Runner's Web Digest - August 27, 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
the two UK "Runner's Web" copycat sites or the
Runner's Web Book Store in the USA.

This issue is brought to you by Road Runner Sports, the world's largest running
store at:
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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:
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The Runner's Web Digest is a weekly e-zine dealing with the sports of running
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New This Week:

Check out our Olympics page for coverage links at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/olympics.html

Our latest column from Carmichael Training Systems
Nutritional Supplements – The Good, The Bad and The UGLY By Kathy Zawadzki, CTS
Certified Coach is available at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/runing/cts_columns.html.


We have ONE 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. Lactic Acid , Friend or Foe?
2. 'Marathon' mice engineered for extra endurance
3. Pulling Yourself Out of a Rut - By Siri Lindley
4. How to eat like an Olympian
5. From 'biff' to ow!
As President Bush found, mountain biking can be rough on its devotees, posing
the risk of cuts, concussions and broken bones
6. Monkeys become workaholics when scientists block a gene
7. Behind the buzz
Energy drinks with caffeine and sugar pack a punch, but at what cost?
8. Low-Carb Food Craze May Have Missed Atkins Wave
9. Running Injuries - Prevention and Treatment Tips and Techniques
10. Exercise-Related Pain Diminishes with Training
11. Sugary Soft Drinks Raise Risk of Diabetes -Study
12. Looking For Ironman Survey Subjects
13. A glossary of commonly heard endurance-related terms
14. Cycling: Multi-day race preparation and care
15. From Runner's World
16. Dear Coach - Triathlete Magazine
17. Running Commentary - Distant Looks at Olympics
18. Get Up To Speed
19. Wine: Even better for you
20. Blueberries Bust Bad Cholesterol
Contain compound that rivals commercial drugs, with fewer side-effects.
21. Pre-cooling for Performance in the Tropics
22. DNA May Soon Be in Play
Gene therapy helps build muscle and offers hope in treating disease. The dangers
are real, as is the temptation for athletes seeking
an edge.
23. Long-Distance Cyclists Face Impotence Risk
24. A Brief Chat with Dave Martin
25. News Scan


Runner's Web Weekly Poll:
This week's poll is: "Have the Olympics inspired you to train harder?"

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: "Which sport(s) should be dropped from the Olympics?"
The results at publication time were:
Answers Votes Percent
1. Archery 30 6%
2. Bowling 73 14%
3. Equestrian 54 10%
4. Fencing 45 9%
5. Roller sports 54 10%
6. Shooting 49 9%
7. Softball 54 10%
8. Synchronized anything 65 12%
9. Taekwondo 45 9%
10. Water skiing 52 10%
Total Votes: 521

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: Siri-Lindley.com.
Known for her devastating run splits, two-time World champion, Siri Lindley,
dominated the ITU World rankings for two years in 2001
and 2002. Even after she retired from competition, Siri was still ranked #1 in
2003.
Having achieved all of her goals in professional triathlon competition, Siri is
now "giving it back" coaching ITU and age-group
triathletes and duathletes.
In addition to coaching, Siri focuses her professional interests on event
commentary, motivational speaking and broadcasting.
Check out Siri's site at:
http://www.siri-lindley.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:
Sport Nutrition - An Introduction to Energy Production and Performance.
Sport Nutrition: An Introduction to Energy Production and Performance presents
in-depth discussion of the science behind sport
nutrition, including general principles, background, and rationale for current
nutritional guidelines. Students will gain a solid
understanding of the principles of nutrition as they relate specifically to
sport. Students will also learn how to distinguish
between fact and fallacy in the confusing world of sport nutrition and
supplements.
The logical organization of the book helps instructors deliver a comprehensive
introductory course in nutrition as well as reinforce
comprehension, retention, and application for all students—including those
without a science background. The following are some of
the student-friendly features:
More than 200 tables and illustrations that demonstrate important concepts and
research findings, making the text easy to understand
at the introductory level
Summary appendix that explains the fundamental concepts of biochemistry,
biology, chemistry, and physiology
Extensive glossary of terms and commonly used abbreviations
Numerous standard textbook elements, including learning objectives, key points,
and key terms
Buy the book at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736034\
048" target="_news">

