A FREE WEEKLY E-ZINE OF MULTISPORT RELATED ARTICLES.
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1. Emilie's Run - The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K Race for Women:
The RunnersWeb5K.com Race for Women has been renamed in memory of Canadian
Olympian Emilie Mondor who died in a car crash September
9th on her way to her high-school reunion. Emilie had just completed a 2 hour
plus run along the Ottawa River during which she
talked with her coach about the upcoming Philadelphia Half-Marathon (September
17th) and the New York City Marathon in November.
For a story on Emilie read Emilie Mondor: Life Cut Too Short at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060913_LB_Mondor.html
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.
The 2007 race date will be Saturday, June 23, 2007.
The prize money will be increased from $3,000 to $5,000 for open and masters
runners. The team competition will be expanded to
include Open, Club and University Teams.
More information will be posted at:
http://www.emiliesrun.com

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

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

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

6. Carmichael Training Systems
http://www.trainright.com/promos.asp?code=DSBYBFCSP


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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.
Carmichael Training Systems at:
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* Peak Performance Online
Peak Performance is a subscription-only newsletter for athletes, featuring the
latest research from the sports science world. We
cover the whole range of sports, from running and rowing to cycling and
swimming, and each issue is packed full of exclusive
information for anyone who's serious about sport. It's published 16 times a
year, including four special reports, by Electric Word
plc. Peak Performance is not available in the shops - only our subscribers are
able to access the valuable information we publish.
Check out our article archive from Peak Performance Online at:
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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.
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unningperformance.com
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:
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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 ONE personal postings this week.
ONE:
Steve Bethune, a middle school teacher from California, is taking time off from
his teaching career to raise funds for the American
Heart Association by running from NYC to San Jose, California. He left NYC on
August 15 and has run about 750 miles as of September
16, most days running 30 miles per day. He has a friend accompanying him as his
chase vehicle driver. His website is at
http://www.aheartinmotion.com and contains progress maps, blogs and photos from
his run.




THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Mechanical Tissue Damage
2. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine
3. The Isotonic riddle - Is water still the superior fuel?
4. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Marathon Themes
5. The hydration continuum: Beverage choices for active people
6. Flex Time
Yoga isn't just for folks who can already bend like a pretzel. In fact, tight,
inflexible runners stand to gain the most.
7. How Old Are You in Athlete Years?
8. No Sweat
Does perspiration-fighting athletic gear really work?
9. Metabolic Fitness
10. Milk stirs debate'
11. Believe it or not, rigorous exercise can weaken a person's immune system
12. You Want to Put on a Marathon--Where?
13. Speed it up and reap the benefits
Wish a short workout was as good as a long one? Guess what?
14. Who's Older, You or Your Body? Tests Suggest Answers
15. Eating more fat to be thin
Local entrepreneur's new high-fat diet an anti-Atkins approach.
16. Hormones As Dope
How Testosterone Pumps Up Performance.
17. To Lift or Not To Lift: Put the Dumbbells Down
Why Distance Runners Don't Need Strength Training by Jason Karp.
18. Counterpoint:
Michael Yessis' Response to Jason Karp's Article.
19 This week in Running
20. Sports drinks vs. water: Which is better?
Unless you're a pro, experts say H20 is the way to go.
21. Adjust Your Diet Daily For Weight Maintenance
22. Train to recover -- Don't recover to train
23. Putting the cardio before the horse
For most of us, weight training can be added.
24. Functional strength training for any athlete
By Jessi Stensland, Professional Triathlete.
25. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"Winter is coming! Where do you run during the winter months?"

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:
"Regarding China's record of human rights abuses, what is your opinion regarding
a boycott of the Olympics?"
Answers Percent
1. There should be one 64%
2. There will be one 0%
3. There should not be one 36%
4. No opinion, don't care 0%


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE WEEK: The Sport Factory
The Sport Factory Connects you with the best coaches and athlete resources in
Atlanta
Whether you are a veteran looking to hone your skills, or a beginner training
for your first event, The Sport Factory has the
training plan and resources for your triathlon, duathlon, cyclo cross, adventure
race, Xterra, running, mountain biking, road
cycling, and more. We offer a wide variety of coaching options specific to your
needs and budget. This may include a custom
training plan, metabolic testing (VO2 max, anaerobic threshold, RMR), or cycling
power testing, sport nutrition counseling, bike
fitting, video stride or spin analysis, private swim instruction for triathlon,
strength or power training, and/or sport specific
technique coaching using the latest methods in the field. Online coaching is
also available anywhere in the country. No matter what
your age or ability, if you take your training seriously so do we. Give us your
goal, we take out the guess work!!
Check out their extensive resource section of articles on training, nutrition,
consumer reviews and more.
Visit their site at:
http://thesportfactory.com/

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


BOOK OF THE WEEK: Enhancing Recovery: Preventing Underperformance in Athletes
About the Product
Enhancing Recovery: Preventing Underperformance in Athletes is the first book to
address the multifaceted aspects and significance
of recovery in maintaining high-level athletic performance. In this text, 21
contributors take an interdisciplinary approach to
assist you in preventing overtraining and underperformance in athletes you work
with. Enhancing Recovery focuses on recovery as a
required component of training and the devastating effects of underrecovery,
giving you new insights into treating and preventing
overtraining and underperformance.
The editor, Michael Kellmann, PhD, combines a wealth of information from
medicine, physiology, periodization training, and
psychology as well as studies of people's motivation, health, and lifestyles to
explore all aspects of underrecovery-not just in
sports, but also in everyday life.
The four-part text features
* theoretical models that draw distinct connections between overtraining and
underrecovery,
* applied strategies for preventing underrecovery,
* case studies that provide practical examples and illustrate the importance of
integrating recovery into daily training routines,
and
* full descriptions of how underrecovery affects athletic performance as well as
everyday work and overall health.
Part I, "Conceptualizing the Problem," explains the concepts of underrecovery
and overtraining by clarifying definitions and
providing real-life examples that support the assertion that underrecovery is
often the precursor to overtraining and
underperformance in athletes.
Part II, "Determinants of Underrecovery," addresses the physiological factors
that are indicators of overtraining in athletes and
explains how athletes are constantly pushing the envelope of positive training
adaptation to obtain small improvements in
performance.
Part III, "Intervention of Underrecovery," focuses on the significance of
correct competitive scheduling and training sequencing,
which together underscore the processes leading to optimal performance.
Emotional and mental factors in underrecovery and
overtraining are also discussed.
Part IV, "Transfer to Related Areas," examines the relationship between recovery
and both physical and psychological health. The
importance of attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions are also addressed.
Addressing recovery as a key factor of performance, the text illustrates how a
constant lack of recovery can result in overtraining
in athletes you work with. Further, it shows how being even slightly
underrecovered over an extended period results in
underperformance in athletes and nonathletes alike. Enhancing Recovery:
Preventing Underperformance in Athletes is a critical
resource for anyone researching or practicing in the exercise science field.
About the Author
Michael Kellmann, PhD, is an assistant professor in the faculty of sport science
at the University of Bochum in Germany. He
completed his habilitation at the University of Potsdam in Germany in January
2002. He is a member of the Association for the
Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology and Psychology in High Performance
Sports. He serves on the executive board of the German
Association of Sport Psychology and the editorial board for The Sport
Psychologist.
Dr. Kellmann's works have appeared in more than 50 publications, and he is
coauthor of the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for
Athletes: User Manual. He has consulted with and conducted research for the
National Sport Center in Calgary, Canada, the Canadian
national speed skating team, and the German junior national rowing team. Dr.
Kellmann lives in Potsdam, Germany, and enjoys running
and playing soccer.
For more information about the work of Dr. Kellmann, please log on to
http://sposerver.sportdekanat.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/sportpsych/
Buy the book from Human Kinetics at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736034\
005


