A FREE WEEKLY E-ZINE OF MULTISPORT RELATED ARTICLES.
The Runner's and Triathlete's Web Digest is a weekly e-zine dealing with the
sports of running and triathlon and general fitness and
health issues. The opinions expressed in the articles referenced by the Digest
are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily
those of the Runner's Web. To comment on any stories in the Digest visit our
Forum at:
http://excoboard.com/exco/index.php?boardid=4655
The Original Runner's and Triathlete's Web was founded in January of 1997 and is
not in any way associated with the two UK "Runner's
Web" copycat sites or the Runner's Web Book Store in the USA.

Visit the Runner's Web at http://www.runnersweb.com The site is updated multiple
times daily. Check out our daily news, features,
polls, trivia, bulletin boards and more. General questions should be posted to
one of our forums available from our FrontPage.

SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS:

1. Runner's Web Online Store:
Through a partnership with HDO Sports, the Runner's and Triathlete's Web has
opened an online store. Check it out for your shopping
requirements.
http://store.runnersweb.com

2. RunnersWebCoach
Through a partnership with HDO Training, the Runner's And Triathlete's Web now
offers Interactive Training.
http://www.runnerswebcoach.com

3. Road Runner Sports, the world's largest running store at:
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000009525499

4. National Capital Race Weekend - Ottawa, ON May 26 - 28, 2006
http://www.ncm.ca

5. Toronto Waterfront Marathon. September 24, 2006.
http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

6. The Toronto Marathon, October 15, 2006
http://www.torontomarathon.com

7. LifeSport by Lance Watson - Professional Coaching
Lance Watson has been coaching triathlon and distance running since 1987. Over
the years, Lance has coached some of the most
successful athletes in the sport of triathlon and duathlon. A Human Kinetics
graduate (sport psychology minor), Lance has had the
opportunity to work with and be mentored by numerous world-class swim, bike, run
and triathlon coaches and liaise with many top
sport professionals (scientists, psychologists, nutritionists, therapists, etc.)
Lance has coached at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 Commonwealth Games and 2003 Pan
American Games. He has been head coach at several
national-team events and coached at various Ironman, ITU World Cup and world
championship events. As well, he was an award recipient
as "Triathlon Canada Elite Coach Of The Year" four consecutive years from
2000-2003. He was the 2004 Olympic Team Head Coach
(Triathlon).
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/LifeSport.html


ASSOCIATIONS:
The Runner's Web is a member of Running USA, The National Professional
Organization for the Running Industry.
http://www.runningusa.org/


NEW SUBSCRIBERS:
This newsletter has been composed using Outlook set to "Text" format. The Digest
is sent via an email list at
http://groups.yahoo.com.
If you experience any delays in receiving your copy of the Digest, please advise
us at:
mailto:webmaster@...
You can receive the digest in three ways:
1. Immediately, via email,
2. Daily, in an email summary, and
3. By accessing the YahooGroups.com web site on demand.
The mail list has been set to not allow attachments out of concerns for viruses.
Also, all messages must be approved by the monitor (me) prior to being released
to the group. If you have any questions regarding
the options available for receiving this digest,
please do NOT email the list, rather email me directly at
mailto:Webmaster@...
*NOTE*
**[ Some e-mail clients may split the URL address into two lines. If you have
trouble connecting to a link, be sure that you paste
the entire address into your browser, so that it ends in ".html" or another
appropriate suffix ].
Note: An increasing number of media sites require free registration. If you wish
to sign up for free access to sources for our
articles without using your main email address we suggest the use of a mail
alias program such as http://www.emailias.com.

Check out our RSS auto-feeds page for automated news updates:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_auto_feeds.html

Webmasters:
What Is RSS?
RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a feed of headlines that will automatically update
and display in an RSS News Reader. RSS feeds are an
increasingly popular method of distributing simplified web content to users
through XML. When you see a little orange XML button,
you know you can subscribe to RSS feeds.
How to Get Started
First you will need to download an RSS Reader. These are usually free to
download, just search for "RSS Reader". Some readers will
be able to pick up the feed just by clicking the link. If not, just ignore the
code on the page and copy the link location/URL into
the feed URL field on your news reader. You should start receiving new feeds
immediately. You will receive new stories when our web
site is updated.
Get our Syndicated headlines for you site.
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_getRSS.html
Add the Runner's Web News feed to your site through a simple JavaScript.
Check out OnTri.com's implementation at:
http://www.ontri.com/runnersweb.html
The Runner's and Triathlete's Web Digest is now available through an RSS feed
for myYahoo at:
http://e.my.yahoo.com/config/cstore?.opt=content&.url=http%3a//rss.groups.yahoo.\
com/group/RunnersWeb/rss
[Long URL]
The Digest is also available through other RSS Readers on request.

If anyone is looking for a web mail provider, you might wish to consider
Google's GMail. Currently you can get GMail by invitation
only from a current user. My stock of "invites" has been replenished. If you are
interested in getting FREE GMail account, contact
me at: mailto:kparker@....

Microsoft(r) Alerts on RunnersWeb.com Inc.
RunnersWeb.com Inc. now offers Microsoft(r) Alerts! This service lets you
receive important messages through your MSN(r) Messenger
or Windows(r) Messenger, your e-mail, or your mobile device. You can choose how
and when you receive these messages by specifying
your preferences during the easy setup process. Sign up at:
http://www.messagecast.net/alerts/login.do?PINID=2598&returnURL=http://www.runne\
rsweb.com

Race Directors:
Advertise your event on the Runner's Web.
TRAFFIC CONTINUES TO GROW
Year Session Total Session Daily Pageviews Total Pageviews Daily Hits
Total Hits
Daily
2005 2,749,670 7,753.35 14,652,389 40,143.53 45,586,536 124,894.62
2004 1,786,510 4,881.17 9,564,629 26,132.87 34,204,661 93,455.36
% Increase 54% 59% 53% 54% 33% 34%

For more information:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_advertising.html
For text ads check out our AdBrite partnership at:
http://www.adbrite.com/mb/commerce/purchase_form.php?opid=15182&afsid=1
You can also list your events for free in our Interactive Calendars and on our
Marathons, Races and Triathlons pages.


THIS WEEK:

GMail:
If you use Google's Gmail, you can use their new Web Clips function to add RSS
News Feeds to the top of your mail page. Click on
settings, then Web Clips and add the Runner's Web RSS Feed URL
(http://www.runnersweb.com/running/RW_RSSNews.xml) to the "search by
topic or url" box and click on the "search" button and then follow the
instructions to add or remove feeds.

Check out our new RunnersWebCoach Interactive Training site at:
http://www.runnerswebcoach.com
Sign up today and try Runnerswebcoach.com for free for 14 days!
Sign up for 6 months with Gold or any Platinum package and get a free Timex
monitor at:
http://store.runnersweb.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=161

Runner's Web returns as the title sponsor of Ottawa's Dave Scott Clinic.
Triathlon Ottawa announced today the opening of online registration for the 2006
Dave Scott Iron Distance Triathlon Training Clinic
in Ottawa, Canada. From Jan. 20-22, the Ironman legend will be working with a
group of 25 local and visiting triathletes. The clinic
will focus on using the off-season to build a better foundation for the 2006
race season. Dave will work closely with the athletes
through a series of discussions and active sessions, covering a range of the
most critical topics for the iron-distance athlete.
For the second year running the Ottawa event has been made possible in part by
title sponsor RunnersWeb.com, a top-rated,
Ottawa-based website which provides worldwide running and triathlon news updated
daily.
Full clinic details are available at www.TriathlonOttawa.com.