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. Lactic Acid , Friend or Foe?
Introduction
The expression lactic acid, or lactate, is used most commonly to describe the
intense pain felt during exhaustive exercise,
especially short events like the 400 metres and 800 metres. To explain what it
is we first have to look briefly into how the working
muscles use energy (ATP). Actively contracting muscles obtain Adenosine
Triphosphate (ATP) from glucose stored in the blood stream
and the breakdown of glycogen stored in the muscles. Initially pyruvic acid and
small amounts of ATP are generated from the
breakdown of glucose. The pyruvic acid mixed with oxygen is converted to carbon
dioxide, water and ATP. When muscles contract
vigorously for long periods the circulatory system begins to lose ground in
delivery of oxygen. In these conditions most of the
pyruvic acid produced in the breakdown of glucose is converted to lactic acid
(LA). As the lactate is produced in the muscles it
leaks out into the blood and is carried around the body. If this condition
continues the functioning of the body will become
impaired and the muscles will fatigue very quickly. This point is often measured
as the lactic thereshold or anaerobic threshold or
onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA). When oxygen becomes available the
lactic acid is converted to pyruvic acid and then into
carbon dioxide, water and ATP.
The process of lactic acid removal takes approx. one hour, but this can be
accelerated by undertaking an appropriate warm down which
ensures a rapid and continuous supply of oxygen to the muscles.
More...from Sports Coach at:
http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/lactic.htm
And the latest research "Tired muscles? Don't blame lactate"
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20040822_Lactate.html


2. 'Marathon' mice engineered for extra endurance:
Researchers on Monday unveiled genetically engineered mice that can run farther
and longer than their naturally bred brethren,
bringing the "genetic doping" of elite athletes a small step closer to reality.
The creation of the so-called marathon mice, announced Monday, follows earlier
genetic engineering work that created "Schwarzenegger
mice," rodents that bulked up after getting injected with muscle-building genes.
The engineered mice racing away on their treadmills are bound to add to the
furor over performance-enhancing substances, just as the
world's best marathoners prepare for the Olympic event Sunday.
The gene engineered in these mice essentially mimics exercise: Researchers say
it conferred endurance and prevented the modified
mice from becoming obese -- even when they were kept inactive and fed a high-fat
diet.
"This is a real breakthrough in our understanding of exercise and diet and their
effects on obesity," said lead researcher Ronald
Evans of the Salk Institute in San Diego. "The practical use of this discovery
is the implication in controlling weight."
The paper describes how engineered mice, even the couch potato variety, were
able to run farther and longer if their "fat switch"
genes remain switched on continuously. The engineering also appeared to make
them immune to obesity.
More...from CNN at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/08/23/marathon.mice.ap/index.html


3. Pulling Yourself Out of a Rut - By Siri Lindley:
Things are going great! You feel strong, your training is right on and you, you
rock!! Everything feels good. You’re swimming PR’s
in the pool, cycling like a crazed yellow jersey laden phenom, and running like
the wind, (or at least it feels that way!). Life is
good. You say your thanks and make sure that everyday you appreciate all these
wonderful things, knowing that the more you show your
appreciation, the more likely they are to stick around.
It’s kinda scary in a way. If you’re like me, you start to think , okay,
something’s up here, this is too good to be true. Well, it’
s not. It’s just that our journey’s through life will always consist of peaks
and valleys. When things are good, or great for that
matter, dive in, enjoy it, live each moment of it to the fullest! Gain strength,
confidence, and power from it. Enjoy the feeling of
relief you get when things run smoothly without really having to struggle with
it. From this you can form a basis for those great
visualizations we athletes are meant to be practicing each and every day.
Imagining ourselves swimming, biking and running
powerfully, fast, with great confidence and just a solid, steady effort. This is
what we aim for in all our races. Internalize the
great feeling of euphoria you get on those awesome days and then feed on that
memory when things aren’t running so smoothly.
Inevitably, one of those fantastic, feel-good days, will sometime be followed by
a real challenging one, or two, or three or twenty.
Here’s an example: Tuesday, I go to the pool, Jane serves us a real doozer. I
mean, this one will either really toughen me up and
make me faster or just send to me to an early death. Hopefully, not the former
as if I die in the pool, they’ll probably have to
shut it down for a couple days.
More...from Siri Lindley at:
http://www.siri-lindley.com/articles/rut.htm


4. How to eat like an Olympian:
Gripped by the action in Athens? Convinced you could be in Beijing in four years
time?
If so, a nutritionist has drawn up a plan to help you eat like an Olympian.
Dr Samantha Stear's book, backed by the British Olympic Association, also spells
out the dietary needs of those of us not quite at
elite standard.
She said it would also help those amateur athletes taking on the challenge of
their first marathon or long-distance bike-ride.
The book, Fuelling Fitness for Sports Performance, also gives advice on the best
foods for specific types of sports.
It also sets out how much carbohydrate, protein and fat and liquid people should
have, depending on how active they are.
It is the first time the BOA has helped produce a book.
It has sent out copies of the guide to 2,500 elite athletes in the UK, include
all the members of Team GB.
More...from the BBC at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3584142.stm