THIS WEEK'S FEATURES:

1. Mechanical Tissue Damage:
By Carmen Bott
The Source of Mechanical Muscle Damage
The leading cause of muscle damage related to exercise stems from mechanical
factors. Muscle tension and active strain on lengthened
fibers during eccentric contractions produce direct trauma to the muscle tissue.
This differs greatly from the proposed oxidative
stress placed on muscle tissue with pro-longed, intense endurance exercise. As
it is known, dynamic muscle function in acyclical,
impact sport occurs as a sequence of active eccentric muscle actions followed by
active concentric muscle actions known as the
stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). Since eccentric contractions contribute to the
SSC, it is not a surprising phenomenon that muscle
damage occurs during prolonged or intense exercise such as distance running,
plyometrics and resistance training. These activities
are commonplace in training programs for most athletes.
The hypothesis that attempts to explain the physiology behind eccentric-based
mechanical muscle damage is that fewer motor units are
recruited to handle the same load and force per cross-sectional area of muscle.
This demonstrates that eccentric work requires fewer
muscle fibers to do the same amount of concentric work and that less energy is
required to perform the eccentric work. Tension per
unit of active muscle mass is also greater, which results in more damage to the
muscle. At the cellular level, Z-line streaming,
which is explained as "disorganization of the area that joins the repeating
contractile elements of the myofibrils together" and
myofibrillar disruption are direct manifestations that muscle damage has
occurred. Furthermore, calcium homeostasis and
excitation-contraction coupling are impaired, and examination of eccentrically
damaged muscle shows damage to the sarcolemma,
T-tubules, myofibrils and the cyoskeleton. All of these structural changes to
the muscle fiber are actually present as soon as five
to 15 minutes post exercise.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060921_PTontheNet_Muscle_Damage\
.html


2. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine:
* What Causes Second Wind?
Second wind means that when you run very fast, you reach a point where you gasp
for breath, slow down but keep on pushing and after
a few seconds, you feel recovered and pick up the pace. Some people think that
you just slow down and allow yourself enough time to
recover from your oxygen debt, but research from the University of California in
Berkeley may give another explanation.
When you run fast, your muscles use large amounts of oxygen to burn
carbohydrate, fat and protein for energy. If you run so fast
that your lungs cannot supply all the oxygen that you
need, you develop an oxygen debt that causes lactic acid to accumulate in your
muscles to make them burn, and you gasp for air. The
muscle burning and shortness of breath caused by the accumulation of lactic acid
forces you to slow down. This research shows that
the lactic acid that accumulates in muscles when you run very fast actually is
the first choice of fuel for your muscles when you
are running so fast that you can't get all the oxygen that you need (American
Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism,
June 2006). So your muscles switch to burning more lactic acid for energy, you
need less oxygen and then you pick up the pace. Of
course when you keep on pushing the pace, you can again accumulate large amounts
of lactic acid in muscles, which makes them burn
and hurt again.
* Dear Dr. Mirkin: Should I drink water or a sports drink when I exercise?
A: Drinks that contain salt and sugar are better than just plain water during
exercise, unless you are also eating foods. A study
from the Medical College of Georgia shows that tennis players have lower body
temperatures when they drink fluid with electrolytes
and sugar, rather than just plain water (British Journal of Sports Medicine, May
2006). Higher body temperatures during exercise
slow you down and tire you earlier.
More than 80 percent of the energy that supplies your muscles is lost as heat.
Less than 20 percent drives your muscles. So during
exercise, your heart has to cool your body
by pumping hot blood from your muscles to your skin, as well as pumping
oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. If you heart has
difficulty serving both functions, it cannot pump enough hot blood from muscles
and your temperature rises.
You do not have to take sports drinks to protect yourself from high body
temperature. During exercise, you need energy, salt and
water and your body doesn't care how it gets these
nutrients. Eating any salted food with water or any beverage you like will
supply your body as efficiently as sports drinks.


3. Science of Sport: The Isotonic riddle - Is water still the superior fuel?
This article originally appeared in the sports science newsletter, Peak
Performance
Keeping hydrated is one of the first things you learn in any sport, but what are
you supposed to keep hydrated with? There's so many
potions and 'sports-cocktails' out there it's hard to know where to look. Many
bemused athletes have now returned to water, but is
this the correct path to follow?
Because even small losses of water can cause a drop in performance, optimum
hydration is extremely important to athletes. However,
replacing fluid lost in sweat and urine is not the only justification for
boosting fluid intake. Glycogen (stored muscle
carbohydrate) is the body's principle fuel for high intensity activities, and
replenishing glycogen stores with dietary carbohydrate
is vital to continuing high performance.
But the process of 'fixing' carbohydrate into muscles in the form of glycogen
also requires water; each gram of glycogen fixed into
muscle fibres requires around 3g of water, which is why you often feel thirsty
after a high-carbohydrate post-training meal. If you
don't drink to aid this process, water is simply drawn out of the bloodstream,
leading to dehydration.
Fluid, then, is vital for adequate recovery - not just to replace water lost
through sweating, but also to help replenish lost
glycogen.
A comprehensive hydration strategy involves ensuring good hydration before
training/ competition, maintaining it during exercise and
then replacing any shortfall as soon as possible afterwards. However, hydration
isn't just about water: fluid loss via urine and,
especially, sweating involves the loss of electrolyte minerals - calcium,
magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride. Although the
composition varies from person to person (partly as a function of
acclimatisation) a litre of sweat typically contains the
following:
. Calcium - 0.02g
. Magnesium - 0.05g
. Sodium - 1.15g
. Potassium - 0.23g
. Chloride - 1.48g
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20060928_PPO_Isotonic.html


4. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - Marathon Themes:
"The world's oldest iPod user," I called myself in last week's column. But much
as I love listening to these high-fidelity sounds,
they don't go along on runs -- for the same reason no music plays (or radio
talk, or TV) during writing time. I need to hear only
the voices inside my head, without any outside interference.
One exception: during marathon training last winter, the iPod entertained me on
the every-other-week long runs. I didn't have enough
good thoughts to be alone with them for all those hours.
But the marathon itself was still music-free (not counting the boom-boxes set up
along the Yakima course). I didn't want to tune out
the voices of the many runners and few fans who talked with me along the way.
Whether or not the iPod plays, a musical sound-track accompanies my running.
Certain songs speak perfectly to my thoughts on the
sport.
That playlist now numbers more than 100. From it I picked 20 tunes to share with
my Marathon Teams -- one for each of our Sundays
together, plus one for race eve and a final selection for the first recovery
week.
The first qualification for making this list is that the song be upbeat in
tempo, message or both. I rejected several possible
choices as too negative: "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad" by Woody Guthrie,
"Running Scared" by Roy Orbison, "Running on Empty" by
The Eagles.
I debated seriously about including Warren Zevon's "Ain't That Pretty at All,"
despite its title. It has this great line: "I'm gonna
hurl myself against the wall, 'cause I'd rather feel bad than not feel anything
at all."
Others didn't qualify for being overused to the point of cliché: "Chariots of
Fire" from the movie by that name, the "Rocky" song
and the "Olympic Theme" from NBC's coverage of the Games. Plus those are
instrumentals and I'm a word guy, moved more by lyrics than
tune.
Most of my choices for the Marathon Team CD have "run" or "road" in the title.
These lines weren't written to speak to runners, but
do. The marathon music mix:
1. "Centerfield" by John Fogerty. It's about baseball but could be runners
talking to their coach as the training begins. Most will
wind up in the center of the marathon field: "Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to
play. Look at me, I can be centerfield."
2. "Born to Run," the Emmylou Harris version and not Bruce Springsteen's (a
different song but a fitting one itself): "Just to feel
free and be someone, I was born to be fast, I was born to run."
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/home.php?article=2075


5. The hydration continuum: Beverage choices for active people :
Everybody pretty much understands that staying hydrated is essential to helping
you feel and perform at your best. According to the
Journal of Sports Science, exercisers who drink fluids and maintain hydration
can last up to 33 percent longer compared to those who
don't drink any fluids during a workout. And, even as little as two percent
dehydration can cause a drop in endurance.(1,2)
Yet with all the different hydration beverages on the market, how can you
determine which beverage would be best for your active
occasion, and more specifically, what types and how much of what ingredients
should you look for in each beverage to help meet your
hydration needs?
To help figure this out, let's take a closer look at the different options as if
they were lined up on a hydration continuum,
starting with the basic beverage choice: water.
Water
Water is a great thirst quencher and is essential for all bodily functions.
During sedentary or light-active occasions, water can
meet your hydration needs. However, during any activity that causes you to work
up a sweat, water's great thirst-quenching
properties and its lack of flavor can make it challenging for active people to
drink enough to stay properly hydrated.
Since many exercisers arrive at the gym inadequately hydrated before they even
begin their workout, it can become an even greater
challenge to increase fluid intake and stay properly hydrated with just plain
water alone.(3)
In fact, research shows that active people tend to replenish only about half of
the fluids they lose during a workout when they only
drink plain water. For those who may have a challenging time drinking enough, a
step up the hydration continuum may be warranted
because a fitness water may be a better option.(4)
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13540


6. Flex Time:
Yoga isn't just for folks who can already bend like a pretzel. In fact, tight,
inflexible runners stand to gain the most. This
simple yoga-for-runners routine will make you stronger, fitter, faster, and less
injury-prone. With a little practice, you may even
touch your toes again.
I could tell that I was getting into marathon shape. I was running long. I was
feeling strong. And I was creaking around the house
after workouts. After 20 years of running, my lack of flexibility was becoming
harder to ignore. My idea of stretching was swinging
my leg up on a fence rail after a run, and if I was really ambitious, I'd try to
touch my toes--most times I failed. Clearly this
half-hearted routine wasn't cutting it anymore, as my hamstrings and lower back
felt tighter and my knees and hips grew stiffer with
each passing marathon season.
This was two years ago, and my knowledge of yoga was limited. Back in my college
days, I'd had a girlfriend who was a devotee. Once
she dragged me to a class, which I found uncomfortable. After that, I associated
yoga with ex-girlfriends and hippies. More
recently, as yoga grew in popularity, I became intrigued. I didn't doubt that it
could benefit Madonna and Sting, who could twist
into advanced positions, but could it help a tightly wound runner like me?
I found a local yoga studio and nervously e-mailed a list of questions to the
instructor, Jeff Logan, a former bank officer who had
started a second career as a yoga teacher. "Do I have to be able to touch my
toes? Can I sit in the back of the class? How good are
the other people in the class?" He responded: "This isn't a race, John, it's a
yoga class. Don't worry about what you or the other
people can do, just show up."
More...from Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-287--9389-0,00.html


7. How Old Are You in Athlete Years?
By Dirk Friel
Have you ever heard the saying that one human year is equal to seven dog years?
This got me thinking about how a lot of older
athletes are actually in many respects equal in age to people much younger. Do
athletes have two concurrent timelines-age in human
years, and age as an endurance athlete?
The number of training years an athlete has endured says a lot about the
physical maturity and "depth" of their fitness. It seems
the more years an athlete has trained the more consistent and predictive their
performances become. In many respects this is an
envious characteristic of older athletes. Several key adaptations that signal
physical peaks take years to develop. Some of these
adaptations include: development of muscle (including a stronger heart muscle),
mitochondrial density, increased VO2 max, economy,
fat and lactate oxidation.
One of the primary indicators of endurance performance is the ability to clear
and utilize lactic acid as a fuel source. When
exercising at low intensities your muscles can easily produce the chemical
reactions necessary to dissipate and use lactic acid as a
fuel. However, at some point, as intensity increases, the amount of lactate
builds beyond what the body can clear and acidity rises,
which inhibits proper muscular contractions.
Improvement in lactate threshold pace (wattage, speed) is a primary focus for
endurance athletes and can take years to develop
before diminishing returns are seen. Pace at lactate threshold is not only
determined by chemical reactions, but also highly
dependent upon economy of movement and strength.
Economy and biomechanical efficiency can easily take years to maximize. In fact
athletes never really do reach perfect economy-even
elite athletes constantly focus on trying to improve their economy of movement.
This can be viewed as a welcome opportunity for
older athletes who may have reached a plateau with their lactate buffering
capabilities. By switching focus to speed and skills
development an older athlete can many times reduce race times without improving
physical fitness at all. Many athletes may actually
continue to make large improvements in economy for several years if this aspect
of training has been ignored in the past.
Another limiter for endurance athletes is the ability to use fat as an energy
source. Improved fatty acid oxidation takes years of
consistent endurance training to develop. This is a very desirable adaptation
because when fat is used as a fuel, lactate is not a
by-product and therefore pushes the lactate threshold up to higher intensity
levels. Increased fat oxidation is equivalent to
improved endurance and can be maintained for quite a long time. This is one of
the fundamental reasons behind following a periodized
annual training plan. Once sufficient endurance is built it can be put on the
secondary list of objectives whereby training can then
shift toward higher race pace intensity. To read more on the concepts of peaking
refer to July and August e-Tips articles by Andy
Applegate and Joe Friel.
Specificity of activity is a primary concern when it comes to maximizing peak
performance. For example a world class cyclist who has
a high power output at lactate threshold might not have a world class pace in
running. Running uses many of the same muscles as
cycling, but they are used quite differently. The timing of muscle contractions
and the basic biomechanics of running are radically
different from cycling. So not only do we have "athlete years," as in dog years,
but we also have the specific time dedicated to
each one of our sports. A triathlete may be mature in running years, but
immature when it comes to cycling and swimming. If this is
you, step back and allow your body to play a bit of catch-up. A triathlete may
actually come into maturity several years down the
road after having maintained the strengths of their primary sport, and having
worked diligently to improve their weak sports. Oh,
and don't forget that in long-course triathlons the fourth discipline is race
day nutrition, which may take several years to figure
out as well.
Consistent, moderate training improvements should be your goal more than quick
gains. If you take this to heart you can feel and
perform like an individual half your age and enjoy your sport like you were a
kid again.
Dirk Friel has raced as a professional cyclist on the roads of Europe, Asia and
the Americas since 1992. He is also an Ultrafit
Associates coach specializing in road training with power. Dirk is also
co-founder of TrainingPeaks.com. He may be reached by e-mail
at mailto:dfriel@....
Sign up for the e-tips newsletter at:
http://www.ultrafit.com/etips.asp


