A Free Weekly E-zine of Multisport Related Articles.
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 Corporate Relay and the Canadian Iron Distance Triathlon. 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.
Support our advertisers:
1. 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
2. Toronto Waterfront Marathon. September 25, 2005:
http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/
3. 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
4. Endless Pools
Swim at home in your own endless pool.
"Welcome to Endless Pools, where limited space can be easily converted into
limitless possibilities. Measuring just 8' x 15', the
Endless Pool, often referred to as a swimmer's treadmill, provides all the
benefits of a full-size swimming pool in a fraction of
the space. The Endless Pool’s adjustable current caters to swimmers of all skill
levels. All Endless Pool components can fit through
a standard doorway making installation possible in almost any area of your home.
Ideal for swimming, exercise, therapy and fun.
Our swimming pools are simple to maintain, economical to run, and easy to
install inside or out." Visit the website and get a free
DVD or video.
http://www.endlesspools.com/12258
5. FRS Plus - the antioxidant health drink.
Free radicals are produced continuously in the human body. They are unstable
molecules that cause damage to healthy cells and are
the by-products of our bodies’ natural metabolic processes.
Athletes create free radicals at a faster rate than non-athletes. As exercise
intensity and duration goes up, so does our production
of these harmful free radicals. Some have termed this the "oxygen paradox".
Endurance exercise can increase oxygen utilization from
10 to 20 times over the resting state, with a corresponding increase in free
radical burden.
To offset this increased free radical production in athletes, the body has some
ability to adapt, by increasing our endogenous or
internal supply of free radical scavengers. Free radical scavengers are
compounds that can actively seek out and pair with reactive
free radicals to neutralize their ability to damage cells.
The implication of the oxygen paradox for athletes is that exercise though
healthful in many ways, creates damaging free radicals.
It is essential that athletes strive to consume large amounts of antioxidants
from food and supplements to help augment their free
radical scavenger supply. It has been shown that even short-term changes in
dietary antioxidants can significantly affect the damage
caused by free radicals in exercise.
http://www.frsplus.com/
6. Team Diabetes
Announcing the Latest Fitness Craze:
See the World, Fulfill Your Dreams and Save Lives…
How would you like to take an expense-paid trip to a fabulous destination and
raise money for a worthy cause? If so, participate in
a Team Diabetes Canada adventure fundraising program.
Our international program allows you to walk or run in a world-class marathon
event in fascinating cities around the world,
including Rome, Reykjavik, Dublin, Amsterdam and Honolulu. We'll train you to
satisfy your personal marathon goals, and you'll save
countless lives.
Benefits of Your Participation
In return for your fundraising efforts, the Team Diabetes Canada program will
provide you with:
Guaranteed, free race registration
Free accommodation and round-trip airfare
Expert, individualized online training support through the Running Room
Official team gear
Fundraising materials and support
And much more
http://www.kalixo.com/tracking/cda_01_runnersweb_amst.html
Shopping on the internet?
Check out our new storefront just launched in partnership with HDO Sport:
http://store.runnersweb.com/
The Runner's and Triathlete'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 necessarily
those of the Runner's Web. To comment on any stories in the Digest visit our
Forum at:
http://excoboard.com/exco/index.php?boardid=4655
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:
This newsletter has been composed using Outlook set to "Plain 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@...
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.
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@...
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 ].
Note: An increasing number of media 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
http://www.emailias.com.
THIS WEEK:
Runner's Web Opens Online Store:
Through a partnership with HDO Sports, the Runner's and Triathlete's Web has
opened an online store. Check it out for your shopping
requirements. Provide us with your feedback.
http://store.runnersweb.com
Dave Scott Clinic in Ottawa.
RunnersWeb.com and TriathlonOttawa.com are excited to announce that Ironman
legend Dave Scott is coming to Ottawa for a clinic and
speaking engagement on April 1-3, 2005.
Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in Canada, and there is no
personality in triathlon with a higher profile than Dave
Scott. The six-time Hawaii Ironman World Champion was the first person elected
to the Ironman Hall of Fame and remains very active
in the sport today as a coach, writer and author.
Scott's visit to Ottawa will be see him work closely with a group of 25
triathletes during the weekend clinic, covering all elements
of the sport through both active and lecture sessions. For full details please
visit
http://www.triathlonottawa.com.
About TriathlonOttawa
TriathlonOttawa.com is a local organization in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada dedicated
to the growth of triathlon and physical fitness in
the region, through the provision of resources, training and educational
opportunities.
Attention All Canadian Marathoners!
See the World, Fulfill Your Dreams and Save Lives…
How would you like to take an expense-paid trip to Amsterdam and raise money for
a worthy cause? If so, participate in Team Diabetes
Canada’s Amsterdam Marathon adventure fundraising program. Team Diabetes'
international program allows you to walk or run in the
world-class Amsterdam Marathon. They'll fly you to Amsterdam, pay for your
accommodation, give you training, and much more!
Satisfy your personal marathon goals, and save countless lives at the same time.
For more information visit
http://www.teamdiabetes.ca or contact the Canadian
Diabetes Association today at 1-800-BANTING Ext. 7095
or
mailto:
teamdiabetes@.... Don't delay! Registration ends April 15th for
participation in the Amsterdam Marathon.
Re RRW / World Junior Cross Country Annual 2004-
I am pleased to announce the publication of World Junior Cross Country Annual
2004-5.
Details of the book are as follows:-
The book is compiled and edited by Lionel Peters and contains 44 pages of A5.
The book covers the world junior cross country season
2003/4
The main contents are:-
1 World Continental, Area and National Championships 2004
2 Previous World and European CC Champs - results of athletes born 1986 and
later
3 World and European Junior CC Statistics – Medallists, Best National
Performances, Medals Summary etc
Price including post
UK/Europe £5 Elsewhere £6
Payment
A UK cheque, international money order or Cash/Currency
B Credit Card or Paypal
Contact
World Junior Athletics News, - 40 Berkeley Road London NW9 9DG England
Email: Mailto:
lionel@...
Webmasters
Get our Syndicated headlines for you site.
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_getRSS.html
Add the Runner's Web News feed to your site through a simple JavaScript. Check
out OnTri.com's implementation at:
http://www.ontri.com/runnersweb.html
The Runner's and Triathlete's Web Digest is now available through an RSS feed
for myYahoo at:
http://e.my.yahoo.com/config/cstore?.opt=content&.url=http%3a//rss.groups.yahoo.\
com/group/RunnersWeb/rss
The Digest is also available through other RSS Readers on request.
If anyone is looking for a web mail provider, you might wish to consider
Google's GMail. Currently you can get GMail by invitation
only from a current user. My stock of "invites" has been replenished. I will
give invitations to the first 40 Digest
subscribers to respond (by email timestamp). Contact me at:
mailto:
kparker@....
Microsoft® Alerts on RunnersWeb.com Inc.
RunnersWeb.com Inc. now offers Microsoft® Alerts! This service lets you receive
important messages through your MSN® Messenger or
Windows® Messenger, your e-mail, or your mobile device. You can choose how and
when you receive these messages by specifying your
preferences during the easy setup process.
Sign up at:
http://www.messagecast.net/alerts/login.do?PINID=2598&returnURL=http://www.runne\
rsweb.com
We are currently at 1244 subscribers 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.
Race Directors:
Advertise your event on the Runner's Web. Over 1.8 MILLION visits in 2004!
For more information:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_advertising.html
For text ads check out our AdBrite partnership at:
http://www.adbrite.com/mb/commerce/purchase_form.php?opid=15182&afsid=1
You can also list your events for free in our Interactive Calendars and on our
Marathons, Races and Triathlons pages.
