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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. A children's 912 and under) 1K run will
also be held.
More information will be posted at: http://www.emiliesrun.com and at
http://www.somersault.ca

3. Road Runner Sports, the world's largest running store at:
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000010069822.
Check out their Perfect Fit Finder for running shoes.

4. Toronto Waterfront Marathon. September 30, 2007.
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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THIS WEEK:
*Special Offer from Human Kinetics*
As an associate member Human Kinetics is offering an exclusive Online Christmas
Special ~ 25% off all purchases + Free Shipping on
orders of $50+. To place your order, click on the following
http://www.humankinetics.com/?associate=880 where you will find the
Human Kinetics site. Enter marketing code K191 when placing your order to
receive the 25% off. If the Free Shipping applies the
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Canada only.

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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
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CTS at: http://www.runnersweb.com/running/cts_columns.html.
Carmichael Training Systems at:
http://www.trainright.com/promos.asp?code=DSBYBFCSP

* Peak Performance Online
Peak Performance is a subscription-only newsletter for athletes, featuring the
latest research from the sports science world. We
cover the whole range of sports, from running and rowing to cycling and
swimming, and each issue is packed full of exclusive
information for anyone who's serious about sport. It's published 16 times a
year, including four special reports, by Electric Word
plc. Peak Performance is not available in the shops - only our subscribers are
able to access the valuable information we publish.
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* Peak Running Performance
Peak Running Is The Nation's Most Advanced Running Newsletter. Rated as the #1
Running Publication by Road Runner Sports (Worlds
Largest Running Store) , Peak Running caters to the serious / dedicated runner.
Delivering world class running advice are some of
running's most recognizable athletes including Dr. Joe Vigil (US Olympic Coach),
Scott Tinley (2 Time Ironman Champ) Steve Scott (3 Time Olympian) and many more.
This bi-monthly newsletter has been around for over
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Check out the Peak Running article index at:
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* WatsonLifeSport
Lance Watson is "Just The Winningest Coach in Triathlon". He has been coaching
triathlon and distance running since 1987. Over the
years, Lance has coached some of the most successful athletes in the sport of
triathlon and duathlon.
Check out the Lance Watson Online Article Index at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/LW_index.html

Running Research News:
RRN's free, weekly, training update provides subscribers with the most-current,
practical, scientifically based information about
training, sports nutrition, injury prevention, and injury rehabilitation. The
purpose of this weekly e-zine is to improve
subscribers' training quality and to help them train in an injury-free manner.
Running Research News also publishes a complete, 12-page, electronic newsletter
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learn more about Running Research News, please see the Online Article Index and
"About Running Research News" sections below or go
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Check out the article index at:
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THIS WEEK'S PERSONAL POSTINGS/RELEASES:
We have NO personal postings this week.

THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Science of Sport: Challenging, "Anaerobic" Strength Training Produces
Improvements In Aerobic Endurance
2. Science of Sport: Branched Chain Amino Acids and Exercise
3. Protecting yourself from injury; The Big Three
4. Everything You Know About Marathons Is Wrong
5. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - 648
6. How Many Miles Do You Get Per Gallon?
7. Travel and lower leg swelling
8. From Running Times
9. Boost Your Run by Strengthening Your Torso
10. Protein Power
Finding the Right Balance in Your Diet.
11. Graston Technique
12. Building An Aerobic Base
13. Cadence - Keeping Rotation High for Later Race Efficiency
14. Marathon Recovery Tips
15. This Week in Running
16. Marathon Man
17. Cadence: Effect on Subsequent Max Effort?
18. Protein in sports drinks: Good, bad or indifferent?
19. Building strength on the run
20. Holiday Eating
21. This Time of Year Technique Trumps Endurance
22. Fuel - Good Energy
23. Turn on the off-season
24. Running the Digital Marathon
25. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"What do you do in your off-season?"

You can access the poll from our FrontPage ( http://www.runnersweb.com) as well
as checking the results of previous polls.
Post your views in our Forum at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/runnersweb_forum.html
[Free Registration Required]

LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULTS:
"Which of the following distances did you race in 2006?"
Answers Percent
1. 1500M/Mile 3%
2. 5000M 21%
3. 10K 26%
4. 15K 13%
5. 20K/Half-Marathon 15%
6. Marathon 13%
7. Ultra 3%
8. None of the above 5%


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE WEEK: RunnersWorld.com
The Runner's World website has undergone a major redesign. They have
substantially increased their daily news coverage and email newsletter and added
RSS feeds for their daily features which include daily news, tips and stories.
If you have not visited this site for a while it is time that you returned.
Check out the site at:
http://www.runnersworld.com


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


DVD OF THE WEEK: Strength Training for Athletes Who Run.
RRN publisher Teressa Blanchett, exercise-expert Walt Reynolds, and RRN
publisher Owen Anderson have combined to produce a new DVD titled, Strength
Training for Athletes Who Run. This is the ultimate DVD for the athlete who is
tired of being stuck in a familiar range of running paces and wants to become
truly faster. It is also the best-possible DVD for the runner who is sick of
getting injured during training and wants to maximize leg strength in order to
dramatically reduce the risk of injury. Strength Training for Athletes Who Run
improves your maximal running speed while it reduces your likelihood of getting
hurt.
To put it bluntly, there is no other DVD quite like it. Strength Training for
Athletes Who Run includes only those exercises which mimic the mechanics of
running, only the exertions which closely resemble key aspects of the gait cycle
of running. Thus, Strength Training for Athletes Who Run can help you achieve
major gains in max running speed. After practicing the drills in this DVD, you
will apply more propulsive force to the ground with each step that you take, and
thus your stride lengths will elongate organically, with no compromise in stride
rate.
In addition to making you a faster endurance runner, middle-distance competitor,
or sprinter, Strength Training for Athletes Who Run will enhance your running
economy, so that very fast paces will feel easier to you. The DVD will also
upgrade your fatigue-resistance during strenuous running, and it will reduce
your risks of such common running ailments as Achilles tendonitis, plantar
fasciitis, Iliotibial-band syndrome, shin splints, knee soreness, and hamstring
tightness (or help you rehab from these complaints). All of the
running-specific exercises in Strength Training for Athletes Who Run are
carefully explained and demonstrated.
For a limited time only, Strength Training for Athletes Who Run is available for
an introductory rate of $99.99. After December 15, the price will increase to
$129.99. To totally transform your running, Click here now to obtain your copy
of Strength Training for Athletes Who Run!
http://www.rrnews.com/catalog/Strength%20TrainingDVD_403241966


For more publications on running and triathlon visit:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/human_kinetics.html and
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/amazon.html


THIS WEEK'S FEATURES:

