to be released from all physical activity, I always think of Jackie Joyner-Kersey, the United States Olympic gold medalist track athlete from St. Louis, Missouri. Joyner-Kersee never let her severe asthma slow her down. She learned to deal with it proactively so that it wouldn’t prevent her from reaching her full potential. I also think of President Theodore Roosevelt who actually used a strict regimented exercise routine to help him overcome his severe asthmatic attacks that almost left him dead as a young boy. The barrel-chested, fighting, rugged rough-rider image that stands out in our minds started out as a puny, sickly, vulnerable child that rarely went outdoors because of all the toxins in the air.

Those of you that have asthma know this, but for those of you that don’t asthma occurs when muscles around the airways constrict and make it difficult to impossible to breathe. Medication, such as inhalers (a steriod), are used to relax these muscles. There are those with chronic asthma, like Teddy Roosevelt, in which symptoms aren’t triggered by any activity in particular. And there are those with exercise-induced asthma, like Jackie Joyner-Kersee, that only notice symptoms upon strenuous exercise.

I cannot empathize with any of you that struggle with asthma, but my sympathies for those of you that live with this and yet have that Jackie-Joyner Kersee or Teddy Roosevelt spirit influenced me to do a little research on the subject and offer these tips.

Avoid Prime Pollen Times
Because a high pollen count can be detrimental to the asthmatic runner choose early morning hours when pollen count is most often at its lowest point during the day.

Humidify The Airways
Dry lungs and dry airways cause inflammation which causes the asthmatic to suffer, so if you find yourself breathing in cold, dry air try covering you mouth with a scarf or even you hand to humidify your airways. This may feel a little restricting on your run, but not as restricting as having to stop entirely because you have a full blown asthmatic attack.

Be Deliberate in Diet
All runners should drink plenty of water, but particularly the asthmatic. Water reduces inflammation in the lungs by preventing them from becoming too dry. Also, choose foods that are high in magnesium, such as leafy green foods, lentil beans, and potatoes.

Warm-up
Before intense work-outs or races a warm-up is key for everyone, but especially the asthmatic runner. Experiments have shown that those that warm-up hard enough to induce a mild asthmatic attack will not likely have another attack for 4 to 6 hours.

Keep Inhaler Handy
Inhalers are small enough and light enough to be carried anyway without hardly noticing them, including on a run. If you have experienced an asthma attack before or fear the experience occurring then don’t be caught dead without one (pardon the pun).

I hope these tips will be helpful to at least one asthmatic runner. If you are one of those students with asthma that doesn’t use it as a crutch then do tell your P.E. teacher about what to look out for, but keep the can do spirit.

Are you an asthmatic runner? What famous asthmatics have inspired you? Let me know if these tips were helpful to you or if you have any to add.

Running Life with Character.]]>Chad DixonRunning Life Blog2012-01-21T22:49:16-06:00http://www.joebilldixon.com/.html/blog/files/14fb1d640b03e9711b52a97a638ee835-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.joebilldixon.com/.html/blog/files/14fb1d640b03e9711b52a97a638ee835-6.html#unique-entry-id-6
About a year ago my running partner, Wes Gunter, and I started talking about starting the old Zizzer Running Club back up and having a focus on youth. We have both credited running with being a major influence in our childhood and helping us through those confusing coming-of-age teenage years. This winter we decided to go ahead and stop talking and start taking action. After talking to some local coaches that volunteered to help us out with a little extra time, I wrote up a flyer and started distributing it. Since then I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the club. What is it? Who is it for? Why are you doing this?

I answered some of these questions at our meeting. For those of you that weren’t able to attend here are some of the things we talked about.

My motives for starting the club are twofold. First, I want to increase the general fitness level of our community. This can be done in many ways, but running is the most accessible, inexpensive, and effective way to do this. Running is an activity that can be done in virtually all types of weather, without the need for certain facilities or high dollar equipment; it can be done alone or with a group (though I recommend our Zizzer Running Club group), and it is a base conditioning routine of all other sports proving its effectiveness. As the saying goes: Our sport is everybody else’s punishment.

A recent CNN news report finds that 1 in 3 American children are overweight or obese. This percentage of overweight children has tripled in the past 30 years and is continuing to rise. Since at least 2009, the number of obese children has outnumbered the number of obese adults. In short, we’ve got to get our kids running. They have to be more active.

I had one young girl ask me if her mom could come and run with her. My answer to her was, “Yes!” I would love to see parents come out and choose to do something positive and active with their children. Most children that face weight issues will never be able to overcome them if their parents don’t take a lead in stressing the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle.

My second motive for reestablishing this running club is to provide a platform for younger runners with talent and desire to train and compete with like-minded kids in the area. Some of my fondest memories are of training for and traveling to AAU and TAC cross-country and track meets with buddies like Brian Roberts, Jay Rodenbeck, Jeff Jackson, and Adam Talburt. We got to travel to places like St. Louis, Chicago, Memphis, Montgomery (AL), North Carolina, just to name a few. I hope other children, mine included, get this same opportunity.

]]>Chad DixonRunning Life Blog2012-01-10T22:07:24-06:00http://www.joebilldixon.com/.html/blog/files/18f04e50e997872c7f4588083c944469-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.joebilldixon.com/.html/blog/files/18f04e50e997872c7f4588083c944469-5.html#unique-entry-id-5Last Fall I began meeting once a week with an old teammate of mine to run. It has kept me running sporadically throughout each week. Due to this I am now enjoying some semblance of shape, to the extent that I at least don’t get sore after sprinting to catch one of my kids.
My cross-country season is over and that means I will be stuck in a gym coaching basketball for the next three months. I love the game of basketball, but I’m not fond of the season; it’s long and cold, and generally comes with too much senseless controversy.
Another reason I’m not fond of the season is that when basketball rolls around my coaching responsibilities greatly diminish my opportunities to run. Because of this, I’m learning to enjoy every little run that I do get. Monday was a teacher-inservice day at school and so we didn’t have to be there until 8:30. This gave me an extra hour in the morning and I used part of it to do a 2 mile run on the treadmill. Yesterday, in absolutely gorgeous weather outside, I had to run across a field to get cones for our P.E. activity. I was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude to the Lord for the ability to run, even that short little distance that took less than a minute, because I know that there will be a day when I will wish I had the strength in the legs of my youth, because I know that there are people out there that are my age or younger that have suffered tragedy that has captivated them in a body with legs that are useless. I delight in the freedom that my legs afford me. To run is to be free. Too many take this for granted in their youth.
I will run when I can this winter season to escape the captivity of the gym. I will run when I can because I am not promised a healthy tomorrow. I will run when I can because each time I do I am better for it.]]>