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
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6. The Toronto Marathon, October 15, 2006
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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


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THIS WEEK:

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RUNNER'S AND TRIATHLETE'S WEB CONTENT PARTNERS

* Sports Nutrition by Sheila Kealey.
Sheila is one of Ottawa's top multisport athletes and a member of the OAC Racing
Team and X-C Ottawa. She has a Masters in Public
Health and works in the field of nutritional epidemiology as a Research
Associate with the University of California, San Diego. Her
column index is available at:
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.
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* 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
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recognition of it's outstanding achievements.
http://www.clixGalore.com/EmailSale.aspx?BID=37234&AfID=103794&AdID=5075&LP=www.\
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Check out the Peak Running article index at:
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* WatsonLifeSport
Lance Watson is "Just The Winningest Coach in Triathlon". He has been coaching
triathlon and distance running since 1987. Over the
years, Lance has coached some of the most successful athletes in the sport of
triathlon and duathlon.
Check out the Lance Watson Online Article Index at:
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:
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THIS WEEK'S PERSONAL POSTINGS/RELEASES:
We have NO personal postings this week:


THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Multisport by Lance Watson: Creating a Positive Training Environment
2. Multisport: Using Lactate Testing to Determine your Anaerobic Threshold (AT)
3. Multisport: Stress Response and Running Performance
4. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
5. From Runner's World
6. NISMAT Exercise Physiology Corner: Cardiac Issues for Athletes
7. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Honor Students
8. Student of the Sport: Red blood cell primer
9. Flavonoids reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress
10. EPO drugs threaten testing regime
11. Grouchiness Happens. Walk It Off
12. Research shows brain’s ability to overcome pain and thirst
13. Dave Scott's Tip of the Month—Base Training
14. Pacific Elite Fitness Triathlete Newsletter - This Week’s Article: Torque
Them Cranks Part I
15. Wellness
16. Nutrition: Diet May Drive Data on Beer, Wine and Health
17. Understanding Pace Exertion
18. The heart of the matter
19. For Some, There Is Such a Thing as Too Thin
20. Tip-Top Fuelling For The Winter
21. Eddy Merckx profile: The Greatest Cyclist In History
22. NISMAT Exercise Physiology Corner: A Primer on Maximum Oxygen Consumption
23. Weight Training for the Endurance Athlete
24. Fit facts: Reduce hip injuries
25. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"Do you support Women's Only races?"

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:
"What is your favourite post-race activity?"

Answers Votes Percent
1. Massage 26 21%
2. Ice bath 8 6%
3. Swimming 8 6%
4. Walking 21 17%
5. Drinking a beer 24 19%
6. Chilling out 23 18%
7. Other 16 13%
Total Votes: 126

FIVE STAR SITE OF THE WEEK: BC Endurance Trainings.
BC Endurance Trainings are workout programs for recreational runners and
triathletes. Thousand of endurance athletes have enjoyed
injury-free training and great racing performances by participating in BC
Endurance Trainings.
Brian Clarke is the program director. He ran competitively at the University of
Oregon under legendary track coach, Bill Bowerman;
he has written two outstanding books on the training process; and he teaches the
principles of adaptive training through his School
of Endurance Training.
This site is the on-line version of Clarke’s school. Whether you want to
increase basic fitness or master the game of endurance
athletics, you can learn the tenets of adaptive training at this site.
Check out the site at:
http://www.bcendurancetrainings.com


Send us your suggestions for our Five Star site. Please check our list of
previous Five Star Sites available from the Five Star
Window under the link "Previous Five Star Sites" as we do not wish to repeat a
site unless it has undergone a major redesign.

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

BOOK OF THE WEEK: 5K and 10K Training.
About the Book:
Make your workouts count with the breakthrough system that synchronizes your
energy levels with training effort. Instead of fighting
your body to finish a workout just because it’s written on the calendar, choose
the most effective workouts from 5K and 10K Training
based on your body’s capacity to perform at any given time.
Effort-based training maximizes training adaptation by matching the goal of each
workout with its optimal training level: hard when
energy and recovery are high and easy when stress or recovery is low.
Effort-based training also gives you the most control over the
training process, allowing you to stay injury free while actually increasing the
energy you have available for workouts. Sample
programs contain a variety of schedules and detailed workouts for developing
five race-specific abilities.
Run stronger and faster with more energy by using the proven system in 5K and
10K Training. With customized programs to choose from
and accompanying training logs to record and evaluate your progress, this unique
system is the fastest way to reach your training
goals.
About the Author:
Brian Clarke has conducted training programs for Hawaii’s runners, joggers, and
walkers since 1979. Along with the Brian Clarke
School of Running, he is also the director of Island Triathlon Training, which
has prepared recreational athletes for Hawaii’s major
triathlons since the early 1980s.
Clarke has advised some of Hawaii’s top runners, but his specialty is training
recreational athletes at the beginner and
intermediate levels. He has also served as a fitness consultant to various
organizations, including the U.S. military in the Pacific
and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) in Hawaii. Clarke ran a
4:06 mile in 1965 under the legendary University of
Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman. In his early 60s, Clarke continues to train
and race competitively. He may be reached through his
Web site, www.bcendurancetrainings.com, or by E-mailing
mailto:brian@.... He and his wife, Nancy Heck, reside
in Honolulu.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Understanding Effort and Energy
Chapter 2. Structuring Racing Effort
Chapter 3. Practicing the Five Racing Abilities
Chapter 4. Scheduling Workout Effort
Chapter 5. Balancing Effort and Fatigue
Chapter 6. Programming Your Training
Chapter 7. Designing Workouts to Build Ability
Chapter 8. Tailoring 5K & 10K Programs
Chapter 9. Tracking Your Progress
Words of Praise
"Brian Clarke takes complex training systems and makes them easy to understand.
His many tables and charts will guide you to your
best training paces and recovery efforts, and guarantee that you find your
personal best training program."
Amby Burfoot
Executive Editor, Runner’s World magazine
Winner, 1968 Boston Marathon
Buy the book from Human Kinetics at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736059\
407


THIS WEEK'S NEWS:

1. Multisport by Lance Watson: Creating a Positive Training Environment:
When training in a group setting, always be positive and encouraging. Go ahead
and express your enthusiasm for the workout ahead,
point out the wonderful fall colours, the crisp cool air or explain to the group
why this is your favorite workout. There is a lot
to be learnt through positive expression; one thing being extra fitness gains!
If you've ever run while listening to music you know
a bit about this. One minute you may be jogging along thinking about how heavy
your legs feel or how long your workday was and then
suddenly your favorite song starts playing. Halfway through the song you
realize you're into a great rhythm and running feels good
again. This positive effect could mean that you end up training at the correct
pace or that you run the full distance that you
intended to before you began to feel a bit off. We all have our own music built
right into us and these songs are our thoughts.
Positive thoughts are as motivating as your favorite song, so be a meaningful
training partner and share these positive thoughts and
feelings and let others "tune in" to your positivity. Not only will this
reinforce a positive mindset for you but also increase the
enjoyment of the workout for the people around you.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060201_LW_Positive_Environment.\
html