1. Science of Sport: Challenging, "Anaerobic" Strength Training Produces
Improvements In Aerobic Endurance:
It's a Shock to Conventional Ways of Thinking about Training
By Owen Anderson
Recent research indicates that very demanding strength training, the kind of
work which utilizes fairly heavy resistance, is likely to lead to major gains in
endurance running performance.
At first glance, of course, this proposition would appear to be absurd. After
all, heavy-duty strength training revolves around high-load efforts, slow
movements, and small numbers of reps. In contrast, competitive endurance running
is associated with nothing more than body weight for resistance, relatively
quick movements, and incredible numbers of reps (180 to 200 steps per minute, or
6300 to 7000 "reps" in a 35-minute 10K). In addition, high-resistance strength
training is carried out for a few seconds at a time, with a relatively low rate
of oxygen consumption, whereas 10-K running is usually sustained for 30 or more
minutes, with an oxygen consumption rate of more than 90 percent of maximal. How
can there be a close connection between anaerobic strength training and aerobic
endurance running?
To find out, let's look at the actual research. In a study carried out at the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim by Jan Hoff (at
right) and his colleagues, 19 cross-country skiers were randomly assigned to
either a training group (nine skiers) or a control group (10 athletes). The
training-group members carried out three high-resistance, close-to-maximal
strength-training sessions per week for eight weeks, while the control athletes
conducted their usual strength work with much-lighter resistance; otherwise, the
two groups trained in identical fashion (1). The maximal strength training was
carried out with a modified cable-pulley apparatus which was designed to
simulate the double-poling movements required for cross-country skiing.
For the maximal-strength-training group, about 45 minutes per week out of a
total weekly training time of approximately 10 hours were devoted to the
pull-downs on the cable-pulley apparatus (thus, each of the three weekly
strength-training sessions lasted for about 15 minutes). The beginning intensity
for these resistance workouts was set at 85 percent of 1RM, i. e., 85 percent of
the resistance which could be lifted (with a pull-down movement) one and only
one time; the 1RM was established before the eight-week training period began.
When an athlete could perform three sets of six reps @ 85 percent of the
original 1RM, the resisting load was increased by three kilograms for the next
training session.
As mentioned, control-group members conducted traditional strength training with
lighter resistances; both groups averaged close to 10 hours per week of
endurance training, which revolved around regular skiing, roller skiing, and
running.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20061107_RRN_Strength_Training.ht\
ml


2. Science of Sport: Branched Chain Amino Acids and Exercise:
Reviewed by Sally Warner, PhD
Introduction: Amino Acids are the building blocks for skeletal muscle as well as
digestive enzymes, hormones, antibodies and other body proteins necessary for
optimal functioning. Of the 20 amino acids in the body, there are two types:
essential and non-essential. There are eight essential amino acids including --
leucine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, theonine, tryptophan,
and valine. The term essential is used because the body cannot synthesize these
amino acids, making it necessary to obtain them from the diet. The twelve
non-essential amino acids are equally important, but can be synthesized in the
body at a rate that equals demand so dietary intake is not as crucial. Complete
proteins include all of the essential amino acids, and are considered higher
quality proteins. Animal proteins (including dairy, poultry, eggs, beef, and
pork) and soy protein (plant protein) are considered complete proteins.
Incomplete proteins are missing one or more of the essential amino acids, and
are therefore characterized as lower quality proteins. Eating a variety of
animal and plant sources of protein is the best way to obtain all essential
amino acids in the diet.
Valine, leucine and isoleucine are the Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA's).
These three amino acids are named from their molecular configurations that
create unique bonds. In addition, this amino acid group is metabolized in a
different manner than other amino acids. During prolonged exercise, BCAA's are
taken up by the skeletal muscle rather than the liver in order to contribute to
energy production (oxidative metabolism). Making up one third of the muscle
amino acid pool, BCAA's can become quickly depleted with exhaustive endurance
exercise.
BCAA and Central Fatigue Theory
There has been an increased interest in the mechanism behind central fatigue and
the influence of BCAA on fatigue during and after exercise. The central fatigue
theory suggests that prolonged exercise lowers BCAA plasma (blood) concentration
through amino acid oxidation and increases the plasma concentration of free
fatty acids (FFA). The increased FFAs compete with tryptophan for binding sites
on albumin which is a transporter protein. This cascade effect ultimately leads
to an increase in free tryptophan levels in the brain where tryptophan is
converted into the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin can have a sedative
effect on the central nervous system (CNS) and compromise athletic performance.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news/rw_news_20061107_ERB_Amino_Acids.html


3. Protecting yourself from injury; The Big Three:
A promising British Triathlete conscientiously decides that in order to help her
with her intense training and competition schedule, that she will have a regular
sports massage. She also has a minor low back problem and hopes that the
treatment will keep it under control. During one of her sessions her therapist
remarks that she has an irregular foot posture which could be contributing to
the back condition, and recommends some insoles to correct it. The triathlete
duly follows this seemingly sensible advice. A year later, her career is over
due to an unusual pattern of wear in the knee, where a portion of the Tibial
bone surface is so damaged that she requires a bone graft.
The subject of the mechanical interactions of the human body, the way in which
the alignment of one body part effects another, known as 'biomechanics' is a
huge and complex one. It encompasses the entire and intricate workings of the
body’s kinetic chain, the relationship and interplay of joint, muscle and
neural movement in response to both central control and the external
environment.
Previously, we discussed how the balance of muscle activity verses inactivity
and flexibility versus stability is crucial in terms of joint control and
physical performance. However, what happens when there is a less fluid influence
on movement; one that is far harder to control since it is genetic and fixed? We
all have differences in our body composition, differences in our limb length,
'funny' feet, 'knock-knees', 'bow legs'. These have an effect on body
performance and are often why those abnormal muscle adaptations and movement
patterns discussed in parts one and two of this series occur in the first place.
The challenge here is to identify whether the body’s adaptation is necessary
to compensate for the fixed anomaly, since if we try to influence it, we could
do more harm than good. However, it may be that we can address the anomaly, for
example by correcting foot and limb alignment with some insoles (orthotics) and
then deal with the compensation, thus encouraging more efficient movement
patterns.
More...from the Lucozade Sport Science Academy at:
http://www.thelssa.co.uk/lssa/article/article.asp?t=na_newsletter


4. Everything You Know About Marathons Is Wrong :
Most runners have heard the marathon lore: Your time will be best if the weather
on race day is about 55 degrees and overcast, or even drizzly. And avoid
dehydration at all costs, because it will cause your muscles to cramp and you
could collapse at the finish line.
But none of that is true, researchers said at a recent marathon medicine and
science conference in Chicago.
The weather theory “needs adjusting,” said Scott J. Montain, a research
physiologist at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental
Medicine in Natick, Mass.
“Most of what we know comes from the lay literature,” he said.
Thousands of runners are no doubt monitoring the weather forecast for Sunday,
when the New York City Marathon makes its annual tour of the five boroughs. (As
of yesterday, it looked promising, with temperatures expected to be in the upper
40’s and partially cloudy skies.) But the weather nostrums for marathoning
that are cited so authoritatively in journal articles and textbooks are not
always borne out in legitimate science. Montain and his colleagues set out to
conduct a proper study.
They gathered data from 28 years of the New York City Marathon, 35 years of the
Boston Marathon and 23 years of the marathons in Hartford, Vancouver, Duluth,
Minn., and Richmond, Va. The routes for those marathons have barely changed over
the years, and each had a large field — more than 10,000 runners. The
investigators looked at the average times for the top three men and women, and
at the times for the runners who placed 25th, 50th, 100th and 300th.
Elite runners ran fastest in the coldest conditions — 41 to 50 degrees. But
the slowing effect with heat was not as great as had been previously reported.
For every five-degree increase in temperature, times slowed by 0.4 percent.
More...from the New York Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/sports/sportsspecial/03marathon.html?_r=1&ref=\
sports&oref=slogin


