More health-conscious people turn to running

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Having a baby didn't stop Fiona and Blair Hoashi from training for marathons. The committed joggers bought a souped-up stroller for their son, Zachary, who accompanies them on their long runs. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Some runners find it easier to stick to their workout plans by running as a group, such as these joggers who meet often for runs at Kapi'olani Park. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Honolulu Marathon Clinic Informative talks and group training runs for runners of all levels. Participation in the marathon not necessary. Kapi'olani Park, across from Paki Hale (3833 Paki Ave.) Every Sunday until the Honolulu Marathon, excluding three-day weekends. Free

"I didn't want anyone to see me," said Ku, 44. "It was only one mile and it was so hard for me — I was out of breath. But when I was done, it felt so good. I felt like I had accomplished something, even if it wasn't much by anyone else's standards."

That feeling of accomplishment slowly grew, earned in small, addictive increments three and four nights a week over the next six months, until Ku was ready to take the next big step.

"I entered a 10K," she said. "That's what really got me. I was so nervous I couldn't help but train, train, train. The race itself was so much fun — just running with all these people. I just kept going."

And going. And going.

Ku said she has done nearly 20 10Ks and other road races in the past two years.

This December — knock on wood — she'll run in her first Honolulu Marathon.

"It's strange," she said. "I never thought I could do any of this stuff. But once you get started, all you have to do is keep going and things just happen, you just keep getting better and better."

Ku's passion for running is shared by a rapidly growing number of health-conscious people across the country, accounting for the biggest running boom since the 1970s. In 2001, road-race organizers issued more than 7.6 million race bibs to runners across America.

And many of those runners are much like Ku — they don't expect to become lightning fast or to win medals. What they do expect is that running will improve their quality of life. And whether they cover four or 40 miles a week, running rarely fails those who take it up and stick with it.

Kelly Giovi, 33, of Kailua, said she tried running several times in college but kept getting discouraged.

"It was hard," she said. "In retrospect, I guess I didn't know what I was doing. I'd start too fast and get out of breath. I didn't really know how to run comfortably yet, so I never enjoyed myself, and that made it hard to stay motivated."

It wasn't until Giovi hooked up with a group of experienced runners that she started to enjoy the benefits of her effort.

"It was just a matter of understanding how to warm up, get into a rhythm and deal with all the little discomforts," she said. "Running always takes effort, but you build up a tolerance to pain and that really helps you. You get so mentally tough, it's like nothing after a while."

Giovi said running also made her lifelong issues with weight all but moot. "I actually gained a few pounds because a lot of my fat turned to muscle," she said. "It was cool, though, because it made me thinner and I was just so much healthier all around. I used to get stressed out and sick a lot, but now I never get sick."

Running decreases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, morbidity, anxiety and depression, says Marcie Harris Hayes, a physical therapist at Washington University in Missouri. It also enhances feelings of well-being and performance in sports and recreational activities.

Cardiovascular benefits occur with any form of aerobic activity, but from a musculoskeletal stance, running is one of the most efficient forms of aerobic activity.

Running can also cause injuries, especially if you increase your mileage too quickly.

"That's where I get on my soapbox," said Harris Hayes, who specializes in musculoskeletal health. "When you first start a running program, you're not going to run two miles the first time. You want to start a run-walk program. Run a little while, walk a little while and build up to it.

"The key things to look for are joint pain. You should not have joint pain with running. If you do, stop. The key is identifying the difference between sore muscles and true joint pain. Any discomfort with a stabbing pain is bad."

One of the advantages of running is that you don't have to go long distances to reap its benefits.

"If you want general fitness, working up to two or three miles, three to five times a week, is good," says Harris Hayes.

"But probably the biggest benefit is it's easy to do," she continues. "You don't need special equipment, and everyone has a place to run. You can run outside, run on a track, run on a treadmill."

The human body changes tremendously over the course of the first six months of a running program. That's why the longer you stick with it, the easier it gets, said Tammy Burlis, a certified cardiopulmonary specialist and physical therapist at Washington University.

"If you (regularly) work out at 60 (percent) to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, the weight and volume of your heart will increase," Burlis said. "You will get an increase in your plasma volume, which enhances your circulatory reserve, and that helps with oxygen transport and temperature regulation during exercise."

Prolonged high-intensity aerobic exercise also improves the lungs' ability to pull in more oxygen for the muscles, she says. Such physiological changes aid a runner's body even when the person is not running. Resting blood pressure and resting heart rate decrease because the heart, which is a muscle, becomes stronger, more efficient and is able to move more blood through the circulatory system with each pump.

Running can be good for the heart in other ways, as the Hoashi family of Kapi'olani discovered. Blair Hoashi, 49, ran track in high school, but fell out of shape as an adult. He joined the Honolulu Marathon Clinic six years ago with the goal of running his first marathon and, in the process, burning off a few pounds.

"There were some discouraging points, some aches and pains," he said. "But being with the clinic really helped. They're very supportive, and that helps you stick with the plan. It was a lot easier than if it was just me out there trying to train on my own."

It was at the clinic that he met his future wife, Fiona McNeill-Hoashi.

Blair and Fiona have completed five marathons each, and they both volunteer with the clinic to help new runners achieve their goals. They continue to run two or three times a week, often pushing their new baby in a running stroller.

"We try to meet after work during the week and go running," he said. "After that we go home and have a healthy meal. It's a way for us to bond as a family."

The free Honolulu Marathon Clinic meets at 7:30 a.m. every Sunday (except three-day weekends) through December at Kapi'olani Park across from Paki Hale. The clinic, which includes a short talk and group runs, is open to runners of all levels.( Participation in the marathon is not necessary.) On the Web, see home.hawaii.rr.com/marathonclinic.

The Knight Ridder News Service contributed to this report.