By Liz Davies

The benefits of exercise on physical and mental well-being have been extensively studied in clinical trials. Regular exercise has been shown to promote maintenance of healthy weight, prevent loss of bone mineral density, reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension, and improve psychological health.

In individuals at risk for cancer development or with an existing cancer diagnosis, however, the positive effects of regular exercise are even more far-reaching. Exercise has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers, such as colorectal, breast, endometrial, and mesothelioma.

The mechanisms by which exercise reduces cancer incidence remain unclear. One theory is that regular exercise reduces the production of inflammatory proteins thought to be central in the development of certain types of cancer. In the case of breast cancer, exercise is thought to affect hormonal balance in a way that deters tumor formation. In preventing colon cancer, regular exercise is thought to promote bowel motility, consequently reducing the amount of time the bowel is exposed to potentially carcinogenic substances.

After six months of recovery from plantar fasciitis. I am finally healed and have decided to resume training for my first 50K trail event. I am calling this an "event" instead of a "race" for two reasons. First, this will be a fat ass (self supported) birthday run at my favorite trail, Northshore Trail, not a formal race. And second, at the speed I run, you can't really call it racing!!!

I've developed a 28 week plan starting today. I adapted this plan from the Ultraladies 50K plan. Why 28 weeks? Well, because that is the amount of time between now and my birthday! Not so complicated. I am following a similar plan as the one that I developed last time around. I plan to keep Monday and Friday as rest days, but I might incorporate a little strength training on those days as long as I do not feel tired.

I'll admit it. I haven't been keeping track of my weight nor paying any attention to what I have been eating over the last few months. I was blaming it on my foot injury--you know, can't run so might as well eat! But when I stepped on the scale this morning I was shocked to see that I had gained 15 pounds from the last time I posted a weight goal update. I'm a little ashamed.

Since it is a new year and I am ready to start my training again, I am going to get refocused on my weight loss goal.

Note: I have placed my blog updates on hold until I resume my Three In Three Challenge. Until then, you can follow my trail running at DailyMile.com.

I can think of many things to be thankful for on this special day. I have been blessed over the years. But I will limit my thoughts to the context of my Three In Three Challenge.

Today I am thankful to Dr. Santiago for encouraging me to start this journey. After setting my three goals (quit smoking, lose 50 lbs., run a ultramarathon) we started working on the first goal--quit smoking. I am proud to announce that as of today I have been SMOKE FREE for two years!

I can say that quitting smoking is one of the most difficult things that I have done in my life. But it is so worth it. If there are any smokers out there reading this, I encourage you to talk to your doctor and ask him or her to help you quick smoking. Yes, you will go through hell and back, but the journey is well worth it.

For encouragement, read how I quit smoking. Trust me... from someone who has gone through it, it is so worth it. Make the decision, call your doctor and get started down the path of living a smoke free life.

What can I say... I am running again and it feels really good. I know I need to be careful not to overdue it and to ramp up my mileage base slowly, but it feels good to be back out on the trail.

I am just going to focus on getting back into the routine for the rest of the year and then pick my next target race to resume training. I know I will achieve my ultra marathon goal this year. It's a no brainier.

Did I mention that it feels good to get back out on the trail again?

Just saying...