Runner's Web Digest - October 22, 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:
http://www.roadrunnersports.com/cgi-bin/rrs/rrs/rrHome.jsp?sc=CBM-00105&prfc=1


Runner's Web Affiliate Programs:

Puma
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000006585654

Fitsense Speed, Distance & Heart Rate Monitoring System for Runners and Walkers
http://buy.fitsense.com/processing2.asp?ID=28&Ad=101

Peak Performance Online
Free Copy of Peak Performance!
High-quality training newsletter worth £4 ($6) delivered straight to your door
http://www.pponline.co.uk/sendme/free.php?aff=runnersweb&sub=run

HDO Sport for Timex Body Link products
http://www.modularmerchant.com/clients/hdo/?aid=13

ITUtv.com
Live webcasts of triathlons and multi-sport events.
http://www.itutv.com/
Use promo code "RUNNERSWEB" to get a $5.00 discount.

Blockbuster
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000005675551

Fairmont Hotels
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000005674720

Triathlon Meetup
http://triathlon.meetup.com/r/d5n6/d5n6/0/http://triathlon.meetup.com/?a=d5n6/">
593 are signed up for local Triathlon Meetups! Happening THIS month, find out
when .

The Finish Line
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000005637857

Patagonia
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000005568199

Motorola
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000005463364

AOL Broadband
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000005348025

Get the GM Card, get 5% Earnings from every credit card purchase, and start
charging toward a new GM car, truck or SUV.
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000005347188

ING DIRECT makes $aving money simple! Open your account online today and start
earning 2.10% variable APY. No Fees and No Minimums!
http://www.qksrv.net/click-1452277-10124087

TriSwim Coach - The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming
http://hop.clickbank.net/?rhianyth/triswim1

Sof Sole Offer:
A free pair of our technical socks ($9.99 value) with the purchase of
any Sof Sole insole.
http://www.sofsole.com/pages/promo/rwebsockoffer.html

Get Fit Running: If you are 150 pounds, sleeping burns 61 calories an hour, race
walking burns 442 calories and running 5mph burns
544 calories an hour! To reach your personal, health, fitness, and performance
goals, subscribe to RUNNER'S WORLD today!
(Get fit with Runner's World)
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=pgaZgw/VDU4&offerid=58447.10000229&\
type=3&subid=0

adidas' running apparel at 15% off! All running shorts, pants, and
shirts at reduced prices .
http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=20812557&siteid=39999062&bfpage=15745\
37

If you have an accident while running or cycling, do you want your family to be
contacted? Do you want to receive immediate and
proper medical treatment? If so, make this cool item part of your gear -- for
safety and peace of mind. Road ID has created 4
awesome ways for athletes to wear ID: the SHOE, the WRIST, the ANKLE, and the
NECK.
Get your RoadID at:
http://www.roadid.com/?referrer=50

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
The Stretching Video in a DVD version. With the DVD version you're able to use
the convenient menu facility to:
* Go directly to a specific stretch;
* View only stretches for a specific muscle group;
* Pause each stretch to get a good look at how it is performed;
* View only the introduction and rules for safe stretching; or
* Play the entire video from start to finish.
Buy the DVD at:
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/cgi-bin/at.pl?a=286905&e=products/video-dvd\
.htm

Buy all your sporting goods at Fogdog Sports, your anytime, anywhere sports
store.
Click here: http://www.fogdog.com/cgi-bin/affiliate?siteid=40054907

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


The Runner's Web Digest is a weekly e-zine dealing with the sports of running
and triathlon and general fitness and health issues.
The opinions expressed in the articles referenced by the Digest are the opinions
of the writers and not the Runner's Web. To
comment on any stories in the Digest visit our Forum at:
http://excoboard.com/exco/index.php?boardid=4655

This newsletter has been composed using Outlook set to text format. The Digest
is sent via an email list at
http://groups.yahoo.com.
If you experience any delays in receiving your copy of the Digest, please advise
us at:
mailto:webmaster@...

Webmasters:
Get our Syndicated headlines for you site.
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_getRSS.html


Visit the Runner's Web at http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html The site is
updated multiple times daily. Check out our daily news
features, polls, trivia, bulletin boards and more. General questions should be
posted to one of our forums available from our
FrontPage.

For new subscribers:
If you have any questions regarding the options available for receiving this
digest, please do NOT email the list, rather email me
directly at mailto:Webmaster@...


You can receive the digest in three ways:
1. Immediately, via email,
2. Daily, in an email summary, and
3. By accessing the YahooGroups.com web site on demand.

The mail list has been set to not allow attachments out of concerns for viruses.
Also, all messages must be approved by the monitor
(me) prior to being released to the group.

NOTE
**[ Some e-mail clients may split the URL address into two lines. If you have
trouble connecting to a link, be sure that you
paste the entire address into your browser, so that it ends in ".html" or
another appropriate suffix ].

References/URLs:
Most references in the digest which do not have a specific URL listed here are
available from the Runner's Web FrontPage (or
Archives) at: http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html
Also, if have email software that does not read HTML, all links contained in the
Digest are available from the Runner's Web. All
URLs listed here have been verified as of the Digest publication date. It is
possible that the site may have archived or deleted the
page after publication. If you are unable to reach a URL listed here, ensure
that you are using the entire URL (see above). If you
still cannot reach the site, please email me at: mailto:webmaster@...
and I will try to track it down.

Note: Some sites require free registration. If you wish to sign up for free
access to sources for our articles without using your
main email address we suggest the use of a mail alias program such as
www.emailias.com.


