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Runner's and Triathlete's Web Digest - May 2, 2008   Message List  
Reply | Forward Message #653 of 734 |
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
The site is updated multiple times daily. Check out
our daily news, features, polls, trivia, bulletin boards and more. General
questions should be posted to one of our forums available
from our FrontPage.

SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS:
All of the revenue from our advertisers and affiliates goes to support clubs,
athletes and clinics related to multisport and
Canadian Olympians.

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

11. BeatRunning Music for runners:
Music to start running, for experienced runners and for interval training.
Check it out at:
http://www.beatrunning.com

12. Mi-Sport - The Ultimate Sports MP3 Player
Introducing the world's first and only waterproof and wireless sports mp3
player. These Mi-SPORT mp3 headphones have a 1GB memory
built into a cool neckband design. At last no wire tangle and no earbuds to fall
out. The patented design makes this
waterproof/sweatproof mp3 player great for running, cycling and gym work. The
player however is more than splash proof! It can be
completely submerged with no harm to it making it perfect for swimming,
kayaking, and water skiing. Now incorporating the latest 3D
music quality with it's adapted waterproof speaker. Relax to music in the bath,
or push out that training session with no fear of
losing your player or tangling the wires. Circuit training is so much easier
with your own music. Enjoy the waves wire-free.
This is the only waterproof pair of classic headphones with a built in mp3
player in the world. The stylish looking headphones play
the usual MP3, WMA and WAV formats and are compatible with
Windows98/98SE/2000/XP and Apple MAC. Depending on track length, the
headphones hold well over 14 hours worth of music and the rechargeable battery
life is about 8 hours.
Nick Matthew, the 2006 British Open squash champion now uses the player to train
with and Mi-SPORT are endeavouring to encourage
more athletes to enjoy the benefits of training to wire-free music, podcasts or
coaching aids.
Inspiration and freedom at last, for athletes and exercise enthusiasts
everywhere.
Check it out at:
http://www.mi-sportmp3.com/

ASSOCIATIONS:
The Runner's Web is a member of Running USA, The National Professional
Organization for the Running Industry.
http://www.runningusa.org/

NEW SUBSCRIBERS:
Check the "New Subscribers' note at the bottom of the newsletter

Check out our RSS auto-feeds page for automated news updates:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_auto_feeds.html

Webmasters:
Get our Syndicated headlines for your site.
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_getRSS.html
Add the Runner's Web News feed to your site through a simple JavaScript.
Check out OnTri.com's implementation at:
http://www.ontri.com/runnersweb.html
The Runner's and Triathlete's Web Digest is now available through an RSS feed
for myYahoo at:
http://e.my.yahoo.com/config/cstore?.opt=content&.url=http%3a//rss.groups.yahoo.\
com/group/RunnersWeb/rss

[Long URL]
The Digest is also available through other RSS Readers on request.

Get the Runner's Web button for the Google Toolbar 4 for Internet Explorer from
the link on our FrontPage at:
http://www.runnersweb.com . We have added a button for Lauren Groves,
Triathlete.

If anyone is looking for a web mail provider, you might wish to consider
Google's GMail. You can now sign up for free Gmail at
Google WITHOUT AN INVITATION at:
www.gmail.com

Race Directors:
Advertise your event on the Runner's Web.
For more information:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_advertising.html
You can also list your events for free in our Interactive Calendars and on our
Marathons, Races and Triathlons pages.

NEW THIS WEEK:
Watch the on-demand webcast of the Boston Marathon FREE on WCSN.
Sign up at:
http://www.wcsn.com/sport/index.jsp?id=34003&affiliateID=hptRunWebLNAV1A021208&p\
artnerId=hptRunWebLNAV1A021208


