A FREE WEEKLY E-ZINE OF MULTISPORT RELATED ARTICLES.
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THIS WEEK:

Tanita has developed the Ironman Innerscan Body Composition Monitor.
"From Tanita, The Body Fat Experts, comes the BC 554 Ironman Innerscan Body
Composition Monitor. This scale is a unique and highly
accurate body composition monitor. This product not only measures weight and
body fat, it also tells you your muscle mass, body
water %, basal metabolic rate (BMR), metabolic age, bone mass, visceral fat and
rates your physique! The muscle mass feature
indicates the weight of muscle in the body. The Body Water % is the total amount
of fluid in the body expressed as a percentage of
total weight. The BMR is the daily minimum level of energy or calories your body
requires when resting (including sleeping) to
function effectively. The Metabolic Age compares your BMR to the average age
associated with that level of metabolism. The Bone Mass
is the weight of your bone in your body. The Visceral Fat is the fat in the
abdominal cavity (stomach), surrounding the vital
organs. The Physique Rating is a rating of your body type; 1-9. Its sleek,
modern design of glass and silver accents is a compliment
to any bathroom. Monitor your health and fitness with an Ironman Body
Composition Monitor."
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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: Can Going To The Ball Help You Run Faster?
2. Science of Sport: Eleutherococcus Senticosus - Can adaptogens help athletes
reduce their risk of infections and overtraining?
3. Sportsmedicine: Pulled Muscles, Scar Tissue and Re-Injury
How does scar tissue affect recovery and re-injury of pulled muscles and sports
injury?
4. Eat food, not vitamins
5. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
6. The Great VO2 max Myth by Doctor Andrew Bosch
7. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Time on Your Side
8. Muscle Cramps (Of Skeletal Muscles)
9. Researchers studying treatment for `the blahs'
10. From Runner's World
11. Heart Health: Scientists Shed Light on a Secret of the Olive Tree
12. Soldiers at risk for heat illnesses
13. Cardiac Benefits of Sport
14. Training: Nutrition, Performance and Body Comp Basics
15. Science of Sport: Adenosine - ATP is no creatine
16. Science of Sport: Eleutherococcus Senticosus - Can adaptogens help athletes
reduce their risk of infections and overtraining?
17. Late-season charge: Four tips to maintain your fitness and motivation
18. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine - September 4, 2005
19. When it Comes to Hydration and Exercise, the System Works
20. Science of Sport: Carbohydrate mouthwash is ergogenic
21. Coaching Tales with Cliff English: Strengthen up
22. Start Your Engine
Worried about your metabolism idling with age? Here's how to keep it revved for
the long haul.
23. A Pain in the Butt
Prevention and Treatment of Piriformis Syndrome.
24. 15 Essential Tips for Fitness, Vitality, and Feeling Better
You Can Gain Without Pain You Can Gain Without Pain.
25. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"When you are unable to run, what do you do for exercise?"

You can access the poll from our FrontPage as well as 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: "Which of the following marathons gives the winner the
most significant status?
The results at publication time were:
Answers Votes Percent

FIVE STAR SITE OF THE WEEK: RENATA KOCH
Born: July 23, 1985
Hometown: Baja, Hungary. Residence: Baja, Hungary.
Height: 168 cm. Weight: 52 kg
Clubs:
Mogyi Triathlon Team (Baja, Hungary) 1997-
Duursport Organisatie Kempen (DOK, Belgium) 2004-
National Team Member since:
Youth 2000-2002. Junior since 2002-2004. Elite since 2003-
Awards:
• 2003 Junior Triathlete of the Year (Hungary)
• 2003 Junior Duathlete of the Year (Hungary)
• 2003 Junior Triathlete and Duathlete of the Year (Petõfi Népe daily newspaper
Hungary)
• 2003 Elite Triathlete of the Year (Bács-Kiskun County Association of
Triathletes, Hungary)
• 2003 Junior Triathlete of the Year (Bács-Kiskun County Association of
Triathletes, Hungary)
• 2003 Elite Duathlete of the Year (Bács-Kiskun County Association of
Triathletes)
• 2003 Junior Duathlete of the Year (Bács-Kiskun County Association of
Triathletes)
• 2002 Junior Duathlete of the Year (Hungary)
• 2002 Junior Triathlete of the Year (Bács-Kiskun County Association of
Triathletes)
• 2002 Junior Triathlete of the Year (Bács-Kiskun County Association of
Triathletes)
• 2002 Junior Triathlete and Duathlete of the Year (Petõfi Népe daily newspaper
Hungary)
Personal: Born Renata Koch July 23, 1985 in Baja Hungary… Child to Ibolya and
Antal Koch… Attended III. Béla College in Baja
Hungary… Hobbies include computer, reading books… After triathlon career she
looks forward to build a family.
Visit her website at:
http://www.bacskaisport.hu/renatakoch/


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:
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Our Photo Slideshow is updated on a random basis. Check it out from our
FrontPage.


BOOK OF THE WEEK:
The Woman Triathlete
Unlike any other triathlon book on the market, each chapter in "The Woman
Triathlete" is told from the perspective of one of the
sport's foremost female coaches or competitors. Current "Her Sports" magazine
and former "Triathlete" magazine editor-in-chief
Christina Gandolfo enlisted this all-star cast to bring readers the information
they have long been craving to train, compete, and
succeed in this sport.
In total, 15 of triathlon's highest profile women have been assembled to create
this highly comprehensive and detailed guide.
Buy the book from Human Kinetics at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736054\
308


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: Can Going To The Ball Help You Run Faster?
By Owen Anderson, Ph. D. (Copyright © 2004-2005)
The idea that improved core stability leads to better running economy appears to
be one of those “slam-dunk” propositions. After
all, upgraded strength in the abdominal and low-back muscles should prevent
unnecessary movements of the trunk during running,
lowering the energy cost of moving along at one’s chosen pace (overall cost is
reduced because the muscular activity needed to
correct improper trunk motion becomes minimal). A solid core also provides an
unshakable foundation for the legs as they exert force
upon the ground; this should lead to more distance covered per step and per unit
of muscular force, enhancing efficiency. Finally, a
Gibraltar-like core reduces the likelihood of excessive arm swing during running
(1). Extra arm swing is often a natural attempt to
compensate for weak core muscles; when the core lets the trunk rotate too much
with each step, the arms try to compensate by
“overswinging” to fight off the trunk’s wild gyrations. Get the core in shape,
and the arms settle down, too.
Athletes use a variety of “ab” and low-back exertions to get their mid-sections
in shape, but they are seldom sure that their
tedious core efforts are actually improving their stability during their
sporting movements, which is what really matters. Published
research in this area is light, to say the least, but there has been an
interesting recent development: Various scientific
investigations have suggested that training with a Swiss ball can boost core
strength in a functional way. For example, a study
completed with Rugby Union players determined that Swiss-ball work decreased the
risk of low-back injury (2). A separate piece of
research carried out with collegiate swimmers found that Swiss-ball training
upgraded core stability (3).
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050909_RRN_Swiss_Ball.html