5. Joe Henderson's Running Commentary - 648:
Unlike many other running websites, mine doesn't offer a forum where readers can
discuss articles. I could explain why, but that would detour you away from the
topic of the day.
That's the previous Commentary, "Speaking of Slowpokes." It drew more response
than anything I've written here in a long time. For once I yield this space to
readers for a sampling of their comments.
Cathy Troisi (used as an example of "slowpoke" success in RC 647): "My motto is,
'I may be slow, but I am really good at it.' But I am NOT slow to defend the
back of the pack. I take exception to Gabriel Sherman's verbal attack [in
Slate.com], not so much for myself but for those who are even farther behind me.
I'd guess he is young, in chronological age and obviously in attitude. If we
assume his mental, emotional, social, psychological age will advance with his
chronological age, we can hope that he too will 'grow up.' At which time he
might be grateful for those of us who made him look good way back when."
Larry McNichols: "Since Gabriel Sherman has only run six marathons, I guess we
could forgive him. If he continues to run them, I believe his view will change.
Most marathoners quickly become humble. It's just taking a little more time with
this guy." (Marathonguide.com lists a 2003 time of 2:56 for a Gabriel Sherman,
then 24.)
Wayne Buck: "I have run eight marathons over a span of 20-some years. My fastest
was 3:37, my slowest, 5:14. I'm not as proud of the latter, but I say that
because I know with more training I could run a little faster. The greatest
challenge of a marathon is not the running it but training for it."
Ed Shaw: "All of those sub-three-hour runners in the mass marathons are being
financially subsidized by the 'slow' runners. Their entry fees help bulk up
those goodie bags, provide for police coverage and safety and the vast
improvements in scoring and timing (think chips and real-time reporting versus
guy standing at the finish line with a stopwatch, calling out times). The sheer
numbers of runners are attractive to sponsors who provide a lot of money to the
sport."
Gary Evans: "I've run marathons from 2:38 to four hours plus. The slower folks
I'm running with now are no less dedicated, and are much less shallow and
egotistical, than those the author you alluded to must consider to be 'real
runners'."
More...from Joe Henderson at:
http://www.joehenderson.com/archive/home.php?article=2081


6. How Many Miles Do You Get Per Gallon?
WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING YOUR CAR, YOU WANT to get as many miles per gallon as
possible. Another way to say this: You want to use as little gas per mile as you
can. And that's the way we runners approach "running economy." We want to use as
little oxygen per mile as possible. (The actual measurement of running economy
is quite a bit more complicated than this, but the metaphor holds up pretty
well.)
In running, you want to have either a big tank, like Steve Prefontaine and Joan
Samuelson, noted for their very high maximal oxygen consumptions (max VO2). Or
you want to have a very high running economy (RE), like Derek Clayton and Frank
Shorter, who had only modest-sized tanks but still ran lots of world-class
marathons because they had unusually high economies.
At least week's Science & Medicine of the Marathon Conference in Chicago, a
number of different speakers circled around the topic of running economy. What
they seemed to be saying, at the end of the day, was: "We don't know much about
running economy, neither what determines it or how it can be changed." I guess
that's why they were waltzing around the subject, rather than describing it head
on.
I was a bit surprised by this. I would have expected several of the speakers to
talk about plyometrics, power-training, speedwork, pace-training, and the like.
But they didn't. Instead, if anything, there was a trend toward the speakers
saying that more running, which means slow running, produces better economy.
University of Wisconsin exercise physiologist Carl Foster put it something like
this: "Evolution designed us to be lazy. If you give the human body some work to
do, and then force it to do the same work over and over and over again,
eventually the body gets more economical at doing that work."
In support of this concept, University of Texas exercise physiologist Eddie
Coyle briefly reviewed his own work with Lance Armstrong during the mid and late
1990s. Over a period of six or seven years, Armstrong became about 8 percent
more efficient in his power production. Coyle also pointed out that a similar
long-term study of Paula Radcliffe produced similar results: After lots of years
of running, she has simply become more economical. And small increases in
running economy can lead to big performance boosts, just like the ones Radcliffe
has enjoyed in the last 4 or 5 years. (Coyle also theorized that if you took a
runner with Steve Prefontaine's VO2 max AND Frank Shorter's RE, you ought to be
looking at a 1:45 marathoner. He said this didn't seem far-fetched to him,
though others at the Conference clearly found it an incredible notion, even when
Coyle revised his "sometime relatively soon" prediction to 1:57.)
More...from Runner's World at:
http://rodale.typepad.com/footloose/


7. Travel and lower leg swelling:
By Gale Bernhardt
The fall of 2003 was an extremely busy travel period for me. The travel schtick
began with doing contract work for the Active Network at the expo of the
Hawaiian Ironman® race. I stayed for the race and the day after the race I
boarded a plane back to Colorado.
After a short six-hour layover in Denver and a bag exchange coordinated with my
husband Del, it was back on a plane to the Washington Dulles Airport for another
layover. Then off I went to Frankfurt, Germany, Athens and finally to
Vouligmeni, Greece. I traveled to Greece for the World Cup race that was the
test event prior to the 2004 Olympic Games. By the time I arrived in Vouligmeni
I had monster jet lag and cankles.
The urban slang term "cankle" is loosely defined as an unfortunate condition
where there is no discernable change in the diameter of the lower leg between
the knee and the foot. The calf and ankle seem to blend together. There are
various causes for cankles; my condition was caused by travel.
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13637


8. From Running Times:
* Tapering for the Marathon
The marathon taper may be the most important, and hardest, part of marathon
training. The idea of cutting back, of resting, before your hardest, most
difficult task is contrary to everything we've been taught about working hard,
pushing through the finish, spending an all-nighter studying before your
finals.... Yet, Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas state in Advanced Marathoning
that a taper has been shown to produce improvements of 3 to 16 percent—that's
at least 5 minutes in a marathon, and can be up to a half hour, or more.
Hard training breaks you down, recovery builds you back stronger. Marathon
training, in particular, is based on maintaining a prolonged period of low-level
fatigue as you teach your body to endure big miles. You need the taper to give
your body the chance to recover from that training, rebuild itself stronger and
store up reserves for race day. The consensus among coaches seems to be a two to
three week taper for the marathon, reducing your mileage between 25 and 60
percent (increasing the reduction each week). Most coaches schedule in a few
harder-intensity-but-low-volume workouts during these weeks (such as 6X800m or
3Xmile at 5K pace, or a short race no more than 10K two weeks out) in order to
maintain fitness without undue stress, and, just as importantly, provide
necessary feedback and confidence as the race approaches.
What many people ignore is what happens psychologically during this time. Gordon
Bakoulis sums it up fairly well in Getting Real About Running:"[Runners] may get
antsy having so much extra time on their hands—time that would otherwise be
spent running. They may begin to brood, and to second-guess their training and
fitness level. They wonder whether they have logged enough miles, run enough
interval sessions at the track, and chosen the optimal combination of tune-up
races. They may suddenly have questions about other aspects of race preparation,
such as fueling, hydrating, injury-prevention. On top of all that, it seems that
suddenly, everything hurts."
I would add that you get crabby with family and co-workers, impatient, paranoid,
distracted, hyperactive, and truly feel that you do not know how to run anymore.
The worst thing you can do, however, is go out and prove to yourself that you
can crank out a 15 miler at race pace. As Bob Glover wrote in the Competitive
Runner's Handbook, "Even if you aren't as fit as you'd like to be, the taper is
essential. If you're not in marathon shape with two weeks to go, devote your
energy to prayer, not last-minute training."
It is more likely, however, that you are ready, you just need to trust your
training, and all those who have gone before who tell you that you will be fine
on race day. And you will.
--Jonathan Beverly, Editor