5. From 'biff' to ow!
As President Bush found, mountain biking can be rough on its devotees, posing
the risk of cuts, concussions and broken bones
Mountain biking is the kind of sport that comes with its own lexicon of slang
terms devoted to crashing and getting hurt. There is
the "endo," flipping over the handlebars end over end; "road rash," a usually
large, bloody scrape on the arm or leg; and the
all-purpose "biff," or smash-up.
Not everyone who rides endures pain and suffering, but generally mountain biking
and injuries are irrevocably intertwined. On the
high end of the scale is someone like semi-pro mountain bike racer Tony
Gardikis, who competes for the Honda Turner race team. His
list of wounds includes three concussions, a broken arm, two broken wrists,
fractured vertebrae and coccyx, a broken foot, and many
cuts and lacerations.
"Generally I get cuts and scrapes every week," the Aliso Viejo resident says.
"I'll have just hit something, and my friends will
say, 'Dude, why is your arm all bloody?' I think you build up a tolerance to
it."
On the low end of the scale would be someone like President Bush, who's taken
two spills in the last few months (both blamed on
loose topsoil), resulting in minor scrapes.
The publicity generated by those mishaps highlights the risks involved, although
the severity of the injuries varies depending on a
number of factors. Rider skill, speed, bike suspension, types of trails and
protective gear all play a part in whether a fall will
result in a break or a bruise.
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/fitness/la-he-mountainbike16aug16,1,43947\
33.story?coll=la-health-fitness-news


6. Monkeys become workaholics when scientists block a gene:
Has someone finally gotten around to coming up with a cure for procrastination?
We may have to wait for that.
But researchers have found that by suppressing a gene involved in learning and
reward, they can turn monkeys into the kind of
nonstop worker you are not likely to find in the next cubicle. The report, which
appears in The Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, was prepared by researchers for the National Institutes of Mental
Health, among them Dr. Zheng Liu, Dr. Barry Richmond
and Dr. Edward Ginns (now with the University of Massachusetts Medical School).
By nature, the researchers said, monkeys are like other primates - in no hurry
to do work any sooner than it needs to be done.
"What would happen," Richmond asked in a telephone interview, "if I walked in
and dumped a huge pile of papers on your desk and
said, 'Look, you've got to get this done by the 15th of next month, and it's
going to take you three rather tedious afternoons?' How
much work are you going to do today?"
More...from IHT at:
http://www.iht.com/articles/534575.html


7. Behind the buzz:
Energy drinks with caffeine and sugar pack a punch, but at what cost?
When Jason Lee, a 41-year-old research analyst in Los Angeles, goes out for a
night on the town, he wants to be able to dance until
the wee hours. To rev up, Lee will drink three or four cans of Red Bull energy
drink.
"It has more zing than a Diet Pepsi," Lee says. "I'm looking for something to
help me stay up later, for more energy."
Energy — that's what drinks such as Red Bull, Monster Energy, Rockstar, Amp,
KMX, SoBe Adrenaline Rush and Shark promise. Red Bull,
for example, boasts that it "vitalizes body and mind," "improves performance,
especially during times of increased stress or strain,
increases concentration and improves reaction speed" and "stimulates the
metabolism."
The drinks contain caffeine and sweeteners, as well as various herbs, nutrients
and other ingredients (guarana, ginseng, taurine,
vitamins, minerals and amino acids). According to their manufacturers, these
ingredients give energy.
Consumers seem to be buying the claim: The energy drink market increased by 44%
between 2002 and 2003, from $454 million to $653
million, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp., a market research firm in
New York. Red Bull is the leader in the energy drink
market, the company says, and sells more than all of the other brands combined.
More... from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-energydrinks23aug23,1,2587314.story\
?coll=la-headlines-health
[Free Registration Required]


8. Low-Carb Food Craze May Have Missed Atkins Wave:
Food manufacturers who have stocked store shelves with low-carbohydrate versions
of everything from spaghetti sauce to ice cream may
find they are eating the costs themselves, as the low-carb fad peaks, analysts
and industry observers said.
"It's typical that one rushes into the party just when the party is breaking
up," said William Leach, food industry analyst at
Neuberger Berman.
Sales of low-carb branded foods surged $815 million, to $1.13 billion, in the 12
months ended June 13, according to market research
firm Information Resources Inc. That includes both new brands like Atkins and
Carb Solutions and extensions of existing brands --
like Unilever's Carb Options versions of Skippy peanut butter and Lipton soups.
But the number of people in the United States who say they are on low-carb diets
like Atkins peaked in January at 9 percent, in a
survey conducted by the NPD Group. It has since leveled off at about 7 percent,
Harry Balzer, a vice president at the market
research firm, said.
"The awareness has probably peaked," Balzer said.
More...from Reuters at:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=6046076


