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This Weeks Personal Postings/Releases:
We have NO personal postings this week.


THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Science of Sport: Being Practical With vVO2Max
2. Science of Sport: Fast-twitch muscles - Twitch and you’re gone – all you need
to know about developing fast-twitch muscle fibre
for speed, power and strength
3. Science of Sport: Carbohydrates - Forget fancy supplements – carbohydrates
are even more important than you’d thought, for
strength as well as endurance .
4. Is the U.S. RDA for vitamins enough for cyclists?
5. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Predict Your Pace
6. Creating Efficient Horizontal Propulsion
7. From Runner's World
8. Dr. Mirkin's E-Zine - August 9, 2005
9. Multisport: Recovery Training - Chapter Three - Physical Recovery Techniques
10. Hydration: Top 5 Mistakes
11. Building muscle - Tricks of the trade
12. All Athletes - Eat Less or Exercise More by Joe Friel
13. Running into a wolf
14. A Healthier Snack Attack
15. Science of Sport: Periodisation models - sport-specific requirements for
skill acquisition and competition readiness
16. Getting Figgy - Fab Fruit Takes the Spotlight!
17. Bone Health in Highly Trained Female Athletes
18. Fit Is One Thing; Obsessive Exercise Is Another
19. Study: Yoga may help keep weight off
The slow stretches and meditations of yoga don't burn calories like a run on the
treadmill. But a new study suggests it might help
people keep weight off in middle age.
20. Sit on It: Exercise Ball vs. Office Chair
21. Dysmenorrhea and Injury Link
22. Don't take a vacation from exercise
23. Eating for Performance
Nutrition, just like your triathlon training, can be quite confusing if you
don’t have the right information.
24. Nutrition For The Triathlon: Putting it into practice
25. Your Inner Coach – How to handle negative thoughts


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"Which is the hardest running double in athletics?"

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:
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[Free Registration Required]

Last week's poll was: "What is your level of interest in the Athletics World
Championships being held in Helsinki, Finland from
August 6th to 14th?"
The results at publication time were:
Answers Votes Percent
1. High 36 55%
2. Moderate 16 24%
3. Low 7 11%
4. No interest 7 11%
Total Votes: 66

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FIVE STAR SITE OF THE WEEK:
Rutger Beke, Professional Triathlete
Rutger became a professional triathlete in January 2003. He is fully employed by
BLOSO, the Flemish governmental sports
organization. Before becoming a PRO, Rutger worked as a lifeguard in the
swimming pool of Kessel-Lo/Leuven.
Rutger is currently 26 years old. After finishing the Ironman 2003 in second
position behind Peter Reid, Rutger stayed in Kona to
marry his girlfriend Sofie Geeraerts. Sofie is a fysiotherapist and also a
recreational triathlete. Rutger has a brother (Bjorn) en
a sister (Maja). As a kid, Rutger has lived in the US for about two years (in
Palo Alto, California), during which he went to the
local primary school and learned to speak English.
This week Rutger was cleared by the Flemish Disciplinary Commission of a charge
of taking EPO.
Visit his website at:
http://www.rutgerbeke.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
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Our Photo Slideshow is updated on a random basis. Check it out from our
FrontPage.


BOOK OF THE WEEK:
The Paleo Diet for Athletes : A Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic
Performance
Loren Cordain, Ph.D., follows his success of The Paleo Diet with the first book
ever to detail the exercise-enhancing effects of a
diet similar to that of our Stone Age ancestors.
When The Paleo Diet was published, advocating a return to the diet of our
ancestors (high protein, plenty of fresh fruits and
vegetables), the book received brilliant reviews from the medical and
nutritional communities. Jennie Brand-Miller, coauthor of the
bestselling Glucose Revolution, called it "without a doubt the most nutritious
diet on the planet." Doctors Michael and Mary Dan
Eades, authors of Protein Power, said, "We can't recommend The Paleo Diet highly
enough."
Now Dr. Cordain joins with USA triathlon and cycling elite coach Joe Friel to
adapt the Paleo Diet to the needs of athletes. The
authors show:
o Why the typical athletic diet (top-heavy with grains, starches, and refined
sugars) is detrimental to recovery, performance, and
health
o How the glycemic load and acid-base balance impact performance
o Why consumption of starches and simple sugars is only beneficial in the
immediate post-exercise period
At every level of competition, The Paleo Diet for Athletes can maximize
performance in a range of endurance sports.
Buy the book from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594860890/runnersweb/103-4508377-7318257\
?v=glance&s=books
[Long URL]

Previous Books of the Week:
From Human Kinetics,
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/human_kinetics.html"
From Amazon
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/amazon.html
More running and triathlon books from Associates Shop
http://associatesshop.filzhut.de/shop/index.php?ID=90c9f271c1a519abc4a69299be707\
5a9



THIS WEEK'S NEWS:

1. Science of Sport: Being Practical With vVO2Max:
By Owen Anderson, Ph. D. (Copyright © 2004-2005)
As you may well know, your running velocity at VO2max (aka your vVO2max) can be
estimated by means of a simple, all-out, six-minute
run on the track (or measured course). Once your average pace from this
six-minute test is calculated, you can use the speed to
carry out interval workouts, with the intensity of each work interval set
specifically at vVO2max (your tempo from the test).
Thanks to pioneering efforts by Veronique Billat, the time lengths of these work
intervals are usually set at 30 seconds, 60
seconds, and 180 seconds, with the ultimate vVO2max workout consisting of 5 X 3
minutes (180 seconds) at vVO2max, with three-minute
jog recoveries (recovery times are almost always equal to the work-interval
durations). Veronique has shown that average
oxygen-consumption rates are actually similarly lofty when the 30-, 60-, and
180-second work intervals are employed (high rates of
O2 consumption during workouts are thought to be particularly advantageous),
although the 180-second intervals are considered to be
toughest to complete, especially when five of them are packed into one workout.
They are also the most race-specific, since there
are fewer disruptions of sustained pace within the session. vVO2max is an
excellent predictor of race performance at middle and long
distances (1), and training at vVO2max is generally considered to be the best
way to optimize vVO2max.
Although the Veronique vVO2max formula (30-, 60-, and 180-second intervals at
vVO2max) is often considered to be the gold standard
for vVO2max-boosting training, there are cases when runners and other athletes
may profitably diverge from this tried-and-true path.
As an example of this, let’s take a look at recent research carried out by Tim
Smith (timsmith210@...) and colleagues at the
School of Human Life Sciences at the University of Tasmania in Australia (2). In
this new investigation, maximal oxygen uptake
(plain-old-vanilla VO2max), vVO2max itself, running economy, ventilatory
threshold (the running speed above which ventilation rate
begins to increase dramatically, often viewed as a surrogate for lactate
threshold), and 3- and 5-K performance times were
determined in a group of 27 well-trained runners. These 27 subjects were also
tested for “Tmax” – the length of time they could
actually sustain vVO2max without falling over into a heap. The athletes’ average
age was 25, and mean VO2max was 61.4 ml.kg-1.min-1.
The subjects were either competitive middle-distance runners, triathletes, or
10-K harriers.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050812_RRN_vVO2Max.html