* Medical Corner - Losing Toenails
Q: How do I solve blisters on my toes when running a marathon? I use Asics
Kayano socks and shoes. I always lose both small toenails after marathons. What
should I do?
A: Yikes, sounds like you have more issues than blisters! My experience with
losing toenails came from my feet jamming into the front of the shoes,
especially on courses with lots of downhills.
I would start by paying a visit to a podiatrist with a running background or a
specialty running store for a consultation. My local store has a treadmill and
conducts a gait analysis on all customers. It could well be that you do not have
a shoe suitable for your stride, foot strike, or body type. Make sure you tell
the proprietor that you are training for a marathon.
Your long runs are your "test drives." Do the things you would do on race day.
Try out the clothing and the shoes you will wear, experiment with re-hydration
to see what works for you. Run under the same conditions you expect on race day
(time of day, temperature, etc).
If you field test different options, it may help to cut down on the nasty
surprises come race day.
All the best,
--Coach Ayer


9. Boost Your Run by Strengthening Your Torso:
By Carrie Smith, CTS Coach
Ever start your run knowing that your legs and lungs are strong, but you ended
up feeling fatigued by mid-run? You had a cramp, your abs started to hurt and
you had to slow down — or worse — stop?
That’s because efficient running involves coordinated movement throughout your
entire body, not just your legs. For an example try this: Run for two minutes
with your arms in your pockets or clasped behind your back. You'll most likely
find it difficult — and trust us, you'll look funny as well.
But what you may have noticed is how quickly your torso grew tired from the
effort. Running without swinging your arms puts additional stress on the muscles
of your torso. The speed at which your core muscles fatigue gives you an
indication of your true level of core strength.
Your core not only connects your arms and legs so each limb can benefit from the
movement of the other, but it also provides a stable base for the legs to work
against and better propel you over the ground. So what is the core? It’s an
interconnected web of muscles composed of your abs, back, hips, and glutes.
Developing a strong one will prevent your spine and torso from compressing as
your foot strikes the ground, which enables the legs to both push off the ground
with greater force and extend farther in front of the body with each stride.
This combination increases stride length (read: greater running speed), and also
increases running economy, allowing more energy to be spent propelling the body
forward instead of up.
In fact, one of the primary reasons runners slow through the course of a
marathon (other than glycogen depletion) is a decrease in their stride length
due to muscle fatigue. And we don’t just mean in the legs, either. The
stronger a runner’s core, the longer he or she can fend off fatigue and
maintain a good, fast pace.
More...from Carmichael Training Systems at:
http://www.trainright.com/info.asp?action=display&uid=4145


10. Protein Power:
Finding the Right Balance in Your Diet.
As much as you might like bagels and pasta, athletes involved in endurance
activities can’t live on carbohydrates alone. Endurance exercise increases
your need for protein. In fact, your daily protein requirement may register
higher than that of strength and power athletes.
Endurance athletes need protein to shore up the loss of amino acids oxidized
during exercise and to repair exercise-induced muscle damage, especially the
trauma that occurs during eccentric muscle work such as downhill running.
Protein typically supplies less than five percent of daily energy needs. During
prolonged bouts of exercise when glycogen stores run low, however, protein is
used as fuel and may contribute as much as 15 percent of the energy needed.
Dieting or failing to eat enough calories to match those burned during exercise,
which may happen during periods of hard training, also raises daily protein
needs.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
Endurance athletes require 0.55 to 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body
weight (1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram). For example, a 120-pound
athlete needs about 75 grams a day, while a 150-pound athlete should get about
95 grams. Competitive athletes involved in very intense training, such as
ultrarunners, and growing teenage athletes may need as much as 0.8 to 0.9 grams
of protein per pound.
This may sound like a lot, but most well-nourished athletes easily meet their
protein needs. Consider this: eat two eggs and cereal with milk for breakfast, a
tuna sandwich and yogurt for lunch, and grilled chicken with baked beans for
dinner, and you’ve devoured almost 100 grams of protein. Between-meal snacks
can also provide protein, and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and tofu and other
soy products supply varying amounts as well. Another bonus of including some
protein at every meal (and snacks, too) is that it helps stabilize your
blood-sugar level so you feel full longer.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/rt/articles/?id=4007&c=104
From Endurance Sports Nutrition by Suzanne Girard Eberle. Copyright 2000 by
Suzanne Girard Eberle. Excerpted by permission of Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL.
Buy the book from Human Kinetics at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736001\
212


11. Graston Technique:
We have all experienced injuries that don’t seem to go away or always tend to
come back. One of the reasons could be a build up of scar tissue in muscles.
In the healing process our body attempts to repair muscles, tendon and ligaments
with “scar tissue”, much like that scar that forms on the skin when you have
scrapped or banged your knee. As you can imagine, that scar tissue is not as
strong and flexible as normal, healthy undamaged tissue. Over time we can have
a build up of this fibrous scar tissue, particularly in the muscles, tendon and
ligament that get a lot of use. This can lead to pain and dysfunction because
this replacement tissue lacks the strength and flexibility of healthy tissue (in
some areas it may even mat down and entrap a nerve).
A new soft tissue treatment technique called Graston Technique allows us to
better detect and treat these areas because it uses a stainless steel instrument
that glides along a patient’s muscle, tendons or ligaments and acts like a
“scar tissue” stethoscope. When knots or bands of scar tissue are
encountered, both the doctor and the patient sense a restriction or a granular
feeling. The instrument can then be used to “break up” this restriction or
adhesion. After treatment there is usually a decrease in pain, increase
flexibility and increase in strength in the muscles.
Research conducted at Ball Memorial Hospital and Ball State University includes
an in vitro rat tendon injury model, showing that Graston technique
significantly activates fibroblasts to both replicate and synthesize (2). Thus,
increasing the amount of fibroblasts and the quantity of collagen deposited,
which speeds healing of dense connective tissue like tendon and ligament. The
rate of activation in the study was proportional to the force applied to the
tendon (1).
The following are some of the more common conditions that respond well to
Graston Technique:
Tennis elbow
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Back pain
Plantar Fasciitis
Rotator cuff tendonitis
Reduced range of motion due to scar tissue
Achilles (Heel) pain
Post surgical traumatic Scars
Myofascial Pain/ Restrictions
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
Wrist tendonitis
This technique is really effective in treating overuse injuries. For more
information you can visit my website at www.drstevepelletier.ca or
www.grastontechnique.com
References
1. Gehlsen GM, Ganion LR, Helfst R. Fibroblast responses to variation in soft
tissue mobilization pressure. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1999; 31(4): 531-5.
2. Davidson C, Ganion L, Gehlsen G, Verhoestra B, Roepke J, Sevier T. Rat
tendon morphologic and fuctional changes resulting from soft tissue
mobilization. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1997; 29(3): 313-9.
Dr. Steve Pelletier B.Sc., D.C. ♦ Centrum Chiropractic Clinic ♦ (613)
830-4080 ♦ www.drstevepelletier.ca


