2007.10.30: October 30, 2007: Headlines: Sports: Running: The Ledger: RPCV Suzanna Bon was the top female finisher at this year's Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run in the Los Angeles area, also setting a course record

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Peace Corps Library: Sports: January 23, 2005: Index: PCOL Exclusive: Sports : 2007.10.30: October 30, 2007: Headlines: Sports: Running: The Ledger: RPCV Suzanna Bon was the top female finisher at this year's Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run in the Los Angeles area, also setting a course record

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RPCV Suzanna Bon was the top female finisher at this year's Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run in the Los Angeles area, also setting a course record

RPCV Suzanna Bon was the top female finisher at this year's Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run in the Los Angeles area, also setting a course record

Bon says she thinks a combination of factors has figured into her success as an endurance runner. She's run since high school, but only in the past four years has she explored ultra-races of 50 kilometers and more, racking up 25 so far. "I've learned to pace myself," says the stay-at-home mom from Sonoma, Calif. "And I've learned to mind my own race as opposed to my competitors' races." Life experience factors in as well: "I've been through three pregnancies, so I know I can endure a certain amount of discomfort. I lived in Central America and was a Peace Corps volunteer and lived through precarious situations."

RPCV Suzanna Bon was the top female finisher at this year's Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run in the Los Angeles area, also setting a course record

Older Athletes Not Left Behind

Sports utilizing strategy, mental fortitude can work in their favor.

By Jeannine Stein
Los Angeles Times

[Excerpt]

offsetting aging

Although 40 marks the age at which most men begin to lose about 1 percent of muscle mass per year, that can be circumvented by hitting the weights. And Nelson thinks that a good cardio program can help counteract the slow decrease in aerobic capacity over the decades.

Women might have an edge over men because they produce more estrogen, which helps protect the muscle cell membranes from wear and tear, says Robert Wiswell , an exercise physiologist and associate professor in the division of biokinesiology and physical therapy at the University of Southern California.

The fact that women generally weigh less than men might give them an additional advantage, because that lighter load creates less stress on the body.

hard work and focus

Bon says she thinks a combination of factors has figured into her success as an endurance runner. She's run since high school, but only in the past four years has she explored ultra-races of 50 kilometers and more, racking up 25 so far.

She attributes the win at Angeles Crest (where she placed eighth in a field of 89 finishers), and her overall performance (she's shaved 40 minutes off her time in 100-kilometer races), to a solid athletic base, a healthy diet and a supportive family that doesn't balk when she goes on 60-plus-mile workout runs.

"I've learned to pace myself," says the stay-at-home mom from Sonoma, Calif. "And I've learned to mind my own race as opposed to my competitors' races." Life experience factors in as well: "I've been through three pregnancies, so I know I can endure a certain amount of discomfort. I lived in Central America and was a Peace Corps volunteer and lived through precarious situations."

Bon says she feels better and stronger now than she did in her 20s, and she is more in tune with her body, with no aches and pains from racking up the mileage. She doesn't think she's that unusual.

"There is such a depth of strength that is untapped, especially for women in their late 30s and 40s," she says. "I have a lot of friends who look at me and say, 'I could never do that.' But if you have the desire and the support, you really could."




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Story Source: The Ledger

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