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THIS WEEK:

EnduranceRadio.com Interview with Ken Parker, Founder of RunnersWeb.com:
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Airlines flies in the US/Mexico. We will be announcing the
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Our site traffic continues to grow. For March 2005 we had an average
of 7,055 visitors per day, a 64.5% increase over the daily
average of 4,288 for March 2004. On Monday, April 18th, 2004 we set an
all-time high of 11,455 visitors.


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On Monday, April 18th, 2004 we set an all-time high of 11,455 visitors.

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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:
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* Carmichael Training Systems
Carmichael Training Systems was founded in 1999 by Chris Carmichael.
From the beginning, the mission of the company has been to
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* Running Research News
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Peak Performance is a subscription-only newsletter for athletes,
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* Peak Running Performance
Peak Running Performance Is The Number 1 Technical Running Newsletter
In America! Check out their article index at:
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* 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:
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This Weeks Personal Postings/Releases:
We have NO personal postings this week.


This Week's Digest Article Index:

1. A Stitch In Time - How To Prevent "Stomach" Cramps From Ruining Your Race
2. Running A Marathon - It's Not All About Pain
3. Science of Sport: Lactate testing: is there any point?
4. An athlete's guide to dealing with stress
5. Strengthening bones
Diet, exercise important for avoiding bone deterioration.
6. ACE Puts Curves to the Test:
Millions of Women Love it, But Does it Work?
7. The legendary Alfie Shrubb
8. Big Kicker Article of the Week - Don't Mess With Sex
9. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
10. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Chips and Cheats
11. How Sleep, or Lack of, Affects Teen Athletes
Performance Problems in Morning Events Tied to Teen Sleep Cycle.
12. Using Technology to Enhance Specificity
13. Dr. Baldwin on athletes and blood donation
14. From Runner's World
15. Heart Rate During and After Exercise Tied to Sudden Death
Slow response, slow recovery raises risk, study finds.
16. The Feed Zone with Monique Ryan: Supplements, recovery and caffeine
17. How To Choose The Right Shoe
18. Vary your training intensity to achieve greater fitness
19. Sportsmedicine: Rolling the Distance
20. The Best Way to Train, Period
A seasonal plan for reaching peak fitness for your biggest races.
21. Big Kicker Article of the Week
"I Got 'Em!" - Training with Regina Jacobs
22. Running for weight loss? Prepare to be patient
23. Eating for endurance: What, when and why
24. Progression - the key to increasing fitness
25. News Scan - A Collection of News Items


Runner's Web Weekly Poll: "Which of the following US marathoners has
had the greatest impact on running in the USA?
Alberto Salazar
Bill Rodgers
Deena Kastor
Frank Shorter
Meb Keflezighi
Joan Benoit-Samuelson"

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 "Would you pay $250.00 for the new adidas 1
computerized shoe?"

The results at publication time were:
1. No 74 80%
2. Yes 13 14%
3. Possibly 5 5%
Total Votes: 92

Forward the Runner's Web Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
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Five Star Site of the Week: Matty Reed, Triathlete.
"Matthew Reed, known as Boom Boom, has been a dominant force in the
triathlon world for years. Known for his strength across all three
disciplines, many believe Matt is one of the few true all-around
triathletes. Excelling at both drafting and non-drafting formats, Matt
has won international titles such as the French Irontour and World
Aquathon Championships.
In 2005, Matt will focus on the world cup circuit and the famed
American triathlon races. Matt calls Boulder Colorado home and races
in the red white and blue of the USA. Born and raised as a triathlete,
Matt enjoys the challenge of three sports and thrives in the sport of
triathlon.
Follow this tall and fast triathlete as he takes the triathlon world
by storm in 2005. Check out the press on Matt, Matt's journal entries
and a photo gallery that captures this 6'5" star as he travels and
races around the world. "
Check out his site at:
http://www.mattyreed.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: Tour de France For Dummies
Tour de France For Dummies is a plain-English guide to the world's
most famous bicycle race.
Featuring eight pages of full-color photographs from recent Tour de
France editions, the 280-page volume is an easy-to-follow,
entertaining guide that demystifies the history, strategy, rules,
techniques, equipment, competitors and various competitions from the
world's most intriguing sporting event.
Buy the book from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764584499/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. A Stitch In Time - How To Prevent "Stomach" Cramps From Ruining Your Race :
Runners who are prone to pains in their upper-abdominal areas (aka
"stitches") usually develop the problems during the latter halves of
their races, and they seldom have to endure stitch suffering during
workouts, even when the sessions are prolonged and taxing. Why is this
so, and what can you do to decrease your risk of developing a
race-ruining stitch?
The fact that stitches prefer the late stages of competitions means
that the disorders tend to occur when the respiratory system is
stressed to its maximal level. In addition, since the pains appear in
the upper-abdominal area, the key muscle of breathing - the diaphragm
- must be involved in the often-agonizing discomfort. The diaphragm,
which spreads over the top of the abdominal cavity like a dome-shaped
hood, is producing its greatest-possible force near the end of a race,
hoping to increase the rate at which oxygen is dragged into the lungs
(and therefore enters the blood). At the same time, the diaphragm is
experiencing its greatest-possible fatigue.
Those two factors - maximal force production and utmost fatigue in the
diaphragm - do not explain the cramping phenomenon completely,
however. In fact, the extreme forces and fatigue are permissive
factors, opening a door so that stitches can occur but not producing
cramps by themselves. To understand why this is so, we must first
think about the natural history of cramping.
Although runners complain most loudly and most often about abdominal
cramping, compared with other athletes, they are not the only
individuals who suffer from the problem. Tennis players have been
known to stitch up, and football players are prone to cramps,
especially during spring drills. Somewhat surprisingly, equestrian
competitors, camel riders, and even motorcyclists have to endure
cramps, too, even though their respiratory systems do not seem to be
especially stressed as they move along via hoof or wheel.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050520_RRN_Stitch.html


