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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1. RunnersWeb5K.com Race for Women
The first RunnersWeb5K.com Race for Women was held on June 24th at Ottawa's
Aviation Museum. Canada's #2 ranked marathoner, Nicole
Stevenson, won the race in 16:28.
Thirty-five women ran under 20 minutes. For a race report and photos go to:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060624_RunnersWeb5K.html.
Stay tuned for an announcement regarding next year's race.
More....
http://www.runnersweb5k.com

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

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


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THIS WEEK:
We inadvertently dropped the link for article #11. "Men take note: osteoporosis
is not just a disease for women" in last week's
Digest
It is available at:
http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/LIFESTYLE/60703\
0303/1024

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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
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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
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/Sale.aspx?BID=37234&AfID=103794&AdID=5075&LP=www.peakr\
unningperformance.com
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* WatsonLifeSport
Lance Watson is "Just The Winningest Coach in Triathlon". He has been coaching
triathlon and distance running since 1987. Over the
years, Lance has coached some of the most successful athletes in the sport of
triathlon and duathlon.
Check out the Lance Watson Online Article Index at:
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Running Research News:
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purpose of this weekly e-zine is to improve
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Running Research News also publishes a complete, 12-page, electronic newsletter
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THIS WEEK'S PERSONAL POSTINGS/RELEASES:
We have NO personal postings this week.


THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Triathlon: Race Fuel
2. Science of Sport: Glutamine - Essential Nonessential Amino Acid - Don’t train
without it
3. Multisport: Training for Women Over 50
4. Jump-Start a Heart: The Simplified Approach
5. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Take Care Out There
6. Ovett at 50
Pat Butcher spoke to the enigmatic middle-distance legend
7. Omega 3 makes a difference
Fatty acid is essential to good health.
8. From Running Times
9. Training: Stretches Using Props
From Stretch to Win by Ann Frederick, Christopher Frederick.
10. Researchers are part of our everyday life and some of what they publish are
worth the read. Find your gem here.
11. From Runner's World
12. Lack of Sleep Can Pack on the Pounds
Hormonal variations contribute to weight gain, researchers believe.
13. How to run a Marathon in one Year: A long-term Training Schedule for
Beginners
14. Prosperous running: Dynamic movement
15. (Over) Training with the guys
16. A Lite Look at a Weighty Subject
17. Can Vitamin D Prevent Cancer, Diabetes, and Kill Pain?
18. Cycling: Determining the Correct Bicycle Size
19. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
20. Stretching: The truth about crucial regimen
21. Ultrasound good, drugs bad for knee injury
22. Make a break for it!
23. Cadence - Keeping Rotation High for Later Race Efficiency
24. Hydration and anaerobic performance
25. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"What percentage of athletes use doping to enhance their performance?"

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 is the most challenging endurance event:
Adventure Race
Decathlon/Heptathlon
Ironman Triathlon
Marathon
Tour de France
Ultra-Marathon?"
Answers at publication time:
Answers Percent
1. Adventure Race 7%
2. Decathlon/Heptathlon 24%
3. Ironman Triathlon 19%
4. Marathon 13%
5. Tour de France 33%
6. Ultra-Marathon 4%


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE WEEK: 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 out the site at:
http://www.trainright.com


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


BOOK OF THE WEEK: Endurance Athlete's Edge
Endurance and multisport athletes are a dedicated bunch. Whether they are
running marathons, racing through ocean swims, pedaling
over mountains, or competing in triathlons or duathlons, most of these athletes
are not content just to finish. Their challenge is
to cover the distance with maximum speed.
In Endurance Athlete’s Edge, author Marc Evans guides these serious competitors
toward high-level fitness, flawless technique, and
superior competitive performance. Selected as the USA National Triathlon Team
coach and manager in 1989 and 1990, Evans has helped
countless athletes move their performance standards ever higher. Through years
of working with top athletes, such as Scott Tinley,
he has developed a program that produces outstanding results in training and
competition.
Buy the book from Human Kinetics at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0873229\
38x


THIS WEEK'S FEATURES:

1. Triathlon: Race Fuel:
You’re a triathlete—you’re body is a high-octane machine. You need the right
fuel to maximize your performance. What you eat and
drink before and during your race directly impacts what time is ticking on the
clock when you arrive at the finish line. So what
should you eat and drink? Energy drinks? Gels? Bars? How much? When? Which kind?
These are all great questions—let’s get right to
the answers.
Race-Morning Breakfast
Eating a healthy breakfast the morning of your race is the keystone of your race
nutrition. It sets the stage for everything else
you will do leading up to and during your race. Eat breakfast three hours prior
to the start of your race. This allows your body
ample time to digest the meal allowing you to use the energy from the foods
while also minimizing gastrointestinal distress
associated with racing on a full stomach. Eat a healthy breakfast made up
primarily of eggs, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains or
whole grain foods that is similar to your typical breakfasts. This kind of meal
replenishes your liver’s glycogen (stored
carbohydrate) supply that is used up during your overnight sleep, allowing you
to start your day, and race, with a full tank. It’s
that simple—start with a full tank and a relatively-empty stomach. This allows
you to take full advantage of your hard-earned
endurance that you have developed in your training. If you are staying in a
hotel room without kitchen facilities or for any other
reason cannot make a meal similar to your typical breakfasts, you can do well
with eating 2-3 energy bars or 500-1,000 calories
worth of meal-replacement shakes. Choose the products with the most-natural
ingredients. These options work well b/c they are
available everywhere, easy to travel with, and provide adequate nutrition to
replace your normal breakfast.
Pre-Race Hydration
Drinking water before your race ensures you that you are starting the race well
hydrated. Wait 30 minutes after you have finished
your breakfast and then drink one water bottles (about 20 ounces) of water
before you start your warm-up, sipping the whole time.
Again, very simple—start your race well-hydrated! This ensures you start the
race at even par so that during the race you only need
to stay hydrated; you do not have to get back to a normal level of hydration
while you are sweating away and losing water at a great
rate during your race. Don’t overdo it; 20 ounces is fine. Hyperhydration
strategies (attempts to take in extra amounts of water)
are ineffective and cause gastrointestinal distress in most athletes
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060710_THS_Race_Fuel.html


