Runner's Web Digest - December 10, 2004

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Check out our Sports Nutrition column written by Sheila Kealey. Sheila is one of
Ottawa's top multisport athletes and a member of
the OAC Racing Team and X-C Ottawa. She has a Masters in Public Health and works
in the field of nutritional epidemiology as a
Research Associate with the University of California, San Diego. Her column
index is available at:
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Carmichael Training Systems
Carmichael Training Systems was founded in 1999 by Chris Carmichael. From the
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Whether your focus is recreational, advanced, or you are a professional racer,
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We have NO personal postings this week.
Personal Postings, when available, are located after the Upcoming Section
towards the bottom of the newsletter.


This Week's Digest Article Index:

1. Mom's time to exercise
'Stroller Strides' encourages moms to work out with kids.
2. Multisport: Mental Fatigue - When your brain tells you to stop going, here's
how to tell it to shut up.
3. Triathlon: Solving the Run Riddle
“I had a solid swim, I tore it up on the bike, and then I fell apart on the run!
What happened? How can I avoid this and have a
strong run?”
4. The SupportCycling.com campaign is now underway!
5. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Training Slowly, Racing Swiftly
6. The fittest man alive?
Climbing Everest will be dangerous for Sir Ranulph Fiennes, now 60 and with a
history of heart trouble, yet he is not afraid.
7. It's in the genes
Viewpoint: Peter Hadzipetros: Back Of The Pack.
8. A course of action
Next fall, Purdue University will become the first college to offer a four-year
degree with a concentration in personal fitness
training..
9. Recover faster - Ride faster
The fitter you are the faster you can recover from a racing or training workout.
But whatever your state of fitness you will benefit
from a quicker recovery as you will be able to train harder and more often.
10. Fitness from thin air
A therapy that improves your health and helps weight loss while you just sit
there? Anastasia Stephens took a deep breath to
investigate.
11. Winter running: Helping your feet survive
12. What's the Word?
Are you a 'slow-twitch' or a 'fast-twitch'? Need more 'glycogen' to hit your
'VO2max'? We help demystify some common terms in
endurance sports.
13. Screw Shoe
Do you run on packed snow and ice? Are you tired of slipping and falling?
14. From Runner's World
15. Drinkable Oxygen?
Study Investigates Super Oxygenated Water Claims.
16. Scientists study how neurogenesis creates a new state of mind
17. Resistance is Not Futile
Runners looking for faster times, less body fat, and help preventing, or
recovering from, an injury would do well to consider adding
a weight lifting routine to their training program.
18. Adventure Racing 101
19. For balanced fitness, pay more attention to back muscles
20. Red Wine Molecule Prevents Hardened Heart
Resveratrol inhibits cardiac fibrosis to maintain pumping ability.
21. Sleep Loss May Cause Weight Gain
Lack of slumber alters hunger hormone levels, boosts appetite, study finds.
22. The Nina Kraft Soapbox
23. Can you really overtrain?
Absolutely! But sore muscles from a long bike ride or aches and pains from a
touch football game do not constitute overtraining.
24. Off-season drills to boost your pedaling skills
25. News Scan
A collection of news items.


Runner's Web Weekly Poll:
This week's poll is: "Who do you believe in the BALCO affair, Marion Jones or
Victor Conte?"

Cast your vote at: http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html
Post your views in our Forum at:
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The previous poll was: "Would you support the concept of a permanent site for
the Olympic Games?"
The results at publication time were:
Answers Votes Percent
1. Yes 40 47%
2. No 43 51%
3. No opinion, don't care 2 2%
Total Votes: 85

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Five Star Site of the Week: Julie Swail.
Julie Swail was born in Anaheim, CA on December 27, 1972. Her love affair with
the water began about two weeks later when she took
her first bath. She took her first formal swimming lesson at about 16 months and
has been swimming ever since. She joined a
neighborhood swim team at age 6 and won her first ribbon one week after joining
the team. From that point on, she was "hooked!" When
she was about 10 years old, her swim coach introduced her to water polo. She
loved the competition and joined a mixed 10 and under
team. They played a few tournaments, but it was a very low-key program. In
junior high school, she had another opportunity to play
on a club team, but it was swimming, not water polo that dominated her time.
Check out Julie's site at:
http://www.julieswail.com

Send us your suggestions for our Five Star site. Please check our list of
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Our Photo Slideshow is updated on a random basis. Check it out from our
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Book of the Week: She Can Coach!
Sport needs more female coaches. What better way to develop women who are
enthusiastic, prepared, and professional in filling those
important roles than to learn from female coaching legends?
She Can Coach! is both an invaluable guide for current female coaches and a
recruiting tool for the next generation of female
mentors. Unlike any book before it, this collection speaks directly on the
topics that determine success in coaching by using the
words and experiences of 20 of the most successful female coaches in 13
different sports:
Beth Anders, Old Dominion University, field hockey
Terry Crawford, Cal Poly University, track and field/cross country
Diane Davey, Plano (Texas) High School, soccer
Lele Forood, Stanford University, tennis
Nell Fortner, Indiana Fever (former coach), WNBA
Dorothy Gaters, Marshall High School (Chicago), basketball and cross country
JoAnne Graf, Florida State University, softball
Jan Harville, University of Washington (former coach), rowing
Kim Kincer, Methodist College (former coach), golf
Marcia McDermott, Carolina Tempest (former coach), WUSA
Sarah Patterson, University of Alabama, gymnastics
Mary Jo Peppler, Coast Volleyball Club, volleyball
Sharon Pfluger, College of New Jersey, lacrosse and field hockey
Joan Powell, Coronado (Colorado) High School, volleyball
Lorene Ramsey, Illinois Central College (former coach), basketball
Amy Ruley, North Dakota State University, basketball
Jill Sterkel, University of Texas, swimming
Pat Summitt, University of Tennessee, basketball
Mary Wise, University of Florida, volleyball
Margie Wright, Fresno State University, softball
Each chapter addresses a key factor in guiding athletes and teams to the top and
keeping a program at the championship level. From
establishing a professional and personal foundation to developing team
management and organizational skills, She Can Coach! covers
every essential component necessary for success as a coach.
Leading an athlete or team in any sport at any level can be a rewarding role.
Apply the wisdom and lessons from these accomplished
women to be a better coach, today and tomorrow.
Buy the book at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736052\
321