2. Multisport: Using Lactate Testing to Determine your Anaerobic Threshold (AT):
By P. Mauro (Head Triathlon Coach at www.trainingsmartonline.com)
Introduction:
The building blocks for an optimal performance are many and must be constructed
in a proper sequence and must recognize that each
individual is different. However, the cornerstone for this building is precise
physiological training. That is the main reason an
athlete spends so much time in the water, on the bike, on the track or the road,
in the weight room or wherever training is best
conducted.
Ask yourself; do you know if all those miles/hours of training are paying off?
But what is appropriate physiological training? It is not volume or else those
who put in the most hours/miles would be the winners.
It is not intensity or else those who pushed themselves the hardest would be the
winners. It is not someone's favorite workout or
else everyone would be copying the magic workout or training pace. It turns out
that each individual has his or her own way of
adapting and any smart training plan must recognize this. This is a fact of
life. Each has to find his or her own way to the proper
balance of the energy systems and peak conditioning on the day that counts, race
day.
With proper protocols, a lactate tester enables the coach to measure both the
aerobic and anaerobic conditioning of each athlete.
Information about both is necessary for the coach to optimize the conditioning
of each athlete: whether they are a 50 metre
freestyle swimmer (about 22 seconds plus per race) or in an Ironman triathlon
(over 8 hours per race). With information on each
energy system the coach can plan, control and monitor the training of athletes
with a precision not available before. The lactate
tester provides the important information that enables the coach to
individualize the intensity of each athlete's workout and
control their training so they reach performance objectives.
No over-training and no surprises come race day.
Quite simply, true lactate testing is the gold standard and ultimate form of
testing available. It removes the guesswork and
estimation that all the other testing methods use and is based solely on the
data that your body provides. For example, “anaerobic
threshold” prediction tests, “max heart-rate tests” and heart-rate formulas are
all based on guesswork and mathematics and as such
give very sketchy results. For example, after being lactate tested and comparing
the results with those from a heart-rate formula or
anaerobic threshold prediction test, it’s not uncommon for some athletes to
realize that they’ve been training as much as twenty
beats per minute out of their optimal range! Suddenly the athlete can see why
they were prone to over-training, underperformance and
constant disappointment. Almost always, the athlete improves dramatically
following lactate testing, as for many this is the first
time that they get accurate data that allows their true athletic potential to be
realized.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060131_TSO_Lactate.html


3. Multisport: Stress Response and Running Performance :
Stress, in relation to health, is any stimulus that affects your body’s normal
set point. This set point is called homeostasis and
is the process of maintaining a constant internal environment through a complex
integration of biochemical processes. Thanks to
endocrinologist Hans Seyle, we know that your body responds to stress with one
general response (1).
• When encountering a new stressor (e.g., lack of sleep, new exercise, traffic)
your body experiences a form of shock. In response
to the shock, your body reacts with a predictable chain of events (e.g.,
soreness, fatigue) in an attempt to stimulate rest and thus
rejuvenation-based cellular actions.
• If the stressor is removed, you are able to adapt to the stressor resulting in
supercompensation. In training, supercompensation
is often called the training affect. An example of this phenomenon could be the
recovery from muscle soreness felt after a long run.
You do not do another long run for several days, the soreness disappears, and
you try a long run again. This time you do not become
sore. Your body used the time in between long runs to “supercompensate” by
improving the biochemical and biomechanical pathways
required for running long. If the new stress is not removed allowing
supercompensation, then a process called maladaption occurs. In
training, maladaption appears as reduced performance and excessive fatigue
(i.e., overtraining syndrome).
• If the symptoms of maladaption (fatigue, frequent illness, frequent or chronic
injury, high blood lipids, high levels of the
biochemical markers of inflammation, poor glucose tolerance, high blood
pressure, etc.) are not noted, and their causes fixed
(stressors removed), they ultimately lead to tremendous injury (e.g., prolonged
illness, major injury) or eventually to death.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060203_THS_Stress.html


4. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine:
* Intervals to Improve Endurance
Most coaches and researchers are convinced that you have to do a series
of short bursts of very fast speed training to
improve long-term endurance, but they do not know why. The most offered
explanation is that muscle fatigue caused by many hours of
cycling is associated with a reduction in muscle fibers' ability to contract
with force. Now a study from France shows that short
bursts of very fast cycling improve endurance for cycling competitions that take
many hours, because the stronger you are, the less
of your maximal effort is needed to get the same pressure on the pedals
(Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, January 2005.)

Muscles are made up of millions of individual fibers. Each fiber is a
single muscular thread that functions independently.
When you contract a muscle, you contract only a
small percentage of these fibers at the same time. As each muscle fiber
fatigues, you lose the ability to contract that fiber.
When enough of these fibers stop contracting efficiently, you lose strength and
your muscles feel tired. However, stronger fibers
take longer to fatigue because they are being worked at a lower percentage of
their capacity. So stronger muscles can be exercised
for longer periods of time.
Making each muscle fiber stronger and bigger allows it to exert force
for a longer period of time and therefore, increases
endurance. The only way to make a muscle stronger is to exercise that muscle
against progressively greater resistance, and that
applies to each muscle fiber also. It is impossible to put great pressure on a
muscle for a long time. When you do all-out fast
bursts for a short time, you exert so much pressure that you have to back off
after several seconds or a minute. All-out sprints
for a short period followed by resting and then repeating the sprint is called
interval training. It makes the entire muscle
stronger and delays fatigue.
Athletes in all sports use long and short intervals. Short intervals
take less than 30 seconds and because you do not build
up significant amounts of lactic acid in that time, you can do hundreds of
repeats in a single workout. Long intervals take two to
three minutes and are very damaging to your muscles. Because you feel burning in
your muscles and become very short of breath for a
longer time, you can do only a few of these in a single workout. So athletes in
all sports that require endurance do both long and
short intervals to help them exercise longer.
From: http://www.drmirkin.com