8. No Sweat:
Does perspiration-fighting athletic gear really work?
There's no better testament to athletic effort than a sweat-soaked T-shirt. When
a jock perspires, he's struggling and striving his
way to glory. The guy who doesn't break a sweat? He's a bench-warmer, a
goldbricker, a lazy bum.
At least that's how it used to be. Companies like Under Armour, which announced
a few weeks ago that it's going public, now make a
fortune by demonizing perspiration. Sweat-fighting athletic gear, known in the
sportswear industry as "performance apparel," is now
a multibillion-dollar business. The craze has even spread beyond sports:
Haberdashers are now making perspiration-abating business
suits.
Sweat cools your body when it evaporates from the surface of your skin. But
sometimes the volume of sweat you produce is too great
for it all to disperse. Instead, the watery excretion gets soaked up by your
cotton T-shirt, which gets damp and gross as it slurps
up the excess moisture. Performance apparel solves that problem by "wicking"
sweat away from your body, just like the wick of a
candle absorbs liquid and draws it upward. The sweat-removing shirts, with their
polyester-blended fabrics and chemical treatments,
pull perspiration away from the skin and push it through the clothing's surface,
where it evaporates. The result: a comfortable, dry
athlete.
More...from Slate at:
http://www.slate.com/id/2124889/


9. Metabolic Fitness:
Have you ever conducted a really intense workout, say an all out 5k race, and
experienced nausea and/or distress as a result?
Perhaps you have seen other athletes at the end of a workout or race hunched
over from nausea or fatigue, obviously under
considerable distress. I remember watching Bob Kempainen at the 1996 Olympic
Marathon trials. Bob was leading in the final miles
of the race when, without even breaking stride, he vomited several times. Not
only did he not break stride while vomiting, he then
pulled away from his competition and ended up winning the race. I remember
marveling at his ability to withstand the intense nausea
and discomfort he was certainly experiencing and yet not even slow his pace!
Running is not the only activity that can cause this level of distress. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, upon completing his first high
intensity Nautilus workout is quoted as saying, "I've had times during workouts
when I've had difficulty standing up. This is the
first time I've had difficulty laying down." In his inimitable style, Arnold
was referring to metabolic fitness.
Metabolic fitness refers to the ability of the body's systems to withstand
intense efforts and the fatigue that accompanies it. The
concept of metabolic conditioning was first suggested in the 1970s by Arthur
Jones, the inventor of Nautilus weight training
machines. Jones described metabolic conditioning as the ability to perform high
intensity muscular work for a prolonged period of
time. He used the term in conjunction with high intensity strength training,
but I submit that his description can be applied to
any activity where the athlete is working at very high levels of intensity, just
like Bob Kempainen in the marathon trials. Arthur
coined the term metabolic conditioning and applied it to weight training; I use
the term metabolic fitness as a way of applying the
concept to any high intensity activity.
More...from Power Running at:
http://www.powerrunning.com/Exercise%20Physiology/Power%20Running%20part%204.htm


10. Milk stirs debate:
Few foods elicit such strong opinions as milk and dairy products. People don't
simply like milk, or avoid milk, they preach about
its virtues or its evils.
The cow's-milk-is-for-calves folk warn that dairy is behind nearly all our major
diseases, from cancer and diabetes to heart disease
and even osteoporosis. Meanwhile, the other side would have you believe that
dairy is essential, that your bones will crumble if you
don't drink milk and that it will prevent hypertension and even promote weight
loss.
Milk used to be considered a "perfect food," and nearly everyone agrees it's
very nutritious -- and by far the leading source of
calcium in the American diet. Thus, last year's new federal dietary guidelines
specified three cups of low-fat or non-fat milk or
other dairy products every day (two cups for kids age two to eight) -- or else
calcium-fortified foods and beverages. This caused an
uproar among anti-milk groups, and even some mainstream nutrition experts
suspected that the strong influence of the dairy industry
played a role
There has been lots of research about dairy in recent years, so it's time for an
update. Here are the main issues.
Good or bad for your heart?
If you consume lots of whole milk and cheese, you're likely to see your blood
cholesterol levels rise. That's true, however, of any
foods rich in saturated fat. But more and more dairy products these days are
nonfat or low-fat, and thus do not raise cholesterol
levels. In fact, there's some evidence that certain substances in milk may help
lower cholesterol.
Milk opponents often cite a few studies that indicted milk (sometimes even
nonfat milk) as a cause of heart disease. But these
studies are not convincing, and many others find no increased coronary risk --
or even show reduced risk. Moreover, since dairy is
rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium, it can help reduce the risk of
hypertension, and thus it is an important part of the DASH
diet.
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13545


11. Believe it or not, rigorous exercise can weaken a person's immune system:
David C. Nieman, DrPH, FACSM, professor and director of the Human Performance
Laboratory, Appalachian State University.
QUESTION: I ran hard for two hours last weekend and two days later came down
sick with a terrible cold. Did my running bout suppress
my immune system and cause my cold?
ANSWER: Yes, running hard for 90 minutes or more causes a downturn in immune
function, increasing your odds of getting sick. Regular
moderate exercise improves immunity, but when exercise is pushed too far,
reports of increased sickness, sometimes for prolonged
periods, are common.
These reports parallel findings from studies of large groups of athletes. For
example, during the week following the Los Angeles
Marathon race, my research team showed that one out of seven runners came down
sick. The illness rate was nearly six times that of
runners who had trained for but did not run the marathon. During the two-month
period before the race, runners training more than 60
miles a week doubled their odds for sickness compared with those training less
than 20 miles a week.
Research in my Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University has
shown that athletes exercising at high intensity for
90 minutes or more experience a steep drop in immune function that lasts at
least six to 24 hours.
Much of this immune suppression appears to be related to the elevation of stress
hormones, which are secreted in high quantity
during and following heavy exertion. This temporary drop in immune function
allows viruses already in the body to spread and gain a
foothold.
You and other athletes must train hard to compete, so avoiding heavy exertion is
not an option. To lower risk of immune suppression
and sickness during heavy training and after competition, I recommend that
endurance athletes such as distance runners, cyclists,
triathletes and swimmers follow these guidelines:
. Keep other life stresses to a minimum. Mental stress in and of itself has been
linked to an increased risk of upper respiratory
tract infection.
. Eat a well-balanced diet to keep vitamin and mineral pools in the body at
optimal levels. Don't rely on nutrient supplements. My
research has shown that supplements such as vitamin C and E do not prevent
post-exercise downturns in immune function.
More...from the Citizen-Times at:
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200660925065