2. Science of Sport: Eleutherococcus Senticosus - Can adaptogens help athletes
reduce their risk of infections and overtraining?
The results of a German study
These Russian trials of Eleutherococcus Senticosus carried out with humans are
somewhat convincing - but still questionable because
of the methods used in the studies. Fortunately, there is other research
completed outside the Soviet Union which strongly suggests
that Eleutherococcus Senticosus can bolster the immune system. In perhaps the
most convincing of these studies carried out so far,
B. Bohn and co-workers in Heidelberg, West Germany looked at immune parameters
in 18 individuals who took one tablespoon of
Eleutherococcus Senticosus extract three times daily and 18 placebo subjects who
received no ES. This experiment was carried out in
a randomized, double-blind fashion for a total of four weeks, and it was
confirmed that the active ingredient in the Eleutherococcus
Senticosus extract - Eleutheroside B - was present in a concentration of .2 per
cent.
The subjects in this study had venous blood drawn both before and after
Eleutherococcus Senticosus administration, and the samples
were analysed by flow cytometry, which counted absolute numbers of immune cells
present in their blood. Overall, the Eleutherococcus
Senticosus group showed an absolute increase in all immune cells measured. Total
T-cell numbers advanced by 78 per cent, T
helper/inducer cells went up by 80 per cent, cytotoxic Ts by 67 percent, and NK
cells by 30 per cent, compared to the control group.
B Iymphocytes, which are cells that produce antibodies against infectious
organisms, expanded by 22 per cent in the Eleutherococcus
Senticosus subjects, compared to controls. Most importantly, no side effects
were noted in the Eleutherococcus Senticosus subjects
up to five months after Eleutherococcus Senticosus administration ended. The
researchers stated: 'We conclude from our data that
Eleutherococcus senticosus exerts a strong immunomodulatory effect in healthy
normal subjects.' Their paper was published in a
peer-reviewed scientific journal (Bohn, B. et al, 'Flow Cytometric Studies with
Eleutherococcus senticosus Extract as an
Immunomodulatory Agent,' Arzneimittel-Forschung Drug Research,vol.37(10),pp.
1193-1196, 1987),and the Bohn study has caused drug
companies to spend millions of dollars in an effort to get Eleutherococcus
Senticosus approved as a drug by the FDA in the States.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050904_PPO_Adaptogens.html


3. Sportsmedicine: Pulled Muscles, Scar Tissue and Re-Injury:
How does scar tissue affect recovery and re-injury of pulled muscles and sports
injury?
Have you ever had an injury that just won't heal? And then when you think it has
healed, you go and re-injure it again. You may have
a problem with scar tissue.
So you've pulled a muscle? Over-stretched it, torn it, strained it, sprained it.
Call it what you want. From an injury point of
view, the initial healing process is all the same.
Sprains (ligament) and strains (muscle or tendon) are the most common type of
soft tissue sports injury and are often caused by
activities that require the muscles to stretch and contract at the same time. A
lack of conditioning, flexibility and warm up can
also contribute.
While most people are well aware of the importance of applying the R.I.C.E.
regime to a sprain or strain in the first 48 to 72
hours, it's after this that most people get stuck. Let's start by having a look
at what happens during those first 72 hours and then
move onto what's needed for a full recovery.
The First 72 Hours
Without a doubt, the most effective, initial treatment for soft tissue injury is
the R.I.C.E.R. regime. This involves the
application of (R) rest, (I) ice, (C) compression, (E) elevation and obtaining a
(R) referral for appropriate medical treatment.
Where the R.I.C.E.R. regime has been used immediately after the occurrence of an
injury, it has been shown to significantly reduce
recovery time. R.I.C.E.R. forms the first, and perhaps most important stage of
injury rehabilitation, providing the early base for
the complete recovery of injury.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050905_TSH_Pulled_Muscles.html


4. Eat food, not vitamins:
On the surface, it makes all the sense in the world: Since fruits, vegetables,
and fish contain loads of healthy nutrients, why not
isolate those vitamins, put them in pills, and gobble them up? And wouldn't more
be better?
Then we could just skip the strawberries, spinach, and salmon, and let fistfuls
of vitamin tablets provide a fortified shield of
protection against cancer, heart disease, and other ailments, right?
"It's a very plausible hypothesis," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive
medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "However,
when submitted to rigorous testing, it has not held up. . . . It's an
oversimplified view."
Three times over this summer, scientists writing in medical journals have
attacked the notion that heavy-duty helpings of vitamins
can thwart life-threatening illnesses. In some cases, they argued, excessive
supplementation may even be harmful.
The way to live a long, healthy life, the researchers insisted, is not to pop
lots of pills, but to eat a balanced, healthy diet.
More...from the Bradenton Herald at:
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/living/health/12536935.htm


5. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine:
Sports Injuries Can Be Explained with Bio-Mechanics.
Running seems like a safe sport, so many people are surprised to learn
that it causes frequent injuries to muscles, tendons,
bones and joints. During running, your foot strikes the ground with a force
equal to three times body weight, a force more than
double that of walking. Many common running injuries have bio-mechanical
causes. For example, pain in the side of the right knee
is often treated just by getting the runner to stop running on the roads. To
facilitate drainage, roads slope a few degrees from
the middle to the sides. Running on the side of a
road, facing traffic, causes the right leg to be higher than the left and a
larger proportion of the force of the foot strike to be
transmitted up to the lateral part of the knee of the higher leg.
Pain behind the kneecap is often treated with special inserts in shoes.
When you run, you land on the outside bottom part
of your foot and roll toward the inside. This causes the lower leg to twist
inward at the same time that the kneecap is pulled by
the quadriceps muscle in the opposite direction. This causes the kneecap to rub
against the long bone of the upper leg. Special
inserts can be placed in running shoes that limit rolling in of the foot and
prevent kneecap pain.
Bio-mechanics can explain injuries in other sports as well. Low back
pain in bicycle riders is often treated just by
raising the handlebars. Bending over excessively places excessive stress on the
lower back muscles. Raising the handlebar stem can
decrease the forces on the lower back and cure the pain. If something hurts
when you exercise, ask yourself what you can do
bio-mechanically to eliminate the
excessive stress on that part of your body.