New This Week:

We are currently at 863 members as of publication time. Forward the Runner's Web
Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe
at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join

Athletes - Interested in getting sponsored?
Amateur endurance athletes can win a GNC sponsorship (just like the Pro's) to
help them achieve their endurance goal. Check out the
site and enter to win:
http://www.gncproperformance.com/sponsorship/Default.aspx?lang=en

Race Directors:
Advertise your event on the Runner's Web. Over one million pageviews in August!
For more information:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_advertising.html

To comment on any stories in the Digest visit our Forum at:
http://excoboard.com/exco/index.php?boardid=4655

Our latest column from Carmichael Training Systems
Take A Break And Keep Your Fitness by Josh Powers is available at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/cts_columns.html.

Check out our latest article from Peak Performance online:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/PPO_index.html

We have downloaded and are trying Google's Desktop search which is in beta mode.
More information is available from Google at:
http://desktop.google.com/

We have ONE personal posting 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. Running Can Be Risky Business For Women
2. Multisport: Fat As Fuel - What value are medium-chain triglycerides as an
energy source for endurance athletes?
3. How to Kill—Your 10k PR
4. Regulation of Muscle Fiber Type and Running Endurance by PPAR?
5. Drug Duo Shown to Halt Arthritis Joint Damage
6. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Young Milers
7. Remembering Fred Lebow
8. Heavy use - and abuse:
The 32-mile Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail along the American River is oftentimes
a virtual traffic jam.
Trail travails
Readers react to our story about etiquette on the American River Parkway
9. Ask the Tri Doc: Nerve compression:
10. Massotherapy goes mainstream
11. Coffee Tied to Inflammation, Perhaps Heart Disease
12. From Runner's World
13. Iron Impressions
14. Ask the Tri Doc: Anemia
15. NISMAT Exercise Physiology Corner: Cardiac Issues for Athletes
16. Case for cross-training, Part 2: Strength training for joint stability and
injury prevention
17. Guide to Thanksgiving Races
18. Planters CarbWell Bar Sweepstakes
19. Scientifically Debatable: Is Creatine Worth Its Weight
20. Augmenting Your Heart Rate Monitor Training
21. Regular physical activity really does boost immune system in older men
22. Osteoporosis hits younger women -- and men
23. NISMAT Sports Nutrition Corner: Carbohydrate
24. Trainer to Run Marine Corps Marathon Backward
25. News Scan


Runner's Web Weekly Poll:
This week's poll is: The U.S. Olympic Committee has filed an appeal with the
Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to
block a decision that would strip Michael Johnson and the rest of the U.S. men's
4x400 relay team members of their 2000 Olympic gold
medals because of a positive drug test by relay team member Jerome Young
Should the entire team lose their medals?

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: "Following her Athens disappointment in the marathon (and
10K), how will Paula Radcliffe perform in her next
marathon?"
The results at publication time were:
Answers Votes Percent
1. New world record! 7 11%
2. 2:16 - 2:18 22 36%
3. 2:18:01 - 2:20 12 20%
4. 2:20:01 - 2:25 20 33%
Total Votes: 61

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:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join


Five Star Site of the Week: Ben Pulham, New Zealand Triathlete.
Name: Benjamin Ross Pulham
Birth Date: 14 March 1981
Height & Weight: 5'8" and 63kg
Resides: Auckland, New Zealand & Singapore
E-mail: mailto:ben@...
Coaches: Brendon Downey & Mark Bone (swimming)
Profile: When asked what it is that I love about triathlon I always reply...
well, everything...
What's not to love? The pain, the pleasure, the reward. It is my love for the
sport that
makes me determined to make a difference to the game of professional triathlon.
2003 was my first major experience to international racing. This exposure
allowed me
to improve my game to a point where I won 4 races in the German liga that
I was racing and to finish 12th in the London International Triathlon.
2004 sees me heading back to my base in Sigmaringen, Germany. I will be
competing
in four races of the Bundesliga along with a few other races throughout Europe.
I also
hope to have my first world cup start in Gamagori, Japan and to obtain and build
on
my world ranking..
Visit Ben's site at:
http://www.benpulham.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: The Woman Triathlete
Polish your technique, plan your training, and put together a customized program
for sprint racing up to Ironman. The Woman
Triathlete is the sport’s premier resource, bringing together the best
triathletes and coaches in the sport.
Barb Lindquist provides instruction and insight for improved swim technique.
Elite triathlon and cycling coach Bettina Younge
explains how to increase efficiency on the bike. Heather Fuhr offers a clinic‘s
worth of advice to put you a stride ahead of the
competition on the run. Detailed advice on the most comfortable, effective, and
customized equipment for women, along with nutrition
and supplement guidance, will make training and racing more enjoyable and
successful. World-class coaches Gale Bernhardt and Siri
Lindley and top athletes like Lori Bowden put together a complete blueprint for
sprint, Olympic, and long-distance racing.
Current Her Sports and former Triathlete editor in chief Christina Gandolfo
assembled this all-star cast to create the most
comprehensive and detailed guide for female triathletes. Written by women for
women, this book gives you the knowledge to take
control of your own training plan and become the best and fastest triathlete you
can be.
Buy the book at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736054\
308