Runner's and Triathlete's Web Content Partners:
* Sports Nutrition 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:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/SK_index.html
* Carmichael Training Systems
Carmichael Training Systems was founded in 1999 by Chris Carmichael. From the
beginning, the mission of the company has been to
improve the lives of individuals we work with through the application of proper
and effective fitness and competitive training
techniques. Whether your focus is recreational, advanced, or you are a
professional racer, the coaching methodology employed by CTS
will make you a better athlete. Check the latest monthly column from CTS at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/cts_columns.html.
* Running Research News
Running Research News is a monthly newsletter which keeps sports-active people
up-to-date on the latest information about training,
sports nutrition, and sports medicine. RRN publishes practical, timely new
material which improves workouts, prevents injuries, and
heightens overall fitness. Check our latest column from Running Research News
at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/RRN_index.html
On January 7th we started a new feature on the website - A Question and Answer
with Owen Anderson from Running Research News.
Send in your training related questions for Owen to answer to
mailto:
webmaster@...?subject=Owen_Anderson
Check out the questions and answers from the Q and A Index page at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/RRN_AskOwen_index.html
* Peak Performance Online
Peak Performance is a subscription-only newsletter for athletes, featuring the
latest research from the sports science world. We
cover the whole range of sports, from running and rowing to cycling and
swimming, and each issue is packed full of exclusive
information for anyone who's serious about sport. It's published 16 times a
year, including four special reports, by Electric Word
plc. Peak Performance is not available in the shops - only our subscribers are
able to access the valuable information we publish
Check out our latest article from Peak Performance Online at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/PPO_index.html
* Peak Running Performance
Peak Running Performance Is The Number 1 Technical Running Newsletter In
America! Check out their article index at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/PRP_index.html.
* WatsonLifeSport
Lance Watson is "Just The Winningest Coach in Triathlon". He has been coaching
triathlon and distance running since 1987. Over the
years, Lance has coached some of the most successful athletes in the sport of
triathlon and duathlon.
Check out the Lance Watson Online Article Index at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/LW_index.html
This Weeks Personal Postings/Releases:
We have NO personal postings this week.
This Week's Digest Article Index:
1. Science of Sport: Much More Than Diddley-Squat
2. Science of Sport: Scientific Training
How one former couch potato found a talent and then called on the appliance of
science to become an elite performer.
3. Multisport: Indicator Workouts
4. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine March 27, 2005
5. Regular Exercise Helps Protect Muscles In Elderly From Soreness, Injury
6. Lactic Acid
7. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Putting Actions into Words
8. Perfectionism and Procrastination:
“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is
demoralizing.” – Harriet Braiker
9. Does gym work make you a stronger cyclist?
10. For Every Sport, a Super Sock
11. Rest for the Weary
Unquestionably, one of the hardest things for an endurance athlete to do is
rest. It is much more satisfying to go out to the track
and hammer sets of high intensity 400s, or do long slow distance runs in the
heat (sometimes called long slow torture).
12. Three Workouts to Boost Race-day Speed
13. From Runner's World
14. Playing it safe
A pro athlete's injury can cost his team millions. For the rest of us, getting
hurt can mean frustration -- or worse. Prevention is
key.
15. Raw food eaters thin but healthy
People who follow a raw food vegetarian diet are light in weight but healthy,
according to US researchers.
16. How Olympic Timing Works
17. Running Better:
A Basic Guide to Help You Run Faster and Stay Injury Free.
18. Sportsmedicine: Don't Miss a Step
19. Priorities
Be on the start line fit and healthy… kept very simple, this is the main
priority we need to remember when preparing for an event or
events.
20. Cycling: Spin yourself thin
How to make your spin class an effective tool for gaining fitness and losing
fat.
21. From Running Times
22. Sports Psychology: Why Triathlons Can be Frightening for Beginners
By Michelle Cleere, Sports Psychology Consultant .
23. Sports Nutrition: Sheila's Nutrition Digest Vol. 4 - Beth Mansfield
Interview (Part 1)
24. What is the basic premise of altitude training?
25. News Scan - A Collection of News Items
Runner's Web Weekly Poll: "Which of the following have your purchased ONLINE in
the past year?
Books, Magazines
Coaching Services
Clothing
Heart Rate Monitor
Running Shoes
Speed/Distance or GPS Watch
Sports Drinks, Bars, Gels, etc.
Sports Watch"
You can access the poll from our FrontPage as well as voting on and/or checking
the results of previous polls.
Post your views in our Forum at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/runnersweb_forum.html
[Free Registration Required]
Last week's poll was "In which of the following events will you compete this
year?"
The results at publication time were:
Answers Votes Percent
Answers Votes Percent
1. Adventure Race 5 3%
2. Cycling - Mountain 5 3%
3. Cycling - Road 10 6%
4. Running - Marathon 39 24%
5. Running - Road race 52 33%
6. Running - Track 13 8%
7. Triathlon- Ironman 6 4%
8. Triathlon - Olympic 12 8%
9. Triathlon - Sprint 18 11%
Total Votes: 160
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: World Duathlon 2005.
World Championships
Duathlon - The Event
The main race at the Newcastle World Duathlon Championships will be the elite
race with the top male and female Duathletes in the
world, which will result in significant international and national media
attention. The International Triathlon Union does not focus
solely on elite competitors, and World Championship events also have an age
group race, which attracts the majority of competitors,
aged from sixteen to ninety years old.
As warm-up competitions for these two events, two additional races will be
marketed to the Newcastle community to increase the
sports’ exposure. School aged children will be able to participate in their own
short distance Duathlon, and first timers and novice
adults will compete in a modified Duathlon.
The event organisers’ aim is for all involved to have a positive event
experience, including elite and age group competitors, new
participants, volunteers and staff. The ITU Duathlon World Championship entry
fee will include an opening parade and ceremony, a
pre-race BBQ, race bag, post-race closing party, and weekend long festival.
There will also be organised optional activities touring
the region for participants and their supporters.
As lead-up to the World Championships, Newcastle will hold an Australian
Duathlon Team Qualifier – The Herald Duathlon Selection
Race on the 24th April. This Olympic distance race will attract approximately
300 competitors and will serve as a test of the elite
course and chance for Australians to get valuable racing experience. Prior to
the World Championships, other states will hold
national Duathlon events to increase the sports’ interest and exposure.
Following the World Championships we hope to have legacies of hosting regular
ITU World Cup Duathlon events in Australia, and an
increase in Australian participation in Duathlon. With our current large teams
of up to 300 Australians attending World Triathlon
Championships, we hope to have an Australian Duathlon Team of 150 people in the
future.
Check out the site at:
http://www.worldduathlon2005.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: Peak Performance: Training and Nutritional Strategies for
Sport.
Peak Performance is the perfect companion for the athlete or coach looking for
every ounce of accurate practical information
available from sports scientists. John Hawley and Louise Burke (world leaders in
sport related science) have teamed up to produce
the "lay-persons" guide to improved athletic performance. Peak performance
introduces us to the founding fathers of modern athletic
training. Our authors then explore the facts that have been uncovered by
exercise scientists attempting to discover proof of what
produces optimal performance. An excellent blend of theory and practice!
Buy the book at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1864484691/runnersweb/102-0182896-9006569\
?v=glance&s=books
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:
1. Science of Sport: Much More Than Diddley-Squat:
By Owen Anderson, Ph. D. (copyright © 2003-2005)
Weightlifters do it all the time. Downhill skiers rely on it for control and
stability. Soccer, basketball, and hockey players like
it. Even a few endurance runners, the ones who complete strength-training
workouts on a regular basis, enjoy carrying it out.