6. The Great VO2 max Myth by Doctor Andrew Bosch:
I often receive telephone calls from runners wanting to know if it would be
possible to measure their VO2 max. My standard answer is
something along the lines that it is, indeed, possible. However, I then go on to
ask why they want to have their VO2 max measured?
There is usually one of two replies. Firstly, I am told, by knowing his or her
VO2 max the runner will know that esoteric time that
he or she is ultimately capable of running for some particular race distance,
and therefore their ultimate potential as a runner.
Secondly, once their VO2 max is known it will be possible to prescribe the
ultimate personalised training schedule. My response to
both is that knowing the VO2 max of a runner does not answer either question.
It is widely believed that the VO2 max is genetically determined and unchanging
and that an individual is born with either a high or
low "max". Someone with a high value has muscles that are capable of utilising
large amounts of oxygen and a cardiovascular system
capable of delivering this volume of oxygen. The athlete is able to run at a
maximum aerobic speed that this oxygen supply can
sustain. In this paradigm it does not appear to matter whether the runner is
unfit or superbly fit, the outcome of a VO2 max test
remains the same. However, it is intuitively obvious that when fit the athlete
can run much faster on the treadmill than when unfit.
Thus, since VO2 max is genetically determined and does not change (in this
model), VO2 max would be reached at a relatively slow
running speed when a runner is unfit compared to when very fit, when a much
higher speed can be reached on the treadmill. This means
that in a totally unfit world-class runner we would measure a high VO2 max (say
75 ml/kg/min or higher) at a speed of maybe 17 km/hr
on the treadmill. When very fit the same athlete will reach the same VO2 max at
a speed of about 24 km/hr. The problem is that such
a high VO2 max is never measured at a speed of just 17 km/hr. This would be
almost impossibly inefficient. The theory of a
genetically set and unchanging VO2 max therefore begins to appear a little
shaky.
More...from Time-To-Run at:
http://www.time-to-run.com/theabc/vo2.htm


7. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Time on Your Side:
It's a simple question: "How far did you run today?" Runners ask it of each
other, and non-runners sometimes feign interest by
asking about our distances.
The question means how far in miles. I never have a quick answer. Mine begins
with, "Uhh...hmm... let's see," as I work some mental
math that's never more than a wild guess.
Ask me instead, "How LONG did you run?" and I'll tell you instantly and
accurately. You see, I'm not a distance runner but a TIME
runner.
Time means a great deal to every runner. It means everything to me, because most
days miles don't count; only minutes do.
Once a stern taskmaster of mine, time has become a good friend. It used to taunt
me with impossible deadlines to beat but now offers
a satisfying quotas to meet.
Back when running with a reliable watch first became an option, I stepped into a
time trap. Each course was measured, each run timed
and each a course-record attempt.
The records fell easily at first. Dozens of seconds peeled away with every
running of a course, and I could hardly wait for the next
chance to improve.
Speed eventually neared its peak. The records forced me to work ever harder to
drop a less and less time. These time trials came to
feel like races, which are fun to run sporadically but not daily.
I feared the verdict of the watch, where I either lost the race against time
that day or would lose it soon by making the record
even harder to break. The time trap had snapped shut.
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/526.html


8. Muscle Cramps (Of Skeletal Muscles):
*What are muscle cramps?
*What are the types and causes of muscle cramps?
*Do all muscle cramps fit into the above categories?
*Can medications cause muscle cramps?
*Can vitamin deficiencies cause muscle cramps?
*Can poor circulation cause muscle cramps?
*What are the symptoms of common muscle cramps and how are they diagnosed?
*What is the treatment of skeletal muscle cramps?
*How can muscle cramps be prevented?
* Are there medications to prevent muscle* cramps?
*What is the prognosis of recurrent muscle cramps?
*Muscle Cramps At A Glance
*What are muscle cramps?
When we use the muscles that can voluntarily be controlled, such as those of our
arms and legs, they alternately contract and relax
as we move our limbs. Muscles that support our head, neck, and trunk contract
similarly in a synchronized fashion to maintain our
posture. A muscle (or even a few fibers of a muscle) that involuntarily (without
consciously willing it) contracts is called a
"spasm." If the spasm is forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. A muscle
cramp is thus defined as an involuntarily and forcibly
contracted muscle that does not relax.
Muscle cramps can last anywhere from a few seconds to a quarter of an hour, and
occasionally longer. It is not uncommon for a cramp
to recur multiple times until it finally goes away. The cramp may involve a part
of a muscle, the entire muscle, or several muscles
that usually act together, such as those that flex adjacent fingers. Some cramps
involve the simultaneous contraction of muscles
that ordinarily move body parts in opposite directions.
Cramps are extremely common. Almost everyone (one estimate is about 95%)
experiences a cramp at some time in their life. Cramps are
common in adults and become increasingly frequent with aging. However, children
also experience cramps.
Any of the muscles that are under our voluntary control (skeletal muscles) can
cramp. Cramps of the extremities, especially the legs
and feet, and most particularly the calf (the classic "charley horse"), are very
common. Involuntary muscles of the various organs
(uterus, blood vessel wall, intestinal tract, bile and urine passages, bronchial
tree, etc.) are also subject to cramps. Cramps of
the involuntary muscles will not be further considered in this review. This
article focuses on cramps of skeletal muscle.
More...from MedicineNet.com at:
http://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_cramps/article.htm


9. Researchers studying treatment for `the blahs':
TRIAL WILL LOOK AT EFFECT OF DRUGS ON LONG-TERM BLUES
What is the best way to cure ``the blahs''? A new exercise routine? A trip to
the therapist? Or could medication help a patient who
persistently feels blue but doesn't have major depression?
That's what Stanford University doctors hope to learn in a provocative new study
that tests if a drug can treat melancholy. But
critics wonder if drugs are the answer.
Already approved for use against major depression, the drug Cymbalta is being
given to volunteers at the university's medical school
to see if it combats a milder type of depression called dysthymia -- that
persistent down-in-the-dumps mood that affects as many as
18 million Americans.
``Dysthymia hasn't gotten the attention it deserves,'' said Dr. Elias Aboujaoude
of Stanford University School of Medicine. The
condition is frequently considered just a character trait, and untreatable,
according to Aboujaoude. ``The assumption is: `This is
just what my personality is like,' '' he said.
Dysthymia, which literally means ``ill-humored,'' until 1980 was classified by
the psychiatric profession as a mere form of
neurosis.
Over the years, it has been credited with motivating such 19th-century artists
and writers as Friedrich Nietzsche and Edgar Allan
Poe. It has even been the butt of jokes, such as the ``Sad Sack'' cartoon strip
which featured an pathetic, unlucky and unhappy
World War II draftee.
More...from the Mercury News at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/health/12565248.htm


10. From Runner's World:
* Coach's Corner
Try a Solo Flight: Every few days, run solo. Solo running allows you to relax
and de-stress. You don't have to worry about anyone
else, so you feel in control of the workout. It's easy to adjust your goals and
expectations up or down. This sense of freedom
releases your mind and body. -Jeff Galloway

* Injury Prevention
Maintaining flexibility of your iliotibial (IT) band is crucial to keeping your
legs limber. This broad, flat ligament that connects
your hip to your lower knee is the most frequent cause of outer-knee pain in
runners. 1.Stand with your right side facing a wall.
2.Cross your left leg behind your right. 3.Lean your left hip away from the
wall. 4.Bring both arms overhead, clasp your hands and
pull them to the right. Switch sides and repeat.

