A FREE WEEKLY E-ZINE OF MULTISPORT RELATED ARTICLES.
The Runner's and Triathlete's Web Digest is a weekly e-zine dealing with the
sports of running and triathlon and general fitness and
health issues. The opinions expressed in the articles referenced by the Digest
are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily
those of the Runner's Web. Visit the Runner's Web at http://www.runnersweb.com
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questions should be posted to one of our forums available
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1. Emilie's Run - The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K Race for Women - Canada's
Fastest Women's 5K
November 10, 2007: Prize Money Announced for Teams
RunnersWeb.com Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of $2,250 in prize money
for the top teams for the 2008 Emilie's Run. This
prize money is in addition to the previously announced $5,500 in individual
prize money for the top open and masters runners and the
primes for the leaders at 1 through 4K.
The team prize money will be allocated as follows:
1st (Open): $1,000,
2nd: $750,
3rd: $500
A maximum of 5 entrants per team, top 3 to score.
The 2008 edition of Emilie's Run will take place on Saturday, June 21st at the
Aviation Museum in Ottawa with $5,500 in cash prizes
for the top open and masters and merchandise prizes for the top teams and
age-groupers.
There will also be a 1K run for children.
For more on the race visit the website at:
http://www.emiliesrun.com.
Join Emilie's Run Community and contribute at:
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/emiliesrun?hl=en
January 4, 2008: Goodlife Fitness has come on board as a sponsor of Emilie's Run
GoodLife Fitness - Coed or Women's Only
Visit www.GoodLifeFitness.com today to receive 3 FREE Visits!
Your 3 FREE visits include:
. A Visual Fitness Planner Consultation
. Fit Fix Orientation to learn how to exercise safely and effectively
. Access to all cardio and strength-training equipment
. Access to all of our world-class Group EXercise classes
. A copy of Living the Good Life audio CD
Get started today! Visit www.GoodLifeFitness.com Limited time offer.

3. Road Runner Sports, the world's largest running store at:
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000010069822.
New Arrivals from Nike With Web Exclusive Apparel and More!

4. Toronto Waterfront Marathon, 2008
http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

5. Mississauga Marathon
The 5th anniversary edition of the Mississauga Marathon will be run on May 11,
2008 with the 10K the evening before on May 10th.
Register before February 6th to beat the price increase.
For more visit the race site at:
http://www.mississaugamarathon.com

6. Training Peaks
Training Peaks, LLC is dedicated to the endurance athlete and coach. With our
industry leading software products, we're committed to
help you monitor, analyze and plan your training. We encourage you to draw on
our passion for excellence to help you reach your
athletic dreams. Trusted by thousands. Dedicated to you.
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/

7. Running Free
Running Free is a complete online running store with everything for the casual
to serious runner.
They also have retail stores in the GTA (Toronto) and Markham.
Check them out at:
http://www.runningfree.com

8. January 4, 2008: Goodlife Fitness has come on board as a sponsor of Emilie's
Run
GoodLife Fitness - Coed or Women's Only
Visit www.GoodLifeFitness.com today to receive 3 FREE Visits!
Your 3 FREE visits include:
. A Visual Fitness Planner Consultation
. Fit Fix Orientation to learn how to exercise safely and effectively
. Access to all cardio and strength-training equipment
. Access to all of our world-class Group EXercise classes
. A copy of Living the Good Life audio CD
Get started today! Visit www.GoodLifeFitness.com Limited time offer.

