Runner's Web Digest - August 6, 2004

The Original Runner's and Triathlete's Web was founded in January of 1997 as a
not-for-profit resource site. RunnersWeb.com Inc. is
now a small business venture which sponsors the OAC Racing Team, a women's road
racing and triathlon club, and the OAC Gatineau
Triathlon and OAC Corporate Relay. The site is not in any way associated with
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This issue is brought to you by Road Runner Sports, the world's largest running
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A free pair of our technical socks ($9.99 value) with the purchase of
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If you have an accident while running or cycling, do you want your family to be
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The TRACK PROFILE Reader 2004, an in-depth review of the 2003 season by Bob
Ramsak, is now available. Selected from hundreds of
reports filed by the Track Profile News Service last year, The TRACK PROFILE
READER provides a unique look back at the
personalities, stories and events that defined track and field in 2003. With in
depth profiles of the sport's biggest stars and
comprehensive on-site reports from major competitions, this annual review takes
the reader beyond the results, providing a perfect
companion for casual and
diehard fans alike. Check out the book at:
http://www.booksurge.com/author.php3?accountID=GPUB00341&affiliateID=A000497

The Stretching Handbook:
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/cgi-bin/at.pl?a=286905

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Lloyd's of London Platinum credit card
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The Tour Within the Tour de France by James Raia:
The Tour de France is the world's greatest cycling event. As the bicyclists
climb into the mountains and quickly pass through the
rolling countryside, many other postcards of life occur away from the
competition - the ambience, the restaurants, the uniqueness of
the villages and the people who live and work among fields of sunflowers, near
ancient castles and among fields of expansive
vineyards. The Tour Within The Tour de France includes 24 essays about the
author's first six years of attending the race. This
ebook cost $7.95. Order now with your check or credit card at:
http://hop.clickbank.net/?rhianyth/eltomaja

How To Run And Enjoy The Marathon By James Raia:
Price: $7.95
As a practical guide to the 26.2-mile journey, How To Run And Enjoy The Marathon
is 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
middle-of-the-pack marathon and ultramarathon runner in Sacramento, Calif.
Buy the book at:
http://hop.clickbank.net/?rhianyth/eltomaja

James Raia's Endurance Sports News will be on hiatus until Aug. 1, 2004. He'll
be back then with the 100th issue special edition.
In the meantime, if you're not a subscriber to Tour de France Times, please
consider signing up for its daily publication from
Belgium and France during the Tour de France, July 3-25.
Tour de France Times, which is also free, will cover the three-week event, Lance
Armstrong's attempt at a record sixth consecutive
victory, and all the pertinent sights and sounds as the race progresses from
Liege, Belgium, to Paris, France.
Please visit James's web site: www.byjamesraia.com to subscribe.

The Runner's Web Digest is a weekly e-zine dealing with the sports of running
and triathlon and general fitness and health issues.
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New This Week:

Our August Running Trivia and Pegasus Quiz were posted on August 1st at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_triv.html.
We already have had a winner.

Adventure Racers:
We have added an Adventure Racing calendar in partnership with ASM.
It is available at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/asm_calendar.html

Our latest column from Carmichael Training Systems
Training: Push The Pace For The Lean Body You Desire
Written by: Ashley Kipp, CTS Expert Coach, USAC Cycling Expert Coach is
available at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/runing/cts_columns.html.


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


This Week's Digest Article Index:

1. Astronomers revise likely date of Marathon run
2. The Case for Contaminant Testing
3. Man or Medicine?
Part 2: The evolution of drug use.
4. Low-carb lowdown
All those labels can be misleading. Nutritionists caution: Calories count too.
5. It's everybody in the pool -- for 10 hours
After daring America's most mocked athletes to prove they train as hard as their
counterparts in other sports -- their claim, not
ours -- we convened one June morning at the George F. Haines International Swim
Center to bear witness.
6. AHA: Get Antioxidants from Food, Not Supplements
7. Enduring Questions -- Should You Run Naked
Nothing came between ancient Olympians and their performance. Were they onto
something?
8. Definition of sportsmanship has changed during the years
9. Bad knees lead boomers to cycling
Older Americans keeping in shape with bikes
10. From Runner's World
11. VO2 max: What is it, Why is it so important, and how do you improve it?
12. Victory on the wings of technology
Science teams up with athletes to boost their Olympic performances.
13. A Lament for Ancient Games in Modern World of Doping
14. Even a modest workout may strengthen the heart
15. Pedal power pushes Hydrobike
16. When the athletes line up in Athens this summer, their biggest opponents may
be heat and humidity
17. Runners' stretching has fans, doubters
18. Warning Signs Of Sudden Athlete Death
19. From Running Times
20. News Scan


Runner's Web Weekly Poll:
This week's poll is: "Which is/are your favourite event group(s) within
athletics at the Olympic Games?"