5. From Runner's World:
* Words That Inspire:
"I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of
people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard
work--and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't."
-Lucille Ball, actress/comedian
* Editor's Advice:
"Keep a positive attitude. You'll need it often because every runner has bad
days and occasional injuries. Staying positive will
help you overcome obstacles and continue running."
-Jane Hahn, RW features editor
* Training Talk:
"Finding the balance between being too intense for too long or not intense
enough for too short a time is the key to a successful
training program."
- From "No need for Speed" by John Bingham
* Coach's Corner
Hit the Pool: "Need a break from the roads? By adding cross-training activities
to your schedule, you can cut back on your running
miles while maintaining--or even improving--your fitness. Pool running is about
as low-impact as it can get and is a great
cross-training workout." - Jeff Galloway
* Injury Prevention
Squats: This venerable exercise strengthens the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings
and lower back. When these three muscle groups are
strong, you're better able to withstand the impact of each footfall, and you
improve your ability to lift and drive the legs forward
with each stride.
Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and rest a weighted lifting bar across
your shoulders behind your head. Holding the bar
with both hands while keeping your back straight, slowly bend your knees. Squat
down to a point where you can also stand back up, as
if you were going to sit in a chair but stood up the moment you touched the
seat. Keep your feet flat on the floor during the entire
exercise. Squats can also be done with dumbbells in each hand (held over the
shoulder), or on a squat machine.
* Performance Nutrition
Vitamin C: Your body needs this antioxidant to make collagen, an adhesive-like
protein found in your bones, connective tissues, and
blood vessels. When you're injured, collagen is the substance that glues the
injured area back together. Women need 75 milligrams of
vitamin C each day, and men need 90 milligrams. If you eat a diet rich in
berries, cantaloupe, oranges, and other fruit, you'll
easily meet this requirement.
* Words That Inspire:
"Don't quit, dammit!"
- Marty Liquori to Kip Keino during their 1972 race at Villanova when Keino
backed off on the last lap
Editor's Advice:
"Climb Every Mountain: When you're climbing up a hill, try to maintain the same
level of effort and breathing rate that you use on
flat ground. Don't worry if you're slowing down as you go up, just reduce your
stride length. As the grade gets steeper, shorten
your stride even more, all the while maintaining steady effort and breathing."
- Katie Herrell, RW associate producer
* Training Talk:
"Running, of course, teaches us to move on. There is always another day, another
workout, another mile, another race. But more
important, it teaches us to listen to ourselves and believe in ourselves."
- From The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life, by Amby Burfoot




6. NISMAT Exercise Physiology Corner: Cardiac Issues for Athletes:
Introduction: Issues with Cardiovascular Screening of Athletes
There is a low incidence of cardiovascular problems in athletes. However, any
untoward event in this population is disconcerting as
athletes are considered to be the healthiest segment of our society. Sudden
death of popular or famous athletes, especially in team
sports that have a large fan following, assume a high public profile and arouse
intense interest. It is always a great personal
tragedy, but news about these events tends to be disproportionate to their
actual impact on public health.
Athletic deaths nationally are difficult to tabulate because of the large number
of athletes involved. In addition to the estimated
4.5 million school and college athletes, there are a large number of
recreational athletes. Only a very small proportion of
participants in organized sports in the US are at risk for death. Estimates
range form 1:100,000 to 1:300,000 among high school
athletes. For older athletes these range from 1:15,000 among joggers to 1:50,000
among marathon runners.
Moral, ethical and sometimes legal considerations compel and justify
organizations and society as a whole to think of ways to screen
athletes. However current recommendations for screening have to take into
account the low prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities
and that sudden cardiac death is an infrequent event in this population. A
complete, honest, careful personal and family history
with a physical examination designed to identify high risk individuals is
therefore recommended as the best available and practical
method.
These recommendations also limit the role of non-invasive diagnostic tests,
which may be more effective for detecting certain
diseases. An important part of the problem is the potential for false positive
results in a population with a low prevalence of
detectable disease. A false positive result can cause emotional and financial
burdens for individuals, teams and institutions with
the requirement for additional testing. Borderline tests cannot be completely
resolved in some athletes until they stop competing
for some time. False negative results occur often as the disease may not be
evident or completely expressed with non diagnostic
findings at the time of the test. Studies done with systematic screening of
athletes with non-invasive testing only detected a few
potential lethal abnormalities. These tests are therefore not warranted given
the overall cost/benefit ratio.
Screening of athletes should not give a false sense of security to doctors,
athletes or the general public. The standard
recommendations of History & Physical cannot reliably identify many lethal
cardiovascular abnormalities. Indeed, the addition of
non-invasive tests may not identify all the abnormal people as detailed above.
It is therefore unrealistic to assume that screening
can reliably identify all asymptomatic athletes at high risk.
More...from NISMAT at:
http://www.nismat.org/physcor/cardiac/index.html


7. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Honor Students:
Here we go again. I face a new class of new runners, and we're mostly strangers
to each other.
The college-age students see me only as a little guy old enough to be their
grandfather. Once again I have prove to them that my
class is worth getting up for twice a week.
By one measure I always fail with a one-quarter of these kids. They are the
dropouts who decide that my training is too tough, too
easy or too early for them. They miss the surprises that running, and I as a
teacher, might have held for them.
That fallout rate probably betters the national average. I doubt if three in
every four people who resolve to start running in the
new year will last past January.
Once again I await some surprises. In five years of teaching these classes at
the University of Oregon, I haven't yet learned how to
predict who will catch fire as a runner, then burn the brightest through this
term and beyond.
My "honor students" themselves don't yet know who they are. They could be among
the slowest runners in class.
My all-time honor student is a woman named Max. Each term begins with a one-mile
test, and Max's time there was one of the slowest
ever.
She called herself a "bad runner," but I wouldn't hear of it. "The only bad
runners are those who don't try or give up," I told her.

Max kept trying. She eventually ran a marathon at a faster pace than her
original time for a single mile.
I can't yet guess who will become honor students in my new class. But I can name
them from the last one completed.
Their names are Leif, Takehiro and Jenna. They won the class prizes, based not
on speed but on attendance and improvement.
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/558.html


8. Student of the Sport: Red blood cell primer:
Today we welcome Cameron Chestnut to Inside Triathlon Interactive as a guest
writer. Cameron is a medical school student and a
triathlete, and with the five minutes of spare time he has each week he ties the
two together through writing. In regular
installment he'll be sharing his insights; today we start with an overview of
red blood cells. There will be a quiz. --ed.
Red blood cells (RBCs), or "shorties" as I like to call them, are our little
oxygen-carrying buddies, and they hold a special place
in every endurance athlete's heart. A major part of our training is intended to
simply increase RBC count, allowing us to carry more
oxygen to our working muscles.
Endurance training increases RBC count by putting higher oxygen demands on our
body, and other situations that put our body into
oxygen stress, such as high altitude, can elicit a similar response. Not only do
we create more RBCs as a reaction to the decreased
partial pressure of oxygen at altitude, but the biochemical nature of our RBCs
also changes.
At altitude, our RBCs express more of a compound called 2,3 BPG which decreases
the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen. Hemoglobin is
the oxygen carrying protein of RBCs, and it seems counterintuitive that our RBCs
would decrease their affinity for what little
oxygen there is at altitude when there is an increased demand to carry it. In
reality, this apparent conundrum actually allows the
hemoglobin of the RBCs to unload their oxygen more easily once it reaches
myoglobin, the oxygen binding protein of muscle.
Since there is less oxygen to carry, our bodies create more RBCs, thus more
opportunities for the oxygen to hitch a ride. It also
puts more of its unloading mediator, 2,3 BPG, on those RBCs to make sure the
oxygen gets off at the right stop.
Once you have created those extra RBCs the hard way, through training or as an
altitude response, these wonderful little guys have a
shelf life of about four months. That's right, the benefits of increasing your
RBC count can persist long enough to get in some
quality racing and training. If that doesn't get you excited, you're reading the
wrong section.
More...from InsideTri at:
http://www.insidetri.com/train/tips/articles/3181.0.html