* Performance Nutrition
Healthy Snacking: Raisins, along with apples, pears, nuts and parsley are a
great source of the mineral boron, which plays a role in
brain function, perhaps combating drowsiness. So, eat up!

* Words That Inspire:
"Succeeding in running should be seen as an allegory for succeeding in every
aspect of life. Set goals, plan out how to achieve
them, then stick to the plan." -Kim Griffin, 1982 NCAA and U.S. 10,000m champion

* Editor's Advice:
"If you experience numerous nagging injuries, remember that more isn't always
better. Consider programming some downtime into your
training by taking off at least 1 day each week. Also, make sure to give
yourself some recovery time after every race." -Eric Paul,
RW senior
designer

* Training Talk:
"In runners, the muscles of the upper body lag in strength behind those of the
lower body, which get all the exercise. Runners
should supplement their miles with exercises that restore strength balances and
make fitness more complete." From Amby Burfoot's
Runner's World Complete Book of Running



11. Heart Health: Scientists Shed Light on a Secret of the Olive Tree:
Researchers may have pinned down one important reason for the positive effect
olive oil appears to have on cardiovascular health: it
contains a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory chemical.
The substance, which the researchers call oleocanthal, has the same
anti-inflammatory effect as drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin,
which can inhibit the sometimes harmful effects of enzymes called cox-1 and
cox-2.
The report appears in the Sept. 1 issue of Nature.
Scientists have long known that low-doses of the cox inhibitors confer various
benefits on the people who use them.
Now, the researchers are speculating that the health benefits that are widely
linked to the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in
olive oil in various forms, may stem at least in part from the same mechanism.
"There is ample evidence that chronic low-dose anti-inflammatories have multiple
health benefits that may range from reducing the
risk of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers - breast, lung, colon - to
reducing the risk of terminal dementias such as
Alzheimer's," said Paul A. S. Breslin, who is a co-author of the report and a
researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in
Philadelphia.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/06/health/nutrition/06nutr.html


12. Soldiers at risk for heat illnesses:
A study reviewing 22 years of data on heat illness hospitalizations and deaths
in the U.S. Army indicates soldiers remain at risk
for exertional heat illness. While hospitalization rates for heat illnesses have
declined over this period, cases of heat stroke
have increased.
The research, presented in the August issue of Medicine & Science in Sports &
Exercise, the official journal of the American College
of Sports Medicine (ACSM), is the largest and most comprehensive epidemiological
study of these conditions to date.
From 1980 through 2002, 5,246 soldiers were hospitalized and 37 died from
heat-related illnesses, which include heat injury - a
mild-to-severe form characterized by organ and tissue injury with high body
temperatures as a result of strenuous exercise - and
heat exhaustion, which is not associated with organ damage. Heat exhaustion, the
most common form of heat illness, makes it
difficult for the body to regulate its temperature. Symptoms include general
weakness, fatigue, dizziness, headache, muscle cramps,
hyperventilation, nausea, and loss of muscle control. Heat stroke is the most
serious form of heat illness, in which high body
temperature causes central nervous system dysfunction and organ and tissue
damage.
More...from News-Medical.net at:
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=12997



13. Cardiac Benefits of Sport:
When asked about his personal recipe for old age, Winston Churchill used to
answer: “First of all: No sports.” While being a
visionary figure in world politics researchers in cardiovascular exercise
science today would unanimously reply to his medical
hypothesis: “Sorry, you are wrong.”
A large number of long-term observational studies clearly documented that
increased levels of average daily physical activity were
correlated to a reduced rate of coronary heart disease and reduced cardiac and
all-cause mortality. Moderately active persons were
30-40% less likely to die from heart disease as compared to the inactive “couch
potato.” Despite this solid epidemiologic evidence,
the proportion of people who do not engage in sports at all is ever increasing:
About two thirds of all Americans, for example, do
not participate in regular leisure-time physical activity. This lack of sports
is closely related to the epidemic of other risk
factors for future heart attacks: Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and
elevated cholesterol levels. Together, these
inactivity-related diseases cost about US$76 billion per year to treat in the
US.
But physical activity is not only beneficial in healthy people to prevent
cardiovascular diseases. Also patients with stable
coronary artery disease can extend their life-expectancy by engaging in sports:
A recent meta-analysis revealed a significant 27%
reduction of total mortality among training patients and a significant 31%
reduction in cardiac mortality. Even when compared to
sophisticate interventional procedures, exercise training is surprisingly
effective in improving the patient's well-being. In a
recent study which randomized patients with coronary 1- or 2-vessel disease to
either the standard interventional treatment or to
regular exercise training, we found a higher event-free survival in the training
group and a similar improvement of cardiac
symptoms. This finding confirms again that there is no cardiac gain without the
pain of changing your inactive lifestyle.
More...from Medical News Today at:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=30172


14. Training: Nutrition, Performance and Body Comp Basics:
By Jeb Stewart MS, CSCS
Believe it or not, as closely related as it is, this article was not inspired by
Carmichael’s book. I actually had the idea while
riding my bike, which is usually when they come to me (note to self, ride bike
when writer’s block occurs) and it was inspired by
the omnipresent confusion over what to eat, how much and when. Not to take
anything away from Mr. Carmichael, as usual, he beat many
of us to the punch and paved the way for those of us who will follow. (He’s good
at that and I admire and thank him for it). But
none-the-less, for those that haven’t read it, or for those just interested in a
few tips to help them make the most out of the time
they put in training, I will try to keep the information that I convey simple.
No, really, I mean it! Just don’t hold me to it! ;-)
It has been said time and time again that the time we put in on the bike is only
one part of the overall training/performance
equation. All be it one of the most critical, it is not uncommon to see athletes
who spend way more time on the bike than they
probably should, get lackluster results or have a body weight that is not what
you’d expect from such an amount of training. How
often have you seen the guy who rides more than you have a pot-belly, or the one
who is obsessed about their eating, counting every
calorie? Neither of them is setting any land speed records and may even be
getting dropped. This is quite often the result of one of
two basic problems regarding nutrition; 1) too many or too few calories, or 2)
the wrong kinds of food eaten at the wrong time. Like
I said, for the purpose of this article and your sanity, we are going to attempt
to keep it simple.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050907_PCG_Nutrition_Performanc\
e.html


15. Science of Sport: Adenosine - ATP is no creatine:
The search for the ‘new creatine’ continues – but ATP (adenosine 5-triphosphate)
seems unlikely to fit the bill if the results of a
new US study are anything to go by.
ATP (adenosine 5-triphosphate), found in every human cell, is the body’s
universal energy donor. It also plays a key role in a
number of other biological processes, including neurotransmission, muscle
contraction, cardiac and circulatory function and liver
glycogen metabolism.
So it is not too far-fetched to assume that supplementary ATP (adenosine
5-triphosphate) might offer some useful ergogenic benefits
for athletes, particularly enhanced anaerobic capacity and muscular strength.
That was the theory these researchers set out to test with a study of 27 healthy
men, randomly split into three equal groups
receiving one of the following oral supplements for 14 days:
* Low-dose ATP (adenosine 5-triphosphate) (150mg);
* High-dose ATP (adenosine 5-triphosphate) (225mg);
* Placebo.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050906_PPO_ATP.html