It's squatting - the performance of weight-bearing "knee bends," usually while
supporting a weight on the shoulders. Squatting is
sometimes considered to be the premier strength-training movement for athletes
who run in their sports, since squatting engages the
major muscle groups in the legs and requires simultaneous flexion at the hip,
knee, and ankle, as is the case with each ground
contact during running. It is also sometimes argued that squats, when performed
properly, may help athletes achieve greater thoracic
expansion, boosting ventilation capacity.
But are squats really so great for athletes who run? Well, there really is
evidence that squatting can improve maximal running
speed. In research carried out at the Human Performance Laboratory at the NSW
Academy of Sport in Sydney, Australia, athletes were
divided into two groups, one of which performed squatting exercises while the
other served as a control. At the end of the training
period, squatting subjects improved performance during a 40-meter, all-out
sprint by 2.2 percent and bolstered power output during a
maximal, six-second bicycling test by 9 percent, while control individuals
failed to improve at all (1).
There is also evidence that squatting is a strong exercise for upgrading
sport-specific strength. In a study carried out at the
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Goteborg University in Sweden, 24
healthy subjects carried out either barbell-squat or
knee-extension exercises twice a week for six weeks. All 24 athletes were tested
prior to training and at the completion of the
six-week training period. A three-rep-maximum barbell squat and a vertical
jumping test were utilized to monitor the effectiveness
of training (2).
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050331_RRN_Squats.html
2. Science of Sport: Scientific Training;
How one former couch potato found a talent and then called on the appliance of
science to become an elite performer.
This is a personal account of my life as a runner. At the age of 30 I was just
an average bloke. I was stuck in a rut with a
stressful job that had long, unsociable hours. I was overweight, taking no
exercise and enjoying a smoke and a drink. Then something
happened: whatever it was – an early mid-life crisis or a sudden awakening of an
inner competitive spirit – it eventually changed me
into an international athlete. It is an unlikely tale but this is exactly what
happened.
Not all of this story may seem relevant, but I believe it highlights a number of
factors which athletes of all standards should
consider in their pursuit of peak, or at least improved, performance. It shows
why there is a need for careful planning, patience
and progression in your lifestyle, training and racing. How vital the
relationship is with your coach. How both athlete and coach
have to have total belief in what they are doing and total respect for each
other. Each has to have a full understanding of, and
commitment to, the plan. Your coach has to understand you as a person. Yes,
there are coaches who can motivate and inspire groups of
athletes but to really coach an athlete takes time, energy, commitment and
knowledge. I hope this article also demonstrates the need
for the athlete to have personal responsibility for, and understanding of, their
own training. After all it is the runner who does
the running so, to my way of thinking, there had better be some good reasons why
I am doing it! An athlete and a good coach should
also be open-minded enough to evaluate and experiment with new and different
training methods.
This journey would never have happened were it not for the support of my wife or
the guidance, generosity and knowledge from
physiologist and coach Dr Tony Trowbridge. I must also thank Bruce Tulloh and
his wife, and the willingness of a group of world
class Kenyan athletes, who allowed an unknown old guy to be part of their group
and share in their training methods for two months.
It was a journey that would last just over 10 years. Along the way there were
many unforgettable and exciting moments. There was
also a great deal of hard work and disappointment. It was, without question, a
journey that changed me as a person.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050329_PPO_Scientific_Training.\
html
3. Multisport: Indicator Workouts:
by Dan Empfield (www.slowtwitch.com)
Yesterday we published an interview with Brad Kearns and Andrew MacNaughton.
These are two fun guys, and I knew when I held the
interview I was going to get a dose of mirth, some elucidation, but certainly
not the whole story as to how and why these guys shot
to the top in such a hurry.
Then Brad wrote more to me later in the day, after he'd seen the interview
published on the site—especially after reading his
friend's comments (I interviewed them separately). I felt that through Brad's
subsequent comments a layer had gotten peeled back,
and I included his words as an addendum (if you've read the interview and it
didn't include this addendum, it's worth going back and
reading it).
Brad hinted that the real reason he and Andrew shot to the top in such a hurry
was that they experimented with just how far they
could go in their training. So many triathletes did that back then. They
increased their training with a fearlessness I don't often
see today. Brad writes of often riding 200 miles in a day. Brad wrote that the
two of them would do, "...mile repeats on the track
in sub-5 and kill each other. Or swim 6,000 yd workouts with swim team till arms
fall off."
They weren't the only ones. I know that Mike Pigg had a 180-mile route he'd do
on the bike, and he'd have to get up well before dawn
to complete it. I remember calling Ken Glah once at 9PM, about three weeks
before Kona. I was ready to apologize for calling so
close to his bedtime, but an out-of-breath Glah answered the phone, just in from
a 130-mile ride followed by a 17-mile run.
Kearns wrote about his own experience of preparing to face an unbeatable Kenny
Souza in the Desert Princess race, and of riding a
balls-out 140-mile ride, in which he cycled, "...the last 30 from Adelanto to
Barstow in one hour—with a slight tailwind. When I got
off the bike in Barstow I was certain that I would win."
Tales of Scott Molina's training are legendary, and have been written about on
SlowTwitch elsewhere. Paul Huddle and Mark Allen
would go on 150-mile rides. Paula would hang on Mark's wheel for dear life the
whole way, one of them training for an 8-hour
Ironman, pulling the other to a sub-9.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050328_DE_Indicator_Workouts.ht\
ml
4. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine March 27, 2005:
*** Why Cross Country Causes Injuries.
Cross country running has the highest rate of injuries of all high school
sports. The injury rate is even higher for girls than for
boys. The extremely high injury rate is caused by asking runners to train and
race in the same week. Most coaches know that you
have to run very fast in practice to run very fast in races and the fastest way
to train is to run intervals or fartlek, a series of
short very fast bursts of running interspersed with slow jogging.
Training is done by running very fast on one day, have your muscles feel sore on
the next day, and not running fast again until your
muscles feel fresh. The faster you run, the longer it takes to recover. Most
high school runners take at least a week to recover
from the soreness caused by a race. The coach typically takes them to a race on
Saturday and asks them to run intervals on Monday or
Tuesday, before they have recovered from the race. They are either injured by
that interval session or else they are injured by
racing the next Saturday, before their leg
muscle have recovered from the interval session. If they run fast in races and
slowly all the time in practice, they are less likely
to be injured, but more likely to run slowly in races.
The most effective way to prevent injuries is for a coach to set up at least two
teams. Let each team race on alternate weeks, so
each runner races on one week and trains fast twice in the next week.
*** Dear Dr. Mirkin: Are fructose-sweetened sports drinks better than those made
with ordinary sugar?
No; fructose is not better for you than table sugar, and drinks that contain
lots of fructose can cause intestinal gas. Fructose is
a single sugar molecule, while granulated white table sugar is called sucrose
and is made up of two single sugars, glucose and
fructose bound together. When table sugar reaches your intestines, the double
table sugar, sucrose, is immediately split into its
single sugars, glucose and fructose. Almost all of the glucose is absorbed
immediately into your bloodstream. In the presence of
glucose in your intestines, most of the fructose is
also converted to glucose, which is rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream.
Regular sugar is absorbed so quickly that very little
remains in the intestinal tract. However, when you take fructose without
glucose, the fructose is not converted as rapidly to
glucose, and the fructose is absorbed less quickly into the bloodstream.