Buy Paula Radcliffe's book, My Story - So Far, from Amazon UK at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/074325242X/runnersweb-21

If you feel you have something to say (related to triathlon or running) that is
worthy of a Guest Column on the Runner's Web, email
us at:
mailto:webmaster@... or leave your comments in one of our Forums at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/forum.html or from our FrontPage.

We have 1,522 subscribers as of publication time. Forward the Runner's Web
Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join .

RUNNER'S AND TRIATHLETE'S WEB CONTENT PARTNERS

* Sports Nutrition by Sheila Kealey.
Sheila is one of Ottawa's top multisport athletes and a member of the OAC Racing
Team and X-C Ottawa. She has a Masters in Public
Health and works in the field of nutritional epidemiology as a Research
Associate with the University of California, San Diego. Her
column index is available at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/SK_index.html

* Carmichael Training Systems
Carmichael Training Systems was founded in 1999 by Chris Carmichael.
From the beginning, the mission of the company has been to improve the lives of
individuals we work with through the application of
proper and effective fitness and competitive training techniques. Whether your
focus is recreational, advanced, or you are a
professional racer, the coaching methodology employed by CTS will make you a
better athlete. Check the latest monthly column from
CTS at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/cts_columns.html.

* Peak Performance Online
Peak Performance is a subscription-only newsletter for athletes, featuring the
latest research from the sports science world. We
cover the whole range of sports, from running and rowing to cycling and
swimming, and each issue is packed full of exclusive
information for anyone who's serious about sport. It's published 16 times a
year, including four special reports, by Electric Word
plc. Peak Performance is not available in the shops - only our subscribers are
able to access the valuable information we publish.
Check out our article archive from Peak Performance Online at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/PPO_index.html

* Peak Running Performance
Peak Running Is The Nation's Most Advanced Running Newsletter. Rated as the #1
Running Publication by Road Runner Sports (Worlds
Largest Running Store) , Peak Running caters to the serious / dedicated runner.
Delivering world class running advice are some of
running's most recognizable athletes including Dr. Joe Vigil (US Olympic Coach),
Scott Tinley (2 Time Ironman Champ) Steve Scott (3 Time Olympian) and many more.
This bi-monthly newsletter has been around for over
13 years, and in the past two it has been awarded the "Golden Shoe Award" in
recognition of it's outstanding achievements.
http://www.clixGalore.com/EmailSale.aspx?BID=37234&AfID=103794&AdID=5075&LP=www.\
peakrunningperformance.com
Check out the Peak Running article index at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/PRP_index.html .

* WatsonLifeSport
Lance Watson is "Just The Winningest Coach in Triathlon". He has been coaching
triathlon and distance running since 1987. Over the
years, Lance has coached some of the most successful athletes in the sport of
triathlon and duathlon.
Check out the Lance Watson Online Article Index at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/LW_index.html

Running Research News:
RRN's free, weekly, training update provides subscribers with the most-current,
practical, scientifically based information about
training, sports nutrition, injury prevention, and injury rehabilitation. The
purpose of this weekly e-zine is to improve
subscribers' training quality and to help them train in an injury-free manner.
Running Research News also publishes a complete, 12-page, electronic newsletter
10 times a year (one-year subscriptions are $35); to
learn more about Running Research News, please see the Online Article Index and
"About Running Research News" sections below or go
to RRNews.com.
Check out the article index at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/RRN_index.html


THIS WEEK'S PERSONAL POSTINGS/RELEASES:
We have TWO personal postings this week:
** I'm am very active in triathlons, along with the weekend 5 and 10k's. But
am a diabetic, and its getting very hard to get to
the next level with illness. Is there any way I can get advice on these sports
with this illness or find others who also live with
this and are just as active as I.
Sincerely,
Steven Drexler, Chicago
xerd55@...
** Hello,
My boyfriend is a track & field fanatic. I am trying to collect a
bunch of articles and pictures from Sports Illustrated and Track and
Field Magazines, etc. to replace a collection that was destroyed. I
have found a bunch on Ebay and some other memorabilia shops. He is
particularly fond of Michael Johnson and Marion Jones. Where might I
find real copies of past articles they have been in? I'm willing to
pay any price to replace this collection for him. I already have
about 40 articles, photos, and magazine covers. Thanks so much!
Lindsay
lindsay@...


THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Multisport by Lance Watson: Going the Distance Alone: training when your pals
aren't
2. Sports Psychology: Mental Training- "New Years Resolutions"
By Michelle Cleere, Sports Psychology Consultant.
3. Sportsmedicine: OverTraining
Not giving your body the rest it needs may lead to a sports injury disaster!
4. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Grandma's Gift
5. Understanding Injury: Knowing when to stop may help make your season a
success.
Injury prevention strategies that all new triathletes should be familiar with
prior to embarking on a training regimen.
6. Study Examines Low-Fat, High-Carb Diet
7. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
8. From Running Times
9. Increase anaerobic threshold with tempo runs
10. Off Season Training Canadian Style
11. The Underperformance Syndrome - Beyond overtraining
12. Don't Be Your Worst Enemy
How to defend yourself against the dark thoughts.
13. Off-season mix-up By Matt Fitzgerald
14. Science of Sport: Are the Atkins, Zone, and South Beach Diets Slowing you
Down??
15. Get Fit for a Lifetime:
To help prepare you for going big, we've pulled together 15 essential tips from
award-winning writer Paul Scott's new book, Outside
Fitness. Whether you run, bike, swim, climb, or simply want to keep yourself in
peak form, follow these fundamentals to stay primed
for action.
16. From Runner's World
17. Life Support: thanking those who have helped
18. Take a break from running to heal
19. Flawed of the rings: Health bracelets are a 'waste of money'
20. Doctor's fixation on tough knee injury
21. Dehydration: Curse of Summer (And Winter) Running
22. Rethinking Base Training
Another competitive year comes to a close, a brief training respite ensues, and
then triathlon and cycling talk inevitably turns to
Base.
23. Treadmill training for winter fitness
24. Welcome Back
The Perils and Pleasures of Returning to Form After a Long Layoff.
25. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"Does prize money enhance a race?"

You can access the poll from our FrontPage (http://www.runnersweb.com) 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 RESULTS:
"Which of the following roles have you played in sport?
Athlete
Coach
Official
Sponsor"

Answers Votes Percent
1. Athlete 48 38%
2. Coach 32 25%
3. Official 31 24%
4. Sponsor 16 13%
Total Votes: 127


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE WEEK: Bayou City Road Runners.
The Bayou City "Fun" Runners...
Formed in 1984, the Bayou City Road Runners (BCRR) has rapidly grown into a very
unique and distinctive running club in Houston.
Many club members are "serious" runners, some do it to control weight, some do
it for fitness, some for the challenge, but one very
common theme among BCRR members is "let's have fun". Members span the spectrum
from among the fastest in Houston to, frankly, some
of the best back of the packers. To be a member, you don't have to be fast, you
don't have to run long distances, in fact you don't
even have to run, you just have to think that it's a good idea. And one other
thing, you have to like purple, because that's the
team color.
Visit the site at:
http://www.bcrr.org/


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.