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. Mom's time to exercise:
'Stroller Strides' encourages moms to work out with kids.
At first, Julia DeCredico pushed her triplets in a stroller to help calm them
down when fussy. Now she takes 22-month-old Claudia,
Joseph and Davis on morning strolls regardless of their moods.
That's because it's mom's time to exercise.
"This is mommy's turn, whether they cry or not. They have to help mommy be
healthy," she said. "Walking is the perfect thing for a
stay-at-home mom with small kids."
DeCredico exercises through Stroller Strides, a national fitness program for
moms and their little tykes with franchises in 120
communities.
In suburban Atlanta, a Stroller Strides group of mothers pushing their children
in strollers meets three times a week at a country
club. Each mom pays $15 for a single class or $175 for a pass that includes
three classes a week for three months.
Instructor Heather Pierce -- pushing her 1-year-old daughter, Jessica, in a
stroller -- leads the other moms on a 1.5-mile loop
through the neighborhood. They stop at pre-planned fitness stations along the
way to do body-toning exercises including jumping
jacks and squats while singing children's songs, such as "London Bridge" and
"Old MacDonald."
More...from CNN at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/diet.fitness/12/03/stroller.strides.ap/index.html


2. Multisport: Mental Fatigue - When your brain tells you to stop going, here's
how to tell it to shut up
What actually causes you to become mentally fatigued when you're out for a long
bicycle ride or run or involved in a extended game
of squash? Theories about mental fatigue abound, but one popular hypothesis is
that most of the lethargy is caused by a chemical
called tryptophan.
Tryptophan is an amino acid which normally rides through your bloodstream
attached to a very important blood plasma protein,
albumin. However, when blood fat levels rise, as they do during prolonged
exercise, the fats 'kick' tryptophan loose from its
albumin moorings. This 'free' tryptophan then enters the brain in large
quantities, where - converted to another chemical called
serotonin - it may induce fatigue and produce a drop-off in performance
(serotonin is noted for its calming and even sleep-producing
effects on brain cells).
This biochemical scenario has a protective effect: before you exercise so long
that you tear your muscles to shreds, your brain
fills up with tryptophan and you go to sleep - or at least you lose the
willpower to force your muscles to keep going.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20041210_PPO_MentalFatigue.html


3. Triathlon: Solving the Run Riddle
“I had a solid swim, I tore it up on the bike, and then I fell apart on the run!
What happened? How can I avoid this and have a
strong run?”
As triathlon coaches, we are approached with this question often. Athletes
typically respond to this problem by running more or
running harder, yet this rarely solves their problem. Better is to work smarter,
not harder to solve your triathlon run riddle. Here
are four ways to do just that: improve your swimming and cycling skills, improve
your power, improve your running skills, and
improve your overall health.
Improve Your Swimming And Cycling Skills
Poor swimming and cycling skills are often the cause of poor running performance
in a triathlon. This can be difficult to grasp for
those who still feel that triathlon is three different sports. In reality, we
encounter a triathlon as one event, with three
different locomotion patterns linked together. In any endurance event, how much
energy we expend (physical and mental) during the
first half of the race greatly affects our performance in the second half of the
race. Consider running a marathon. If you were
forced to run the first half with your hands tied behind your back and then the
second half of the race with your hands free, this
would affect your performance not only in the first half of the race. Yes, you
would run more slowly over the first half of the
course as a result of your impaired movement abilities, but even with your hands
free, you would run with great difficulty over the
second half of the course, because you would have just run over the first half
of the course in a terribly inefficient manner, using
up the majority of your stored energy. This is what happens to us when we
complete the swim and bike portions of the race with great
effort (and sometimes great speed), but with poor economy of motion from our
underdeveloped swimming and cycling skills and
therefore poor economy of movement.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20041210_THS_Run.html


4. The SupportCycling.com campaign is now underway!
WE NEED YOUR GROUP SUPPORT!
We are in the process of contacting every triathlon club
across the nation to elicit their support.
SupportCycling.com is a grassroots organization advocating for and promoting
safe cycling across the nation. Our mission is to help
you, the triathlete or cyclist, raise awareness and acceptance of cycling in
your community.
Our first goal is to create a more visible presence not only while we are riding
but more importantly, while we are driving. We
believe the more visible the support for cycling, the more impact we can make
together.
We have designed a vehicle magnet specifically for you and everyone you know to
display as a reminder that road cycling is a viable
and lawful option.
Everyone has noticed the popularity of the “We Support Our Troops” vehicle
magnets. We want this easy to display magnet to gain the
same prominence. Can you imagine the impact this could have in your community?
If we want safer, friendlier roads to ride on, it is
our job as cyclists to raise the awareness.
Visit the website at:
http://www.supportcycling.com


5. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Training Slowly, Racing Swiftly:
What's with these Canadian masters? You probably heard that Ed Whitlock from
Ontario ran 2:54 this fall -- at age 73. You might not
have heard the name Herb Phillips, a 64-year-old British Columbian who recently
ran 2:47.
Whitlock isn't a hero of mine for his race pace, which I couldn't match nowadays
for a single mile. He impresses me more with the
utter simplicity of his training, as well as its relative slowness. Now I've
come to feel the same way about Phillips.
When last I wrote about Ed, the British-born Canadian ran two hours a day at "a
glorified shuffle" of about nine-minute mile pace.
He only sped up in races, run often and at a wide range of distances.
Last year he became the first marathoner 70 and older to break three hours. His
latest time was five minutes faster.
I asked him if he had trained the same for this race as for his other sub-threes
of recent years? "Basically yes," he replied by
e-mail, "but runs were a little longer and a little faster."
More often than not he ran THREE hours at a time. "I averaged four of those a
week for the 16 weeks prior to the marathon," he said,
"and the odd week I ran seven days at three hours. Other days were for races,
rest days before races and somewhat shorter training
runs."
Think about what Ed just said. He ran the time-length of his marathon dozens of
times between June and September. At, say, an
8-1/2-minute pace he covered about 21 miles a day -- or 140-plus in his biggest
weeks.
This training came at an age when recovery between runs is supposed to be
sluggish. He can carry this load because he trains almost
two minutes per mile slower than he races.
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/476.html