16. Science of Sport: Eleutherococcus Senticosus - Can adaptogens help athletes
reduce their risk of infections and overtraining?
The results of a German study
These Russian trials of Eleutherococcus Senticosus carried out with humans are
somewhat convincing - but still questionable because
of the methods used in the studies. Fortunately, there is other research
completed outside the Soviet Union which strongly suggests
that Eleutherococcus Senticosus can bolster the immune system. In perhaps the
most convincing of these studies carried out so far,
B. Bohn and co-workers in Heidelberg, West Germany looked at immune parameters
in 18 individuals who took one tablespoon of
Eleutherococcus Senticosus extract three times daily and 18 placebo subjects who
received no ES. This experiment was carried out in
a randomized, double-blind fashion for a total of four weeks, and it was
confirmed that the active ingredient in the Eleutherococcus
Senticosus extract - Eleutheroside B - was present in a concentration of .2 per
cent.
The subjects in this study had venous blood drawn both before and after
Eleutherococcus Senticosus administration, and the samples
were analysed by flow cytometry, which counted absolute numbers of immune cells
present in their blood. Overall, the Eleutherococcus
Senticosus group showed an absolute increase in all immune cells measured. Total
T-cell numbers advanced by 78 per cent, T
helper/inducer cells went up by 80 per cent, cytotoxic Ts by 67 percent, and NK
cells by 30 per cent, compared to the control group.
B Iymphocytes, which are cells that produce antibodies against infectious
organisms, expanded by 22 per cent in the Eleutherococcus
Senticosus subjects, compared to controls. Most importantly, no side effects
were noted in the Eleutherococcus Senticosus subjects
up to five months after Eleutherococcus Senticosus administration ended. The
researchers stated: 'We conclude from our data that
Eleutherococcus senticosus exerts a strong immunomodulatory effect in healthy
normal subjects.' Their paper was published in a
peer-reviewed scientific journal (Bohn, B. et al, 'Flow Cytometric Studies with
Eleutherococcus senticosus Extract as an
Immunomodulatory Agent,' Arzneimittel-Forschung Drug Research,vol.37(10),pp.
1193-1196, 1987),and the Bohn study has caused drug
companies to spend millions of dollars in an effort to get Eleutherococcus
Senticosus approved as a drug by the FDA in the States.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050904_PPO_Adaptogens.html


17. Late-season charge: Four tips to maintain your fitness and motivation:
Triathlon can be a long season. In fact, we really don't even have a season.
Yes, the summer is when most races occur, but it is
possible to race year round. And for many athletes, it is entirely possible that
their last race will be nearly nine months after
their first race of the year.
We all enjoy the challenge and excitement of racing; however, continuous racing
and focused training can lead to waning motivation.
Often, we see this lack of motivation begin to surface at precisely the wrong
time: the end of the season when you want to be at
your best. Here are a few tactics to help you make the final push to your key
events in the coming weeks.
Put your feet up
Rest is one of the most important yet most overlooked aspects of training,
especially as a goal race approaches. Many athletes feel
the only way they will improve is to push every day. Always remember, however,
that your easy days are just as important as your
hard days. This is called the overload principle.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12294&sidebar=26&category=triathlon


18. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine - September 4, 2005
(http://www.drmirkin.com )
* Sports Injuries Can Be Explained with Bio-Mechanics
Running seems like a safe sport, so many people are surprised to learn that it
causes frequent injuries to muscles, tendons, bones
and joints. During running, your foot strikes the ground with a force equal to
three times body weight, a force more than double
that of walking. Many common running injuries have bio-mechanical causes. For
example, pain in the side of the right knee is often
treated just by getting the runner to stop running on the roads. To facilitate
drainage, roads slope a few degrees from the middle
to the sides. Running on the side of a road, facing traffic, causes the right
leg to be higher than the left and a larger proportion
of the force of the foot strike to be transmitted up to the lateral part of the
knee of the higher leg.
Pain behind the kneecap is often treated with special inserts in shoes. When you
run, you land on the outside bottom part of your
foot and roll toward the inside. This causes the lower leg to twist inward at
the same time that the kneecap is pulled by the
quadriceps muscle in the opposite direction. This causes the kneecap to rub
against the long bone of the upper leg. Special inserts
can be placed in running shoes that limit rolling in of the foot and prevent
kneecap pain.
Bio-mechanics can explain injuries in other sports as well. Low back pain in
bicycle riders is often treated just by raising the
handlebars. Bending over excessively places excessive stress on the lower back
muscles. Raising the handlebar stem can decrease the
forces on the lower back and cure the pain. If something hurts when you
exercise, ask yourself what you can do bio-mechanically to
eliminate the excessive stress on that part of your body.

* Alcohol and Athletic Performance
One of the running journals had a story about a runner who grew very tired near
the end of a marathon, so he stopped and drank
vodka, felt rejuvenated and passed many other runners as he raced toward the
finish line.
A study in Alcoholism - Clinical and Experimental Research shows that alcohol
delays the body's ability to clear lactic acid from
the bloodstream, making an athlete tire earlier. Furthermore, alcohol reduces
the force of your heart's contractions so that it
can't pump as much blood through your body. It increases the amount of oxygen
that your body needs, so you tire sooner. It increases
sweating so you dehydrate earlier, and it causes muscles to use up more
carbohydrate so your muscles feel heavy and hurt. But what a
bout the marathon runner's claim? Alcohol also affects the mind, so when the
runner thought he was passing other runners, they
really were passing him.
1) Influence of acute alcohol load on metabolism of skeletal muscles - Expired
gas analysis during exercise. Alcoholism - Clinical
and Experimental Research, 2003, Vol 27, Iss 8, Suppl. S, pp 76S-78S. K
Shiraishi, M Watanabe, S Motegi, R Nagaoka, S Matsuzaki, H
Ikemoto. Shiraishi K, Tokai Univ, Hachioji Hosp, Div Gastroenterol, Dept
Gastroenterol, 1838 Ishikawa Macho, Hachioji, Tokyo
1920032, JAPAN.
2)Mangum J S Med a Phys Fit 9/85;26:301