2. Running A Marathon - It's Not All About Pain:
Completing a marathon seems like a daunting task. Many of those who've
accepted the challenge have been abruptly deposited on the side of
road questioning their sanity and pondering a new sport.
But the accomplishment of putting one foot in front of the other for
that distance can be exhilarating — especially for first-time
marathoners.
"You learn a lot about yourself, and it's good to share the experience
with a friend," says Rich Hanna, an Olympic Trials marathon qualifier,
publisher of five running-related books and co-coach of Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society of America's Team in Training program in Sacramento,
Calif.
"When you finish your first marathon, it's something you'll never
forget," adds Hanna. "If you've trained properly, you won't finish
suffering, you'll finish with a feeling of accomplishment."
Completing a marathon means covering the distance of 42.2 kilometers
or 26.2 miles.
The marathon distance dates to the legend of Athenian messenger
Pheidippides, who in 490 B.C. ran 24 miles to spread the good news of
a military victory. He collapsed and died upon his arrival. A 24-mile
run was included in the inaugural 1896 Olympics in Greece.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050520_Raia_Marathon.html


3. Science of Sport: Lactate testing: is there any point?
Lactate analysis has been used by many athletes and physiologists over
the last decade as a tool for predicting endurance performance.
Specifically, the higher the percentage of VO2max, or the higher the
pace at which the lactate threshold occurs, the fitter the athlete.
Many researchers have placed the lactate threshold - the maximum
concentration that an athlete can maintain during a steady state
effort - at around 4mmol/L. But others have found that lactate
concentrations can vary widely, with some athletes capable of
maintaining concentrations as high as 8mmol/L over sustained periods.
A new study has measured the lactate response to a cycling time trial
in which the participants were instructed to cycle as far as they
could in a period of one hour, with lactate samples collected every 10
minutes. The athletes averaged 40.8k during the trial at an average
83% of maximum heart rate. Lactate concentrations ranged between 5 and
12mmol/L, with an overall average of 7.6mmol/L. Mean lactate
concentrations and pace remained relatively stable throughout,
suggesting the athletes were maintaining a constant maximum steady
state effort.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050520_PPO_Lactate.html


4. An athlete's guide to dealing with stress:
Applied sport psychology by Dr. Costas Karageorghis
Senior Lecturer in Sport Psychology, Brunel University, West London
Background on Stress
We all know athletes who thrive in stressful situations and others who
appear to be completely debilitated by stress. For example, the
British 400 metre runner Solomon Wariso often performed brilliantly in
domestic competitions but couldn't emulate such form in major
championships. Why should this be the case?
Many athletes do not fully understand the stress phenomenon: does the
term 'stress' relate to how we react to situations or is stress
inherent in some situations regardless of personality influences? One
universally accepted definition of stress was published by a man
dubbed 'the father of stress', Dr. Hans Seyle. Seyle views stress as a
non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it. This, in
part, explains how some people thrive on stress and others are
debilitated by it. The effects of stress are governed by how we
interpret common symptoms such as an elevated pulse, muscular tension
and narrowed attention. For example, while an experienced distance
runner such as Haile Gebreselassie is turned on, inspired and
exhilarated by competing in a packed stadium, a novice runner might be
reluctant even to step out of the changing rooms!
Stress will not impair your daily functioning if the physical and
psychological responses to it can be used positively to fuel your
passion for success. It only becomes harmful whenever you begin to
feel that you cannot cope with it. Therefore, getting to know your
optimal stress level is a key to managing stress and being able to
expose yourself to the right amount. Excessively high levels of stress
can result in illness and, in extreme cases, even mental instability.
Long before illness ensues, excessive stress can be identified through
symptoms such as muscular tension, irritability and the inability to
concentrate. The eight tips that follow are well grounded in recent
psychological theory and will be of interest to those athletes who
would like to develop greater control over their reactions to stress.
More...from the Serpentine Running Club at:
http://www.serpentine.org.uk/advice/psychology/stress.php


5. Strengthening bones:
Diet, exercise important for avoiding bone deterioration.
Not too long ago, Terri Owens had her bones scanned, and the results scared her.
"I already had some bone-density loss," the 47-year-old said. "It
upset me a lot."
Having a small frame, Owens said she's at even higher risk of
osteoporosis, so she took action immediately. She takes 1,000
milligrams of calcium a day and lifts weights three times a week.
The U.S. Surgeon General's report on bone health was released in the
fall of 2004, and also is a little scary, said registered dietitian
Vanessa Miles of Proctorville, Ohio.
"If we don't take action now, one of every two Americans over the age
of 50 will be at risk of osteoporosis or fractures related to low bone
mass," she said. "We need to inform people that weak bones are not a
natural part of aging."
Osteoporosis is a silent disease until a fracture occurs, she said.
Other than a hunched back, there are no obvious symptoms until a major
fall or break.
It affects both men and women, Miles said. The key to preventing
osteoporosis is to start young, she said.
"Osteoporosis is a pediatric disease that manifests itself as a
geriatric problem," she said.
More...from the Herald-Dispatch at:
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2005/May/09/LFlist1.htm


6. ACE Puts Curves to the Test:
Millions of Women Love it, But Does it Work?
Here are the facts: Curves for Women is the largest fitness franchise
on the planet, with more than 8,500 locations worldwide. Since its
inception in 1992, more than four million women have joined the
30-minute circuit-training gyms. And it's now the fastest-growing
franchise—in any industry—in U.S. history.
The first Curves franchise opened in Paris, Texas, in 1995, and by the
late '90s it seemed like the spartan, female-only exercise studios
were popping up in strip malls in every town. They are bare-bones and
nothing fancy. Just a circle of resistance equipment with springy
recovery boards between each station. Absent are the locker rooms,
cardio equipment or trendy juice bars found in most fitness clubs.
Judging from their unprecedented growth, apparently Curves is also
missing something else-the intimidation factor. For the first time,
masses of inactive, middle-aged women—a huge untapped market—felt
comfortable enough to join an exercise club. In just a few short
years, Curves took the fitness industry by storm, turning legions of
inactive women into faithful exercisers.
What self-respecting health advocate wouldn't applaud that kind of
success? But does Curves really work? And what sort of exercise
intensity and calorie burn can women expect from the Curves workout?
The Study
To test the efficacy of the Curves for Women workout, the American
Council on Exercise enlisted the expertise of Kristin Greany, M.S.,
R.D., and John Porcari, Ph.D., researchers from the University of
Wisconsin, La Crosse.
"Curves doesn't make any claims about its workouts, so this was more
of an observational study to see what was going on," says Greany. "We
wanted to determine the intensity and how many calories are being
expended-just to put some numbers to the Curves workout."
More...from ACE at:
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/curves.aspx