2. Science of Sport: Glutamine - Essential Nonessential Amino Acid - Don’t train
without it:
Reviewed by First Endurance Research Board Member:
Bob Seebohar MS, RD, CSCS- Director of Sports Nutrition, University of Florida
Athletic Association
Intro: Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body accounting for
greater than 60% of the total intramuscular free amino
acid pool. Practically every cell in the body uses this non-essential amino
acid. Glutamine is synthesized in both skeletal muscle
and in adipose tissue in addition to the lungs, liver and brain. Because the
body has the ability to produce glutamine it has long
been considered a non-essentials amino acid. But don't let the word
non-essential throw you off. Non-Essential simply means the body
has a mechanism to produce this powerful amino acid. Some scientists have
recently considered reclassifying glutamine as a
conditionally essential nutrient based on recent research findings. There is
evidence that during times of stress the body cannot
produce enough glutamine to keep up with demand which in-turn can reduce
performance, immune function and affect mood. Hence
glutamine is now classified as a conditional non-essential amino acid. Athletes
at risk for inadequate stores of glutamine include
those not eating enough calories, carbohydrates or protein or those
participating in strenuous endurance events. The need for proper
daily eating is important to help maintain normal glutamine levels.
Additionally, clinical research has verified that overtrained
endurance athletes suffer from chronic low plasma glutamine levels. Glutamine
and overtraining:
Intense physical exercise drains Glutamine stores faster than the body can
replenish them. When this occurs, the body breaks down
muscles and becomes catabolic. Clinical evidence supports supplementation with
glutamine for recovery, glycogen storage & transport,
synthesis of other amino acids and to reduce the catabolic effects of
overtraining. Its been proven that glutamine levels in the
serum are dramatically reduced following exhaustive exercise. With reduced
glutamine levels performance and recovery are also
compromised.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060710_ERB_Glutamine.html


3. Multisport: Training for Women Over 50:
By: Neil L. Cook, Head Multisport Coach - Asphalt Green, NYC, NY
Introduction
I am always impressed when I talk with and read about women over 50 and their
running. For the past few years, I have been coaching
a team of women that are all over 50. Women over 50 were for the most part,
denied the opportunity to participate in sports while
they were in school, both high school and college. They tell me that running has
made them different, given them strength, made them
part of a team, or club, and made them feel like they belong. Pushing their
bodies to the limit is a wonderful feeling. Younger
runners and most men have experienced that many times in their lives. But, those
women that grew up before Title IX, typically were
not offered that opportunity.
Sports were not readily available in high school and college before Title IX.
Women were still expected to be the home makers.
Remember, women over 50 graduated high school in 1972 the year Title IX was
passed. The “Women’s Movement” was new and changes were
not yet being made. Women were still not permitted to run the marathon with men,
if they were allowed to run that far at all. In
1971 women first ran a sub 3 hour marathon, women still had not broken 4:30 for
the mile and the 1500 meters was first contested by
women in the Olympics. The 3000 meters was added in 1984 along with the
marathon, the 10,000 meters was added in 1988.
The first woman to run the Boston Marathon – Roberta Gibb (she ran Boston in
1966-1968) ran without a number. Kathy Switzer ran with
a number in 1967 and officials attempted to physically remove her from the
course. The national governing body of the sport (AAU) at
the time, did not sanction women running the marathon until 1971. Nina Kuscsik
won Boston the following year becoming the first
official winner of the Boston Marathon. This was the same year Nina and 5 other
women protested at the start of the NYC Marathon –
sitting down until the men’s race started. The AAU still refused to let women
run in the same event as men.
Compare that to today – a typical weekend race, run on the same course as that
1972 NYC Marathon – Central Park – will draw almost
as many women as men!
I had prepared a questionnaire to collect data for this article. I e-mailed it
to every one I knew that had anything to do with
running. I received a torrent of responses. So many that I was overwhelmed. I
had hoped to collect some data about women over 50
that ran. What I collected was much more – moving stories of women reborn. These
women denied the opportunity to experience the
benefits of physical activity and running in particular when they ere younger,
where now running races from the mile to the marathon
and beyond.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060710_SLB_Women50.html


4. Jump-Start a Heart: The Simplified Approach:
When my father suffered a heart attack and collapsed in a Brooklyn supermarket,
he was surrounded by people.
Someone called 911, but although he was unresponsive and not breathing, no one
tried to keep his body and brain alive by performing
cardiopulmonary resuscitation while waiting for professional help.
He died at the scene.
The failure of anyone to try a lay rescue was not too surprising, given that it
was 1982 and relatively few people had been trained
in CPR. I had, thanks to a course offered at my office, but I was miles away at
the time.
What is surprising is that had my father's sudden cardiac arrest happened under
similar circumstances last year, the chances that
anyone on the scene would have tried to save him remained remote.
Widespread Efforts
Despite decades of education and widespread course offerings, the survival rate
for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains a dismal
6 percent or less worldwide.
This fact prompted the American Heart Association last November to simplify the
steps of CPR to make it easier for lay people to
remember and to encourage even those who have not been formally trained to try
it when needed.
"Sadly," the association wrote when it issued the new guidelines, "we have
learned that bystander CPR is performed in about only a
third of witnessed arrests or fewer, and that when CPR is performed, even by
professionals, it is often not done well."
There are many reasons for bystanders' reluctance to try CPR. Some claim the
steps have been too complicated and hard to remember.
After formal training, the skills decline rapidly. Others fear catching a
disease or virus like H.I.V. from the victim through
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, although the risk of transmitting any infection is
very low.
Yet the need for bystander CPR is great. Each year, about 250,000 people die
outside of hospitals from coronary heart disease, and
thousands of others drown or are asphyxiated.
Many of them can be saved if someone nearby is willing and able to immediately
perform CPR until professional help arrives.
Furthermore, the life that CPR could help save is most likely that of a family
member, friend or neighbor.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/health/04brody.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


5. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Take Care Out There:
A curious trait of runners (this one, anyway) is that we'll drive to places that
let us run away from traffic. The finer the course,
the longer the drive usually is.
Even for everyday runs I'll often take almost as much time driving to the course
and back as I spend on running it. One route
travels in and around the local fairgrounds, where very few drivers usually go
at my running hour.
One winter day, though, a fleet of rumbling, belching trucks took over this spot
for a loggers' convention. They disturbed my peace
and offended my sense of place. I thought, How dare they take over MY course!
But the public road courses are never ours, no matter what the laws say about
shared access and rights-of-way. The roads belong to
the vehicles, if only because they're built at least 10 times our size and
powered to travel more than 10 times as fast.
Most of us still run on the roads because they're always right outside our door,
they offer smooth, weather-proof surfaces, and (in
town at least) they are lighted for early-morning and late-evening runs. We hit
the roads for this convenience, and in doing so
court their dangers.
Stories of collisions between cars and runners seldom end as happily as Laurie
Corbin's. She ran in the Olympic Marathon Trials and
was thrilled to be there -- or to be ANYWHERE -- a month after being struck down
by a car and seriously injured during a training
run.
Many runners can recall near-misses in chilling detail. One morning I shuffled
into an intersection on a green light. From the left,
through the red light on the otherwise empty street, came a taxicab at full
throttle.
The cabbie saw me too late. His tires screeched and smoked as he slid past the
spot with the invisible "X" where I would have been
if MY brakes hadn't worked. The driver looked at me with an embarrassed shrug,
while I put a hand over my heart in relief.
This incident didn't result from the driver's intent to do great bodily injury,
but from his inattention or impatience. That's the
case with most road problems. Our best defense as runners, then, is to stay
hyper-attentive and extra-patient ourselves. We see
drivers much clearer than they see us.
We see them rubbing sleep from their eyes while trying to harness hundreds of
horsepower of potential mayhem. We see them with the
day's newspaper folded across the steering wheel. We see them eating, drinking,
smoking -- sometimes all at once -- or holding a
cell phone in one hand and gesturing to the unknown listener with the other.
Drivers speed as if the limits were the slowest pace they could legally travel.
Drivers wander into the bike lanes, which serve
equally well as running lanes.
Drivers turn without signaling for mere pedestrians, or drive at dawn or dusk
without lights. Drivers gun through yellow lights and
coast through stop-signs without looking to see who might be about to dash
across their path.
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/home.php?article=2064