19. When it Comes to Hydration and Exercise, the System Works:
For over 20 years, the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
has studied the effect of temperature and the
environment on physical performance. According to Michael Sawka, chief of
USARIEM's Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, "we're
filling in the data gaps regarding the interaction of temperature and hydration
on physical performance so we can set guidelines to
optimize results relevant not just to soldiers or navy divers, but to athletes,
firefighters and hunters – anyone who's in extreme
environments without access to food or water for long periods."
Several recent USARIEM studies in the Journal of Applied Physiology describe
experiments in both warm and cold temperatures. One
report showed that dehydration reduces physical performance, in this case
cycling, 8% in temperate/cool air (68 degrees Fahrenheit),
but only 3% in a cold 36 degrees F. Furthermore it found that cold weather
itself had an insignificant impact on physical
performance, irrespective of hydration level.
A second USARIEM-generated study found that ingesting glycerol, a sweetish
syrup, was an effective hyperhydration agent, causing
"nearly twice as much fluid" to be retained after four hours of cold-air
exposure (CAE) compared with water ingestion alone. "This
study also demonstrates that hyperhydration doesn't modify cardiovascular or
thermoregulatory responses during resting CAE," the
reported added.
How glycerol may hold water 'in reserve' in body for use later
More...from Red Nova at:
http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=228658&source=r_health


20. Science of Sport: Carbohydrate mouthwash is ergogenic:
Supplementary carbohydrate does not have to be swallowed or infused in order to
exert an ergogenic effect. A remarkable new UK study
has found that a carbohydrate mouthwash, rinsed around the mouth at regular
intervals during a one-hour cycling time trial, led to a
significant improvement in power output and performance time.
Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion immediately before and during exercise of a
relatively short and intense nature has been shown to boost
performance in previous research, with no obvious metabolic explanation for this
effect.
The team responsible for the current study got the idea of studying carbs in
mouthwash form from their own observation that a
glucose infusion (as opposed to oral administration) had no beneficial effect on
performance in a simulated 40k time trial. ‘These
results suggest,’ they explain, ‘that oral CHO may exert its effects during
high-intensity exercise through a central action,
improving motor drive or motivation, mediated by receptors in the mouth or GI
tract.’
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20050908_PPO_Carbohydrate_Mouthwa\
sh.html


21. Coaching Tales with Cliff English: Strengthen up:
Running off the bike in a triathlon is all about strength endurance –
particularly as the race distances get longer. For instance,
in an Ironman, as muscles begin to fatigue, both your technique and your race
pace can fall apart, particularly in the later stages
of the bike and on the run.
There are several ways to include sport-specific strength training in your
program. Here are a few tactics that may enable you to
finish strong and resist fatigue longer in your next race.

The long brick/long run combo
This is a very challenging combination, but it can be very effective
physiologically and mentally. The session starts with a
60-minute swim with some Ironman pace work followed by four to six hours on the
bike (again, include some Ironman pace work)
followed by a short run of 30-45 minutes. This long day can be built up to a
maximum of about eight hours. The next morning,
complete your long run day of 2.5 hours or so. Getting in one of these sessions
every two to three weeks will pay dividends leading
into your race and can help boost your confidence.
Finishing strong
On your long runs and your long bike sessions, include efforts at half-IM pace
and even above. For example:
2.5-hour long run
* 30-minute warm-up
* 2x 25 minutes @ IM marathon pace
* 5-minute base pace recovery
* 2 x 12 minutes @ half IM pace
* 3 minute base pace recovery
* 30 minute cool-down
These sessions are very hard, but you will be training your body to finish
strongly, to be efficient and to maintain good form
longer on race day.
More...from Triathlete Magazine at:
http://triathletemag.com/story.cfm?story_id=10846&publicationID=92&pageID=1705


22. Start Your Engine:
Worried about your metabolism idling with age? Here's how to keep it revved for
the long haul.
YOU'RE STILL FUELING YOUR DAY AND YOUR WORKOUT THE SAME WAY you always have,
balancing calories in with calories burned, and
indulging in Ben & Jerry's only every so often.
Problem is, you're just not getting the same results. There was a time when
your body blazed through calories like a raging
fire, converting them into the power you needed to keep moving on overdrive.
Now, it's more like a slow burn—and eating what you
want whenever you want is no longer the option it was.
The bad news: For many reasons, your metabolism slows as you age.
The good news: With an active, healthy lifestyle, there's a lot you can do
to keep your internal fires burning. Here's a look
at what metabolic rate is and how you can influence your calorie-burning
potential.
What is Metabolism?
You burn calories all day and night—even if you do nothing but stare at the
wall or count sheep. The speed at which you burn
them is your metabolic rate. Most of the calories spent each day are for
breathing, circulation of blood, maintenance of body
temperature and other things your body does to keep you alive. This is your
resting metabolic rate (RMR), and it accounts for 60 to
75 percent of the total calories you burn. Physical activity and the digestion,
absorption and storage of food, called "diet-induced
thermogenesis," make up the rest.
More...from Her Magazine at:
http://www.hersports.com/articles/mainarticle3.html


23. A Pain in the Butt:
Prevention and Treatment of Piriformis Syndrome.
You're 12 weeks into your marathon training program; while out on a long run,
you develop a sharp pain in your buttocks. As you
continue to run, the pain persists. Your hamstrings feel tight and even a little
sore, though by slowing the pace the symptoms
subside a little, and you finish the run. While sitting at your favorite
post-run hangout, there is a tingling sensation in the back
of your thigh and calf.
You’ve just been introduced to your piriformis muscle. This muscle arises from
the sacrum, passes through the sciatic notch (an
opening in the pelvic bone) and attaches to the bony prominence on the side of
the thigh (greater trochanter). The piriformis plays
a role in the outward rotation of the hip. The sciatic nerve is formed by five
nerves exiting from the spinal cord; it typically
passes through the notch in front of the piriformis. In approximately 15 percent
of the population, the nerve passes through the
muscle.
Problems occur when the piriformis becomes inflamed. This may be due to direct
trauma (falling on your butt), overuse, or a sudden,
forced rotation of the hip, which may occur when running on an uneven surface.
The inflamed muscle may cause pain in the center of
the buttock or may compress the sciatic nerve causing pain, aching or tingling
in the leg. Pain may be increased by sitting,
climbing stairs, or squatting. Deep palpation of the center of the buttocks will
cause pain, as will sudden stretches of these
muscles. Initially you can run through the pain, but in many cases, symptoms
become severe enough to restrict activity. The muscle
tightens and may even spasm during activities, which can cause an alteration in
gait. The affected side of the pelvis is pulled
upward, creating a functional leg length difference; stride on the affected side
is shortened. These alterations in gait can cause a
number of overuse injuries due to poor biomechanics.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/issues/05june/prirformis.htm


24. 15 Essential Tips for Fitness, Vitality, and Feeling Better:
You Can Gain Without Pain You Can Gain Without Pain.
Brett J. Hayes is a dynamic and entertaining speaker and coach, who for over
twenty years has helped gold medalists, champions and
weekend warriors maintain and develop their vitality. Brett publishes a FREE
no-holds-barred, health newsletter at
www.vitalityplusaustralia.com.au that “tells it like it is”.
He is the author of the internationally recognised manual, “Tri-Breath: A Guide
for walkers and Runners to Vitality, Health and
Balance”, and “Sexual Health for Older Men”.

