Runner's Web Digest - February 20, 2004

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New This Week:

Note: The Runner's Web is going scuba diving from March 3rd to 10th
inclusive. There will be no Runner's Web Digest on Friday, March 5th,
and the site will be not be updated during this period. Our auto-updated
headlines will be available.

We have NO personal postings this week.
Personal Postings, when available, are located after the Upcoming Section
towards the bottom of the newsletter.

Our latest column from Carmichael Training Systems is available:
Triathlon: Duathlon to Improve your Triathlon by John Phillips, CTS Coach.
Check it out at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/cts_columns.html

Fed up with Spam, try Cloudmark's SpamNet for Outlook and Outlook Express:
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Digest Article Index:

1. Building superathletes through gene doping
Faster and stronger than anyone can imagine
2. How To Run and Enjoy the Marathon, Chapter II
3. Marathon Tips From 25 Years of Experience (Part 1)
4. The Winter Sun Can Fry You
5. Carbohydrate Plus Protein Increases Endurance
6. Chocolate is Just Not for Breakfast Anymore!
7. Swimsuit, goggles, cap ... defibrillator? Life in the fast lane takes
plenty of ticker
8. Persistent fatigue & recurrent infection in athletes.
9. How to Buy a Sports Bra
10. A Good Stretch
11. Your Heart's Health Is in Your Hands
12. From Runner's World
13. Fitness Linked to Thinking in the Aged
14. Must I Have Another Glass of Water? Maybe Not, a New Report Says
15. Personal trainers instill discipline in those falling short of fitness
resolutions
16. Steamy, sexy -- and getting strong
17. Full text of Pantani note
The full text of a note written by Italian cyclist Marco Pantani on nine pages
of his passport before his death, and
read out at his funeral on Wednesday his friend and former manager Manuela
Bronchi.
18. Rainsberger gives Briney reality check
19. States Begin Promoting Fitness With Running Events
In Florida, runners and cyclists are supporting Step-Up Florida with relays that
promote the fight against obesity. In
Texas, the Governor has put his office behind the Texas Round-Up.
20. Why should I lift weights in the off-season
21. Fartlek training can boost your running speed, endurance
22. Warm Up Your Heart
23. Strength Training for Triathletes
24. Shedding Socks
25. How Long Should My Running Shoes Last?


This week's poll is: "When did you set your last PR (Personal Record)?"

Cast your vote at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html
Post your views in our Forum at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/runnersweb_forum.html
[Free Registration Required]

The previous poll was: " What was the greatest running achievement(s) of all
time?"

The results at publication time were:
Answers Votes Percent
1. Emil Zatopek wins the 5K, 10K and Marathon at the 1952 Olympics 65 29%
2. Roger Bannister breaks 4 minutes for the mile 46 20%
3. Abebe Bikila wins the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Marathons 18 8%
4. Lasse Viren wins the 5K and 10K in 1972 and 1976 Olympics 27 12%
5. Flo Jo runs 10.49 in the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials 18 8%
6. Joan Samuelson wins the first Women's Olympic Marathon 24 11%
7. Michael Johnson runs 19.32 in the 1996 Olympics 27 12%
Total Votes: 225

You can access the poll from our FrontPage as well as voting on and/or
checking the results of previous polls.

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Five Star Site of the Week: Ultramarathon World(UW).
This site, by Ottawa's David Blaikie, is dedicated to the world of ultra
running.
UW exists to report information of interest to ultrarunners and to those with a
general interest in endurance
activities.
Check out the site at:
http://www.ultramarathonworld.com/


Send us your suggestions for our Five Star site. Please check our list of
previous Five Star Sites available from the Five Star Window under
the link "Previous Five Star Sites" as we do not wish to repeat a site
unless it has undergone a major redesign.


If you feel you have something to say that is worthy of a Guest Column on
the Runner's Web, email us at
mailto:RunnersWeb@...
or leave your comments in one of our Forums at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/forum.html
or from our FrontPage.

Our Photo Slideshow is updated on a random basis. Check it out from our
FrontPage.

Book of the Week: Sport Stretch.
311 Stretches for 41 sports.
This new edition of Sport Stretch is a complete guide to flexibility for both
weekend warriors and elite competitors. It
features more stretches than the first edition, a new user-friendly layout, and
more background information on the hows
and whys of stretching.
The centerpieces of this comprehensive book are its illustrations and
step-by-step guidelines for 311 different
stretches. The stretches can be used individually or grouped with other
stretches to form a personalized flexibility
program.
Athletes looking to use the stretches to improve performance in a specific sport
will love the book’s Stretching Program
section. It’s full of handy tables that detail the most effective exercises for
individual sports. There are sample
programs for 41 sports in all!
For more on the book visit Human Kinetics at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0880118\
237


Be sure to check out our Flash Page where we list all recent additions to
the Runner's Web. This page is updated before Monday morning each week.