2. Science of Sport: Fast-twitch muscles - Twitch and you’re gone – all you need
to know about developing fast-twitch muscle fibre
for speed, power and strength:
Let’s get out of the blocks straight away, with our fast-twitch fibres blazing;
on the ‘B’ of the bang, as Colin Jackson once put
it!
There are more than 250 million muscle fibres in our bodies and more than 430
muscles that we can control voluntarily. Fibres are,
in fact, bundles of cells held together by collagen (connective tissue). Each
fibre consists of a membrane, numerous nuclei and
thousands of myofibrils (inner strands) that run the length of the fibre.
In order to perform a sport skill numerous muscles and muscle fibres have to
interact. The process is controlled by the brain, which
sends out electrochemical messages to the muscles via the spinal cord. These
signals are received in the muscles by ‘anterior
motoneurons’, whose role is to stimulate muscular contraction. Muscular force is
generated through the interaction of two protein
filaments that constitute the myofibril: actin and myosin.
Anterior motoneurons and motor units can be likened to a car’s starter motor,
while the brain is like the key; the former kicks the
muscle fibres into action (or rather ‘contraction’) after the latter has been
turned.
Some muscles have large numbers of motor units and relatively few fibres, which
enables them to execute highly precise movements.
One such muscle is the eye, which has one motor unit for every 10 muscle fibres.
By contrast, the gastrocnemius (calf muscle), which
performs larger, more powerful movements, has 580 motor units to 1.3 million
fibres.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050810_PPO_Fast_Twitch.html


3. Science of Sport: Carbohydrates - Forget fancy supplements – carbohydrates
are even more important than you’d thought, for
strength as well as endurance:
The role of carbohydrates in sports performance might be one of the most
thoroughly researched topics in the field of sports
nutrition, but that doesn’t stop it constantly throwing up new surprises! Read
any biochemistry textbook on carbohydrates nutrition
and you will find no mention of variation in carbohydrates metabolism between
different groups of people. But now new research
indicates that both gender and age can affect the way our bodies utilise this
vital fuel.
And just in case you have any lingering doubts about the crucial contribution of
carbohydrates to optimum performance, scientists
have also been busy investigating the link between low carbohydrates intakes and
exercise-induced free radical damage, leading to
impaired muscle function.
According to evolutionary theory, one of the reasons the average female carries
more fat than the average male is because of her
role in child rearing. More fat stores and a more efficient fat metabolism add
up to an enhanced ability to survive a period of
famine – crucial for the survival of any infant, born or unborn. This difference
in fat metabolism is thought to underlie the
observation that females are able to oxidise proportionately more fat and less
carbohydrate during long periods of endurance
exercise, when normal fuel reserves run low, and also why women perform
proportionately better at ultra-distance events than their
male counterparts.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050808_PPO_Carbohydrates.html


4. Is the U.S. RDA for vitamins enough for cyclists?
By Selene Yeager
Q. Is the U.S. RDA for vitamins enough, or do I need more because I ride?
A. If you had asked me that five years ago, I--as well as most other folks who
get excited about such stuff--would have said eat
well and you'll be fine. Now more sports nutrition experts lean toward
supplementation, especially among endurance athletes.
Strenuous exercise raises the level of harmful molecules called free radicals
that make your muscles sore and damage body tissues.
Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E seem to counteract the effects of free
radicals and protect against injury and chronic
disease. "Though people who exercise tend to already have high antioxidant
levels in their blood--probably from eating well--it's a
good idea to supplement just to be sure," says sports medicine and nutrition
expert Marcus Elliott, M.D. "Athletes also have special
calcium needs because they sweat so much out during exercise."
How much should you take? To start, chow down about nine servings of fruits and
vegetables a day, because nothing beats the
vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting phytonutrients you get from the real
thing. Then add a few supplements for extra insurance.
"I recommend about a gram [1,000 milligrams] of vitamin C and 800 IUs of vitamin
E for antioxidants," says Elliott. "Then add a gram
of calcium to make sure your bones are getting what they need to stay strong."
Almost every grocery store carries shelves full of
vitamins and minerals these days. You also can get these recommended doses from
Antioxidant Fuel and Calcium 1000 Tabs w/Vitamin D,
both from Twinlab, which are sold in natural food stores and GNCs.
HOW TO GET ENOUGH VITAMINS
* 9 servings fruits and veggies
* 1,000 mg vitamin C
* 800 IUs vitamin E
* 1,000 mg calcium
From March 2001 Bicycling magazine


5. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Predict Your Pace:
Last week's RC advised letting marathon-day pace naturally follow the pacing of
the longest training runs. For most runners those
mile times are similar, and sometimes identical.
That piece was running long already. So it ended with a promise to give you more
ways to predict your race times, these from one
racing distance to another. Here they come.
Three physical facts underlie the three formulas below: (1) you slow by a
predictable percentage as the racing distance increases;
(2) your potential at the longer distances is set by your speed in shorter ones,
and (3) you must train for the longer race, or none
of these numbers will work.
-- Half-Marathon Factor. I've long used this calculation, which says that your
pace will likely slow by about 10 percent as the
distance doubles. The easy way to do the math is to multiply the shorter time by
2.1 to predict the longer one. A recent two-hour
half, say, would forecast a 4:12 full.
My first Marathon Team ran a half as its only race during the training cycle.
Results from the 2.1 calculations were mixed.
Two runners hit their predicted marathon time exactly, and two others came very
close. But the remaining dozen missed by as much as
24 minutes, with an equal number over and under. This isn't an exact science.
-- Ten-K Factor. My latest Marathon Team, now training for Portland, will have
raced at least one 10K during this build-up. I'll
multiply those times by 4.8 as another way to see into the future. Under this
formula a 50-minute 10K would make possible a
four-hour marathon.
In the same month as my PR marathon, I raced a 35-minute 10K. It projected a
2:48 finish. I ran 2:49.
Much later my 10K time stood at 50 minutes. This said I'd run a four-hour
marathon, and my time was 4:01.
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/521.html


6. Creating Efficient Horizontal Propulsion:
Despite what most runners and their coaches believe, technique plays an enormous
role in sustained fast running. Most runners’
subscribe to one of two basic paradigms of propulsion. Unfortunately, both are
flawed. One creates more upward propulsion than
forward and the other isolates a relatively small, weak muscle group instead of
harnessing a number of muscles to work together to
produce propulsion. Learning to use large muscle groups to create horizontal
propulsion with minimal vertical oscillation will help
you run further and faster.
Upward Thrust Method
One challenge for runners is creating propulsion as close to purely horizontal
as possible. Excessive vertical displacement
increases the energy cost of running dramatically. The most common method
runners use to develop propulsion is the upward thrust. At
toe off, the knee is straightened forcefully, thrusting the body up and forward.
This technique wastes a tremendous amount of energy, leads to local muscular
fatigue in the quadriceps, and slows turnover.
As indicated by the large black arrow in the illustration, the direction of the
force created by extending the knee is slightly
forward, but mostly upward. The extended flight time decreases turnover, more
than offsetting the slight increase in stride length,
resulting in slower running speed and increased energy cost. This up and down
method of running, employed to some degree by most
runners, is extremely inefficient. If an athlete’s quadriceps fatigue during
long runs even at easy pace, he probably subscribes to
the upward thrust paradigm of propulsion.
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/run/creating-efficient-horizontal-propulsion-00\
0985.php


7. From Runner's World:
* Coach's Corner
Be Body-Aware: Water running increases your body awareness because of the added
resistance of the water. Once a week, hit the pool
and use a flotation vest or belt to run where your feet can't touch the bottom,
paying special attention to a smooth leg
motion. -Runner's World magazine
* Injury Prevention
Downhill Caution:: Downhills are more likely to cause injury than uphills since
the body absorbs more shock on impact. Braking may
cause the muscles along the back of the legs and in your back to fight against
gravity, causing additional stress. To minimize the
shock, run hitting lightly on the ball of your foot and then the heel, rather
than hard on the heel.
* Performance Nutrition
Juicy, sweet tomatoes plucked fresh from the vine are one of summer's greatest
pleasures. They're also packed with vitamin C,
potassium, fiber, and lycopene, the pigment that colors tomatoes red--and fights
disease. Tomatoes and products such as ketchup and
salsa may also protect against lung and stomach cancers as well as cataracts.
* Words That Inspire:
"Taking charge of your body can help you take charge of your life. And that
power can help you go wherever you want to go, every
single day."
-Cheryl Bridges Treworgy, competed on five U.S. World Cross-Country teams (1968,
1969, 1970, 1974, and 1976)
* Editor's Advice:
"Can't fit in a once-a-week massage? Self-massage works well, too. Taking even
30 to 40 seconds to knead your feet or calf muscles
before or after a run can really make a difference." -Charlie Butler, RW
features editor
* Training Talk"
"If you have chronic and consistent knee pain, it might be the result of poor
gait habits. It's worth it to be assessed by a
professional. A gait coach will actually run behind you, analyze your stride,
and train you to correct bad habits.: -From The Knee
Crisis Handbook by Brian Halpern, M.D.


8. Dr. Mirkin's E-Zine - August 9, 2005:
* Champion Athletes Are Born AND Made
Lance Armstrong is arguably the greatest endurance athlete of all time. Edward
F. Coyle, professor at the University of Texas, has
tested him in his laboratory several times over the years. (Journal of Applied
Physiology, March 17, 2005). We can be certain that
Lance has extraordinary genetic attributes. A laboratory measure of a person's
genetic ability to compete successfully in endurance
events is called the VO2max, the
maximum amount of blood the heart can pump in a given time span. Lance's value
was 6 liter/min (expressed per body weight as
75-85 ml/kg/min). Of the hundreds of athletes he has tested, Coyle has found
only two other athletes in that range. To have great
endurance, (and a high VO2max) you have to have a large heart that has to be
able to pump huge amounts of blood with each beat. You
also have to have a dense collection of blood vessels to deliver oxygen to the
muscles and the types of muscle fibers that can
generate, power efficiently and resist fatigue.
This doesn't mean that training is not important. An athletic, lean 20 year old
usually has a maximum oxygen uptake of around
40-50. If he stops exercising, it may drop to 30. If Lance becomes a couch
potato, his VO2max would drop, but only to about 65.
That means that he would still be able to beat most bicycle racers, even when
he stops training.
Now we know that if you want your child to grow up to be a champion athlete, he
or she must have the right genes, choose the right
sport and train very hard in that sport from an early age. With few exceptions,
the time of multiple-sport athletes is gone.
Champion gymnasts, runners, swimmers, and power athletes usually start training
before age 10 and specialize in their chosen sport
12 months a year. Before you expose your child to such intense specialization
that it limits his other interests, it is reasonable
for you to see how he compares to other children at
the same age and experience. A test of VO2max may help you decide if your child
is spending his energies in the right place; if the
base VO2max is less than 40, he has little chance of being a world-class athlete
in an endurance sport.