7. The legendary Alfie Shrubb:
Alfred Shrubb did not always yearn to be a great runner. His running
career did not begin until he was twenty years of age. His father had
been a farmer, but Alfred wanted to be a carpenter. He took jobs in
the building trade and it was while he was a bricklayer on a hospital
project in Stammerham, near his home village, that the racing bug bit
him. One night, at about 5:00pm, Alfred met a man named F.J.Spence who
was then the champion runner of the local athletic club. Spence was on
his way to a fire. It looked as if all of the nearby town of
Southwater was ablaze and Spence invited Alfred to run over and see
the fire with him. Alfred responded that he could not run. Spence
insisted and they both ran to the fire scene. Alfred actually beat the
fire wagon, and Spence was so impressed he convinced Alfred to join
the Horsham Blue Star Harriers Running Club.
The Blue Star Harriers introduced Alfred to amateur running. After
running in a few races Alfred discovered an ability to run well over
long distances. He ran on track and cross country, but preferred the
later. He later wrote: "Of all the forms of pedestrianism (running),
and indeed, of all the branches of athletics there can be nothing
superior to cross-country running for either pleasure or health."
Alfred also had an unusual running style. He ran with uneven bursts of
speed, which sometimes confounded his opponents. While not said to be
the most graceful runner, Alfred was said to "skim over the ground,
whether cinder or grass track of the heaviest ploughed, like a bird."
It was also said that no matter how hard may the contest in which
Shrubb has taken part he never seems short of breath. Indeed, for
Shrubb to get out of breath seems practically impossible.
What a career! In one amazing day at Ibrox Park Glasglow, on November
4th 1904, Alfred broke the one hour record as well as all amateur
records from six to eleven miles, and all professional records eight
to eleven miles! He covered eleven miles, 1,137 yards in one hour.
This record was not broken until 1951.
As you can see there is much to Alfred Shrubb, it is our hope that you
will enjoy our web site, perhaps you can venture to Bowmanville and
participate in the event of his name, The Alfie Shrubb 8k MUSEUM FUN
Run/Walk. The first event in his name was June 1st 2003. The Run is
now an annual event.
Visit the web site at:
http://www.alfieshrubb.ca/


8. Big Kicker Article of the Week - Don't Mess With Sex:
By Paul McMullen
[Paul McMullen is a 3:54 miler whose career highlights include: 1996
Olympic Trials champion; 1995 USA Outdoor Champ; 1998 USA Indoor mile
champ; 10th at 2001 World Outdoors.]
If you thought each week I was going to give another story about
running you'd be right 99% of the time. This week is the other 1%.
What does sex have to do with running? Well, running as they say is a
metaphor for life and when running goes well we probably had a
breakthrough in our personal life or vice versa.
There is a long list of talented athletes and runners that have shut
their windows of opportunity because they lacked the ability to
control themselves: Chris Nelloms formerly of Ohio State and 2000
Olympic Gold Medalist Angelo Taylor to name a couple in our sport.
Sexual behavior is an area I consider to be highly confusing in
America today. I hope in the next couple of paragraphs I can shed
some light on the grave consequences of such casual liaisons.
The first misconception is that sex can flourish as an occasional act
of recreation. What many with view fail to see is that sex is the
spiritual dimension of our selves. The pleasure and pull of sexual
expression explains how the spiritual sanctifies the physical.
The experts of "physical" sex try to market the motto "no strings
attached" is the best policy. What they gravely fail to see is that
our spirituality and sexuality are inexplicably and profoundly
intertwined. At our core we are spiritual beings. So our sexuality
is likewise at the same core, it must be, because we are more than
animals in our nature.
Scientists are still searching for the link between those that walk
this earth with instincts and those that walk this earth with
cognitive thought. Yet they need only look into some of today's
pornographic enclaves to find reverse evolution. The saying above the
door has gone from "Monogamy" to "If it feels good do it."
It is possible for some to avoid reality for a long time with enabling
parents, addictions, and lack programming from the media. Several
people are driven by the pleasure of sex and they think "it's all
good" until they meet people with real relationships or catch feelings
themselves.
The future looks like more of the same as mainstream television
continues to push the sexually explicit. The affects of bombarding
our society with uncommitted sexual relationships is wearing down
otherwise good people. Sometimes I think those who still believe in
the institution of marriage are like ants holding on to the side of
the boil as the media continues to flush the toilet.
As a man in a marriage that is awake and alive, I believe it's serious
to tamper with the sexual part of our beings. The obvious physical
risks are there, but also are the risks to our souls. Low
self-esteem, shame, guilt, jealousy, and trust are all unwanted side
effects to casual sex.
A wise man once said the pleasure of the planting is always eclipsed
by the pain of the harvest and the seeds we sow always grow.
Sometimes the seeds begin as temptations we couldn't resist. Other
times our judgment and reason are compromised by ego, alcohol, and
peer pressure. And for those who rationalize their behavior:
Consequences don't much care about the start, they come whether we
like it or not.
You ask then…what is the answer? Practice monogamy before and after marriage.
It is the institution that protects of our sacred sexual right.
Monogamy is required to provide the security of enduring, growing,
developing, nurturing, authentic love. Take it from the big kicker
who has watched many sexual train wrecks…mess with sex even a little
and you mess with your whole life.
This article can be published under the copyright agreement it is
published in its entirety and the following statement be printed at
the conclusion:
Get an inspirational 10 minute story each week and FREE access to the
athlete audio archives by signing-up for your FREE newsletter at
www.trackandfieldradio.com . Any comments regarding the "Don't Mess
With Sex" newsletter please e-mail Paul at paul@...


9. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine:
* Anabolic Steroids Make You Stronger, but at What Cost?
Athletes train to become stronger by lifting heavy weights on one day,
feeling sore on the next day, and than not lifting heavy until the
soreness disappears. Most people cannot lift very heavy weights more
often than every five to 14 days. If you take steroids, you recover
much faster so you can do more work and build muscles faster.
In one study, doctors monitored young men as they lifted weights and
took steroids (synthetic male hormones) to make themselves stronger.
Sixty-one percent experienced changes in sexual desire, 48 percent
became manic or depressed, 46 percent had their testicles shrink, 43
percent suffered from acne, 37 percent developed enlarged breasts, and
62 percent had abnormal liver function tests.
The doctors discussed their abnormal tests with these otherwise
healthy men. Only 19 percent said that they would not take male
hormones in the future. On steroids, they could lift very heavy every
other day and were so enthralled with their huge muscles that they
didn't care how much they were harming themselves.