9. Flavonoids reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress:
Sports drinks rich in antioxidants could reduce exercise-induced oxidative
stress (EIOS), reports new research.
High intensity exercise can bring on oxidative stress, where free radicals
attack tissue and increase ageing. Oxidative stress has
been linked to an increased risk of various diseases including cancer,
Alzheimer's, and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers, from San Antonio Catholic University in Spain, showed that a
drink containing black grape, raspberry and red
currant concentrates reduced protein oxidation by 23 per cent. Similar tests for
a placebo crossover showed protein oxidation
increased by 12 per cent.
The controlled experiment measured blood markers or oxidative stress: followed
the effects of oxidative stress for thirty sportsmen
before and after high intensity exercise.
The concentration of some markers was not affected by the antioxidant
supplements, while levels of creatine kinase (CK) and lipid
oxidation (TBARS) was less in the supplemented test than placebo.
“The results observed in the decrease of the levels of carbonyl groups (as
markers of protein oxidation in the cyclists when they
consume the polyphenol drink, indicate a decrease in the oxidative damage
induced by physical activity in spite of the total
antioxidant state in the plasma remaining the same,” wrote the researchers in
Clinical Nutrition (published on-line 19 January 2006,
doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2005.11.007).
The antioxidant drink was supplied by Hero-Spain and contained black grape,
raspberry and red currant concentrates. Vitamin C (20 mg
per litre) was contained in both the drink and the placebo.
More...from NUTRAIngredients.com at:
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=65452-polyphenol-oxidative-stress-\
sports-drinks


10. EPO drugs threaten testing regime:
Drug tester calls for development of smarter EPO tests
Hormone use and abuse in sport and development conference
Many of the performance-enhancing drugs used in sport are analogues of natural
hormones found in the body. What do these hormones
do? How do they affect athletes, and how can you detect them? How do they affect
normal young adults? What happens to a young adult
when the balance of hormones goes wrong? How does nutrition affect physical
performance?
Some of the world’s top researchers will meet to discuss these topics just
before the Turin Olympics. The Hormones, Nutrition and
Physical Performance conference, will take place in Turin, from the 28-31
January 2006.
The Hormones, Nutrition and Physical Performance conference takes place in
Torino from 28-31 Jan, immediately before the Winter
Olympics. The conference has two main strands, how children develop into healthy
young adults, and how hormones affect sport and
performance (including drug abuse).
More...from Innovations-Report at:

http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/medicine_health/report-54494.html


11. Grouchiness Happens. Walk It Off:
Your loyal Moving Crew correspondent has reported on many studies showing that
exercise helps relieve symptoms of depression. We
also know that people who are not clinically depressed but have periodic lapses
into grouchy, scowly, stress-addled, short-tempered
gloom -- which is to say, you, me and most of our earthly cohabitants -- report
feeling better after working out.
A new study demonstrates, for the first time, that a single session of
moderate-intensity exercise improves important mood markers
of depression. This was after, essentially, one 30-minute walk.
The study was done on people with major depressive disorder, a serious clinical
condition. But the researchers believe that the
single-session mood-lift also applies to those of us who just feel lousy.
The study, published in the December issue of the journal Medicine & Science in
Sport & Exercise, compared the effect of 30 minutes
of quiet rest to the effect of 30 minutes of treadmill walking at 60 to 70
percent of maximum heart rate. (Using the common formula
for measuring heart rate max -- 220 minus one's age -- this would be 108 to 126
beats per minute for a 40-year-old.) The 40
participants -- 15 men and 25 women, aged 18 to 55 -- were split evenly between
the two groups.
Although both groups reported reductions in negative feelings such as tension,
depression and anger, only the exercise group
reported improvements in positive markers -- specifically in "vigor" and
"well-being." Researchers surveyed all subjects in both
groups at five minutes before treatment and again at five, 30 and 60 minutes
afterward. The effects of exercise were most profound
five and 30 minutes after exercise.
More...from the Washington Post at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001268.\
html


12. Research shows brain’s ability to overcome pain and thirst:
Researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered how the brain
prioritises pain and thirst in order to survive - a
mechanism that helps elite athletes to ‘push through the pain barrier’.
The Florey’s Dr Michael Farrell and colleagues discovered that pain sensitivity
is enhanced when people are thirsty.
The scientists also found that a part of the brain is uniquely activated when
pain and thirst are experienced together, suggesting
these regions may act as an integrative centre that has a special role in
modifying pain senses.
Dr Farrell used PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans to examine changes in
brain activity. The 10 individuals participating in
the study were given saline injections to stimulate mild thirst and thumb
pressure to induce mild pain. Although the level of thumb
pressure remained constant throughout the tests, as people became thirstier,
they felt more pain.
Dr Farrell said the regions of the brain (the pregenual cingulate cortex and
ventral orbitofrontal cortex) activated together during
thirst and pain acted like a priority switch.
“Depending on internal demands being placed on the body, the brain needs to
decide which demand is more important to respond to in
order to survive,” he said.
“Many elite athletes have an ability to balance their priority switch longer
than most people so they can push through normal
thresholds of pain and thirst whilst competing.”
“But when the internal demands become extreme and the body’s physiology is too
perturbed, the brain will tell the body ‘enough is
enough,’” Dr Farrell said.
The brain’s ability to overcome pain and thirst is witnessed in a soon-to-be
released IMAX film: Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour De
France. This film shows how the human brain allows elite athletes to compete and
push themselves to a limit beyond our imagination.
The Howard Florey Institute, with the generous support of IMAX, is holding a
free special screening of the new IMAX movie, Wired to
Win at 6:30pm on 28 February. This event is open to the public, but seats are
strictly limited. Contact Sanam Sharma on email
wiredtowin@... or phone (03) 8344 1642 to secure your ticket.
This research paper, “Unique, common and interacting cortical correlates of
thirst and pain” was prepared by Michael J. Farrell
(Howard Florey Institute), Gary F. Egan (Howard Florey Institute), Frank
Zamarripa (Research Imaging Center, San Antonio, Texas),
Robert Shade (South West Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio,
Texas), John Blair-West (University of Melbourne), Peter
Fox (Research Imaging Center, San Antonio, Texas), and Derek A. Denton
(University of Melbourne). It was published today in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Howard Florey Institute is Australia’s leading brain research centre. Its
scientists undertake clinical and applied research
that can be developed into treatments to combat brain disorders, and new medical
practices. Their discoveries will improve the lives
of those directly, and indirectly, affected by brain and mind disorders in
Australia, and around the world. The Florey’s research
areas cover a variety of brain and mind disorders including Parkinson’s disease,
stroke, motor neuron disease, addiction, epilepsy,
multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, autism and dementia.
For more information contact:
Merrin Rafferty
Public Relations and Development Manager
Howard Florey Institute
Ph: (03) 8344 1658
Email: mailto:m.rafferty@...
Howard Florey Institute's website: http://www.hfi.unimelb.edu.au/