This Weeks News:

Articles:

1. Building superathletes through gene doping:
Faster and stronger than anyone can imagine.
Nobody had seen an athlete like Eero Mantyranta. On two snowy afternoons in
1964, the powerful Finn soared around the
gruelling hills of Innsbruck, Austria, pulling far ahead of his fellow Olympic
competitors. The accusations began before
he crossed the finish line. What's he taking they asked. What's he on?
But Mantyranta, who won the 15- and 30-kilometre Nordic skiing events, had a
natural advantage -- a gene mutation that
gave him unusual amounts of red blood cells. As his opponents faltered, the
Finn's blood carried more oxygen to his
muscles. He kept his medals.
Flash forward to Salt Lake City in 2002.
Johann Muehlegg, a German-born skier competing for Spain, tore up the
competition, opening huge gaps with his relentless
high tempo. The rumours flew across the snowy landscape, as they had 28 years
earlier. But this time, the advantage was
not natural; Muehlegg had injected a synthetic hormone that mimicked the red
blood cell capacity his Finnish predecessor
was born with. Olympic officials stripped him of his 50-km gold medal.
Now, science is poised to give the Muehleggs of the world the same genetic
advantage as the Mantyrantas.
At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
yesterday, scientists, sports official
and bio-ethicists raised their concerns about the possible misuse of gene
manipulation. They fear the rise of
"superathletes," taller, faster and stronger than anyone can imagine. Indeed,
some believe crude experiments may already
have begun.
More...from Canada.com at:
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=ad0d7d5a-3e15-4e36-9794-8284f0d34a0b


2. How To Run and Enjoy the Marathon:
(A Practical Guide To The 26.2-Mile Journey) By James Raia
Web site: http://www.byjamesraia.com E-mail: James@...
Runner's Web Editor's Note:
We will be running one chapter of this book each week in the Digest for the
next 15 weeks.

INTRODUCTION
How to Run & Enjoy The Marathon, a series of 15 self-help and
service-oriented articles about running marathons - the proper shoes to
running etiquette - is written by James Raia, a journalist and veteran
marathon and ultramarathon runner in Sacramento, Calif.
A contributor to many newspapers, news services, magazines and internet
sites, Raia began to run long distances in 1983, the same year in which he
completed his first marathon, the California International Marathon, in 4
hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds.
How To Run & Enjoy The Marathon is based on the author's more than 20 years
of writing about the sport -- its nuances, its elite athletes and the
running masses.
Since he began training for his first marathon, running has become an
integral component of the author's lifestyle. Raia has completed nearly than
70 marathons and ultramarathons, including several 50 milers and double
marathons. His fastest marathon, 3:07:42, was run in 1990. A two-time
finisher of the Boston Marathon, Raia for the past several years has
completed many of his marathons in the 3:45 range.
Raia, 48, has traveled to more than a dozen countries on assignment for
myriad publications, Runner's World to Modern Maturity, The New York Times
to USA Today. He also writes syndicated cycling and running columns,
publishes two electronic newsletters, Endurance Sports News and Tour de
France Times, and is the author of The Tour Within The Tour de France, a
travel/sports e-book about the prestigious cycling event. He lives in
Sacramento, Calif., with Gretchen Gaither, a teacher and sculptor.
For additional information on his two free newsletter or his other e-book,
visit the author's web site, http://www.byjamesraia.com or contact him via
e-mail at RaiaRuns@....
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Marathon No. 1: It's not all about pain
2. What Marathon? Plentiful choices abound
3. The Basics: Common sense for the masses
4. Marathoning For Dollars: Running is fitness on the cheap
5. Want To Finish: Join the club
6. Fleet Feet: If the shoe fits, wear it
7. Need Motivation? Take a break
8. Now Hear This: Just Say No To Headphones
9. Night Moves: Exercisers Need A Visible Presence
10. Women Marathoners: Running Safe Means Running Smart
11. Running vs. Walking: Marathoners Can Do Both
12. Runner's Creed: Share Thy Space
13. Marathon Time Limits: The race directors' dilemma
14. Marathon No. 1 (Revisited): Don't Forget The Little Things
15. Reference Guide: Where to Find Out More About The Marathon