* Dear Dr. Mirkin: How should I use the incline feature on my treadmill?
Good treadmills have a lever that raises the front end to simulate
running up hills, because running on level ground does not strengthen
your upper leg muscles significantly. Running strengthens primarily
your lower leg muscles. You stress your upper leg muscles only when
you run up hills. Each one-percent increase in the elevation angle on
your treadmill requires four percent more energy.
Serious runners train by running intervals. They run a short distance
very fast, rest and then run very fast again. A typical workout could
be to run four half-mile repeats, averaging two minutes each, with a
slow one-eighth mile jog between each run. If you run a half mile on
level ground in three minutes, you will run three minutes and eight
seconds on a one percent incline, or eight seconds slower. Runners can
expect slower
times when they run up hills, but they will strengthen their upper legs.

* Dear Dr. Mirkin: How can I tell if I am getting enough vitamin D?
More North Americans are deficient in vitamin D than any other vitamin
except B12. Vitamin D deficiency can cause osteoporosis, impair
immunity and cause a variety of other health problems. Most people do
not meet their requirements for vitamin D with food; they get it from
sunlight. If you have fair skin, exposing a few of inches of skin to
sunlight for ten minutes a day provides all the vitamin D you need.
Darker skins require more time or more exposed skin.
Food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish, eggs, liver, vitamin
D-fortified milk and butter, but concern about heart attacks has
caused many North Americans to reduce their intake of these foods. At
the same time, changing lifestyles and concern about skin cancer has
caused many people to reduce their exposure to sunlight. Many senior
citizens develop vitamin D deficiency because they do not go outdoors
at all.
Vitamin D is necessary to keep bones strong. One third of the people
who develop hip fractures lack vitamin D. To find out if you are
deficient in vitamin D, ask your doctor to draw a blood test for 24
hydroxy vitamin D. If you have low levels, you need more vitamin D.
You can take a supplement that contains 400 international units of
vitamin D; or get more exposure to sunlight unimpeded by glass.
Drinking vitamin D-fortified milk will not correct a deficiency
because the calcium in the milk inactivates the vitamin D, so the
amount available to your body is
not increased no matter how much milk you drink.


10. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Chips and Cheats:
Sad news reached me recently that an old running mate, Peter Mattei,
had died in his 70s. I hadn't seen him in too long, and his passing
reminded me of the longest race we ran together.
This was a road 100-mile on a lap course. One leg of it was out and
back along either side of a divided street.
As we ran that skinny leg, I said to Peter, "Think how easy it would
be to cross the street early and save a quarter-mile per lap. It's
dark, no one is checking us at the turnaround. Who would know?"
I was joking but he took responded seriously: "I would know, and I
couldn't live with myself knowing that I'd only run 97 miles or
whatever."
That's how most of us would feel. But the sport has a few deviants
without consciences.
An unrepentant course-cutter surfaced again at the Los Angeles
Marathon. Richard Roodberg claimed to have won the age 70-74 title in
3:10 -- nearly an hour ahead of the real winner in that group.
This is the same Roodberg who'd been disqualified from the 1990 Boston
and L.A. races. The Los Angeles Times has run no fewer than eight
stories about his shenanigans.
The basic rule of racing is that you run -- or run-walk if that's what
it takes -- every step of the way. Anyone who does less and still
claims to have "finished" shames us all.
A lesser but still fundamental rule of racing is that you properly
enter the event. Anyone who doesn't but still insists on running
interferes with the paying customers.
Non-entrants who sneak into races without registering are known as
"turkeys" or "bandits." These cute names trivialize the infraction.
The party-crashers defend themselves by saying, "It's a public roadway
and I have a perfect right to be here." This is like insisting it's
okay to drive on that same road without a license, paying no heed to
speed limits or stop signs.
In fact, the bandits steal the drinks and assistance provided along
the course. Worse, they cross the finish line and mess up the scoring
of legitimate runners.
Banditry is an annoyance -- at most a misdemeanor. Course-cutting is a
major crime against the self-policing honesty of the sport.
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/507.html


11. How Sleep, or Lack of, Affects Teen Athletes:
Performance Problems in Morning Events Tied to Teen Sleep Cycle.
The sleep cycle changes during puberty. And this means that the time
of day makes a dramatic difference in the athletic performance of
teens.
That's the conclusion of Brown University psychiatry professor Mary A.
Carskadon, PhD, director of the chronobiology and sleep research lab
at E.P. Bradley Hospital in Providence, R.I. In a review of sleep
research on teens, she notes that with puberty come big changes in the
human sleep cycle.
Some experts say teens need more sleep than younger children need.
Carskadon, an expert in sleep and teen development, says this isn't
so. At puberty, she says, teens' nightly need for sleep actually drops
a bit. But that's generally a moot point, as few teens come even close
to getting enough sleep.
"Young people live in a nearly constant state of chronic insufficient
sleep," Carskadon writes in the April issue of Clinics in Sports
Medicine.
Internal Teen Clock Out of Sync With Alarm Clock
Part of the problem is that puberty throws the sleep cycle out of
whack. Instead of aligning sleepiness and wakefulness with the 24-hour
external clock, Carskadon suggests, teens align with an "internal
day."
More...from WebMD at:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/105/107981?src=RSS_PUBLIC