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: "Rate Lance Armstrong's six, consecutive wins at the Tour
de France."
The results at publication time were:
Answers Votes Percent
1. One of the greatest sporting achievements of all time. 52 59%
2. One of the greatest cycling achievements of all time 30 34%
3. No opinion, don't care 6 7%
Total Votes: 88

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

Forward the Runner's Web Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
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Five Star Site of the Week: Dan Browne, the Official Website.
Dan Browne began his running career in the beautiful town of Portland, OR. His
first experiences with running were fun 1 mile runs
when he was in grade school. That quickly developed into his enjoyment of
running in high school. He attended West Linn high school
and graduated in 1993 where he achieved some success at the state level by
placing 2nd in Cross Country, 1500 meters and 3000 meters
during his senior year.
Browne went on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point where
he earned All-American Honors and graduated in
1997. Upon graduation, Browne received his commission and became a lieutenant in
the Quartermaster Corps and signed onto the Army's
World Class Athlete Program. He moved to Boulder, CO and trained with a team of
other soldiers for 4 years before accepting an offer
from Alberto Salazar to move back to his hometown and become one of the founding
members of the Nike Oregon Project.
In his spare time Dan enjoys reading and going out with friends. Most of his
family is located in Portland, OR and Dallas, TX where
he loves to spend time when he's not racing.
Dan is passionate about traveling the world and does so as much as possible
while taking in new cultures, languages and sights. Dan
is also fluent in Spanish.
Ultimately, the quest to become the best pushes him to new heights in his own
running. One of Dan's favorite inspirational quotes
goes something like this, "It's only by pushing yourself further than you think
you can that you can possibly find out how far you
can go!"
Visit Dan's website at:
http://www.danbrowne.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:webmaster@... 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: Precision Heart Rate Training
By Edmund Burke, Polar Electro, Inc.
"Heart rate training for me has made the difference between being overtrained
and being ready to run on race day. My heart rate
monitor helps me gauge my training intensity, making sure I’m going hard on hard
days and easy on recovery or long days. It’s been
the key addition to my training program that I wish I’d had in the early days of
my career."
Steve Scott, World-Class Miler

"In my nine years of training and racing with a heart rate monitor, I have come
to realize the importance of maintaining a precise
level of intensity in my workouts. The heart rate monitor is the only way that I
can gauge that intensity and learn more about my
body during exercise. I owe my racing success to training at the right intensity
level and to my heart rate monitor."
Alison Sydor, Volvo/Cannondale Team, World Champion Mountain Bike Racer
Buy the book at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0880117\
702

More books from Amazon at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/amazon.html
and Human Kinetics at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/human_kinetics.html

This Weeks News:

Articles:

1. Astronomers revise likely date of Marathon run:
A team of astronomer gumshoes has pinned down the date of an ancient Greek
battle at Marathon that led to a long-distance run and
the sport that survives today in its honor. Analysis of lunar records show the
490 B.C. battle occurred not on the long accepted
date of September 12, but a full month earlier, researchers said.
How important is a month for a professional runner more than 2,000 years ago?
Apparently it's a matter of life and death.
According the Greek historian Herodotus, Plutarch and others, after the Greek
army routed their Persian attackers at Marathon the
long-distance runner Pheidippides sprinted the 26 miles (46 kilometers) back to
Athens to announce the victory and warn of an attack
from the sea. He then collapsed and died.
More...from USAToday at:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-07-19-marathon-revision_x.htm


2. The Case for Contaminant Testing:
Athens 2004 will see the traditional Olympic media frenzy, feeding on the
classic topics - who won, who bombed and sadly, drugs.
For the last 5 years, much of the media interest surrounding drugs in sport has
focused on the possibility that positive tests can
arise from athletes unknowingly taking banned substances; either because a
product they used was poorly labeled, or because it was
contaminated with illegal agents during its manufacture or packaging. A number
of high profile athletes, notably in Tennis, Soccer
and Athletics have claimed that their positive drugs tests, mostly for the
anabolic steroid Nandrolone, were caused by taking
dietary supplements they had thought to be both safe and legal. This argument
has been strengthened by research from a leading
IOC/WADA laboratory, which found that 15% of a random sample of over 600
supplement products contained banned substances that were
not listed on the label.
More...from the Lucozade Sport Science Academy at:
http://www.thelssa.com/lssa/article/article.asp?article=185&t=na_newsletter


3. Man or Medicine?
Part 2: The evolution of drug use.
By Joe Lindsey, Contributing Writer Bicycling Magazine.
An onslaught of new miracle drugs are saving lives in emergency rooms but are
also giving endurance athletes like cyclists an
undetectable advantage.
First off, sorry for the long suspension between columns. I was helping
BICYCLING with its Tour de France coverage. Or, as some of
you have written, I was spending July as a Lance-hater. Not true, but more on
that later. Anyway, in Episode I of the drugs series,
I laid out the evolution of drug use up to modern day sport. This week, I'll
discuss what's in use today and how we are, or rather,
are not, detecting it, and where things may go in the future.
As a special way to say how much I love each and every one of you, there will
even be a bonus Boulder Report, the Non-Drugs Issue,
early next week, dedicated to covering the assorted items like the Olympics
nomination process, which has become uglier than a
Dennis Kucinich booster barfight outside the Fleet Center with "Enron Ed"
Gillespie's GOP mocktroopers. Until then, it's drug until
you drop.
The New Guinea Pigs
In the late 1980s, a curious phenomenon began to strike professional
cyclists--young men, athletes in the prime of their lives and
condition, would mysteriously pass away in the night. The cause was always in
the cardiovascular system--a stroke, embolism or heart
attack would come in their sleep and in the morning they would be found dead.
More...from Bicycling.com at:
http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,3253,s1-9901,00.html?category_id=441