9. Running Injuries - Prevention and Treatment Tips and Techniques:
Running injuries stink!
Just when you are beginning to see real improvement in your running and feel
your normal stress level draining away, an injury
occurs. You know that a few aches and pains are inevitable but this seems to be
worse. You can't help but think, why me and why now?
First, the bad news. Injuries are a part of the sport and almost everyone
suffers an injury at one time or another. The good news,
however, is that most running injuries can be predicted, and better yet,
prevented.
So, now that we know injuries are predictable and preventable, let's go into
some specifics and discuss:
Why Runners Get Injured
Injury Prevention Tips and Techniques
Common Injuries, Causes and Treatments
More...from the Running Advisor at:
http://www.therunningadvisor.com/Running_Injuries.html


10. Exercise-Related Pain Diminishes with Training:
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - "No pain, no gain," may be the advice of coaches and
trainers around the world, but it may not be true
when it comes to cycling, research from Australia suggests.
In a series of bicycle time trials, cyclists experienced less pain during the
last trial than during the first. What's more, the
bikers covered more ground even though they did not pedal any harder.
Intense exercise and pain often go hand in hand, but there is little scientific
research on the relationship between exercise and
pain and discomfort. Dr. Peter S. Micalos and colleagues at Charles Sturt
University in Bathurst set out to measure the intensity of
muscle pain during cycling.
Eight men and three women with a range of cycling experience volunteered for the
study. Over the course of a couple of weeks, each
participant rode his or her bike on a stationary trainer three times.
During each session, participants were told to cycle the greatest distance as
possible within an hour, although they did not have to
maintain a particular speed. Every 10 minutes, riders were instructed to
"sprint" for a minute to simulate intense training.
As would be expected, over the course of cycling for an hour, muscle pain became
more intense.
More...from Yahoo at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040728/hl_nm/exercise_pain_dc_1


11. Sugary Soft Drinks Raise Risk of Diabetes -Study:
U.S. rates of diabetes have soared alongside soft drink consumption, and
scientists said on Tuesday the spikes in blood sugar and
insulin levels triggered by the sugary drinks may be at least partly to blame.
Adult-onset diabetes, which afflicts 17 million Americans, is caused by the body
either becoming resistant to insulin or not
producing enough of it.
"Rates of diabetes are skyrocketing. At the same time, over the last couple of
decades, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has
increased," said Meir Stampfer of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston,
one of the authors of a study examining the link.
Between 1977 and 1997, U.S. soft drink consumption rose 61 percent among adults
and more than doubled among children, the study
said. The increased incidence of diabetes has also paralleled the growing
obesity epidemic, the report said.
As part of a study of 91,000 female nurses participating in the second phase of
the Nurses Health Study, based at Brigham and
Women's Hospital in Boston, the Harvard researchers isolated the relationship
between frequent soft drink consumption and diabetes.
A total of 741 women developed diabetes during the 1991 to 1999 study period.
More...from Reuters at:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=RBZ2ZOJNZERRCCRBAEZSFEY?type\
=healthNews&storyID=6059106
[Long URL]


12. Looking For Ironman Survey Subjects:
"Hello - I am looking for survey subjects and publicity help if possible, for a
graduate school research study. Anything you could
do would be appreciated.
The study is investigating the quantity of training performed by athletes
training for an ironman-distance triathlon. For the
purposes of this survey an ironman-distance race is one with race distances of a
swim of 3.8 km (2.4 miles), a bike of 180 km (112
miles), and a run of 42.2 km (26.2 miles).
Training data will be collected for any athlete that has started an
ironman-distance triathlon in the past 5 years (2000 - current).
To take the survey, start at this site: http://www.trisurvey.net/
Mat
Mathew Luebbers
mailto:matluebbers@...
Student, United States Sports Academy
Ironman-Distance Triathlete Training Study


13. A glossary of commonly heard endurance-related terms:
What exactly does "anaerobic threshold" mean? Is it important to know your
heart-rate reserve? Is VO2max testing worthwhile for the
average age-grouper?
This brief glossary will answer many questions you've been afraid to ask about
the intensity-related terminology commonly used by
endurance-sports coaches and others.
Aerobic
This term usually refers to aerobic metabolism, which involves the release of
energy from carbohydrates and fats for the kinds of
muscle contractions athletes use in endurance activity.
Oxygen is used to help in this energy-release process, hence "aerobic"
(occurring in the presence of oxygen). The process happens
inside organelles called mitochondria located within muscle cells.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11186&sidebar=575&category=keep_fit


14. Cycling: Multi-day race preparation and care:
It is no surprise to most of us that proper training, recovery and nutrition are
the foundation of performance in any sport, but
especially in endurance sports.
Without attention to these details, even the fittest and most experienced in the
field will suffer the effects of poor preparation.
These elements become even more critical to improving or maintaining performance
when participating in events that span the course
of several days, or multiple events in the same day.
It is a shame to waste all of that time and effort in getting to our events,
only to suffer poor performance and disappointment that
could be avoided simply by following some simple guidelines.
The purpose of this article is to help fill in some of the nutritional and
training gaps in our approach to multi-day racing so that
our efforts are not in vain, and so we can set ourselves up for the greatest
possible chances of success each time we participate in
an event.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11140&sidebar=21&category=cycling