6. Ovett at 50:
Pat Butcher spoke to the enigmatic middle-distance legend.
WATCHING the recent television documentary on Bob Dylan by the celebrated
director, Martin Scorsese, I found myself increasingly
intrigued by Mr Tambourine Man’s interview technique. Because it reminded me of
nothing more than Steve Ovett’s. Neither are quite
up there with Eric Cantona’s hermetic pronouncements on sardines and trawlers,
but they are equally impenetrable. Ovett, like Dylan,
could seem very open and prepared to answer anything thrown at him. But, the
question was just as likely to be thrown back, with
interest, if not occasional acidity. The rest of the time, the presumption of
questioners is simply rebuffed by a negative response,
and a quizzical glance, which puts the questioners’ sanity in doubt. Because
both men, although extremely personable, and very
bright, seem concerned about keeping their lives and opinions to themselves, of
pretending innocence of any intentions, all the
while giving a semblance of normality.
I have never interviewed Dylan, but, like his various interrogators, I have his
songs, which give me a pretty good idea, despite his
denials and evasions, of his politics and philosophy. I have interviewed Ovett,
several times when he was at the height (and depth)
of his career, and for eight hours during four successive days at his home in
Australia, exactly two years ago this week, when I was
researching my book on his rivalry with Seb Coe. I have also done TV commentary
with Ovett for a couple of summers in the early
noughties. So with him, I have the evidence of his races and of his responses
and his demeanor in and around hotels, stadia, TV
studios, restaurants et al, during the time that we worked together. But I’m not
sure I know what he’s about any more than I know
about Dylan, whom I have never met.
More...from Athletics Weekly at:
http://www.athletics-weekly.com/back-issues/2005/59-41-9.htm


7. Omega 3 makes a difference:
Fatty acid is essential to good health.
Question: I have heard that I need to take omega 3 fatty acids.
What are they supposed to do and how much do I take? What is the difference
between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids?
Answer: Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids both are essential fatty acids that are
important for brain function and normal growth.
Essential fatty acids are not produced by the body, so you have to get them in
your diet. They are used in skin and hair growth,
regulating metabolism and maintaining bone and reproductive organ health.
Omega 3 fatty acids have been found to decrease sudden death in people with
heart arrhythmias, to help with hypertension and
rheumatoid arthritis, and to lower blood pressure.
You can get omega 3 fatty acids from fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and fish
oils. You also can get omega 3 fatty acids from
flaxseed, canola oil and walnuts.
A very popular way of getting omega 3 fatty acids is from flaxseed in oil or
tablet form. You even can cook with flaxseed oil.
More...from the Statesman Journal at:
http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060710/COLUMN0805/607100301/10\
64


8. From Running Times:
* Training Tip of the Month - Staying Hydrated
Keeping on top of your fluid intake is critical when running during the hot
summer months, and RT contributor Suzanne Girard Eberle
offers some excellent tips for staying hydrated in the Running Times Guide to
Breakthrough Running. According to Eberle:
Many runners fail to monitor the most important nutrient of all—water. One of
the quickest and simplest ways to boost your
performance is to make sure you are well hydrated. Without proper hydration,
you'll feel light-headed, tired, irritable, and
headachy. And that's before you start running.
Head out for a run in a dehydrated state, or ignore your fluid needs as you
exercise, and you can quickly run into trouble. You will
find it more difficult to tolerate the heat, and you risk suffering from heat
cramps or, worse, heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Your
performance will suffer too. Even mild dehydration—a 2 percent drop in body
weight due to the loss of fluid (3 pounds for a
150-pound runner)—can decrease by 20 percent your ability to perform mental and
physical tasks.
Fill up before you head out the door by drinking at least two cups (16 ounces)
of fluid an hour or two before exercise. Drink
another cup (8 ounces) 15 minutes before you plan to run. Water, juice, milk,
and sports drinks will all do the trick. Alcoholic and
caffeinated drinks cause you to urinate and lose fluid, so be sure to match each
glass of these beverages with an equal glass of
water.
Don't wait until you feel thirst to drink—that means you're already dehydrated.
Keeping tabs on your urine is an easy way to monitor
your hydration. You should be able to produce ample amounts of pale yellow or
straw-colored urine. Producing scanty amounts of
darkly colored urine indicates that you are dehydrated.
During exercise, plan to drink another 4 to 8 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes
depending on what the weather is like and how well you
hydrated beforehand. If you run for an hour or less, know where to locate water
along your route or carry it with you. For runs
lasting over an hour or during intense efforts, such as interval workouts,
choose a sports drink, which replaces the water and
electrolytes lost through sweating more efficiently than plain water. You'll
also get a boost from the carbohydrates these beverages
provide.
If you think dehydration may be slowing you down, weigh yourself before and
after you run. Replace every pound lost by drinking at
least two cups of fluid. Next time you run, try to drink that amount in the few
hours before you exercise. Eating salty foods will
also help you hold on to fluids you drink. Pay particular attention to your
fluid needs on hot and humid days and on low-humidity or
windy days when you may not be as conscious of sweating.
** Medical Corner - Quadricep Pain
Q: I have been plagued with a problem in my quad for the last 9 months. I fell
in a 50K trail race, and my left quad tightened up.
Two weeks after the race I ran in a local 12K. After a half mile the same
sensation came back in my quad. It felt fatigued and very
tired. I had about 4 months of massage work on the quad. If I run easy, 8 - 9
minute pace there is no pain. However running sub-7
pace or up hills the tightness kicks in within a minute. Have you ever heard of
this type of problem?
A: There are several possible causes of your thigh pain: a severe muscle strain,
a stress fracture in the femur, or radicular
(radiating) pain from a ruptured disk in the lumbar spine. Typically, a severe
muscle strain will cause bruising in the thigh due to
tearing of some of the muscle fibers. This will cause weakness and loss of
flexibility. You might not be able to feel a defect or
lump of scar tissue in the thigh unless the tear is huge. Massage may be
painful. Treatment includes physical therapy and deep
tissue massage.
A stress fracture can be chronic; 4-5 weeks may not be a long enough period of
avoidance of impact activities (running). Impact
tends to cause pain. Single leg hopping on the left will cause pain on impact in
case of a stress fracture. X-rays may reveal an
abnormality. A three phase bone scan or MRI is often necessary to make this
diagnosis. An MRI can also provide details about the
quadriceps muscles. Treatment includes avoidance of impact activities for 8 to
12 weeks, depending on the location of the stress
fracture. On occasion, surgery may be necessary. The nerves that innervate the
legs originate from the spinal cord in the lumbar and
sacral spine. The upper lumbar nerve roots innervate the thigh. A ruptured disk
in this area can cause thigh pain without associated
back pain. Exam may reveal changes in muscle strength and a decrease in the knee
reflex. An MRI can confirm this diagnosis.
Treatment includes physical therapy, possible steroid injections and
occasionally surgery.
An abnormality in the muscle could also cause chronic pain; this is a much less
likely cause of your problem. A muscle biopsy may be
necessary if the other tests are normal. I would recommend that you also work on
maximizing strength and flexibility of the
quadriceps muscles. Chronic pain, even in the absence of muscle injury will
cause deficits in these areas and must be corrected to
avoid recurrent problems. Good luck with this problem.
--Dr. Cathy Fieseler
Q and A:
Q: If I want to train through a race, should I just keep my weekly schedule the
same or do you recommend always following a taper
before a race?
A: I absolutely do not believe in "training-through" a race. Never go to the
starting line handicapped by tired or dead legs from a
recent workout. All that accomplishes is to diminish the only reason to compete:
to do your best. Pinning on a number without
intending to do your best erodes the competitive mindset required to run hard
when it counts. Furthermore, it sets up a loser’s
habit of slowing down when you feel tired and sorry for yourself.
If you are going to race, be at your freshest and friskiest. Run hard and run
well, whether it's fast or slower than you'd like
under perfect conditions. Don’t leave excuses on the road like, "Well, I'm
training through . . . that's why I was slow," or "that's
why you beat me today." Baloney. Show up ready to be at your best at that
moment, even if you're not in perfect shape. Either that
or stay home and do a good workout instead.
Now, don't get me wrong—there is nothing bad about racing hard, doing your best
for whatever shape you're in, and having a slow
time. That's why us coaches agree that the best way to get into racing shape is
to race, but not with tired legs because you're
"training through."
--Coach Roy Benson
From Running Times Magazine at:
www.runningtimes.com