9. Watch over 50 IAAF Events Live and On-Demand.
World Championship Sports Network
ABOUT WCSN
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the premier destination for fans of
Olympic and lifestyle sports, delivering an
immersive experience via exclusive live and on demand coverage of world class
competitions, interaction with top athletes and in
depth access to sports news and information year round.
WCSN offers comprehensive coverage of over 60 sports disciplines, through
exclusive long term programming agreements across a number
of key International Federations and National Governing Bodies. Major
championship events in sports ranging from Athletics (Track &
Field), Skiing, Swimming, Gymnastics and Cycling to Volleyball, Karate and
Taekwondo are featured online at
http://tinyurl.com/ysnvnh and on television via WCSN's weekly syndicated
television program, World Championship Sports, available in
more than 45 million US households. WCSN also markets Olympic sports in
partnership with International Federations, National
Governing Bodies, local organizations, clubs, sponsors, and through related
websites and publications.
WCSN is dedicated to providing year round, in depth coverage of these important
and exciting sports to reach millions of fans around
the world for whom they represent a way of life. WCSN is committed to expanding
the audience by delivering programming that
exemplifies the best of the human spirit. WCSN enables fans to interact with
world class champions as well as get to know the up and
coming athletes through blogs, interviews and their broadcast commentary.
Consistent with the world class caliber of the sports it celebrates, WCSN
delivers high quality production values, leveraging
state-of-the-art-technology and next generation distribution platforms to
provide an immersive, interactive experience available
anytime, anywhere.
Visit WCSN at:
http://tinyurl.com/ysnvnh

10. Canadian Running Magazine:
Subscribe at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/CanadianRunner.html


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Advertise your event on the Runner's Web.
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Free Shipping on Orders of $100 or More from Finish Line at
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New Affiliates:
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I've created a Runner's Web Group on Facebook.
To join the Runner's Web Facebook group, if you are not a member of Facebook,
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RUNNER'S AND TRIATHLETE'S WEB CONTENT PARTNERS

* ACTIVE.COM
RunnersWeb.com has teamed up with Active Trainer coaches to offer training
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Sign up at: www.RunnersWebCoach.com OR
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* 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
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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:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/PPO_index.html
Visit the PPO site at:
Peak Performance Online:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/cmd.php?af=517509

* 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.
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Check out the Peak Running article index at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/PRP_index.html .

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

THIS WEEK'S PERSONAL POSTINGS/RELEASES:
We will only post notes here regarding running and triathlon topics of interest
to the community.
We have NO personal postings this week.

THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Should We Accept Steroid Use in Sports?
2. Sportsmedicine: A Stretching Conversation
Stretching and flexibility research update.
3. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
4. Device turns a walk into power generator
5. Heart rate monitors: keeping the beat
6. Fatigue relief drug's heart hope
Scientists are developing a drug which relieves fatigue after strenuous exercise
- and it could benefit heart failure patients as
well.
7. Swimsuit for the Olympics Is a New Skin for the Big Dip
8. This Week in Running
9. Supplementation Using A Commercial Herbal-based Product (Optygen) May
Increase
Running Performance in Highly Trained Collegiate Distance Runners
10. Quick Meals for Busy Triathletes
11. British Swimmers to receive innovation boost
12. Training the mind to be race-ready
13. Irregular Exercise Pattern May Add Pounds
14. Carbohydrates: Forget fancy supplements - carbohydrates are even more
important than you'd thought, for strength as well as
endurance
15. Digest Briefs

RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"How do you plan to follow the Olympic Games in Beijing, China?"
~In person
~Television
~Internet
~Print Media

You can access the poll from our FrontPage ( http://www.runnersweb.com) as well
as checking the results of previous polls.

LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULTS:
"Does the fact that an event supports a charity have any impact on your decision
to enter the event?"
Answers Percent
1. More likely 19%
2. Less likely 41%
3. No difference 41%


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE MONTH: Runnerville.com.
"Runnerville.com is a collection of voices and pens (err, keyboards) brought
together to discuss the sport of running. It's a
conversation intended to engage, inspire, and prod the running community. It's a
dialog intended to encourage change. Running has
reached the proverbial fork in the road. One path leads us into deeper
obscurity, the other into the collective conscious of sports
fans. We're pushing for the latter."
The site was founded by a group including Matt Taylor, Tony Reavis, Mary
Wittenberg, Amby Burfoot, Chris Lear, and Lauren Fleshman.
Check it out at: http://runnerville.com