15. From Runner's World:
*Editor's Advice
"Trail running isn't just for the hard-core and it can be a lot of fun. Just be
sure to watch your step, especially if the terrain
is rocky. Look ahead so you can react to the footing in front of you." -Robert
Festino, RW art director

* Training Talk
"Remember that while sprints build strength and speed, strides serve best for
recovery. A session of easy-flowing strides will set
you up to run harder, faster workouts in the days or weeks to come. And those
designated tough workouts will build strength and
speed." -From RunFast by Hal Higdon

*Coach's Corner
Get it done: Even brief periods of physical activity, as little as 10 minutes
at a time, can be a powerful weapon against stress.
"Getting out and moving is the most important thing. You don't have to exercise
intensively. Just doing something-anything-is more
important than anything else." -Psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D.

*Injury Prevention
Wobble boards can improve both coordination and balance (which can make you a
more efficient runner). They help improve
proprioception, which is your ability to know where your body is in time and
space. They're great for strengthening weak ankles and
foot muscles, which improves proprioception leading to fewer ankle sprains,
shinsplints, and knee pain

*Performance Nutrition
Avocado Surprise: Avocados pack more cholesterol-smashing beta-sitosterol than
any other fruit (Journal of the American Dietetic
Assoc., Apr 2001). Beta-sitosterol reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed
from food. Avocados tested were the black,
pebble-skinned California variety, available year-round. A whole avocado has 300
calories and 30 g fat, mostly heart-healthy
monounsaturated fat. Factor in the fat and calories if you eat the whole
avocado!


16. Dear Coach - Triathlete Magazine:
By Paul Huddle and Roch Frey
Dear Coaches,
In training for specific triathlon events next year, I am wondering how much
time to allow between events. In other words, once I
complete one event, how do I train for another that is four weeks away?
Thanks,
Jim Liberty
Los Angeles, Calif.
Dear Jim,
You could take the Tinley approach of 10 years ago: The day after racing, ride
80 miles instead of 120, then go for a short,
45-minute transition run. On Tuesday, it's back to your regular training. If the
quads still hurt, give a bat to a buddy and have
him beat out the residuals. Lots off ibuprofen and a month later, and you'll be
ready for your race.
However, we do not recommend the Tinley approach. If you could see Tinley trying
to walk first thing in the morning, you'd realize
that what he did may not have been such a good thing. We have to thank him,
though, as he taught us what is good and bad for basic
longevity.
Four weeks is plenty of time between sprint and half-Ironman distance races. (If
you are talking about an Ironman, then we suggest a
bare minimum of six weeks, and even that is probably not enough.) Three days
after these shorter races, use short swims, bikes and
runs to help facilitate recovery. (Never run the day after a race; save your
first run for Tuesday or Wednesday.) If you have a
great race you will probably feel like doing some harder training first thing on
Monday, but we can guarantee that this will catch
up with you by Wednesday and could lead to burnout in the weeks to come. Use the
first three days to get fully recovered, and then
start to add in some shorter, higher intensity workouts later in the week.
For the next two weeks, get back into your regular training, but emphasize
quality rather than duration. If your first race is one
of your key races, then we assume you've properly trained for it and have a
sufficient base to carry you through the four weeks
between races. Keep the weekend's longer aerobic sessions to a little over half
of what you have been doing so you have energy for
some higher intensity sessions during the week. Keep those important, harder
workouts a little shorter than normal, but allow more
recovery than you would normally take. An example would be 6x400m repeats on the
track. Rather than running them at 10k pace with
only a 200m moderate run recovery between each, run at a slightly faster than 5k
pace with a full 400m easy run recovery between
each. This is not the way you should perform all your track interval sessions,
but between races it is good to work the anaerobic
energy and lactate tolerance systems. And when doing it properly, you need to
run much faster than race pace and take more recovery
between intervals.
So this will give you two good weeks of higher intensity training with a lower
overall duration and volume. Use the week before the
race as a taper, keeping in mind the three key components of a taper:
Reduce overall volume. You are just warming up and getting the system going
during each training session, not working on athletic
gains.
Maintain intensity during your key workouts. You still need to perform some
higher quality sessions to prevent staleness, but the
total duration (point #1) is reduced. Only perform 3x400m intervals on the track
the week before your race, but at a faster than
race pace effort.
Maintain frequency of training sessions. Perform close to the same number of
workouts during the week, but keep them short and sweet
in order to stay fresh and get your sport-specific muscles accustomed to moving
fast.