6. The fittest man alive?
Climbing Everest will be dangerous for Sir Ranulph Fiennes, now 60 and with a
history of heart trouble, yet he is not afraid.
PULMONARY oedema is no picnic. The victim is usually higher up a mountain than
he should be, and the blood-gas barrier in his lungs
begins to fracture in the thin air. Bloody spittle oozes from his mouth. He
gasps for breath. A gurgle emanates from deep below his
trachea. Soon the poor chap (and this story is about a chap) starts drowning in
his blood.
Cerebral oedema is even less jolly. Falling atmospheric pressure is, again, the
problem. The brain swells and is crushed against the
skull. Splitting headaches, vomiting and slurred speech are among the warning
signs. Death follows quickly if they are not heeded.
Oedema of any kind can get especially ugly on Mount Everest because even base
camp is beyond the reach of all but the most daring
helicopter pilots. But there is a reasonably reliable prevention strategy: be
incredibly, inhumanly fit.
A good way of seeing if you meet this standard is to climb a series of
successively higher “training” mountains in a short time.
This is what was demanded of Sir Ranulph Fiennes by the guiding company that he
hopes will take him up Everest next year, and this
is why, lean, tanned and distinctly chuffed, he returned the other day from a
fortnight cantering around Ecuador’s volcanic uplands.
More...from the Times at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7-1386525,00.html


7. It's in the genes:
Viewpoint: Peter Hadzipetros: Back Of The Pack.
Not that I needed any convincing, but a couple of recent studies should have
those of us who like to lace up expensive footwear,
throw on layers of clothing and face winds that can freeze exposed flesh in
minutes just so we can burn enough calories to eat an
extra cookie or two, feeling pretty good.
Nothing to sneeze at, these scholarly reports either. One of them brought a
special glow to my eyes – a variation of the use it or
lose it theory.
Researchers at Yale University studied 415,000 runners in the New York City
Marathon over a 16-year period – from 1983-1999. The
study suggests that runners over the age of 50 improve their performance more
quickly than younger runners. And women fare better
than the men.
The study found that as a group, 50-59 year old women sliced two minutes off
their time each year in the study period. Men shaved 8
seconds off their time per year.
One of the lead researchers on the team says the study shows people can maintain
a very high performance standard into their sixth
or seventh decade of life.
Milton, Ontario's Ed Whitlock is living proof of that. At 73, he slashed five
minutes off his own world record for fastest marathon
for a person over the age of 70. He lowered that mark to two hours and 54
minutes in Toronto in September. With a time like that,
he'd be picking up hardware even if he were 20 years younger.
More...from the CBC at:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/columns/running/


8. A course of action:
Next fall, Purdue University will become the first college to offer a four-year
degree with a concentration in personal fitness
training..
Personal trainers are as ubiquitous as treadmills on the gym landscape, but not
all are created equal. With vastly different
backgrounds and levels of experience, trainers can be highly skilled fitness
professionals or highly paid baby-sitters.
But one university hopes to send its graduates into the field with the skills
and knowledge to get people into shape safely and
sanely — while successfully managing their careers. Next fall, Indiana's Purdue
University will launch a four-year degree with a
concentration in personal training, the first program of its kind.
The curriculum, part of Purdue's health and fitness major, offers a practical
component that emphasizes performing and teaching
exercises correctly, business courses covering entrepreneurship and working in
corporate environments, and revolving internships in
such places as commercial fitness facilities and cardiac rehab units. The hope
is for graduates to be better qualified and more
directed when they enter the job market.
The time was right to offer this, says Ken Baldwin, program coordinator for the
personal fitness training program. He says about 70%
of students majoring in health and fitness want to be personal trainers, a
number that's stayed steady for years.
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/fitness/la-he-degree6dec06,1,3624293.stor\
y?coll=la-health-fitness-news


9. Recover faster - Ride faster:
The fitter you are the faster you can recover from a racing or training workout.
But whatever your state of fitness you will benefit
from a quicker recovery as you will be able to train harder and more often.
Follow the golden rules of recovery and you will be able to reach a higher level
of fitness and fulfill your potential as a
competitive cyclist.
It is natural to be fatigued after exercise but if you do not recover before
your next workout you will experience a reduction in
performance.
If you continue to train without recovering you will be on the slippery slope to
over-training resulting in constantly feeling
tired, increased waking heart rate, poor quality sleep, sore throat, heavy legs,
low energy levels and even a serious sense of
humour loss!
Every cyclist can speed their recovery rate by following certain techniques but,
depending on individual circumstances, there are
certain factors that need to be taken into consideration during the recovery
process.
Altitude: for those living in the high veldt altitude will prolong your recovery
rate.
Age: cyclists in their 20s recover quicker than the 30 plus. Teenage cyclists
will also need more recovery time as their bodies are
still growing.
Temperature: studies have shown that recovery rate slows down in both extreme
hot and cold conditions.
Jet lag: disruption of natural sleep rhythms by travelling across time zones can
cause fatigue and a slowing down of the recovery
process.
Type of training: usually endurance training takes longer to recover from than
sprint training.
Fitness level: the fitter you are the faster you will recover.
Stress: this has an adverse affect on recovery whether it comes from wanting to
perform at your best in a race, work, family, social
or financial reasons.
More...from the World of Endurance at:
http://worldofendurance.com/cycling/training_column.asp?a_id=1245829&st_name=Ach\
ievingPersonalBest