4. Low-carb lowdown:
All those labels can be misleading. Nutritionists caution: Calories count too.
When the low-carb diet craze ignited faster and stronger than anything the food
industry had ever seen, flat-bread maker Damascus
Bakeries knew it had to do something or watch its sales, well, flatten.
In fact, the owner of the nearly 75-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., commercial bakery,
David Mafoud, had his own motivations for finding a
solution: He also had been cutting back on carbs in a successful effort that
helped him shed 20 pounds from his 6-foot-5 frame. So
his bakers began tinkering with their traditional recipes.
They cut out the flour, which contains most of the carbohydrates, and
substituted dense proteins extracted from grains such as flax,
wheat and soy. And they bulked up the flat bread with oat fiber to increase its
moisture and fiber content.
"We were making a muscle-brew," Mafoud says, referring to the dense mixture of
protein isolates and fiber that substituted for the
flour.
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-fiber2aug02,1,5038360.story?coll=la\
-headlines-health


5. It's everybody in the pool -- for 10 hours
After daring America's most mocked athletes to prove they train as hard as their
counterparts in other sports -- their claim, not
ours -- we convened one June morning at the George F. Haines International Swim
Center to bear witness.
At 6:15 a.m., Kendra Zanotto is giddy.
"They canceled plyometrics,'' the synchronized swimmer marvels while devouring a
bowl of Crispix with sliced bananas at her Los
Gatos home.
It is way too early to ask, ``What in the name of Esther Williams is
plyometrics?''
We would learn soon enough about those strength exercises and others endured by
the Santa Clara-based Olympic team, which is favored
to win a medal at the Athens Games this month. After daring America's most
mocked athletes to prove they train as hard as their
counterparts in other sports -- their claim, not ours -- we convened one June
morning at the George F. Haines International Swim
Center to bear witness.
As the women smeared thick layers of sunscreen on their faces, they saw an
opportunity to counter the cliché -- that synchronized
swimming is nothing more than a chlorinated chorus line -- that has taunted them
since their Olympic debut in 1984. For 10 hours the
swimmers splashed, spun, stretched, kicked, thrust, contorted and interlocked
into a fabric of humanity that at times resembled a
baroque fountain.
Mostly, they made their moves look effortless for eight of those hours,
continuously rotating their legs while listening to their
drill sergeant -- a.k.a. Olympic coach Chris Carver -- bark orders through a
boom box.
The coach's voice was the soundtrack to their day.
More...from the Mercury News at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9300347.htm?ERIGHTS=5228215986\
477161005mercurynews::e1-q7t9-13qp-qm79@emailias.com
&KRD_RM=6npopvsovmmpmnqqqmmmmmmmmn|Ken|Y
[Multi-line URL]


6. AHA: Get Antioxidants from Food, Not Supplements:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People hoping vitamins can protect their hearts need to
eat healthy foods instead of popping pills, the
American Heart Association said on Monday.
A review of various studies on whether supplements can reduce heart disease risk
shows they have virtually no effect, the group
said.
"At this time, there is little reason to advise that individuals take
antioxidant supplements to reduce their risk of cardiovascular
disease," said Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania
State University who led the study.
Antioxidants are molecules that work to reduce the damage done to cells and to
DNA by free radicals -- charged chemical particles
found in the environment and caused by everyday biological processes.
It is clear that foods rich in antioxidants can reduce the risk of cancer and
heart disease, and scientists have been working to
isolate the particular compounds responsible. Vitamins, such as A an C, are
antioxidants.
But several research studies have shown that people who took antioxidant
supplements did not have a lower risk of cancer or heart
disease, and one important Finnish study showed that male smokers who took
supplements actually had a higher risk of lung cancer.
Nutritionists and doctors now argue it is probably a combination of compounds in
foods that give the healthy antioxidant benefits.
"The American Heart Association continues to promote a diet rich in fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, fish, legumes, poultry and
lean meats to derive antioxidant vitamin benefits," the group said in a
statement published in its journal Circulation.
From Reuters.com.


7. Enduring Questions -- Should You Run Naked:
Nothing came between ancient Olympians and their performance. Were they onto
something?
If you ask me, the ancient Olympians were a lot smarter than we are. They had
the good sense to run, jump, and throw in the nude.
When you put anything between your skin and the environment--like shorts and a
singlet, for example--you only decrease your body's
cooling efficiency (even if you're more...comfortable in certain areas). The
so-called "modern" Olympians of 1896 were smarter than
us, too. They did their running, jumping, and throwing in April. Some athletes
complained about the chilly, damp weather, but
Spiridon Louis gave thanks to Zeus all the way to his (clothed) marathon victory
in 2:58:50.
Unfortunately, Olympic Marathons have been getting hotter ever since. The 1900
Olympic Marathon started at 2:36 p.m. under a
95-degree Parisian sun. Twelve years later, in Stockholm, a Portuguese runner
died in the sweltering Olympic Marathon. Many of us
remember Gabriele Andersen Schiess staggering across the finish line in the 1984
Women's Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles. In Athens
this month, both the men's and women's marathons will start at 6 p.m., when
average temperatures are in the mid-80s, though the city
has a record August high of 109. And the marathoners will be running on black
asphalt that has been simmering for 12 hours.
More...from Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,5033,s6-187-0-0-6844,00.html