9. Training: Stretches Using Props:
From Stretch to Win by Ann Frederick, Christopher Frederick.
Several of the key stretches on pages 127 to 147 take advantage of balls, walls,
poles, bands, and other objects for outside
leverage. Sometimes such tools offer the best way to stretch an area. They can
help you improve your flexibility even more by
providing resistance for self-proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF),
increasing the efficiency of this powerful technique.

As you’ll remember from principle 9 in chapter 1 (page 14), facilitating body
reflexes through a method such as PNF or assisted
stretching with a partner helps you to reach optimal flexibility. Research has
proven that PNF yields the greatest gains in ROM in
the shortest amount of time. It has also shown that gains in ROM resulting from
PNF contract-release (CR) stretching lasted the
longest over time when compared to other stretching techniques.
While you can use PNF in many of the stretches in our system, it is most
effective with those in which you use an object or prop. In
chapter 8, we discuss specific ways to use PNF techniques with partner-assisted
stretching.
Among the many props you can use to add variety to your stretching routine are
the following:
~ Stability balls. Stability or physio balls are one of our favorite choices for
stretching props because of their three-dimensional
quality and pliability. Choose a ball between 45 and 75 centimeters in
diameter—the taller the person, the larger the diameter of
the ball should be. If you desire more stability when using a ball, rest one
side of the ball against a wall for any of the
stretches. In addition to the adductor ball stretch we use the ball in the key
stretches for the hip flexors (page 130), quadriceps
(page 132), quadratus lumborum and iliotibial band (page 130), and pectoralis
minor (page 141).
~ Walls, doorways, and stable objects. Using a wall or doorjamb is great when
you need an unmovable object for stability. For our
photos we substituted a Pilates chair for the wall (often a piece of stable
furniture or equipment works for wall stretches). The
lateral line wall stretch on page 166 targets the lateral line, including the
QL, ITB, obliques, and latissimus dorsi.
~ Chairs and benches. A chair or bench is a good object to help you stretch,
especially when you want to be up off the ground and
don’t want to be concerned about keeping your balance. We suggest using a chair
or a bench that is stable and that allows you to
place your feet flat on the floor with the knees bent at 90 degrees.
~ Bands, ropes, and towels. We find that using bands, ropes, or towels in
stretching is beneficial when you need more leverage. If
you have short arms in relation to your legs or if you are very tight (we refer
to it as “flexibility challenged”), they can be
especially helpful. When choosing a Theraband, choose one that is at least
medium weight for strength. Bands, ropes and towels
should be long enough to wrap around the ball of the foot while holding each end
comfortably in each hand.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060710_HK_Stretch_to_Win.html


10. Researchers are part of our everyday life and some of what they publish are
worth the read. Find your gem here.
Top up your fuel tank
As you exercise, your muscles use up stored carbohydrates and become thirsty for
a replenishing supply of sugar from the blood. Your
liver supplies this sugar, but it too is running out of carbohydrates. This
drying up of body carbohydrates brings on a feeling of
light-headedness and weakness. Drinking a sports drink or eating a carbohydrate
food will give your muscles and brain this crucial
supply of carbohydrates to delay inevitable fatigue.
Tired equals injury prone
Researchers from Ohio State University in the USA say that physiological changes
in the feet of fatigued runners may be partly
responsible for the high incidence of injuries among runners. They studied a
group of runners who ran to exhaustion on treadmills
and examined the loading and unloading characteristics on several parts of the
runners' feet. As the runners got tired, their
strides got shorter, altering these loads. As the loads changed, the muscles
responsible for supination of the foot could no longer
maintain the proper architecture, causing the foot to pronate to a greater
degree and for a longer time. Prolonged pronation has
been shown to contribute to shin splints, and a change in load also increases
the runner's risk of suffering several other injuries.
More...from Runner's World South Africa at:
http://www.runnersworld.co.za/wheres/index.php?miles=203


11. From Runner's World:
* Coach's Corner
Time to Gel
"Gels and sports drinks don't replace training. Take them in moderation. With
gels, you don't need a backpack full of them on the
starting line unless you plan on selling them for profit at mile 20. And as with
all things, try them on your long runs before you
use them in an important race" - Ed Eyestone
* Injury Prevention
Stay on your Feet
Don't sit down as soon as you finish a marathon. Stay upright and keep walking
to avoid cramping. Your leg muscles need blood to be
pumped through them. Otherwise, your legs will become very sore and stiff.
* Performance Nutrition
Love Your Lager
Beer lovers, rejoice. A study of Israeli men showed that drinking pale lager
might lower your risk of heart attack. Researchers
think the lager probably reduces the production of fibrinogen, a protein
involving blood clotting.
* Editor's Advice
Get Stronger
"Do some weight training, rowing, stair climbing, pool running, mountain
climbing or any other activity that requires moving your
muscles against resistance. It's great that you've got a super cardiovascular
system; now add some muscle!" -Sue Hartman, RW
associate publisher
* Training Talk
"Depending on the weather and the duration and intensity of your workout, you
may need to supplement your consumption of one, two,
or all three of these vital elements: fluids, carbohydrates, and electrolytes."
From Eat Smart, Play Hard by Liz Applegate