Part One of a Fifteen Part Series.
© 2005 Vitality Plus Australia Pty Ltd – All Rights Reserved
You Can Gain Without Pain You Can Gain Without Pain
1. In the beginning, Be Gentle with Yourself.
If you create overly aggressive fitness plans, the chances are you will walk
away.
One of the biggest problems most people encounter when starting a fitness
program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few
weeks, due to an overambitious fitness plan.
Start your plan by “Walkin’ the Walk!” and start doing what you did as a kid.
Have fun and find the joy!
Walk! Exercise! It was fun to walk. It was fun to exercise.
Why do we stop?
Because it was easy to breathe when we were young and getting puffed didn’t
hurt. So the thought of exercise and what happens when
we exercise, is getting puffed, and that just doesn’t appeal.
Yet exercise we must!
Our body is designed to exercise.
Just as it is designed to eat and drink.
Not exercising is a symptom, not a cause! More often than not, the cause can be
attributed to - (a) unbalanced and unbeneficial
breathing patterns
- (b) and living in an undernourished and mineral deficient body.
(a) Unbalanced and unbeneficial breathing patterns
Tri-Breath’s™ breathing and mind techniques will have you saying goodbye to
puffing forever. Go to
www.vitalityplusaustralia.com.au/st.html.
Two days of low-intensity cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, riding a
bike, swimming) for 20-30 minutes and two days per
week of 30-minute light resistance training (chest, shoulder and back exercises
using the stretch band, fire squats, cobra presses,
isometrics in the park), while incorporating your new improved breathing
techniques is more than adequate to give you impressive
results.
As you become acclimated to the lifestyle “shift” you can gently increase the
time you spend and the intensity of your actions.
Go to the cause of the problem, not the symptom.
Fix the cause – heal the symptom!
(b) Is your body undernourished and mineral deficient?
If minerals and salts are not in the soils your food is grown in, the minerals
and salts are not in the food you are eating! Some
powerfully vital advise — introduce colloidal mineral supplementation into your
vitality program. For an easy to understand article
on this most vital link to health and minerals, go to
www.vitalityplusaustralia.com.au/article6.html.
If you are feeling sluggish for prolonged periods of time, it may be an
absorption problem. It’s not what you eat, it’s what you
absorb. And where does this absorption take place? In the intestines! Healthy
bacteria’s need to be maintained, so do yourself a
favour and go to www.vitalityplusaustralia.com.au/article7.html to get some
valuable insight into this common malady.


25. Digest Briefs:
* Don't restrict Water in Hot Weather:
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
See also: HYPONATREMIA. In 2002, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner in Rockville,
Maryland reported that three US military recruits
were killed by drinking too much water. The colonel states: "In September 1999,
a 19-year-old Air Force recruit collapsed during a
5.8-mile walk, with a body temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit." The doctors
concluded he had died of both heat stroke and low
blood sodium levels as a result of overhydration. You get low salt blood levels
from not getting enough salt, not from taking in too
much water. During January 2000, a 20-year-old trainee in the Army drank about
12 quarts of water during a 2- to 4-hour period while
trying to produce a urine specimen for a drug test. She then experienced fecal
incontinence, lost consciousness and became confused,
then died from swelling in the brain and lungs as a result of low blood sodium.
In March 2001, a 19-year-old Marine died after a
26-mile march, during which he carried a pack and gear weighing more than 90
pounds. Although he appeared fine during the beginning
stages of the 8-hour walk, towards the end he began vomiting and appeared overly
tired. He was then sent to the hospital, where he
fell into a coma, developed brain swelling and died the next day. That's what
happens when you don't take in salt when you replenish
water lost from sweat.
In the first case, the colonel is describing heat stroke, a sudden uncontrolled
rise in body temperature that cooks the brain.
Prevention of heat stroke is to stop exercising when your circulation is
compromised. For example, as your temperature starts to
rise, your hot blood burns your muscles and your muscles hurt and burn. If you
continue to exercise, your circulation is compromised
when you become extremely short of breath and no matter how hard you breathe,
you can't catch your breath. If you ignore this sign,
your temperature rises above 106 and your brain is damaged, you get a headache,
see spots in front of your eyes, hear ringing in
your ears, feel dizzy and pass out. So prevention is to stop exercising when you
feel unusually short of breath.
Lack of fluids set you up for heat stroke, so you are supposed to drink fluids
all the time when you exercise in hot weather. You
cannot depend on thirst to tell you when you are dehydrated because you won't
feel thirsty from exercise until you have lost between
two and four pounds of fluid and by then, it is too late to catch up on your
fluid deficit. What the colonel doesn't mention is that
you need to take salt also when you exercise. If you take water and no salt, the
water goes into the brain to cause swelling and
death. If you take salt with your fluids, the concentration of salt inside and
outside your brain remains equal. If the recruits
take salt, the salt keeps the water distributed between the cells and the fluid.
When you exercise vigorously, particularly in hot
weather, you should drink plenty of the fluids that you like the best and eat
foods that contain lots of salt.
Military Medicine 2002;167:432-434.

* When Muscles Are Sore, Stay Cool
SATURDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Easing sore muscles should begin with cold
then move to heat, advise experts writing in the
August issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter.
For relieving muscle pain caused by sprains and strains, the first step is to
apply a cold compress for about 20 minutes at a time
every four to six hours for the first few days. The cold should reduce swelling
and inflammation, and relieve pain.
A cold compress can be a cold pack, a plastic bag filled with ice, or a bag of
frozen vegetables. Wrap the cold compress in a towel
or dry cloth to prevent frostbite when placing it on the skin.
The cold treatment should be followed by heat therapy, which can begin after the
pain and swelling have subsided. That's usually two
to three days after injury. The heat helps relax tight and sore muscles, and
reduces pain.
Apply the heat to the injured muscle for 20 minutes up to three times a day
using a hot water bottle, warm compress, heat lamp, warm
bath or hot shower.
Heat is usually a better treatment than cold for chronic pain (i.e. arthritis
pain) or for muscle relaxation, the article noted.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Mayo Clinic, news release, Aug. 11, 2005

* Quick Tip- Train Your Weaknesses
A fairly typical mistake athletes make is that they focus too much of their
training on what they are good at. The reason for this
is simple; you get more positive satisfaction from doing the things you do well.
If you are a good climber I can almost guarantee
you will gravitate towards the hills.
If you focus on what you need to improve on, there is more room for improvement.
The first step is identifying your weakness. You
may have good speed in the flats and then fade in the hills, or you might be a
steady racer who gets dropped when the tempo changes.
Your endurance may be good, but you lack the strength endurance to sustain a
faster pace closer to threshold. Each of these
scenarios requires a different training focus.
Once you know what you need to work on devote a majority of your training time
to improving it. Remember; capitalize on your
strengths, but train your weaknesses.
Matt Russ, the Sports Factory