8. Definition of sportsmanship has changed during the years:
ST. LOUIS - (KRT) - Years after revered football coach Vince Lombardi said,
"Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing," he came
to regret how his words were interpreted. But they nonetheless articulated the
prevailing ethic of a generation to come:
Winning is all that matters. Not how. Not necessarily within the rules. And not
with any abiding concern for decorum, dignity,
respect for an opponent or even a sport itself.
Sportsmanship apparently has submitted to showmanship and what might generously
be called gamesmanship - using ploys to gain an
advantage - that often lapses into skirting rules.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, many seem to believe.
In hockey, former St. Louis Blues coach Joel Quenneville once said, "If you're
not cheating, you're not trying." In baseball, the
mind set is "It Ain't Cheatin' If You Don't Get Caught," a 1990 book title and
working motto for a sport whose accessories have
included emery boards, petroleum jelly, cork and now, evidently, steroids.
More...from the Mercury News at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9308531.htm?ERIGHTS=-865032347\
0348471018mercurynews::e1-q7t9-13qp-qm79@emailias.co
m&KRD_RM=6npopvsovmmpmnqqqmmmmmmmmn|Ken|Y
[Multi-line URL]


9. Bad knees lead boomers to cycling:
Older Americans keeping in shape with bikes.
It’s a sound dreaded by baby boomers — the creaks and pops that can emanate from
knees after years of running, skiing and other
strenuous exercise.
To stay in shape and keep the pounds off, many boomers are forgoing running and
turning to bicycling. Retailers are seeing brisk
sales of bikes to boomers, especially ones that emphasize comfort.
Charlie McCorkell, who owns the Bicycle Habitat store in Manhattan, says he has
seen an increase in sales to boomer-age customers
over the past year or so, especially of easy-to-ride models that have an upright
riding position that’s easier on the back.
But these customers, who still see themselves as fairly athletic, shy away from
bikes that seem to be designed for older people,
with wider saddles and higher handlebars.
“I don’t think the boomers are ready to be written off yet,” McCorkell said.
“These are people who had mountain bikes in their 20s
and 30s, and they’re looking to recapture that experience.”
More...from MSNBC at:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4737492/


10. From Runner's World:
* Coach's Corner
"Racing this summer? Don't show up late to a race. When you show up late (or
more accurately, not early enough) for a race, valuable
energy that could be channeled into speed is instead squandered on finding a
parking space, picking up your number, waiting for a
portajohn, and worrying if you'll have time to warm up. Arrive no less than an
hour before start time." - Ed Eyestone

* Injury Prevention
Ladies Tip: Ladies - are you experiencing jog bra chafing? Try this: turn that
bra inside out so the seams are on the outside. It
just might help ease the friction and prevent that nasty chafing.

* Performance Nutrition
Drink plain old tap water, bottled spring water, or sparkling mineral water,
which are naturally calorie-free. Some bottled waters
even supply a dose of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. If you're looking
for flavor, try unsweetened iced tea (black, green,
or herbal) flavored with lemon, lime, or fresh peppermint leaves. For coffee and
chocolate lovers, make your own iced mocha by
combining coffee, non-fat milk, and a tablespoon of chocolate syrup. This drink
will save you more than 200 calories compared with
coffee-shop versions.

* Words That Inspire:
"There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the
credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less
competition there." -Indira Gandhi

* Editors Advice:
"Running with headphones outdoors is a safety hazard in more ways than one. You
won't be able to hear cars, cyclists or someone
approaching who intends to do you harm. Attackers will always pick a victim who
looks vulnerable. When you have headphones on, that
means you." -Sue Hartman, RW director of marketing

* Training Talk:
"You just want to be in position to use your speed in the end. And if there's a
logjam with 600 to go, make sure you're in real good
position. Don't be behind anybody. Run in lane 2 if you have to. You don't want
to chance if the pace gets slow that you just get
bumped at the end." -Alan Webb From Sub 4:00 by Chris Lear

* Editor's Advice
"Running with headphones outdoors is a safety hazard in more ways than one. You
won't be able to hear cars, cyclists or someone
approaching who intends to do you harm. Attackers will always pick a victim who
looks vulnerable. When you have headphones on, that
means you." -Sue Hartman, RW director of marketing