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. Running Can Be Risky Business For Women:
The majority of runners with whom I work have two things in common: They are new
to the sport, and they are women. Becoming a
runner – the training part – is challenging enough. Add to that challenge a
woman’s risk factors for injury, and you’ve got a sport
that requires extra care in training. My most successful “new” runners are those
that understand the risk factors for women, and
take the appropriate steps to reduce the likelihood of injury.
Risk Factors
On average, women’s hips are wider than men’s The Q-angle is the intersection of
the tibia and the quadriceps muscle. For men, it’s
between 8 and 10 degrees, and for women it’s usually about 15 degrees.
Consequently, a woman’s foot hits the ground at a greater
angle than a man’s foot. These biomechanics – especially an excessive Q-angle
(i.e., greater than 15 degrees) – promote
overpronation, which can lead to a variety of injuries. Common problems from
overpronation include shin pain (posterior tibial shin
splints), foot and ankle pain, knee problems.
Statistics also show that women are more likely to experience stress fractures
than men. Reports state that this is because women’s
bones tend to be smaller than men’s, and smaller bones are less able to absorb
the shock from running.
More...from Cool Running at:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/6/6_1/running-can-be-risky-busi.shtml


2. Multisport: Fat As Fuel - What value are medium-chain triglycerides as an
energy source for endurance athletes?
Most endurance athletes and coaches, especially if they read Peak Performance,
know how important it is to maintain the body's
carbohydrate (glycogen) stores. They are also probably aware that, although the
depletion of these stores may be delayed to a degree
by consuming carbohydrate during activity, the body's glycogen stores can only
provide enough energy for about 90-180 minutes before
fatigue sets in. It is when these stores are exhausted that runners 'hit the
wall' or cyclists 'bonk' and are forced to slow down.
Thus it is clear that during prolonged exercise, such as cycle road racing,
energy has to be derived from an additional source.
The other main source of energy during exercise is fat. As a fuel, fat could be
considered to have several advantages over
carbohydrate, but from an exercise perspective it also has several
disadvantages. It advantages are that it yields over twice as
much energy as carbohydrate (9 kcal v 4 kcal) and that the body potentially has
an abundant supply of it. Typically, the body has
approximately 50-60,000 kcal of energy stored as fat compared to only about 1500
kcal of glycogen. Given this huge source of
potential energy, is there any point in considering using fat as an ergogenic
aid?
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20041022_PPO_FatFuel.html


3. How to Kill—Your 10k PR:
by Dan Empfield 10.05.04
Paladin Press is a publishing house that articulates, better than any other, the
successful amalgamation of the first and second
amendments to the Constitution. Should I want to booby trap my neighbor’s
toilet, rig my household pet to be a homicide bomber, or
blow up a city block using household cleaning chemicals, Paladin Press’ catalog
is as good a place to inquire as any other (I
haven't so-inquired, and I might be wrong—I might have to look elsewhere for
pets-as-bombers). I can buy a “.50-Caliber Rifle
Construction Manual—With Easy-to-Follow Full-Scale Drawings.” Or, “150 Questions
For a Guerrilla.” More my style would be the
publication entitled, “Gladiator Conditioning Course,” (This is a best-seller).
I remember leafing through the catalog once and saw
the very stark, to the point, title: “The Complete How to Kill Book.” No beating
around the bush there. Right to the point. One
might or might not be able to convict Paladin Press of any variety of things,
but a lack of transparency of message is not among
them.
I believe I’m going to host a camp up here in the high desert of Valyermo. The
purpose of the camp will not be gladiator
conditioning, rather to impart to attendees the unvarnished truth about running
speed. Just the good stuff, with the rest boiled
off. The camp will instruct and demonstrate the art of how to run fast. Nothing
more. In keeping with other camps and workshops
hosted at our compound here in Xantusia, I’ll tell you for free here, now, what
I’ll demonstrate to you in person at a cost of many
hundreds of dollars.
What do I mean by “run fast.” How fast? I’ll be blunt. I believe just about
every reasonably fit male the age of 45 has the
theoretical physiological capacity to run his age for a 10k, that is, a 10k in
45 minutes. Subtract 20 seconds for every year under
45, down to the age of 25, and add 20 seconds for every year over 45. Do the
math, and you’ll see that according to my formula a 27
year old ought to be able to run a 39 minute 10k, and I mean almost ANY 27 year
old. Likewise, the significant majority of 54 year
old men ought to be able to run a 48 minute 10k. Women add 4 minutes.
“You’re grossly generalizing,” you might say. Yes, I am. “You have no
independent, peer reviewed, published data on which you rely.”
No, I don’t. Furthermore, it gets worse. Assuming you have no anatomical
problems that keep you from training and running regularly,
my contention is that 60 percent of those reading this are able to achieve what
I describe above. Twenty percent cannot, that is,
you have other things you’re good at. Running is not among your skills. However,
that leaves another 20 percent, and you are capable
of much, much more than the modest 10k speeds I published above. One out of
every five men reading this can run 38 minutes for a 10k
at age-45. Subtract or add 15 seconds per mile for every year older or younger,
down to 25 and up to 65.
More...from SlowTwitch at:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/longrun/fastrun.html


4. Regulation of Muscle Fiber Type and Running Endurance by PPAR?:
Endurance exercise training can promote an adaptive muscle fiber transformation
and an increase of mitochondrial biogenesis by
triggering scripted changes in gene expression. However, no transcription factor
has yet been identified that can direct this
process. We describe the engineering of a mouse capable of continuous running of
up to twice the distance of a wild-type littermate.
This was achieved by targeted expression of an activated form of peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptor ? (PPAR?) in skeletal
muscle, which induces a switch to form increased numbers of type I muscle
fibers. Treatment of wild-type mice with PPAR? agonist
elicits a similar type I fiber gene expression profile in muscle. Moreover,
these genetically generated fibers confer resistance to
obesity with improved metabolic profiles, even in the absence of exercise. These
results demonstrate that complex physiologic
properties such as fatigue, endurance, and running capacity can be molecularly
analyzed and manipulated.
More...from PLoS Biology at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371%2Fjourna\
l.pbio.0020294