10. Fitness from thin air:
A therapy that improves your health and helps weight loss while you just sit
there? Anastasia Stephens took a deep breath to
investigate.
My head is spinning, my limbs are tingling and I'm beginning to feel strangely
high. No, these are not the symptoms of a narcotic
influence, but the side-effects of breathing the sort of atmosphere you might
inhale at an altitude of 5,000m. Given the air is so
thin - just 11 per cent oxygen, compared to the normal 20 per cent - my body has
assumed that I am perched atop one of Europe's
highest mountains. In fact, I'm comfortably seated at sea-level indulging in the
latest fitness programme available at The Altitude
Centre in London.
Mountain Air Therapy or Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT) sounds like an
unlikely way of increasing vitality or fitness. But short
periods of oxygen deprivation can actually increase fitness levels and
endurance. Professional athletes have long known about the
benefits of training in the thin air of the Andes or the Alps. Intermittent
Hypoxic Training (IHT) is the logical conclusion of this
practice - mountain air, without the need for a mountain.
"Altitude training makes your body work better in many ways," explains Richard
Pullen, founder of The Altitude Centre, who used the
technique while preparing for the Atlantic Rowing Challenge last year. "As there
is less oxygen at altitude, the body adapts to
become more efficient. Your heart muscle beats harder and so becomes stronger.
You breathe more deeply, increasing lung capacity.
New capillaries grow to get the limited supply of oxygen to tissues. All these
changes mean that when you return to sea-level, the
oxygen levels you are normally adapted to breathe take you further."
More...from the Independent at:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/story.jsp?story=588199
For more on altitude training visit Go2Altitude.com at:
http://www.go2altitude.com/


11. Winter running: Helping your feet survive:
As the days shorten and the weather cools, running becomes more difficult. Many
times it may seem more inviting to curl up with a
good book and a warm cup of tea as opposed to bundling up and facing the
elements.
For those who are motivated enough to run through the cold, dark winter days, it
is important to know how to protect the feet so
they too can survive the winter months.
1. Wear one pair of light or medium weight (depending on the temperature)
synthetic socks. Don't wear cotton socks. Synthetic socks
wick away moisture and help prevent blister formation and cold feet.
2. Consider running in a trail shoe. Trail running shoes will help protect your
feet more than lighter nylon running shoes. Trail
shoes also tend to have more tread on the bottom to add traction for slippery
surfaces.
3. Make sure your shoes fit. If your feet tend to swell a little in the summer,
then your shoes may be a little loose in the winter.
If you tend to wear heavier socks in the winter, this may not be an issue. If
not, you may find your cold toes are being jammed
against the front of the shoes when running hills and your heel may be slipping
and causing blisters.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11355&sidebar=554&category=winter_runde\
rland


12. What's the Word?
Are you a 'slow-twitch' or a 'fast-twitch'? Need more 'glycogen' to hit your
'VO2max'? We help demystify some common terms in
endurance sports.
By Matt Fitzgerald
Science has introduced a lot of terminology into the vernacular of endurance
sports. Words like "anaerobic" and "VO2max" are batted
around in magazine articles, chat forums and training groups. But more than a
few endurance athletes are a little unclear about
their meaning. So here's everything you wanted to know about some of the most
common endurance sports terms (but maybe were afraid
to ask):
Aerobic. A process whereby oxygen breaks down carbohydrates, fats and some amino
acids inside muscle cells. The resulting energy
release causes muscle cells to contract so you can swim, bike, run, etc.
Training produces a number of physiological adaptations
that increase your ability to use oxygen to produce muscle energy. For example,
it increases the pumping capacity of the blood, the
number of oxygen-carrying proteins in the blood, and the number of mitochondria
("aerobic factories") inside the muscle cells.
Aerobic capacity. The maximum rate at which your muscles can use oxygen to
release energy. One of the main goals of endurance
training is to increase aerobic capacity.
Anaerobic. Various processes by which energy is released in muscle cells without
the help of oxygen, producing energy quickly but
inefficiently. The faster you move, the more your muscles rely on anaerobic
processes to meet their energy requirements. Therefore,
anaerobic power is typically relied on for short bursts of high-intensity work
such as short intervals or a sprint to the finish.
Anaerobic threshold. The intensity level at which the byproducts of anaerobic
metabolism begin to accumulate in your muscles and
blood, hastening fatigue. The greater your aerobic capacity, the faster the pace
of running, cycling, etc., you can maintain before
reaching this threshold.
More...from Her Sports at:
http://hersports.com/eNewsletter/newsLtr14/news14Article3.html


13. Screw Shoe:
By Matt Carpenter - www.skyrunner.com
Introduction
Do you run on packed snow and ice? Are you tired of slipping and falling? The
Screw Shoe is one solution to the problem! By
inserting some screws into the bottom of your shoes you will be able to run in
the worst of conditions. The process is quick, easy
and costs next to nothing:-)
I did not invent this concept — it is something that has been passed around from
runner to runner. My goal is just to show you how
easy it is to make your own Screw Shoes.
Selecting Screws
Sheet metal screws are awesome because the head on them has a lip that really
grips well on ice. This is important because the
screws are inserted from the outside into the bottom of the shoe and it is the
head of the screw that provides the traction — not
the point! 1/2" long screws work fine in most shoes because they do not go
through the shoe yet they are long enough that they don’t
come out too easily. 3/8" screws might be a little safer in the fronts of some
shoes. If you have a very thin shoe, or you are just
paranoid about how thin the front of your shoe looks, then you can use 1/4" long
screws
More...from SkyRunner.com at:
http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm


14. From Runner's World:
* Coach's Corner
"After a good performance, visualize what you'd do next time to make the
training experience better, faster and more fun. Write down
these notes, and the path to your next goal will be smoother and straighter."
-Jeff Galloway

* Injury Prevention
Don't run in ankle weights under any circumstances. Running with weights
attached to the lower leg subjects the knee joint to
unusual stress, which is magnified by the number of times you lift your knees
while running. The excess weight can pull the knee
joint apart. This can also put excess strain on the ligaments.

* Performance Nutrition
Think cinnamon and ginger are meant only for desserts and stir-frys? Then it's
time to rearrange your cabinet and bump these
back-of-the-cupboard spices ahead of salt and pepper. Here's why.
Studies have found that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon a day may reduce blood
sugar and cholesterol levels in diabetics and that
ginger relieves nausea. But both spices have long been used in traditional
Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines to stimulate circulation
and increase perspiration, which are thought to help fight colds and flu, among
other benefits.