Chapter 2. What Marathon? Plentiful Choices Abound
With more 400 marathons yearly in North America, runners have myriad choices -
road to trail marathons, marathons in
major metropolitan cities to marathons in quaint, rural communities.
In September, for example, more than 30 marathons are listed on the
comprehensive Runner's World magazine's calendar. In
October, the busiest month of the year for marathons, more than 50 marathons are
scheduled.
From small-scale races like the Lewis & Clark Trail Marathon in Bozeman, Mont.,
to the huge corporate-sponsor driven
LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon, runners have an average of nearly two marathons
per day from which to choose in October.
But just as there are various race options and runners of all shapes and sizes,
so too are there marathons of diverse
quality and reputation. Likewise, there are many reasons - course beauty,
financial bargain, prestige, convenience -
that prompt runners to choose a particular event.
But is there any consensus what makes a good marathon?
If a runner desires to participate in a marathon in October, what would make
them choose the Roaring Fork Marathon in
Basalt, Colo., the Wine Glass Marathon in Bath, N.Y., or the WhistleStop
Marathon in Ashland, Wis.? Or would they opt
for the Chicago event, where a new world record is always a possibility?
The rest pf Chapter 2 from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20040223_Raia_Marathon2.html


3. Marathon Tips From 25 Years of Experience (Part 1):
By Carolyn Mather, RN, PhD/Running Journal, October 2003
Fall is in the air and many women (and men) are looking forward to a fall or
winter marathon. Whether this is your first, your 10th, or whatever number,
there are many tricks to help you get to the finish line. I will try to
share what I have learned either from my many endeavors at the distance or
from coaching other ladies. There is no magic here, but somehow once we get
enmeshed in our training, we may forget learned lessons or find that there
are a few we do not know.
First you need a preparation period of three to six months. You many have a
good base or need to build your base, but try to remember not to have more
than a 10 percent increase in mileage per week. If you are currently doing
20 miles a week, it will take you longer to build a solid base of at least
40-50 miles per week. Living in the hot and humid south, it is usually
easier to train for a late winter or early spring marathon. That way you can
do most of your long runs in less stressing, cooler weather and be training
through the holidays, thus reducing the possibility of putting on any extra
holiday pounds.
More...from the Running Journal.net at:
http://www.running.net/features/matheroctober03.html



4. The Winter Sun Can Fry You:
You may be just as vulnerable to dangerous ultraviolet (UV) rays on a ski
slope in January as you are at a backyard barbecue in July.
Skiers and other winter sports enthusiasts should realize that although UV
rays are mostly blocked by the atmosphere in the northern states during
winter, sunlight can reflect off snow and water and damage your skin.
This can lead to prematurely aged skin, wrinkles and even skin cancer. The
face and hands, if left uncovered, may develop brown spots and red, crusted
spots (actinic keratoses), the latter of which can also turn into skin
cancer.
The American Cancer Society (news - web sites) recommends year-round use of
a full spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays and has a sun
protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. The cancer society also says to
avoid peak sunlight hours -- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- when those UV rays are
most intense.
Also noteworthy is that those who live in states such as Florida and
Arizona, where the sun is bright most days of the year, are two times more
likely to develop skin cancer than residents of Wisconsin or Minnesota. In
these areas, an even higher SPF factor sunscreen is recommended.
According to the cancer society, the majority of the 1 million new cases of
skin cancer diagnosed each year are sun-related, and most medical experts
agree that not matter where you live, you should apply sunscreen all year
long.
From Yahoo.com


5. Carbohydrate Plus Protein Increases Endurance:
A pasta supper before a race is traditional because
athletes believe that carbohydrate loading is the best way to
prepare their muscles. A study from the University of Texas
shows that taking foods with both carbohydrates and proteins
increases an athlete's endurance more than eating just
carbohydrates (International Journal of Sport Nutrition and
Exercise Metabolism, Volume 13, Issue 3, 2003).
When you exercise vigorously for more than two hours,
you need to take extra fluid, salt and calories. The best way to
do this is to drink whatever fluid tastes best to you, and eat any
food that includes plenty of salt. Many studies show that taking in
extra carbohydrates during an event prolongs endurance, so
athletes often eat oranges and other fruits, cookies, sandwiches
and any other carbohydrate-rich food that they like. This study
shows that they will have even greater endurance if they also
take in high-protein food such as cheese, meat, chicken or fish.
During prolonged, intense exercise, your muscles are damaged
and the extra protein supplies protein building blocks called
amino acids that can help to limit muscle breakdown and hasten
recovery.
From DrMirkin.com