11. VO2 max: What is it, Why is it so important, and how do you improve it?
by David Hampson
Exercise physiologists define VO2 max as your maximal rate of oxygen
consumption. It is a measure of your capacity to generate the
energy required for endurance activities and is one of the most important
factors determining your ability to exercise for longer
than four to five minutes. Improving your VO2 max by 10 percent without changing
any other performance factors can take more than a
minute off your 5k time, and is an essential factor in races from 800 meters to
the marathon. Your sedentary VO2 max values are
genetically determined. However, all individuals can make drastic improvements
in VO2 max with the right training stimulus. Thus, to
attain your best possible performances, VO2 max improvement is one aspect of
your training that should not be ignored.
There are two ways to take VO2 max to its highest possible levels; increased
volume and increased intensity. Studies show that
sedentary people can improve VO2 max by over twenty percent when they begin a
running program of 25 miles per week. By increasing
mileage to 50 miles per week, VO2 max is improved a further ten percent.
Unfortunately there are diminishing returns of VO2 max
increases with increased mileage, so drastic improvements will not occur
indefinitely. Based on the available research, it seems
that maximal VO2 max gains are achieved with a weekly running volume of 60 to 90
miles. Although increases in weekly mileage have
shown to be particularly effective at increasing VO2 max, it is important to
remember that mileage should be increased gradually,
with careful attention towards preventing over-training and injury. Also, VO2
max improvements only occur if you are keeping running
intensity the same as you increase your mileage. If you increase your mileage,
but slow down your daily running pace, little
improvement will occur in VO2 max.
More...from Cool Running at:
http://www.coolrunning.com/major/97/training/hampson.html


12. Victory on the wings of technology:
Science teams up with athletes to boost their Olympic performances
When the Olympic Games 80 years ago adopted the motto of "Citius, Altius,
Fortius" -- or "faster, higher, stronger" -- officials
weren't concerned with "more scientific." But, increasingly, the athletes are
relying on high-technology fabrics and sophisticated
equipment to augment their innate ability and years of training.
Just since the last Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, four years ago,
computers have gotten faster and smaller, digital cameras
have come into regular use and scientists have become more commonplace on the
practice field.
These advances will allow bikers in this month's games to pace themselves
better, gymnasts and divers to compete more gracefully,
and swimmers and runners to maximize their speed.
All of these changes will be subtle, and hard to spot on a television screen.
But when the difference between Olympic medals and
Olympic misses is calculated in hundredths of a second, every bit of ingenuity
counts.
Swifter sprintersNike Inc. set out four years ago to see whether streamlined
clothing would help sprinters, who already achieve
speeds of up to 27 miles per hour, shave hundredths of a second off their times.
Aerodynamics dictate that the thighs, arms, and torso -- oval-shapes that face
into the wind -- create drag and slow down runners.
Sprinters' outfits did little to compensate.
More...from Boston.com at:
http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/olympics/articles/2004/08/03/on_the_wi\
ngs_of_technology/


13. A Lament for Ancient Games in Modern World of Doping:
Thomas H. Murray, president of the Hastings Center, a bioethics research group
in Garrison, N.Y., spends a large part of his day
considering the culture, philosophy and ethics of the sporting world.
As the author of several papers on the use of science in sports, Dr. Murray, a
social psychologist, has served on the United States
Olympic Committee's anti-doping panel, an experience he describes as "the most
frustrating work I've done."
He also recently became chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency's ethical
issues review panel, which, he said in a recent
interview, "is really serious about dealing with abuses."
Dr. Murray, 58, is an avid bicyclist. But he has no plans to go to Athens next
week. "I've never been to a single Olympics," he
said, with a smile. "There are jobs within the Olympic movement that come with
lots of perks. The job I had wasn't one of them."
Q. Recently, a major ethical or medical issue has dominated the headlines of
each Olympics. The Atlanta Games were dubbed the "EPO
Games," after erythropoietin, the human growth hormone. What do you think the
Athens Games will be called?
A. Perhaps the "Gene Games?" The hot new topic is genetic manipulation or gene
transfer, and people are getting very excited and
worried that athletes might try to genetically enhance themselves.
But of course, the technology is not here yet. Lee Sweeney at University of
Pennsylvania is working on a technique that could be
therapeutic for people with muscular dystrophy, but that might also be used by
athletes to enhance muscle size. Thus far, his work
has only been with mice. Indeed, the whole technology of gene therapy is very
much in its infancy. So while there will be a lot of
talk about it, I don't expect there will be any genetically enhanced athletes in
Athens, although there might be some who think they
have been.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/health/psychology/03conv.html


14. Even a modest workout may strengthen the heart:
Even a single session of moderate exercise can improve heart health for at least
a day, a new study suggests.
It's no secret that frequent and intense exercise can improve heart function,
but this is the first time scientists have tested the
heart's response to a single, less intense bout of exercise. For this study, 11
healthy young men spent 60 minutes on an exercise
bicycle, pedaling at a rate at which they could easily hold a conversation. They
had not exercised for at least three days before
the study.
Researchers measured the participants' heart rate variability with an
electrocardiogram four times after the exercise session.
If a person's heart beats 60 times a minute, it doesn't necessarily pulse in
time with the second hand on a clock. Heart rate
variability is a measurement of the beat-to-beat differences in heart rhythm.
After exercising, the men had higher heart rate variability than when they were
resting.
People with hearts that can change in response to stress — a high variability —
have lower rates of heart disease. A low variability
is a predictor of risk for sudden cardiac death, insulin resistance, and other
heart and lung problems.
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/fitness/la-he-moderate2aug02,1,1056955.st\
ory?coll=la-health-fitness-news


