Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa

Set against the Santa Catalina Mountains in the High Sonoran Desert, Tucson's Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa has been offering wellness programs to people from around the world since 1996.  Today guests came to Miraval individually or with family and friends to relax, refresh, and learn to live and feel better. There are no strict regiments. Instead, choice is the guiding principle, with a wide range of programs and experiences designed to create overall well-being and help guests become more aware of themselves and their surroundings. Miraval's success is driven from a philosophy that life is more meaningful and enjoyable when physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual components are in balance.

Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa

Better Running Through Walking

I am more couch potato than runner. But not long ago, I decided to get myself into shape to run in the New York City Marathon, on Nov. 1, just 152 days from now. (Not that I’m counting.)

To train for my first marathon, I’m using the “run-walk” method, popularized by the distance coach Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 Olympic team. When I mentioned this to a colleague who runs, she snickered — a common reaction among purists.

But after interviewing several people who have used the method, I’m convinced that those of us run-walking the marathon will have the last laugh.

Contrary to what you might think, the technique doesn’t mean walking when you’re tired; it means taking brief walk breaks when you’re not.

Depending on one’s fitness level, a walk-break runner might run for a minute and walk for a minute, whether on a 5-mile training run or the 26.2-mile course on race day. A more experienced runner might incorporate a one-minute walk break for every mile of running.

Taking these breaks makes marathon training less grueling and reduces the risk of injury, Mr. Galloway says, because it gives the muscles regular recovery time during a long run. Walk breaks are a way for older, less fit and overweight people to take part in a sport that would otherwise be off limits. But most surprising are the stories from veteran runners who say run-walk training has helped them post faster race times than ever.

One of them is Tim Deegan of Jacksonville, Fla., who had run 25 marathons when his wife, Donna Deegan, a popular local newscaster and cancer survivor, began organizing a marathon to raise money for breast cancer research. When Mr. Galloway volunteered to help with the race, Ms. Deegan asked her husband to take part in run-walk training to show support.

“The only reason I did this is because I love my wife,” said Mr. Deegan, 49. “To say I was a skeptic is to put it very nicely.”

But to his surprise, he began to enjoy running more, and he found that his body recovered more quickly from long runs. His times had been slowing — to about 3 hours 45 minutes, 15 minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon — but as he ran-walked his way through the Jacksonville Marathon, “I started thinking I might have a chance to qualify for Boston again.”

He did, posting a time of 3:28.

Nadine Rihani of Nashville ran her first marathon at age 61, taking walk breaks. Her running friends urged her to adopt more traditional training, and she was eventually sidelined by back and hip pain. So she resumed run-walk training, and in April, at age 70, she finished first in her age group in the Country Music Marathon, coming in at 6:05.

“My friends who were ‘serious’ runners said, ‘You don’t need to do those walk breaks,’ ” she said. “I found out the hard way I really did.”

Dave Desposato, a 46-year-old financial analyst, began run-walk training several years ago after excessive running resulted in an overuse injury. He finished this year’s Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, Mich., in 3:31:42, cutting 12 minutes off his previous best.

“I run enough marathons now to see everybody totally collapsing at the end is very, very common,” he said. “You wish you could share your experience with them, but they have to be willing to listen first.”

Another unconventional element of walk-break training is the frequency — typically just three days a week, with two easy runs of 20 to 60 minutes each and a long run on the weekend. The walk breaks allow runners to build up their mileage without subjecting their bodies to the stress of daily running, Mr. Galloway said.

Many runners take their own version of walk breaks without thinking about it, he says: they slow down at water stations or reduce their pace when they tire. Scheduling walk breaks earlier in a run gives the athlete control over the race and a chance to finish stronger.

While I’m planning to use run-walk training to complete my first marathon, I’ve heard from many runners who adhere to a variety of training methods. So later this week, the Well blog will have a new feature: the Run Well marathon training tool, with which you can choose any of several coaches’ training plans and then track your progress.

Besides Mr. Galloway, plans are being offered by the marathoner Greg McMillan, who is renowned for his detailed training plans that help runners reach their time goals; the New York Flyers, the city’s largest running club, which incorporates local road races into its training; and Team for Kids, a New York Road Runners Foundation charity program that trains 5,000 adult runners around the world.

The Run Well series also gives you access to top running experts, advice from elite runners, reviews of running gadgets and regular doses of inspiration to get you race-ready.

So please join me, the coaches and other running enthusiasts every day at the Well blog, nytimes.com/well, during the next five months of training. For me, this is finally the year I’ll run a marathon. I hope it will be your year too.

Tara Parker - Pope, New York Times

Spas of America Launches 30 Destination Spa Experiences

Spas of America, the fastest-growing spa travel website, today launched listings for 30 destination spas from across North and South America. "Destination spas are the pioneers of the spa industry," says Spas of America president Craig Oliver. "They demonstrate a commitment to total wellness by providing customers with a complete experience encompassing health, fitness and diet."

The Spas of America website, which features over 650 spas, allows customers to search spas by keyword, region or specific type of spa experience. Categories include City, Mountain, Country, Beach, Desert, Ocean, Mineral, City, Wine -- and now Destination as well. Spas of America features destination spas in Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Kathleen LeSage of Vermont's New Life Hiking Spa, one of the new listings, says: "It is no wonder 'preventive health lifestyles' are popular. Obesity and diabetes are on the rise, and with those come a myriad of other health issues. Leading a healthy lifestyle, staying at a healthy weight, and keeping your body active and flexible have enormous health benefits, from keeping diabetes at bay to lowering cancer risks to alleviating depression."

Adds Craig Oliver: "Preventive care even made its way into President Obama's speech this week. He called it 'one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control.' The spa and wellness industry has been long-time advocates of preventive health. Destination spas, in particular, provide customers with the ability to experience holistic health, but also to take many of the health, fitness and diet learnings home with them."

Destination spa experiences featured on Spas of America include:

Fitness Ridge Spa Resort, Utah
Located amidst the beautiful red rocks of southwestern Utah, the Fitness Ridge Resort & Spa is a one-week-minimum, results-oriented health, fitness and weight loss resort. The spa strives to empower each guest and help them jumpstart lasting lifestyle changes through education, exercise, accountability and self-awareness.

Heartland Spa, Illinois
Nestled in Illinois farm country around a spring-fed lake, this unpretentious 32-acre destination spa focuses on fitness and well-being. True to its name, the Heartland Spa emphasizes "heart health" through its nutritious cuisine, personalized programs, and full range of fun and challenging fitness activities.

Hills Health Ranch, British Columbia
With a leading reputation for wellness, health and weight loss, the Hills Health Ranch, set on 20,000 acres in British Columbia's scenic Cariboo region, offers a unique combination of rest, relaxation, education and adventure. Guests may hike rangelands dotted with peaceful lakes or challenge themselves in diverse classes to reach new fitness goals.

New Life Hiking Spa, Vermont
Renowned as an affordable destination spa with some of the country's best hiking and fitness programs, New Life Hiking Spa is located in the heart of the aptly named Green Mountains. This distinctive spa focuses on a mixture of hiking, yoga, other forms of exercise and healthy eating to help guests make lasting lifestyle changes.

Red Mountain Spa, Utah
Framed by towering cliffs and the red rock formations of southwest Utah, Red Mountain Spa offers a wide selection of quality activities for fitness enthusiasts, in addition to all the pampering, luxury and relaxation you expect from a full-menu spa.

For a complete list of destination spas on Spas of America visit:
http://www.spasofamerica.com/experience/destination