Fitness

In the eight years since the "May Is Bike Month" campaign began, area cyclists have ridden millions of miles while demonstrating that bikes are, among other things, an easy solution to complex problems.

Roughly 18,000 people attended Saturday's Komen Race for the Cure at Cal Expo, the first since the national organization's ill-fated January decision to stop giving funds to Planned Parenthood – a move it later rescinded.

Northern California has more than its share of trail races. But a new one that will take place on May 19, called the Coloma River Run, will have several unusual twists.

Friday Night Lights here connote something far, far different than in most places.

With her pink ribbons and can-do attitude, Sonia Susac raised $40,000 last year to become one of the leading fundraisers for the annual Komen Race for the Cure in the Sacramento Valley.

More than 3,000 runners have already registered for the Dec. 2 California International Marathon.

Today, we provide a few exercises to limit the chance of injury.

Michelle Bouchard and HealthCorps are part of a movement to push back the rising tide of childhood obesity.

In Northern California and across the nation, wealth seems to translate into good health, a comprehensive new report affirms.

Unhealthy eating habits and a lack of physical activity are the biggest health risks facing children today, according to a new survey of California voters.

Sacramento County placed a mediocre 31st place, while three contiguous counties were in the top ten in a statewide health ranking.

Phyllis McGee and Helen Baker, both residents of Camden Springs Gracious Retirement Living, a seniors community in Elk Grove, are walking their first half-marathon this weekend.

You don't have to be a pro cyclist with 5 percent body fat, a $10,000 race bike and million-dollar lungs to enjoy the feeling of riding like a pro.

This is one in an occasional series of fitness columns by Dinger's strength and conditioning coach, Sean Doran of the Sacramento River Cats.

Kay Amundsen, 87, knows exactly why she likes the new taiko drumming class at Ethel M. Hart Senior Center in midtown Sacramento: She gets out all her frustrations banging on the big Japanese drums.

It's something about the insanity of biathlon that lures people in: First, ski fast and hard.

Editor's note: The Bee asked Dinger to help readers prepare for an active spring. The savvy mascot sought some major-league help from Sean Doran.

There is no shortage of comic potential when someone runs around with their underwear worn outside their clothing.

Under most circumstances, if I did an activity that left me with multiple bruises and such sore muscles that lifting my arms was agony, I'd guess that I'd done something very stupid. But after getting roughed up last month, I couldn't help but feel smart – or, at least, smarter than the average gymgoer.

Tour de France riders once rode tank-heavy, steel-frame machines. They carried several spare tires around their necks. They drank from bulky, conspicuously positioned metal water bottles, the designs of which weren't too far removed from canteens.

All over town and out in the suburbs, folks hop on their bikes for the simplest of reasons, leaving their cars behind.

"What do you think is the best hospital for ordinary abdominal surgery?" asked a woman who needed to have her gallbladder removed.

Health and fitness events in the Sacramento region.

The holidays are over, January has arrived, and many of us enter the New Year determined to live our lives a little healthier than we did last year.

California's economy may be suffering and the state budget may be in disarray, but when it comes to healthy lifestyles, Californians -- or at least coastal Californians -- are leading the nation, according to The Atlantic magazine.

Health and fitness events in the Sacramento region.

The New Year is upon us, in all of its promising potential. A year of new beginnings, resolutions and possibilities.

Health and fitness events in the Sacramento region.

Running and eggnog, both quite enjoyable when experienced separately, can lead to queasy and potentially propulsive results when combined.

Health and fitness events in the Sacramento region.

It's that time of year again when most of us get into that revved-up shopping mode, trying to get or make that perfect gift for everyone on our list.

The pace, Erick Monyenye thought, was too slow. So just before Mile 19 of Sunday's California International Marathon, Monyenye shifted into another running gear and invited the rest of the dwindling leaders' pack to keep up.

Thirty-three Americans – 25 women and eight men – ran under the qualifying times for next month's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials at the 29th California International Marathon on Sunday.

Kenya's Erick Monyenye pulled away from the leaders' pack just before mile 19 and won the 29th annual California International Marathon this morning, crossing the finish line at 9th and Capitol in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 50 seconds.

Amy McDonaugh says she hardly ever runs with a guide. She stays on familiar roads while training near her South Carolina home and, during races, sometimes "shadows" other runners whose feet she can make out ahead.

For dinner Saturday night, Steve Schenck said, he will probably sit down to a plate of spaghetti, for the familiarity. Jake Matthews was leaning toward chicken and potatoes, for the "power." Beth Bourne said she might eat some chicken or fish, for the lean protein.

Dec. 11 is the last day to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials – scheduled for Jan. 14 in Houston – which means those attempting to qualify at the California International Marathon most likely will be taking their final shot.

Marriage may be good for your health. Mostly.

Health and fitness events in the Sacramento region.

The Run to Feed the Hungry established a first this year that organizers could have done without.

Georgana Elliott, a firm believer in healthy living and a pioneering businesswoman who co-founded one of the first natural foods stores in Sacramento almost 60 years ago, died Saturday of natural causes, her family said. She was 92.

For 18 years, Run to Feed the Hungry has generated money for programs of the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. Between now and Thanksgiving, we'll bring you stories of local folks who benefited from Food Bank & Family Services programs.

To order the DVD or find theater screenings of "Unbreakable: The Western States 100," go to www.ws100film.com.

Kaiser Permanente opened the doors to its new sports medicine center in Elk Grove earlier this month, a first for the health network in Northern California and the latest entry in an increasingly competitive market.

Health and fitness events in the Sacramento region.

A few moments after Tipper, a 12-year-old baseball player, was hit in the head by a ball, a doctor – another boy's parent – came out on the field to examine him. Tipper lost consciousness momentarily but was awake by the time the doctor approached him. He could move his arms and legs and his speech was intact.

If you have questions about the practices of your managed-care coverage, ask the experts at the Department of Managed Health Care.

Picture Aretha Franklin timidly answering a cattle call for "America's Got Talent" or Robert De Niro deigning to do community theater.

Indeed, just as women have embraced October and all things pink for breast cancer awareness, so, too, have men ripped a page from the increasingly crowded philanthropic calendar.

This week's health-related events in the Sacramento region