15. Pedal power pushes Hydrobike:
MIAMI - (KRT) - Michael Orth's neighbors have quit staring when Orth and wife
Patsy take their daily jaunt around their
subdivision's five-acre lake. But that wasn't always the case. Six years ago,
when the Orths brought home a new piece of exercise
equipment from the Miami International Boat Show, plenty of neighbors peered
with open mouths from their back porches.
The Orths were among the first in South Florida to purchase a Hydrobike - a
combination bicycle/pedal boat that can be used for
exercise, cruising and fishing. They liked it so much that they bought a second.
``It was just for general playing, just a toy,'' Michael Orth said recently. ``I
didn't realize the multiuses of it. It's better
than riding a bicycle and much safer, too. You sit high and get a great view.''
The Hydrobike consists of an aluminum bicycle frame mounted on a molded
polyethylene platform with twin sponsons. It's about 10 feet
long and weighs 125 pounds. The rider sits on an adjustable bicycle seat, using
the handlebars to steer and pushing pedals forward
and backward. A lever in the stern tilts the propeller up and down. A rudder
forward aids in steering. There's a small dry storage
compartment and drink holders within easy reach. Orth built a small dock in his
back yard, securing the Hydrobikes with bungee
cords.
More...from the Mercury News at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9317188.htm


16. When the athletes line up in Athens this summer, their biggest opponents may
be heat and humidity:
When the Olympic athletes line up in Athens this summer, their biggest opponents
may not be those standing near them but the heat
and humidity of Greece in August and the effect this can have on their bodies.
Exercising in any conditions can cause dehydration and fatigue, but in the
extremities likely to be faced in Athens, athletes'
performances could be significantly affected.
A body's core temperature rises more when exercising in heat than in cool
conditions and excessive rises can reduce performance
levels and in some instances halt performance altogether. Very high core
temperatures can be detrimental to health.
The human body may be 65 per cent water, but a water loss of just two per cent
can affect an athlete's performance and put them at a
competitive disadvantage. Fatigue can lead to loss of concentration and possibly
mean the difference between glory and
disappointment.
But it is not only elite athletes who can suffer the effects of dehydration and
energy loss. During any sporting activity, at
whatever level, you may lose the competitive edge by becoming dehydrated and
fatigued. Not only does this allow opponents to take
advantage but it can also put your health at risk.
More...from the Times Online at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,15789,00.html


17. Runners' stretching has fans, doubters:
There are two kinds of runners in this world: Those who stretch and those who
don't.
Some runners stretch before, after and even during a run, believing it helps
warm up their muscles, prevent injury and ease
post-workout soreness.
"I don't think it's a waste of time," said Luis Rodriguez, a 41-year-old Miami
man as he stretched last week before a run with his
son on the Amazon Park trail. They were in town for the Junior Olympics. "I
think you should stretch before you run and after you
run. It keeps your muscles loose."
Others eschew stretching, viewing it as an unnecessary nuisance that provides no
tangible benefit.
"I guess I'm lazy, and I don't seem to need it," said Jorry Rolfe, 52, of
Eugene, who has been running for 25 years and hits the
trails five or six times a week at Amazon Park.
The truth about stretching lies somewhere in between.
Recent research suggests that stretching before or after exercise, while it may
make athletes more flexible, doesn't prevent injury.
But some exercise physiologists say the research on stretching is inconclusive,
and that stretching and flexibility should play a
role in an overall fitness program.
More...from the Register Guard at:
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/08/02/b1.cr.healthfiles.0802.html


18. Warning Signs Of Sudden Athlete Death:
BAY AREA (KRON) -- The sudden death of 9-year-old Antioch girl Arianna Williams
during a soccer practice is once again raising
questions about the safety of school sports.
Two autopsies have apparently failed to pinpoint the cause of death. But there
are some warning signs parents and coaches can look
out for to identify children at risk.
When 17-year-old Nic Rotolo collapsed and died during an ice hockey game earlier
this year, there were many questions but few
answers.
The sudden death of any young, seemingly healthy athlete is always shocking, and
it always raises the question, could it have been
avoided?
Fortunately, such deaths are rare. Among high school athletes, the incidence is
just one in 200,000.
Most of those who die have some form of undiagnosed heart disease. These are
often what are called "silent" heart conditions, ones
without any symptoms, and that cannot be spotted during a routine physical exam.
More extensive tests such as ultrasound or echocardiogram can identify some
heart defects. But they are expensive and even they miss
some problems.
However, some studies suggest that up to 80% of athletes who die suddenly
experience some warning in the weeks before the fatal
event. Those warnings include chest or stomach pain, dizziness, rapid or
irregular heart rates, increased fatigue and fainting.
Experts say paying attention to warning signs like these could identify athletes
at risk.
One other important, but simple step every athlete and parent can take is to
stay well hydrated. Studies show dehydration puts a
greater strain on the heart, increasing the risk for serious health problems.
"If a player's body temperature reaches a certain threshold, then they no longer
have the capacity to regulate temperature, it can
run away on them and it can lead to death," explains Michael Bergeron PhD,
dehydration expert.
Experts also point out that this kind of sudden death can happen to anyone, even
professional athletes.
(Copyright 2004, KRON 4. All rights reserved.)