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


BOOK OF THE WEEK: Women, Sport and Society in Modern China - Holding up More
than Half the Sky
"Women hold up half the sky" and "Women can do what men can do" are not just
popular slogans peddled by Chairman Mao, but recent
actualities of China's elite sport. In every Olympics since 1988 women have
increased their representation over men. Their
extraordinary performances have thrust Chinese women into the global limelight
and sparked considerable interest, not to mention
controversy, with accusations of drug violations, and yet there remains a
paucity of analytical literature on Chinese elite women's
sport not only in China but throughout the world.
Drawing on Chinese sources hitherto unavailable in the West, official documents
and interviews with top athletes, Dong Jinxia
explores the rise of the Chinese super-sportswomen and their relationship with
politics, culture and society before and during the
Cultural Revolution and through China's transition to a market economy. This
readable work will appeal to students of sports
studies, journalists and general readers fascinated by the rise of the Chinese
women super-athletes.
Buy the book from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0714652350/runnersweb/102-0182896-9006569\
?v=glance&s=books


THIS WEEK'S NEWS:

1. Multisport by Lance Watson: Going the Distance Alone: training when your pals
aren't:
By Lance Watson
The realization that you're going to start getting up at 5:30 a.m. to swim
again, while all of your buddies are still counting sheep
is not the easiest thing task to execute on your own. Perhaps you are gearing up
for an early season race in February or March of
2006, or you ended your race season much earlier than most, and thus it is just
that time of the cycle. Your rest phase is over and
it's time to start building back your solid base. So, how do you maintain the
motivation to train all by yourself when your training
partners aren't yet ready to start back?
Active recovery is a great way to keep your physical body fit, while giving your
mind complete rest and recovery. Hopefully you
have already taken a bit of rest and total downtime. You have used this time to
get refreshed mentally, while doing some fun
workouts that still kept your aerobic system stimulated - this means that the
activity should at least cause a light sweat. Mountain
biking, hiking, indoor soccer, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, and water
polo are all activities that can be included in your
down time. The key is to be creative and fun since you are going to be getting
back to the hard grind soon enough.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060106_LW_Alone.html


2. Sports Psychology: Mental Training- "New Years Resolutions":
By Michelle Cleere, Sports Psychology Consultant
Happy 2006!
If you are like me the phrase "New Years Resolutions" conjures up not so
positive thoughts and feelings. It sounds kind of old
school particularly if you are an endurance athlete because we are ALWAYS
resolving to do more or do better. Since there are
numerous definitions of EVERYTHING how about we change the way we think about
"New Years Resolutions"(NYR's). Let's think outside
the box. What if this year your NYR's were 1 or 2 things that you always seem to
procrastinate on (out of fear) and they were
structured in a way that made sense? For example one thing people procrastinate
on is utilizing mental strategies alongside their
physical training! One of the best ways to structure what to do with setting up
utilization of mental strategies is through goal
setting. Goal setting is something we probably utilize in much of our everyday
life but perhaps not as efficiently as we could. I am
going to talk about how to use goal setting more efficiently.
You are probably thinking what other things do I procrastinate on in my
training? There probably is a LOT of things if you sit and
think about them. I am challenging you this year to think about what those
things are and work on 1 or 2 of them this year. I gave
you one example that would really help improve your performance, work with a
sports psychologist or at least work on mental
strategies. Another might be joining a master's swim team. I was scared for
years to join a master's swim team because I knew
swimming was a challenge for me. My perception was that all the other swimmers
in the pool were going to be excellent swimmers and I
was never going to be able to keep up. The fact of the matter was when I joined
a masters swim team for the first time I wasn't as
bad as I thought and I became a much better swimmer by being there and letting
go of my fears.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060103_SM_Predictions.html


3. Sportsmedicine: OverTraining:
Not giving your body the rest it needs may lead to a sports injury disaster!
This month we're going to have a look at the difference between being just a
little tired or on a down-cycle, and being legitimately
run down or over tired. It's important to be able to tell the difference if you
want to stay injury free. Nothing will put a stop to
your fitness goals more quickly than not being able to recognise when you're
legitimately run down and over tired.
One of the biggest challenges to achieving your fitness goals is consistency. If
you're repeatedly getting sick, run down and
overtrained it becomes very difficult to stay injury free. So, how do you keep
the consistency of regular exercise, without over
doing it and becoming sick or injured?
Amateur and professional athletes alike are constantly battling with the problem
of overtraining. Being able to juggle just the
right amount of training, with enough sleep and rest, and the perfect
nutritional diet is not an easy act to master. Throw in a
career and a family and it becomes near impossible.
So, what is overtraining? Overtraining is the result of giving your body more
work or stress than it can handle. Overtraining occurs
when a person experiences stress and physical trauma from exercise faster than
their body can repair the damage.
Now this doesn't happen overnight, or as a result of one or two work-outs. In
fact, regular exercise is extremely beneficial to your
general health and fitness, but you must remember that it's exercise that breaks
your body down, while it's the rest and recovery
that makes you stronger and healthier. Improvements only occur during the times
of rest.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060102_TSH_OverTraining.html


4. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Grandma's Gift:
The best gifts that our elders give, at Christmas or anytime, are those that go
unseen and unappreciated when we are young. I had to
grow up a lot more to know how much a gift from my Grandma King would keep on
giving each day I sit down to write.
Mabel Kent King was my family's first writer in a lineage that now extends into
its third generation. (My daughter Sarah and one of
her cousins are journalists.) The earliest of her diaries date from the 1890s,
when she was a rural schoolgirl boarding in town
during the week.
Mabel was a rarity for her time, a girl who stayed in classes through high
school graduation. Rarer still, she went on to college
and became a teacher.
Rarest of all, she didn't marry until almost 30. This wasn't too late for her to
deliver nine children. My mother, Virginia, stood
in the middle of that lineup.
My grandma-to-be wrote a diary-style weekly letter from the time her first child
left home in the 1930s. This continued until a
final illness struck in 1970, at age 90.
My mother took over this weekly-diary from 1970 into the 2000s. My sister Anne
ghost-wrote the letter in our mom's last years, after
her ability to craft beautiful sentences failed her. Anne, a newspaper editor,
now keeps the family archives.
As a Christmas letter this year, she sent entries from Grandma in three
different Decembers. She wrote the first of those before
there was a me. But the event it described had everything to do with there
becoming a me.
This from December 1939: "Jim Henderson came this evening to see Virginia. After
he left, Frances [the second King daughter] told me
to get up and come downstairs quickly to see what Jim had given Virginia. Amazed
to find a diamond ring sparkling on her little
hand."
Jump ahead now to Christmas 1954. Then 11 years old, I was still only vaguely
aware that Grandma King mailed a family letter every
week.
We lived a block away from these grandparents, and a block in the other
direction from the elder Hendersons. I thought that all
families were this close.
Grandma struggled through the Depression, trying to keep her huge family fed.
Like many survivors of that era she remained obsessed
for life with putting enough food on the table. Her letters about family feasts
always listed the full menu.
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/548.html


5. Understanding Injury: Knowing when to stop may help make your season a
success.
Injury prevention strategies that all new triathletes should be familiar with
prior to embarking on a training regimen.
Benjamin Franklin said that only two things are certain in life: death and
taxes. For those who participate in triathlon there is
one more thing to add: injury. At some point in their career, all triathletes
will deal with an injury of some type. The vast
majority of these will be minor and require only a brief time off from training
but for some, injury may be debilitating and may
threaten a season or even a career.
In this article I will describe why injuries occur, what is happening on the
gross and microscopic levels, and why it is so
important to properly rehabilitate an injury prior to returning to activity.
Finally, I will describe some successful injury
prevention strategies that all new triathletes should be familiar with prior to
embarking on a training regimen.
Triathlon injuries are myriad, reflecting the fact that swimming, biking and
running can cause various injuries to different parts
of the body. Irrespective of this, the pathway to injury and the actual anatomic
structures being injured are limited.
More...from Beginner Triathlete at:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=699