* Dear Dr. Mirkin: Is it better to eat one or two large meals or many small
ones?
Your body temperature rises for about an hour after you eat. Eating frequently
raises your body temperature for longer periods of
time, causing you to burn more calories and store less as fat. Several studies
show that nibblers are thinner than gorgers. Animals
that nibble throughout the day have lower cholesterol levels and less body fat
than those that eat all their calories in one meal.
You can shorten your life by drinking a cup of coffee for breakfast, having a
small snack at lunchtime and then eating a huge meal
in the evening. One study of adult diabetics showed that those who skipped
meals were far more likely to be fat. Frequent small
meals can help diabetics to lose weight and control their blood sugar levels.
The more a diabetic eats at a meal, the higher the
blood sugar rises. The diabetics who ate small meals frequently had lower blood
sugar levels and produced less insulin throughout
the day.

I'm delighted to announce that we've started posting back issues of the e-Zine
at DrMirkin.com Here are the issues that are
available so far:
August 7: How to Strengthen Your Heart
Does everyone need to drink eight glasses of water a day?
Why are some men so much more aggressive than others?
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine080705.html
July 31: High Blood Pressure and Lifestyle
What's the best treatment for elbow pain?
Do supplements that are supposed to make you grow taller work?
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine073105.html
July 24: Slow Lifting
Are colon cleansers necessary for good health?
Will a teen's exercise help her bones stay strong when she's sixty?
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine072405.html
July 17: How Lack of Exercise Shortens Lives
Why do some people develop allergies while others don't?
Should we eat only raw foods?
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine071705.html
July 10: Arches and Running Injuries
More on High Fructose Corn Syrup
Why are bicycle helmets so important?
Will 30 minutes a day on a stationary bike make me fit?
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine071005.html
More back issues will be added soon. The index is at
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezinelist.html
To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to
mailto:subscribe@...


9. Multisport: Recovery Training - Chapter Three:
Physical Recovery Techniques
Body Management Skills
Background reading and references
Article 15:
Calder, A. 1990, Sports Massage, State of the Art Review No 24, National Sports
Research Centre, Australian Sports Commission,
Canberra.
Introduction
There are many different physical activities and therapies that assist with
recovery. Some of those most commonly used include:
· active and passive rest (see Chapter 1)
· cross training (a form of active rest – see Chapter 1)
· stretching
· hydrotherapies
· sports massage
· acupressure and acupuncture
Stretching
Stretching refers to tissue elongation, ie extending a material or substance
from its resting length. This occurs as a continuum, so
stretches can range from a minimal length to a maximum length. Stretching is an
essential action for movement in skeletal muscles
and it is often referred to as the way to improve flexibility.
Flexibility refers to the range of movement (ROM) possible around a joint. This
varies enormously from one individual to the next.
What tissues are elongated?
(a) Muscle: Skeletal muscle has properties similar to a rubber band, ie it has
elastic properties that enable it to lengthen and
return to a resting state. The length of a muscle cannot be increased by nervous
impulse, therefore an external force must be
applied. Such external forces can include gravity, momentum, an antagonist
(opposite) muscle group contracting, or applying an
external force such as a weight, or using a partner or assistant.
(b) Connective tissue: This refers particularly to fascia. That is, the
substance which covers each muscle fibre and forms the
compartment which surrounds each muscle. Fascia, particularly that forming the
muscle compartment, can provide a great degree of
resistance to stretching. It has visco-elastic properties similar to the
properties of both plasticine and rubber. Like plasticine,
the viscous components when stretched will remain in the new position. The
elastic components, like a stretched rubber band, will
return to a resting length after stretching. It is therefore possible for
fascia, with its plastic component, to change its length
permanently – a vital consideration for long-held stretches.
(c) Ligaments and tendons: Tendons are often inadvertently stretched when
muscles are used or stretched. However, the deliberate
stretching of both these tissues is a clinical role and best left to medical
specialists to perform.
(d) Specialised nerve endings:
(1) Muscle spindles (the stretch reflex) – these are located within muscles and
they detect the rate and length of stretch on a
muscle. If the stretch is too fast or too far these nerve endings stimulate the
muscle to contract to protect itself from
overstretching.
(2) Golgi tendon organs (inverse stretch reflex) – these nerve endings are
located in tendons and they are slower to respond to
increased stretch or tension in the muscle. This is also a protective mechanism.
When a great degree of tension is experienced,
either through contracting or stretching the muscle, the golgi tendon causes the
muscle to relax to avoid possible rupturing.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050810_TSO_Recovery_Chapter3.ht\
ml


10. Hydration: Top 5 Mistakes:
It was only just a few months ago when we were riding or running outside in 35
degree weather and the wind chill factor was well
below freezing that we all muttered those famous words, “I can’t wait until it
warms up.” Is it warm enough for you now?
Now the real heat of the summer is upon us and there are still quite a few races
and training days until we get those nice cool fall
mornings again. One of our biggest obstacles on hot, humid days is knowing the
proper way to hydrate and take electrolytes (for a
quick overview of electrolytes and replacement strategies, check out the
article, Please Pass the Electrolytes, on the TRImyCoach
website.)
Exercise causes body fluid losses from moisture in exhaled air as well as from
sweating. Unless fluid losses are replaced by drinks,
sweating causes progressive depletion of circulating blood volume, leading to
dehydration and a thickening of blood. This places a
strain on the cardiovascular system, with a rise in heart rate in order to
maintain adequate blood flow to exercising muscles and
vital organs. As blood volume depletes, blood flow to the skin is reduced. As a
result, sweating decreases and heat dissipation from
the skin is impaired, causing body core temperature to rise, potentially leading
to heat stress, collapse and even worse.
Even low levels of dehydration have physiological consequences. A loss of 2%
bodyweight causes an increase in effort and is claimed
to reduce performance by 10-20% A fluid loss exceeding 3-5% bodyweight reduces
aerobic exercise performance noticeably and impairs
reaction time, judgment, concentration and decision making - vital elements in
all sports, from pole-vaulting to football.
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/nutrition/hydration-top-5-mistakes-000701.php