* Stress Fracture
Muscle soreness that progresses to a localized pain over the bone may signal a
stress fracture -- see your doctor
Definition:
A tiny crack in the surface of a bone, usually in the lower leg or the
metatarsals of the foot. Stress fractures usually occur when
runners are increasing the intensity and volume of their training over several
weeks to several months. Muscle soreness and
stiffness progress over this period, and a pinpoint pain develops on the sore
bone. If you suspect you may have a fracture, see a
doctor immediately, as further running will only worsen what may be a cracked
bone. He or she can perform an x-ray which may show a
crack; however, more often than not, a stress fracture won't appear on an x-ray
and your doctor should then refer you to a
sports-oriented physician for a bone scan.
Remedy:
Treat with ice and anti-inflammatories, but keep in mind that stress fractures
are not a self-diagnosis/ self-treatment type of
injury -- a proper x-ray or bone scan is necessary to prescribe treatment.
Depending on the location of the fracture,
recommendations may differ. Consult your doctor about appropriate cross-training
activities.
From www.RunnersWorld.com

* Fat Flavors - Trans Fat Margarines and Butter Advice
The "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" we see on food labels are man-made
fats called trans fats. Trans fats prolong shelf life
and make fried foods crispier, keep packaged baked goods soft and fresh longer,
and makes products like margarine and cake frosting
creamier. Many times, recipes from Cooper cookbooks include margarine as an
ingredient.
The FDA has mandated that beginning in 2006 trans fat amounts must be reported
on nutrition labels. Until then, know that if a
product lists "partially hydrogenated oils" in the ingredient list, it contains
at least some trans fats. The farther down the
ingredient list "partially hydrogenated oils" are listed, the better. Keep in
mind that products are allowed to be labeled as
containing zero trans fat or zero saturated fat if the actual amount is less
than 0.5 grams.
The good news for consumers is that many companies are now aggressively working
to develop products that are free of trans fats.
This includes margarine manufacturers. There are now several margarines
available that do not contain trans fat. Per serving (one
tablespoon), the nutritional information is as follows.
* Benecol Light - 45 calories, 5 grams fat, 0.5 gram saturated fat
* Brummel & Brown - 45 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat
* I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Light - 50 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 gram
saturated fat
* I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Fat Free - 5 calories, 0 grams fat
* Olivio - 80 calories, 8 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat
* Spectrum Spread - 80 calories, 10 grams fat, 0.5 gram saturated fat
* Take Control - 80 calories, 8 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat
* Take Control Light - 45 calories, 5 grams fat, 0.5 gram saturated fat
Try margarines that do not contain trans fats to see which ones you and your
family like. You may find that a fat-free or light
option with lower calories is a perfect topping for your morning toast or
waffle, while another item with higher fat content may
work better for baking.
When possible, use a trans fat free product when cooking, but keep in mind that
the Cooper Clinic nutrition department has the
guideline that an individual consuming 1,400 calories per day is allowed no more
than 10 to 15 grams of saturated fat. With eight
grams of saturated fat per tablespoon, there is some room in the average diet
for a bit of butter as well. So, go ahead and use a
little bit of butter if it will elevate a dish from okay to all-star.
Happy eating and healthy living!
Jill Turner is the director of operations of Cooper Concepts, Inc., a division
of The Cooper Aerobics Center. We started following
Jill's journey to wellness in May 2003 when she disclosed that she is an average
40-year-old woman striving to become more healthy
and fit.

* Creatine is not beneficial for everyone
Dear Jock Doc: As a parent of an athlete, I've noticed a lot of boys wanting to
take creatine or protein powders as supplements to
gain weight. What is your medical take? - Greg B.
Dear Greg B.: Athletes who are considering taking creatine should understand it
may or may not improve athletic performance. Several
laboratory studies have demonstrated that creatine can improve performance in
repeated bouts of sprinting, both running and cycling.
So, athletes involved in sports where repeated short sprints are performed, such
as football and track, may experience improved
performance. However, athletes involved in longer distance, aerobic activities
may not see improvements.
Some athletes take creatine to increase weight or muscle strength. Without
question, creatine increases body weight, typically from
1-6 pounds. Much of this increased weight can be attributed to increased water
retention.
Because most creatine studies have been small and short-term, it is difficult to
make real conclusions about its safety. But, no
consistent detrimental effects have been found in creatine studies. There have
been a few reports of kidney problems that occurred
after using creatine, but no laboratory studies of athletes taking creatine have
identified kidney problems in athletes who were
taking recommended doses of creatine.
Other reported side effects include upset stomach, diarrhea and muscle cramping.
Recently, the American College of Sports Medicine
published a roundtable discussion stating there is no definitive evidence that
creatine use poses a health risk. However, the
statement also pointed out there is not definitive evidence that creatine is
safe, either, and recommended athletes under 18 avoid
creatine use. It is important to note that creatine use is not banned by the
NCAA or International Olympic Committee. Amanda Weiss
Kelly is a pediatric sports medicine specialist who works at Rainbow Babies &
Children's Hospital.




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

September 9-10, 2005:
IAAF World Athletics Final - Monaco
http://www.iaaf-final.com

September 10, 2005:
Alta Peruvian Lodge Downhill Dash 8K - Alta, UT
http://www.altaperuvian.com/dash.htm

American National 100 Mile Run Championship - Sylvania, OH
http://www.americanultra.org

Fila Relays - Austin, TX
http://www.runtex.com

LaSalle Bank Run Wild For The Detroit Zoo - MI
http://www.runwilddetroitzoo.com/

September 11, 2005:

City of Lakes 25K, Minneapolis, MN
http://www.raceberryjam.com/cityoflakes.html

CVS/pharmacy Downtown 5K, Providence, RI
USA Men's & Women's Championship / USA Running Circuit
http://www.cvsdowntown5k.com

Dannon / Pulse Journal Midwest 10K - Mason, OH
http://www.midwest10k.com

Gloucester Half-Marathon & 5K - Ottawa,ON
http://www.ncra-ottawa.com/hm/inside.php?id=224

ITU Elite Triathlon World Championships - Gamagori, Japan
http://www.gamagori.world-triathlon2005.com

LA Triathlon - Los Angeles, CA
http://www.latriathlon.com/

Montreal Marathon - Quebec
http://www.marathondemontreal.com/

Queen City Marathon, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
http://www.runqcm.com/

Reston Triathlon - VA
http://www.restontriathlon.org

Sudbury Masters Ramsey Tour Half-Marathon & 5K - Sudbury, ON
http://www.sudburyrocks.ca/events.htm#ramseytour

September 21-25, 2005:
World Duathlon Championships - Newcastle, AUS
http://www.worldduathlon2005.com


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

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

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Forward the Runner's Web Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
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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
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**END...OF DIGEST...**