Exercise-induced hematuria

I decided to write a section on this because this actually happened to me personally! After two of my races this year I found blood in my urine and it really scared me. I went to the doctor for it and she told me not to worry because it's not uncommon; it's something called exercise-induced hematuria.

Exercise is the one of the many causes of hematuria. Exercise-induced hematuria can be defined as gross or microscopic hematuria that occurs after strenuous exercise and resolves with rest in individuals with no apparent underlying urinary tract pathology. Hematuria has been found after contact sports, such as football and boxing, and non-contact sports, such as long-distance running, rowing, and swimming. 

There was a study done on hematuria of 45 male and female marathon participants. After the race 24% had hematuria. Direct trauma to the kidneys and/or bladder may be responsible for the hematuria associated with contact sports. In distance running, trauma to the bladder may occur due to the flaccid wall of the bladder against the bladder base. A near empty bladder increase that possibility. Exercise-induced hematuria appears to be a benign condition with no known long-term morbidity. 

Running Can Slow the Aging Process

Remember in class when we did chronological age and real age? I bet for those of you that asked exercise and are physically active had a lower real age than your chronological age. Running is just like this; it tends to slow down the again process and keeps you looking and feeling younger than you really are. Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine have looked into this and performed a study. They found that elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer lifespan of active life, and are half as likely as again non-runners to die early deaths. Running appeared t0 slow the rate of heart and artery related deaths, and was also associated with fewer early deaths from cancer and neurological disease. Along with preventing infection and disease, you'll be able to be more mobil and active as an elder. For many older people, not being able to move around and perform the same activities they did as they were younger is a huge burden, so my advice to you is get out there and run! The aging process is beyond our control, but the rate at which we age is up to us!

http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/august/running.html

Running While Pregnant

For many people running and physical activity is a daily habit and a huge part of their lifestyle. For those of you who aren't physically active daily, think of something else that is part of your everyday lifestyle. It could be having your morning cup of coffee, smoking a cigarette, taking a shower, etc. Imagine if you had to give one of these habits up? It would be extremely hard and would take getting accustom to. When women find out they are pregnant many of them believe that they have to stop running and this could lead to some health issues such as unnecessary weight gain. Also, telling a competitive or passionate runner to temporarily stop doing what they love, is like telling a chain smoker to just quit smoking their cigarettes. Luckily for these pregnant women, there is hope. Many women describe running through their pregnancies and actually describe it as being beneficial to them. Here is an example from an article I found: "Jennifer Frankowiak, a mother of one from Tampa, Fla., ran through a good deal of her pregnancy and feels she was healthier for it. "I enjoyed it, and it made me feel better about eating so much," she says. "I knew birth and recovery would be easier. My weight gain was right on target not too much and not too little." Although, it is fine to keep on running pregnant women must alter their workouts as they alter other habits as well. They should alter things like intensity and be aware of how much they are sweating and their environment, because if the mother overheats than the fetus will too. Pregnancy loosens your joints in preparation for birth, so you are more flexible but are more prone to strains and sprains. Running during pregnancy is beneficial for a women's emotional health. They tend to have a high self-esteem, a more positive attitude about pregnancy, and easier labors.

http://www.pregnancytoday.com/articles/exercise-in-pregnancy/running-while-pregnant-2251/

Introduction

First of I'm going to tell you a little about myself. I am a junior here at Westfield State and have been on the Women's Cross-Country team as well as Track and Field Team since I was a freshman. Both team's are very successful and I obviously enjoy being apart of them. Right now cross-country is going on, and we've started out the season on a really good note. We have a great new coach, Bill Devine, and he is confident on a successful season for both the men and the women. Check out our website to view our results!

http://www.westfieldstateowls.com/index.aspx?tab=crosscountry2&path=wcross