11. Building muscle - Tricks of the trade:
For years, body builders have followed a traditional diet based on egg whites,
chicken breasts, canned tuna and protein shakes. They
have shunned burgers and fries for a very "clean" diet. They've gotten results.
Historically, we've had inadequate science to debate those rigid dietary rules.
But today, exercise physiologists are intently
researching the best ways to build muscles -- without steroids that is! In
particular, they are examining the role of nutrient
timing -- the impact of when and what you eat in relationship to resistance
exercise.
This article touches upon the science of eating to build muscles. For more
information, I recommend the book Nutrient Timing by
exercise physiologists John Ivy and Robert Portmans.
What should I eat before I lift weights?
By eating carbohydrates 10 minutes before exercise, you'll provide fuel for a
stronger workout. By eating some protein, you'll start
to digest it into amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Those amino acids
will be available for use by the muscles during and
after exercise. Good choices for a pre-exercise snack include a fruit yogurt
(150 cals) or a small bowl of Cheerios and milk.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12049&sidebar=17&category=activeusahome\
page



12. All Athletes - Eat Less or Exercise More by Joe Friel:
contents Around the time of the Tour de France there are often questions about
how an athlete should go about losing weight in order
to climb better. There’s little doubt that being lighter means climbing faster.
Pro cyclists who contend for the yellow jersey, the
polka dot jersey or who need to support their team leader in the Alps and
Pyrenees try to be lean by the time the terrain turns
upward. The best climbers are generally less than 2 pounds of body weight for
every inch of height (divide your weight in pounds by
your height in inches to find this number). It’s rare to find a rider in the pro
peloton at 2.5 pounds per inch or greater. A lot of
them who are not climbing specialists are around 2.1 to 2.2. The latest average
I have for the TdF field shows an average of 2.151
pounds per inch (thanks to Gregory Byerline for providing that data).
Every pound of excess fat shaved from your body saves you about 3 watts in a
climb. In running it is something like 2 seconds per
mile per excess pound in a race. For most endurance athletes, a 1-point shift in
weight-to-height ratio means about 5 percent loss
of weight—around a 7- to 9-pound loss of love handles. That can be done safely
over a two-month period if there is a big A-race with
lots of climbing or the need to run faster on the calendar a couple of months
from now.
More...from UltraFit at:
http://www.ultrafit.com/newsletter/august05.html#JF


13. Running into a wolf:
Wolf conflicts with humans are rare, but if you encounter one, stop, stand tall
and do not run. Slowly back away while watching the
wolf, but do not make direct eye contact. If the wolf does not retreat and is
acting aggressive by holding its tail high, raising
its hackles, barking or howling, yell and throw things at it while continuing to
back away. If it attacks, fight back aggressively
to show you are too dangerous to attack. Wolves are extremely wary of humans and
not aggressive toward them by nature. Wolf attacks
are the rarest of all large predators, and there are no documented cases of
wolves or packs of wolves killing people in North
America. They have never been known to attack someone as prey or even while
trying to defend their pups. Evidence from a few recent
cases of humans being bitten during wild wolf encounters indicates these animals
may have been fed by people, thereby losing their
natural fear of humans and associating humans with food. In other cases, people
may have been injured while trying to break up a
fight between their dog and a wolf.
More...from Run the Planet at:
http://www.runtheplanet.com/pages/refer/articles/safety09.php


14. A Healthier Snack Attack:
Mid-morning, late afternoon, or even long after dinner, many of us find our way
into the kitchen or pull into a drive-through for a
quick snack to tide us over until the next meal. Would you believe that snacking
has become an important contributor to American's
daily food intake, with 75 percent of us consuming at least one snack every day?
In fact, statistics indicate that kids today receive at least 25 percent of
their daily calories from snacks. While research shows
that eating between meals can be an effective way to stay energized throughout
the day, many of us still fall short of our needs for
vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin E, vitamin B6, zinc, and iron.
For all ages, but particularly seniors and children, snacking can be part of a
healthy diet and can even be thought of as a
legitimate and necessary fourth meal. Carefully planned snacks can help boost
energy levels and provide between meal fuel to
minimize fatigue and energy slumps throughout the day. In addition, ensuring
optimal dietary fuel through healthy snacking can
maximize activity concentration and mental alertness.
Many kitchen pantries today are stocked with mainstream, typical snack foods,
such as full-fat chips, sugary sodas, cookies, and
other sugary and fat laden treats. These foods are commonly referred to as junk
food, while health experts refer to them as low
nutrient dense foods. These foods contain "empty calories," meaning calories
that provide mostly fat and sugar with little
nutritional value. Unfortunately, because they taste good and are heavily
advertised, many of us are conditioned to choose these
types of snacks. But, tasty, quick snacks do not have to be junk food.
Help yourself and your family make wise snack selections by creating a healthy
home (and office) snacking environment. Make room in
your kitchen for healthier snack alternatives and eliminate some of the old
standbys. Regardless of age, most of us prefer "grab and
go" foods that are quick to fix requiring little to no preparation beyond
tearing open a bag or zapping in the microwave. To
encourage healthy snacking habits, purchase pre-portioned snack sizes of foods,
or take a few minutes upon your return from the
grocery store to portion items into quick, easy-to-grab snack sizes. When
planned wisely, snacks can offer significant nutritional
advantages and bridge mealtime gaps.
Try a few of our power snacks -
* Nuts and Bolts: For 6 servings, mix together 1/2 cup low-fat granola (try
Nature's Path), 1/2 cup unsweetened whole grain cereal,
1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup unsalted almonds or walnuts, 2 ounces mini chocolate
chips, 1/2 cup dried apple rings, and 4 ounces tiny,
fat-free oat bran pretzels (Snyder's brand)
*1 snack-size container (1/2 cup) of applesauce and 1 stick (1 ounce) of low-fat
or part-skim string cheese
* 1 ounce lean ham with 1 stick (1 ounce) part-skim string cheese and 1 apple
* 1 whole wheat tortilla and 1 tablespoon hummus
* 1 small banana or apple and 1 tablespoon peanut butter
* 1 slice thin crust cheese or vegetable pizza
* 1 low-fat Nature's Valley granola bar (this is half the package), plus 1 small
orange
* Purchase single servings of carrots and celery sticks, or prepare your own by
cleaning and cutting celery and carrots into 3-inch
sticks and storing in a container of cold water in your refrigerator. When
hungry, grab a selection of carrot and celery, and pair
with 1 stick (1 ounce) of part-skim string cheese, 1 tablespoon or hummus, or 1
tablespoon peanut butter.
* 1 container of low-fat or non-fat yogurt plus 5 raw almonds or 1 tablespoon
sliced nuts.
* 7-8 whole strawberries dipped in Splenda, plus a small handful (approximately
15) almonds, pistachios, or peanuts. Shelled nuts
take longer to eat, and make the snack more of a treat.
Happy eating and healthy living!
Jill Turner is the director of operations of Cooper Concepts, Inc., a division
of The Cooper Aerobics Center.