13. Dave Scott's Tip of the Month—Base Training:
Your high priority races during the competitive season will determine your late
spring-summer training variables. However, during
the winter and early spring, the basic training fundamentals apply to all
athletes whether you are preparing for a sprint or an
Ironman (and every distance in between).
First, recognize that in our sport, the word “sprint” does not define the true
meaning of sprinting. A sprint triathlon which can
require a shortened effort between 50 minutes to 2 hours is still an endurance
event. No one can sprint and maintain “sprint” speed
for even 20% of a “sprint” triathlon. With that said, everyone must prepare
initially to increase their endurance.
Endurance or base building training does not mean long, slow distance.
Integrating a mixture of training variables during the early
pre-season will set the proper foundation for the rest of the year.
So what are the key elements for your base-building period?
1) The body will experience an increase in oxidative enzymes, in capillary
density, in enzyme content and in mitochondrial
size.
2) The body will conserve muscle glycogen; have higher resting stores of
glycerin and a ‘conservation’ of blood sugar.
3) At higher intensities the body will produce lower levels of lactic acid
and be able to resynthesize lactate at a faster
rate.
4) Your body and brain will selectively recruit a larger cross section of
muscle to enhance your performance.
So what does this all mean in common language? During the base building period
the aerobic “plumbing” and muscle recruitment is
developed.
By developing a solid base, the end result is the triathlete is able to swim,
bike and run more economically.
So the question that underlines these factors lies in the specificity of
training. What are the key components of training during
the Preseason? How frequently should you train these variables? And at what
intensity should you complete these sessions?
Specifics of training
The following suggestions are training sessions that you may consider during the
Preseason:
Run
1) 3-6 sessions/wk ( the number varies depending on your background and
goals)
2) Hills-hiking or running in your aerobic zone. Long steady (12-20
minutes, with a grade of 3-5% or shorter hills w/jog
downhill. Progression-Increase hill length time 5-8% per week for 6-9 weeks
(maximum hill climb=24-36 minutes)
3) Long run-increase total time 5-10% per week. This long day could be
split with two increasing days per week at 5-10% total
4) Pickups of 10 to 25 seconds for 8 to 20 minutes. Progression example:
wk1-6x10 seconds, wk 8=(8x25 seconds)3x. Allow rest
interval (RI) to recover in aerobic zone.
Bike
1) 3-7 sessions/wk
2) Hills-70% in lower gear (LG) (aerobic), standing in a bigger
gear-increase time out of the saddle w/ a goal of 30 minutes.
Progression-increase hill climb from 15 seconds to 45 seconds.
3) Long day-increase time at 10% per week, 70% in LG.
4) Pickups (similar to run) Progression: start at 6-10 x 15 seconds at 9
weeks to complete (6-10 x 40 seconds)3x.
Swim
1) Include 70% free, 30% other strokes
2) Integrate 8-12x25 of breast pulling/session
3) Kicking and swimming with fins-200-600 yards/meters /workout
4) Longer set (longer day) Increase aerobic set. Progression:
a. competitor athletes-1800-2400
b. fitness athletes-800-2000
c. developing athlete-500-1500
5) Pickups 15 yards to 25 yards. Progression:
a. 20x25 (competitor)
b. 16x25 (fitness)
c. 12x15 (developing)
The order of the sessions should allow a one to two-day recovery or easier days
between your hill and long sessions.
After 8 to 16 weeks, depending upon your fitness prior to the preseason, you
will be ready to focus your training on your specific
weaknesses and race calendar. We’ll touch on that next month.
http://www.davescottinc.com


14. Pacific Elite Fitness Triathlete Newsletter - This Week’s Article: Torque
Them Cranks Part I
Let’s talk simple physics. Think about sitting on your bike with both crank arms
completely perpendicular to the ground. With both
feet on the pedals, it is very difficult to produce any rotational movement.
This is because your leverage, or the amount of torque
your leg muscles are able to produce to move the pedals, is technically at zero.
Torque is basically a product of the amount of
force produced by your legs, and the distance of the force from the axis of
rotation, in this case, the cranks. With the cranks at
12 and 6 o’ clock, the distance between the force application of your leg
muscles (in this case, the feet), and the axis of rotation
(in this case, the crank) is zero, so the torque is zero. By beginning with the
cranks rotated slightly forward, you would increase
the distance of the force from the center of rotation, and gain the ability to
produce torque.
Now think about your actual pedaling revolution as you are riding the bicycle.
Do you ever reach a point in the pedal stroke where
the cranks are at 12 and 6 o’clock? Of course! Every time you rotate around,
this position is achieved. Therefore every time you
pedal around, you reach a point where, theoretically, you can produce zero
torque - a veritable ‘weak link’ in the cycling cadence.
Here’s the catch: the actual direction from which the force is produced can
produce torque in this situation. That is, if a force is
coming from a direction other than straight up or down through the pedal, torque
is achievable with both crank arms perpendicular to
the ground. This is the entire concept behind pushing the top foot forward and
pulling the bottom foot back. It allows you to
produce torque in a situation where it would otherwise be impossible.
One of the best drills to practice this “push-pull” motion is by using
unilateral, or one side only, pedaling. On a stationary bike,
or on a slight outdoor grade where speed is not a problem, remove one foot from
the pedal, and push forward, down, and pull back
with the other foot. Your focus should be on a “circular” pedal motion, rather
than straight up-and-down movement (i.e. not like
pistons!). It should feel like you are scraping mud off the sole of your shoe at
the bottom of the pedal stroke, and forcing your
toes towards the front of your shoe at the top of the pedal stroke.
Practice this in the off-season and base training periods, and you’ll remove
those weak links from your pedaling revolution – giving
you more torque when it matters! In Part II, you’ll learn how to adjust your
actual foot angle to maximize force production.
Until next time, train smart,
Ben Greenfield
NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Copyright 2006 Pacific Elite Fitness
http://pacificfit.net/