12. Building an Aerobic Base:
by Kirt West
Are you interested in information that can help you stay injury free? Are you
frustrated that your race times never seem to line up with your training times?
Is there a long-sought goal that is just out of your reach? If so, this new
column may be just the thing for you. My goal is to pass on information about
effort-based training that will help you understand the elements of a successful
training program.
This column will focus on what is often the least-appreciated aspect of
training-aerobic base building. A strong aerobic base is essential if you want
to remain injury free or run that fast race you are aiming for. Aerobic training
involves running at 60-75% of your maximum heart rate. This translates to a pace
that is 1½ to 2 minutes per mile slower than 10K race pace. At that rate you
can run and keep up a conversation without huffing and puffing.
Many runners fear they will lose their level of conditioning if they stop racing
or doing speed work. This fear is misplaced. If I learned one thing from the
summers I spent as a staff coach at Roy Benson's running camps, it is that you
should spend a substantial period of your training doing aerobic base work. This
is true whether you are an elite runner trying to qualify for the Olympic trials
or a club runner trying to break 50 minutes in the 10K.
As a coach, I insist that each of my runners strap on a heart monitor (for more
on the heart monitor see the next issue of FootNotes) and run at an easy pace
before I let them start running hard. Of course, the most common complaint I
hear from new folks is that I am making them run too slowly and that it is
unnatural or awkward. Months later, after running personal bests, they forget
these complaints. In fact, these same runners are telling their friends to slow
down and smell the roses.
The benefits of a dedicated period of aerobic running are many. The increased
leg strength gained during this phase will pay dividends with faster times when
you finally do attempt your stretch goal. There are no junk miles; every mile
you run is important if you are training properly. When all things are equal,
the runner whose aerobic base consists of 50 miles per week will outperform the
runner whose aerobic base is 30 miles per week.
Aerobic training also allows runners to recover from the rigors of a marathon or
hard racing season. It provides a mental break so that they can begin their next
racing season refreshed and with renewed enthusiasm. It allows runners to build
additional leg strength by increasing mileage at a low intensity level.
Increasing our mileage while doing hard runs on the track is risky. I have seen
too many runners break down trying to do both at once.
Aerobic training is also the antidote for adult runners who tend to overtrain
without allowing adequate recovery time. Most runners are extremely focused and
goal-oriented, constantly pushing themselves to get to their goal. There is no
shortcut to success as a runner. If you compare your running training to
building a house, aerobic base work is the foundation; without it, the walls
will eventually come tumbling down like a house of cards.
Finally, aerobic base work is essential for those coming back from injury or
layoff. Such runners must spend a significant amount of time rebuilding leg
strength before tackling speed work and anaerobic threshold training. Generally,
runners who try to come back too soon without building an aerobic base find
themselves vulnerable to reinjury.
You may be thinking, "How can I get faster if I am running so slowly?" Keep in
mind that aerobic training is only part of the equation. Once you have an
aerobic base, you will be properly positioned to begin anaerobic threshold
training-the huffing and puffing that will increase your speed. This will be the
subject of a separate column.
The change of seasons presents many of us with a golden opportunity for putting
aerobic base work into our training programs. Those who live in a more northern
climate often find it impossible to train hard during the winter unless they use
a treadmill. Those who live in the Deep South are in the reverse situation, in
which winter is the optimal time to race and summer is the time to back off.
Those who, like me, live in a moderate climate are faced with the temptation of
training hard year-round. Regardless of where you live, try to dedicate a 3- to
4-month period to aerobic base work each year. I think you will be pleased with
the results.
Posted with the permission of the Road Runner's Club of America -
http://RRCA.org


13. Cadence - Keeping Rotation High for Later Race Efficiency:
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


14. Marathon Recovery Tips:
Marathon Recovery Tips from New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery
Sports medicine experts offer ways to speed post-marathon recovery
(HealthNewsDigest.com).. New York – Nov. 6, 2006 – More than 36,000 runners
have spent the past several months training for the ING New York Marathon. Once
they have completed the race and achieved their goals, there are measures they
can take to facilitate recovery, decrease post-race discomfort, and return to
running without injury.
Eating immediately after the marathon, icing sore muscles, and having a gentle
massage are only a few of the tips that Rob Maschi, five-time marathon veteran
and physical therapist at Hospital for Special Surgery’s Sports Medicine
Performance and Research Center in New York, offers runners who crossed the
finish line Sunday, Nov. 5.
“Marathon runners need to pay close attention to their recovery so they
don’t injure themselves,” says Maschi. “If runners take proper care of
their bodies after the marathon, they will feel better, faster.”
The following are marathon recovery tips from Maschi on ways to bounce back from
a marathon:
1) Eat and drink something within 30 minutes of finishing the marathon and take
in healthy carbohydrates and proteins to replenish used energy stores. Over the
next 2–3 days, eat often to aid recovery and avoid junk food;
2) Ice sore muscles and aching joints, 15–20 minutes per session, for as long
as pain and swelling persists. Try cooling sore muscles in a cold water pool or
an ice bath, and avoid sitting in a “hot tub” or warm bath until the pain
and swelling has gone away, since the heat will increase inflammation and will
be counter-productive to recovery;
3) Take a short walk on marathon night followed by gentle stretching that
focuses on the leg muscles;
More...from Health News Digest at:
http://healthnewsdigest.com/news/article_4731.shtml


15. This Week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Giacomo Leone (ITA) won the New York City (NY/USA) Marathon in
2:09:54,
collecting US$50,000. Tumo Turbo (ETH) was 2nd in 2:10:09 and
Joseph
Kamau (KEN) was 3rd in 2:10:40. Anuta Catuna (ROM) led two
others under
2:30, running 2:28:18 and collecting US$40,000. Franca Fiacconi
(ITA)
followed in 2:28:42 with Joyce Chepchumba (KEN) at 2:29:38.
20 Years Ago- Gianni Poli (ITA) won the New York City (NY/USA) Marathon in
2:11:06,
collecting US$26,500. Rob deCastella (AUS) was next in 2:11:43
and
Orlando Pizzolatto (ITA) was 3rd in 2:12:13. Grete Waitz (NOR)
won her
8th of nine titles here, collecting US$28,500 for her 2:28:06.
Lisa
Ondieki (AUS) and Laura Fogli (ITA) were also under 2:30 with
2:29:12
and 2:29:44 respectively.
30 Years Ago- Ken Moore (USA) won the inaugural Marine Corps (DC/USA) Marathon
in
2:24:14. Susan Mallory (USA) won the women's race in 2:56:33.
There
were 1175 finishers the first year; there were 20,853 finishers
in 2006.
This is one of the ten largest marathons in the world, based on
the total
number of finishers over all years.
40 Years Ago- Antonio Ambu (ITA) won the Italian marathon championships in
2:22:25.
50 Years Ago- Nothing of note in the ARRS database.
The Analytical Distance Runner is the newsletter for the Association of Road
Racing Statisticians with a focus on races, 3000m and longer, including road,
track, and cross-country events. The ARRS has a website at
http://www.arrs.net.