6. Study Examines Low-Fat, High-Carb Diet:
Older women who ate less fat and more carbohydrates lost about 2 pounds over
seven years, a large study showed.
While one obesity expert called the results disappointing, the lead author of
the research said it refutes claims by promoters of
the Atkins and Zone diets that low-fat diets are partly behind America's obesity
epidemic.
"It will help people to understand that the weight gain we're seeing in this
country is not caused by the lower-fat diets," said
study author Barbara V. Howard of MedStar Research Institute, a nonprofit
research group.
However, the skimpy weight loss after seven years won't satisfy people looking
for a cure for obesity, said Dr. Michael Dansinger,
an obesity researcher at Tufts-New England Medical Center who was not involved
in the study.
"This is like losing the Super Bowl but claiming a second place victory,"
Dansinger said. "The results are disappointing in the
context of a country trying to battle obesity."
The study, appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association,
included more than 48,000 women, ages 50 to 79.
They were followed for an average of seven years and six months.
One group of women lowered the fat in their diets while increasing fruits,
vegetables and whole grains. The other group didn't
change their diets significantly.
The target fat content of the diet was 20 percent, but the women on the diet
actually got about 30 percent of their calories in fat;
their previous fat intake was about 39 percent.
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/ats-ap_health12jan04,1,27528\
88.story?coll=sns-ap-tophealth


7. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine:
* Resolve to Get in Shape & Stay in Shape in 2006
January 1, 2006 - Happy New Year!
Being out-of-shape is almost as strong a risk factor for a heart attack as
smoking. A study in the Journal of the American Medical
Association (December 21, 2005) shows that being out-of-shape markedly increases
your risk for being fat, storing most of your fat
in your belly, having a high bad LDL cholesterol and high blood pressure, and
having low levels of the good HDL cholesterol.
We live in a society in which 91 percent of the population develops high blood
pressure, 78 percent will have high cholesterol, and
35 percent are diabetic. More than 50 percent of us die of heart attacks and
strokes from these risk factors. Doctors no longer
think of heart attacks, strokes and diabetes as just being due to our genes. We
now consider these diseases to be caused by our
behavior. You prevent heart attacks, strokes and diabetes by 1) exercising; 2)
reducing your exposure to saturated fats (meat and
chicken), partially hydrogenated fats (most prepared foods), and refined
carbohydrates (flour and sugar); 3) eating large amounts of
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts; 4) avoiding overweight; and
5) avoiding smoking.
We have known for many years that any kind of exercise or activity helps to
prevent heart attacks, but more recent data show that
the more vigorous the exercise, the better the protection. First check with your
doctor to see if you have a medical condition that
could be aggravated by exercising. People who are out-of-shape are the ones most
likely to suffer heart attacks when they start an
exercise program. With your doctor's permission, you are ready to start a
training program. The best sports for preventing heart
attacks are those in which you exercise continuously. You could run, dance,
cycle or swim. It's important to pick an activity that
you enjoy, because more than 85 percent of middle aged people who start an
exercise program drop out in the first six weeks. Those
who are most likely to continue exercising do it with a partner or in a group.
Recruit your spouse or best friend, hire personal
trainer or join a class at a nearby health club. Just do it!
* Dear Dr. Mirkin: How does exercise make bones stronger?
Bones are not static. Certain cells called osteoblasts constantly bring calcium
into bones to make them stronger and osteoclasts
take calcium from bones. Exercise increases the rate that osteoblasts strengthen
bones. Inactivity slow osteoblastic activity to
weaken bones. So any exercise that places force on a bone will strengthen that
bone.
If they live long enough, every woman and most men will suffer from
osteoporosis. Women who break their hips from osteoporosis must
have a hip replacement immediately. Otherwise, they have a 20 percent chance of
dying from complications within a year. A study from
Australia shows that running strengthens the leg bones of both older and younger
women (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,
October 2005.) However, the research shows that bones used in an exercise are
the only bones that are strengthened by that activity.
So running strengthens leg bones, rowing strengthens arms and back, and lifting
weights strengthen bones that are used for each
lift.
* Muscles and Diet
Many body builders and weight lifters are overly concerned about what they eat
and what food supplements they take. If you want to
grow larger and stronger muscles, you should concentrate on lifting weights, but
you can help muscles grow larger by understanding
how what you eat affects how you recover from hard exercise. Just exercising
will not make you strong and it will not help you to
grow large muscles. If exercise made you strong, marathon runners would have the
largest muscles. The only stimulus to make muscles
larger and stronger is to stretch them while they contract. When you lift a
heavy weight, your muscles start to stretch before they
start to contract. This tears the muscle and causes soreness on the next day and
beyond. If you rest and let the muscle heal, it
will be stronger than before you stretched it lifting weights.
This training principle of stress-and-recover is so strong that you can enlarge
a muscle by lifting weights even if you are fasting,
losing weight and all your other muscles are getting smaller. In one study,
obese, un-athletic women were instructed to restrict
food and lift weights. They averaged a weight loss of more than 35 pounds in
three months and gained a lot of muscle.
Training for sports is done by taking a hard workout and then having sore
muscles on the next day. Then you take easy workouts or
you take off until the muscle soreness disappears. You improve by taking hard
workouts and your muscles grow and heal while you
recover on your easy days. Of course, if you could recover faster from a hard
workout, you could do more work and be a better
athlete. Scientists have known for years that you recover faster by eating
carbohydrates immediately after you finish your hard
workout (2). New studies show that eating extra protein on the day that you take
hard workouts helps you recover even faster. Eating
extra protein reduces muscle damage during hard exercise (3). Eating
carbohydrates along with a protein building block called
leucine helps you to recover even faster (4).
Chronic muscle fatigue in athletes is associated with low blood levels of amino
acids, the building blocks of proteins (1). The
sooner you eat protein after you finish your hard workout, the quicker you will
recover. The benefits of eating protein soon after
you lift weights does not apply just to elite athletes. A study from the
University of Arkansas shows that eating meat helps older
people grow large muscles when they also lift weights. Muscles are made
primarily from protein building blocks called amino acids.
Muscles heal from a hard workout when amino acids and other nutrients travel
from your bloodstream into the muscles. Eating food,
particularly protein, immediately after you finish your workout helps muscles
heal faster. This study shows that men between the
ages of 51 and 69 recover faster and grow larger muscles when they include meat
than when they eat only dairy, fruits, vegetable,
whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts (5).
1) JE Donnelly, T Sharp, J Houmard, MG Carlson, JO Hill, JE Whatley, RG Israel
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition OCT 1993;58(4)
.
2) KJ Kingsbury, L Kay, M Hjelm. Contrasting plasma free amino acid patterns in
elite athletes: association with fatigue and
infection. British Journal of Sports Medicine 32: 1 (MAR 1998):25-32.
3) Nancy Rodriquez. The Journal of Nutrition July, 1999.
4) Hayward R et al. Effects of dietary protein on enzyme activity following
exercise-induced muscle injury. Med Sci Sprts Exerc.
March, 1999. 31(3):414-420.
5) WW Campbell, ML Barton, D CyrCampbell, SL Davey, JL Beard, G Parise, WJ
Evans. Effects of an omnivorous diet compared with a
lactoovovegetarian diet on resistance-training-induced changes in body
composition and skeletal muscle in older men. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999, Vol 70, Iss 6, pp 1032-1039.
From http://www.drmirkin.com