12. Using Technology to Enhance Specificity:
Using technology to enhance the training principal of specificity is
overlooked by many coaches. Every coach has his or her own philosophy
on key workouts to prepare athletes for races. However, very few
coaches use technology to there advantage to enhance specificity to
its fullest potential. It does yield better preparation for the
coached athletes. During this discussion, I will recognize and
address several technology components which coaches can utilize to
enhance the specificity training principal for each triathlon
discipline.
USA Swimming has a staff component addressing technical issues in
swimming. They use technology through several sources to help coaches
enable the athletes to perform at the highest levels. Dartfish™ is one
training package they use. By using this program, the coach has
several employment methods to help the athletes achieve a greater
training and racing performance. This training package can be used for
other disciplines as well but is most widely used by swim coaches.
Through the use of this program, the coach can view technique from
multiple angles, speeds, and over time show the training effect taking
place with the swimmer's technique. One of the most useful components
of the package is the delay option. With this delay option the coach
can send the athlete off and at their return view the athlete
performance instantly. With this instant visual feedback the coach can
point out key points on proper technique as well as others current
training issues they are attempting to address. As athletes view their
performance they receive feedback from the coach which, increases
specificity to a larger degree. The same program can also be used for
cycling and running. In cycling the package can be used when teaching
technique to the athlete. This can be extremely valuable with a skill
such as cornering. On a criterium course, the athlete can ride the
course while the coach films in a corner. After reviewing the line
chosen by the athlete to negotiate the corner, the coach can
demonstrate the correct line. The athlete can then reattempt the same
corner with the visual picture still fresh in mind.
More...from T3Coaching.com at:
http://www.t3coaching.com/Articles/t3_tech_specificity.htm


13. Dr. Baldwin on athletes and blood donation:
Question:
Does donating blood have any impact on athletic performance, and
should athletes take any special precautions when they do so?
Answer:
Giving blood is an incredible act of altruism and goodwill. Donated
blood helps to save countless lives every year. However, giving blood
is not without consequences, particularly for endurance athletes. Any
athlete who has attempted to compete at a high level within the first
few days following blood donation can attest to this. They typically
feel like a car running on one fewer cylinders.
For a coach or physician, it's easy to discourage an athlete from
donating blood. However, consider the following: It is estimated that
in the United States, every three seconds a patient needs blood for
procedures ranging from emergencies to elective surgeries to cancer
treatments. Unfortunately, the need for blood often outweighs the
available supply. The demand for blood increases each year faster than
the rate at which people are donating blood. Fewer than five percent
of the eligible donors in the U.S. give whole blood (Mollison et al).
Athletes make up a major portion of those eligible to donate. When
faced with the choice of performing this noble act vs. doing well in
competition, most will choose the latter. It is an unfortunate
conflict of interests. But there is hope. I am going to explain how
you can do both through proper scheduling of blood donation.
The average person has 10 pints of blood flowing through his or her
body. There are four components in blood: red blood cells, white blood
cells, platelets and plasma. Red blood cells supply oxygen to various
parts of the body, and are the most relevant for athletic performance.
The more red blood cells you have in your blood, the more oxygen
you're able to carry to your muscles, and the harder and longer your
body can go while exercising. A normal adult has a red blood cell
percentage of 40-45 percent.
Athletes often report a sudden drop in their performance following a
blood donation. In 1995 Panebianco et al. studied the effects of blood
donation in 10 competitive cyclists before and after donating one pint
of blood. He measured performance at two hours, two days and seven
days post-donation and found that sub-maximal performance was
unaffected but maximal performance was decreased for at least one week
after blood donation. Anecdotal reports from athletes and coaches say
that it can take up to three to four weeks to get back to maximal
fitness.
More...from Triathlete Magazine at:
http://www.triathletemag.com/story.cfm?story_id=9773&pageID=1705


14. From Runner's World:
* Coach's Corner
"Do your course work. If one is available, order a video of the race.
Talk to people who've run it. And when you roll into town, drive the
course. Cover every meter, from start to finish, at least once, noting
landmarks and difficult sections so you can visualize your race in
detail before you toe the starting line." - Andy Palmer, running
coach; marathon PR: 2:16:24
* Injury Prevention
Morton's Neuroma: a benign but swollen enlargement of a branch of the
nerve that runs across the bottom of the foot and out the toes can
afflict anyone. It generally results from biomechanical
irregularities, such as bunions, that cause the foot to move
improperly, putting pressure on the nerve and irritating it.
* Performance Nutrition
It's decadent and disease fighting: Scientists who studied 84,000
women for 16 years found that those who ate a tablespoon of peanut
butter or 1/4 cup of any nuts at least five times a week had 20 to 30%
less chance of developing diabetes than those who rarely consumed
either. Men should receive the same benefit, the researchers say.
And whether you like to crunch on walnuts, pistachios, or almonds, or
spread nut butters on bread, you're in luck. Peanuts and some nuts
share a similar nutrition makeup so the diabetes-fighting benefits
should be similar for all of them.
* Editor's Advice
"Proper exercise technique is important. The body is inherently lazy
and will always bend toward the path of least resistance. That's why
you see so many people in the gym leaning over the stairclimbers or
jerking dumbbells around, rather than using a straighter or
slower--and tougher--technique. Guard against this tendency, and
you'll burn more calories." -Robert Festino, RW design director
* Training Talk
"When training hard, monitor your body carefully and be flexible.
Sometimes the one scheduled rest day is not enough, and it's helpful
to be willing to change your training calendar when necessary." -From
Runner's World Guide to Injury Prevention by Dagny Scott Barrios
* Words That Inspire
"One thing about racing is that it hurts. You better accept that from
the beginning or you're not going anywhere."-Bob Kennedy, US Olympian
*

15. Heart Rate During and After Exercise Tied to Sudden Death:
Slow response, slow recovery raises risk, study finds.
The way your heart speeds up when you exercise and returns to normal
when you stop can predict your risk of sudden death from heart attack,
even decades later, a new European study suggests.
Men whose heart rate increased less than 89 beats per minute during a
standard exercise test for heart patients -- called a stress test --
had six times the risk of sudden death over the next two decades, said
physicians in France and Italy, who followed more than 5,700
middle-aged men for an average of 23 years.
Men whose heart rate decreased less than 25 beats in the minute after
they stopped the exercise test had more than double the risk of sudden
death than those whose rate returned to normal faster.
More...from Health Scout at:
http://www.healthscout.com/news/1/525662/main.html