12. Lack of Sleep Can Pack on the Pounds:
Hormonal variations contribute to weight gain, researchers believe.
If an improved diet and extra trips to the gym fail to help shed those excess
pounds, a growing body of research is shining light on
a new way to get to a new you: Do nothing.
Do nothing, that is, but sleep.
As millions of Americans move through life weary and sleep-deprived, scientists
are uncovering more and more evidence that
insufficient slumber may cause hormonal shifts that boost both hunger and
appetite -- particularly for fat-laden carb catastrophes
like jelly-filled donuts and super-sized fries.
"We all need to be aware there is a relationship between sleep and obesity,"
says J. Catesby Ware, chief of the division of sleep
medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and director of the Sleep Disorder
Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in
Norfolk, Va.
Ware and his colleagues found signs of this link in a recently completed study
of more than 1,000 men and women that indicated those
who reported sleeping less also weighed more.
He is now in the midst of new research focusing on another group of 1,000
individuals that is quantifying specific daily sleep
habits, with preliminary data reinforcing his previous observation -- less sleep
equals a bigger belly.
"There are a number of research studies that all support the thesis that too
little sleep leads to weight gain," Ware said. "How
that happens is still somewhat unclear, but there are hormonal secretions that
are affected with sleep loss that apparently affect
appetite and eating."
Other researchers are working to unravel the mechanism behind the mystery.
Eve Van Cauter, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, recently
found that when 12 healthy men in their 20s were
instructed to sleep just four hours a night for two nights straight, they
reported an increase in feelings of hunger by 24 percent.
More...from Health Scout at:
http://www.healthscout.com/news/1/533695/main.html


13. How to run a Marathon in one Year: A long-term Training Schedule for
Beginners:
Up to now, perhaps your only interest in marathons has been as a spectator. Or
maybe you thought about running a marathon, but
figured such an achievement was outside your grasp. Well, if that’s the case,
I’m here to tell you that you, too, are capable of
running a marathon! Equipped with motivation and a proper regimen, you can run
26.2 miles.
You might question your ability to commit to such a significant undertaking with
no prior long-distance running experience. But if
you follow the training program for beginners that world-renowned coach Dieter
Hogen has set up, you’ll discover that prior running
isn’t needed to be successful. (Of course, if you’ve been involved in other
sports, you’ll probably adapt to the program quicker,
but again, this background isn’t a necessity.) There’s only one qualification
needed to realize your dream of running a marathon
when utilizing Coach Hogen’s program - motivation. By applying this desire in
conjunction with Coach Hogen’s schedule, you’ll be
able to run a marathon within twelve short months.
To be successful, it’s important to find purpose in your running, whether it’s
to lose weight, improve your self-esteem or
experience the international marathon phenomenon. Combined with the training
schedule, this purpose gives you what you need to stand
on the starting line next year at one of the world’s greatest marathon races,
such as Berlin, London, Chicago or New York. It’s now
up to you, to lace up your shoes and take that magic step out the door.
A few things beforehand: Running is healthy, brings you lots of fun and
increases your overall productivity. Besides, running gives
you a good figure. However, before you start running, you should talk about it
with your doctor and have a complete medical
check-up. It’s also important to get expert advice on running shoes, ideally
from a local running store. (For more information on
starting a running program, see General Tips for Beginners.)
Don’t put yourself under any pressure or become stressed out. The really long
distance training runs will come at the very end of
your preparations; by then, you’ll be well prepared and can master these
distances.
More...from Uta Pippig at:
http://www.uta-pippig.com/site/85-0-news.html?nid=502


14. Prosperous running: Dynamic movement:
In the last article, we looked at how flexibility can influence efficient
running, now we'll look at how dynamic movements can help
improve running performance.
Let's define 'dynamic' as accelerated movement. For a runner, this means we'll
be using movements that target the muscles used in
running and will take those muscles through an active range of motion to prepare
them for work. These movements will closely
resemble what will take place during your actual training.
Movements like "high stepping", "butt kickers" and light "bounding" all serve to
increase blood flow, prepare joints and warm up the
muscles properly
Adding these movements to your correctly performed repertoire of static
stretches prior to training will increase running efficiency
and help avoid injury.
Skip the static moves
Let's say you're at a well-attended 5k or 10k event. The weather is a
comfortable 55 degrees and you arrive a little behind
schedule, so warm-up time is of the essence. After a light jog to get the blood
flowing and the muscles ready to respond, many
runners use the remaining time to down the last sip of coffee and find friends.
Leave the hamstring, quad and calf pulls to those
guys, because the following is what you should be doing.
Skip the comical series of static stretches I often see. You know, the one where
you throw your leg up on a waist-high stable object
and lean forward a few times, or the one that you grab your foot and pull it
toward your butt and hold for five seconds, or the move
where you spread your legs far apart and lean side to side move in hopes of
stretching the adductors (groin).
Instead of those silly static stretches, it's time for action. Start with a
light five- to 10-minute jog, and then do the following
dynamic warm-up exercises to improve your performance and ensure injury-free
racing.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12977&sidebar=13


15. (Over) Training with the guys:
By Ivana Bisaro ,Carmichael Training Systems
If women and men usually compete separately, why do so many women train with
men? Most women will tell you that it's to help them
ride stronger--if they always ride with someone who's faster, then it makes
sense that they'll eventually get faster too, right?
Wrong!
I learned this lesson the hard way in the winter of 2001 when my collegiate
cycling team was preparing for a strong performance at
the Collegiate National road racing championships in late spring. Our team that
year consisted of ten men and three women. At the
time, I mistakenly believed that the harder I trained, the better I'd get. And
what better way to train hard than riding with...men.
I was motivated to do everything right that year and win a medal at Nationals. I
had my training intensity ranges carefully mapped
out after intensive physiological testing, and I had a detailed training plan in
place.
But after only one month of training with men everything had fallen apart. I was
tired, cranky, and skipping rides due to physical
and mental burnout.
My carefully balanced training regimen had turned into one day of rest followed
by six days of race-pace intervals with the guys
where my average heart rate hovered at around 180 beats per minute for three to
five hours at a time. Sure, I was earning praise for
being able to keep up with the guys, but I was struggling mightily to do it.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13254