17. Running Commentary - Distant Looks at Olympics:
Joe Henderson
How much do you care about the Olympics? How much should you care?
The Olympics are entertaining if you watch them as that -- an entertainment
spectacle. But if you yell at the television for not
showing enough distance running and for overexposing Americans at the expense of
the world's majority, or if your running suffers as
you use that time to glean every last crumb of news from cable and
computercasts, you probably care too much.
My caring peaked a long time ago, at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. This was
partly the result of my job, my first Olympics with
Runner's World, and partly a function of age. The runners that year were my
age-mates and many of them, from Doris Brown to Francie
Larrieu and Jeff Galloway to Mike Manley, were -- and still are-- friends.
My caring about the Olympics didn't end at Munich. But it took a healthier turn,
thanks in large part to the example of my hero from
those Games.
It wasn't Frank Shorter, the first American to stand atop the marathon victory
platform in 64 years. It wasn't Lasse Viren, who
jumped up from a fall to set a world record in the 10,000 and later won the
5000.
My hero from Munich was a gentle man named Tom Johnson, who attended the Games
only as a tourist with the Runner's World group that
I helped lead. Before that trip, Tom had never flown. He'd never ventured far
his home in Washington, DC, where he worked as an
editorial artist for the Post.
When Tom boarded the plane, he was dressed for running. He carried a small
backpack holding everything he would need for the next
two weeks.
The tour group saw little of him after we arrived in the tiny village, 100
kilometers from the Olympic city, that served as our
headquarters for these three weeks. His second home became the trails through
the "Sound of Music"-like hills and along the
trout-rich local river. Here he ran-walked for hours on trails.
Buses took the tour group by autobahn to Munich each day. Tom skipped most of
these rides.
German TV, with commentary he didn't understand, would show him all of the
Olympics that he wanted to see. When asked how he could
be this close to the Games and not watch them in person, he either didn't have
the words or the need to explain. He just smiled and
shrugged.
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/458.html


18. Get Up To Speed:
Speed isn't just about running faster; it's about moving as efficiently as
possible. And moving more efficiently means that you pack
more aerobic work into your exercise time. Increasing your speed goes
hand-in-hand with improving cardiovascular strength and muscle
power—and those are benefits any runner can appreciate, whether you're looking
to shave seconds off your finish time or simply
looking to stay fit.
So what exactly makes you a faster runner? Studies show that it's a number of
factors all interacting in a complex way to influence
performance on the road. Muscle strength is the obvious one: the more
conditioned your muscles, the more power they have—and the
more ability to withstand the higher impact of moving fast. And then there's
your maximum oxygen uptake (max VO2), which dictates
how effectively you can burn the fuel that drives your muscles. And your lactate
threshold, the point at which large amounts of
lactic acid start accumulating in your blood.
While natural ability always comes into play, anyone can improve these factors
by consistently integrating speedwork into a training
program. The most typical speedwork incorporates intervals: spells of slow
accelerations until you are running fast, then gradually
slowing down. But you can also train for speed with:
Tempo runs
A tempo run is a 20- to 30-minute "comfortably hard" run—which can help raise
your lactate threshold without running you down at the
same time. Your tempo pace is one that you could sustain for about an
hour—faster than your usual easy pace, a little slower than
your 10K race pace. Avoid the temptation to crank up your speed, even if you
feel like it. After a warm-up of about 10 minutes, hit
your tempo pace and hold it for the full 20 to 30 minutes. Cool down after a few
faster strides—four or five 20- to 40-second bursts
at about race pace.
More...from Nike.com at:
http://www.nike.com/nikerunning/usa/home.jhtml?loc1=tools_training&loc2=runners_\
library&loc3=84&promoID=em


19. Wine: Even better for you:
By now it is well known that a little bit of wine can be good for you. But even
the waste from winemaking can have benefits,
researchers say.
Scientists from two Turkish universities have found that extract of grape pomace
- the seeds, skin and stems left after the fruit is
crushed to make juice - inhibits the growth of 14 types of bacteria, including
those that can spoil food or cause salmonella and
other food-borne illnesses.
"Grape pomace extract is a natural weapon against bacteria," Osman Sagdic, a
professor in the food engineering department at Erciyes
University and author of a paper describing the findings in "The Journal of the
Science of Food and Agriculture", said in an e-mail
message.
Osman and his colleagues used pomace from the most common red and white grapes
used for winemaking in Turkey. Analysis showed that
extracts had relatively high concentrations of phenolic compounds, the
antioxidant substances in wine. The researchers then tested
the extracts, mixed with methanol in concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 20
percent, against a who's who of bacteria, including E.
coli O157:H7, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter
aerogenes. E. coli O157:H7 has caused several
food-poisoning deaths in recent years.
More...from IHT at:
http://www.iht.com/articles/535352.html