Nike:
Get 20% off Purchases Over $100!
Offer: Get 20% off purchases over $100 when you enter MAYSALE2 at checkout.
Restrictions apply
Code: MAYSALE2 (Case Sensitive)
Expiration: 5/14/08
Restrictions: Customer must login and enter promo code (in all caps) at
checkout. Limit one per person, per transaction. Not
transferable and not redeemable for cash, credit, or towards previous purchases.
Redeemable only online or via telephone and cannot
be combined with other promotion codes. For 20% discount to apply the minimum
merchandise total must be $100.00 before shipping,
handling and taxes are added. Discount applies to purchase price only, and does
not include select merchandise including launch
products, Jordan, Golf, Gift Cards, NIKEiD, Members Only Store, Nike + iPod
Sport Kit, Nike Sportband, Apple products, and Gift
Cards. Shipping charges calculated after discount. Offer expires May 11, 2008 at
11:59 p.m. PST at NikeStore.com. Void where
prohibited. Apple and iPod are trademarks of Apple, Inc.
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Get Free Shipping on Premium Women's Collection!
Customer must login and enter promo code TRAINING at checkout. Free shipping is
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FASTSKIN LZR Racer
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The popularity of this amazing new technology is making a splash, and now your
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FASTSKIN LZR Racer - Pre-order now!
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New Affiliates:
Foot Locker:
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FRS Healthy Energy Drink: A new kind of Healthy Energy Drink that provides
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dieting, starting an exercise program, or just looking for a healthy boost, FRS
can help.
About FRS and Lance Armstrong
Lance's relationship with FRS is more than an endorsement deal, it's a
partnership. After carefully reviewing the science behind the
product and meeting our management team, Lance has joined our Board of Directors
and chosen FRS to be the exclusive beverage he
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Under Armour Women's
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Under Armour Men's
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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,
you must first create a free Facebook account at
www.facebook.com. Once you have your own space, search "Runner's Web" under
"Groups". At the Runner's Web site, click "Join this
group". Once I have approved your request to join, you'll be able to visit the
site, post race photos, discuss training tips, and
share information about running, racing and training.

If you feel you have something to say (related to triathlon or running) that is
worthy of a Guest Column on the Runner's Web, email
us at: mailto:webmaster@... or leave your comments in one of our
Forums at: http://www.runnersweb.com/running/forum.html
or from our FrontPage.

We have 2,333 subscribers as of publication time. Forward the Runner's Web
Digest to a friend and suggest that they
subscribe at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join .

RUNNER'S AND TRIATHLETE'S WEB CONTENT PARTNERS

* ACTIVE.COM
RunnersWeb.com has teamed up with Active Trainer coaches to offer training
programs that are a balance of aerobic, anaerobic and
cross-training workouts. These training programs are built to get people of all
levels across the finish line. From the first timer
to the seasoned veteran you will find the right training plan for you. Good luck
with your training and we will see you at the
finish line.
Training Log and Analysis:
Log your daily workouts and monitor your progress along the way.
Getting Started:
Set a realistic goal for training. Review the list of training programs
developed by Active Trainer Coaches. Select the program that
best matches your current training schedule. If you have been inactive, select a
conservative schedule to assure success and
decrease the risk of injury. Plug in the start date or the date of your target
race and go! The schedule will automatically be
entered into your log. It is as simple as that...
Training:
Select the daily email to receive your training by the day or log on to your
account and review the entire schedule. Use the
interactive log to enter in valuable training information. The more information
you enter in your personal log, the better. You will
be able to use this information in the future to evaluate performance, keep
track of what works and what doesn't and stay motivated
to see just how far you've come.
Sign up at: www.RunnersWebCoach.com OR
http://training.active.com/ActiveTrainer/listing.do?listing=51

* Sports Nutrition by Sheila Kealey.
Sheila is one of Ottawa's top multisport athletes and a member of the OAC Racing
Team and X-C Ottawa. She has a Masters in Public
Health and works in the field of nutritional epidemiology as a Research
Associate with the University of California, San Diego. Her
column index is available at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/SK_index.html

* Carmichael Training Systems
Carmichael Training Systems was founded in 1999 by Chris Carmichael.
From the beginning, the mission of the company has been to improve the lives of
individuals we work with through the application of
proper and effective fitness and competitive training techniques. Whether your
focus is recreational, advanced, or you are a
professional racer, the coaching methodology employed by CTS will make you a
better athlete. Check the latest monthly column from
CTS at: http://www.runnersweb.com/running/cts_columns.html.
Carmichael Training Systems at:
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.
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.
This bi-monthly newsletter has been around for over
13 years, and in the past two it has been awarded the "Golden Shoe Award" in
recognition of it's outstanding achievements.
http://www.clixGalore.com/Sale.aspx?BID=37234&AfID=103794&AdID=5075&LP=www.peakr\
unningperformance.com