15. Science of Sport: Periodisation models - sport-specific requirements for
skill acquisition and competition readiness:
In last month’s issue, James Marshall gave a detailed account of periodisation
strategies, outlining ways in which training elements
and units could be positioned within linear, reverse linear, undulating,
unidirectional and intermediate periodisation training
plans (PP 198, June 2004). In this article, I will consider the application of
periodisation to a wide range of sports and focus
specifically on how it relates to competition and skill acquisition.
The Soviet sports scientist Matveyev was the pioneer of modern periodisation
theory in the sixties. His work has subsequently been
reinterpreted and modified to produce different periodisation models for
different sports, all aiming to achieve the optimum
conditions for peak performance.
Under the ‘classic’ Matveyev model, the training year is divided into distinct
training phases which, depending on their duration,
are known as macro-, meso- and microcyles. As a rough guide, macrocycles last
months, mesocycles weeks and microcycles days. Within
each cycle, the key training variables of volume, intensity and specificity are
manipulated to create the desired training effect.
Track and field versus team sports
Sports like track and field and swimming tend to lend themselves better to
Matveyev’s original thoughts on periodisation than judo,
football, cricket, rugby and tennis, for two key reasons:
Their performance outcomes in training and competition are easily measurable.
For example, the enhancement of CV ability can be
intrinsically linked to heart rate and VO2max, and the development of strength
and power to percentages of 1 rep maximum (1RM).
They have a relatively low skill component.
This means that track and field athletes and swimmers can establish and work
towards a readily quantifiable periodisation programme,
which is not the case for the more qualitativetype sports, with their much
greater and diverse skill requirements.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050811_PPO_Periodisation.html


16. Getting Figgy - Fab Fruit Takes the Spotlight!
California Fig Advisory Board and Fig Newtons (R) Come Together to Officially
Declare First-Ever Fig Appreciation Week
FRESNO, Calif., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a fact ... figs are fabulous! Yet
most people haven't yet realized the potential to
"Experience the Power of the Fig!"(TM)(1) That's why this week many "Friends of
Fig" are rallying in Fresno, Calif., the "fig
capital," of the country to help this small but mighty fruit take a stand and
get the recognition it has long deserved!
The California Fig Advisory Board and Fig Newtons -- two of the most well- known
fig aficionados -- are bringing food, nutrition and
fitness experts together to kick-off the first-ever official "Fig Appreciation
Week" on August 13th, 2005.
The Meaning of Fig Appreciation Week
Why all the fuss about figs? Why not! Figs are a nutritious and delicious fruit,
a powerhouse of nutrition -- delivering fiber and
antioxidants in a tight but tasty package. According to a recent study published
in the Journal of the American College of
Nutrition,(2) figs have a higher concentration of nutrients when compared to
other common dried fruits like cranberries, raisins and
dates. Each 1/4 cup (40g or about four dried figs) provides 20 percent of the
Daily Value for fiber.(2)
"As a registered dietitian, I can tell you that one easy way to enjoy eating
better is to pick up some fresh or dried figs," says
Jackie Newgent, RD, food writer, chef and longtime friend of the fig. "Just one
serving of figs provides a bundle of nutrients most
of us don't get enough of, including fiber."
More...from Yahoo at:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050811/cgth020.html?.v=19


17. Bone Health in Highly Trained Female Athletes:
by the Directors of Bone Health in Female Runners Intervention Program at
Stanford University's School of Medicine
Highly trained female athletes are often at peak cardiovascular fitness but
face important threats to their skeletal health. Women
that train intensively may produce abnormally low levels of estrogen, which in
turn, may lead to weakened bones. Low bone strength
(or osteopenia), is a risk factor for stress fractures. Young adults with
osteopenia are also more likely to develop osteoporosis
later in life.
It is generally accepted that exercise promotes bone health. However, research
focusing on the relationship between intensive
exercise, bone health, and estrogen produce alarming results concerning the
health of female athletes. The hormone estrogen is
responsible for growth and development of reproductive organs, as well as onset
and regulation of menstruation. In addition,
estrogen is essential for maintaining bone health in women. Events that result
in rapid declines in a woman’s estrogen level, such
as menopause and ovariectomy (removal of the ovaries), also result in rapid
losses in her bone mass and bone strength.
Regular vigorous exercise is associated with decreased estrogen levels in the
blood. In one study, healthy women who began
training for a marathon reduced their estrogen levels by over 50%. These low
estrogen levels often result in menstrual irregularity
in a large proportion of intensively training athletes. Irregularities can
include a late onset of menstrual periods, infrequent
periods (oligomenorrhea), absent periods (amenhorrea), or more subtle
abnormalities, such as a shortened luteal phase and
anovulatory cycles. (The luteal phase refers to the phase of menstruation during
which progesterone is released from the ovum and
the uterine lining proliferates; anovulatory cycles are those menstrual cycles
in which a woman does not ovulate properly. These
abnormalities can only be detected by specific medical tests.) A recent survey
of competitive collegiate cross-country runners found
that 56% missed several menstrual periods a year or had no periods at all.
Cumulative incidence of amenorrhea (loss of period) and
oligomenorrhea among all athletes is even higher. Most studies have considered
athletes with infrequent or absent periods and have
not evaluated athletes with more subtle menstrual disturbances. However, one
study found that runners who menstruate monthly but who
have anovulatory cycles and/or shortened luteal phases also lose bone. This
study is of particular interest because it demonstrates
that highly training females who appear to be menstruating normally may still be
at risk for osteopenia.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/issues/web/b-fit.htm