20. Blueberries Bust Bad Cholesterol:
Contain compound that rivals commercial drugs, with fewer side-effects.
Eating blueberries could help lower your cholesterol as effectively as
commercial drugs, with fewer side-effects.
A compound in blueberries called pterostilbene has been found to have potential
for being developed into a nutraceutical for
lowering cholesterol, say researchers from the US Department of Agriculture
(USDA).
Pterostilbene is an antioxidant that is similar to resveratrol, another
antioxidant identified in grapes and red wine that is also
believed to lower cholesterol.
Researchers have previously found pterostilbene in grapes, but this is the first
time that it has been found in blueberries, adding
to a growing list of health benefits attributed to the little antioxidant-rich
berry, including protection against heart disease,
cancer and memory impairment.
More...from Better Humans at:
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2004-08-25-1


21. Pre-cooling for Performance in the Tropics:
Pre-cooling improves power output by up to 7% in continuous exercise lasting
less than an hour in tropical conditions. Although
there are various cooling methods, practical and effective modes with suitable
durations are yet to be determined for intermittent
or more prolonged exercise. Research factoring in solar radiation and any
placebo effect is necessary to determine the optimal
strategies of pre-cooling for tropical conditions.
A Sport science article by physiologists from the Australian Institute of Sport
(AIS) highlighted empirical pre-cooling
observations, the potential performance benefits, and rapid development of the
AIS ice jacket prior to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
(Martin et al., 1998). Rapid development meant the issue of how best to use the
ice jacket for various applications was not
addressed. Researchers have since attempted to identify protocols for the ice
jacket and to develop additional pre-cooling
modalities for individual and team athletes competing in tropical conditions.
The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview
of available pre-cooling methods and their potential impact on physiology and
performance in tropical conditions.
Strategies to Improve Endurance Performance in Tropical Conditions
Maximum daily temperature in the tropics generally averages more than 30oC
year-round. In the wet season, humidity is also high.
Hot and/or humid conditions limit cooling, because the temperature and vapor
gradients between the skin and air are not conducive to
loss of heat. In such conditions, body temperature becomes a factor limiting
performance of high-intensity endurance exercise
(Gonzalez-Alonso et al., 1999; Morris et al., 1998). Strategies that reduce
resting body temperature or enhance dissipation of heat
can therefore enhance performance.
Heat acclimatization and fluid ingestion are well-established methods for
improving physical performance in the tropics.
Acclimatization lowers resting body temperature and provides cardiovascular
adaptations that aid heat loss (Buono et al., 1998).
Fluid ingestion can attenuate the loss of plasma volume that would otherwise
reduce blood flow to the skin and thereby compromise
dissipation of heat (Armstrong et al., 1997). Athletes should continue to use
these methods for competitions in the tropics, but in
addition they should consider use of pre-cooling.
More...from Sports Science at:
http://www.sportsci.org/index.html?jour/03/03.htm&1


22. DNA May Soon Be in Play:
Gene therapy helps build muscle and offers hope in treating disease. The dangers
are real, as is the temptation for athletes seeking
an edge.
Dr. James Wilson never intended to create super-monkeys.
A pioneer in genetic engineering, he was experimenting with a way to insert
single genes into muscle cells, a technique that could
eventually be used to treat a variety of genetic illnesses.
He chose a gene that boosts levels of erythropoietin, or EPO, a key hormone in
the production of oxygen-toting red blood cells and a
convenient marker to measure his experiment's success.
But EPO has another claim to fame. Its synthetic version, created in the 1980s
to treat anemia, is one of the most notorious
performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sports, able to increase endurance by
raising the oxygen supply to muscles.
In less than two weeks, many of Wilson's rhesus monkeys had red cell counts
greater than those of world-class runners who train at
high altitude.
By three weeks, they had a higher concentration of red cells than even the worst
EPO abusers in sports.
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-genedopers27aug27,1,7077001.story?col\
l=la-home-headlines


23. Long-Distance Cyclists Face Impotence Risk:
Saddle pressure can cause temporary erection difficulties for men who take part
in long distance cycling events, but bike
adjustments may decrease the risk, a study suggests.
However, bicycle seats with "cutouts" designed to relieve the pressure that may
contribute to impotence could actually put certain
men at greater risk for the problem.
Researchers found that among 463 men who'd taken part in long-distance cycling
events, just over four percent developed short-lived
erectile dysfunction (ED) within the following week. And while many of those who
reported using a cutout saddle were at lower risk
of temporary ED, others -- namely, those who felt numbness in the groin during
the ride -- were more likely to develop ED if they
used a cutout seat.
The researchers also found a greater impotence risk among men who used a
mountain bike for the road race, and those with handlebars
higher than the saddle.
The findings are published in The Journal of Urology.
More...from Reuters at:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=X23510TYOCU5WCRBAEZSFEY?type\
=healthNews&storyID=6081022
[Long URL]