5. Drug Duo Shown to Halt Arthritis Joint Damage:
Enbrel, the rheumatoid arthritis drug sold by Amgen Inc. and Wyeth, can stop
joint damage when given to patients in combination with
an older drug, researchers said on Monday.
After two years, 74 percent of patients given Enbrel and methotrexate saw their
disease progress halted, compared to around 60
percent in the single drug groups, according to study results announced at a San
Antonio meeting of the American College of
Rheumatology.
"These data ... underscore the importance of aggressive treatment to help
prevent long-term disability," study investigator Dr.
Desiree van der Heijde, said in a statement.
The trial also showed that patients treated with the drug combination had
greater improvement in physical function scores than
either drug alone.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease causing pain, swelling,
stiffness and loss of function in the joints.
More...from Reuters at:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=GAZ3QITC5URTSCRBAELCFFA?type\
=healthNews&storyID=6530627
[Long URL]


6. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Young Milers:
Two phone calls came within hours of each other. Both callers were
sportswriters, one from my current home state of Oregon and the
other from my early home of Iowa.
Both asked the same question: "What's wrong with today's high school runners?"
The reporters referred to the boys who run metric
versions of the old mile and two-mile, now 1600 meters and 3200 meters, in times
that compare poorly with those that led the nation
20 to 30 years ago.
This isn't the lament of an old-timer who observes, "They don't make athletes
like those when I was a lad." This is fact in most
states and nationally. Times don't lie.
Jim Ryun held the national high school mile record for 35 years before Alan Webb
finally broke it in 2001. Jeff Nelson's two-mile
mark has stood since 1979. Webb's and Nelson's times also stand as records for
the slightly shorter 1600 and 3200 meters.
The girls' marks at those distances have been around awhile too. Kim Mortenson
set the girls' 3200 mark (which is far superior to
the best two-mile) in 1996. Polly Plumer's mile/1600 record (4:35.24) has stood
since 1982.
Girls have a shorter history in high school track than boys and tend to be
overlooked in such discussions. The sportswriters, both
male, who called for my comments asked only about the boys in Oregon and Iowa.
Not only were the records old in those states, but
few of today's runners could even crack the all-time top 10.
The reporters wanted to know what was wrong. Is it that the young runners don't
train as hard now?
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/467.html


7. Remembering Fred Lebow:
by Allan Steinfeld
Tomorrow is the tenth anniversary of the death of my dear friend Fred Lebow,
co-founder of the New York City Marathon, and my
predecessor as marathon race director and president, CEO, and chairman of New
York Road Runners.
I find it hard to believe that Fred has been gone for ten years. I still feel
his presence every day, not only here at New York Road
Runners as we prepare for the 35th anniversary running of the ING New York City
Marathon in November, but in my travels around the
country and around the world as I encounter so many people whose lives were
touched by Fred.
At the same time, I look at the extraordinary changes in the world of running
over the past ten years and I realize that time has
indeed marched on. Our marathon now has a title sponsor, and we have many other
new sponsors for the marathon and other events.
American distance running is flourishing, with our top competitors winning
Olympic medals and other major titles. Worldwide, there
are hundreds of new road races and millions of new runners, including
ever-growing numbers of women. There is a boom in children's
and youth running, and the sport is firmly established in countries where it had
barely been heard of a decade ago.
More...from Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/daily_news/1,5039,0-0-0-0----10-08-2004,00.html#\
bell


8. Heavy use - and abuse:
The 32-mile Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail along the American River is oftentimes
a virtual traffic jam
By James Raia -- Special to The Bee.
The Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, the asphalt artery that parallels the
American River and extends from Discovery Park to Folsom
Lake, is often a serene refuge.
Bird-watchers to bicyclists, runners to recreational walkers, a diverse mix of
largely self-regulating user groups are embraced by
the meandering 32-mile trail.
But frequent visitors know all is not well. Particularly during warm-weather
months, abuses of the trail's rules and common-sense
practices sharply increase.
Cyclists careen around S-shaped sections with arrogant abandon. Groups of
runners advance en masse or on the wrong side of the trail
without considering the potential for other traffic.
Fitness walkers, couples pushing baby strollers, pedestrians walking their dogs
on long leashes or without leashes, picnickers,
anglers, teenagers carrying rafts, equestrians and hikers all act as if they
have special privileges.
More...from the SACBEE at:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/recreation/cycling_running/story/10587382p-\
11506209c.html


9. Ask the Tri Doc: Nerve compression:
by Dr. Jeffrey Sankoff
Dr. Sankoff,
I have been experiencing my problem for about a year. I run usually five days
out of the week. As I get into my run, usually about
20 minutes into it my right foot goes to sleep. There really isn't a lot of pain
but there is discomfort. I have been to a therapist
and they did the "Grasten technique" for six weeks and the discomfort has not
gone away. I have tried different shoes and also
different surfaces which none seem to work.
Thank you,
Jodie Whitaker
Jodie:
The short answer: There are numerous potential causes for your problem.
Compression of a nerve at some point in the lower leg is
likely and identifying which nerve and where it is compressed will help
determine how to manage the problem.
The long answer: The nervous system is enormously complex and is in command of
numerous functions. As a whole, the nervous system
may be thought of as comprising two independent systems in one. The autonomic or
‘involuntary' nervous system controls such
unconscious activities as breathing, intestinal function and even sweating while
the skeletal or ‘voluntary' system is responsible
for sensation as well as for the control of movement. Both systems comprise
thousands of nerves as well as independent parts of the
brain. Together, they allow us to incorporate information about both our
internal and external environments and to react accordingly
when needed.
More...from InsideTriathlon at:
http://www.insidetri.com/train/tips/articles/2436.0.html