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

BOOK/VIDEO OF THE MONTH: Championship Triathlon Training
About the Product
Dedication, passion, obsession-for serious endurance athletes, coaches,
duathletes, and triathletes, the quest for improvement never
ends. Knowing they can shave time from the previous performance, they seek out
the latest in research and training techniques.
In Championship Triathlon Training, renowned experts George Dallam and Steven
Jonas provide you with the same advanced conditioning
concepts and programming used by today's elite triathletes.
By understanding the science behind the principles, you will incorporate
physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, and injury prevention
into your regimen to address your specific needs and the demands of competition.
Specifically, you'll learn these techniques:
~ Use weight training, plyometrics, and core development to accelerate skill
development in all phases of swimming, running, and
cycling.
~ Apply metabolic training to improve endurance and race speed.
~ Combine sport-specific skills, such as mounting and dismounting, with
metabolic training to improve transition times between
phases.
~ Develop more efficient movement patterns for increased performance potential
and reduced injury.
~ Assess health and physical status to avoid overtraining.
Complete with sample programs for each triathlon distance, technique analysis,
training- and race-specific fueling strategies, and
tips for motivation, focus, and goal setting, Championship Triathlon Training
will optimize your training and maximize your results.

About the Authors
George Dallam, PhD, is the longtime coach of Hunter Kemper, the No. 1-ranked
triathlete in the ITU World Cup during 2005 and most of
2006. He is the founding member of the National Coaching Commission of USA
Triathlon, the sport's national governing body, and was
USA Triathlon's first national team coach. In 2004 he was a finalist for the Doc
Counsilman Award for Science in Coaching category
of the United States Olympic Committee's Coach of the Year Award. In 2005 he was
USA Triathlon's Elite Coach of the Year.
Dallam is an associate professor of exercise science and health promotion at
Colorado State University at Pueblo. As a sport
scientist he has authored and coauthored numerous scientific papers relating to
triathlon. During his career at CSU-Pueblo, he has
received each of the university-wide awards for teaching, scholarship, and
service, becoming the only faculty member in the history
of the institution to receive all three awards.
During his 16-year triathlon coaching career, Dallam has served as a personal
coach to several elite triathletes, including Amanda
Stevens, Marcel Vifian, Callahan Hatfield, Michael Smedley, and Ryan
Bickerstaff. As the USA Triathlon national team coach, he also
served as the Olympic Training Center resident and collegiate programs coach for
Olympians Nick Radkewich and Susan Williams as well
as perennial international stars Laura Reback, Becky Lavelle, and Doug Friman.
Before focusing on triathlon, he coached at various
levels in swimming, water polo, and cross country. He resides in Colorado
Springs.
Steven Jonas, MD, MPH, MS, FNYAS, has been a regular columnist and contributor
to The East Coast Triathlete, Triathlon Today,
Triathlon Times, and American TRI. Since 2006, he has written a column titled
"Ordinary Mortals: Talking Triathlon with Steve Jonas"
for USA Triathlon Life. He is the author of Triathloning for Ordinary Mortals
and The Essential Triathlete. He also currently serves
as editor in chief for American Medical Athletic Association Journal and has
been a member of the editorial board of ACSM's Health &
Fitness Journal since 1999.
Jonas is a professor of preventive medicine in the School of Medicine at Stony
Brook University in New York. As author, coauthor,
editor, and coeditor, he has published more than 25 books and 135 academic
papers on health policy, health promotion, disease
prevention, and fitness and exercise.
The year 2007 marked Jonas' 25th season as a recreational triathlete. He has
competed in over 185 multisport races, including 115
triathlons, at distances up to the Ironman. He is also a certified professional
ski instructor. Jonas resides in Port Jefferson, New
York.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Essential Training Elements and Guidelines
Chapter 2. Training the Mind
Chapter 3. Assessing and Improving Technique
Chapter 4. Advanced Training for Strength and Muscle Balance
Chapter 5. Complex Speed and Endurance Training
Chapter 6. Race-Specific Training and Strategy
Chapter 7. Creating a Long-Term Training Plan
Chapter 8. Training Programs
Chapter 9. Health and Fueling Strategies for Maximum
Words of Praise
"In Championship Triathlon Training, George Dallam and Steven Jonas combine the
latest research and cutting-edge programming to
create the definitive training resource for serious triathletes."
Siri Lindley
Two-Time Triathlon World Champion
Winner of 13 World Cup Races
Coach of Olympic Medalists
Buy the book from Human Kinetics at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736069\
194