* Editor's Advice
Find a running doc. "If you develop an injury, find a sports-medicine
professional who runs, or at least takes your running
seriously. Otherwise you will probably just be told to stop running. The
professional should be comfortable with "working around"
your injury with treatment, training modifications, and cross-training so that
you won't have to resort to complete couch-potato
status." -Bart Yasso, RW race & event promotion director

* Training Talk
"In the United States, heart disease kills 10 times more women than breast
cancer does each year. One of the best weapons for
fighting heart disease is exercise." - From Runner's World Complete Book of
Running by Amby Burfoot

* Words That Inspire
"I think I've never been as free as during that couple of hours when I'm
trotting up the path." -Alan Sillitoe, novelist and runner

* Editor's Advice
Find a running doc. "If you develop an injury, find a sports-medicine
professional who runs, or at least takes your running
seriously. Otherwise you will probably just be told to stop running. The
professional should be comfortable with "working around"
your injury with treatment, training
modifications, and cross-training so that you won't have to resort to complete
couch-potato status." -Bart Yasso, RW race & event
promotion director



15. Drinkable Oxygen?
Study Investigates Super Oxygenated Water Claims.
Super oxygenated waters, sold under brand names like Aqua Rush, Athletic Super
Water, SerVenRich and AquOforce, boast up to ten
times more O2 content than normal tap water. And more is better, right?
Advertisements say the body absorbs the extra O2, resulting
in improved stamina and athletic performance, reduced recovery time, and better
mental clarity. So ACE enlisted the Human
Performance Research Lab at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse to test those
claims and compare the physical performance effects
of super oxygenated water, which range in price from $1.00 to $2.50 per 1/2
liter, to those of regular tap water.
Led by John Porcari, Ph.D., the research team recruited 12 healthy, college-aged
women and men to participate in the study.
Separated into two groups of six, subjects were randomly assigned to drink
either 16 ounces of super oxygenated water or regular tap
water. [Note: researchers chose to use Aqua Rush Oxygenated Water for this test
because it is one of the most readily available
products for consumers.]
More...from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) at:
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/waterstudy.cfm


16. Scientists study how neurogenesis creates a new state of mind:
You may have killed some brain cells last weekend, but don't worry. More are on
their way.
Every day hundreds of new nerve cells, or neurons, pop into existence in your
overtaxed brain. They may not make up for a lifetime
of abuse, but they could help your brain in other ways, scientists say.
Newborn neurons may help you learn and remember better. They may fight brain
ailments such as addiction and depression;
antidepressants may work partly because they trigger a flood of new neurons in
the brain.
Scientists are unraveling the secrets of these baby neurons, hoping to learn
what makes a healthy brain.
New research shows that exercise stimulates the birth of new neurons - but only
if the mouse being studied actually wants to
exercise. Other findings suggest that drinking alcohol prevents new neurons from
being born. And Dallas researchers have found that
drugs such as morphine mess with newly created neurons, causing them to divide
abnormally and alter the brain.
These and other discoveries may one day help you take better care of your brain,
scientists said last month in San Diego at the
annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
Researchers once thought that baby neurons could spring up only in babies: A
person got new neurons until the age of 2 or 3; after
that, the brain's neurons died off over the course of a lifetime. Even in the
healthiest person, tens of thousands of neurons
naturally self-destruct every day.
"If we were to hear all the neurons in this room dying," neuroscientist Theodore
Palmer told a standing-room-only crowd at the
meeting, "it would sound like popcorn on a massive scale."
More...from the Jewish World Review at:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1204/tech_report.asp


17. Resistance is Not Futile:
Runners looking for faster times, less body fat, and help preventing, or
recovering from, an injury would do well to consider adding
a weight lifting routine to their training program.
"What? How can weight lifting help my running? Won't weight lifting make me big,
and bulky like Arnold Schwarzenegger? Won't this
slow me down"?
No. Not if done correctly. A properly constructed resistance training program is
a beautiful compliment to running. The key to
success is to keep the weights light, and the repetitions of a given exercise,
high.
This low resistance / high rep approach ensures the benefits from weight
training without the unwanted excess of the bulky, heavy,
fast-twitch muscle found in the Arnolds of the world.
Resistance training for distance runners can help in several ways. First,
strength gains can help in circumstances where a runner
needs a little extra power, such as going up a hill. It is no secret that you
will be better at running hills if you train by
running hills.
Hill repeats are an example of a resistance exercise that helps develop the
muscles and strength needed to run up hills. Another
performance benefit comes from keeping the "power platform" in good shape. This
region consists of vital anchoring and supporting
muscles abdominal, back, and pelvic region and provides the necessary framework
for running.
Thus, the muscles which are directly responsible for forward motion have a
flexible, yet stable, platform. Sit-ups, back extensions,
and pelvic stabilising exercises (e.g. one leg squats, hip adduction, hip
abduction) can help keep weakness out of your stabilisers.
More...from World of Endurance at:
http://worldofendurance.com/runnersguide/training_column.asp?a_id=1278685&st_nam\
e=AchievingPersonalBest


18. Adventure Racing 101:
Never done an adventure race? Here’s some advice and inspiration to get you
started.
Perhaps you’ve seen a race on TV. Perhaps your friend has told you about the
races he or she has done. Or maybe you’re a triathlete,
runner, mountain biker or just a good all-around athlete looking for your next
challenge. Whether you’re 18 and just getting started
in outdoor sports or a 45 year old looking for athletic rejuvenation, now is
your chance to get involved.
On one hand, it’s the excitement of testing yourself during a multi-sport event
that might last three or four hours, or even three
or four days. On the other, it’s about the fun and camaraderie that comes with
overcoming challenges big and small with your
teammates. Combining several sports and unique tests into a day (or several
days) is only part of it. There is also variable
weather, fatigue and team dynamics to endure. But it all results in overwhelming
euphoria when you reach the finish line with your
‘mates.
Although the sport traces its roots back more than two decades in places like
New Zealand and Australia, it’s really just getting
started in North America. Six or seven years ago, you could count the number or
races on two hands. Now there are more than 500
races here, with more being added every year.
And that’s good news, because it means there are probably several races nearby
for you to enter. (See Page 70 for a calendar of
spring events, and visit www.asmagazine.com/calendar for a complete 2004
calendar.)
If you put off doing your first adventure race this year, it only means you’ll
be another year older when you actually finish one.
Get started and see what everyone is talking about. (If you’re already involved
in the sport, pass this guide on to someone who’s
just getting started and help them catch the bug.) — The Editors.
More...from ASM at:
http://www.adventuresportsmagazine.com/training/racing101.htm