16. The Feed Zone with Monique Ryan: Supplements, recovery and caffeine:
Carbohydrate supplements
Hi, Monique,
Thanks for the info you pass along in your feed zone articles, they
really help in trying to sort through the tons of info that's out
there on sports nutrition. One quick question for you, though: You
refer to a "high-carbohydrate supplement" in your article; can you
give me one or two examples of a supplement and what amount of carb/kg
you would recommend for consumption one hour before training? Thanks.
Peter
Hi, Peter,
Many of these high-carbohydrate supplements can be consumed in the
hour before exercise for a handy source of pre-training fuel. They can
also be used as easily digested and convenient source of carbohydrate
for those very high energy days during which you may consume more than
4000 calories, or for loading up on carbohydrates during a taper prior
to a race.
If using one of these supplements works for you in the hour before
training you can aim for half a gram of carbohydrate per pound or
about 1 gm/kg of body weight. So a 165-pound athlete could consume
about 75 grams of carbohydrate 60 minutes before training. Of course
the amount that you consume can depend upon your own tolerance, but
liquid or gel products work best for most athletes at this time. If
you can't tolerate a higher amount of carbohydrate in the hour before
training, even 40 to 50 grams of carbohydrate would be useful as fuel
if you have not eaten for several hours.
You can look for a product that gives your about 50 or more grams of
carbohydrate per serving. While this list does not include all of the
products on the market, some such carbohydrate-only liquid choices
include the Gatorade Energy Drink, UltraFuel, CarboPro, and CarboHit.
You can also try gel products that give you over 40 grams of
carbohydrate per serving.
Many more liquid supplement products on the market provide both
carbohydrate and varying amounts of protein. If you want to try one of
these before exercise, choose one that is mostly carbohydrate.
However, these products can be very useful recovery drinks as
described in the answer to the question below.
More...from VeloNews at:
http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/8058.0.html


17. How To Choose The Right Shoe:
There's no single 'best shoe' – everyone has different needs. All
sorts of things - your biomechanics, your weight, the surfaces you run
on, and obviously, the shape of your feet - mean that one person's
ideal shoe can be terrible for another person.
We divide our shoes into three main categories (cushioned, stability
and motion control); and three minor ones (performance training,
racing and off-road). The first three are everyday options and are
categorised essentially by your biomechanical needs; the second three
are more specialised and you'd often only consider them as second
shoes.
The first step in finding your basic shoe needs is to try our 'Wet
Test', below or, preferably, to visit a biomechanics expert or
experienced shoe retailer.
The Wet Test works on the basis that the shape of your wet footprint
on a dry floor or piece of paper roughly correlates with the amount of
stability you might need in your shoe. Take note: 'roughly'! It's a
handy starting point.
More...from Runner's World UK at:
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=481


18. Vary your training intensity to achieve greater fitness:
Of the three stress elements you can vary in your training to produce
greater fitness -- frequency, intensity and duration -- the most
important is intensity. It is even more important than volume, which
is the combination of duration and frequency.
This does not mean that volume is unimportant but rather that when it
comes to determining training emphasis, proper intensity should be the
core of your program. This is even more important if you have a
limited amount of time to train, as most of us do. The professional
athlete training 30, 40 or more hours per week will get adequate
stress to create high fitness just from the volume. The experienced
10-hour-per-week athlete will not see a similar volume benefit
Even though of lesser significance than intensity, volume is what
endurance athletes most commonly refer to when asked about their
training ("I'm training 15 hours per week"). Part of the reason for
this is that intensity is more difficult to quantify. With the growing
popularity of power meters this is slowly changing for cycling.
What is intensity?
For the endurance athlete intensity may be defined in two ways:
absolute and race-specific:
Absolute is the greatest output one can produce in a given period of
time or for a given distance, especially short time durations or
distances that take about six minutes or less to complete. These
intensities will be equal to VO2 max intensity or greater.
Race-specific is the intensity at which the athlete intends to race --
the goal-oriented output.
Either type of output may best be measured using power for cycling or
pace for running, swimming, cross-country skiing or other such
endurance events. Heart rate is not as effective a metric since it
really tells you nothing about output. It is an input measurement and
not always reliable even in that arena since environmental factors
such as stress, diet, heat and humidity affect it. Heart rate is best
used at low absolute intensities done in a steady-state manner.
Absolute intensity
Absolute intensity training is most beneficial for short events such
as bicycle criterium races and sprint-distance triathlons since this
level of power or pace is close to what the race demands. In other
words, for short events absolute and race-specific intensities are
practically the same thing. But absolute intensity also has benefits
for longer races. More on this later.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11702


19. Sportsmedicine: Rolling the Distance:
By Cassi Clark
Seven years ago Pam Glazer, a tri-athlete and allover active person,
couldn't even step up on a curb because of a hamstring injury she'd
been nursing for almost a year. Her neighbor, Yamuna Zake, said she
could help Pam with a technique she had created called Body Logic.
Using her elbow in a deep tissue massage like fashion Yamuna works the
muscles from their origin to insertion with gentle traction
re-training them to extend to their full lengths, breaking up
adhesions and restoring proper movement. The pressure of her elbow
softens the connective tissue that holds muscles like the skin around
sausage, called fascia (literary the glue that holds us together it
encases all tissue in the body). The fascia then becomes malleable
allowing it and the muscle to be elongated to their natural length
which releases the strain on tendons where injuries occur. In less
than a month, with the help of Yamuna's Body Logic and Body Rolling
and taking supplements to correct muscle deficiencies, Pam's hamstring
was healed and she was running again.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050520_YBR.html


20. The Best Way to Train, Period:
A seasonal plan for reaching peak fitness for your biggest races.
It was the training theory of periodization that made the Eastern bloc
countries such a dominating force in Olympic sports from the mid-1950s
right through the fall of the iron curtain. Well, that and the now
well-documented use of performance-enhancing drugs.
In its simplest form, periodization training is goal-oriented
training: You decide which races are most important to you, and you
organize your training calendar so you'll be in top shape for those
events. You do this by dividing your year into "periods." During each
period, a specific type of training is emphasized. Ultimately, each
period builds on the one preceding it to enable you to reach a peak in
fitness that would otherwise be impossible to duplicate.
One of my former coaches used the analogy of crafting a "mighty ax" to
explain periodization. The whole process starts with a chunk of iron.
Then you gradually shape and hone the iron until you've created a
razor-sharp blade. Here's how you can use periodization training to
sharpen your racing fitness.
More...from Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,5033,s6-51-0-0-5522,00.html