16. Marathon Man:
By Steve Boman, for Geezer Jock Magazine
Dick Beardsley, 50, discusses his near miss in the 1982 Boston Marathon, his
addiction to painkillers and why running remains an important part of his life.
Dick Beardsley is best known for his "Duel in the Sun" with Alberto Salazar in
the 1982 Boston Marathon, a battle that Beardsley lost by mere seconds. The
marathoner's most important win, however, was his personal victory over his
addiction to painkillers. Beardsley, 50, is now a fishing guide and motivational
speaker. He also continues to run. His best recent Masters marathon time was
2:43:58.
Q: GJ: Go back. It's 1981. You weren't well known and you ran Grandma's Marathon
in Duluth, Minn., a race that wasn't very well known, and you ran an amazing
time.
Beardsley: I ran 2:09:36 that year. And at that time, I was only nine seconds
off of what was then the American record of 2:09:27, set by Bill Rodgers. It was
a perfect day, the kind you pray and hope for as a marathoner. It was cool,
cloudy, misty, virtually no wind and 48 degrees. I knew I was in the best shape
of my life, but I didn't have any time I was shooting for. I remember that some
of the top runners back then said, "Oh, the course must have been short." Well,
the race director went out and remeasured the course and found out that it was
actually about 200 meters longer than it should have been.
Q: The next year, you go to Boston and have what is considered the greatest
running duel in marathon history. Salazar was heavily favored, the world record
holder. You both ran 2:08s, Salazar beat you by just two seconds, and he nearly
died doing it.
Q: It was significant, because it was two American kids duking it out right
where it all started. It was the first time in history that two runners had ever
gone under 2:09 in the same race. It was one of those days where neither Alberto
nor myself would have run that by ourselves. It was very hot day. There wasn't a
cloud in the sky, virtually no water on the course and crowd control isn't like
it was today. But we were both so darn stubborn that we just neither one would
give an inch.
Shortly after Boston in 1982 you injured yourself. It was the end of your elite
running career.
It really was. Alberto and I, neither one of us ever ran that fast in a marathon
again. I think that day in Boston in 1982, I know I left something -- a part of
me -- on that race course. I've said this to many people many times, but if I
had to leave a piece of me somewhere I couldn't think of a better place to leave
it than on the Boston Marathon course.
Q: Let's talk about the late 1980s. They were some terrible years for you.
Yes. I had Achilles tendon surgery in 1984. In 1986, I got the OK to start
training again. We sold the farm and moved back to the Twin Cities to get ready
for the '88 Olympics, but I was never the same.
Q: And then you had your accident on your dairy farm. It was November, 1989.
Tell us about it.
I got in a hurry on Nov. 13, and making poor decisions, trying to take
shortcuts, I got caught up in a power-takeoff in my tractor. A power-takeoff is
a long steel shaft that has knuckles on both ends. One goes into a tractor and
another goes into a piece of machinery. The shaft spins about 600 rpm. I got too
close to it and it caught my boot lace and just slammed me to the ground. Before
I knew it, it had just wrapped my left leg around the shaft, kind of like taking
a piece of string and wrapping it around your finger. And when it couldn't take
my leg anymore it took my whole body and spun me around.
Q: How badly injured were you?
I broke all the ribs on my right side, punctured my right lung, broke my arm and
somehow a piece of steel got wedged into my chest. I broke a couple of vertebrae
in my lower back, but the worst part of my injury was my left leg. It was just
about torn off.
Q: You were in the hospital a long time.
Yes, a very long time. Numerous surgeries. Twice they thought they were going to
have to amputate my leg. I got a terrible infection in the leg, and I remember a
doctor telling me before they put me to sleep... they were very concerned about
those types of accidents and of infections. A few weeks after I went home, I
woke up one morning feeling terrible. By 11 o'clock that morning my temp was up
to 105, and my leg had this orange, green, yellow stuff coming out. At that
point, the thought of dying wasn't that bad. Fortunately, I woke up from surgery
and my leg was still intact, and for two weeks I was in an isolation ward and
pumped full of antibiotics.
Q: So you recover from that accident. Two years later you and your wife, Mary,
are driving and you are hit by another car.
We went to take a little vacation from the cows over the weekend and we're
coming home and we're 30 miles from home and a lady ran a stop sign on a country
road and just t-boned our car. I ended up having severe whiplash and an injured
spinal cord.
Q: Then another accident. You were hit by a truck while jogging, right?
About six months later I was back running a little bit, and I was running in
Fargo, N.D., in the wintertime. And I was back in the hospital with back
injuries, and I had major spinal surgeries and that led ultimately to getting
addicted to pain medication, and then stuff really started to spiral out of
control after that. The addiction just got worse and worse, and then I had
another surgery on my leg. It was just like a tornado getting bigger and bigger
and bigger. Pretty soon I ran out of doctors that would give me any medication.
So I started forging my own prescriptions. You know, when I was a kid, my
parents taught me values that I still live by today. I, up to that point, had
never been in any trouble. I had never stolen as much as a piece of bubble gum.
I didn't drink, smoke and never had done any, ever, any type of illicit drugs,
and here I am forging prescriptions. I mean, honestly, I knew that I was someday
going to die or get caught. I didn't know which would come first.
Q: And then you were caught on Sept. 30, 1996.
Thank God for that. I was probably within a couple of days of going to sleep and
taking a handful of pills and just never waking up again. By late August 1996, I
was taking upwards of 90 pills a day. That day when I got caught, I was so
thankful that it had finally come to an end and that I was still alive.
Q: You've survived a lot.
I have. I have been so blessed. We all make mistakes. And the key is do we learn
from those mistakes. I am able to pass on my story to other people and give them
hope. I remember in treatment thinking that I wasn't going to get any better.
And I'm about as positive a person as you'll ever meet. I was very fortunate
that I was able to survive and tell my story to others.
Q: Are you still running?
Yes. I just turned 50 this past March, and I still enjoy training. I absolutely
love being a geezerjock! For me, I had my day in the sun. But I still love
getting out and competing against guys in my age division and hopefully whipping
a few of those younger guys, too.
To subscribe to Geezer Jock Magazine visit:
http://www.geezerjock.com/index.cfm?affID=runnersweb


17. Cadence: Effect on Subsequent Max Effort?
We're often taught to spin our legs during the early parts of the race in order
to "save" our legs for the hard efforts near the end. However, this spinning at
easier wattages often comes at a higher energy cost than at a lower cadence. So
is it indeed the best option prior to attacking the final crunch point of the
race?
Pedals Keep Turning
We have covered a lot of concepts and a lot of studies here in Toolbox over the
past couple of years concerning optimal cadence. Most have been somewhat
equivocal about a higher cadence being better or more efficient when hammering
at high intensities. Studies like Foss and Hallen's in 2004 and 2005 (1, 2)
suggest that there was no difference in efficiency at 80, 100, or 120 rpm when
riding at very high intensities to exhaustion.
This has been followed by Mora-Rodriguez et al.’s 2006 study on optimal
cadence (4). This study also found that minimal difference was evident in
efficiency at 80, 100, or 120 rpm. If anything, the higher cadence actually cost
a bit more in energy consumption. Two theories proposed for this possibly
increased inefficiency at high cadences included the extra energetic cost of
turning the legs over more frequently and also the possible increased
recruitment of fast twitch fibres.
Leadout Train to Crunch Time
While the above studies may give us good ideas about what to do during sustained
high intensity efforts such as time trials, hill climbs, or prologues, it is not
always directly applicable to typical road race situations. Namely, most races
feature prolonged efforts at relatively low wattages, followed by a serious
crunch time of maximal effort.
More...from Pez Cycling at:
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=4486


18. Protein in sports drinks: Good, bad or indifferent?
Back in the good old days of sports drink design, life was relatively simple and
the main things to manipulate were carbohydrates and electrolytes. In recent
years, a new kid on the sports drink block arrived in the form of proteins. We
look at two new studies that re-examine the use of proteins in sport drinks.
The Gatorade days
Life was simple in the old days for pro cyclists. Most riders simply had water
in their bottles and maybe some de-fizzed Coke near the end of races. Of course,
the stars would supplement such simple fare by getting their domestiques to raid
local taverns for vino every so often.
Everything changed, of course, with the introduction of Gatorade in the 70's,
the first sports drink specifically designed for athletic competition and
featuring a mix of carbohydrates and electrolytes (i.e., salts). Basically, the
theory went that you're losing a lot of salt in sweat and burning up
carbohydrates as a major and finite fuel source, so those were the important
things to replace in a sports drink.
Since that time, scientific studies have helped to develop an overall consensus
of six to eight percent carbohydrate being the optimal concentration, along with
a moderate amount of electrolytes, mainly sodium.
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13622