Therefore, some fructose passes along the intestinal tract
until it reaches the colon where bacteria can ferment the fructose to cause gas
and cramps. This is particularly important when you
take fructose before or during exercise.
Exercise speeds up the rate that fructose reaches your colon and increases your
chances of getting gas pains and cramps.
*** Dear Dr. Mirkin: You say that fructose is not absorbed as well as table
sugar. I'm diabetic; doesn't that mean that fructose
would be better for me?
Again, no; several studies show that taking large amounts of fructose can harm a
diabetic. Diabetes occurs when the body lacks
insulin or cannot respond to insulin. Insulin is supposed to drive sugar from
the bloodstream into cells. When insulin does not do
its job, the sugar, glucose, accumulates in the bloodstream, causing a diabetic
to feet sick and weak and even pass out. Fructose
can get into cells without insulin, so some people incorrectly recommend that
diabetics eat foods made with fructose. However, in
the intestines and the bloodstream,
fructose is converted into glucose, and the diabetic gets no benefit.
Not only is fructose of no benefit to a diabetic, it can cause harm. Glucose
causes fat cells to release leptin that makes you feel
full, and prevents the stomach from releasing ghrelin that makes you hungry.
Fructose does not affect leptin or ghrelin, so it
increases hunger to make you eat more. Large amounts of fructose can block the
body's ability to respond to insulin, so even more
insulin is required. Furthermore, the liver converts fructose far more readily
to a body fat called triglycerides, than it does with
glucose. High triglyceride levels raise blood levels of the bad LDL cholesterol
and lower blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol,
which increases heart attack risk. The treatment of diabetes includes
avoiding all types of sugar and other refined
carbohydrates, losing weight if overweight, and exercising. It is not treated by
eating fructose.
*** This e-Zine is provided as a service at no charge. Dr. Mirkin's reports and
opinions are for information only, and are not
intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment,
consult your doctor or health care provider.
For more information visit
http://www.drmirkin.com
Copyright 2005 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc.
http://www.DrMirkin.com
5. Regular Exercise Helps Protect Muscles In Elderly From Soreness, Injury:
Researchers now have the physical evidence to show why it's important for older
people to exercise. And it comes with the discovery
that, in aging racehorses, regular aerobic workouts decreased the prevalence of
muscle damage that can be caused by exertion.
Mammalian skeletal muscle tissue is the same regardless of which species of
mammal it is in, said Steven Devor, the study's lead
author and an assistant professor of exercise science education at Ohio State
University.
He and his colleagues studied the effects of aerobic exercise – in this case,
galloping on a treadmill – on small sections of
skeletal muscle tissue taken from the limbs of retired racehorses. The findings
support a “use-it-or-lose-it” philosophy: After 10
weeks of regular workouts, the horses' muscles showed fewer signs of damage
caused by exertion, even after the horses worked out at
their maximum capacity.
The results apply to humans and are especially important for older adults, Devor
said.
"We have to work at keeping muscle mass as we age, otherwise that mass wastes
away," he said. "This weakness leaves a muscle more
prone to injury even when it's the least bit exerted. Also, joints are less
likely to break if the musculature surrounding them is
strong."
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050323151009.htm
6. Lactic Acid:
Introduction
The expression "lactic acid" is used most commonly by athletes to describe the
intense pain felt during exhaustive exercise,
especially in events like the 400 metres and 800 metres. When energy is required
to perform exercise it is supplied from the
breakdown of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). The body has a limited store of about
85 grms of ATP and would use it up very quickly if
we did not have ways of resynthesising it. There are three systems that produce
energy to resynthesise ATP: ATP-PC, lactic acid and
aerobic.
The lactic acid system is capable of releasing energy to resynthesise ATP
without the involvement of oxygen and is called anaerobic
glycolysis. Glycolysis (breakdown of carbohydrates) results in the formation of
pyruvic acid and hydrogens ions (H+). A build up of
H+ will make the muscle cells acidic and interfere with their operation so
carrier molecules, called nicotinamide adenine
dinucleotide (NAD+), remove the H+. The NAD+ is reduced to NADH which deposit
the H+ at the electron transport gate (ETC) in the
mitochondria to be combined with oxygen to form water (H2O).
If there is insufficient oxygen then NADH cannot release the H+ and they build
up in the cell. To prevent the rise in acidity
pyruvic acid accepts H+ forming lactic acid which then dissociates into lactate
and H+. Some of the lactate diffuses into the blood
stream and takes some H+ with it as a way of reducing the H+ concentration in
the muscle cell. The normal pH of the muscle cell is
7.1 but if the build up of H+ continues and pH is reduced to around 6.5 then
muscle contraction may be impaired and the low pH will
stimulate the free nerve endings in the muscle resulting in the perception of
pain (the burn). This point is often measured as the
lactic threshold or anaerobic threshold or onset of blood lactate accumulation
(OBLA).
The process of lactic acid removal takes approx. one hour, but this can be
accelerated by undertaking an appropriate warm down which
ensures a rapid and continuous supply of oxygen to the muscles.
Lactic acid - friend or foe?
More...from Sports Coach at:
http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/lactic.htm
7. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Putting Actions into Words:
(Concluding a recent series of Commentaries on marathon training. This piece
appeared in longer form as a Marathon & Beyond column
for March-April 2005.)
One race didn't prove much. But I didn't settle for just the one Boston
Marathon, my first and forever fastest.
Instead I raced marathons (as opposed to running them just to survive, which
came later) another two dozen times over the next dozen
years. These races taught me why the first one had gone so well, and why some
others hadn't.
This one runner's experiences don't prove much, either. But I've published
schedules in articles and then in books for more than 25
years. Readers who used these programs have both verified their value and helped
refine them.
I never ran faster than that Boston time because I'd guessed just about right
how to train for it. But because I didn't know what
"right" was, I fumbled around in search of something better.
My long runs reached as far as 32 miles, and as little as 12. I raced almost
every weekend, and ran no races besides the marathon.
My easy runs averaged more than an hour a day, and little more than a half-hour.
Only when marathon racing was ending for me, in the late 1970s, did clear
hindsight tell me how the training had and hadn't worked.
Only then did I publish my first advice on the subject.
Time is a great editor. Years of further trials and errors had to come between
me and my best marathon before I saw which parts of
the training program to highlight and which to cross out.
A tidied-up version of the training done for Boston 1967 became the template for
my first article on marathon training, written 10
years later. A more clarified version of that program was published 20 years
after that as a book, simply titled Marathon Training.
(Its second edition came out in 2004.) The key words to this plan are "long,"
"fast" and "easy."
-- Long runs. Success depends mostly on the long run, and everything else in the
program is little more than filler. Move up to 20
miles or so, by two-mile steps taken every two to three weeks. Run a minute or
two per mile slower than projected marathon pace, so
the total time-on-the-feet will just about match that of the race.
-- Fast runs. Racing is the best speed training. Race on some of the weekends
without long runs. Race no longer than 10K, so it's
sure to be really fast, and so the race recovery won't interfere with the next
long run.
(Another way to train faster is to run half the latest long-run distance, at the
expected pace of the marathon. Again, make this the
only hard run that week.)
-- Easy days. About nine in every 10 must be neither long nor fast. Keep these
days easy -- no longer than one hour and at least one
minute per mile slower than race pace for a similar distance, with one or more
rest days each week.
Critics of my published programs might say it errs on the light side. Not enough
total running, not enough long running in distance
and number of runs, not enough speed, not enough months of training? I respond
that I wouldn't ask you to do anything more or harder
than I did myself.