21. Big Kicker Article of the Week:
"I Got 'Em!"
Training with Regina Jacobs
Back in 1999 Jill and I had the notion to live and train in
California. We joined Tom Craig and Regina Jacobs's unofficial
training group. Tom was the coach and wife, whoops, husband of
Regina. Also training with us was 2-time 1500m Olympian Jason Pyrah
and Floyd the poodle.
To give you a little background, Regina Jacobs is currently in the
midst of a legal tangle with USA Track and Field, US Anti-doping
Agency, and an anti-steroid task force probe in Congress. She has
produced a positive test for using the designer steroid THG. She and
Tom Craig began working together in 1992 and she subsequently won
ump-teen National Championships, including a couple of silver medals
at the World Championships.
While we were training with Tom and Regina there was no evidence of
wrong doing. There are several stories and some very mysterious
training, but nothing worth speculating about. One of the most
concrete and humorous story's was the Floyd incident.
To start out, the most snippy and hairy member of the group was
Regina, whoops again, no Floyd. Training with the group had some
unwritten rules:
1. Don't speak out of turn and know your place.
2. Regina was identified as the "Queen Bee."
3. You must swear hatred towards Suzie Hamilton and Sonia O'Sullivan
(Jill and I kept our fingers crossed on that one).
4. If you see something you don't understand, don't ask questions.
5. Floyd is more important than you.
I had the biggest beef with the last one. Floyd the dog is Regina's
training partner and precious little "snookums." He's a 15 lb. brown
ugly poodle and he would itch his butt on the ground wiping brownie
mix all over the place. He also took a fondness to my right leg on
occasion.
One day towards the end of this messed up training group I nearly took
out Floyd. You see he had it coming for weeks. This particular day
we all had to wait while Floyd went number two in the middle of the
football field…no attempt to stoop and scoop by the owners I might
add. Then we had to wait for him to get a drink before we could
begin. This is in addition to all of Regina's priming and prepping.
Needless to say when the workout began I was ready to role.
Floyd usually runs along side Regina. That day the workout was hills
and Floyd thought he could lead us on the ascents and set the pace.
He thought wrong. Floyd hadn't been running with the big dog in a
while and as we got half way up on out first hill I nearly turned
Floyd into road kill underneath my size 11.5 Asics.
He had been darting back and forth in front of me and subconsciously
or maybe consciously I lengthened my stride just enough to stomp on
some paw. Floyd gave a huge YELP! I kept running and Regina stopped
to tend to the injured team member. I got to the top and gave a high
five to Jason saying, "I got 'em!" We came back down for the next one
and Regina had locked her laser beams on to me like I was Suzie and
Sonia combined.
She yelled, "Watch where the hell you're running!"
I replied, "Get that dog out of here I could have turned an ankle or something!"
Yeah, I know I'm a little insensitive to little dogs. That's why we
own a 210 lb. English Mastiff named Chug-a-Lug who takes a crap bigger
than Floyd. Besides the dog shouldn't be running where he could get
run over and I found it somewhat entertaining that I finally got
him…Regina didn't. She could tell I was gloating a little and the
fact that Floyd shook it off and was fine was irrelevant.
She got in my face and said this, "If you ever hurt a hair on that
dog's body you can find another training group."
When you're that far from home and friends and training partners are
in short supply you wipe the smile off your face and tow the line.
With an ego the size of Regina's on board I didn't want to rock the
boat that was ready to capsize at any minute. I apologized.
The mission was accomplished though as Floyd understood he'd better
run next to the Queen Bee if he'd like to hump my leg in the future.
Thanks for reading and please send to a friend,
Paul
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22. Running for weight loss? Prepare to be patient:
In a recent TV commercial, a portly, middle-aged man walks gingerly up
to the scale at his local gym. The scale reads 249 pounds. He sprints
feverishly once around the gym and not so gracefully steps back on the
scale. His face falls when, not surprisingly, the scale still reads
249 pounds.
The point of the clever ad is clear: Americans want a quick fix when
it comes to everything, and that includes physical fitness.
As the much-anticipated spring thaw sets in, many suburban dwellers
are choosing running as a way to quickly trim off pounds and create a
lean silhouette.
They pack the trails of area parks and forest preserves, their breath
forming white clouds before them on cold mornings as they huff and
puff through their exercise routines.
But is running a fast solution for weight loss?
Time and patience
According to those who specialize in exercise physiology and
nutrition, the answer is no. While running is a very effective way to
shed pounds, this transformation takes place over time and requires
patience.
"That is probably one of the biggest problems that people have when
starting any exercise," said Kevin Davis, a fitness specialist and
personal trainer at Loyola University's Center for Health and Fitness
in Maywood. "They don't see results right away, and so they quit."
Davis added that a one-mile run, which takes a new runner 10 minutes,
does little for weight loss or cardiovascular health, though it's a
positive start.
"In order to get full health benefits, you need at least 30 minutes
each time," he said.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11683


23. Eating for endurance: What, when and why:
Some athletes consider food their reward at the end of the day; they
save up their appetite for a huge feast at dinnertime. Wiser athletes
treat food as fuel; they knowledgeably fuel before, during and after
exercise. They get more out of their workouts and prevent needless
fatigue. If that is your goal, keep reading!
What to eat before you exercise
Contrary to popular belief, pre-exercise food does NOT simply sit in
the stomach and hinder athletic performance. Rather, it enhances
stamina and endurance. The following study confirms this point:
On two occasions, athletes exercised moderately hard until they were
exhausted. In one trial, they ate a 400-calorie breakfast three hours
before exercising. In the second trial, they simply had a dinner the
night before. When they exercised "on empty," they biked for only 109
minutes, as compared to 136 minutes with the breakfast. That's almost
half an hour longer! Exercising without fuel left them lagging. (Med
Sci Sports Exerc 31(3):464, 1999)
Even if you eat five minutes before exercise, you'll digest the snack
and burn it during exercise, assuming you will be exercising at a pace
you can maintain for more than 30 minutes. This means, you can enjoy a
granola bar and banana on the way to the gym to fuel your workout.
Research suggests this pre-exercise snack can help you perform 10
percent harder in the last 10 minutes of a one-hour workout. Go for
it!
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11700