24. A Brief Chat with Dave Martin:
by Amby Burfoot
Dr. David Martin, Ph.D., has been an adviser to USA marathoners and distance
runners for more than 20 years, working with USATF and
other organizations to help American distance runners. The co-author with Seb
Coe's father, Peter Coe, of "Training Distance
Runners," Martin is an expert in many running areas, one of them being
performance in hot environments. Martin lives in Atlanta,
which helps make him a heat expert, and teaches at Georgia State University. He
gave this interview in May, as he was preparing to
attend a USOC "heat summit" meeting with the USA marathoners who will be running
in Athens.
Runner's World Daily: When you look at a summer marathon on the Athens course,
what do you see?
Dave Martin: I always tell runners that getting ready for any marathon is a
multifaceted job. There are a lot of things you have to
do right. In Athens, with the foreign environment, the heat, and the tough
course, it's basically a marathon that requires more
facets than most. That's what we've tried to tell our American marathoners. They
have to be prepared for a lot of different things.
More...from Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/daily_news/1,5039,0-0-0-0----08-20-2004,00.html#\
chat


25. News Scan:
*Stretch out those thighs for your knees' sake
The fronts of our thighs, called the quadriceps, are often a very strong muscle
group in our bodies. When they tighten up, they can
pull at the front of the knee, causing pain. To keep this part of your thighs
limber, try this flexibility move at the end of all
your workouts.
1 Lie on your side with both legs extended. Rest your head on your forearm and
form a straight line with your entire body. Pull your
abdominals in to prevent your back from overarching.
2 Bend the top leg's knee, grasping your ankle. Move your heel toward your
buttocks. Bring your top knee directly above your bottom
knee, and gently tuck your hips under until they are in line with your
shoulders. Feel the stretch in the front of your top leg.
Hold this stretch and relax for 20 seconds. Release the leg and repeat on the
other side.
— Karen Voight, LA Times

* Advantages of a smaller bodymass in humans when distance-running in warm,
humid conditions.
Dennis SC, Noakes TD.
Medical Research Council/University, Cape Town Bionergetics of Exercise Research
Unit, University of Cape Town Medical School,
Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Newlands.
Using a 65-kg athlete running a 2 h 10 min marathon as an example, we estimated
that imbalances between approximately 1400 W of heat
production and dissipation would occur in ambient temperatures of 17 degrees C
at 90% relative humidity (rh) to 37 degrees C at 50%
rh. Because heat production during running depends on body mass and heat loss
depends on surface area, intercepts between predicted
heat production and maximal heat loss with increasing speeds depend on an
athlete's body mass. At 35 degrees C and 60% rh, a 45-kg
athlete could maintain thermal balance by running a 2 h 13 min marathon at 19.1
km x h(-1) but a 75-kg athlete would only be able
run a 3 h 28 min marathon at 12.2 km x h(-1). In both cases, the production of
970-1020 W of heat would necessitate the evaporation
of at least 1.5-1.6 l of sweat per hour. A lower metabolic heat production in
lighter runners at any given speed may be one reason
why smallness of stature is an asset in distance running.



Ongoing Events:

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
Check TV Coverage Links Below


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

August 28, 2004:
Crim Festival of Races - Flint, MI
http://www.crim.org

August 29, 2004:
Annapolis Ten-Mile Run - Annapolis, MD
http://www.annapolisstriders.org

Ironman Canada - Penticton, BC
http://www.ironman.ca

Marathon de Quebec - Quebec City, PQ
http://www.marathonquebec.com

Olympic Men's Marathon

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 ONE personal postings this week.
FROM: mailto:testtuneusers@...
DATE: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 15:23:21 -0000
SUBJECT: Re: Request to recruit members for study.
Do you train while listening to a portable Mp3, ipod or CD
player?
If so, please consider joining our study: "Endurance
athlete's ability to detect and adjust running pace to
specifically composed music."
All athletic abilities are welcome of any age. We are
accepting runners from any location worldwide.


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,

NBCOlympics.com at:
http://nbcolympics.zap2it.com/grid.jsp?state=0&from=1092232800000&stations=11705\
_16300_10139_11207_10057_10239_20459_&zone=-5_1&genr
e=
[Multi-line URL]

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

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

and the Fresno Bee at:
http://www.fresnobee.com/24hour/olympics/story/1548077p-9101959c.html

For Triathlon Coverage check out The Sports Network at:
http://www2.sportsnet.ca/tvschedule/tvsked_sport.php?region=ONTARIO&schedule_id=\
25


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Have a good week of training and/or racing.

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Runner's Web
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