With these writings I want to show that if I could train this way and race this
well at Boston, why not you? I want to show you what
is possible.
From:
http://joehenderson.com/archive/
8. Perfectionism and Procrastination:
“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is
demoralizing.” – Harriet Braiker
As we enter into a new race season filled with possibilities, it’s important to
recognize the role perfectionism plays in our
athletic ability. Like it or not, if you’re a triathlete, odds are good that you
are, in large part, a perfectionist. Most “normal”
people would feel content simply being able to swim, or to bike, or to run. Who
else but a perfectionist would feel the need to do
all three – one after the other after the other?
“So what’s wrong with being a perfectionist?” you might ask. The answer is
procrastination. For many perfectionists, the idea that
they may not be able to do something perfect make them anxious. And what better
way for them to prevent that anxiety than to avoid
doing anything they cannot do perfectly?
For athletes, procrastination poses a great challenge to our training – if we
don’t train we can’t compete. Therefore, we have to
stay on guard for all the various ways perfectionism causes us to procrastinate.
For example, when we say that we are going to skip
a workout because we don’t feel “up to it,” what we are really saying is “I
can’t do this one perfectly so I’ll just avoid it.”
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/sports-psychology/perfectionism-and-procrastina\
tion-000722.php
9. Does gym work make you a stronger cyclist?
Mention gym work on cycling forums and many will either turn off or look for the
flame key. The controversy is about whether lifting
weights in the gym will transfer directly to strength and/or endurance on the
bike. Just for a moment, let's forget about whether
increasing your strength in the gym will help your ability to pedal the bike as
a direct result of lifting heavy weight.
I suggest that the gym is a place to do other things to improve your body and is
a critical part of anyone's training program. This
of course assumes that the objective is to become a better athlete and/or a
healthier person (not always the same thing).
Spending huge amounts of time sitting on a little seat while in flexion and
moving only your lower extremities is a recipe for
muscle imbalance. This is particularly troublesome when you don't stretch tight
muscles or possess the ability to properly activate
the abdominal wall (especially the transverse abdominis). These imbalances
easily translate to posture issues as well as joint
instability on and off the bike, and they affect your life and health in
general.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11535
10. For Every Sport, a Super Sock:
THE admissions brochure for Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., extols the
school's learned faculty, small class sizes and
affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. There is no
mention, however, of perhaps one of the coolest aspects of
attending the college: the chance to help advance hosiery technology, and to
score some free socks in the process.
Lenoir-Rhyne's 1,492 students enjoy this unusual perk because of the school's
proximity to Newton, N.C., the heart of the hosiery
industry's answer to Silicon Valley. And among the many sock makers based in and
around the town is Moretz Sports, which is in
constant need of human guinea pigs. That is why the Lenoir-Rhyne campus was the
first stop for Moretz's researchers in 2003, when
the company began developing its PowerSox Elite PowerLites, a line of
high-performance athletic socks.
At the time, the PowerSox brand offered two versions for serious athletes: the
heavyweight Pro-Thick and the thinly cushioned Sheer
Power. Athletes often complained that the Pro-Thick was too bulky - and thus
susceptible to sweat saturation - while the Sheer Power
was too bereft of padding.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/business/yourmoney/27goods.html?
11. Rest for the Weary:
Unquestionably, one of the hardest things for an endurance athlete to do is
rest. It is much more satisfying to go out to the track
and hammer sets of high intensity 400s, or do long slow distance runs in the
heat (sometimes called long slow torture).
The mind set is that pushing yourself harder makes you stronger and faster. In
truth it does, but only if there is sufficient rest
to allow for recovery. This second part of the equation is sometimes forgotten,
leading to a rest/recovery imbalance (RRI)
and -ultimately - persistent fatigue, injury, or illness.
Rest is what the athlete does, and comes in two forms, passive and active.
Passive rest is doing nothing, and includes the time
between workouts (sleep, etc...), or days off. Active rest is defined as very
light exercise, often with stretching, which doesn’t
result in damage to the muscles.
An example of this is a 30 minute easy spin on the bike. The activity should be
low heart rate (i.e., below the lower cutoff for
aerobic work). The goal is to get a little increased blood flow to the muscles,
and to prevent too much “stiffness” from setting in.
Recovery is what the body does to repair the damage from a tough workout. The
soreness that one feels for a day or two after hard
exercise is due to damaged muscle cells, not lactic acid as is commonly
believed. Immediately after exercise, the body sets to work
to repair the damage.
More...from World of Endurance at:
http://worldofendurance.com/runnersguide/training_column.asp?a_id=1278686&st_nam\
e=AchievingPersonalBest
12. Three Workouts to Boost Race-day Speed:
Olympic-distance cycling requires power, a high anaerobic threshold coupled with
aerobic capacity and efficient pedal stroke
technique. As we get closer to race season, we should incorporate these concepts
into our training each week.
Here are three ways to do so:
Pedal stroke efficiency and aerobic conditioning through high-cadence work (Flat
terrain or trainer)
Riding with a high cadence increases heart rate and oxygen demands of working
muscles. This helps build aerobic capacity. But moving
the legs quickly without you rear-end bouncing in the saddle requires that you
move your feet and ankles in smooth revolutions
through the circumference of the pedal stroke, as opposed to pushing straight
down on the pedals and only applying power to 40
percent of your pedal stroke revolution. Try this session in order to improve
your high cadence.
Warm-up:
15-20 min.‚ easy gear at race cadence (85-95rpm)
6 x 20 percent stand sprints, with 1:40 min. recovery or full recovery (spin
easy gear)
Main set:
4-6 min. x 2-3‚ high cadence (98< RPM), with 3 min recovery (easy gear). HR
climbs to race HR.
4-6 x 1-1.5‚ high cadence (at your best average high cadence without bouncing in
the saddle) with 1:30 min recovery (easy gear)
HR climbs to 5-10 beat above race HR.
Cool-down:
20-30 min.‚ 60 percent effort, easy gear
Start with a warm-up according to your needs. The set of sprints should be done
starting at a slow speed, trying to reach the
highest speed in the time given (i.e., start sprint at 15 km/h and finish at 38
km/h). This opens the arteries for blood flow and
gets the legs moving quickly in anticipation of the high-cadence work.
More...from InsideTri at:
http://www.insidetri.com/train/tips/articles/2614.0.html
13. From Runner's World:
* Coach's Corner
"Big goals are achieved more easily if you break them down into smaller goals,
which are then used as stepping stones to reach the
final goal. For example, instead of trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon
before you've ever run a half-marathon, your first
goal should be to finish a 10-K within the next 2 months. As this goal
approaches, plan your second goal of finishing a
half-marathon in the next 3 months, and so on." -Jeff Galloway
* Injury Prevention
Any exercises that help improve your flexibility, strength, and coordination
will also help prevent muscle cramps. Simple activities
such as leaping, hopping, and skipping are all effective ways to strengthen your
lower-body muscles and keep them loose at the same
time.
* Performance Nutrition
A glass of orange juice (8 to 12 ounces) furnishes a heaping dose of vitamin C,
which aids in muscle recovery, fights the effects of
stress, increases energy levels, and helps maintain your immune system.
* Editor's Advice
"Sign up for a distant race. That is, one that's at least 500 miles away. The
extra incentive of paying for airfare and a hotel room
will add to your motivation to follow your training plan. And your family will
love you for it." -Charlie Butler, RW features editor
* Training Talk
"A knee problem--even a serious one--isn't an excuse not to exercise. In fact,
the opposite is true: it makes regular exercise more
important than ever." -From "The Knee Crisis Handbook" by Brian Halper
14. Playing it safe:
A pro athlete's injury can cost his team millions. For the rest of us, getting
hurt can mean frustration -- or worse. Prevention is
key.