6. Chocolate is Just Not for Breakfast Anymore!
Have you heard the old expression "if it sounds too good to be true, it is"?
That is what this cardiologist thought, when she read the headline: "Study
Confirms Cardiovascular Benefits of Chocolate." Oh sure, Valentine's Day is
just around the corner. If you are like me, it probably will not be long
until you find yourself carefully studying the mesmerizing selection of a
newly unwrapped box of dark and light chocolate delights. You don't want to
make this kind of decision lightly - why on earth would you want to waste
calories on nougat when you could have butter cream and almonds? And now,
news that chocolate may be heart healthy - if one is good, could a dozen be
even better? I could not wait to read more.
More...from the Cooper Aerobics Center at:
http://Cooper.TeamCaster.com/LandingPages/landingpage.aspx?PromoID=174&CustID=94\
452&CampID=153&Token=7118bf64-f7c5-43af-
a8f3-d4653c77ee81&ProcessID=701187
[Long URL]


7. Swimsuit, goggles, cap ... defibrillator? Life in the fast lane takes
plenty of ticker:
Dana Vollmer is at the US spring championships with her entire entourage:
mother, father, brother, coach and portable defibrillator.
This is not just a story of an athlete overcoming physical problems and
getting an opportunity to compete against world-class athletes. At 16,
Vollmer is a world-class swimmer, the winner of three gold medals last
summer in the Pan American Games and a strong candidate to make the US team
for the Athens Olympics in the 200metre freestyle and the 100m butterfly.
She came here ranked fourth among Americans in both events.
Her heart problems - two, not one - have hardly detoured her. Before they
developed, Vollmer was the youngest swimmer in the US Olympic trials at 12
and won a bronze medal in the summer nationals at 13. At 15, she swam in a
national championship 11 days after a heart procedure.
More...from the Sydney Morning Herald at:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/13/1076548229544.html


8. Persistent fatigue & recurrent infection in athletes:
An Australian study looked at 41 competitive athletes with persistent
fatigue and illness in to investigate whether underlying medical problems
contributed.
Results showed that conditions which could possibly cause Persistent fatigue
were present in 68% of athletes with partial hormonal immune deficiency
(28%) and viral infections (27%). Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) was
present in 28%.
Other medical conditions identified were allergic disease (15%), new or
poorly controlled asthma (13%), upper airway dysfunction (5%), sleep
disorders (15%), iron depletion (3%).
The study concluded that athletes with Persistent fatigue should undergo a
thorough medical examination to identify medical conditions that can be
treated.
From SportsInjuryClinic.net


9. How to Buy a Sports Bra:
No matter what your activity or breast size, a sports bra has become an
integral and important piece of apparel, as important as the fitting a shoe.
But what makes a good sports bra and why do you need one. Whether you're a
small-breasted walker or a large breasted volleyball player, without a
sports bra you will risk damaging your breasts.
Skin is very elastic and when you're doing any kind of impact activity,
there is going to be jarring whether you are big or small. That can cause
tissue breakdown and sagging. And then, there are Cooper's ligaments.
They're the main reason women need proper support.
Muscles in the breast provide no support of the breast, just ligaments,
Cooper's ligaments. Although they stretch, they don't ever retract. The only
solution is preventative and a sports bra is it.
Finding the right sports bra isn't easy. A good sports bra must minimize
breast movement, which is uncomfortable and damaging. It must have:
* the ability to wick moisture away from the skin, particularly between the
breasts
* breatheability to allow for a cooling flow of air
* quick drying ability
* must be proportioned and contoured to minimize chafing
* straps that don't dig into the shoulders
* the band around the lower chest shouldn't shift or bind
* thread must be soft and plush to minimize skin irritation
* Have at least 25% Lycra, anything less won't compress breasts
sufficiently.
More...from FleetFeetLouisville.com at:
http://www.fleetfeetlouisville.com/howtobuyasportsbra.html