8. From Running Times:
* Training Tip of the Month - Training When It's Cold, Snowy and Icy
A little poem about January I remember from my childhood in Maine illustrates
the good news/bad news of the month for the runner:
"Days are getting longer, winter's getting stronger." While it is lighter
earlier and later, the cold, snow and ice often get worse.
When getting in our runs is difficult, even dangerous, we need to be creative.
Don't underestimate other activities in maintaining
your fitness. Run the stairs in your apartment or office building. Walk,
snowshoe or cross country ski if the snow is too deep for
running. Pull your kids on a sled - and get in some high-level intensity by
sprinting segments. Or, retreat to a gym and use the
stairstepper, versaclimber, rowing machine or treadmill to get in an aerobic
workout. None of these will get you ready for a race on
their own -- and as running addicts, none are quite as satisfying -- but they
will maintain hard-earned fitness for when you can get
back out on the roads and trails, when you will be ready for specific training
toward your goals. --Jonathan Beverly, Editor in
Chief
* Medical Coner - Shin Splints
Shin splints is a term used to describe pain along the inside of the shin bone
(tibia). A number of factors contribute to the
development of shin splints, including increasing your level of training too
quickly, running on hard surfaces, inadequate running
shoes, tight calf muscles and flat feet.
If you are suffering from pain in the shins or have suffered it in the past,
there are steps you can take to ease the pain:
First, make sure that you only gradually increase the intensity of your
workouts. Make sure that your running shoes are in good
shape and that you have the appropriate type of shoe (check with your local
running store).
Work on stretching your calf muscles several times per day.
Start strengthening the muscles in the front of your shin by putting a weight
(such as an ankle weight) on your foot. Point your
foot up; repeat 3 sets of 10. Point your foot out, 3 sets of 10. Point your foot
in; 3 sets of 10. Perform these exercises once or
twice a day.
When you complete your workout, apply ice to your shins, even if they are not
sore. This will help decrease any inflammation caused
by the workout.
Be cautious about taking ibuprofen prior to workouts; this type of medication
should be taken with food to avoid stomach irritation,
which can be serious.
If you have persistent pain despite these measures, see a physician. You could
have a more significant problem, such as a tibial
stress fracture. --Cathy Fieseler, MD
Subscribe to the Running Times Newsletter at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/newsletter/signup.asp


9. Increase anaerobic threshold with tempo runs:
Have you ever been running hard in a workout or race and begun to feel as though
acid is eating through your leg muscles? That's
because acid is eating through your muscles.
The culprits are positively-charged hydrogen ions, which accumulate in the
muscle tissue at higher running intensities. As they do
so, these hydrogen ions lower the pH of your muscles (literally making them more
acidic) and interfere with muscle contractions,
which hastens fatigue and causes that burning sensation, known as "muscular
acidosis."
Hydrogen ions are byproducts of glycolysis, or the anaerobic breakdown of
glucose for energy. Glucose is broken down both
aerobically (with oxygen) and anaerobically during running. At lower
intensities, the energy contributions of glycolysis are small,
because this process is less efficient than glucose oxidation. But as the
intensity increases, the energy contributions of
glycolysis become ever greater, because this process is faster than glucose
oxidation.
The muscles have clever ways of getting rid of hydrogen ions, but once your
running pace reaches a certain level, these mechanisms
become overwhelmed and "acidosis" begins in earnest.
The running pace at which this limit is reached is referred to as anaerobic (or
lactate) threshold pace. Anaerobic threshold pace is
one of the strongest predictors of distance-running performance. The faster you
can run while maintaining a manageable level of
muscle acidity, the faster you can race. One study found that
anaerobic-threshold pace explained 87 percent of the variability in
3,000m running performance in a group of high-level runners.
More...from Active .com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12638


10. Off Season Training Canadian Style:
Canadian triathletes have a history of success in triathlon. From Olympic
distance to Ironman and Xterra, Canadians can be found on
the podium at races around the world. Observers have often wondered how a
country with long cold and dark winters could produce such
successful athletes. While there is probably something to be said for the
uniqueness of athletes such as Olympic Champion Simon
Whitfield and double Ironman Champion Tom Evans, having a significant
off-season, with forced changes of focus due to the weather,
can have a positive affect on an athlete's progression year to year. While many
top athletes do travel to training camps in warmer
locations for part of the winter, there are some proven off season training
patterns that they share including cross training,
prehabilitation strength training and sport focus phases.
Original Cross Trainers
In many ways triathletes are the original cross trainers. Spreading the training
load over three sports is one of the most appealing
aspects of triathlon, and has a number of positive effects such as reducing the
occurrence of overuse injuries as compared to single
sport athletes, increasing enjoyment of exercise by reducing boredom and
providing a change from in-season training routine, and
also promoting a more balanced whole body fitness.
Canadian winters present an excellent opportunity to try some different forms of
endurance training, and laying the foundation for a
successful, injury free racing season. When the snow arrives in Penticton BC,
Ironman Canada Champion Tom Evans hits the slopes. A
significant part of Evans' winter training includes cross-country skiing and
snow shoe running. The benefits of cross country
skiing, skate-style in particular, include a tremendous cardiovascular workout,
working similar muscular groups to cycling as well
as incorporating the upper body into the workout. In addition, Evans' enjoys
snow-shoe running as a way to build endurance in a low
impact and fun format. With a winter of building endurance on the snow, when
times comes to hit the roads again Evans' feels
refreshed and fit and ready to tackle the season.
More...from Competition Zone at:
http://www.competitionzone.com/articles/off_season_training.htm


11. The Underperformance Syndrome - Beyond overtraining:
When athletes are starting out, training seems so simple: train as much, and as
hard as possible and you will get better. This type
of strategy is applied to some extent even as we progress in the sport.
Long-term improvement requires sufficient stress (overload),
some training variation, and adequate recovery. Inadequate recovery from
training leads to a failing adaptation - the body fails to
compensate for the stress placed on it, leading to reduced performance. In the
short-term, this "over-reaching" can lead to
significant super compensation. However, continual over-reaching can lead to a
vicious cycle of under-performance, or even more
severe under-performance, "over-training" - figure 1 provides a graphic
depiction of the differences between normal training and
super-compensation, over-reaching and overtraining.
Overtraining: Too much training, too little recovery, or something else?
The term over-training can be ambiguous and a bit misleading. While it is
certainly possible to train too much (and recover too
little), severe cases of over-training are often more complex, involving a
number of factors including heavy training loads and
sparse recovery periods. Recent perspectives (1) on overtraining suggest it is
closely linked to a stress-related disorder, which
present themselves with a very diverse group of symptoms. Moreover, Dr. Richard
Budgett, a leading expert on over-training, has
recommended renaming the problem the unexplained underperformance syndrome to
hone in on the one key symptom present, poor
performance (UPS).
More...from The Peaks Coaching Group at:
http://www.peakscoachinggroup.com/freeinfo/The_underperformance_syndrome.html