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. Should We Accept Steroid Use in Sports?
The debate over athletes' use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs
has taken on newfound urgency in recent months.
A report by former Sen. George Mitchell, released in December, mentioned dozens
of baseball players as having used steroids and
described their use as "widespread." Track star Marion Jones pleaded guilty to
lying to investigators about steroid use in October.
And last summer, several riders were dismissed from the Tour de France on
charges of using banned substances.
Those who oppose the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs say
that the athletes who use them are breaking the rules
and getting an unfair advantage over others. Opponents of the drugs say the
athletes are endangering not only their own health, but
also indirectly encouraging youngsters to do the same.
More...from NPR at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18299098


2. Sportsmedicine: A Stretching Conversation:
Stretching and flexibility research update.
A few weeks back I got an email from Neil Cook at the Asphalt Green Triathlon
Club. He had read a few of our articles and Stretching
Tips and was concerned that we were contradicting some of the latest research on
stretching and flexibility.
Neil is an endurance coach and athlete with multiple post graduate degrees in
physical education, coaching, motor learning and
neurophysiology, so he's no amateur when it comes to exercise physiology.
Our emails went back and forth over the course of a few weeks and I know we both
enjoyed the depth of our conversation; so I thought
I would share our conversation with you. What follows is our discussion...
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2008/rw_news_20080212_TSH_Research.html


3. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine:
* Longer Telomeres Mean Longer Life
If you need proof that exercise helps to keep you young, look at the exciting
study from King's College in London, England reported
in the Archives of Internal Medicine (January 28, 2008). The researchers showed
that people who exercise regularly have telomeres in
the DNA of their white blood cells that are longer than those of couch potatoes.
White blood cell telomeres shorten over time and
serve as a marker of a person's biological age.
The active ends of genetic material in cells are covered with a layer of
proteins called telomeres. If they weren't, the exposed
ends of the genetic material would stick to anything nearby and the cells would
die. However, each time a cell divides to make two
cells, a little bit of the telomere is removed. Eventually the telomere is gone,
the ends of genetic material stick together and the
cell can no longer divide so it dies without replacing itself. Obviously, the
longer the telomeres, the longer it will take for the
telomeres to be used up so the cells are viable longer.
The study compared physical activity, smoking and socioeconomic status in 2,401
sets of twins. Those who were more active had longer
leukocyte telomeres than those who were less active. The researchers concluded
that "The mean difference in leukocyte telomere
length between the most active (who performed an average of 199 minutes of
physical activity per week) and the least active (16
minutes of physical activity per week) subjects was 200 nucleotides, which means
that the most active subjects had telomeres the
same length as sedentary individuals 10 years younger, on average."
* Maximum Heart Rate Lower in Athletes
A study from Liverpool, England shows that the maximum heart rate for athletes
is lower than for aged-matched sedentary people. At
first glance, this makes no sense because you would think that the faster you
heart can beat, the more blood your heart could pump
and the better an athlete you would be. However, a stronger heart pumps more
blood with each beat, so stronger hearts don't have to
beat as often. This means that as you become more fit, your maximum heart rate
will get lower, not higher.
Virtually everyone agrees that heart rate depends on the amount of blood pumped
toward it by exercising muscles. When you contract
your leg muscles during exercise, muscles squeeze veins near them to pump blood
toward the heart. Then when leg muscles relax, the
veins fill up with blood. The pumping action of leg muscles during exercise
forces extra blood to the heart, which causes the heat
to beat faster and contract stronger. This is known as the Bainbridge reflex.
We know this is true because we are able to
transplant hearts. If nerves inside the heart regulated heart rate, the heart
would not be able to control its rate of beating since
the nerves are cut during the transplant.
Since the strength of leg muscles determines the fastest that your heart can
beat and still pump blood, you might expect that
athletes with stronger muscles would have faster heart rates. However, they
don't. The researchers at John Moores University in
Liverpool showed that athletes have lower maximum heart rates than sedentary
people (International Journal of Sports Medicine,
January 2008). The maximum heart rate of male athletes was calculated to be
202 - 0.55 × age, and for female athletes, 216 - 1.09
× age. Both weight lifters and runners had similar maximum heart rates, which
were significantly lower than the age-matched
sedentary people. The athletes have hearts that can pump more blood with each
beat than the hearts of sedentary people, so they do
not beat as often.
From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine at: http://www.drmirkin.com