12. You Want to Put on a Marathon--Where?
by Ivan Hurlburt
Defying the Taliban, One Step at a Time.
I wasn't sure how to write this. I am by no means a writer. My creative skills
have been limited to pretending that I am a carpenter
some months and a paint-by-numbers artist in others. I don't consider myself a
writer, let alone a marathon race director. I am a
captain in the United States Army serving with the 25th Infantry Division based
in Hawaii. I consider myself an average person who
happened to be in extraordinary circumstances and at the right place at the
right time.
The place was called Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. It's a typical Afghan village in a
province called Uruzgan, which is famous for its
geographical ties to the Taliban. Many of its more famous Taliban leaders were
born just north of the city of Tarin Kowt. Tarin Kowt
is at an elevation of about 5,000 feet in a valley surrounded by mountains that
are at the tail end of the Hindu Kush mountain
range. The summers are hot and dusty and the winters are cold and unforgiving.
It's an area of strategic commercial and military
importance that has seen numerous invasions that have more or less been repelled
by its determined people, harsh weather, and rough
terrain. From Alexander the Great to the Soviet Union, many nations have
attempted to tame and conquer the people of Afghanistan,
but they have universally failed.
The time was August 2004. The Second Battalion, Fifth Infantry Regiment-also
known as the Bobcat Battalion-had been in Afghanistan
since April, and we were looking at another nine months in the country before we
could see our loved ones again in Hawaii.
Carrying A Bit Of Hawaii With Us
Hawaii's allure was not only our families at home waiting for us but the fact
that it's a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts among our
ranks. Runners cannot ask for a better experience than Hawaii. Although Hawaii
has many running events, the pinnacle for most of us
is the Honolulu Marathon. The Honolulu Marathon is like no other race: the
people, the weather, and the course itself make runners
want to do the race over and over again.
The military is a huge supporter of running events in Hawaii. A large number of
military members sign up for the Honolulu Marathon
and other running events, and Honolulu even has a registration-fee waiver for
military members. The relationship that Hawaii has
with its military guests has been a good one, and both cherish the historic ties
that have grown over the decades.
For the first time since Vietnam, the 25th Infantry Division was called on to
serve a 12-month combat tour starting in April 2004.
Half the division went to Iraq, and the other half went to Afghanistan. My
battalion, the Bobcat Battalion, went to Afghanistan.
It's hard enough to leave family and friends, but we had to leave paradise as
well. Being in a war does not leave a lot of time for
running, as most of us quickly discovered. The missions were constant and the
tempo fast, but still soldiers were finding ways to
get those running shoes on and get some miles in around the fire base, a small
military area similar to the outposts in the Old
West. Troops at a fire base work with the local populace and against any enemy
in that area. Fire Base Ripley, named after a marine
who was killed in the area, is on the outskirts of the capital of Uruzgan
Province, Tarin Kowt.
More...from Marathon and Beyond at:
http://www.marathonandbeyond.com/choices/hurlburt.htm


13. Speed it up and reap the benefits:
By Jeannine Stein
Wish a short workout was as good as a long one? Guess what?
When it comes to cardio exercise, less appears to be more.
That's the conclusion of researchers who discovered that extremely short bouts
of high-intensity exercise produce the same
improvements in muscle health as longer, more moderately paced workout sessions.
In the two-week study, published in this month's issue of the Journal of
Physiology, 16 college-age men, all recreational
exercisers, were asked to exercise on stationary bicycles three times a week.
One group cycled for 30 seconds all-out, followed by
four minutes of recovery, or pedaling at a slower speed while keeping the heart
rate somewhat elevated. They repeated that several
times for a total of about 20 minutes a day. The other group cycled at a
moderate pace for 90 to 120 minutes a day.
At the end of the study, the men's muscles were tested for an enzyme that's "an
indicator of the muscle's ability to use oxygen,"
says lead author Martin Gibala, associate professor of kinesiology at Canada's
McMaster University. In both groups, the enzyme level
increased by about 25% to 30%. He adds, "You can think about that as being able
to produce energy more efficiently, being able to go
at a faster pace and exercise longer."
Gibala expected to see some improvement in both groups, but he says the
neck-and-neck results were startling. "We're still wrapping
our heads around the magnitude of improvement in the interval group."
Interval training - alternating between bouts of high-intensity work and
recovery - has long been a technique used by athletes and
physical therapists, but it's been slow to find an audience among average
exercisers. Most prefer running, walking or using cardio
equipment at a reasonable speed for about half an hour or more. For years,
doctors and fitness experts have recommended the
30-minute-a-day, sensibly paced workout - not a bad prescription but perhaps not
the most efficient way to improve heart health and
stamina.
"We're not saying the current guidelines are not well-founded or that people
shouldn't do them," says Gibala, "but at least 50% of
the population is not following them. So if we can provide an option that's
science-based that can achieve results in less time,
that's not a bad strategy."
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/fitness/la-he-intervals25sep25,1,4645366.\
story?coll=la-health-fitness-news


14. Who's Older, You or Your Body? Tests Suggest Answers:
WHO marooned in middle age hasn't daydreamed about once again having the
limberness and heart-pumping efficiency of a 30-something
body?
Two years ago, Whitney Connor, then 41, took matters into her own hands.
How, pray tell, did she turn back the clock? First, she had her so-called
"BodyAge" assessed at an Equinox gym in Manhattan. Her
body fat, strength, cardiovascular condition and flexibility were determined
according to a test created by Polar, a maker of heart
rate monitors. She was told her BodyAge was also 41.
Then over four months of tackling her weaknesses, Ms. Connor whittled her
BodyAge down to 33. She already had sinewy arms thanks to
weight lifting. But she added two-mile runs to boost her cardiovascular shape
and eliminated white bread and junk food from her diet
to trim her fat.
"I became somewhat obsessed with getting that number down," said Ms. Connor, a
gemologist, who had been disappointed to learn that
her BodyAge matched her chronological one.
How does she feel now that a second evaluation revealed her body is eight years
younger?
"Ecstatic," she said with more than a dollop of pride. "It just makes me feel
healthier to know that I'm the same physical age as a
33-year-old."
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/fashion/28Fitness.html?_r=1&ref=fitnessandnutr\
ition&oref=slogin