Angel pitcher Matt Hensley comes off the field after throwing a few innings in a
spring training game and heads for the training
room. There he's put through a methodical rotator cuff exercise, gets a soft
tissue massage and has his shoulder packed in ice. The
treatment isn't pitcher pampering; it's part of a comprehensive program geared
to one thing: sports injury prevention.
Most people will never make it to the major leagues, but weekend warriors and
other adults who exercise may share one thing with pro
athletes: suffering the pain and frustration of an injury. For the dedicated
runner, the enthusiastic softball player or the
occasional golfer, sports injuries can mean anything from sore muscles to a torn
ligament that requires surgery. And although
millions of dollars aren't at stake for most of us, as with the baseball pitcher
who is sidelined for months with an injury, getting
hurt can greatly affect one's quality of life.
Doctor visits, repeated physical therapy treatments, surgery and persistent pain
can lead to depression and frustration, especially
if exercise is an important part of one's life.
Jenna Ainsworth, a 21-year-old senior at Pepperdine University, suffered a
ligament tear during her sophomore year while playing
soccer. The injury required surgery and several months of recuperation.
"You definitely notice a difference when you can't work out," she says. "Your
mood is definitely affected. I realized how much I
enjoyed running, doing the elliptical trainer, hiking, all sorts of things."
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-sportsinjuries28mar28,1,4110739.sto\
ry?coll=la-headlines-health
15. Raw food eaters thin but healthy:
People who follow a raw food vegetarian diet are light in weight but healthy,
according to US researchers.
It has been suggested that eating only plant-derived foods that have not been
cooked or processed might make bones thinner and prone
to fractures.
But a study in Archives of Internal Medicine found although bones were lighter
on this diet, turnover rates were normal with no
osteoporosis.
The lower bone mass is down to raw food eaters being slim, believe the authors.
The researchers compared the bone health of 18 people who had been following
strict raw food diets for up to 10 years with that of
people who ate a more typical American diet, including refined carbohydrates,
animal products and cooked foods.
The raw food diet is different to more typical vegetarian and vegan diets, which
do not exclude cooked, processed or otherwise
refined foods.
The groups were matched according to age, sex and socioeconomic status.
To gauge bone health, the researchers looked at each person's body weight, bone
weight and mineral density, markers of bone
turnover, levels of vitamin D and inflammatory markers.
More...from the BBC at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4389837.stm
16. How Olympic Timing Works:
Sport by Sport: Summer Games
The Olympic Games are held every two years, alternating between summer and
winter athletic events. Because of the distinctions
between these events -- from distance considerations to weather concerns -- the
timing technology can vary greatly from sport to
sport. Let's start with summer events.
Track
In sprint races like the 100-meter dash, which can last as few as 10 seconds,
timing is of the essence. Therefore, every aspect of
timekeeping is electronic, even the starting gun.
Once the runners are crouched with both feet on the pads on their starting
blocks, a timing official pulls the gun's trigger,
sending an electrical current through the attached copper wire cable to the
starting blocks and a separate timing console. The
current sets off a quartz oscillator in the timing console, while the sound of
the gun is simultaneously amplified through speakers
on each runner's starting block (so all competitors hear it at the same time).
More...from How Stuff Works at:
http://people.howstuffworks.com/olympic-timing1.htm
17. Running Better:
A Basic Guide to Help You Run Faster and Stay Injury Free.
By Coach Al Lyman, CSCS
www.Pursuit-Fitness.com
One of the topics that has held great interest for me over the years as I
considered how best to help other runners improve is that
of running form and technique. For as long as I have looked for ways to improve
my running, I have seen that running form has been
ignored by most runners (and many coaches) because it is believed that everyone
is “born” with their own way of running and that
ability cannot change or more importantly, improve.
It’s also believed (erroneously I might add) that running technique shouldn’t be
changed, i.e. people will always find their optimum
method and speed on their own through experimentation and repetition. After
years of running and coaching involving lots of research
and practical experience, I can confidently say that this is a myth.
In a nutshell many runners and coaches believe, “if it works, don’t fix it.” As
the numbers of runners who are out of commission due
to running related injury remains high, it is clear to me “it” isn’t working.
All I can say is, fortunately this “if it works don’t
fix it” mentality doesn’t permeate the auto industry or we’d all still be
driving Model Ts!
It’s my feeling that with a little knowledge and discipline, each one of us can
make a variety of small but critical adjustments
which can and will improve our running, helping to increase our efficiency and
power, while also reducing our risk of injury.
The best and most direct approach to improving your running form is to attend
one of my technique clinics! . If you are unable to do
that, or if you have attended the clinic and are looking for some follow up
information, then read on.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050330_Pursuit_RunningBetter.ht\
ml
18. Sportsmedicine: Don't Miss a Step:
For many runners, running and heel pain often go hand in hand. Plantar
fasciitis, the most common cause of heel pain, is
increasingly common among many people, particularly athletes. Although plantar
fasciitis and other similar types of heel pain such
as heel spurs can be prevented and easily treated in most cases, it can still
cause significant discomfort and can significantly
impact a runner's performance. For this reason, heel pain prevention and
treatment should be an important consideration among
runners when training.
The plantar fascia is a thick band of fibrous tissue that attaches to the heel
bone and runs almost the entire length of the foot.
When excessive strain is placed on the ligament, it can cause the ligament to
become taut and sometimes cause it to pull away from
the heel bone. When strain becomes excessive, small tears and inflammation can
develop, resulting in aching pain. The condition of
plantar fasciitis can be particularly disruptive to an athlete's lifestyle,
affecting their training and performance.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050331_Plantar_Fascia.html
19. Priorities
By Coach Mark
Be on the start line fit and healthy… kept very simple, this is the main
priority we need to remember when preparing for an event or
events.
All too often I find athletes allow their training to compromise what should be
their priority. Unfortunately, looking back over the
years (and I'm not that old and haven't been around that long), I can identify a
number of occasions when the number one priority
went out the window in search of performance, or too often, that 'elusive'
performance.
Too often we are willing to compromise our number one priority: to be on the
start line fit and healthy, ready to race. What
proportion of a field in a marathon is truly fit and healthy? 50%? Fewer? Or
more? How many are nursing niggly injuries, how many
are unwell with illness or have the symptoms of overtraining? Ask yourself these
questions and it becomes apparent that there are a
lot of athletes out there who could be doing things better. Unfortunately we let
training sessions, weekly mileage totals, training
times, distance covered in a session and so on, become the focus of our
training.
Take for example a local 5km fun run series. These are held in a number of
centres throughout the country. Is it better to race the
whole series, complete each event within a few seconds of each other and perhaps
win the series overall, or turn up and blow
everyone away in one or two of the races but struggle to be on the start line
for the rest of the races? Which scenario do you think
you would enjoy more?
How about a marathon? Is it better to train so hard with the goal of being 100%
fit and in the best shape of your life if you cope
with the training and make the start line, or play the odds and train so that
you are 95% fit but more or less guaranteed to be on
the start line and in good enough shape to perhaps get a PB, but at least
compete and complete?
Does it matter if you can belt out a set of kilometre intervals in less than
three minutes if you can't back it up with some race
results because you are injured or just plain burnt out? Far better to be able
to say you won a local 10km or broke 31 minutes for
the distance.