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. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine
2. VO2max - The monthly newsletter of RunCoachJason.com
3. Raining Kenyans
4. The Well Podcast: Cancer and Exercise
5. Getting to racing weight for triathletes
6. Tough job: Volunteers needed for chocolate study
7. Hypertension: In Retreat, but Hardly Vanquished
8. 'Tuning up' performance - music and videos as ergogenic aids
9. Building Strength and Muscle without Illegal Substances
10. Overweight warning: More than exercise needed
11. Fueling the Runner: Nutrition Over the Long Haul
Jackie's Marathon Nutrition Plan from the Trenches.
12. Eat More Protein
Runners skimp on this key nutrient--but you need more than you think.
13. The Coaching Files: Drink To Your Health… And Performance
14. This Week in Running
15. An Hour Before the Start By Valery Borzov
16. Blisters - A rite of spring?
17. Train Hard, Win Easy. The Kenyan Way
18. Fast-Food Liver Damage Can Be Reversed, Experts Say
19. Plantar Fasciitis – the most common cause of heel pain
20. Digest Briefs

RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"Do you support the setting aside of race entries for charity organizations at
the expense of serious runners?"

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:
"Did you watch the Boston Marathon?"
Answers Percent
1. In person 8%
2. On TV 12%
3. On WCSN (webcast) 40%
4. No, I ran it 8%
5. No 32%


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE MONTH: Ironman.com.
Ironman Announces New Look To Web Site
Visitors to www.Ironman.com will enjoy a new experience as they log on to the
event-based brand’s official Web site. The site has
an enhanced look and feel that offers more photos and video, along with an
easier interface for visitors to access information.
“Our new site provides users with better navigability, therefore
making it more user-friendly and accessible,” says
Ironman’s Director of Interactive Media, Travis Sitzlar. “We have worked hard
to design a system that will allow us to keep up with
the ongoing growth of the sport by providing more integration with social
networking and technology.” Enhancements to the
new Ironman.com site include:
· A new live coverage system that will provide more interactive
opportunities throughout race day.
· Easier access to Ironman’s YouTube channel via the main page,
showcasing a variety of award-winning coverage and
inspirational videos.
· A chronological overview of races along with information relating to
the event’s registration status.
· A revamped Media Center offering access to event imagery, press
materials and top contender information.
· An updated Marketing section highlighting Ironman’s sponsors and
licensees.
· The opportunity for athletes worldwide to enroll in a daily newsletter
providing them with the latest news from Ironman and
a subscription to an improved RSS feed system, which allows visitors to stay
updated on Ironman news right from their desktop.
Ironmanlive, known as the live coverage of Ironman events around the globe, has
been in existence since 1998. More than eight
million viewers tune in annually to the site for its Online telecasts and
content, including more than 1.5 million who view the
coverage of the Ford Ironman World Championship each year from Kailua-Kona,
Hawaii.


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

BOOK/VIDEO OF THE MONTH: The Exercise Balance: What's Too Much, What's Too
Little, and What's Just Right for You!
by Pauline Powers (Author), Ron Thompson (Author)
Book Description
Healthy exercise means finding a balance between overtraining and inactivity. By
using a combination of clinical studies and
real-life examples, this book shows readers how to develop their own personal
prescription for discovering that balance. Written by
two specialists in the field of eating disorders, it details both ends of the
exercise continuum, from compulsive exercisers who
push their bodies to the limit to people with little or no physical activity in
their daily lives. The authors explain the
psychological and health issues that can result from compulsive exercise —
including bone loss, fractures, amenorrhea, and unhealthy
eating. They also cover the problems arising from inadequate exercise and
provide ways that ill people can safely implement fitness
programs. The book is not a weight-loss guide; instead, it emphasizes the
importance of proper exercise, offering readers of all
sizes, ages, and health levels practical solutions for changing their routines
and finding a healthy exercise balance.
Buy the book from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0936077026/runnersweb/102-0182896-9006569\
?v=glance&s=books