15. Wellness:
The parameter of the wellness depends on the extent of goodness feeling in a
person. The factor that plays a key role in wellness is
the exercise and eating the right stuff. Whenever, there is a lack of either
exercise or good food the feeling of wellness turns
into sickness.
To some extent we all know or have heard about the CICO dictum (Calories In,
Calories Out), But in reality how many people follow
it. For example you may feel completely
detestable upon consuming a known toxic substance, where as the impact of having
a dozen of Krispy Kreme donuts in a day may affect
you at a much later stage and when this
happens people tend to blame it on something else!
This explains why the fattening of America took several generations, although
experts only discovered it to be an epidemic in the
last few years. For decades, though, the
United Nations has been sounding the alarm bell for the growing underbelly of
developed, and then the developing nations. Through
its health arm, the World Health
Organization (WHO), the world body has been equally concerned about the
burgeoning malnutrition in underdeveloped countries.
In a January 2005 report, WHO emphasized that one billion people--one sixth of
the worlds population - live in extreme poverty,
lacking the safe water, proper nutrition, basic health care and social services
needed to survive. Almost 11 million children die
each year, six million of them under five from preventable diseases."
In January 18, 2005, WHO highlighted health in its year 2015 development
blueprint (aka the Millennium Project). It likewise
underscored the need for the world to "immediately
and massively increase the investment in health programs." As if talking to
America, the recent WHO report admonished that proven
solutions are likely to turn the tide towards
achieving health goals. It also added: We have the means to achieve those goals.
We have the technology. What we need are the
resources and the political will. We cannot
wait any longer to do what we have promised to achieve in the coming decade."
It is interesting to note that such notice of the world body rings a bell in the
solutions recommended by both the American
Institute of Food Technologists and the American
Institute of Medicine towards combating the obesity epidemic in North America.
Both are intervening to change its infrastructure
policies towards food distribution and
production. One speedy method is that U.S. can balance its subsidies towards
farm products in a way that vegetables, fruits, and
whole-wheat production are given their due
importance in the food chain.
This method will make these staples more affordable for the working people. And
besides this the government can mandate Physical
Education back in the school curriculum. The
national advertising can focus on healthy eating rather than of fad snacking.
In the present era around 20 percent of Americans are malnourished and obese.
Non access to healthy foods is a major contributor for
malnutrition in poor communities,
affecting some 33 million Americans nationwide. These stats show us that
wellness for at least 33 million Americans remain a dream.
Proper nutrition and adequate exercise is
the key for feeling good. Despite the Abs and the Carbs images portrayed on
American television during sitcoms huge number of people
are unwell. Or is there a truly stubborn
virus involved, immune even to the Baywatch culture?
Carl Densiel is the occupier of Wellness which is the premier resource for
Wellness information.
For more information go to:
http://www.feelwellness.com


16. Nutrition: Diet May Drive Data on Beer, Wine and Health:
Are wine drinkers healthier than beer drinkers?
More Vital Signs Columns If that is the case, it may have less to do with their
choice of drink than with what they eat with it.
A new study found that shoppers who bought wine in supermarkets were much more
likely to buy healthy foods like olives and low-fat
cheese than were beer buyers, who were more partial to things like chips. The
study, which was conducted in Denmark, appears online
in the British journal BMJ.
Studies have linked a moderate amount of alcohol use with better health, and
this is especially true when it comes to wine, which
has components that may help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. Still,
it is possible that whatever health benefits wine
drinkers enjoy actually result from overall better diets, some studies have
suggested.
The problem for researchers has been getting an accurate reading on people's
diets in general and alcohol use in particular. Those
being surveyed often understate their alcohol use and overstate their
consumption of healthy foods.
So for this study, the researchers tracked the sale of wine and beer over a
six-month period at 98 supermarkets, then looked at what
kinds of food the shoppers bought. In all, the study examined about three and a
half million transactions.
"We used information on what people buy, and presumably consume, rather than
what they say they eat or drink," the researchers
wrote.
One author, Dr. Morten Gronbaek, said the researchers had expected to find
differences in buying patterns, but not to the extent
that they did.
There are other reasons wine drinkers may be healthier than beer drinkers, the
researchers said. Wine tends to be drunk with food,
and in smaller amounts, they noted, possibly affecting how the body metabolizes
it. And wine drinkers tend to be better educated and
better off financially than beer drinkers — factors that would also help account
for their better health.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/31/health/31nutr.html


17. Understanding Pace Exertion:
The hard-easy system is an effort-based training system. You can’t improve your
running ability without exerting an effort.
Moreover, you won’t improve unless you exert the right effort. Thus, an
understanding of effort is the key to using the training
process to your benefit.
Absolutely every time you do a run, you exert an effort. That effort takes two
forms: pace exertion and workout effort. These are
two entirely different ideas, yet many runners fail to distinguish between them.
Some runners claim, for instance, that a long
workout at an easy pace makes the workout easy, too. But this is not necessarily
true, because an easy pace is not the same as an
easy workout.
Rather than possibly being confused by such ambiguity, it would be better for us
to use different words to distinguish between pace
exertion and workout effort. In the following articles, therefore, an easy pace
will be couched in terms of light exertion, which is
distinctly different from an easy workout. To better understand exertion, take a
look at Figure 1-1. What you see is a print-out of
a heart rate curve that was recorded into the memory of my heart rate monitor.
The upward-slanting curve measures the rate at which
my heart was beating from minute to minute during the 40-minute workout.
More...from BC Endurance Training at:
http://www.bcendurancetrainings.com/articles/understandingpace.html


18. The heart of the matter:
When Cindy DeMarco had a heart attack, she was a fit 30-year-old training for
the Marine Corps Marathon who had just received a
perfect score on her military fitness test. Now 35, the FBI lawyer urges all
women to recognize what statistically is their greatest
health risk. "Before I had a heart attack, I thought it was a man's disease."
Now she knows heart disease kills more women in the United States than any other
disease, accounting for about 500,000 deaths
annually. It cuts short the lives of more women each year than does breast
cancer, osteoporosis, AIDS and domestic violence
combined. In fact, more women than men die from heart disease.
Women aren't the only ones underestimating the threat. In 1995, only two-thirds
of physicians surveyed knew that heart disease was
the primary killer of women, explaining why many physicians fail to teach women
the warning signs and dangers of heart disease. Many
emergency room workers also miss the signs and symptoms in women. That's what
DeMarco discovered when she finally sought help
She planned to sleep in on a Saturday morning in June 2000, but instead awoke
with a start around 7 a.m. "I had a severe, crushing
pain in my chest and pain in my upper back. I couldn't take a breath." She was
dizzy, nauseous and in a cold sweat. She wondered if
she had food poisoning. Later in the day, she felt tingling in her jaw and arm.
After toughing it out for nearly 12 hours, DeMarco
went to the emergency room.
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12736&sidebar=630&category=activewomen