So let's look at what we can do to take care of priority number one, being fit
and healthy on the start line:
More...from Endurance Coach at:
http://www.endurancecoach.com/Priorities.htm
20. Cycling: Spin yourself thin:
How to make your spin class an effective tool for gaining fitness and losing
fat.
As the days grow shorter and cooler, the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities
is fleeting. Don't despair; there are plenty of
options to maintain the fitness you've gained during the summer months, or to
slim down as the holidays approach. Spin classes are a
great way to do this. Both the fitness enthusiast and the hardened cyclist will
find a variety of benefits from adding a spin class
or two to a weekly workout routine. Just remember your towel and a water bottle
or two; these workouts are tough!
If you are unfamiliar with spinning classes, they are fitness classes taught at
most gyms on stationary bikes. Equipped with the
equivalent to a fixed gear system, spin bikes do not allow the rider to coast
because there is no free hub; be ready to keep your
legs pedaling circles until you can grab the brakes! Most spin bikes are also
very user friendly and adjustable so participants can
get the most comfortable fit. Many are also equipped with a variety of clipless
pedals so you can use the same shoes indoors that
you use when it is warm outdoors. This is great news for the seasoned cyclist
who trains year-round since the bike fit and equipment
will be familiar. Also, because of the fixed-gear system, your pedaling
mechanics should improve significantly.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_CTS_20050401_Murphy.html
* Medial Corner - Blood Pressure Medications and Running
Q: Recently my doctor told me I have moderate high blood pressure. I have been
put on a couple of different medications and am not
happy with the negative effects on my running. My question is: Are there any
groups of blood pressure meds that are friendly to
running? Any specific ones that folks have found not to inhibit running?
A: High blood pressure is a common medical problem, even in athletes. Although
exercise will lower blood pressure in most people, it
may not reduce the pressure to an acceptable level. There are a number of
classes of medications that are used to lower blood
pressure; all medications have side effects, some mild, and some are fairly
significant. The goal is to find a medication with the
fewest side effects for a particular person.
The antihypertensive medications that endurance athletes tolerate the best
include angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE
inhibitors), such as enalapril, lisinopril, etc. Angiotensin II receptor
antagonists, such as losartan, are effective and well
tolerated. Other blood pressure medications that may not affect performance
significantly include some of the calcium channel
blockers and specific beta blockers.
If you let your physician know about problems that you are experiencing, a
little trial and error should find an acceptable
medication.
Make sure that you monitor your blood pressure and follow-up with your
physician. --Cathy Fieseler, M.D.
21. From Running Times:
* Training Tip of the Month - Training Smart
With the spring racing season approaching or upon us, we are often tempted to
hammer our weekly or twice-a-week speed workouts to
ensure that we are racing fit. While training hard has its place, training too
hard is detrimental to your running success. Even
elites will point this out, as they did at the recent Rocky Mountain Distance
Summit. Presenter after presenter, from Steve Slattery
to Kevin Sullivan to Tim Broe, all said that the real key to success in distance
running is consistency: getting in a good run every
day for months and years. That is the hardest work, and the most important. No
single workout, no matter how intense, can replace
days of consistent running. Shalane Flanagan may have summed it up best when she
stressed, "train smarter, not harder," so that you
can train the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. Learn
the appropriate pace for each workout and run that
pace. Running too hard will, at worst, put you on the injured reserve list, and,
at best, make you too tired to do the other key
workouts in the week. As races approach, trust your training, and save the
eyeballs-out, ears-pinned-back, tunnel-vision running for
the race.
22. Sports Psychology: Why Triathlons Can be Frightening for Beginners:
By Michelle Cleere, Sports Psychology Consultant
As a triathlon coach and a sports psychology consultant having worked with
numerous first time triathletes there are two main things
challenges that really get in the way for participants. The swim is almost
always scary for first timers because many people who
decide to join the ranks of triathloning have never swum before. And the time
commitment in training for three sports is generally
very daunting for beginners with busy schedules.
Many triathletes start out their athletic careers as runners and decide to move
into doing triathlons because they want more of a
challenge. Generally the thinking is as follows: cycling is no big deal but
swimming, is a big deal and although swimming might draw
them into the sport because it's a challenge it's also the biggest factor in
scaring people from doing triathlons. The ocean is
huge, big and scary and it's seemingly more of an unknown than cycling. The time
commitment is another concern for many beginning
triathletes. How do I find enough time to train for three individual sports?
What ends up happening for many beginners is that
instead of triathlon training being a nice relief/change from what they are
currently participating in it becomes overwhelming and
they grow resentful of it because they've emeshed themselves into something they
were unprepared for.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050401_SM_Beginners.html
23. Sports Nutrition: Sheila's Nutrition Digest Vol. 4 - Beth Mansfield
Interview (Part 1):
By Sheila Kealey
April 1st, 2005
Sheila's Nutrition Digest
In this new series, XC Ottawa (and OAC Racing Team) member Sheila Kealey will
help athletes choose the best foods for performance
and overall health. Sheila 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.
Have you ever wondered if your athletic performance could benefit from nutrition
counseling or better nutrition knowledge? I caught
up with Beth Mansfield, an expert in the area, to share her thoughts on
nutrition counseling for athletes. Beth educates Canadian
athletes of all levels, including Olympians, national and provincial team
athletes, as well as University, masters and recreational
athletes on sport nutrition for health and performance.
Beth is a Registered Dietitian, Sport Nutrition & Exercise Specialist with Peak
Performance, a sport nutrition and corporate
wellness consulting company in Ottawa. She also develops sport nutrition and
conditioning programs for the sport horse - equine
athlete. Beth is a popular corporate wellness speaker throughout Canada and also
maintains a therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC)
clinic for people with elevated cholesterol at the University of Ottawa Heart
Institute. She is currently working on her PhD at
McGill University focusing on energy balance and body composition in health and
disease.
Check out Beth's regular show on CJOH/CTV the 1st Wednesday of every month on
the News at Noon.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050401_SK_Mansfield_Part1.html
24. What is the basic premise of altitude training?
** When the partial pressure of oxygen is lower than
what is found at sea level, it stresses the ability of an athlete's
cardiovascular system to deliver oxygen to the muscles for
aerobic performance (events lasting longer than approximately two minutes). The
primary responses to the stress of lowered oxygen
are twofold.
The first is an increase in hemoglobin, the molecule found in red blood cells
that carries oxygen in the blood. This increase allows
each liter of blood to carry more oxygen to the cells than it could before. The
second response is an increase in the enzymes and
efficiency of the metabolic pathways that extract oxygen from the blood and use
it to produce energy. This change better enables the
cells to work in an environment of lowered oxygen.
Since prolonged activity makes great use of hemoglobin and aerobic enzymes, any
method by which we can increase these components
(like altitude training) will result in an improved ability to perform aerobic
exercise.
** Is there an ideal altitude at which to train?
As we go up in altitude, we lessen our ability to exercise because of the
decreased oxygen availability in the air. This can
translate into less intense training for the athlete, and little or no
improvement in athletic performance as a result of altitude
training. Therefore, the altitude at which one trains is important. At altitudes
of 2000 to 2500 meters (6500 to 8200 feet), the
decreases in performance are not usually so dramatic that they lead to
detraining of the athletes. Thus, these altitudes are often
used and recommended for training.
Flagstaff, Arizona, is situated at an altitude of 2134 meters (7000 feet), and
provides what many consider to be an ideal location
for altitude training.