10. A Good Stretch:
Stretching is one of the easiest ways to promote health and leave you
feeling relaxed and balanced. Here are 6 easy stretches you can perform
daily.
For many of us, flexibility training is the first component of fitness to
get pushed aside in a time crunch. We feel like we aren't getting a workout
unless our pulse rate is above 140 or we're pumping iron. However,
stretching may be one of the best things you can do for your body, and
ignoring it may lead to future health problems.
Regular stretching prevents injury, improves range of motion, reduces
stress, improves posture and boosts performance, all of which lead to a
healthier you. The good news is you can increase flexibility quickly. "If
you stretch before and after each workout, you will feel immediate
improvement in ease of movement and recovery time," says physical therapist
Robert Forster, founder of Phase IV, a high-tech training facility in Santa
Monica, Calif.
How to Stretch Experts agree that static stretching is the safest, most
effective form of flexibility training. Static stretching involves a slow
elongation of the muscle through a full range of motion, held at the point
where tension is first felt. Forster says tension can be released by holding
the stretch for as little as five seconds, but for long-term results, it
should be held for 20 to 60 seconds. Above all, avoid stretching to the
point of pain and avoid bouncing when you stretch. Bouncing, or ballistic
stretching, will actually tighten the muscle and could lead to strain.
Breathe slowly and naturally, and never hold your breath.
More...from HerSports.com at:
http://hersports.com/eNewsletter/newsLtr4/news4Article3.html


11. Your Heart's Health Is in Your Hands:
MONDAY, FEB. 16 (HealthDayNews) -- Stopping heart disease before it starts is no
longer the sole domain of doctors.
These days you can do it largely by yourself if you watch what you eat, exercise
when you can and keep close track of
your cholesterol and blood pressure.
That also means there's no more excuses not to do it.
"It's all about keeping balance," says Dr. Ann Bolger, an associate professor of
clinical medicine at the University of
California, San Francisco and spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.
"It's the stuff we do on a daily basis
that is our downfall."
Many have fallen. Heart disease is the nation's top killer, claiming an
estimated 700,000 lives annually. And 61.8
million people have some sort of cardiovascular trouble and 1.1 million suffer a
heart attack each year, according to
the AHA.
So, there's no better time to take your heart's health into your own hands,
especially since February is Heart Awareness
Month. Top cardiologists offer this advice on how to keep heart disease away:
Don't Smoke: "The number one controllable risk factor for cardiovascular disease
is cigarette smoking and exposure to
tobacco smoking," Bolger says. "It's an extraordinarily powerful risk factor."
More...from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at:
http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/hrtm/516610.html


12. From Runner's World:
Add variation to reinvigorate your running experience: Find a balance in your
weekly miles. Alternate 3 and 6 miles
runs, three to five times a week on different courses. Variety keeps you
energized, and adding short-distance "recovery"
days gives your body a chance to recharge

Got Pain? Get Yoga: Men and women reported less pain after attending a 90-minute
yoga session three times a week for 4
weeks. Yoga realigns the body and releases tension from connective tissue. The
musculoskeletal realignment comes from
stretching and an emphasis on proper posture. The result is more flexibility and
reduced injury risk. As for strength,
you're continuously striking poses that resemble leg lunges, squats, pushups,
handstands and the like. After 30 minutes
of these movements, you know you've gone through a total-body strength workout.

Disguise healthy whole-wheat pasta! Serve with this quick, calcium-rich cream
sauce: plain yogurt or low-fat ricotta
cheese stirred into warmed (not boiled) tomato sauce.

Climb Every Mountain: When you're climbing up a hill, try to maintain the same
level of effort and breathing rate that
you use on flat ground. Don't worry if you're slowing down as you go up, just
reduce your stride length. As the grade
gets steeper, shorten your stride even more, all the while maintaining steady
effort and breathing."
-Kathleen Jobes, RW marketing merchandising Manager


13. Fitness Linked to Thinking in the Aged:
Improving fitness can also boost the thinking ability of aging adults, according
to researchers at the University of
Illinois.
Adults ages 58 to 78 who began a fitness program, even as simple as brisk
walking, saw improvements in how their brains
functioned, according to a study published in this week's online edition of
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
In the study 41 adults began an exercise program that gradually increased over
three months to a 45-minute walk three
times a week. Their brain activity was measured by magnetic resonance imaging.
After three months the adults in the exercise program showed increased brain
activity and had an 11 percent improvement
on tests that measured their decision-making while performing a variety of tasks
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/ats-ap_health12feb17,1,45912\
0.story?coll=sns-ap-tophealth
[Long URL]