19. From Running Times:
*Training Effectively with Limited Time
Limited time is likely the most common excuse for poor training. Often it is
valid, as pressures from jobs and families crowd in and
take over, making running more of an escape—when possible—than a priority. One
way to fight this problem is to maximize the
efficiency of your running, by looking at what type of running you're doing. In
the April 2003 issue of Running Times, Lab Report
columnist Pete Pfitzinger laid out a three-step process for setting up training
priorities: First, consider the demands of your goal
race, be it primarily endurance for anything over 30K, lactic acid work (tempo
runs) for 8K to 25K, or V02 Max (intervals) for 5K's.
Second, consider your weaknesses by evaluating how you do and feel in various
workouts relative to others. Third, work on your
weaknesses if they are needed for your goal. This means, for example, that if
you're training for 5K's, and you have marathon-level
endurance but little speed, you should spend more of your limited time doing
fast work than slogging miles. For more details, see
What's Your Limiting Factor: Training Your Strengths and Weaknesses at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/issues/04apr/pfitz.htm. One note: just because
you're worn out from a day of work doesn't mean you can't
do speed. Often it takes only one pick-up to blow out the psychological fatigue
of our hectic lifestyles.

*Effects of Blood Donation
Q: I just donated blood via a process that takes both platelets and red blood
cells. How long does it normally take the body to
replace the red blood cells and fluids lost, and therefore restore its oxygen
carrying capacity?
A: Thanks for donating blood. The loss of hemoglobin will have its greatest
effect when cardiac demands are the greatest - during
high-intensity workouts. The impact will decrease as intensity decreases, so the
impact on an easy run should not be significant.
Because blood donation will affect your ability to train intensely for a while,
you don't want to do this right before a race.
It takes about 120 days for the body to make new red blood cells - the cells
which contain hemoglobin. Supplementing your diet with
iron after blood donation will help maximize your iron stores. (There is a small
segment of the population with excessive iron
levels - hemochromatosis. These people should not supplement their iron intake.
Even though their blood is rich in iron, it cannot
be used in blood donation).
Remaining well hydrated will allow your body to rapidly replace the fluid that
is lost during blood donation. --Cathy Fieseler,
MD

*Q & A
Q: I've recently started to do more heart monitor training, particularly working
on improving my running threshold. I've determined
my threshold pace is between 163-168 beats per minute and set my watch to beep
at 165. My two favorite threshold workouts are
2x2miles with 60 seconds rest in between each and a 3 to 4 mile run at
threshold. Both of these are done on the track.
During workouts, I've noted that my pace slows in order to maintain the 163-168
range. In a two-mile run, my first mile is around
6:10-6:15 and my second mile 6:30 or slower. Should I be slowing in order to
maintain the threshold range for my heart or should I
maintain the pace, knowing my heart rate will increase as the workout continues?
A: I am a firm believer that effort trumps pace when doing anaerobic threshold
workouts. Therefore, you are entirely correct in your
execution of your threshold runs as you hold effort constant while you vary the
pace. Doing them with "positive" splits is OK since
the goal is to avoid making the workout into a truly hard one that catabolizes
your muscles. Done the way you are running them, a
threshold workout is just a moderately hard day. In fact, Coach Jack Daniels,
the Father of Threshold Training, seems to have found
that they are easy enough to recover from that he now advocates doing back to
back "hard" days of threshold training in the middle
of the week.
One other thing I'd like to point out is that one's AT is not a static point. It
is rather fluid; the point at which it occurs
depending on your state of fitness. This was pointed out by my RT colleague Pete
Pfitzinger in his column a while back. Pete
demonstrated that a runner could encounter his or her AT at a fairly wide range
of HRs, depending on categories that he called
"novice" and "experienced" runners. Although I prefer to label runners who find
their THR at lower percentages of their max as in
"poor shape" and those who find theirs at higher percentages as in "good shape,"
I'm sure we agree that you raise your THR's as you
improve your fitness at anaerobic threshold. --Coach Roy Benson

*Q: I am a 54-year-old who probably has osteoarthritis associated with previous
injuries. I have restricted movement in my right
leg, as I cannot easily bring my knee up to my chest. While I have not been
X-rayed, my doctor agrees that I probably have osteo.
I am now training for a marathon this October and have never felt better. I
still likely have osteo, but aside from age related
stiffness and the loss of the speed I once possessed, I can run a decent race
and have no problem with the distances so far. I
attribute this to running. I dispute that one needs to stop running due to these
supposed ailments.
Any opinions on running for people with degenerative age-related disorders?
A: You are asking the $64,000 question. There is a lot that we do not know about
arthritis. We do know that motion is important in
preserving joint function; exercise is beneficial for people with arthritis; how
much exercise is the major question.
This is what I would do in your case. First, have some x-rays to determine the
amount of arthritis present, and where it is located.
Often, knee pain is due to arthritis in the hip. You may be surprised by the
findings. This provides a baseline for follow-up
evaluation looking for changes in the amount of arthritis present.
Maximize the strength and flexibility of your trunk and lower extremities. This
decreases some of the stress on the joints.
Run on softer surfaces, such as trails, whenever possible. Maximize the
cushioning in your shoes (this will be dependent on your
biomechanics).
Cross-train. Trade some of your running mileage for pool running, cycling, or
other non-impact activities.
Personally, I would continue to run, modifying my training as described above. I
can’t tell you whether this will increase the
amount of arthritis that you have already. I can tell you that I take care of a
number of runners with knee arthritis who are still
running marathons, and enjoying it. Good luck. --Dr. Cathy Fieseler