4. Device turns a walk into power generator:
Call it the ultimate power walk.
Researchers have developed a device that generates electrical power from the
swing of a walking person's knee.
With each stride, the leg accelerates and then decelerates, using energy both
for moving and braking. Max Donelan and colleagues
reasoned that a device that helps the leg decelerate could generate power
without requiring much additional energy from the person.
It's similar to the way some hybrid-electric cars produce electricity from
braking.
With the device, a minute of walking can power a cellphone for 10 minutes, said
Donelan, of Simon Fraser University in Canada. The
device could also potentially power a portable GPS locater, a motorized
prosthetic joint or implanted drug pumps.
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-walking9feb09,0,4909566.story


5. Heart rate monitors: keeping the beat:
Race cars often don't have a speedometer. What they do have is a tachometer that
shows how fast the engine is revving.
A heart rate monitor is a tachometer for the human body -- it tells a user how
quickly the heart is beating during exercise. Sports-
and fitness-related use of the device has mushroomed since its invention in
1977, but many people don't know how to use one
effectively. For starters, simple formulas to determine heart rate training
zones aren't reliable. A monitor should be used not just
to achieve a target, but as a regulator to avoid overtraining. The devices,
although generally accurate, can sometimes generate
false readings that cause unnecessary worry. And for the easily obsessed,
focusing too much on numbers can turn a fun bike ride into
a laboratory experiment.
Most monitors have a chest strap sensor that picks up and transmits electrical
impulses from the heart to a receiver, worn on the
wrist or handlebars of a bike. The receiver converts signals from the strap to a
digital display of beats per minute. Strapless
models are also available. Basic monitors cost less than $100 and display heart
rate and time. Fancier models record heart rates
during a workout and can set alarms for high and low heart rate zone limits.
Other models integrate bike computer functions, such as
speed and distance, or use GPS satellite signals to determine speed, distance,
location and altitude in addition to recording heart
rate.
More...from the LA Times at:
http://www.latimes.com/la-he-heartrate11feb11,1,5396727.story


6. Fatigue relief drug's heart hope
Scientists are developing a drug which relieves fatigue after strenuous exercise
- and it could benefit heart failure patients as
well.
A Columbia University team found fatigue following exercise is caused by calcium
leaking inside muscle cells.
They formulated a drug to plug the leaks, and successfully used it to relieve
fatigue in exhausted mice.
They also believe that calcium leaks are responsible for severe exhaustion in
heart failure patients.
Their study, published online by Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, raises hopes that the drug could help alleviate
symptoms that can be completely debilitating.
It had previously been thought that fatigue following intense, sustained
exercise such as marathon running was due to the
accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles.
However, this theory has recently been challenged by physiologists.
More...from the BBC at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7238396.stm