14. Must I Have Another Glass of Water? Maybe Not, a New Report Says:
So, I was wrong.
You may not have to drink eight glasses of water a day to be well hydrated, and
you can count caffeinated beverages in
your total water intake, according to a new report from the Institute of
Medicine, the group that sets desirable levels
of nutrient intake for Americans of all ages.
The report, issued last week, reviewed the status of water, salt and potassium
consumption by Americans and Canadians
and set desirable intake levels for these nutrients.
Healthful Drinking
The expert panel that prepared the report found that women who appeared to be
adequately hydrated consumed the
equivalent of about 91 ounces of fluids each day, and men about 125 ounces. That
is actually more than eight glasses (64
ounces). But only 80 percent of it came from drinking water; the rest came from
other beverages, and from foods.
Dr. Lawrence Appel of the Johns Hopkins University, who headed the panel,
explained, "While drinking water is a frequent
choice for hydration, people also get water from juice, milk, coffee, tea, soda,
fruits, vegetables and other foods and
beverages, as well." No mention was made of alcohol, however, which increases
the body's water needs.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/health/nutrition/17BROD.html


15. Personal trainers instill discipline in those falling short of fitness
resolutions:
It's well into the New Year and you still haven't managed to shed those few
extra pounds, tone those abs, or start that
healthy lifestyle you were so keen to pursue when 2004 was in its infancy.
If a lack of direction has derailed the best of intentions, a little discipline
may be in order. A personal trainer
could be just the thing.
"Some people might need that discipline of meeting with a trainer three times a
week," said Susan Lee, supervisor of the
personal trainer program at the University of Toronto. "Or someone could be as
disciplined to meet with the trainer once
a week, then they can do the other two sessions alone. It depends on how
motivated the person is."
More...from Canada.com at:
http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=2A2CEDBD-B0FA-4BE1-B9B1-C6D5BFE8550A


16. Steamy, sexy -- and getting strong:
Kerri Holland usually works out with men, biking, swimming and running to train
for triathlons. But, for a few hours
each week, she gets back in touch with her feminine side, arching, gyrating and
slithering to a striptease workout.
At S Factor Studio in Los Angeles, women give an erotic twist to yoga and dance.
With breathtaking athleticism and
grace, they shimmy up poles and pirouette to the ground with moves called the
ballerina, the firefly and the corkscrew.
"This is something that's the total opposite of triathlon training, something
very feminine," says Holland, 30, of
Hermosa Beach. "I feel much more comfortable with my own body."
More...from azcentral.com at:
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/pop/articles/0212strip12.html


17. Full text of Pantani note:
CESENATICO, Italy, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Following is the text of a note written by
Italian cyclist Marco Pantani on nine
pages of his passport before his death, and read out at his funeral on Wednesday
his friend and former manager Manuela
Ronchi.
The note appeared to have been written during a recent trip to Cuba. It was
written in Italian and translated by
Reuters.
"For four years I was in every court. I lost the desire to be like every other
sportsman. But cycling paid and many
youngsters have lost faith in justice. I'm suffering with this letter.
"The world understands that all my colleagues have been humiliated in their
hotel rooms with hidden TV cameras, that
tried to ruin many families. After that how can you not hurt yourself?
More...from Yahoo at:
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=reu-pantanitext&prov=reuters&type=lgns


18. Rainsberger gives Briney reality check:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - (KRT) - Joy and hope surrounded Trent Briney.
He stunned the world of distance running by finishing fourth in the marathon at
the Olympic trials Feb.7 and then spent
days accepting hugs and slaps on the back.
Briney, a graduate of Manitou Springs High School and the University of Colorado
at Colorado Springs, read e-mails from
old running friends, and nearly everyone said he was going to the Olympics in
Athens.
Sure, he had finished fourth, one spot away from clinching a position on the
U.S. team, but rumors abound that at least
one of the top three finishers will instead compete in the 10K.
Then he opened an e-mail from Lisa Rainsberger and ran into reality.
Rainsberger, who lives in Colorado Springs, can relate to Briney's situation.
She finished fourth in the marathon trials
three times, just missing a place on the Olympic team in 1984, 1988 and 1992.
In 1988, she missed her place in the Olympics by nine seconds, a mere blink in a
26.2-mile race.
She delivered an unsettling message for Briney.
More...from Mercury News at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/7993422.htm