16. A Lite Look at a Weighty Subject:
By Roy Benson/Running Journal/July 2006
Quick: name three good reasons why distance runners should lift weights. Hint:
to get faster is not one of them.
Okay. I'll agree that, yes, weight training can help make some runners faster.
But only sprinters, from the 100-meter dash up to the
400 and possibly even to the 800, can overcome the gravitational pull of
additional body mass with the improvements in power from
the increases in strength. That's why so many of them look more like Governor
Arnie did in his prime when he was Mr. Atlas. And
sprinters look like that because, with or without the help of illegal
substances, they are pumping iron almost as much as they're
pumping their knees up and down the track. Yes, strength training can make you
faster ... up to a point, but that point seems to end
at 800 meters. There are too many skinny Kenyans winning the mile in world class
times to wonder if there are benefits to bulk at
that distance and longer.
What are three good reasons why you grown up long (5K and up) distance runners
should spend some time doing progressive resistance
training with weights?
1.to control weight
2.to maintain good posture
3.to prevent injuries
As we proceed, I'd like to ask that you keep in mind that these thoughts are
being brought to you today by an exercise physiologist
who knows the general principles of conditioning, but who also applies them
narrowly as a running coach. I say this because I don't
want your personal trainer who specializes in lifting weights to have a fit of
apoplexy when you tell him or her what I said about
pumping iron. If you wanted a complete package of physical fitness, hated
running, and loved lifting, you could develop the same
endurance, stamina, economy, and speed components of fitness that I seek to
develop with just running workouts. This is simply a
case of apples and oranges both being fruits, but having slightly different
benefits. In order to realize the above goals, here's
what you need to understand and then do.
More...from the Running Journal at:
http://www.running.net/features/benson706.html


17. Can Vitamin D Prevent Cancer, Diabetes, and Kill Pain?
It seems like every month we here about a new wonder supplement that cures all
ailments, prevents disease, and promises to make you
feel 30 years younger. In the past Vitamin E, Echinacea, and Coenzyme Q10 were
all touted as natural miracles that were supposed to
prevent cancer, boost your immune system, and slow the aging process. This
summer, the buzz is about Vitamin D.
A recent Los Angeles Times article says that Vitamin D really is a wonder
vitamin stating that many “serious scientists…speculate
that (Vitamin D) eases aches and pains, strengthen bones, slows down cancer, and
prevents diseases as varied as Type 1 diabetes,
multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia.”
Sounds promising, doesn’t it? Well, like many things that sound too good to be
true, the hype over Vitamin D is just that, inflated
noise without hard data behind it. The best we can say right now is that the
prospective benefits of Vitamin D have led to a
mini-boom in research. But for now, there is one proven connection between
Vitamin D and human health: its ability to promote
calcium absorption in the body, which helps form and maintain strong bones –
it’s why you see Vitamin D fortified milk.
More...from Carmichael Training Systems at:
http://www.trainright.com/info.asp?action=display&uid=3192


18. Cycling: Determining the Correct Bicycle Size:
By Coach Matt Russ
There is one type of bicycle that is extremely hard to fit-- a bicycle that is
the wrong size for the athlete. I sometimes have
cyclists coming from out of state for a bike fitting so I like to do my homework
before they make the trip. This means ensuring they
are on the correct frame size and it can be a little tricky.
Stand-over height used to be a good method of frame sizing for a traditional
diamond bike frame. About 0-1 inches of clearance
between the top tube and crotch (bare foot) was a decent way to determine if the
bike was the correct size. With today’s
non-traditional frame geometries and frame types, stand-over height goes out the
window. There is no frame sizing that is considered
“standard” and each manufacturer may measure their frame size in a different way
and from a different point. Some brands measure
from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the top tube or to the
center of the top tube, while others measure to the top
of the seat tube. Compact frames may use a “virtual top tube” and even this
point of measurement may vary from manufacturer to
manufacturer. Some frames now come in just three sizes; small, medium, and large
and rely heavily on componentry to correctly fit
the rider. This sizing range is great for manufacturers as they only have to
produce three frame sizes, but it does leave gaps in
sizing and makes getting a good fit more technical and difficult.
The net of all this is that the 51 cm bike you are riding now may be different
from a 51 cm bike in another brand, and that it is
important to define the sizing method used. Manufacturers generally post sizing
guidelines on their websites, or at the very least
geometry specifications. A good bike shop that carries multiple brands will look
up the correct frame size for your inseam (sizing
is based on inseam measurement) and not “eyeball” it.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060713_TSF_Bike_Size.html


19. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine:
* Did Lance Armstrong Cheat?
This month, some of the favorites to win the Tour de France endurance bicycle
race were prevented from entering because of suspicion
that they may have taken drugs or had
blood transfusions to raise their red blood cell counts. That brings up the
accusation that Lance Armstrong, possibly the most
dominant endurance bicycle racer of all time, took blood boosting drugs when he
won the first of his seven Tour De France victories.
The allegation is that Lance Armstrong's urine, kept in storage for six years,
had a positive test for EPO, a restricted drug that
raises blood levels of oxygen-carrying and
performance-enhancing hemoglobin. An article published in this month's issue of
the prestigious medical journal, Blood (June 15,
2006) shows that after competing in any athletic event, any athlete could have a
false positive urine test for EPO.
The test for EPO is done by injecting the protein, EPO, into animals so that
their bodies produce special proteins called antibodies
that attach to EPO. The antibodies are put on a
special plate, and the test urine is added. If the urine contains EPO, a band
consisting of the antibody tied to the EPO appears on
the special plate.
Researchers at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium showed that this widely
used test can occasionally lead to the
false-positive detection of EPO in postexercise, protein-rich
urine. Any athlete can have a false positive test with this procedure. Most
people with healthy kidneys do not spill protein in
their urine, but after strenuous exercise, athletes with normal kidneys often
spill protein into their urine. For example, more
than 80 percent of runners spilled protein into their urines after running the
Boston Marathon. The authors state that the
antibodies that are used in the test can attach to any protein in the urine, not
just EPO.

* How can I prevent stress fractures?
Stress fractures, small cracks on the surface of the bones, usually start out as
a minor discomfort in the foot or leg that occurs
near the end of a long run. Usually the pain goes away as soon as the athlete
stops running. On the next day, the pain returns
earlier in the run. If she notices that it hurts to touch just one spot on a
bone and then stops running for a week, she can return
to running quickly, but usually she ignores the pain and develops a full- blown
stress fracture that hurts all the time. She now has
to avoid the hard pounding of running, but can ride a bike or swim for exercise
until the fracture heals in 6 to 12 weeks. The most
common sites for stress fractures are the bones in the front of the feet or the
long bone of the lower leg, but running can cause
stress fractures anywhere, even in the pelvic bones.
Forty-five percent of competitive female runners develop stress fractures. The
women most likely to suffer these injuries are those
who restrict food and those who have irregular periods. Restricting food can
stop a woman from menstruating regularly, which can
stop her body from producing the female hormone, estrogen. Lack of estrogen
weakens bones. Exercise does not cause irregular
periods, but not taking in enough calories can. Women who stop menstruating when
they exercise heavily will usually start to
menstruate regularly when they eat more food. I often prescribe bone
strengthening medications such as Fosamax or Evista to women
with stress fractures that do not heal in six months.
From Dr. Gabe Mirkin at:
http://www.drmirkin.com/