19. For balanced fitness, pay more attention to back muscles:
Unless, like your second-grade teacher, you have eyes in the back of your head,
you are probably ignoring an important part of your
fitness regimen.
Even the least vain among us (OK, among you) tend to focus on "mirror muscles":
chest, abs, biceps and other body parts we see in
our reflections.
But if you want balanced fitness, a strong core and functional strength, it's
time to pay attention to your back side.
Our most neglected dorsal area is the lower back, said Richard Cotton, chief
exercise physiologist of the Web site
myexerciseplan.com.
Weak lower back muscles will tear more easily than stronger ones under duress
and offer scant protection to surrounding tendons and
ligaments.
They lead to chronic lower back pain. And back muscles, like most, weaken with
age unless specifically exercised.
Core symmetry -- meaning balance of the muscles on the front and back of your
torso, as well as on both sides -- helps provide
stable support for your spine. By focusing disproportionately on your abs, you
are in essence creating a lopsided corset for your
spine -- and inviting injury and unwelcome contortion.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11376&sidebar=575&category=keep_fit


20. Red Wine Molecule Prevents Hardened Heart:
Resveratrol inhibits cardiac fibrosis to maintain pumping ability.
Red wine and specifically the component resveratrol may counteract a condition
called cardiac fibrosis that can diminish the heart's
ability to pump blood.
Resveratrol, increasingly attracting attention for its health and longevity
benefits, is already known to help prevent blood clots
and possibly reduce cholesterol.
Now American researcher Joshua Bomser of Ohio State University in Columbus and
colleagues have shown in rat heart cells that it can
also limit the effects of cardiac fibrosis, a hardening of heart tissue that can
be caused by hypertension and heart failure.
More...from Better Humans at:
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2004-12-08-1


21. Sleep Loss May Cause Weight Gain:
Lack of slumber alters hunger hormone levels, boosts appetite, study finds.
If you're looking for a better way to control your weight, a new study suggests
that getting a good night's sleep might keep the
pounds off.
Lack of sleep changes the circulating levels of the hormones that regulate
hunger, boosting appetite and a person's preference for
high-calorie, high-carbohydrate foods, University of Chicago researchers report
in the Dec. 7 issue of the Annals of Internal
Medicine.
Echoing other recent research that has found a link between lack of sleep and
the risk of weight gain, the new study is believed to
be the first to show that sleep is a major regulator of the hormones leptin,
which tells the brain when it doesn't need more food,
and ghrelin, which triggers hunger.
More...from HealthScout at:
http://www.healthscout.com/news/1/522735/main.html


22. The Nina Kraft Soapbox:
Written by Rod Cedaro (M. App. Sc.)
SOAPBOX
Well a month's a long time in triathlon isn't it!
When I last penned the Soapbox Nina Kraft was the 2004 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon
women's champion and TA was still chasing its tail
administratively speaking - in the last month there has been some major
re-shuffling.
Probably the biggest news to hit the triathlon world in a long time is the
positive drug tests that have been pinned on German, Nina
Kraft and Belgium's Rutger Beke.
Beke tested positive for EPO prior to Ironman (his A sample at least) at a race
back in September and denies illicit drug use and
intends to fight the matter, claiming the amount of altitude training he did in
preparation for IM resulted in the elevated EPO
readings. Excuse me, and I may be wrong, but my understanding was that the
testing assays are able to differentiate between
exogenous (produced outside the body) and endogenous (produced inside the body)
EPO - otherwise every Kenyan at the Olympics would
have gone positive! I'm guessing Mr. Beke is going to have a very difficult time
defending his position - if the call is made and he
is banned for two years as far as I'm concerned it should be made
retrospectively and strip him of all his performances/titles since
turning professional. A two year ban going forward simply isn't enough. In my
opinion, any athlete, in any sport, who goes positive
should simply be wiped from the record books retrospectively and for life going
forward. They are cheats and thieves - plain and
simple. I've seen enough first hand myself as an elite competitor, beaten by
chemically enhanced cheats and seen athletes like Brad
Beven robbed of world titles repeatedly by drug enhanced Neanderthals. Flo Jo
paid the ultimate price for her cheating ways and at
the end of the day I have absolutely no pity for her and her kind whatsoever.
Mitch - hopefully you'll achieve your well deserved
top 10 Kona finish if the testing protocols are as airtight as they should be by
now.
More...from Transition Times at:
http://www.transitiontimes.com/viewstory.cfm?ID=6198


23. Can you really overtrain?
Absolutely! But sore muscles from a long bike ride or aches and pains from a
touch football game do not constitute overtraining.
So how do you know if you need to cut back? It's hard to tell if your exercise
regimen is doing you more harm than good.
For most people who keep fit with daily exercise, pushing themselves to a level
where the training is causing exercise performance
to decline is not very likely. In fact, many recreational athletes don't
actually monitor performance other than by how well they
keep up in the Monday night basketball game or if their clothes still fit.
A little competition never hurt anyone, did it?
What if you are training for a marathon, or a long bike race, or maybe a
triathlon? When you add volume and intensity to your
workouts, your body sends you messages about how well it is adapting.
"The biggest thing you can do is listen to your body,” advises Scott Trappe,
PhD, assistant professor of exercise physiology at Ball
State University in Indiana.
It is well known that in preparing for competition, athletes train more often
and/or more intensely in an effort to make their
bodies perform better. This is the way to improve performance, but there are
limits.
What exactly is overtraining?
An expert panel from the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) answered this
question by defining the differences between overload training, overreaching,
and overtraining.
Overloading — Planned pushing of training limits that is necessary to achieve
improved performance.
Overreaching — Unplanned, excessive overload without adequate rest. This is a
short-term problem marked by poor performance in
training and competition.
Overtraining — Untreated overreaching that results in chronic decreases in
performance and an impaired ability to train. This is a
long-term problem associated with prolonged overload training without proper
recovery time.
Overtraining occurs when an athlete spends too much time training and not enough
time resting and eating the nutrients needed to
rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged during intense exercise
Trappe explains that exercise is only the stimulus for building fitness. He adds
that many athletes don't realize how essential rest
and proper nutrition are to this process.
More...from UW Health at:
http://www.uwhealth.org/servlet/Satellite?cid=1058560105908&pagename=UWH%2FHI%2F\
HealthInformationDetail&articleID=1060879677869
[Multi-line URL]