10. Massotherapy goes mainstream:
During the last 10 years, massotherapy has gone mainstream. The value of massage
for relaxation or therapy has been embraced by the
general public as reflected by the growing number of licensed massage therapists
in this area.
Today, physicians refer patients to licensed therapists as an adjunct treatment
to traditional medicine.
Sports and emergency medicine specialist Dr. J. Douglas Yeakel of Spectrum
Orthopaedics learned the value of massotherapy two
decades ago, when he entered his first triathlon.
“I was always very sore for a few days (after previous races),” he said. “I had
a vigorous massotherapy for about an hour and a half
after that race and no post-race soreness the next day. Converted.”
More...from the Canton repository at:
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=8&ID=187994&r=2


11. Coffee Tied to Inflammation, Perhaps Heart Disease:
Consuming moderate-to-high amounts of coffee is associated with increased levels
of several inflammatory markers, a finding that
could help explain previous reports linking the beverage to heart disease.
Ongoing, low-level inflammation is thought to be an underlying factor in the
development of heart disease.
The latest findings, which appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
are based on a study of about 3000 subjects with no
history of cardiovascular disease. A food-frequency questionnaire was used to
assess coffee intake, and blood samples were tested
for levels of various compounds that are known to promote, or are a marker of,
inflammation.
Compared with subjects who did not drink coffee, those who consumed more than
about 1 cup of the beverage per day had significantly
higher levels of all the inflammatory markers tested, Dr. Demosthenes B.
Panagiotakos, from Harokopio University in Athens, and
colleagues report.
More...from Reuters at:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=1YXWO5MSRC5QUCRBAELCFFA?type\
=healthNews&storyID=6544942
[Long URL]


12. From Runner's World:
* Coach's Corner
Running is hard and continuous physical effort. Remind yourself of this when
things look bleak. To take the challenge requires
courage, and to continue, results in greater confidence.

* Injury Prevention
Make adjustments for your "running age." For each decade of running behind you,
training expert Jeff Galloway recommends that you
subtract a day of running per week until you reach 3 days a week, at which point
you should maintain the 3-day regimen. Says
Galloway: "The longer you've been running, the longer it takes you to recover
from fatigue. And running in a fatigued state leads to
injury."

* Performance Nutrition
Legumes: Beans such as kidney, garbanzo, and navy contain heart-healthy fiber as
well as antioxidant-rich phytochemicals. Eating
just half a cup a day has been shown to block fat absorption and lower blood
cholesterol. To consume enough beans every day,
incorporate bean burritos, black bean soup, vegetarian chili, and lentil soup
into your diet.

* Editor's Advice
"Women who workout during their pregnancy overall have a better, more positive
pregnancy experience. It allows you to take control
of the process instead of the pregnancy controlling you. Just be sure to listen
to your body and practice good old common
sense." -Kathleen Jobes, RW marketing merchandising manager

* Training Talk
"Commitment is key while training for long-distance races. You won't need to
quit your job and sell your kids to train, but you will
need to set aside time on a frequent basis." -From Marathoning for Mortals by
John Bingham

*Words That Inspire
"I get the most gratification out of getting some obese person who had a heart
attack running around and enjoying life within an
year. I get more gratification from that than putting a person in the Olympic
Games. The Olympic athlete probably doesn't appreciate
what you've done, but the other guy does. I think it's really rewarding."
-Arthur Lydiard


13. Iron Impressions:
by Dan Empfield 10.20.04
(www.slowtwitch.com)
October is a big news month on the sport of triathlon. First comes Interbike,
then the Hawaiian Ironman. Though October will always
produce drama, it is rare that either event produces surprises.
A cyclist won the Ironman. This is not new. It happens all the time. But not in
the men’s race. Normann Stadler won the race from
the front on the bike, and I can't remember that happening since 1981, when John
Howard did it.
Also noteworthy: Women find the going a little tougher both on the bike and in
the swim without the age-group men around. This is no
slam against the women. It allows those who are good to exhibit their strengths
to a greater degree. Except, that is, when they’re
so good that they have the pro men to key off of. This was the case at least
during the swim. Any woman who swims better than 55
minutes in Kona will have a pro man's feet in front of her. If one is both a
good swimmer and a strong rider, as Nina Kraft is, the
possibility exists for a bit of help both during the swim and bike. I don’t
imply cheating, but the sort of legal help available for
any man or woman under the rules. Allowing the pros a separate start is a good
first step. Splitting the pro men and women by 5
minutes would complete the job.
Certain males also find a separate pro start a bit difficult. Prior to this year
there grew to be one single unending line of
swimmers from the 52-minute point on. This, because age group men swim quite
fast nowadays. A 54-minute pro became a 52-minute pro
just by having age-group feet to follow. Now, there gaps.
More...from SlowTwitch at:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/features/ironthoughts.html