7. Swimsuit for the Olympics Is a New Skin for the Big Dip:
Ryan Lochte, an Olympic swimmer, said he felt like a superhero. Michael Phelps,
who is expected to win multiple gold medals at the
Beijing Games, said it was as if he were wearing a spacesuit. And this was after
Phelps, promoting a slinky black unitard swimsuit,
stood on a podium with his arms and legs splayed like Leonardo da Vinci’s
“Vitruvian Man.”
It might have been a stretch to equate the latest, and supposedly fastest,
swimsuit from Speedo, introduced at a news conference on
Tuesday, to a Renaissance drawing that is considered to be the apotheosis of
ideal proportions — a merger of science, art and
nature. But then again, some people do get really excited about the slightest
changes to the get-ups that swimmers wear at the
Olympics.
Six months before the Games, in what has practically become a tradition among
sportswear companies since full-length bodysuits
revolutionized the look and speed of the sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics,
Speedo staged its version of an “upfront” to introduce
what the company is describing as “the world’s fastest swimsuit.”
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/sports/othersports/13swim.html?ref=othersports


8. This Week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Gabino Apolonio (MEX) won the Gasparilla Distance Classic
(FL/USA) 15K in 43:23,
ahead of Hezron Otwori (KEN) and James Kariuki (KEN) who ran
43:28 and 43:33
respectively. First USA was Todd Williams in 4th with a 43:44.
Lornah Kiplagat
(KEN) clocked a 49:24 to win by 10 seconds over Liz McColgan
(SCO). Joyce
Chepchumba (KEN) was 3rd in 49:55. This was the last year this
race awarded
prize money or invited elite runners and the subsequent fields
have been
rather weak by comparison.
20 Years Ago- Abebe Mekonnen (ETH) won the Tokyo International Men's (JPN)
Marathon in 2:08:33.
Juma Ikangaa (TAN) was 2nd in 2:08:42 and Jörg Peter (GER) was
3rd in 2:08:47.
Past marathon WR holder, Rob deCastella (AUS) was 4th in 2:08:49.
30 Years Ago- Duncan Macdonald (USA) won the West Valley (CA/USA) Marathon in
2:17:16. Michael
Pinocci (USA) was next in 2:19:00 while Ernie Rivas (USA) was
well back in 3rd with
a 2:28:15. Lucy Kaplan (USA) was the first woman across the line
with a 3:17:34 and
was followed by Caron Schaumberg (USA) at 3:19:45. This race was
directed for many
years by ARRS member Jack Leydig.
40 Years Ago- George Young (USA) took the measure of an international field at
Los Angeles CA/USA,
clocking 8:31.8 for two miles (indoors). Tracy Smith (USA) was
2nd in 8:32.6 with
Kerry O'Brien (AUS) given the same time in 3rd. Ron Clarke (AUS)
was 4th in 8:35.0.
50 Years Ago- Hans Hüneke (GER) took a two mile indoor with a 8:56.2 with Jerzy
Chromik (POL) next in
8:57.6. Ludwig Müller (GER) was 3rd in 8:58.2 and Velisa Mugosa
(SER) was 4th in 8:59.0.
The venue for this race is unknown.
From The Analytical Distance Runner, 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.


9. Supplementation Using A Commercial Herbal-based Product (Optygen) May
Increase
Running Performance in Highly Trained Collegiate Distance Runners: a pilot
study. Dec
2007
Principal Investigator:
Karlton R. Larson, PhD
H.P.E Department,
Luther College,
Decorah, IA 52101
Summary.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects on highly trained
distance runners
of a commercial herbal-based supplement purported to improve endurance
performance
by increasing oxygen uptake, assisting recovery, and reducing lactic acid
production.
Though changes in performance variables (VO2 max, hemoglobin, serum ferritin and
salivary cortisol) were similar between groups, time to onset of lactate
threshold was
nearly 42% greater in E=experimental vs C=control group. These findings suggest
that
although some performance variables were not directly affected, use of a
commercial herbal
based supplement may have helped improve lactate threshold levels significantly.
Importance. Over the course of the study, individuals were randomly placed into
control(C, n=4, 20.5±1.0 years, 71.1± 2.55in, 157.75±8.88lb, 70.3±5.92
ml/kg/min) and
experimental (E, n=5, 21.2±2.05 years, 70.7±3.15in, 148.44±16lb, 65.68±3.76
ml/kg/min)
groups. Supplementation occurred during a 7-week period that corresponded with
an
increase in training volume in preparation for competition in the fall cross
country
season. Results do suggest supplementation being effective in reducing lactic
acid
production and delaying onset of lactate threshold and therefore improving
endurance in
distance runners.
More...from First Endurance at:
http://www.firstendurance.com/pdf/optygen_pilot_dec07.pdf