18. Fit Is One Thing; Obsessive Exercise Is Another:
Many people have asked me why my knees were hobbled by arthritis long before I
turned 60. Being born bowlegged gave them a start.
But I made things worse by jogging daily for about 10 years and playing singles
tennis for an hour nearly every day for more years
than I can remember until increasing knee pain forced me to cut back to three or
four times a week.
Still, in winter, I went ice-skating most days, and during the warmer months, I
cycled 10 miles nearly every morning. About the only
activity that did not damage my knees was lap swimming, which I did four or five
times a week.
I loved my activities and planned my life around them, scheduling my workouts
around family and professional obligations. When I
couldn't do my daily activities - typically two or three a day - for reasons of
weather, travel or closings of the facilities - I
felt out of sorts, even guilty, and worried about gaining weight.
Had I been assessed by a sports medicine specialist at the time, I would have
scored high on the scale of exercise addiction. To use
a less pejorative and more accurate term, I was an obligatory exerciser, overly
committed to an exercise routine probably to the
detriment of my body if not to my psychological and social well-being.
While most Americans remain sadly sedentary, there is a small group of active
people for whom exercise becomes something of an
obsession, pursued despite physical injuries, damaged relationships and time
stolen from work, family and social activities.
More...from the New York Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/09/health/09brod.html


19. Study: Yoga may help keep weight off:
The slow stretches and meditations of yoga don't burn calories like a run on the
treadmill. But a new study suggests it might help
people keep weight off in middle age.
Researchers found that overweight people in their 50s who regularly practiced
yoga lost about five pounds over 10 years, while a
group in the same age range gained about 13 1/2 pounds over the same period.
Middle-aged people of normal weight generally put on pounds over 10 years, but
those who did yoga gained less weight than those who
didn't practice yoga.
The link between yoga and weight loss has nothing to do with burning calories,
said Alan Kristal, one of the researchers from the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who co-authored the study.
"Except for very strenuous yoga practices, you don't really burn enough energy
to make any difference in terms of weight," said
Kristal, who has practiced yoga for 10 years.
Instead, he thinks yoga helps keep people more in tune with their bodies and
eating habits and aware of bad habits, such as eating
because of stress, boredom or depression.
More...from CNN at:
http://us.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/diet.fitness/08/08/yoga.weight.ap/index.html


20. Sit on It: Exercise Ball vs. Office Chair:
After years of searching for the most ergonomic desk chair, many are opting to
ditch the chair altogether and spend their workdays
sitting on an exercise ball instead. Advocates call it "active sitting" and see
it as an easy and effective way to not only improve
posture, but also work the core muscles throughout the day. In addition, the
instability of the ball requires individuals to
frequently change position, which may help alleviate the discomfort of prolonged
sitting, particularly in those with low-back pain.
If you've tried it, however, you know firsthand that it isn't easy. In fact,
sitting for prolonged periods on an exercise ball can
be downright tiring as numerous muscles throughout the body, both large and
small, must be engaged to keep you balanced and upright.
But is sitting on a ball really a better alternative to your standard desk
chair? Researchers at the University of Waterloo,
Ontario, Canada, set out to answer this question by examining the effects of
prolonged ball sitting. The study, sponsored in part by
the American Council on Exercise, consisted of two parts:
* An assessment of torso muscle activation, spine load and stability while
sitting on an exercise ball and on a stool
* An assessment of the pressure distribution over the buttocks and thighs while
sitting on a stool, an office chair and an exercise
ball.
More...from Ace Fitness at:
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/exerciseball.aspx


21. Dysmenorrhea and Injury Link:
A survey of 127 Swedish female endurance runners found that athletes with
menstrual dysfunction missed more training time recovering
from injury than those with normal menstrual cycles.
Fifty-seven percent of the surveyed women had been injured at least once in the
past year, experiencing tendonitis, sprained
ligaments, strained or inflamed muscles, fractures and other musculoskeletal
injuries.
Women who were injured suffered the same frequency and types of injuries
regardless of their menstrual pattern.
But those who menstruated less than once every six weeks were sidelined by their
injuries for much longer than those with more
frequent cycles - an average of 34 days for dysmenorrheic women, versus 25 days
for women with normal cycles on oral contraceptives,
and a mere nine days for women with normal cycles who were not on oral
contraceptives.
More...from Ace Fitness at:
http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitbits_display.aspx?itemid=312


22. Don't take a vacation from exercise:
Looking back on my first year out of college, I remember rolling into the month
of June excited about long summer days and spending
as much time as possible at the beach just doing nothing.
Then I entered the adult world and found myself with one measly week of
vacation. And not when I wanted it but when it was
convenient for the boss to let me have it.
We should cherish these precious days of leisure, shouldn't we? You'd think so.
But studies show a declining trend when it comes to taking a little "me" time. A
survey conducted for travel giant Expedia.com
showed Americans took the fewest vacation days, 12, compared with other
countries in the survey; Canada, France, Germany, Great
Britain and the Netherlands. Germany topped the list with an average of 27
vacation days per adult.
What's even more surprising is that many of you out there are not even taking
advantage of that allotted two weeks. The survey
showed that 30 percent of employed U.S. adults gave up some of their vacation
days, resulting in 415-million unused days in 2004
with a predicted 421 million this year.
We need money. We feel guilty. We forgo vacations for a variety of reasons.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12019&sidebar=17&category=activeusahome\
page