12. Don't Be Your Worst Enemy:
How to defend yourself against the dark thoughts.
By Marlon Familton, CSCS - USA Cycling Expert Coach
Imagine yourself rolling up to the start line after a brisk lap around the
course and taking your place next to a teammate. The
energy from all other riders in close proximity saturates the air; you can feel
everyone's heart beating around you as the
butterflies flap in your stomach. Then your teammate leans over and says . . .
"I hope I don't get dropped on the first lap; I know
I'm going to get smoked today."
What do you tell them? Do you look over and say . . . "Yeah, you'll be off the
back right away. Why'd you even bother showing up?
You're the slowest rider here."
Is that really what you would say? Of course not. Instead you would offer
encouragement and support; more along the lines of,
"come on; think positive! You've been riding strong with the group every
Saturday. You can do this!" At that moment, you would be
their best friend.
So why is it that when that same self doubt and negative thoughts flow through
our mind, we do not try to counter them and be our
own best friend?
Bike racing is not merely about who can crank the most watts for twenty minutes.
If it were there would be no point in holding the
race. Yet, sometimes the biggest determinant between who wins and who finishes
mid pack is not physical strength. In fact, one of
the tools you need in your rider tool box to reach your Personal Performance
Potential is mental strength.
More...from Transition Times at:
http://www.transitiontimes.com/viewstory.cfm?ID=7936


13. Off-season mix-up By Matt Fitzgerald:
Her Sports Magazine
Active types usually fall into two camps during the off-season: those who try to
fit in the same workouts they churn out the rest of
the year, and those who throw in the towel completely.
Neither approach yields the best results. For physical and psychological
reasons, it's beneficial to take an off-season break from
your normal training, regardless of your sport. Doing so gives your body a
chance to rest and recover on a deep level, while getting
away from your sport for a few weeks helps renew your passion for it. Together,
these benefits will allow you to perform at a higher
level than you would without a break.
There's more than one way to take a break, however. Sure, doing little or no
training during this time will give your body a rest
and your mind a chance to reenergize. But it will also cause you to lose
fitness, prolonging the process of climbing back to
competitive shape in the spring and increasing your chances of getting injured
if you rush it.
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12650&sidebar=630&category=activewomen


14. Science of Sport: Are the Atkins, Zone, and South Beach Diets Slowing you
Down??
By Kimberly Mueller-Brown, MS, RD
Many runners are jumping on the latest dietary crazes foregoing carbohydrate
rich foods such as pasta, bagels, fruits, vegetables,
and good ole Cheerios to slim down and enhance their health. Yet are these diets
more destructive to their wellbeing? The truth
about carbohydrate composition and its effects on running performance are
revealed.
Here are the top ten reasons why high carbohydrate diets win the race.
Traditional guidelines posted by the American Dietetic Association recommend
that 45-65% of total calories be consumed in the form
of carbohydrates, with guidelines for endurance athletes focusing on the latter
end of these recommendations during training and
competition.1 The carbohydrate intake of elite distance runners in the United
States2, Netherlands3, Australia4, and Southern
Africa5 have been measured at 49%, 50%, 52%, and 50% respectively. Perhaps the
most decorated distance runners in the world,
however, are the Kalenjin (Kenyan) runners who reportedly won a staggering 40%
of all major international middle- and long-distance
competitions from 1987-1997.6 Interestingly, Kalenjin runners have a
carbohydrate composition that tower over their competition with
measurements reporting 75+% or 10.4 grams carbohydrate per kg of body mass,
which may lead one to argue that running success and
carbohydrate intake are directly related.7 In fact, there is a plethora of sound
research showing the profound performance benefits
associated with high carbohydrate intake, including optimal mental functioning,
muscle glycogen saturation, enhanced fat burning,
protection against protein/muscle breakdown, and improved immune function, just
to name a few.8 Even so, such health authority as
Dr. Atkins (Atkins Diet), Dr. Barry Sears (Zone Diet), and Dr. Agatston (South
Beach Diet) question the efficacy of high
carbohydrate diets for health and performance. This has lead to an explosion of
low carbohydrate products in the marketplace and an
adoption of new dietary habits by runners as means to shed body fat, enhance
performance, and optimize health. This article will
give you the low down on the effects of low carbohydrate dietary trends on
running performance and ultimately shed light on the top
ten reasons why a dietary focus on healthy carbohydrate sources (such as fruits,
vegetables, legumes, and whole grains) will always
aid in health and running performance.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060105_PRP_Diet.html


15. Get Fit for a Lifetime:
To help prepare you for going big, we've pulled together 15 essential tips from
award-winning writer Paul Scott's new book, Outside
Fitness. Whether you run, bike, swim, climb, or simply want to keep yourself in
peak form, follow these fundamentals to stay primed
for action.
1) PERIODIZE YOUR WORKOUT. Systematically increase volume and intensity over
three-week periods; on the fourth week, cut the
workload by half. This pattern of stress and recovery will maximize your
training and prevent your body from becoming unresponsive
to stimuli.
2) REST AND GROW STRONGER. Schedule a day or two of time off each week, an easy
week every month, and a solid month of active rest,
such as walking, per year. You get stronger when your body recovers; if you keep
pushing yourself every day, you'll quickly burn
out.
More...from Outside Magazine at:
http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200601/life-list-12.html


16. From Runner's World:
* Words That Inspire:
"I was too fat. The doctor said I needed to exercise, so I began to run."
-Elijah Lagat, men's winner of the 2000 Boston Marathon
* Editor's Advice:
"If your feet tend to get really cold on your winter runs, treat your shoes with
a waterproof spray. The spray will protect the
shoes from the elements and, in turn, keep your feet warmer." -Kathleen Jobes,
RW marketing merchandising manager
* Training Talk:
"Doing the right training is more important than doing the most training.
Increasing your weekly mileage is not a certain recipe for
success." -From Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running by Dagny Scott


17. Life Support: thanking those who have helped:
You had a long season and are just winding up for the winter months to come.
Looking back on last year, you had a couple minor
injuries and perhaps few set backs, but you managed to get in those last few
competitions of the season. There were a few races that
were unable to finish, however you did have that one breakthrough race that made
it all worth while. that one race in which you felt
as high as a kite running down the finisher's chute. You achieved this on your
own, you and only you. This is where you are wrong.
What many athletes cease to remember is that when all is said and done - there
is no way that you managed to get across that line
alone. That feeling of total and utter satisfaction is not all yours for the
taking. Others' blood, sweat and tears were apart of
your accomplishments as well, and they deserve to be given some kudos too!
Be it a teacher, a mentor, your mum or dad, a coach, a partner, your
physiotherapist, or a sponsor, these people aren't just average
people in your life.they are your support staff. They are the hard workers who
help to keep your valuable factory running smoothly.
Each and every day, they are continually lighting your spirit with understanding
and words of encouragement, in order to help you
attain that one moment of athletic satisfaction that may come only a few times
per year.
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/general/life-support-thanking-those-who-have-he\
lped-001175.php


18. Take a break from running to heal:
My husband, a runner, has been sidelined by plantar fasciitis. What's the best
way for him to stay in shape?
Ouch. This question hurts.
Plantar fasciitis is an injury to the thick band of tissue that stretches from
your heel to your toes on the bottom of your foot.
Sometimes the tissue tears. Other times, it ruptures, causing serious arch
problems.
Runners dread this common injury, in part because it usually means you have to
stop running for at least a couple weeks. To some,
that's akin to doing time in the Big House.
Still, Dr. John Senatore, chief of podiatry at Union Memorial Sports Medicine,
says taking time off is better than risking a more
serious injury.
Senatore's motto: If your foot hurts when you run, stop running. Switch to
activities that don't stress the tissue, such as
swimming, deep-water running, cycling and possibly the elliptical trainer. Avoid
activities such as doing lunges, jumping rope,
playing tennis or anything that places significant stress on the foot bottom.
If you can manage to run without pain, modify your workout. Only run on level
surfaces -- such as a treadmill or track. Don't run
downhill. And always ice your foot and stretch when you finish running.
More...from the Baltimore Sun at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-hs.fitnessq06,1,6074268.column?coll=\
bal-health-headlines