20. News Scan:
* Top 18 benefits of weight-training
Old Mutual Virtual Coach Dave Spence
Why should runners do weight-training? This week our Virtual Coach gives
eighteen good reasons...
1. Weight training tones your muscles which looks great and raises your basal
metabolism... which causes you to burn more kilojoules
24 hours-a-day. You'll even burn more kilojoules while you're sleeping.
2. Weight training can *reverse* the natural decline in your metabolism which
begins around age 30.
3. Weight training energizes you.
4. Weight training has a positive affect on almost all of your 650+ muscles.
5. Weight training strengthens your bones reducing your risk of developing
osteoporosis.
6. Weight training improves your muscular endurance.
7. Weight training will NOT develop big muscles on women....just toned muscles!
8. Weight training makes you strong. Strength gives you confidence and makes
daily activities easier.
9. Weight training makes you less prone to lower-back injuries.
10. Weight training decreases your resting blood pressure.
11. Weight training decreases your risk of developing adult onset diabetes.
12. Weight training decreases your gastrointestinal transit time, reducing your
risk for developing colon cancer.
13. Weight training increases your blood level of HDL cholesterol (the good
type).
14. Weight training improves your posture.
15. Weight training improves the functioning of your immune system.
16. Weight training lowers your resting heart rate, a sign of a more efficient
heart.
17. Weight training improves your balance and coordination.
18. Weight training elevates your mood.
From WorldofEndurance.com.

*Health Tip: Pilates
(HealthDayNews) -- Pilates, an exercise technique developed in the early 1900s,
was once used mainly by dancers for injury
rehabilitation and total body conditioning. In recent years, it's become a
popular mainstream exercise.
Pilates focuses on the alignment and strength of the muscles of the abdomen and
back -- often referred to as the core muscles, says
a Mayo Clinic article.
Proper technique is essential when doing Pilates, which requires minimal
equipment. If you want to learn Pilates, it's best to join
a class taught by a qualified instructor. Before you start a Pilates course,
check with your doctor.
From Yahoo.com

*Additional Facts About Flexibility And Stretching!
Last week I discussed tips about flexibility which I hope was helpful. This week
I would like to continue my discussion regarding
this topic with a few more additional facts pertaining to flexibility and
stretching.
1. Technique matters in there are three basic approaches to stretching that are
commonly used. Ballistic stretching involves the
momentum generated by the moving body part to produce the stretch. The second
type of stretching is static stretching which involves
gradually stretching through a muscle's full range of movement until resistance
is felt. The stretch is held for a predetermined
time, and then the muscle being stretched is relaxed, followed by stretching
that muscle even further. The final common stretching
is contract-relax technique that involves performing an isometric contraction of
the muscle to be stretched, followed by slow static
stretching of that same muscle.
2. You should not stretch to the point of pain. Flexibility cannot be developed
while the stretched muscle is in pain and this may
result in an injury. Be careful.
3. Generally speaking women tend to be significantly more flexible than men at
all ages. These differences can be overcome by
engaging in a properly designed stretching program for an extended period of
time.
4. As you age, your level of flexibility tends to decrease, although such a
decrease can be attributed more to a decrease in your
level of activity rather than to the aging process itself.
Finally, please do not be discouraged with your stretching efforts because you
are not progressing as quickly as you would like or
are not as flexible as others. Remember that flexibility is an individual
matter, one that varies from person to person. Stay
consistent and your efforts will pay off in the end.
From SignOnSanDiego.com.




Ongoing Events:
August 6, 2004:
Zurich Weltklasse Meet, Switzerland
http://www.weltklasse.ch
EuroSport
http://www.eurosport.com/home/pages/V4/L0/S6/E6446/sport_Lng0_Spo6_Evt6446.shtml

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

August 8, 2004:
Marathon by the Sea - Saint John, New Brunswick
http://www.marathonbythesea.com

SBLI Falmouth Road Race - Falmouth, MA
http://www.sblifalmouthroadrace.com

August 13-29, 2004:
2004 Olympics - Athens, Greece
http://www.athens.olympic.org/athens2004/page/home?lang=en
Runner's Web Olympic Links:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/olympics.html

August 15, 2004:
AFC Half-Marathon - San Diego, CA
http://www.afchalf.com

For more complete race listings check out our Upcoming Races Check the Runner's
Web on Sunday and Monday for race
reports on these events at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html

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 FrontPage and our Runner's Web Television Links page at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_television.html

Also visit Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/special/04olyguide.htm,

Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/daily_news/0,,s6-0-0-0-0,00.html#vcr

and the BBC at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/3919855.stm


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