10. Quick Meals for Busy Triathletes:
OK, I lied.
I can cook.
I've whipped up some pretty tasty salmon fillets, steak sauces, stuffed noodles
and pad thai in my time.
But there comes a time in the life of a busy multi-sport athlete, and especially
the Ironman triathlete, when you must eat, it must
be a complete meal, and it must be quick.
You see, your body can only support high volume training, proper performance,
and immune system health for a limited period of time
if all your quick meals consist of microwaved Lean Cuisines, gas station trail
mix, and "all-organic" food bars. Instead, you have
to make a habit of regularly eating healthy and wholesome foods without heavy
amounts of preservatives, salts, sweeteners, and
synthetic chemicals.
So on that point, I'm going to share with you my top ten meals that I rely on in
a pinch. That is, when I've finished a long ride
and have to be at work in 10 minutes, when I've gotten home from the gym and
need to be asleep within an hour, or when I have just a
few moments to make a dish to fuel a workout. Each meal includes a complete
blend of protein and carbohydate for recovery and energy
needs, and while it may be no filet mignon, it will fulfill the physiological
needs of the busy multi-sport athlete. Since many
triathletes must consume in excess of 5000 calories per day, here is the added
bonus: these are relatively cheap eats.
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/training/health-nutrition/quick-meals-for-busy-triathlete\
s


11. British Swimmers to receive innovation boost:
Ideas formulated at the 2006 ‘Going for Gold’ workshops organised by UK Sport
and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC) have led to the development of new computer software that could
enable British swimmers to improve their technique
more quickly and effectively, helping them win medals in major championships in
the future.
The software provides instant, in-depth feedback on a swimmer’s glide technique.
Swimmers glide following starts and turns, when not
moving their arms or legs but just using momentum to travel through the water.
As well as supplying data on head position and body
alignment, the software actively suggests ways in which a swimmer can improve
their posture to minimise resistance and pinpoints the
optimum moment to begin kicking.
The new system offers benefits beyond the capabilities of any other currently
used in elite swimming. The feedback it generates is
available immediately, so swimmers and coaches can use it at the poolside and
implement recommendations while a training session is
still in progress. The system also generates data of unprecedented quality in
terms of detail and accuracy.
The software is being developed by sports scientists at the University of
Edinburgh’s Centre for Aquatics Research and Education
(CARE) with additional input from Sheffield Hallam University, and funding from
the EPSRC in collaboration with UK Sport. Once
tested and validated, it should be available to swimmers throughout the UK
within around 12 months.
More...from UK Sport at:
http://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/british_swimmers_to_receive_innovation_boost/


12. Training the mind to be race-ready:
Two decades removed from my high school cross country days, (OK, 27 years if you
want to be exact) I still remember a few of the
race tactics my coach shared with us young harriers.
Passing on an uphill to psychologically demoralize a competitor was my favorite.
Richard Lovett, who coaches the Red Lizard Racing Club in Portland, Ore.,
includes that time-honored adage and expands greatly on
the tactics for mid-pack runners in this offering published in Running Times
Magazine.
The co-author of "Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing" puts a finer point on
the uphill pass, advising to surge over the summit
and save energy through the heart of the climb. A few of the other points are
well-worth repeating: pass with certainty, know your
own ability to kick, pick an efficient line through corners and run to the
finish.
It's a helpful article, and serves as a good bit of mental training now that the
race season is in sight.
More...from the Journal-Sentinel at:
http://blogs.jsonline.com/offthecouch/archive/2008/02/14/training-the-mind-to-be\
-race-ready.aspx