14. Ask the Tri Doc: Anemia:
by Dr. Jeffrey Sankoff
Dear Doctor,
I am a 32-year-old, female. Years ago, I was diagnosed as anemic and I have
tried to treat it with iron, but to no avail. Despite
years of dealing with it, doctors' exams have only shown anemia, and not any
other underlying problem
I started taking iron in tablet form (Losferon, fero-gradumet,...), and then
later injections (Fercayl). Still, I've had little or
no improvement. Indeed, at this point, I even feel unable to run.
Recently, I was given a regime of 10 blood injections (Ferlixit) over a six-week
period, but my situation is not improved and may
even be worse!
Could you please help me? I train less and less and have managed to do nothing
at all this week.
Mary
Dear Mary,
The short answer
Anemia is a common problem with many causes. The solution will depend on
identifying the exact cause in you.
The long answer
The blood that courses through our arteries and veins is composed of many
substances and has many roles. The major cellular
component of blood is the erythrocyte or red blood cell. Within red blood cells
is a complex molecule called hemoglobin that is
necessary for transporting oxygen from our lungs to the billions of cells in our
bodies that depend on it. Hemoglobin in turn is
made up of multiple protein chains and one atom of iron.
More...from InsideTri at:
http://www.insidetriathlon.com/train/tips/articles/2410.0.html


15. NISMAT Exercise Physiology Corner: Cardiac Issues for Athletes:
Introduction: Issues with Cardiovascular Screening of Athletes
There is a low incidence of cardiovascular problems in athletes. However, any
untoward event in this population is disconcerting as
athletes are considered to be the healthiest segment of our society. Sudden
death of popular or famous athletes, especially in team
sports that have a large fan following, assume a high public profile and arouse
intense interest. It is always a great personal
tragedy, but news about these events tends to be disproportionate to their
actual impact on public health.
Athletic deaths nationally are difficult to tabulate because of the large number
of athletes involved. In addition to the estimated
4.5 million school and college athletes, there are a large number of
recreational athletes. Only a very small proportion of
participants in organized sports in the US are at risk for death. Estimates
range form 1:100,000 to 1:300,000 among high school
athletes. For older athletes these range from 1:15,000 among joggers to 1:50,000
among marathon runners.
Moral, ethical and sometimes legal considerations compel and justify
organizations and society as a whole to think of ways to screen
athletes. However current recommendations for screening have to take into
account the low prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities
and that sudden cardiac death is an infrequent event in this population. A
complete, honest, careful personal and family history
with a physical examination designed to identify high risk individuals is
therefore recommended as the best available and practical
method.
These recommendations also limit the role of non-invasive diagnostic tests,
which may be more effective for detecting certain
diseases. An important part of the problem is the potential for false positive
results in a population with a low prevalence of
detectable disease. A false positive result can cause emotional and financial
burdens for individuals, teams and institutions with
the requirement for additional testing. Borderline tests cannot be completely
resolved in some athletes until they stop competing
for some time. False negative results occur often as the disease may not be
evident or completely expressed with non diagnostic
findings at the time of the test. Studies done with systematic screening of
athletes with non-invasive testing only detected a few
potential lethal abnormalities. These tests are therefore not warranted given
the overall cost/benefit ratio.
More...from NISMAT Exercise Physiology at:
http://www.nismat.org/physcor/cardiac/index.html


16. Case for cross-training, Part 2: Strength training for joint stability and
injury prevention:
This series is adapted from Matt Fitzgerald's forthcoming book, "Runner's World
Guide to Cross-Training."
We all know running puts us at high risk for injury, but researchers are finding
out there's a lot more behind running-related
injuries than impact forces.
Specifically, it's the combination of impact and joint instability that puts
running on par with tackle football when it comes to
numbers of injuries.
Here's why: When your foot makes contact with the ground, your muscles and
connective tissues must work together to resist the
potential joint-destabilizing effect of impact.
Most runners, particularly those who do not cross-train, are weak in key
stabilizing muscles. As a result, the body is forced to
absorb impact in a way it's not built to handle.
"The biggest thing I see is that runners have very weak core musculature, and
because of this they can't control their posture while
they're running," says Michael Fredericson, M.D., a running injury expert at
Stanford University.
"Their pelvis goes into a forward tilt and they get an arch in their low back."
This, Fredericson, says, results in extra stress on
both the hamstrings and knees.
The hips are also problematic in many runners.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11291&sidebar=13&category=running


17. Guide to Thanksgiving Races:
Traveling on Thanksgiving and want to run a race? Let us help you find one! All
the races listed below are being held on
Thanksgiving Day or are Thanksgiving-themed races being held on other dates in
November.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/special/thanksgiving04.htm


18. Planters CarbWell Bar Sweepstakes:
Planters has just added a new sweepstakes that your website visitors may be
interested in. Below please find all of the details,
including hyperlinks and approved text that you can use on your site. If you
have any questions please feel free to email me.
Sweepstakes Name: Planters CarbWell Bar Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes URL: http://www.planters.com/promotions/carbwell/
Sweepstakes Description:
Visit Planters to enter the Planters CarbWell Bar Sweepstakes. Just follow the
on-screen instructions to register and enter. You
could win one of three (3) great fitness prizes from Bowflex, the leader in home
fitness!
Prizes:
Grand Prize: a Bowflex TreadClimber (ARV $1,499). (1) First Prize: a Bowflex
Xtreme 2 (ARV $1,399). (1) Second Prize: a Bowflex
SelectTech Dumbbell Set and stand (ARV $479.98). Total approximate retail value
of all prizes is $3,377.98.
Dates: Beginning on October 18, 2004. Ends on April 3, 2005
Restrictions: US Residents, 18 years of age and older
Entry Limits: One entry per registered user allowed per day
Official Rules URL:
http://www.planters.com/promotions/carbwell/carbwell_rules.htm