19. Flawed of the rings: Health bracelets are a 'waste of money':
THE mystical draw of magnetic therapy has seen world leaders from Cleopatra to
Bill Clinton convinced of its healing power.
But despite such longstanding popularity with the rich and powerful, new
research has led to warnings from the United States that
the "alternative" treatment has no proven benefits and simply targets vulnerable
people looking for pain relief.
The report by American doctors concluded that the rapidly expanding commercial
industry selling static magnet therapies is
exploiting the people who buy and believe in the products.
Billions of pounds are spent annually on "static" magnetic bracelets, insoles,
wrist and knee bands, back and neck braces, and even
pillows and mattresses in the hope they will cure anything from back pain to
migraines.
In Britain, Princes William and Harry have been seen wearing copper bracelets,
which often have magnetic properties and have become
something of a fashion statement.
The Silence of the Lambs actor Sir Anthony Hopkins is a known to be a believer
in magnetic therapy, which dates from ancient times.
More...from the Scotsman at:
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=21182006


20. Doctor's fixation on tough knee injury:
Martha Murray acknowledges that she's never been much of an athlete. But in her
lab at Children's Hospital Boston, Murray spends a
lot of time thinking about athletes, specifically those with torn ACLs, and how
she might improve their lives.
The ACL - or anterior cruciate ligament - is the mother of all ligaments in the
knee, connecting the back and outside of the femur
with the front and inside of the tibia. It stabilizes the knee, preventing
hyperextension. And when it gets torn, it means months of
rehabilitation and sometimes years of problems.
That's where Murray comes in. Years ago she set out to discover why surgeons
have such difficulty repairing torn ACLs, or, at least,
why those repairs come with long-term complications such as arthritis. Now,
Murray says, she may be getting close to developing a
technique that would not only make the surgery far less complicated but also far
more successful.
And that pleases a woman who set out to be an engineering professor, not a
doctor. Murray just wanted to fix stuff. "Spending your
life finding new fixes for problems - what could be cooler than that?" she said.
"I just didn't realize there were still so many
problems in medicine that needed to be fixed."
More...from the IHT at:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/04/news/snmur.php


21. Dehydration: Curse of Summer (And Winter) Running:
For endurance athletes, few things are more enjoyable than a good workout or a
race in pleasant weather conditions.
But the summer months can also help foster the worst curse for runners -
dehydration.
The loss of the body's fluids can abruptly not only ruin a training effort or a
competition, but it can cause more severe problems,
even death.
"Most people assume that their bodies will warn them before they become
dehydrated, usually by intense thirst," said Dr. Mark
Fredrick, a physician in Costa Mesa, Calif. "Unfortunately, that signal can be
masked. Often when a person loses fluid quickly, the
normal thirst mechanism is overwhelmed, and dehydration or heat stroke can set
it with little or no warning."
According the standard averages, a person loses four liters of fluid through
daily activities. Fluids and foot consumed usually
replace the normal losses, while evaporation of sweat from the skin raises the
rate of cooling.
But certain factors - exercise, sweating, diarrhea, exposure to high
temperatures and exposure to high altitudes - can significantly
increase the required amount of replacement fluids required.
More...from Marathon-Pal.com at:
http://www.marathon-training-program.com/dehydration.html


22. Rethinking Base Training:
Another competitive year comes to a close, a brief training respite ensues, and
then triathlon and cycling talk inevitably turns to
Base.
I gotta start logging my Base miles, lots of them. It's all about saddle time,
count those hours. Pace must be strictly easy because
it is Base-building time. Tis the season for LSD. If you are going to build a
house, you need a strong foundation or your house will
collapse! Yikes!
Indeed, let us consider the simplistic rote analogies of if you are going to
build a house, you have to have a strong foundation,
and in endurance training a strong foundation can only be represented by a large
volume of LSD miles.
In the Romanesque period of architecture, grandiose cathedrals were constructed
on massive scale that history had never before seen.
Think of this as Ironman, where people from all walks of life are setting out to
tackle an event whose distances stretch the
perceived limits of human endurance.
The building method during the Romanesque period was a simplistic one.
Basically, huge walls of enormous thickness were erected to
support these behemoth structures. Stone and mortar, stone and mortar, and more
stone and mortar. Think of this building approach as
akin to more and more LSD.
Large structures of unprecedented scale were indeed the result of this epoch's
commitment to size. However, there were limitations
to this most basic of building methods. For example, because of the thickness of
the walls and the monotone structural basis, the
interiors of these buildings were dark and dingy places where light did not
easily penetrate.(here the analogy opportunities are too
bountiful!)
There were also inherent height limitations with a building method whose primary
component was volume of mass. Basic, amorphous mass
proved to be very limited in providing an adequate foundation from which to gain
closer proximity to the heavens above. This
building method is analogous to a large volume of low intensity miles preparing
you to cover the distance, but with the limitation
being at a pace and finishing time far short of endurance sports' Holy Grail of
testing one's personal limits.
The ensuing Gothic period brought with it revolutionary building methods which
solved several inherent limitations of the dark
Romanesque period. Flying buttresses shifted weight loads and allowed cathedrals
to soar to withering heights.
More...from TriathlonCoach.com at:
http://www.triathloncoach.com/articles/rethink.html


23. Treadmill training for winter fitness:
With the weather taking a turn for the worse, more and more folks are turning to
the treadmill as a safe (and warm) way to stay in
shape and maintain their running fitness. While running on a treadmill can be
repetitive or even a bit boring, the treadmill is a
fantastic training tool when used properly.
Remember Christine Clark, the woman from Alaska who stunned the running
community by winning the U.S. marathon trials for the 2000
summer Olympics? She did the majority of her running on a treadmill and managed
a great race.
Your winter training could prepare you for a great race if you take the time to
really plan out your approach. Here are a couple of
things to remember for those winter treadmill runs:
Your heart rate values are different on a treadmill. Without external stimuli
like hills, wind, heat, etc., your heart rate will be
lower. It also makes a difference that the treadmill is pushing your legs
instead of you pulling your body forward. As a result, at
any given pace you'll notice that your HR is lower on a treadmill than on the
open road. You can counteract
this effect by manipulating the grade periodically to stimulate your aerobic
system.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12647