20. Stretching: The truth about crucial regimen:
A question we don't get asked very often is: How do I add stretching to my
fitness routine?
This lack of curiosity suggests one of several things: (1) People have studied
the issue deeply and know everything they need to
stretch safely and effectively; (2) they are so clueless they don't know where
to start; or (3) they don't give it any thought,
since what's the big deal about stretching, anyway?
Let's dismiss No. 1 with a brisk, "Yeah, right." For everyone else, we've
created this handy quiz, which clears up many
misunderstandings about this crucial part of any fitness regimen. All answers
come from the American Council on Exercise Personal
Trainer's Manual and the American College of Sports Medicine.
True or False: It's important to begin every workout with a gentle, thorough
stretching session.
Ha! Fooled you already. That's false. Don't stretch a cold body. Warm up first
with five to 10 minutes of brisk walking, light
calisthenics, even marching in place — anything that increases your heart rate,
raises your core body temperature and lubes your
joints. People who stretch when cold often become what is known in the fitness
world as "regular patients of an orthopedist."
More...from the Daily Camera at:
http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/health_and_fitness/article/0,1713,BDC_2431_482584\
6,00.html


21. Ultrasound good, drugs bad for knee injury:
Treatment with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound can hasten the healing of torn
ligaments in the knee, while the use of NSAID drugs,
such as Celebrex (celecoxib) and Motrin (ibuprofen), has the opposite effect,
findings from an animal study suggest.
Ligaments are strong fibrous bands that connect bones and help control their
range of motion. They are closely related to tendons,
which connect muscles to bone.
Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and NSAIDs have both been used to treat ligament
injuries, but their effects on the healing process,
when used alone or together, have not been determined.
To investigate, Dr. Stuart J. Warden, from Indiana University in Indianapolis,
and colleagues assessed healing in 60 adult rats with
experimentally induced injuries to ligaments in both knees. The animals were
treated with Celebrex in a carrier solution or with the
carrier alone. In each animal, one knee was treated with active ultrasound,
while the other received ultrasound without the
equipment actually being on.
The researchers' findings appear in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Active ultrasound "accelerated ligament healing," Warden told Reuters Health,
while "celecoxib did the opposite. Knees treated with
these modalities reached the same level of healing, it just took longer when
celecoxib was given."
More...from Reuters at:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-07-1\
4T000518Z_01_PAR400274_RTRUKOC_0_US-ULTRASOUND-GOOD-
DRUGS-BAD-KNEE-INJURY.xml&archived=False
[Multi-line URL]


22. Make a break for it!
By Ed Eyestone
One piece of racing advice I dispense regularly, and one which is regularly
ignored by many of the runners I coach, is to race at an
even pace. But there are certain occasions in a race when a well-timed burst of
speed is an even better strategy. The key is knowing
when to surge. Below, I've outlined six surging strategies, and weighed the
risks and benefits of each. Check them out, and give one
a try the next time you're in a race.
AT THE START
Some runners believe they can run as hard as they want for the first 15 seconds
of a race without suffering any ill effects. This is
true - but only if the race is 15 seconds long. That's because you have only 15
to 20 seconds worth of phosphocreatine in your
muscles to use for sprints. Once you've exhausted your supply, you can't restock
it until you come to a complete stop. So, the only
good time to sprint at the start of a race is when (a) the race is a sprint, or
(b) the geography of the race makes it crucial for
you to get to a certain turn, hill or trail before it gets bunged up with
runners. (This sometimes happens in cross-country races,
but seldom on the road.)
AROUND A TURN
It's a natural tendency to slow down as you go around a bend. If you start your
surge just before you enter the turn, and continue
accelerating through the turn, you will open a gap on your unsuspecting
opponents every time.
UP A HILL
Surging from the bottom of a hill can leave you exhausted by the time you get to
the top, so don't bother. But surging up the last
third of a hill will keep your momentum from stalling once you reach the top.
This will allow you to continue your surge down the
other side of the hill, at which point you'll have gravity on your side - and a
gap between you and your competition.
More...from Runner's World South Africa at:
http://www.runnersworld.co.za/training/archive/april_01_06.php



23. Cadence - Keeping Rotation High for Later Race Efficiency:
By Pete Rea, ZAP Fitness/Running Journal/June 2006
Like many coaches I love to review old race footage, watch the tactics of the
best in the sport, and observe the many intricacies
associated with victory and defeat. From the 800 meters to the marathon, I enjoy
breaking down both the subtle moves as well as the
overt and studying the outcomes thereof. This past fall I came across a tape of
the 1983 New York City Marathon and the historic
battle between New Zealand legend Rod Dixon and Englishman Geoff Smith. Smith, a
fearless racer, left the lead pack just after eight
miles and broke the race wide open, leading by as much as 94 seconds at one
point. Leading the chase pack was Dixon, the 1972
Olympic Bronze Medalist at 1,500 meters and a man many considered well past his
prime.
Dixon doggedly pursued Smith, eventually catching him with less than 400 meters
to go, and while the pursuit itself was fascinating,
I was more enthralled with the counting of Smith and Dixon's footsteps -- yes
footsteps. As the race progressed one element of
disparity stood out more glaring than any other: the ever decreasing stride
frequency and leg rotation of Smith and the relatively
even (and even increasing) frequency of foot strike of Dixon. By mile 25 it
looked as if Smith was almost loping whereas Dixon was
scooting along like the little engine that could. Little did I know when I first
saw the race as a middle schooler that Dixon was
proving an important point in the science of distance running: from the middle
distances to the marathon, the ability to maintain a
relatively high frequency of foot strike is critical.
Long time Indiana University coach Sam Bell was the first American coach to open
my eyes to the idea of the importance of cadence.
Bell studied the world's greats from the middle distances up and discovered they
generally had one thing in common. The vast
majority (more than 90 percent) of the world's best came in contact with the
ground at least 180 times every minute, and many --
such as Olympic Gold Medalists Joan Benoit- Samuelson and Sebastian Coe touched
feet to ground upwards of 190 to 200 times per
minute. Bell used these findings to work on the cadence of his protégé Bob
Kennedy in the early 1990s, increasing Kennedy's stride
frequency from the mid 170s to high 180s in the two years preceding Kennedy's
12:58 American 5K record. I backed this up with my own
study by counting foot strikes in Olympic races on tape from '76 to 2004 and
Bell's studies held true. Foot strike frequency held in
the mid 180s to more than 200 for virtually all of the world's elite. In the
critical late stages of a race, more often than not it
is the runner who can "pick 'em up and put 'em down" quickly who will enter the
final two-three percent of a race having expended
the least amount of energy and consequently (like Dixon) ready to finish
strongly.
More...from the Running Journal at:
http://www.running.net/features/reajune06.html


