FIT View By Efren Martinez The Comeback Kid It took me several tries, but I finally got Joe LoBianco for this FitView piece. In fact, those of us who know Joe, know he isn’t one for the limelight. He is someone who will gladly help others from the shadows and prefers not to make a big dealabout it. So with that said, Joe agreed to share his inspirational story with our readers in hopes that it would help others, especially those in their 70’s or 80’s who feel they no longer are physically able to participate in events dominated by young adults or who have experienced similar or other serious medical problems such as he. In 1981 when he was 53 years old, he had to have open-heart surgery (quadruple bypass) and while the surgery was successful he experienced a long period of depression. Without going into too much details of this period in his life, Joe finally defeated his depression by starting a walking exercise program. At first it was just fast walking over flat terrain, then gradually easing into hill walking and eventually hiking in the local mountains. But soon after Joe had the depression dragon by the tail, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had surgery and 25 days of radiation treatments. This time Joe says there was no period of depression and after a proper healing process he resumed his exercise activities. Clearly his healthy lifestyle change with walking and hiking and running helped him overcome the depression. Running? Yes, running Modesto View Readers. At the age of 75 a good friend of Joe’s asked him to join in a 2-mile race. At first Joe was a little apprehensive because his buddy was a bit younger than him and frankly thought his friend was a little crazy for doing theses races. But after some thought, he figured he’d try it out and see if he could understand why his friend participated in these races at this late stage in his life. Well he did therace and found that he enjoyed not only the race itself, but also the atmosphere of congeniality amongst the participants. From then on, Joe was hooked on racing with fun memories flashing back to him of as a youth. Looking back, the best running he did was when the police would bust up their craps games in the schoolyard. Joe recalls that the police didn’t ever really try to chase them but instead would stay behind as they ran away to keep any of their pennies left behind. After all it was during the Great Depression and Joe says every penny meant something in those days. Anyway, Joe and his friend did a few more races that year and each year after. Within the last 3 years, he found he had more time on his hands on weekends so he decided to increase his participation. Joe thinks he did about twenty races in one year, but didn’t really keep an accurate tally. Last year he did record his races and on New Years Eve day 2011 he competed in his fiftieth race of the year. This year barring injury he expects to participate in his fiftieth race the week of his 85th Birthday in October. If all goes well, he hopes to reach sixty races by the end of the 2012. Almost all of Joe’s races have been 5K’s and on occasion a one or two mile race. Joe is clearly on the run again, but this time not from the police but to add another winning age division medal around his neck and another race under his belt. I asked Joe what inspirational words he might share to those who have walked in shoes similar to his. Joe says, “LIFE IS GOOD and my personal motto for life is, it’s OK to be afraid to die, but it is never, never OK to be afraid to live.” From all of us at The Modesto View Magazine, Happy Birthday Joe! Healthy Running Tips Always check with your Doctor to make sure your healthyenough before you start any exercise program. Always run opposite to traffic. On hot days, run early in the morning, use sunscreen and a visor to keep the sun off your face. Take 1 day off of running for recovery per every hour you run. Hydrate properly the day before & not so much prior too a run. Careful not to hydrate too much so you don’t washout the glycogen completely in your liver, glycogen is what helps fuelyour energy. It’s recommended that your urine should be the color of straw. If it’s too clear, you have washed it out completely. Compression socks help speed up recovery after a run and can be purchased more affordably at any drugstore such as Walgreens. Refuel with carbohydrate shortly after a run; Carbohydrates help to replace muscle and liver glycogen to refuel your energy stores. Thecurrent recommendation is a ratio of 2:1 carbohydrate to protein following strength workouts and 4:1 after endurance workouts. Be mindful of traffic & always assume they don’t see you. At any time you feel pain or some discomfort, stop! Listen to your body; it will help prevent a fitness injury. There’s nothing shameful with ending it with a walk even if you started it out with a run. For most, it will be more beneficial as you cool down. I prefer to warm up with a light jog & then stretch it out after my intense workout. Look for more on why in future Fit View Issues.