19. For Some, There Is Such a Thing as Too Thin :
LAST January, Wesley Johnson looked in the mirror and saw what had been staring
back at him his entire life: skin and bones.
At 5-foot-10 and a mere 133 pounds, Mr. Johnson, 26, a laboratory research
assistant in Columbus, Ohio, was mortified by his
inability to gain weight. His friends scoffed: We wish we had your problem!
Others were skeptical: Why don't you just eat more?
Mr. Johnson had tried to bulk up before. Eight years earlier, when he was a
student at the University of Mississippi, he was
inspired to work out by his roommate, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound bodybuilder. "My
arms were twigs," Mr. Johnson lamented. He collected
books on weight lifting for guidance, reading many half a dozen times, and he
lifted for two hours six days a week.
In two years he added 15 pounds of muscle. But then his weight gain stalled. He
was bigger, but not big enough.
Finally last year Mr. Johnson went online and found what he couldn't get from
any Arnold Schwarzenegger fitness manual: advice from
people who also had trouble gaining and keeping muscle. He learned from
discussion groups and blogs to take rest days between
workouts to give his muscles time to recuperate and grow. He began carrying a
kitchen timer so he would remember to eat six or seven
times a day.
Some days he took in as many as 8,000 calories, snacking on pork chops, peanut
butter, Little Debbie brownies and whey protein
shakes. Within four months of starting his new regimen, Mr. Johnson gained a
total of 41 pounds. He started a blog,
www.olemissbuckeye.blogspot.com, to publicize his progress as well as two online
discussion groups aimed at helping other skinny
guys put on as much weight as he had.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/02/fashion/thursdaystyles/02Fitness.html


20. Tip-Top Fuelling For The Winter:
Whether you’re heading off for the slopes or just tolerating the British winter
it is important to eat a varied and balanced diet.
Keeping an adequate intake of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals is vital to
maintain the immune system and prevent illness.
www.eis2win.co.uk offers some practical advice about keeping your diet on track
through the cold winter months, to fuel your
sport...
Carbohydrates
Ensuring a good carbohydrate intake prevents a reduced blood sugar and maintains
muscle glycogen levels. This is important, because
low blood sugar and muscle glycogen are shown to be related to increased
immuno-suppression (i.e. your immune system would be
suppressed and therefore would have more difficulty in fighting infection).
Remember to refuel within an hour of training or coming
off the slopes with a carbohydrate drink, cereal bars or sandwiches.
Vitamins & Minerals
It is wise to keep up a good intake of fruit and vegetables over the winter
months, particularly because some may not contain as
good a source of vitamins as they do during the summer months. Plenty of Vitamin
C from fruit and vegetables can help to ward off
winter colds and flu, so aim for 5-10 helpings a day.
More...from the English Institute of Sports (EIS) at:
http://www.eis2win.co.uk/gen/news_fuellinginwinter301105.aspx


21. Eddy Merckx profile: The Greatest Cyclist In History:
Eddy Merckx (born Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx on June 17, 1945 in
Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium) is often considered the greatest
cyclist of all-time. He's an icon of his sport equal to Muhammad Ali, Michael
Jordan or Pelé.
Nicknamed "The cannibal" for his unrelenting competitiveness, he is five-time
champion of the two most important races in
professional cycling, the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. He's one of only
four cyclists to have won all three of the Grand
Tours (Tour, Giro and Vuelta a España), and one of only two men to have won the
Triple Crown of Cycling (Tour, Giro, and the World
Cycling Championship) in the same year.
In addition, he is one of only three riders (all Belgian) to have won all five
“Monument” one-day Classic races at least once during
his career, and won the season-long Super Prestige Pernod International
competition a record seven consecutive times. Overall,
Merckx entered 1582 road races in his 13 year professional career, and won 525
-- an astonishing winning rate of 35.5 percent He
dominated single-day and stage races during his career, a rarity in recent
cycling.
More...from James Raia at:
http://www.byjamesraia.com/article.php?news_id=164&start=0&category_id=2&parent_\
id=0&arcyear=&arcmonth=


22. NISMAT Exercise Physiology Corner: A Primer on Maximum Oxygen Consumption:
Maximum oxygen consumption, also referred to as VO2max is one of the oldest
fitness indices established for the measure of human
performance. The ability to consume oxygen ultimately determines any human's or
animal's ability for maximal work output over
periods lasting greater than one minute. The higher the number, the greater the
potential work rate.
Determinants of Maximal Oxygen Consumption
In essence there are three major factors determining maximal oxygen consumption:
* Cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped by the heart in one minute)
* The oxygen carrying capacity of the blood (determined by hemoglobin in red
blood cells)
* The amount of exercising skeletal muscle and the ability of muscle to utilize
supplied oxygen
Cardiac Output
Cardiac output is defined as the mathematical product of heart rate times
stroke volume. Heart rate is nothing more than the
number of times the heart contracts per minute. Stroke volume represents the
amount of blood ejected by the heart with each beat.
The ventricles of the heart fill with blood during a period of time called
diastole. The ventricles are maximally filled at a time
just before the heart contracts called end diastole. The contraction phase is
referred to as systole. When the ventricles are
maximally emptied (there is still some blood remaining in them) this period is
referred to as end systole. Consequently, stroke
volume equals end diastolic volume - end systolic volume. Very healthy hearts
empty a greater percentage of their end diastolic
volume, but rarely does this ejection fraction represent more than 90% of end
diastolic volume.
More...from NISMAT at:
http://www.nismat.org/physcor/max_o2.html


23. Weight Training for the Endurance Athlete:
If you are like most endurance athletes, you are interested in performance. You
are continually looking for ways to get faster. In
the past, you have focused on your swimming, biking, and running, yet you know
you can still improve. What, you ask, is missing?
Quite often the answer is: weight training.
“But I’m an endurance athlete. Why would I want to build larger, heavier,
stronger muscles?” First off, you should not be
concerned about building large, heavy and bulky muscle mass. Only a genetically
gifted few athletes put on muscle mass easily. And
these athletes tend to stay away from endurance sports. So, odds are that you
are not one of these athletes.
Stronger muscles enable you to swim, bike, and run faster. Stronger muscles
allow you to push against the water with a greater
force, push a bigger gear on the bike, and run with a longer stride length.
Look at Lance Armstrong’s cycling technique, and
compare it to your own. He can ride his bike for 40km non-stop. So can you.
He can spin his legs at a cadence of 90 to 100
revolutions per minute. So can you. He can push a humongous gear for the full
40km. Can you? Probably not. Why not? Because
Lance is much STRONGER than you are. Most endurance athletes are able to go the
distance but lack muscular strength.
Weight training for the endurance athlete is very simple, composed of only a few
key exercises. An efficient program may be as
little as two to three sessions per week, each lasting between thirty to sixty
minutes.
It is recommended that the athlete choose ONE exercise for each of the following
areas:
1. Fronts of the thighs (squats, lunges, leg presses)
2. Backs of the thighs (stiff legged deadlifts, leg curls)
3. Upper back (chin-ups, rows, pulldowns)
4. Chest (push-ups, bench press, dips)
5. Lower back (back extensions)
6. Abdominals (crunches, reverse crunches, Pilates)
More...from Swyft Magazine at:
http://www.swyft.ca/adam2.html