19. States Begin Promoting Fitness With Running Events:
In Florida, runners and cyclists are supporting Step-Up Florida with relays that
promote the fight against obesity. In
Texas, the Governor has put his office behind the Texas Round-Up.
Florida:
Fitness fans pick up pace
DAYTONA BEACH -- Jerry Lardinois doesn't need much incentive to run, averaging
about 30 miles a week. So, he was happy
to be out on the road with seven other runners Wednesday, promoting good health
and fitness for the Florida Department
of Health.
Hardly winded, he sipped a bottle of water, minutes after finishing a 7-mile
jaunt from Port Orange to the Plaza Resort
and Spa.
"I'm 69 and I feel like . . . 68 1/2," he said laughing. "We were running into
the wind the whole day. I was looking to
find a few fat people to run behind. But you don't find fat people running."
More...from the Daytona Beach News at:
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST0302190\
4.htm
Texas:
Program to round Texans into shape
Are you fit to live in Texas? If not, you can do something about it.
Check out the Texas Round-Up, a health and fitness campaign launched last month
by Gov. Rick Perry, a runner, to
encourage Texans to get in shape.
Five out of eight Texas adults are overweight, according to the Texas Department
of Health, and only one in four Texans
participates in the recommended amount of physical activity, according to
statistics from the Centers for Disease
Control.
The campaign -- which promotes all kinds of activity but emphasizes running --
includes:
More...from the Houston Chronicle at:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/run/2409473


20. Why should I lift weights in the off-season?
It is always humorous to hear the myriad mythological reasons athletes conjure
up to avoid this stepchild of the
endurance-training world.
From the possibility of weight gain and the decrease of leg speed, to the
infamous lack of time and fear of injury,
endurance athletes find more excuses for not lifting weights than teen-agers do
to avoid doing their chores.
The irony is that this simple and relatively painless activity can not only be
fun, but also may be the critical link to
give you the extra edge that goes so far in enhancing performance once the
racing season rolls around.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=10456&sidebar=21&category=cycling


21. Fartlek training can boost your running speed, endurance:
Q. I have been running for about three years. I really love it and would like to
begin improving my speed and distance.
What are your recommendations for doing this safely and effectively?
A. One word: Fartlek.
Funny word, great training tool. Fartlek training -- the word means "speed-play"
in Swedish -- has been around for about
50 years and is very effective in increasing a runner's speed and endurance.
Personally, I swear by this method, and generally bring it into my training a
month or so before a race. Or, I'll
integrate it into my regular training to improve my personal training time.
Basically, Fartlek involves varying your pace throughout your run. In other
words, you integrate intense sprints into
your workout, followed by a recovery run or slow jog slightly below your normal
running pace.
For example, if you are a beginner, you might include five short sprints --
that's every 6 or 7 minutes -- over the
duration of a 45-minute run. As your fitness level improves, you can increase it
to 10 sprints. I usually run 4 to 5
minutes followed by a 30-second sprint.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=10455&sidebar=13&category=running


22. Warm Up Your Heart:
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Most people know that you have to warm up skeletal muscles to help protect them
from injury, but many do not know that
warming up the heart muscle also helps to prevent heart attacks in people with
blocked arteries leading to the heart
Before you try to run very fast, you can protect your muscles from injury by
performing a series of runs of
gradually-increasing intensity to increase the circulation of blood to your
muscles. The same principle applies to the
heart. Angina is a condition in which the blood vessels leading to the heart are
partially blocked so the person has no
pain at rest, but during exercise, the blocked arteries don't permit enough
blood to get through to the heart muscles,
causing pain. A study from the Quebec Heart Institute shows that exercising very
slowly before a person with angina
picks up the pace allows him to exercise more intensely before he feels heart
pain.
What induces the warm-up ischemia/angina phenomenon: Exercise or myocardial
ischemia? Circulation, 2003, Vol 107, Iss
14, pp 1858-1863. P Bogaty, P Poirier, L Boyer, J Jobin, GR Dagenais. Bogaty P,
Hop Laval, Quebec Heart Inst, 2725
Chemin St Foy, St Foy, PQ G1V 4G5, CANADA.
From: http://www.drmirkin.com


23. Strength Training for Triathletes:
(www.slowtwitch.com)
Editor's note: Maylene Wise is a strength and conditioning coach in Raleigh,
North Carolina. She can be found at
atp4athletes.com. She is a triathlete herself, and the subject in the photos
below. She can be contacted at
maylene@....
Strength training does not increase capillary density to any great degree. It
exerts marginal impact on mitochondrial
size and number, same with myoglobin content, intramuscular substrate stores,
oxidative capacity or use of glycogen. It
doesn't help you burn fat more efficiently.
So why would any endurance athlete want to devote precious training time to
strength training when it appears there is
no apparent benefit?
I'm glad you asked.
Injury Prevention or "The Neilly Factor"
A few years back I was training a buddy of mine who was picked to represent the
USA in baseball at the 2000 Olympics.
During a strength session he looked at me and said, “Honestly, how do you think
me doing all this crap is going to help
me become a better ball player?” Obviously, we'd had better training days but I
did have the answer:
“Doing all this crap may help to prevent those nagging little injuries that keep
you off the field," I replied. "The
more at bats you get, the better your chances of increasing your productivity.
The more field time you get, the more
chances you have to perform the plays that produce outs.”
More...from SlowTwitch.com at:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/coachcorn/strength.html