15. Eating more fat to be thin:
Local entrepreneur's new high-fat diet an anti-Atkins approach.
By Lisa Marshall,
You've heard of slow-carb and low-carb, high protein and low-sugar plans. But
according to one wealthy Boulder entrepreneur - turned
diet guru, what America really needs is a healthy dose of fat.
"We have gotten so fixated on low-fat. It has become part of our culture that
eating fat means being fat," says 64-year-old Binx
Selby, creator of the trademarked BalancePoint High-Speed Cholesterol Reducing
and Balancing Diet. "Being fat is a matter of
calories."
Selby, a successful inventor of everything from personal computing technologies
to water purifiers and espresso machines, is perhaps
best known around Boulder for his highly publicized conflict with Boulder County
over a proposed meditation retreat and co-housing
community in the mid-90s. (It never got off the ground).
Today, Selby has shifted his entrepreneurial focus from spiritual health to
vascular health, with a seemingly counter-intuitive diet
made up of 70 percent fat, less than 10 percent protein, and only low-glycemic
carbohydrates (which metabolize more slowly).
Having been on it for months, and conducted a few preliminary pilot studies at
his newly founded BalancePoint Institute, a nonprofit
he runs out of his home, Selby swears the diet can radically reduce cholesterol
within a couple of weeks. Now, he's working with
local physicians and Colorado Heart and Body Imaging in Denver to conduct more
research using high-tech diagnostic texts. His aim:
to refine the diet, write a book about it, and spread the word.
More...from the Daily camera at:
http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/health_and_fitness/article/0,1713,BDC_2431_500844\
9,00.html


16. Hormones As Dope:
How Testosterone Pumps Up Performance.
After repeated testing of a sample of Tour de France winner Floyd Landis's urine
revealed apparent doping with testosterone, one
detail seemed to seal the case: The sample suggesting there were artificially
high levels of the hormone in his body was collected
immediately after his stunning come-from-behind performance on the 17th stage of
the 20-part race.
Clearly, the speculation was he'd juiced up right before the big ride.
A lot isn't known yet about what Landis took and when he took it. But a lot is
understood about testosterone, the naturally
occurring hormone that makes males men. And none of it suggests that it would
have helped Landis much if he had binged on a
synthetic form of the man-juice right before his comeback ride.
Testosterone's abilities to enhance performance when taken at high doses accrue
gradually, so athletes who abuse it usually do so
over an extended period, experts say. This stuff is not Popeye's spinach.
The conventional wisdom is that "you need a while for it to work," says Linn
Goldberg, an internist at the Oregon Health and Science
University in Portland and a spokesman for the Endocrine Society.
"I'm not familiar with [testosterone] being used effectively the day of an
event, because it takes time to have an impact," says
Gary I. Wad-ler, an internist at the New York University School of Medicine and
a consultant to the World Anti-Doping Agency.
More...from the Washington Post at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/07/AR2006080700960.\
html


17. To Lift or Not To Lift: Put the Dumbbells Down:
Why Distance Runners Don't Need Strength Training.
By Jason Karp
I'm sure you've seen it looming in the corner of your gym like a mother who
proselytizes about eating your vegetables: a big,
lime-green exercise ball. It has become the symbol of flat stomachs and
represents the new craze among sports coaches: core
training. Much has been written about strength training for the distance
runner-everything from performing lunges while holding
dumbbells in your hands to calf raises on the edge of a stair to endless
repetitions of abdominal crunches while balancing on that
big, lime-green exercise ball. A stronger core aside, does anyone else reading
these training suggestions ever wonder if they will
really lead to a new 5K or marathon PR?
Unlike most sports, including baseball, football, basketball and hockey, which
require strength, speed and power for successful
performance, distance running performance is primarily limited by the delivery
and use of oxygen. As you run faster, the demand for
oxygen increases. For the speed to remain aerobic, and therefore for you to be
able to sustain a faster pace, the supply of oxygen
to the working muscles and to the heart itself must be equal to or greater than
the oxygen demand. If the demand for oxygen exceeds
its supply, exercise becomes predominately anaerobic and fatigue is imminent.
Therefore, in order to become a better distance
runner, you need to increase your supply of oxygen to the working muscles to
match the increasing demand that accompanies the
increase in pace. There is substantial scientific evidence to show that
increasing oxygen delivery (for example, by having subjects
breathe more oxygen) increases maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max). The benefit
to being able to run aerobically at 5:30 pace
compared to 6:00 pace is obvious.
There are no studies proving that strength training increases the supply of
oxygen to your muscles and heart. Oxygen wouldn't
recognize a dumbbell if it were hit on the head with one. The responsibility of
oxygen delivery rests on the shoulders of your
cardiovascular system. The greater your stroke volume (the volume of blood
pumped by your heart per beat) and cardiac output (the
volume of blood pumped by your heart per minute), the more oxygen will be
delivered to your muscles. In addition, the greater your
muscles' capillary and mitochondrial densities, the greater their metabolic
capacity to use the available oxygen.
More...from the Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/rt/articles/?id=8994


18. Counterpoint:
Michael Yessis' Response to Jason Karp's Article.
Distance running may be limited by delivery and use of oxygen, but your muscles
keep you going. When they fail, all the oxygen in
the world will not finish the run. You need both to be successful. To attain
greater aerobic development and greater strength to run
longer and faster, you need fuller development of the muscles as well as the
cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Studies done by the Soviets prove that with specific regimes of strength
training such as interval training, oxygen supply is
improved (Soviet Sports Review and Specialized Strength Preparation in Sport by
Y. U. Verkhoshansky). Thus, stating that runners
should spend more time running to develop the cardiovascular and metabolic
traits associated with endurance, rather than strength
training, does not hold water.
Muscular endurance is especially important. For example, the farther you run,
the shorter your stride length becomes because of
muscular fatigue, i.e., you cannot maintain the same leg ROM that is needed to
maintain speed. To correct this you must strength
train. It is impossible to do this with only running.
The trend today is to develop training methods that can reduce the amount of
running that you do, yet allow you to run better
through supplementary work such as specialized strength training. This is the
beauty of such training. It allows you to perform
better without additional running, which usually leads to injury and/or boredom.
A major criticism of Karp's article is that it relies on what the best
marathoners in this country do. If we dominated the world in
long-distance running, I would be tempted to agree that we should look more
closely on what U.S. runners do, but we do not. We are
substantially below the world's best and will remain there if we continue doing
the same thing (more running) and getting the same
results.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/rt/articles/?id=8994&page=3