24. Progression - the key to increasing fitness:
The late Ron Pickering, former national athletics coach for Wales, and
mentor to Olympic gold medallist Lynn Davies in the long jump (8.23m)
many years ago was giving a lecture to the British distance running
squad at their training camp in Merthyr Mawr. The theme of this
lecture was – progression. He said, "If you wake up every morning and
go for a 2 mile run around the park in 15 minutes, you will become
very good at running 2 miles in 15 minutes. But, if you wish to
progress, some of your runs will have to be 4 miles around the park,
and some, just one mile around the park much faster".
During his lecture he was puzzled by the appearance of a middle-aged
man sitting in the back-row of the audience, wearing a battered old
trilby hat and smoking a pipe (Smoking was not so badly thought of
thirty years ago!). Pickering thought no more of the matter until a
year later when he was again addressing the same gathering – the same
man, in the same place and in the same gear.
After his lecture, the man approached Pickering and said, "I thought
about what you said last year on progression. I started with one chin
to the bar and increased it by one a day. I got up to fifty!" The
average for chinning the bar correctly for the British running elite
in 1963, was three for men and a half chin for women.
Pickering felt inclined to doubt the man's story and suggested they
adjourn to the gymnasium for the man to give a demonstration. When the
man had reached thirty chins he spluttered to Pickering, "Sometimes I
get bored doing these and pull myself up to arms-length." He then
proceeded to pull himself up until his arms were fully extended and
his hips were above the bar! He completed fifty chins. His sport was
sheer face rock climbing, for which he was world-renowned.
The moral of that story is obvious and not new. One of the most famous
stories of its kind occurred more than 500 years before the birth of
Christ. Milo of Crotona was delighted with the birth of a bull calf
from a good stock cow, he expressed his joy for lifting the calf above
his head first thing in the morning. He continued to do this until it
was 4-years old and twenty times heavier than when first born. This
did not stop him carrying it the length of the stadium at Olympia.
Progressive weight-training had started.
The writer had a similar experience to that of Ron Pickering. He was
in the habit of putting his athletes through a series of tests at the
beginning of each winter, one of these was the number of press-ups
that could be done in one minute – 60 was good. 50 was fair and 40 was
poor. One athlete scored only thirty – he was asked to start with one
press up every morning and to add one each day. Several months later,
the athlete enquired of the writer, "How long should I keep up these
press-ups, Frank! I'm up to on hundred and thirty-three at present".
More...from the Serpentine Running Club at:
http://www.serpentine.org.uk/advice/coach/fh47.php



25. News Scan:
* Nutrition:
Bananas at the Perfect Texture
Bananas are considered to be a good source of the mineral Potassium.
Potassium participates in electrolyte balance, cellular integrity, and
muscle contractions. It is believed by many to decrease cramping and
this is the reason why it is a great source of nutrients for athletes.
Furthermore, bananas have that great texture for being either a
pre-workout snack, because they are light enough not to make one feel
full and uncomfortable while working out and simultaneously
satisfying.
However, many people are fussy about the texture of their bananas. For
me personally, bananas have a very small window of opportunity to be
eaten – they are either too green or too ripe. My tip this month is
great time and money savior. Once you buy your bananas, allow them to
ripen to the texture of your choice, and at that moment, place them in
the refrigerator. Fruit does not ripen at temperatures below 400 and
the bananas will stay that very texture for at least 5 to 7 days. The
skin will turn black, but don't let that put you off. Once you get
passed that black skin, you will be amazed that the banana will have
stayed at the texture when you first placed it in the fridge. This
will prevent a trip to the store to purchase bananas every second day,
and it will save you from throwing away those overripe ones too!
Ilana Katz, The Sports Factory

* Runner's World Shorts:
* Green Bay Marathon Has Lots Of Timing Mats: Sunday's Cellcom Green
Bay Marathon is teaming up with AMB to put digital timing mats on the
course at every mile mark for 26 miles. This is believed to be a
first.
* John Keston Sets 80-Yr Mile Record: Keston, of McMinville OR, ran
the mile in 6:48.3 over the weekend at the Oregon Relays in Canby OR.
That broke the previous age 80 world record for the mile by more than
a minute.

* Sneaker mania
A growing number of people worldwide collect running shoes, reports
Columbia News Service. Today's 'sneakerheads' now can read about their
hobby in magazines such as Sole Collector and Complex and discuss it
in online forums. Last month, Sneakers: The Complete Collectors' Guide
was published. "To fuel the growing demand for high-end footwear, shoe
companies frequently do 'quick strikes,' in which a limited number of
a particular model of shoe will be delivered to a certain store with
little warning to the public. News of an upcoming strike spreads by
word of mouth and on websites . . . Collectors line up hours before
the stores open in hopes of acquiring the rare offerings. Companies
also create a buzz by hiring celebrities to act as guest designers."
[From the Globe and Mail]

* Documentary Film in Search of Runners
Land of the Gods: The Legend of the marathon - a feature documentary
on the history and enduring legacy of the marathon - is in search of
Chicago area runners, who are training for the LaSalle Bank Chicago
Marathon on October 9, 2005. If you are a: Woman (25-34), who will be
running your first marathon or man (40-60), attempting to qualify for
Boston for the first time please email calicofilm@... or
visit http://www.marathonmovie.com for more information.

***End of Articles***


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

May 21, 2005:
Avon Berlin Women's Race - Berlin, Germany
http://www.berliner-frauenlauf.de

Ironman Lanzarote - Canary Islands
http://www.ironmanlanzarote.com

Minnesota Distance Invitational - St. Paul, MN
http://www.teamusaminnesota.org/mdi

Ogden Marathon - Ogden, UT
http://www.ogdenmarathon.com

Sydney Morning Herald Half-Marathon - Australia
http://halfmarathon.smh.com.au

May 22, 2005:
adidas Track Classic - Carson, CA
http://www.homedepotinvitational.com/main.asp

Cellcom Green Bay Marathon - Green Bay, WI
http://www.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com

Cleveland Marathon - OH
http://www.clevelandmarathon.com

Healthy Kidney 10K - New York, NY
http://www.nyrr.org/nyrrc/org/home.html

Florida Half-Ironman - Lake Buena Vista, FL
http://www.floridahalfironman.com

Television: NBC 1:30 p.m.
adidas Track and Field Classic

National Capital Race Weekend - Ottawa, ON
http://www/ncm.ca


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

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at: mailto:runnersweb@yahoogroups.com and in our Runner's Web
Forum, available off our FrontPage. If you post to the mailing list
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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


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END...OF DIGEST...