24. Shedding Socks:
Some items of clothing you think of in pairs. Shorts comes with shirts, jackets
with long pants, hats with gloves.
So too, socks go with shoes. You don't run in one without the other.
Not unless you're an contrarian like Paul Reese. He goes sockless. Before
thinking this as odd as wearing shoes without
strings, hear him out.
Paul ran across the United States in 1990, when he was 73. Later he crossed all
the remaining states, finishing with
Hawaii at 80. He wrote about these treks in three books, which left few of his
experiences unexamined.
"A few times, being sockless," said Paul, "I've been the target of a snide
remark like, 'Hey, real macho. No socks.'
"That's bushwa. Macho has nothing to do with it."
He then gave his rationale for letting nothing come between his shoes and his
skin: "The main reason for not wearing
socks is that, I feel closer to the earth and get a better feel for the road.
Hell, I just plain enjoy running more when
sockless.
"Another factor: Consider what I save by not buying socks or having to launder
them. And let's face it, modern running
shoes are so well made that they are quite comfortable without socks.
"Yet another reason: It was often my experience as a socks wearer that by
slipping or getting twisted they actually
CAUSED blisters. In more than 5000 miles of running across states, sockless, I
have yet to develop a blister."
I side with Paul on this matter. I too run with naked feet.
The practice goes back to my early running, when the heavy, baggy sweatsocks
bunched up in your shoes unless you taped
them at the ankles. I came to like going sockless for a reason that Paul didn't
mention: It gave the illusion of longer,
thinner legs, and my stumps needed all the help they could get.
Like him I got odd looks at the starting line of races. I too heard comments
like, "You're running that way? I'd hate to
see your feet afterward."
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://joehenderson.com/archive/


25. How Long Should My Running Shoes Last?
That is a question we get asked a lot and of course, the answer isn't simple.
Over time your shoes just wear down. The
midsoles flatten out and the cushioning gets shot. Your shoes are no longer
acting as shock absorbers, instead the shock
gets passed along to your bones and joint, and that's an invitation to injury.
The trick is knowing when to retire those
trusty shoes before you hurt yourself.
Depending on the shoe, running surface, your weight and running form, running
shoes should last anywhere between 300-500
miles before they lose their spring. Runners who log 25 miles per week should
look at replacing their shoes every three
to four months.
It can be difficult to recognize the signs of wear simply by looking at the
shoe. Outsoles are so durable anymore that
the shoes cushioning may be long gone before the tread is significantly worn
down. The best test is just to pay
attention to how you feel. As your shoes begin to give out, you may begin to get
some pangs in your bones and joints;
you may have shin splints or some tightness in your calves.
More...from Fleet Feet at:
http://www.fleetfeetlouisville.com/howlongshoeslast.html


This Weeks Events:
*Please verify event dates with the event websites*

Coming Up
For more complete race listings check out our Upcoming Races

February 21 - March 7, 2004:
Arizona Games - Phoenix, AZ
http://www.seniorgames.org/main.htm

February 21, 2004:
Myrtle Beach Marathon and Half Marathon - FLA
http://www.mbmarathon.com/

February 22, 2004:
Florida Beaches Marathon - Clearwater, FL
http://www.floridamarathon.com/

Washington's Birthday Marathon - DC
http://dcroadrunners.org/gwmarathon/

February 24-27, 2004:
Sahara Marathon Expedition - Sahara Desert
http://saharamarathon.com/

March 5-7, 2004:
World Indoor Championships - Budapest Hungary
http://www.2004budapest.com/en/index.html
IAAF Site
http://www.2004budapest.com/en/index.html


Check the Runner's Web on Sunday and Monday for race reports on these
events.

This Weeks Personal Postings/Releases:

We have NO personal postings this week.


Television and Online Coverage:
[Check local listings as event times are subject to change]

Check out our new Runner's Web Television Links page at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_television.html


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Have a good week of training and/or racing.



Ken Parker
Runner's Web
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