19. This week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Josephat Machuka (KEN) beat a strong field by almost a full
minute at the
Dam tot Dam (NED) 10 mile with a 45:19 event record. Brahim
Lahlafi (MAR)
was 2nd in 46:14 and Thomas Osano (KEN) was 3rd in 46:21. Tegla
Loroupe
(KEN) won the women's race in 53:01 with Elena Viazova (UKR) 2nd
in 53:37.
20 Years Ago- Rob deCastella (AUS) won the Virginia (VA/USA) 10 mile in 47:49,
defeating
David Murphy (ENG) at 47:59 and Jon Sinclair (USA) at 48:40.
Anne Audain
(NZL) was the women's winner, more than a minute ahead of Teresa
Ornduff
(USA) at 56:22. Forty-one year old Priscilla Welch (ENG) was 3rd
in 56:49.
30 Years Ago- Kazimierz Orzel (POL) won the Ostravsky (CZE) Marathon with a
time of 2:43:12.4.
40 Years Ago- Jürgen Haase (GER) won a 10,000m in Dresden GER with a 28:51.8.
50 Years Ago- Eino Oksanen (FIN) led a Finnish 1-4 sweep at a marathon in
Hamburg GER.
He was followed by Paavo Kotila in 2:23:14, Veikko Karvonen in
2:23:15, and
Eino Pulkinnen in 2:26:35.
60 Years Ago- Emil Zatopek (CZE) won a 5000m in Pilsen DEN with a time of
14:51.0.
From the Analytical Distance Runner at:
http://www.arrs.net


20. Sports drinks vs. water: Which is better?
Unless you're a pro, experts say H20 is the way to go.
Walk down any beverage aisle in a Whatcom County grocery store and you'll see a
seemingly endless rainbow of sports drinks. Ads
promise to hydrate, fuel and energize but exercise and nutrition experts say
most people will benefit more from a glass of water.
"I don't recommend someone use a sports drink unless they're doing exercise for
more than 90 minutes, even if they're doing medium-
to high-intensity exercise," says Emily Edison, sports dietitian for University
of Washington athletics.
Advertisements show sculpted bodies glistening with lemon-lime beads of sweat,
but if $1.5 billion in annual sales are any
indication, sports drinks are fueling a broader population than just elite
athletes.
And there is no shortage of options to tempt the average grocery shopper.
"I think sometimes if people watch sports, they think they are athletes," says
Edison. "It's probably not needed for the weekend
warrior."
Most sports drinks serve two primary purposes - rehydrating and refueling.
Still, girls' soccer coach Tammy Grimes says she encourages players to stay
hydrated with water during games.
"(Sports drinks) are mostly high-fructose corn syrup," the 35-year-old
Bellingham resident says.
During intense exercise, bodies not only lose water, they lose electrolytes and
carbohydrates, also known as salts and sugars.
More...from the Bellingham Herald at:
http://news.bellinghamherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060928/NEWS08/6092\
80325


21. Adjust Your Diet Daily For Weight Maintenance:
by Matt Russ and Ilana Katz
We are all creatures of routine and our diets are no exception. Time-strapped
athletes tend to gravitate towards the same foods and
supplements that allow them to fuel their bodies quickly and effectively. But a
proper training plan requires changes in training
intensities and durations throughout the day, week, and season. This means
variance correspondingly in energy expenditure daily,
weekly, and seasonally.
Nutrition periodization is a hot topic right now. The essence of this plan is
to match your diet to the specific requirements of
the training phase you are in on the macro level. It is equally important to
make small modifications to your diet on a daily basis
to compensate for variances in activity factor and caloric expenditure / use.
The difference in energy expenditure between a rest
or recovery day and a heavy training day can be enormous, and it may be
necessary to cut calories on days of reduced training.
These small modifications to your daily diet add up and are helpful in
maintaining your proper race weight and energy balance.
Less energy density
On rest days, your caloric expenditure is reduced, perhaps extensively, when
compared to a training day. As little as 100 unused
calories per day can add up big over time -- a weight increase of 10 pounds per
year. Body fat is ballast for an athlete and excess
body fat reduces performance and optimal power-to-weight ratio. To prevent
storing unused energy as body fat, replace dense
carbohydrate foods such as pasta, bagels, bread, and potatoes with lower calorie
carbohydrate snacks such as yogurt, cottage cheese,
fruits, and vegetables.
More...from Transition Times at:
http://www.transitiontimes.com/viewstory.cfm?ID=8669


22. Train to recover -- Don't recover to train:
By Matt Fitzgerald
Running doesn't make you fitter. If it did -- if you actually got fitter while
you ran -- you would be a stronger runner in the last
mile of a marathon than you were in the first. And we all know that's not the
case!
It's recovering from running that makes you fitter. The stress of running flips
a number of hormonal and genetic switches in various
parts of your body, allowing each part to adapt in a way that renders it better
prepared for the next workout. But these adaptations
can unfold only when your body is at rest.
For example, running stimulates the genes responsible for building mitochondria,
the organelles within muscle cells where oxygen is
used to release energy. As a result, the number of mitochondria in your running
muscles increases between workouts, boosting your
aerobic fitness.
Since the majority of fitness adaptations occur through recovery, the goal of
your training program should be to maximize recovery.
In other words, instead of recovering to train, as many runners do, you should
train to recover.
What's the difference? When you recover to train, your focus is entirely on the
workouts themselves. Rest is just a necessary evil.
You assume that merely completing a workout suffices to deliver benefits --
which isn't true.
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13548


23. Putting the cardio before the horse:
For most of us, weight training can be added.
By John Briley
If we had a nickel for every time someone asked us whether it's OK to do cardio
and strength training on the same day - and if so,
in what order - we'd have at least a quarter, a significant value in a land rife
with parking meters. So we'll do our best to
address those queries, ideally before the meter maid circles back.
First, for most readers - i.e., people who exercise at light-to-moderate
intensities - performing both on one day is fine, according
to the American College of Sports Medicine. You're not putting high enough
demands on your body to significantly compromise the
value of either activity or risk injury.
So do your 20 minutes watching CNN on the treadmill, and follow it up with your
half-hour set of strength training moves. Or do a
strength training circuit of six exercises with no rest between sets and keep
your heart tapping throughout. Godspeed, ya big
galoot.
The asterisks begin to fly as intensity levels increase.
"You wouldn't want to have a heavy lifting day after running 10 miles" on the
same day, says William Kraemer, a professor of
kinesiology, physiology and neurobiology at the University of Connecticut.
That's because your body is busy restoring energy,
rebuilding damaged tissue and recovering hormones exhausted during the first
exercise bout.
More...from the Daily Camera at:
http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/health_and_fitness/article/0,1713,BDC_2431_502046\
1,00.html


24. Functional strength training for any athlete:
By Jessi Stensland, Professional Triathlete.
I'm a fan of big things that come in small packages. I'm a triathlete, but I'm
also someone who is always on the go and loves to
maintain a healthy, strong body that I can throw into any sport or challenge
that comes my way. When I first saw the seemingly
simple design of the TRX (Total-body Resistance eXercise) System, I had no idea
what an effective strength and conditioning tool it
would be for me.
Pulling the unit out of its lunch-sized mesh storage bag, it looks like an extra
long, three-legged seat belt with handles. But once
you secure it to a sturdy overhead structure like a pull-up bar, fence, tree
branch or even your car's roof rack, you've suddenly
created an amazing total-body training station with hundreds of functional
strength and flexibility movements that can be matched
perfectly to the needs of any fitness goal.
The TRX was originally created in the Navy SEAL Teams in the late nineties by
commandos trying to stay fit while deployed to places
where time is of the essence and gyms don't exist. It weighs less than two
pounds and folds to the size of a running shoe.
More...from Active.com at:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13542