13. Irregular Exercise Pattern May Add Pounds:
The consequences of quitting exercise may be greater than previously thought,
according to a new study from the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that determined that the weight
gained during an exercise hiatus can be tough to shed
when exercise is resumed at a later date.
The study, conducted by Paul Williams of Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division,
found that the key to staying trim is to remain
active year-round, year-after-year, and to avoid seasonal and irregular exercise
patterns. Most of all, don’t quit. Failure to do so
may be a contributing factor in the nation’s obesity epidemic.
“The price to pay for quitting exercise is higher than expected, and this price
may be an important factor in the obesity epidemic
affecting Americans,” says Williams, whose study is published in the journal
Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204094505.htm


14. Carbohydrates: Forget fancy supplements - carbohydrates are even more
important than you'd thought, for strength as well as
endurance
The role of carbohydrates in sports performance might be one of the most
thoroughly researched topics in the field of sports
nutrition, but that doesn’t stop it constantly throwing up new surprises! Read
any biochemistry textbook on carbohydrates nutrition
and you will find no mention of variation in carbohydrates metabolism between
different groups of people. But now new research
indicates that both gender and age can affect the way our bodies utilise this
vital fuel.
And just in case you have any lingering doubts about the crucial contribution of
carbohydrates to optimum performance, scientists
have also been busy investigating the link between low carbohydrates intakes and
exercise-induced free radical damage, leading to
impaired muscle function.
More...from Peak Performance Online at:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/carbohydrates.html


15. Digest Briefs:
* Why is it easier to run on a treadmill?
I primarily run on my treadmill at home. Usually three to four times a week, for
30 minutes. When I do go for a run outside, my legs
feel sore the next couple of days. Is there that big a difference in difficulty
between the two? I set my treadmill at a slight
incline, and my outdoor run is relatively flat, so I can’t see that as the
issue. Is it a matter of physics? I use the treadmill for
convenience, but if running on the road is that much more a workout I may have
to rethink my regime. - Edward M.
Jeff Galloway replies:
Treadmills help you run, Edward. Most of the treadmill calibrations I’ve seen
show that these machines tend to show that you’ve gone
farther and/or faster than you have really run. In addition, weather conditions
and terrain make outdoor running more challenging.
You can adapt to running outdoors by inserting more frequent walk breaks from
the beginning. During the first 10 minutes, run for a
minute and walk for a minute. If all is well, shift to run 2 minutes run/walk 1
minute during the rest of the run. Otherwise, stay
at 1-1 or 30 seconds/30 seconds.
Many treadmill-oriented runners, when they go outside, tend to start the runs
too fast, or run too fast uphill, or fail to slow down
as the temperature rises. Based upon surveys of hot weather runners, I suggest
slowing the pace down by 30 seconds a mile, for every
5 degrees above 60F.
Note: Olympian Jeff Galloway has helped thousands of runners achieve their goals
through his e-coaching, Galloway Programs across
the U.S., retreats, half day running schools, books, and individual
consultations. For more information on this topic or Jeff's
programs, visit www.JeffGalloway.com or www.jeffgallowayblog.com.


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

February 16, 2008:
Smile Mile - Orlando, FL

USA Cross Country Championships - San Diego, CA
World Championship Team Qualifier - Edinburgh, Scotland

Television - NBC, 2 PM
Ironman World Championship

February 17, 2008:
A1A Marathon - Fort Lauderdale, FL

AT&T Austin Marathon - TX

Lost Dutchman Marathon, Apache Junction, AZ

National Marathon To Fight Breast Cancer - 26.2 With Donna - Jacksonville Beach,
Florida

Pensacola Marathon - Pensacola, FL

Tokyo Marathon - Japan


Saturday, June 21, 2008
Emilie's Run - The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K race for Women
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/

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Have a good week of training and/or racing.

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