24. Fit facts: Reduce hip injuries:
Get hip to injury prevention
Are you a runner continually sidelined by injury? You may have a strength
imbalance in your hips. A study from the Rocky Mountain
University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah, finds that runners who suffer
from injuries like knee pain and Achilles tendonitis
have weaker hip and abductor muscles than non-injured runners.
By building strength in the hip flexors, which lift the thigh forward, and
abductors, which swing the leg away from the body,
runners can reduce the likelihood of overuse injuries, researchers say.
To strengthen your hip flexors, perform alternating single leg lifts while lying
on your back. For stronger hip abductors, rollover
and do leg lifts on your side. Use ankle weights or resistance bands for a
greater challenge.
A fitter pregnancy
If you're a long-term exerciser, you may have an easier time with some of the
discomforts of pregnancy.
Recently, Swedish scientists investigated whether women with a history of
working out are less likely to experience the common
complaints of low back and pelvic pain during pregnancy. The answer: yes. Women
with at least 21 years of exercise experience were
more than 70 percent less likely to report low back and pelvic pain than women
who had exercised fewer than five years. One more
reason to get fit for the long haul.
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12739&sidebar=630&category=activewomen


25. Digest Briefs:
* Whey Protein Reported as a Proven Muscle Builder
NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Pompton Plains, NJ, 01/31/2006 - If you are
interested in better health and improved physical fitness
you have surely heard that bodybuilders and other athletes are turning to a
simple, natural supplement called whey protein.
Why do athletes use whey protein?
Protein levels are depleted through exercise. Muscles require amino acids to
prevent deterioration, give endurance and build mass.
Proteins supply these amino acids to the muscles which is why athletes use whey
protein.
What is whey protein?
Commercial whey protein comes from cow's milk. Whey is the by-product of making
cheese and was usually thrown away as a waste
product. Now researchers know that whey protein is high quality, natural protein
that is rich with amino acids essential for good
health and muscle building. It is naturally found in mother's milk and also used
in baby formula. It is being considered for use as
a fortifier of grain products because of its considerable health benefits and
bland flavor.
Although protein is also found in other foods such as meat, soy and vegetables,
whey protein is proven to have the highest
absorption (digestion) levels in comparison to all others.
Who should consider using whey protein?
Whey protein has many health benefits including immune support, bone health,
sports health, weight management and overall well
being.
Because amino acids are 'building blocks' for the human body it is sometimes
used by patients to speed up the healing of wounds or
burns.
The high quality protein that comes from whey makes it a recommended choice for
those who need optimal benefits from restricted
diets including diabetics, those on weight management diets and even ill
patients not able to consume enough protein in their diet
to assist with healing.
Ryan Cote, Owner of SimpleHealth123.com, says "Whey protein is a natural and
healthy way to bring protein into your diet and
increase well being."
Can whey protein be dangerous?
Whey protein is a food and so it does not have the risks associated with other
supplements. That said, too much of anything carries
risks. Extremely high use of whey protein can overload the liver which can cause
serious problems. Moderation is always recommended.

If you are lactose intolerant you might try whey protein isolate which has less
than 1% lactose and should be tolerable for most
users.

* Q: I understand how important rest is for optimal performance gains from
training. While triathlon training, I consider swim days
a break for the legs. However, as I increase intensity in the pool I’ve found
that I am fighting off cramping in my legs late in the
workout. Am I giving my legs ample rest?
— Alan, Washington, D.C.
A: You're absolutely right about the importance of rest while training. It's
possibly the most important factor in making gains in
fitness; providing the appropriate energy systems with just the right amount of
overload, and then letting them adequately recover
and get stronger. You don't get faster by training, but by resting after
training.
With three sports to train for, it can be very difficult for triathletes to
structure enough rest into their program, and many fall
into the trap of exercising every day, even on rest days. However, the purpose
of rest isn't to simply stay off of your legs, but to
allow the Do you have a question of your own?
entire body to rejuvenate from a hard week or block of training. This includes
your muscles, your blood, your heart, your lungs, and
your brain. While swimming is less demanding on your legs, it still requires a
significant contribution from those lower
extremities. Kicking, pushing off the wall, standing, or treading water between
sets; it's definitely not rest. That said, your
cramps could be the result of other issues, including dehydration,
low/unbalanced electrolyte levels, or lack of calories. Be sure
to stay properly hydrated, even while in the pool where sweat losses aren't as
easily detected.
I believe all athletes should incorporate a complete day of rest once every 7-10
days. The positive impact of one full day of rest
outweighs the potential benefit you would see from adding one or two more
workouts to that seven-to-ten day period. You'll come back
feeling stronger, having better workouts, and enjoying training much more.
From Chris Carmichael at:
http://www.trainright.com/promos.asp?code=LYNHBH45NV



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

Ongoing:
February 2 - 11, 2006
Runner's World Kenya Running Safari - Nairobi, Kenya
http://www.micato.com/Safari2006.html

February 3, 2006:
Millrose Games, New York, NY
http://www.millrose-games.com/

February 3 -4, 2006:
New Balance Collegiate Invitational - New York, NY
http://www.armorytrack.com/meets/NBCollegiate/index.htm

February 4, 2006:
Pensacola Double Bridge Run - Pensacola, FLA
http://www.doublebridgerun.com

Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile - Huntsville, TX
http://www.tejastrails.com/Rocky.html
USA Trail Championships

Securian Frozen 5K and Half-Marathon, St Paul, MN
http://www.andersonraces.com/Events.htm

Sparkassen-Cup - Stuttgart, Germany
http://www.sparkassen-cup.de

Tybee Marathon - Tybee Island, GA
http://www.runtybee.com

Winterlude Triathlon - Ottawa, ON
http://www.zone3sports.com/winterlude.htm

February 5, 2006:
Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon - Japan
http://www.mainichi-jigyoubu.jp/betsudai/index2.html

Mardi Gras Marathon - New Orleans, LA
http://www.mardigrasmarathon.com

San Francisco Half-Marathon & 5K - San Francisco, CA
http://xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html

February 10 - 26, 2006:
World Lifesaving Championships - Geelong, AUS
http://www.rescue2006.com

March 10 - 12, 2006:
11th IAAF World Indoor Championships - Moscow, Russia
http://www.moscow2006.ru/eng/

March 15 - 26, 2006:
2006 Commonwealth Games - Melbourne, AUS
http://www.melbourne2006.com.au
Fox Sports Australia
http://foxsports.news.com.au/commgames/?from=FS_othersports
The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/commonwealthgames


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


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RUNNER'S WEB AFFILIATE PROGRAMS:
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Mental Strength Training Center:
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National Bike Registry
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Axill
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Buy Paula Radcliffe's book, My Story - So Far, from Amazon UK at:
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Endurance Films
Triathlon Training DVDs
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Instant Stretching Routines
Design unlimited stretching routines today, starting from scratch, in under 60
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ShoeWallet.com has set out on a mission to enable people to easily carry ID and
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SportsShoes in the UK
http://www.sportsshoes.com/index.php?id=149

Visit on AssociatesShop.com Online Bookstore for running and triathlon books:
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LX Sport - Leading Edge Sports Products for Women.
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This application was recently featured on National TV - please see the following
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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 .
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If you have an accident while running or cycling, do you want your family to be
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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:
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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
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Click here: http://www.fogdog.com/cgi-bin/affiliate?siteid=40054907

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