19. Scientifically Debatable: Is Creatine Worth Its Weight:
In an age when success in sports is often associated with increased future
earnings and when many athletes have a "win at all costs"
attitude, the use of dietary supplements has increased markedly. Creatine
monohydrate is a commonly used supplement, accounting for
about US $400 million in annual sales in the United States alone (American
Academy of Pediatrics, 2001). Athletes in the former
Soviet Union may have been ingesting creatine to enhance performance as early as
the 1970s (Kalinski, 2003), but the popularity of
creatine with athletes increased substantially in the early 1990s by the
revelation that Olympic gold medal winners Linford Christie
and Sally Gunnell used creatine (Hawes, 1998). Moreover, scientific publications
reporting that dietary creatine supplementation
could increase muscle creatine stores (Harris et al., 1992) and improve the
performance of brief, high-power exercise (Greenhaff et
al., 1993) lent credence to the anecdotal evidence of creatine benefits. Unlike
many dietary supplements, much research has been
conducted on creatine, but its efficacy as an ergogenic aid remains
controversial. The purpose of this article is to summarize the
available literature concerning the prevalence of, ergogenic effects of, and
adverse events associated with creatine
supplementation.
More...from GSSI at:
http://www.gssiweb.com/reflib/refs/626/sse91.cfm?pid=96&CFID=820175&CFTOKEN=3071\
6101


20. Augmenting Your Heart Rate Monitor Training:
By Rich Strauss
It is critical that you understand two things. The first is that heart rate
measures the CUMULATIVE stress on your body. This
cumulative stress includes the intensity of your exercise as well as recovery,
hydration, etc.
The second is that to race at a certain pace, you must train at, just above, or
sometimes significantly above that pace. To run at
pace x, you need to achieve the fitness (endurance, muscular endurance, lactate
tolerance, the ability to efficiently burn fat, etc)
to run pace x AND the neuromuscular coordination to run at pace x. The only way
to run pace x is to run at x or faster. With all of
the attention paid to heart rate training, the importance of pace is a commonly
ignored point. I suggest you read Jack Daniels'
Running formula for a comprehensive discussion of the use of pace in training:
http://www.cruciblefitness.com/library/books/books.htm
More...from Crucible Fitness at:
http://www.cruciblefitness.com/etips/Augmenting_Your_Heart_Rate.htm


21. Regular physical activity really does boost immune system in older men:
As they get older, many older people, mostly men, are fond of saying something
along the lines of, "I feel like a 25-year-old."
As it turns out, judging by the reaction strength of their immune system to an
unknown, but harmless, protein antigen, it's possible
for men over 70 to mount an immune response similar to that produced by much
younger men -- if they get regular moderate physical
activity of about six hours a week.
Previous studies show that the aging immune system suffers from a progressive
decrease in function that can lead to several negative
situations including increased risk of infectious disease and ineffective
response to vaccination. It's been shown that regular
moderate cardiovascular exercise such as walking or cycling may offset some of
the immune function decline in healthy older people.
However most earlier studies tested the effect of exercise on immune function
using in vitro measures of immunity, which aren't
always predictive of in vivo responses. Furthermore many earlier studies
depended on antigenic challenges that weren't novel to the
subjects, which stimulated secondary or tertiary responses.
Colorado researchers use KLH for true primary immune response
Researchers at the University of Colorado-Boulder wanted to test the popularly
accepted notion that people who maintain a physically
active lifestyle will enjoy the benefits a stronger immune system into older
age. They designed a novel in vivo challenge to the
immune system. To get clean, comprehensive results, they used KLH (keyhole
limpet hemocyanin), a benign T cell-dependent protein
isolate that has been used extensively with animals in the past, that also is
safe for humans.
More...from EurekAlert at:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/aps-rpa082404.php


22. Osteoporosis hits younger women -- and men:
Julie Grimm was training for a marathon in April when she started feeling a
twinge in her hip.
She assumed that some moments in her training would be painful, so she ignored
it and kept running. By the end of that 16-mile run,
she couldn't even walk. She had to be carried home and stayed in bed all
weekend.
Grimm had broken her femur at the hip joint. The break required emergency
surgery and a metal plate, bolt and two pins to piece the
bone back together.
Grimm was devastated. After all, she had competed in two triathlons and
weight-trained for many years. She was thin and in good
shape.
Her surgeon agreed: "This doesn't happen to 34-year-old women who are fit," he
said.
Six weeks after the surgery, he sent her for a bone density scan. The scan is a
painless type of X-ray that checks a part of the
body, such as the hip, for loss of minerals or thinning bones.
It turned out Grimm's bones were weaker than normal. She was diagnosed with
osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis, if left
untreated.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11290&sidebar=576&category=healthclub


