Nathan Davis, 12, of Frederick won this year's Cherry Blossom 5K in an astonishing 17:22. Photograph by Nicole Davis.
It’s not hugely unusual that the winner of Sunday’s Credit Union Cherry Blossom 5K is a science whiz with an eye for wind patterns. But what’s really surprising is the fact that the winner, Nathan Davis of Frederick is only 12 years old. The seventh-grade running prodigy schooled veteran runners with an impressive 17:22 finish (for those counting, that’s a 5:35-per-mile pace). I personally ate his dust just after mile one on the out-and-back loop, and I saw him blaze past mile two, trailing a lone 27-year-old runner who was clearly losing steam.
But this soft-spoken tween, who celebrated his win with a cheeseburger at the American History Museum, isn’t about to let running define his life—at least not yet. Nathan recently won second place in a science and engineering fair for designing three solar-powered windmills as a school project, and he dreams of being an inventor when he grows up. He’s shy, rarely watches TV or plays video games, and hesitates when asked to identify his favorite movie, but he opens up when talking about his passion for science and the environment. No surprise: His favorite subjects are science and math. And as with running, he’s really good at both.
Michael Sapienza is the executive director of the Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation, which funds research to find a cure for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women combined.
To show how one’s diet can promote digestive health and therefore prevent colon cancer, Sapienza kept a one-day food diary for us. Find out what he ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner below.
Breakfast: “My morning always starts with fiber. Fiber is one of the most important foods we can eat to help promote digestive health. My breakfast this day was Kashi’s oat cereal with almond milk, sprinkled with flaxseed. There is evidence that flaxseed helps prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.”
Even better news: We’re giving away two tickets to her show at the Warner Theatre on April 24.
Here’s the deal: Subscribe to our Well+Being newsletter, which you’ll find in your inbox every Monday, and you’ll be entered into the drawing to win the tickets. Just sign up for free over at our newsletter page before 5 PM on April 16, and you’re good to go.
The winner will be announced Wednesday, April 17.
Already signed up for the newsletter? No worries: Stay tuned for even more giveaways (and yes, more tickets!) on Well+Being in the next couple weeks.
You finished your first major race, but now your runner's high has turned into a major low. Running experts say new runners should use their post-race recovery period to try out low-impact forms of exercise. Photograph via Shutterstock.
Three weeks ago I ran my first half marathon. Which was also my first-ever race. And I had a terrible cold.
Ordinarily, I’m the kind of person who sequesters herself firmly on the couch at the first sign of a sniffle, but in this case, after three months of getting up in the cold and dark to train and countless weekends of tourist-dodging while jogging around the Mall, it wasn’t an option. I didn’t quite reach my goal of finishing in under two hours (my final time was a maddening 2:00:30) but the experience of running 13.1 miles through the city with all the cheerleaders and crowds was unforgettable.
My runner’s high only lasted for so long, though. A week later, after the cold had enacted its revenge for several days, I was struggling to run farther than a mile and began to worry that all the fitness I’d built up had evaporated. I was also feeling sluggish and unmotivated without a training schedule. In my post-race low, I turned to local running experts for answers.
Jetties, with four locations in Washington, is a “step above” most delis in terms of nutrition, says dietitian Jennifer Reilly. The Sconset sandwich is a veggie-friendly choice. Photograph courtesy of Jetties' Facebook page.
It’s no wonder Jetties, with locations in Georgetown, downtown DC, Bethesda, and Macomb, is such a beloved institution. Dietitian Jennifer Reilly says it’s a “step above” most delis, thanks to its offering of multigrain bread and almost as many salads as sandwiches.
Still, its menu isn’t perfect. Reilly says most options are very deli-meat heavy, which means they’re high in sodium, too. Fortunately, she scoped out the menu and picked the healthiest item on the menu for us.
WORST: Tom Nevers
With three types of meat (turkey, ham, and bacon), plus mayo and three slices of sourdough, this sandwich doesn’t score many nutritional points. The extra slice of bread “adds more calories of simple fast-acting carbs and zero heart-healthy fiber,” says Reilly.
Everyone has their favorites, but a plenty of runners say their go-to pre-race meal is peanut butter toast with banana. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
Major races are in full swing this spring, with the Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler on deck for this Sunday. Curious, we asked readers via Twitter this morning to share their go-to pre-race meals. The verdict? Some version of bread with peanut butter and banana. (We couldn’t agree more!)
Of course, everyone is different, so don’t feel like you have to change your typical breakfast right before race day. Read on for more pre-race dinner and breakfast ideas, and feel free to add your own in the comments section.
Betsy Ramirez's healthy recipe requires just three ingredients and no baking time. Photograph by Ramirez.
In case you haven’t noticed from the hordes of tourists on the Mall, it’s definitely cherry blossom season. But while the blooms are still MIA, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate with some homemade cherry-themed eats.
We love these snacks from dietitian Betsy Ramirez for when we need a quick pick-me-up. And they’re nearly as easy to make as they are to eat—they only require three ingredients (dried cherries, dates, and slivered almonds) and no baking time.
The cherries provide a wealth of antioxidants and pain-reducing properties, dates are full of fiber, and almonds help reduce the risk of heart disease. Happy snacking!
CorePower Yoga recently opened its second Washington location in Georgetown. It features two large studios, locker rooms, and a lobby with yoga mats, clothes, and other merchandise. Photographs by Jeesoo Park.
“I call it yoga on steroids,” said Ona Pappas, my instructor at CorePower Yoga in Georgetown.
She was talking about her class, CorePower Yoga Sculpt—Heated Power Yoga with Weights. I showed up for the 9:30 AM session feeling slightly anxious about what was in store. Sculpting? Weights? Heat? These were things I did not typically associate with my usual vinyasa flow practice, which always helped me to feel calm, relaxed, and self-aware.
But I kept an open mind as I walked through the studio, taking in its newness and the array of colorful yoga clothes and mats for sale in the lobby. CorePower was clean and sleek—and extremely spacious. The Georgetown branch may only have two rooms, but one fits as many as 70 students, while the other holds 60. The locker rooms are just as generously sized.
The half marathon is the most popular racing distance in the US, according to a new report released by Running USA. Women made up 60 percent of the record-number of half-marathon participants in 2012. Photograph courtesy of Brae Blackley.
Last February, graduate student Alyssa Schwenk ran her first half marathon in Disney World with her mom. She loved it so much she signed up for two more 13.1-milers for later this year.
Liz Badley of Reston has crossed ten half-marathon finish lines; her 11th will be at the inaugural Nike Women’s Half in DC this month. Dorothy Beal, a mom of three and an avid runner, says although she has 23 marathons under her belt, there’s still nothing quite like running the half.
Schwenk, Badley, and Beal aren’t alone in their love for the half marathon. A recent report released by Running USA found that since 2000, the number of half-marathon finishers has increased by a whopping 284 percent, making it the most popular race distance in the country. Last year saw a record 1.85 million finishers—60 percent of whom were female.
“In short, it is the Usain Bolt of the US road race world,” the report said.
Jumping rope can burn 14 calories per minute and makes for a great cardio workout. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.
When’s the last time you picked up a jump rope? If you can’t even remember, you’re missing out on one of the best calorie-burning workouts available. Jumping rope burns approximately 14 calories per minute while increasing endurance, improving agility, and strengthening your hand-eye coordination.
Plus you can jump rope anywhere—at the gym, on vacation, or in the comfort of your own home. We rounded up three great jump-rope workouts for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Beginner’s Jump Rope Workout From the Ultimate Jump Rope Workouts