25. Digest Briefs:
* Are You Ready?
By the time you read this, ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes will be five days, five
states, and five days into running 50 marathons in
50 States in 50 days. Several months ago, Karnazes came to me and asked me to
help train him through a brutal summer schedule of
business travel and ultramarathon events such as the Badwater 135-mile race in
Death Valley, California in order to set him up for
this fall's challenge: The North Face Endurance 50.
Seeing Karnazes work his way up to his first marathon earlier this week reminded
me of working with Lance as he approached the first
day of the Tour de France. Each year, we'd work to make him what I call a "100%
Ready Athlete." What that means is that his mental,
physical, and emotional states were at their peaks. All the logistics of the
race and his team and support staff were locked up. All
Lance had to do was race.
In much the same way, Karnazes followed the same thing as Lance. He surrounded
himself with a devoted and expert crew, including CTS
Coach Jason Koop, who will insure he stays properly hydrated, fed, and rested
while he travels around the country for nearly two
months. His body was primed to succeed - in many ways the hardest part of the
Endurance 50, the preparation, was over. From here on
out, he can concentrate on running 26.2 miles a day and nothing more.
As is often the case with athletes who prepare for months, or even years for an
event, Karnazes felt a great sense of relief when he
took his first step in last Sunday's Lewis & Clark Marathon in Missouri. Once
the Endurance 50 started, Karnazes's life became about
trust. His job is to run; he has to trust that his training prepared him for the
next 50 days (it did), that the fridge on the team
RV was stocked (it was), and that he team had taken care of all the travel
arrangements and logistics (they have).
When you're a 100% Ready Athlete, you can let go of the distractions and enjoy
pushing your body beyond anything it's ever
experienced. It takes a lot of work to get you to that point, but when you do it
right, you can accomplish things that you never
thought possible. Lance did it. Karnazes is doing it right now. In fact you can
check out his progress at www.trainright.com. Each
day, Coach Koop will be filing reports and videos on Karnazes's progress as he
runs his way to the New York City marathon in
November.

* Mental Peaking
Posted: September 22, 2006 5:00:46 PM
Peaking for a goal race is not just a physical process; it is a mental process
as well. As you approach your peak race your training
becomes more physically intense and specific. Mental focus must rise as well,
before the physical can occur. The culmination of this
takes place on race day when your mental skills must be as honed as your
physical. What are the characteristics of a mentally
"peaked" athlete, and how do you obtain them?
? Confident. A mentally peaked athlete is confident in their abilities and
performance no matter what it may be. In order for to
achieve this confidence they must know what their performance capabilities are,
and this comes from; you guessed it-- training. The
athlete knows what pace they will run off the bike because they have already ran
it. They know how they will swim in the open water
because they have done it, and they know how they will ride the hills because
they rode them last week. This is not overconfidence
or bravado; this is knowing exactly what you are capable of and simply following
through.
? Collected. Every athlete is excited at the starting line. The mentally peaked
athlete can control and channel this excitement, and
any over stimulation will go away with the starting gun. One thing you never
want to do is show up for a goal race having not raced.
Secondary events get the kinks worked out and get you used to the racing
process. These races lower anxiety levels and set
reasonable performance expectations.
? Process Driven. Have you ever had a fellow athlete remark on a race course or
land mark, yet you have no recollection of it? This
is likely due to the fact that you were in "the zone," and more focused on
monitoring yourself internally than observing the
irrelevant landscape. You may have been carefully watching your heart rate,
pace, power, cadence, perceived exertion, and the course
immediately in front of you. A process driven athlete races as if it is just
another work out. They know exactly what to do and
when. They drink and eat on a strict schedule. They pace themselves precisely.
? "Intrepid: characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance."
An intrepid athlete is adaptable, resourceful, and
will not be denied their race. They would never DNF unless they were forced to;
even if they were having a bad race. They consider
only what is within their control and let everyone else worry about the weather,
other competitors, and how prepared they are on
race day. They can make tactical decisions without getting emotional and can
absorb more pain.
? Focused. Everyone knows you must be focused on race day, and it is somewhat
easy due to the stimulation level. But being focused
does not just mean racing hard, it means racing right. Sticking to a pacing
strategy, fueling and hydration strategy, and not
getting pulled off your game is the key to a successful race. If you chase down
every athlete that passes you on the bike you will
soon find you have nothing left in your legs. The focused athlete races his or
her own race, and knows exactly what to do when.
By working on these skills you will not only perform better, you will enjoy
racing more. Racing is an emotional experience and the
goal is not to take the emotion out of the race; it is to channel it then savor
it at the finish line.
Matt Russ has coached and trained elite athletes around the country and
internationally for over ten years. He currently holds
expert licenses from USA Triathlon, USA Cycling, and is a licensed USA Track and
Field Coach. Matt is head coach and owner of The
Sport Factory, and works with athletes of all levels full time. He is a free
lance author and his articles are regularly featured in
a variety of magazines such as Inside Triathlon, and Triathlete. Visit
www.thesportfactory.com for more information or email him at
mailto:coachmatt@...




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

September 30, 2006:
Akron Marathon - Akron - OH
http://www.akronmarathon.org

Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile - New York, NY
http://www.nyrr.org/nyrrc/org/home.html

Lake Tahoe Marathon - South Lake Tahoe, CA
http://www.laketahoemarathon.com

Television: CBC
14:00 - 16:00 2006 Road Cycling World Championships
Men's Time Trials - From Salzburg, Austria

October 1, 2006:
Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon - Chicago, IL
http://www.chicagohalfmarathon.com

(25th) Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon - Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN
USA Open & Masters Championships
http://www.mtcmarathon.org/

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, Milwaukee, WI
http://www.badgerlandstriders.org/lakefront/

Portland Marathon - Portland, OR
http://www.portlandmarathon.org

Twin Cities Marathon - Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
http://www.mtcmarathon.org/index.cfm

RACE PREVIEW:

October 7, 2006:
TransCanada National 10K Championships and Fun Run - Ottawa, ON
http://www.transcanada10km.ca

2007:

June 23, 2007:
Emilie's Run - The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K Race for Women - Ottawa, ON
http://www.emiliesrun.com


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

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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Have a good week of training and/or racing.

Ken Parker
Runner's Web
mailto: webmaster@...
http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html
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*********************************************
RUNNER'S WEB AFFILIATE PROGRAMS:
*********************************************
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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TrainingPeaks.com by Wes Hobson.
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Triathlon Meetup
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Triathlon Meetups! Happening THIS month, find out when .

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If you have an accident while running or cycling, do you want your family to be
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If so, make this cool item part of your gear -- for safety and peace of mind.
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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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Buy the DVD at:
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