19. Building strength on the run:
By Michael Yessis, Ph.D.
Oct. 25, 2006 -- As a rule, strength training is usually incorporated into a
triathlete's training regime for two reasons: to further develop the muscles
that are involved in running (and cycling and swimming) and to prevent injury.
The greater your strength and endurance, the more capable you are of having
better performances and fewer injuries. Understand also that the main reason for
injuries is poor neuromuscular coordination; how much strength you have is
secondary. Thus, knowing proper running biomechanics and developing good
technique are important for injury prevention.
To simultaneously enhance technique and increase strength, your weight training
should be specific to the joint actions involved. The strength training
exercises should duplicate what happens in the running stride. As a result, you
will see immediate and dramatic changes in your running. Such specialized
strength exercises have three major criteria:
1. The exercise must duplicate the exact movement pathway witnessed in the
specific joint action of the running stride.
2. The exercise must involve the same type of muscular contraction used in the
actual run. For example, in the running push-off, the calf muscles undergo a
fairly explosive shortening contraction (after being pretensed) to produce
greater force and resultant running speed. Thus, the exercise must include an
explosive muscular contraction as it occurs in the ankle joint action.
3. The specialized exercise must develop strength in the same range of motion as
in the running stride.
The concept of exercise specificity is new to running, but the term specificity
is not. Many authors have used the term specific exercises but few exercises
fulfilled the previously mentioned criteria. The specificity referred to by
these authors was usually strengthening or stretching the muscles that are
involved, but not in the same way they are used in the running stride.
More...from TriathleteMag at:
http://www.triathletemag.com/Page749.aspx


20. Holiday Eating:
by Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS
With the holidays right around the corner comes the worry of becoming another
weight gain statistic. The most important thing to realize is that most athletes
are in their transition, or off-season, training cycle during this time of the
year which means the amount of calories burned is less due to decreased
training. This is one of the primary causes of weight gain during the holidays
for some athletes so the first important point to implement during the holidays
is to reduce the total food eaten over the holidays if training load is low.
I know this may be a daunting task because of all of the good food offered at
office parties and family gatherings so here is an easy list of what I call
“nutrition nibbles” to help you make better food choices during this holiday
season.
Balance what goes in with what goes out…PORTION CONTROL!
Really, it is as easy as balancing your personal energy balance equation of
calories in versus calories out. By all means sample new or traditional foods
but do so in moderation and exercise control.
Move it or gain it!
Keep training even though you may be in your off-season. Improve your technique,
exercise with family members. Anything you can do to make it enjoyable yet burn
calories at the same time. Family gatherings typically mean travel so bring your
running shoes and powerwalk in airports from concourse to concourse.
Be confident in condiment choosing! Just say no!
Many condiments have many hidden calories. Enjoy the taste of the food more than
what you put on it. Try not to dress up your food with excess oils, spreads or
sauces.
Don’t be a fish out of water. Stay hydrated!
For purposes other than just being healthy, water can help your brain think that
your stomach is full so you may not eat as much during meals. Drink a glass
before a meal.
Are your eyes bigger than your stomach? Slow down with 1 plate!
Use the one plate rule. Fill one plate and make one trip to the food table only.
Similar to training, have a plan and execute it.
Fill your tank ¼ full before going to your destination.
Sometimes it helps to eat a little something before going to a party so that you
do not end up overeating because you are hungry. It is the same principle as not
going to the grocery store when you are hungry.
Have 3 sticks of gum (preferably sugarless) with you at all times. Chew away
temptations! Sometimes, we just need something to chew on so gum is a great
alternative if you have already filled up with your one plate.
Of course, the true meaning of holidays is to be with family and friends so
enjoy this time more than the food that is served.
© Copyright 2005 First Endurance, All Rights Reserved. Posted With Permission.


21. This Time of Year Technique Trumps Endurance:
If your running, biking, or triathlon season hasn’t yet ended, it soon will,
and with that usually comes a drive to better your completed season for next
year by getting right at it and upping your mileage. Bad move according to CTS
Pro Coach Nick White. “This not only prevents your body from recovering
properly from a long season,” says White, “but if you’re hell-bent on
jumping into the pool or hitting the pavement already, there’s something you
should be working on instead: technique.” What Coach White means is that just
like practicing your swing on a driving range or in a batting cage will help
your golf and softball game respectively, honing your stroke, stride, and
cadence in the transition period will help you be more efficient next year. And
you’ll dial back your volume to give your muscles a break at the same time.
But first says White, “We must slow down.”
Why slow down
It’s good for our bodies to shift down a gear or two as we enter the
off-season. After a long season which was either good or bad, you finally have
time to do what perhaps you wanted to during months of 15-hour training weeks.
Your mind can also use the down time. According to White, training involves hard
work from your brain — from rising early and staying focused all day to
staying at-pace or focusing on a goal — and now’s the time that you, your
body, and your mind need some rest. So go rock-climbing, snowboarding, or play
in that rec softball league. All of it is good for you.
More...from Carmichael Training Systems at:
http://www.trainright.com/info.asp?action=display&uid=4188



22. Fuel - Good Energy:
Introduction
The performance benefits of consuming sports drinks that contain carbohydrate
throughout prolonged exercise are well known. During most endurance sports the
body relies heavily on carbohydrate as the major fuel source. Consuming
additional carbohydrate during exercise helps maintain the rate at which this
fuel is burnt, as well as delaying the depletion of fuel stored within the
working muscles and liver.
When exercising for shorter durations, which do not typically to deplete the
muscle’s store of carbohydrate, it is unlikely that carbohydrate ingestion
will enhance performance through mechanisms related to energy supply.
Nevertheless, in laboratory studies exercise performance has been shown to
improve over brief periods of work when consuming sports drinks and participants
often report feeling better. It is becoming clear that carbohydrate may also
improve performance by some other mechanism, which is perhaps unrelated to
peripheral metabolic events associated with fuel utilisation.
Improved scientific techniques
Physiologists are beginning to look toward the brain to explain the improvements
in performance and mood associated with carbohydrate ingestion. Advances in
functional brain imaging now allow dynamic mapping of the gluco-sensing areas of
the brain. It will be some time before the molecular mechanisms involved can be
identified, but these techniques can already uncover brain activity following
glucose ingestion that occurs independently of changes associated with
blood-borne carbohydrate1.
More...from the Lucozade Sport Science Academy at:
http://www.thelssa.co.uk/lssa/article/article.asp?article=264&t=na_newsletter


23. Turn on the off-season:
By Brian Dorfman
Part of a great season is a great off-season. This off-season is the time to
recover and to reflect on the athlete. In general, it spans four to six weeks.
And for some, the very idea of time off can be stressful.
How are you going to make it without the strokes, the strides, the endorphins
and the marking of distance and time? How will you de-stress without your usual
workouts?
Part of your deeper recovery in the off-season can only happen when you relax.
Strength and long-term recovery happen when you are relaxed. The body's
relaxation response will have a direct effect on regulating your hormones and
healing deep connective tissue. Both systems are hard to recover completely
during the season. Get benefits similar to training, without hindering you're
off season rejuvenation, with low effort recreational activities, such as
stretching and walking.
Stretching
In the off-season, stretching is a life saver. Stretching is the perfect way to
stay active, stimulate recovery and encourage relaxation, without having a high
breakdown factor.
This might be the perfect time to try a stretching or yoga class. Stretching is
also easy to fit into your busy schedule. Grab a friend or get in front of the
TV and do some stretching. The more, the better.
More...from Active.com at:
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13627