23. NISMAT Sports Nutrition Corner: Carbohydrate:
The easiest and one the most proven ways of improving performance is by
manipulating carbohydrate intake, particularly for endurance
type athletes or those involved in sports like soccer, water polo, and
basketball.
Carbohydrates are simple sugars or long chains of sugars which are linked
together [starches]. Paradoxically, carbohydrates are the
preferred fuel during exercise of high intensity but they are stored in
extremely limited amounts in the body. This storage form of
carbohydrate, called glycogen, is found primarily in muscles and liver. The
glycogen in the muscle is used directly by the muscle
which is being exercised. In other words, once its limited stores of glycogen
are gone it cannot "borrow" from other resting
muscles.
Depletion of glycogen by the working muscles leads to severely impaired exercise
performance, which at its extreme is known as
"hitting the wall". This makes obvious the need to increase glycogen stores
prior to exercise, and supply carbohydrate during
prolonged exercise.
How much carbohydrate is enough? We often express recommendations in terms of
percentages of total calories. Even recreational
athletes probably need to obtain 55-60% of their daily calories from
carbohydrates. Most people can do this if they consume 3 grams
of carbohydrate per pound of body weight. However, seriously training athletes
probably require 4 grams of carbohydrate per pound
body weight, or 60% of their calories from carbohydrate. For example, a 150
pound person who is cycling, say, 300 miles per week
would require approximately 600 grams of carbohydrate daily. This carbohydrate
would provide 2400 calories. Good examples of high
carbohydrate foods are breads, cereals, grains, pasta, vegetables and fruits.
More...from More...from NISMAT Exercise Physiology at:
http://www.nismat.org/nutricor/carbohydrate.html


24. Trainer to Run Marine Corps Marathon Backward:
WASHINGTON - Call it a stunt, if you want, but one runner in this year's Marine
Corps Marathon admits what he's planning to do is
get people's attention.
Mike Henderson, a 40-year-old personal trainer from Deep River, Conn., will run
the 26.2-mile race facing backward.
"The punishment that goes on to your knees is enormous because you're
transitioning your body to do the opposite of what it's meant
to do," says Henderson, who's been training since December.
"I get up at 2:45 a.m. so I can train until 8 o'clock pretty much every morning,
seven days a week."
Henderson wants to get people's attention, then encourage them to think about
simple ways to stay healthy through good nutrition and
exercise, rather than through fad diets.
"It's the real way forward to change health care -- by getting us healthy,"
Henderson says.


25. News Scan:
* Sports Massage and recovery from eccentric training.
Sports massage is common in the athletic community. However, only a few studies
have shown any therapeutic effect of massage. A
Swedish study looked at massage and recovery from eccentric muscle training
which commonly causes DOM's or delayed onset muscle
soreness.
Sixteen subjects performed 300 maximal eccentric contractions of the quadriceps
muscle in both legs. Massage was given to 1 leg,
whereas the other leg served as a control. Subjects were treated once daily for
3 days.
Results showed a marked loss of strength and function of the quadriceps directly
after exercise and on the third day after exercise.
The massage treatment did not affect the level or duration of pain or the loss
of strength or function following exercise concluding
that sports massage could not improve the recovery after eccentric exercise.
From SportsInjuryClinic.com.

* Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine: How to Become Strong in Thirty
Minutes a Week
Some body builders lift weights for more than six hours a day, but you don't
have to waste that much time to become very strong.
Training for weight lifting is done in sets. A set of ten means that you lift
and lower a heavy weight ten times continuously
before you rest. If you repeat these sets of ten three times with a rest period
between each set, you have done three sets of ten.
Most competitive bodybuilders spend hours trying to do many sets over and over
again. You don't need to do that. Various studies
show that you can gain up to 80 percent of your maximum strength by picking out
four to eight specific lifts, lifting one set of ten
of the heaviest weight in each, and repeating your program twice a week. The
reduced workload causes fewer injuries and leaves you
with a lot of extra time to do other things.
Lifting weights enlarges your muscles and makes you stronger, but it does not
make you fit. Fitness refers to your heart and is
gained by exercising in an activity where you move continuously, such as
running, cycling, skating, dancing, walking or swimming. A
complete exercise program should include lifting weights twice a week and doing
a continuous sport three times a week. Alternating
your activities gives your muscles a chance to recover and helps to prevent
injuries.



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

October 23, 2004:
Denver Gorilla Run - CO
http://www.denvergorillarun.com

The Other Half - Moab, UT
http://www.moabhalfmarathon.org/other/other_half.html

Television - CBC
Toronto Marathon - 2pm-2:30pm

October 24, 2004:
Army Ten Miler - Washington, DC
http://www.armytenmiler.com

Arturo Barrios 5K/10K - Chula Vista, CA
North American 5K Team Championship
http://www.eliteracing.com

Casino Niagara Marathon - Niagara Falls, ON
http://www.niagarafallsmarathon.com/

Detroit Free Press Marathon - Detroit, MI
http://www.detroitfreepressmarathon.com

Nike 26.2 Marathon and Half-Marathon - San Francisco, CA
http://www.nike.com/nikemarathon

Nissan XTERRA World Championship - Maui, HI
http://www.xterraplanet.com/race/championship_world.html

Rattle Me Bones 5/10K - Ottawa, ON
http://www.ohfoundation.ca/help/events/other_events/rattle_me_bones_e.asp


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 posting this week.
Message: I was wondering if any one out there could help me find information
recreational triathlons/marathons in the Yokohama,
Tokyo area in Japan. Thanks Evan mailto:evansmind244@...


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

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

Send this to a Friend:
Forward the Runner's Web Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join

Your Feedback and Comments:
Comments, contributions and feedback are always welcome via this list at:
mailto:runnersweb@yahoogroups.com and in our Runner's Web
Forum, available off our FrontPage. If you post to the mailing list and get your
email returned, please contact the Runner's Web at
mailto:webmaster@... to notify us of the problem. To update your
Runner's Web eGroups subscriber's profile,
go to the web site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join, sign in
and update your changes.

Have a good week of training and/or racing.

Ken Parker
Runner's Web
webmaster@... <mailto:webmaster@...>
http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html