23. Eating for Performance:
Nutrition, just like your triathlon training, can be quite confusing if you
don’t have the right information.
This article will provide you the tools to build an eating program that will
support your training, improve your performance and
help you achieve optimal health.
The Essentials
Let’s start with the six essential nutrients you need for good health and
effective training.
Carbohydrates are the ultimate source of energy for your body. Each gram of
carbohydrate provides 4 calories. Your body stores
carbohydrates in low amounts, thus the importance of eating them during training
to make sure your body has a constant supply to
keep working. As intensity of exercise increases, logically the need for
carbohydrates also increases. Recommended daily amount for
a triathlete: 5-10 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight.
Protein has 4 calories per gram and provides your muscles the amino acids they
need for rebuilding broken down muscle. Protein does
not get stored in the body as protein: It gives its amino acids to the muscles
(and DNA) that need repair and forms a very toxic
substance with nitrogen compounds. This toxic substance, ammonia, is escorted to
a very efficient metabolic cycle where it goes
through many biochemical changes and eventually is excreted in the urine.
Recommended daily amount: 1.2-1.4 grams of protein per
kilogram of body weight.
Fat has 9 calories per gram and serves many important purposes, most notably for
body processes such as body insulation, internal
organ protection, nerve transmission and metabolizing the fat-soluble vitamins
(A, D, E and K). It’s not necessary to consume more
fat to achieve better performance since your body will only utilize 3-15 percent
energy from fat during exercise. Recommended daily
amount: 0.8-1.0 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight.
More...from Sweat Magazine at:
http://www.sweatmagazine.com/story.cfm?story_id=10360&publicationID=308&pageID=5\
644


24. Nutrition For The Triathlon: Putting it into practice:
Nutrition is often seen as a complicated and confusing subject, but with a
little knowledge this is an area of your training that
can increase your performance and help keep your season injury free.
This article looks at the key stages in your training throughout the year and
how nutrition can support the demands you place on
your body.
Annual Stages
Build
Once a race season is over and the triathlete has wound down and recovered from
intense racing and training they tend to look toward
the build phase. This is where weaknesses found during the last season can be
worked on and the focus is more towards building
strength and power rather than muscular and physical endurance.
During this phase the triathlete may spend more time in the gym strengthening
leg and chest muscles. This means the body will
require more protein to assist recovery and development of muscle tissue. Try
not to neglect your carbohydrate intake, as this will
help you maintain your enthusiasm and focus whilst in the gym and also assist in
your body's ability to absorb protein.
Using weights to increase your muscle size and power also puts extra stress on
your joints. Along with your regular stretching
routine look towards protecting your joints by using such products such as
Glucosamine and adding extra essential fatty acids (such
as fish oils) to your diet. As mentioned before oily fish will add extra protein
as well as essential fatty acids.
This phase is also useful for focusing on technique, whether this is your stroke
in the pool or your cycling position.
More...from TriTalk at:
http://www.tritalk.co.uk/training/article.php


25. Your Inner Coach – How to handle negative thoughts:
By Randy Bernard, Coach at TRImyCoach.com
I know what you are thinking, "Why should I read an article about handling
negative thoughts?" You would probably prefer some tips
on the latest "run-till-you-puke" mile repeat track workout or possibly a
"swim-till-you’re-dizzy" pool workout, but as Yogi Berra
said, "sport is 90% mental and 50% physical." While his math skills may need
some work, his point was well taken. Often times it is
our mental outlook on training and competing that is our biggest limiting factor
for ultimate performance.
Most sports are comprised of four basic components: technical, tactical,
physiological and psychological. The technical component is
the actual skill necessary to play the sport (e.g. dribbling in basketball,
stroke technique for swimming, etc.) The tactical refers
to strategies used to implement those techniques (e.g. what offense/defense to
run in football). The physiological aspect refers to
the physical demands in a given event. Finally, the psychological component
covers motivation, handling negative thoughts,
visualization, and self-confidence.
This article will focus on some of the key points of the negative "self-talk"
and how to improve your positive mental picture. Let’s
start with a key point: Negativity will almost certainly guarantee that you’ll
fail to reach your dreams. So with that being said,
let’s discover how we can manage the negativity.
More...from TRImyCoach at:
http://www.trimycoach.com/articles/handling_negative_thoughts.htm


THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS:
*Please verify event dates with the event websites*

August 6-14, 2005:

IAAF 2005 World Championships - Helsinki, Finland
http://www.helsinki2005.fi/
IAAF
http://www.iaaf.org
IAAF Radio
http://www.iaaf.org/multimedia/AudioWCH05,StreamID=1.html
EuroSport
http://www.eurosport.com/home/pages/v4/l0/s6/e9296/sport_lng0_spo6_evt9296.shtml
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4728703.stm
World Championship Television - CBC 20:00 EDT Sunday, August 7 - Friday, August
12
Track and Field from Helsinki, Finland

August 6-20, 2005:

Canada Summer Games - Regina, SASK
http://www.2005jeuxducanadagames.ca/english/index.html

August 13, 2005:

Cornwall Transit Triathlon - ON
http://www.seawayvalley.com/triathlon05/triathlon05.shtml

Elvis Run - Dallas, TX
http://www.elvisrun.com/"

Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon - Georgetown, CO
http://www.bkbltd.com

Vineman Triathlon - Santa Rosa, CA
http://www.vineman.com

August 14, 2005:

America's Finest City Half Marathon - San Diego, CA
http://www.afchalf.com/

Leading Ladies' Marathon - Lead to Spearfish, SD
http://www.leadingladiesmarathon.com

SBLI Falmouth Road Race - Falmouth, MA
http://sblifalmouthroadrace.com

August 21, 2005:

See You In Torino Races - Ottawa, ON
http://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=1749

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 Online Store
http://store.runnersweb.com

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TrainingPeaks.com by Wes Hobson.
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The TRACK PROFILE Reader 2004, an in-depth review of the 2003 season by Bob
Ramsak, is now available. Selected from hundreds of
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READER provides a unique look back at the
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depth profiles of the sport's biggest stars and
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The Stretching Handbook:
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The Stretching Video in a DVD version. With the DVD version you're able to use
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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...**