24. Running the Digital Marathon:
FOR Conrad Kiffin, running a marathon is like starring in his own personal video
game. Every mile, he sneaks a look at the global positioning system on his wrist
to see whether he’s keeping up with an imaginary rabbit going at his target
pace.
Participants at the Marine Corps Marathon last weekend in Arlington, Va., came
fully equipped with cellphones, G.P.S. devices and iPods. Gadgets that help
monitor the pace, time and heart rate are also common components of a
marathoner’s uniform.
“If I see the pacer running away from me, I know I have to go harder,” said
Mr. Kiffin, 41, a photographer in Manhattan. “It’s very video-gamey. You are
competing against a guy who is not even out there.”
Staying on pace is a hard-won skill for marathoners. Only the best are able to
estimate their speed with nothing more than a head-to-toe check of how they
feel. For those who haven’t honed this sixth sense, G.P.S. units and
heart-rate monitors help them avoid the 11th-hour meltdowns that commonly follow
too-fast starts.
This is only a glimpse of the electronic gadgets used by marathoners, who not
long ago shunned such devices as a distraction or somehow impure. At the New
York City Marathon this Sunday, many of the 37,000 participants will be wired
and, in some cases, wireless including Paul Kaye, from Cape Town, who plans to
run with a cellphone strapped to an arm with software that plays music and beeps
to let him know if he’s on pace.
Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion, will wear Nike+ shoes
with sensors made to send data about his pace to his iPod nano. Dino Farfante
will carry an MP3 player and, strapped to his arm, a G.P.S. unit made by his
company, MotionLingo, that gives oral updates on his speed.
More...from the New York Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/fashion/02fitness.html?ref=fitnessandnutrition




25. Digest Briefs:
* Quick Tip
Do I need electrolyte pills if I am going long?
Athletes vary considerably in their sweat rates making it practically impossible
to offer one recommendation for everyone. The hotter it is and the longer you
go, the more reliance your body has on supplementing with additional
electrolytes than what is typically found in an energy drink. The vast majority
of athletes can get these higher level of electrolytes they need for long hot
days of training by simply using EFS. Extra electrolyte pills aren’t needed.
Keep in mind, proper electrolyte balance also promotes better absorption of
liquids.
by Robert Kunz MS, Sr VP Research
© Copyright 2006 First Endurance, All Rights Reserved.

* Five ways to increase your stride length and run faster
By Owen Anderson
Last December I had the good fortune to visit top Kenyan runner Godfrey
Kiprotich in Lake Baringo, Kenya. During our first morning run along the
crocodile-lined shores of the lake, I noticed that Godfrey seemed to have a much
longer stride than I did. This wasn't because he had just spied an approaching
croc. He simply seemed to push off the ground more powerfully. While I was
tempted to lengthen my own stride, I knew this would probably backfire. Research
has shown that most runners naturally settle into their most efficient stride.
Forcing yourself to increase this stride length often makes running harder and
less efficient because long strides can create a "braking" effect. This doesn't
happen to the Kenyans, however, because their long strides develop naturally
from their workouts.
When I discussed the stride-length question with Godfrey, I discovered that this
ability to cover ground so effortlessly results from simple drills. The Kenyans
do lots of hill running and other exercises that lead to more explosive
footstrikes, longer strides and, ultimately, faster running speeds. You don't
have to be Kenyan to develop some of the same techniques yourself. The following
workouts will help:
~ Boot camp hills. Find a steep hill that's at least 50 to 75 meters long, and
run hill repeats on it once every two weeks. Alternate running up the hill at
close to top speed with "bounding" up the hill more slowly, with an exaggerated
vertical motion. Start with six repeats per workout and gradually increase to
10. Between repeats, jog slowly back down to the bottom of the hill.
~ Hill hops. After you've finished the above workout, begin hopping up the hill
on one foot for 15 hops, then shift to the other foot for 15 more hops. Walk for
a few seconds to recover, and then repeat.
~ Hill fartlek. Every 10 days or so, warm up by jogging for 10 minutes, then run
for 30 continuous minutes over the most rolling terrain you can find. Accelerate
on all uphills and jog easily on the downslopes. Try to maintain an overall
effort level that's slightly less intense than a 10-K race.
~ Quick hops. Once or twice a week, in the middle of your regular workouts,
bound from foot to foot for about 30 meters at a time. Try to maximize your "air
time" while minimizing the amount of time each foot spends on the ground. In
other words, push hard and fast with the contact foot. Make sure that you cover
more distance with these bounds than you do with your normal strides.
~ Running on your toes. After you have warmed up properly, "sprint" on your toes
for 30 meters, taking small, quick steps with high knee action. Jog easily for
15 seconds to recover, and then repeat twice more. When finished, do the rest of
your workout.
Make sure you only do exercises 4 and 5 on smooth grass or dirt surfaces. Don't
do them on asphalt or concrete, where the impact forces could be great enough to
cause injury.
Subscribe to Runner's World Free Newsletters at:
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* Fitness with Chris Carmichael:
Q: Why does running downhill make me sore?
A: Many runners look forward to a downhill break after a tough climb during a
run. While the aerobic cost of running downhill is lower than running uphill,
the strong eccentric contractions associated with downhill running take a toll
on your body that you may not feel immediately.
An eccentric contraction occurs when the muscle lengthens as it contracts, while
a concentric contraction is when the muscle shortens as it contracts. For
example, when doing biceps curls in the weight room, bicep muscles are
contracting concentrically as you lift the weight up and eccentrically as you Do
you have a question of your own?
lower the weight. A runner's quadriceps and calf muscles contract eccentrically
to help the runner catch his body weight each time his foot strikes the ground
before a concentric contraction propels him forward again. Downhill running
exaggerates the eccentric contractions. Though they require less oxygen and
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) than an equivalent concentric contraction, they
also cause more muscle damage than concentric contractions because they recruit
fewer fibers for a given amount of force.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is a phenomenon almost every athlete has
encountered at some point during his or her training. DOMS usually sets in 24-48
hours after an event or training session, which is why you wake up with sore
legs the next morning despite not feeling sore immediately after the race. The
exact science behind DOMS is unknown. However, muscle damage is a likely cause,
and the repeated eccentric contractions a racer's body endures on a
predominantly downhill course can increase the amount of damage muscles sustain.
If you plan on participating in a race with a lot of downhill, you can help your
body prepare by practicing downhill running during your training. Performing one
to eight intervals of two to four minutes once a week can help your body adapt
to the stress of downhill running, and icing after these workouts can minimize
the soreness you may have from them.
From Outside Online at:
http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/carmichael-20061108.html

* Health Q&A: Daily Vitamins?
Susan Brink, Times Staff Writer
Question: Is it really necessary to take daily vitamins?
Answer: There's no evidence that vitamin supplements help most people stay
healthy, and vitamin deficiency is very rare in this country. Daily vitamins
might be beneficial to some people who are on a very low-calorie diet, who are
vegetarian, or women who are pregnant. Since nutrition science has only
identified a fraction of the nutrients humans need, supplements can only provide
those vitamins and minerals that are known. It's best to get nutrients from a
variety of fresh foods, which can contain some nutrients science hasn't even
named yet. Fat soluble vitamins, like Vitamin A, are stored in the body for
future use, and so too much can build up to a toxic amount. Many other vitamins
simply get excreted from the body as waste, so, in general, it's best not to
exceed 100% of the daily recommended intake.
Susan Brink, Health section staff writer


THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS:
*Please verify event dates with the event websites*
Check the Runner's Web FrontPage for links to the race sites.

November 11, 2006:
CIS Cross Country Championship - Sainte Foye, QC

Ford IronmanWorld Championship 70.3 - Clearwater, FL

SunTrust Richmond Marathon / NTELOS 8K - Richmond, VA

November 12, 2006:
Florida Hospital Celebration Health 10K / 5K, Celebration, FL

New Plymouth BG Triathlon World Cup - New Plymouth, NZ

OBX Marathon - Kitty Hawk, NC

Paul Reese Memorial Clarksburg Country Runs - Clarksburg, CA

Silverman Triathlon - Henderson, Nevada

RACE PREVIEW:
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.

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