24. Off-season drills to boost your pedaling skills:
Pedaling a bicycle looks like a pretty simple skill. After all, the foot is
attached to a pedal that is at the end of a stiff crank
arm rotating about a fixed-position spindle.
What could go wrong? Actually, plenty could.
Even though the entire system is rather set, we know from research that some
riders are more efficient than others when it comes to
pedaling a bike.
In fact, I'll bet you've looked around your cycling group and noticed that some
riders appear to be very rough and almost awkward
when they pedal while others look smooth and fluid.
The difference has to do with the proper firing and relaxing of muscles while
the foot is spinning at 90-or-so rpm. This is much
harder to do than you might think. There are scores of large and small muscles
that fire for a few milliseconds and then relax.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11371&sidebar=21&category=cycling


25. News Scan:
* Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine - Jogging for Fitness
Most runners should train the same way that competitive runners do, even if they
jog only for fitness. Here's a program that you can
follow even if you do not plan to compete. First get a physical exam to assure
that you are healthy. Then start out by running
every other day until your legs feel tired or hurt. Gradually work up to the
point where you can run for thirty continuous minutes.
Then start your training program. Plan one fast and one long workout a week. The
other workouts should be at a slower pace and can
be skipped if you feel tired. Your fast run can be on Wednesday and your long
run on Sunday. Wednesdays, start out slowly and
gradually increase the pace until you start to feel uncomfortable as you breathe
hard and your muscles start to hurt. Slow down
until you recover and gradually pick up the pace again. Repeat until your legs
start to feel heavy.
Each week try to improve by spending more time running fast and less time
running slow. Take the next day, Thursday, off because
your legs will be sore. On Friday and Saturday, jog slowly a short distance. On
Sunday, try to run for 30 minutes, and each week,
extend the time running until you can stay out for 60 to 90 minutes or more of
brisk running. Take the next day off. Then jog slowly
on Tuesday and try to run fast again on Wednesday. The same principles can be
applied to any endurance sport you use for fitness,
such as cycling, rowing or swimming.

* UK researchers link high red meat intake to higher incidence of arthritis
(National-NBC) Dec. 3, 2004 - The next time you enjoy a steak or a burger, you
might want to think about how it could be effecting
your joints.
British researchers at the University of Manchester analyzed the diets of 88
people and found those who ate the most red meat had
twice the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers are not exactly sure why this happens, but they believe high levels
of protein, too much iron or organisms in the meat
may play a role.
The study is published in "Arthritis & Rheumatism."

* All Athletes: Off-Season Weight Gain by Lynda Wallenfels
If you are like most athletes you are taking a well-deserved rest after a
season of training and racing. Once the training volume
shuts down your metabolism begins to slide. Add in Halloween candy, subtract the
big calorie-burning daily workout and a few pounds
will quickly appear on your lean racing machine. Top it off with reduced
daylight hours and a binge on Thanksgiving, and it can be
tough to get control of.
How much is too much? An increase of five to seven pounds over race weight is
respectable and in fact can be healthy. When the
scales tip seven-plus pounds it is time for a reality check. Go to
www.fitday.com and record everything you eat and everything you
do to burn calories for one day. This will give you a reasonable estimate of
your daily calorie balance.
If you’ve tipped 10 pounds over race weight, now is the time to start your 2005
race season diet. Don’t wait until training starts
again and assume it will melt off. If you are female, or a male over 25 years
old, I can tell you this won’t happen. The fact is it
takes a calorie deficit to lose weight. Running a calorie deficit while you are
in training mode will impede recovery and reduce the
training load you can adapt to—basically you won’t get as fast.
Keep your hand out of the cookie jar if you really want to be fast next season.
Lynda Wallenfels is a USA Triathlon, USA Cycling and Ultrafit certified coach.
Lynda always enjoys discussing training and racing
and will answer questions posted on her Web site discussion forum
www.lwcoaching.com. Purchase her new book The Triathlete’s Guide
to Bike Training at www.velogear.com . Lynda is available for coaching and
consulting and can be contacted at
mailto:Lynda@....

* All Athletes: 10 Tips for a Successful Transition Period by Karen Buxton
With leaves and temperatures falling, winter is upon us and so is the
off-season. Generally this term refers to the period that
runs from the completion of your last race until the period of specific build
for your first race of the upcoming season. Far too
often, athletes do not take enough downtime during this very important phase of
training and thus set themselves up for burnout,
injury or an unsatisfying season.
The beginning of the off-season, which starts with the transition phase, is the
time to allow your body to rest and recharge. The
upcoming hectic holiday season is the perfect time to treat yourself to some
well-deserved downtime. Follow these tips for your
transition phase, and take the first step to your best season yet.
1) Lose your log and exercise when you feel like it.
2) Drop the heart rate monitor and go by perceived exertion.
3) Throw in a day or two of complete rest each week.
4) Stay off the roads and hit the trails for a run or a bike.
5) Try deep-water running or an aqua fitness class.
6) Check out a yoga or Pilates class.
7) Take long walks with family, friends or a pet.
8) Take a break from your masters swim group and swim on your own—do not worry
about your distance covered.
9) Skip the weight room and complete body weight exercises.
10) Sleep in, sleep in, sleep in.
Karen Buxton coaches multisport athletes from her office in Greensboro, N.C. and
can be reached at kbuxton@.... She is
author of the newly released book Off-Season Training for Triathletes, which can
be found at:
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?velogear+Gyz92f+trgutooffset.html. To
learn more about Karen and the coaching programs she
offers, go to www.coachbuxton.com.

* Boulder Council To Reconsider Tax On Runners: After hearing from directors of
some of the city's smaller road races, Boulder's
city councils agreed to reconsider a city tax that would add 5 percent to entry
fees.