24. Welcome Back:
The Perils and Pleasures of Returning to Form After a Long Layoff.
For 13 years, between 1983 and 1996, I ran. Nearly every day, and up to 3,200
miles a year when I was at my marathon-focused,
PR-setting peak. Starting soon after the U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials in
February 1996, I didn't run. Well, I cut back to 10
to 15 miles a week, which compared to my previous 90 to 95 felt like not
running. I wanted to have a baby and suspected that
high-mileage, high-intensity training wouldn't go hand-in-hand with optimal
fertility. I probably averaged a bit more, about 20 to
25 miles per week, during the first seven months of my pregnancy, but then for
three months around my son's birth I didn't run at
all. All told, for almost two years I didn't "train." All my runs were slow and
short, sometimes with walking breaks, and they
didn't happen anywhere near every day. I didn't race, and I didn't do speed
work, hill work, tempo runs or fartlek. I stopped
keeping track of my mileage and I didn't lift weights or crosstrain. By my old
standards, I was woefully out of shape.
Six months after giving birth, I decided I wanted to start training again. I was
no longer completely unfit; I was running for 30
minutes to an hour, four or five times a week and had done a few low-key local
races, none longer than five miles. What motivated me
was watching the 1998 USA Women's Marathon Championships in Houston in January,
which was the first qualifying race for the 2000
U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials. I wondered whether I could possibly get
fit enough to run a qualifier myself. Of course, there
was only one way to find out.
I met my goal by running 2:42:51 at the Vermont City Marathon last May. Coming
back after so long away from competitive running was
harder than I'd anticipated in some ways, yet easier in others, and great fun. I
learned a lot from my experience and from sharing
information and advice with other runners coming back from layoffs of a year or
more. You may have such a layoff at some point, due
to injury, pregnancy or a running "sabbatical" brought about by other reasons.
Here's a summary of what worked for me and others
who've been in the same situation.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/issues/98dec/welcome.htm


25. Digest Briefs:
* Barking up the right tree
Going to the dogs may not be such a bad thing after all, a U.S. researcher has
found.
In a study released Wednesday, Saint Louis University professor Dr. William
Banks found that lonely seniors responded better when
they received visits from dogs alone than when the animals were accompanied by a
human.
"It was a strange finding," said Dr. Banks, a professor of geriatrics in the
school's department of internal medicine.
"We had thought that the dog acts as a social lubricant and increases the
interaction between residents. The residents found a
little quiet time with the pooch is a lot nicer than spending time with a dog
and other people."
For the study, Dr. Banks looked at 37 nursing-home residents who scored high on
a loneliness scale and said they wanted weekly
30-minute visits from a dog.
Half the group received visits from just the animal, while the other half were
visited by a dog and another human.
Researchers had expected that the seniors in the second group would respond
better, with the animal serving as a means of breaking
the ice and opening up communication with the other person.
The findings suggested, however, that the opposite was true.
Although both groups responded positively after five or six weeks of visits,
those who spent time with the animal alone experienced
a more significant decrease in feelings of loneliness.
Dr. Banks said the main way pets reduce loneliness is by simply by being with
the people, not by acting as a bridge between the two
humans.
"There is no need for a dog to be a social lubricant or icebreaker in a nursing
home," he said.
The study also found that the loneliest people benefited the most from the dog
visits.
The findings will be published in the March issue of Anthrozoos, a journal that
examines interactions between people, animals and
the environment.
From GlobeAndMail.com
* Baltimore is named America's fittest city
BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore has been named America's fittest city, with Chicago
overtaking Houston as the fattest. Last year's
fittest city, Seattle, drops to No. 8 in the new list, released today by Men's
Fitness magazine.



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

January 7, 2006:
Blizzard Busters 5K - Ashland, Ohio
http://ashlandfirst.org/blizzardbusters/index.htm

Run for Peace - Charlotte, NC
http://www.charlotterunforpeace.com

January 7-8, 2006:
Disney World Half Marathon & Marathon - Orlando, FL
http://disneyworldsports.disney.go.com/dwws/en_US/events/marathon/listing?name=M\
arathon2005EventListingPage&bhcp=1
[Long URL]

January 8, 2006:
Cadbury Glass Marathon & Half Marathon - Hobart, Australia
http://www.tasathletics.org.au

Fred Lebow 5 Mile Classic - New York, NY
http://www.nyrr.org/nyrrc/org/home.html

Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon & 10K - Ibusuki, Japan
http://www13.ocn.ne.jp/~ibu-nano/E-nanohana.html

Lantau Mountain Marathon - Hong Kong, China
http://www.seyonasia.com/koth/lt.html

Orange County Marathon -, Newport Beach, CA
http://www.ocmarathon.com

Tasmanian Half-Ironman - Devonport, AUS
http://www.tasmanianevents.com.au

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/

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
RunnersWebCoach
http://www.runnerswebcoach.com


********************************************
RUNNER'S WEB AFFILIATE PROGRAMS:
*********************************************

Mental Strength Training Center:
http://www.memberstar.com/redir_a.php?LFAId=1027

National Bike Registry
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=vVGS2V*0iZg&offerid=21387&type=3&sub\
id=0

Axill
Sony vs Panasonic:
http://www.axill.com/trackingcode.aspx?affid=8001&pid=1762&bid=4677&c=8001

Buy Paula Radcliffe's book, My Story - So Far, from Amazon UK at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/074325242X/runnersweb-21

Endurance Films
Triathlon Training DVDs
https://endurancefilms.hivelocity.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_C\
ode=EF&Affiliate=runnersweb

Instant Stretching Routines
Design unlimited stretching routines today, starting from scratch, in under 60
seconds!
http://www.instantstretchingroutines.com/cgi-bin/a.cgi?a=runnersweb

ShoeWallet.com has set out on a mission to enable people to easily carry ID and
medical information at all times. Basically, anyone
who is out on the roads or trails needs a convenient place to carry this vital
information.
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?joggerscompanion+pXgxpm+index.html+

SportsShoes in the UK
http://www.sportsshoes.com/index.php?id=149

Visit on AssociatesShop.com Online Bookstore for running and triathlon books:
http://associatesshop.filzhut.de/shop/index.php?ID=90c9f271c1a519abc4a69299be707\
5a9

LX Sport - Leading Edge Sports Products for Women.
"We strive hard to bring you the best fitness and sports products on the market
that we can find. Our product range is constantly
evolving"
http://www.lxsport.com/products.php?PARTNER=runnersweb. Use the promotion code
"RWEB".
This application was recently featured on National TV - please see the following
link:
http://easylink.playstream.com/networknewssource/hdo/onlinetrainer.wvx

TrainingPeaks.com by Wes Hobson.
Find the training program that fits you at:
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/rw

Triathlon Meetup
http://triathlon.meetup.com/r/d5n6/d5n6/0/http://triathlon.meetup.com/?a=d5n6/
Triathlon Meetups! Happening THIS month, find out when .

TriSwim Coach - The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming
http://hop.clickbank.net/?rhianyth/triswim1

adidas' running apparel at 15% off! All running shorts, pants, and
shirts at reduced prices .
http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=20812557&siteid=39999062&bfpage=15745\
37

If you have an accident while running or cycling, do you want your family to be
contacted? Do you want to receive immediate and
proper medical treatment?
If so, make this cool item part of your gear -- for safety and peace of mind.
Road ID has created 4 awesome ways for athletes to
wear ID: the SHOE, the WRIST, the ANKLE, and the NECK. Get your RoadID at:
http://www.roadid.com/?referrer=50

The Stretching Handbook:
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/cmd.php?af=245575
The Stretching Video in a DVD version. With the DVD version you're able to use
the convenient menu facility to:
* Go directly to a specific stretch;
* View only stretches for a specific muscle group;
* Pause each stretch to get a good look at how it is performed;
* View only the introduction and rules for safe stretching; or
* Play the entire video from start to finish.
Buy the DVD at:
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/cgi-bin/at.pl?a=286905&e=products/video-dvd\
.htm

Buy all your sporting goods at Fogdog Sports, your anytime, anywhere sports
store.
Click here: http://www.fogdog.com/cgi-bin/affiliate?siteid=40054907

**END...OF DIGEST...**