24. Hydration and anaerobic performance:
By Stephen Cheung, Ph.D. ,PezCycling News
Hard to believe, but it used to be prevailing wisdom amongst endurance athletes
like marathoners that drinking water during training
or racing was a sign of weakness akin to unsportsmanlike conduct. We now know
that impaired hydration can affect our endurance, but
what's the consensus on anaerobic performance?
Water water everywhere...
With my background doing research on the effects of hydration status during
exercise in the heat, it is only natural that we return
to this topic every summer with the onset of warm weather. We have seen, in
general, the problems brought about by sudden or
prolonged heat waves every year in both the athletic and general population. In
the former, we've seen many examples of athletes
succumbing to heat exhaustion, from Gabrielle Andersson-Schiess at the first
Olympic women's marathon in 1984 to Paula Radcliffe at
the Athens marathon in 2004. Much more seriously, we've witnessed major
increases in deaths coinciding with massive heat waves in
Europe (2003) and Chicago (1995).
To counteract the health and performance problems with hyperthermia, the primary
approach has been to maintain proper hydration
status. Though there remains some dissenters, the majority consensus amongst
scientists is that maintaining adequate hydration both
prior to and throughout exercise is the best method of preventing performance
decrements in the heat. This has been outlined in
detail in position statements by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
, the pre-eminent international exercise physiology
society.
The main mechanism of protection is to keep blood volume high, in order to
decrease the strain imposed by the heart pumping blood,
which fuels both the active muscles and the skin to dissipate heat. You're faced
with a double whammy -- you're losing fluid from
your blood to sweat, and at the same time, your skin blood vessels are opening
more and requiring greater blood flow to get rid of
the heat produced by exercise. You may have seen this problem happen in the
phenomenon of "cardiovascular drift," where your heart
rate rises over time even though you're riding at the same power output.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13284


25. Digest Briefs:
* Increased Dietary Fruit and Vegetables May Improve Bone Mineral Density
Increasing amounts of dietary fruit and vegetables may have positive effects on
bone mineralization because they may have
antioxidant properties through vitamin C and ß-carotene as well as direct
effects on bone formation through vitamin K. Publishing in
this month’s American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Prynne and colleagues in
Cambridge, United Kingdom, studied possible relations
between dietary intakes of fruit and vegetables according to 7-day prospective
food records and bone mineral concentrations in
volunteers from both sexes and 3 age groups. The subjects consisted of 257
adolescent boys and girls, 120 women aged in their 20s,
and 143 men and postmenopausal women between 60 and 83 years of age. The
researchers found that only one-half of the men and women
over 60 years of age consumed fruit and vegetables at the recommended amount of
400 g/day. After adjustment for daily exercise,
intakes of fruit correlated with bone mineral concentrations in the spine in
adolescent boys and girls and older women, whereas
intakes of fruit and vegetables improved bone concentrations in the femoral neck
only in adolescent boys. The authors conclude that
greater emphasis on dietary fruit and vegetables may contribute to improved bone
health in all populations. An accompanying
editorial by Lanham-New places the findings in a public health perspective,
according to which osteoporosis occurs in over 10
million Americans and leads to annual costs from bone fractures and accompanying
complications that exceed $18 billion per year. In
addition to their antioxidant effects, fruit and vegetables are generally
alkaline and thus may counteract the increasing risk of
bone destruction, which is known to occur in the acidic environment created by
proteins and refined grains. The study points to a
need for greater emphasis on increasing fruit and vegetables in the diet as a
means of decreasing the risk of osteoporosis and its
attendant health costs.
Prynne CJ, Mishra GD, O’Connell MA, et al. Fruit and vegetable intakes and bone
mineral status: a cross-sectional study in 5 age and
sex cohorts. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:1420–8.
From the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition at:
http://www.ajcn.org

* VO2max and Pulmonary Diffusion
As you might imagine, there are many places through which oxygen must travel to
get from the air you breathe into the mitochondria
of your muscles where it is used to produce energy (ATP) for muscle contraction.
This “oxygen cascade” has been extensively studied
by physiologists. It has been suggested in the scientific literature that the
VO2max of elite
distance runners may ultimately be limited in the lungs, specifically where
oxygen must diffuse from the alveoli into the pulmonary
capillaries. Because elite distance runners have a large cardiac output, the
amount of time that red blood cells are in the lungs
(called the red blood cell transit time) is very short, possibly too short for
all of the oxygen to bind to hemoglobin in the
pulmonary capillaries before going through the left side of the heart. If a
diffusion limitation exists between the lungs and the
pulmonary capillaries, oxygen will not effectively diffuse into the capillaries,
and both the arterial partial pressure of oxygen
and the arterial oxygen saturation will decrease, leading to hypoxemia (reduced
oxygen in the blood).
From VO2max
The monthly newsletter of www.RunCoachJason.com




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

July 1 - 23, 2006:
Tour De France
http://www.letour.fr
EuroSport.com
http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/tour-de-france/2006
Outdoor Life Network
http://www.olntv.com/cyclysm
More Links...
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_tdf2006.html


July 15, 2006:

Kincardine Women's Triathlon - Kincardine, ON
http://www.kincardinetriathlon.com/womens2006.htm

Lifetime Triathlon - Minneapolis, MN
http://www.ltftriathlon.com/website

Thunder Bay Triathlon - Thunder Bay, ON
http://www.thunderbaytriathlon.com

Virginia Derby Day 5K - New Kent County, Virginia
http://www.derbyday5k.kalerunning.com/

University of Okoboji Marathon - Pike's Point State Park, Iowa Half-Marathon,
10K, Triathlon
http://www.allsportcentral.com/

Television - CBC - 12 Noon
Rome Golden League Athletics

July 16, 2006:

Carneros Wine Country Half Marathon - Sonoma, CA
http://www.runcarneros.com

Destiny Lake Women's Triathlon - Orangeville, Ontario
http://www.womenstriathlon.com/eve/orangeville.htm

Friendly Massey Marathon - Massey, ON
http://www.friendlymasseymarathon.com

Graham Beasley Triathlon & Duathlon - Carleton Place, ON
http://www.somersault.ca/eventgrahambeasley.htm

Jungle Run Half-Marathon - Los Gatos, California
http://www.firstwave-events.com/jungle_run/half_marathon.html

Nautica New York City Triathlon - New York, NY
http://www.nyctri.com

Paul Bunyan Marathon & Bunyan 15K - Bangor, Maine
http://www.paulbunyanmarathon.com/

Toronto Waterfront Triathlon/Duathlon - Toronto, ON
http://www.multisportcanada.com/ms/events/showEvent.cfm?showEventID=34


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

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Forward the Runner's Web Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
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our FrontPage. If you post to the mailing list and
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Have a good week of training and/or racing.

Ken Parker
Runner's Web
mailto: webmaster@...
http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html
A running and triathlon resource portal
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RUNNER'S WEB AFFILIATE PROGRAMS:
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All revenue from advertisers and affiliate programs goes into the support of
running and triathlon through sponsorship of events,
teams, clinics and fund raising programs for Canada's Olympic athletes.

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SportsShoes in the UK
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Visit on AssociatesShop.com Online Bookstore for running and triathlon books:
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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:
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Triathlon Meetup
http://triathlon.meetup.com/r/d5n6/d5n6/0/http://triathlon.meetup.com/?a=d5n6/
Triathlon Meetups! Happening THIS month, find out when .

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The Stretching Handbook:
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The Stretching Video in a DVD version. With the DVD version you're able to use
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