* Optimum Health report
Before You Drink Diet Soda, Read the Label
A lot of people have the idea that they are being "good" by avoiding sugar and
substituting with an artificial sweetener. Not so.
These chemicals
aren't good for the body, and people who use them don't have a track record of
losing more weight. I am not in favor of high
fructose corn syrup either -- both corn syrup and the artificial chemicals are
equally bad. Before you reach for that diet soda with
the sugar substitute, read the label to see if it contains "aspartame" --
because if it does, you certainly don't want to be
drinking it. That goes for Splenda as well.
Read more . . . -
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=b4phlzaab.0.p7xzozaab.gvhjnwn6.14839&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.\
optimumhealthreport.com%2Farticles%2Fsoda.asp

* Raise Your Shield
Every year when Jack Frost is nipping at our noses, the seasonal cold and flu
visitors are waiting to strike. Some have said that
the only sure way to avoid succumbing to a cold or flu is to hibernate like a
bear, stay indoors all winter and interact with no
one. But, this seems a bit too extreme not to mention rather unrealistic.
Instead of resorting to such drastic measures, how about
nurturing your body’s immune system?
The immune system patrols round the clock to detect, destroy and devour pesky
invaders. By eating a balanced diet chock full of
colorful foods coupled with the old standby advice to wash your hands
frequently, exercise regularly, minimize stress and ensure
enough rest, experts agree that individuals can reduce their chances of catching
a cold or getting the flu. Keeping your immune
system healthy is critical for defending off this year’s relentless “bugs”
before they get you. By minding your ABC’s, you can learn
to incorporate more immune-nurturing foods into your diet.
Vitamins A, B, and C have been the focus for healthy living and in the combat
against cold and flu viruses.
Vitamin A plays its role in combating the invasion of many colds and viruses by
supporting the healthy maintenance of mucous
membranes, the skin, and other surface linings (intestinal tract, urinary tract,
respiratory tract) of the body, which help in
preventing harmful bacteria and viruses from entering the body. A deficiency of
Vitamin A may increase your vulnerability to
infection due to a decrease in antibody production and reduction in the ability
of the respiratory track to push out bacteria. Like
Cooper Complete, the desired form of Vitamin A from a multivitamin is
beta-carotene, a water-soluble precursor that the body can
convert to vitamin A. Unlike the water-soluble beta-carotene, Vitamin A is
fat-soluble and can be stored in body fat, where it can
build up to toxic levels; excess intake can result in an overdose and be
extremely harmful. The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for
Vitamin A is 5,000 IU and for beta-carotene is 10,000 IU. Aside from being a
precursor to Vitamin A, beta-carotene is also a potent
anti-oxidant that possesses its own unique immune-stimulating properties unlike
Vitamin A. When it comes to increasing beta-carotene
in your diet, the dark orange, yellow and green fruits and vegetables, such as
carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, spinach, and green
peppers are good choices.
Adequate intake of the B Vitamins, specifically B6, B12, B2, folate and
pantothenic acid is essential for maintaining immune
resistance. Independently, Vitamin B6 has been found to be a key vitamin for
immunity, being involved in the process of synthesizing
immune cells. Also central to immune function, B12 governs white blood cell
division and growth while folic acid plays a role in
immune system development and maintenance. On the whole, the B Vitamins are
often thought to function collectively as a “B-complex.”
Deficiencies in any of the B Vitamins can definitely lower immune system
function and resistance, however, for most individuals, a
diet rich in wholegrain cereals, nuts, seeds, fish, green leafy vegetables, and
meat, should be adequate to overcome any depressed
resistance effect. Although most individuals ingest optimal amounts of Vitamin
B12 in their daily diet, between 10-30 percent of
older adults lose their ability to adequately absorb B12 from food sources. And,
the potential for deficiencies can occur more
readily in these individuals. Therefore, the Institute of Medicine recommends
that all adults over 50 years of age supplement their
dietary B12 intake with synthetic B12 from either fortified foodstuffs and/or a
multivitamin, such as Cooper Complete, to ensure
they meet the RDI of 2.4 micrograms daily.
Vitamin C plays many roles in the workings of the immune system and is
particularly involved in ensuring that macrophages, the body’
s powerful, bacteria-engulfing cells, are produced, functional, and protected.
Vitamin C may help to decrease either the severity or
duration of the common cold. A variety of foods, such as spinach, sweet
potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, citrus fruits, papayas, melons
and strawberries to name a few, are chock full of Vitamin C. And, what could
sound better during this time of year than a soothing
bowl of tomato soup that is not only rich in Vitamin C, but also lycopene, a
plant compound that is a potent free-radical fighter
that can help protect your body’s infection-fighting white blood cells against
free-radical damage. Try to include as many Vitamin
C-rich food sources daily and reap the rewards.
Try to eat a rainbow of colors every day -- red, orange, yellow, green, blue and
white. Many of the chemicals in plants that give
fruits and vegetables their bright colors stimulate the human immune system’s
T-cells, which in turn, help kill bacteria and
viruses. For upcoming holiday get-togethers, buy party trays loaded with
assorted colorful fruits and vegetables to ensure that you
and your guests keep their immune system defenses on guard. And, try to have a
mixed green salad daily along with at least two
colorful foods at each meal. Eat nine to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables
each day, and remember, prevention is the best
medicine.
Tip provided by Cooper Wellness Program nutrition director Kathy Duran-Thal,
R.D. For information on attending a four-, six-, or
13-day program at The Cooper Aerobics Center, call 800-444-5192 or visit
www.cooperaerobics.com/wellness.



*End of Articles*

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

December 11, 2004:
Foot Locker Cross Country Championships - San Diego, CA
http://www.footlockercc.com

Rocket City Marathon - Huntsville, AL
http://www.huntsvilletrackclub.org

Sunmart Texas Trails Endurance Runs - Huntsville, TX
http://www.sunmart.net

Venice-Marina Christmas Run - Santa Monica, CA
http://www.w2promo.com/startalive.asp

December 12, 2004:
Canberra City Half Ironman - Australia
http://www.x-tri.com.au/canberra

Honolulu Marathon, HI
http://www.honolulumarathon.org

Mauritius ITU African Continental Cup Triathlon - Mauritius
http://www.triathlon.org/international/int-2004/mauritius-2004/event-details/eve\
nt-details.htm


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

This Weeks Personal Postings/Releases:

We have NO personal postings this week.

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

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Have a good week of training and/or racing.

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

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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
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END...