** How much of an increase in performance can take place?
Generally, sport scientists place the increase in performance gained from
altitude training in the 3-5% range. It should be clearly
understood that in the world of athletic competition, particularly elite-level
competition, even the smallest of margins can mean
the difference between a gold medal and last place. For example, in the 2000
Olympic Games, the difference between getting the gold
medal and finishing last in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke was a mere 1.42 seconds
(a difference of only 2.4%).
** How long does it usually take in order to adjust to a higher altitude?
Generally speaking, as elevation increases, the time for acclimatization to
occur is also increased. It takes about 2 weeks to
acclimatize to altitudes of 2000 to 2500 meters (6500 to 8200 feet), during
which time an athlete may go through a period of general
weakness and tiredness.
In order to capitalize on the relevant metabolic and cardiovascular adaptations,
a stay of at least 2 weeks is usually recommended
(although more recent research is pointing toward the need to stay closer to 4
weeks in order to maximize red cell mass). This will
also allow time for the reestablishment of normal ventilation, thus preventing
the fluctuations in acid-base balance, which are
common with acute exposure to altitude.
** Does everyone respond the same to altitude?
No - responses to altitude are extremely individual. While one person may
respond and adapt quite easily and quickly to increases in
elevation, another may experience more difficulty with more pronounced symptoms
over a longer period of time, including headache,
insomnia, nausea, and general weakness. There is also a category termed
"non-responders" for those individuals who do not appear to
respond at all to the stressors of altitude in a beneficial manner.
** What steps can be taken to better prepare for and adapt to altitude?
The body’s metabolic rate will be increased upon exposure to higher elevations.
Therefore, eating plenty of food, as well as making
sure iron intake is sufficient to help produce extra red blood cells, can be
useful for supplementing the body’s greater needs.
Sport science research has clearly shown that adequate levels of iron stores are
crucial to adapting well to an altitude
environment.
In addition to the decrease in oxygen, the relative humidity at altitude is
extremely low, resulting in air that continually draws
moisture out of the body and speeds up breathing, causing the body to lose
moisture more rapidly. Therefore, it is important to
consume 40 to 50% more water than you would at sea level throughout the entire
day. (Consistent and continual water intake is more
effective than consuming a large amount of water intermittently). Avoid alcohol
and caffeine to avoid dehydration as well.
Closely monitor how the body feels during the first few days at altitude.
Adjusting activity levels during the time when the
acclimatization process is at its most active level can help ease feelings of
being tired, sick, and weak. Overexertion during this
critical period of adjustment can make altitude-related symptoms worse.
Due to the increased amount of stress placed on the body at altitude, adequate
amounts of sleep (afternoon naps and longer periods
of nighttime rest) can be very beneficial.
From the Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University at:
Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University
25. News Scan:
* Train and Restore the Body for Peak Performance
Intense physical activity can result in muscle soreness, injury and fatigue.
When muscle damage occurs, the body responds with an
acute inflammatory reaction shortly following completion of a workout, training
session, or competitive event.
Free radicals are commonly associated with this inflammatory response. They are
believed to contribute significantly to muscle
fatigue and/or exercise-induced muscle injury and soreness in athletes (Powers
and Lennon 1999; Powers, DeRuisseau et al. 2004).
Minimizing muscle fatigue is a critical part of helping to achieve peak
performance levels.
Athletes who exercise or compete without fully recovering from a prior
competition or training session are unable to reach their
peak performance and risk injury. Recovery and regeneration is, perhaps, the
most overlooked factor in optimal conditioning. Muscle
soreness is believed to result from both mechanical damage and free radical
induced injury.
Steps that athletes can take to help ensure better sports recovery include:
~ Maintain a diet rich in antioxidants, including antioxidant supplements such
as FRS Plus to minimize free radical damage
~ After high intensity training, exercise for 5-10 minutes at progressively
lower intensities to speed the removal of lactic acid
and metabolic by-
~ products from the muscles and blood
~ Stretch or use a foam roller on all major muscle groups
~ Consume fluids both during and immediately after training to minimize whole
body and plasma fluid volume losses
~ Consume a light meal or shake of both high glycemic carbohydrates (to enhance
cellular nutrient uptake as well as provide energy
substrate) and moderate protein immediately after exercise to initiate optimal
regeneration
From FRS Plus at:
http://www.frsplus.com/
*End of Articles*
This Weeks Featured Events:
*Please verify event dates with the event websites*
April 2, 2005:
Capital City Half-Marathon - Columbus, OH
http://www.capitalcityhalfmarathon.com
Cooper River Bridge Run - Charleston , SC
http://www.bridgerun.com
Golden Gate Headlands Marathon - Sausalito, CA
http://www.envirosports.com/events/displayevent.php?eventid=1297&ALss=1ee20fb636\
8957836499fcc8d2fd6797
Kick Off To Spring 5 km - Ottawa, ON
http://www.ottawalions.com
Prague Half Marathon - CZ
http://www.pim.cz
April 2-3, 2005:
Lavaman Triathlon - Hawaii
http://www.lavamantriathlon.com
-
April 3, 2005:
Berlin Half-Marathon - Germany
http://www.real-berlin-marathon.com/events/halbmarathon
20th Carlsbad 5000 - Carlsbad, CA
http://www.eliteracing.com
http://www.cherryblossom.orgCherry Blossom Ten Mile - Washington, DC
Ironman Australia - Forster, AUS
http://www.ironmanoz.com/
LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle 8K - Chicago, IL
http://www.shamrockshuffle.com
Portugal Marathon - Lisbon
http://www.lisbonmarathon.org
Statesman Capitol 10,000 - Austin, TX
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/cap10k/index.html
Texas Marathon - Dallas, TX
http://www.texasmarathon.com
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
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.
Forward the Runner's Web Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join
Have a good week of training and/or racing.
Ken Parker
Runner's Web
mailto:
webmaster@...
http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html
A running and triathlon resource portal
Runner's Web Affiliate Programs:
************************************
Instant Stretching Routines
Design unlimited stretching routines today, starting from scratch, in under 60
seconds!
http://www.instantstretchingroutines.com/cgi-bin/a.cgi?a=runnersweb
FRSPlus - antioxidant health drink
http://www.nexternal.com/shared/affiliates/?CS=newsun&AID=42&Target=Home
ShoeWallet.com has set out on a mission to enable people to easily carry ID and
medical information at all times. Basically, anyone
who is out on the roads or trails needs a convenient place to carry this vital
information.
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?joggerscompanion+pXgxpm+index.html+
SportsShoes in the UK
http://www.sportsshoes.com/index.php?id=149
Visit on AssociatesShop.com Online Bookstore for running and triathlon books:
http://associatesshop.filzhut.de/shop/index.php?ID=90c9f271c1a519abc4a69299be707\
5a9
LX Sport - Leading Edge Sports Products for Women.
"We strive hard to bring you the best fitness and sports products on the market
that we can find. Our product range is constantly
evolving"
http://www.lxsport.com/products.php?PARTNER=runnersweb. Use the promotion code
"RWEB".
This application was recently featured on National TV - please see the following
link:
http://easylink.playstream.com/networknewssource/hdo/onlinetrainer.wvx
TrainingPeaks.com by Wes Hobson.
Find the training program that fits you at:
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/rw
HDO Sports - Leading Edge Sports Products
http://www.modularmerchant.com/clients/hdo/?aid=12
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.myaffiliateprogram.com/u/hdogroup/t.asp?id=1012
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/
721 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
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/cmd.php?af=245575
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
END...OF DIGEST...
Having problems with message search?
Fill out this form to ensure your group is one of the first to be migrated to the new message search system.
Offline 
Send Email