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. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine:
* Background Before Peaking
Injuries often occur when people start a new exercise program, change to a
different sport, or return to exercise after a long
break. In the enthusiasm to get started, it is easy to
overstress muscles that have not been used before. That's why "background
before peaking" is one of the most important principles
of training. It takes several weeks or even months to build up strength and
endurance for any new sport.
Competitive athletes in all sports use this principle. First they spend many
months in background training, working out for long
hours, mostly at low intensity, followed by a shorter period of peak training in
which they do far less work, but at a much greater
intensity. A few months before an important race, they reduce their workload
but go as fast and hard as possible two or three times
a week.
Start your new exercise program at very low intensity and low volume. Gradually
increase your workload for several months before you
try to run fast, lift heavy or exercise intensely. If
you are just beginning to exercise, go at a relaxed pace until your muscles feel
heavy and then stop. For the first several days or
weeks you may be able to exercise only for a few minutes at a time. If your
muscles feel sore the next day, take the day off.
Increase the amount of time gradually until you can exercise 30 minutes a day at
a relaxed pace and not feel sore. You may progress
rapidly to the 30-minute goal, or it may take you two, four, six weeks or more.
No matter how long it takes, don't get discouraged.
Exercising too much or too hard, too soon will set you up for injuries.
* Dear Dr. Mirkin: Would you please explain how vitamin pills could affect
lifespan, as you reported in last week's issue?
The issue of vitamin supplements is far from settled. Most doctors take
multivitamins themselves and recommend them to their
patients. However, I continue to believe that it is better to get vitamins in
whole foods than in pills.
Most vitamins are parts of enzymes that start chemical reactions in your body.
Each chemical reaction produces end products that
are changed by further chemical reactions from
other vitamins to other products that benefit your body. When you take a
vitamin that has been isolated from the hundreds of other
substances found in foods, that enzyme causes a chemical reaction that
accumulates a disproportionate amount of its end products.
If the substance that acts as an enzyme for the next chain of chemical reactions
is not available, you can accumulate end products
that may be harmful.
For example, people who take niacin to lower cholesterol show a marked elevation
of homocysteine, a major risk factor for heart
attacks. Homocysteine levels are raised by a deficiency of B12, folic acid and
pyridoxine. When you eat your niacin in whole
grains, all of those components are present, along with many others whose
functions we may not yet understand.
Several of you asked for a link to the study I mentioned last week; it has been
added to the issue at
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine042708.html
From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine at: http://www.drmirkin.com


2. VO2max - The monthly newsletter of RunCoachJason.com
* Fat Burning
People often assume that low-intensity exercise is best for burning fat. During
exercise at a very low intensity (e.g., walking),
fat does account for most of the energy expenditure, while at a moderate
intensity (e.g., 80% maximum heart rate or about 70-75%
VO2max), fat accounts for only about half of the energy used. While you use
both fat and carbohydrates for energy during exercise,
these two fuels provide that energy on a sliding scale--as you increase your
intensity up to your lactate threshold (the exercise
intensity
that demarcates the transition between exercise that is almost purely aerobic
and exercise that includes a significant anaerobic
contribution; also considered your fastest sustainable aerobic speed), the
contribution from fat decreases while the contribution
from carbohydrates increases. When you exercise at an intensity above your
lactate threshold, you use only carbohydrates.
While there is only a minimal amount of fat used when exercising just below your
lactate threshold, the number of calories used per
minute and the total number of calories expended are much greater than when
exercising at a lower intensity, so the amount of fat
used is also greater. Research has shown that the highest rate of fat use
occurs when exercising at or slightly below the lactate
threshold. What matters is the rate of energy expenditure, rather than simply
the percentage of energy expenditure derived from
fat. Since you use only carbohydrates when exercising at a high intensity, does
that mean that if you run fast or take a
high-intensity Spinning class, you won't get rid of that flabby belly? Of
course not. You don't need to use fat during exercise to
lose fat from your body.
* Running Economy
In 1930, David Dill and his colleagues were among the first physiologists to
suggest that there are marked differences in the amount
of oxygen different athletes use when running at the same speeds, and that these
differences in "economy" of oxygen use is a major
factor explaining differences in running performance in athletes with similar
VO2max values. For example, research has shown that,
while Kenyan runners have similar VO2max and lactate threshold values as their
American/European counterparts, the Kenyans are more
economical, possibly due to their light, non-muscular legs that interestingly
resemble those of thoroughbred race horses. The
heavier your legs, the more oxygen it costs to move them.
Running economy is probably even more important than the lactate threshold in
determining distance running performance because it
indicates how hard you're working in relation to your maximum ability to use
oxygen. For example, if two runners have a VO2max of
70 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute and a lactate
threshold pace of 7 minutes per mile, but Runner A
uses 50 and Runner B uses 60 milliliters of oxygen while running at 7:30 pace,
the pace feels easier for Runner A because he is more
economical. Therefore, Runner A can run faster before using the same amount of
oxygen and feeling the same amount of fatigue as
Runner B. I have yet to see a runner who has superior running economy who does
not also have a high VO2max and lactate threshold.
While many runners and coaches think that running economy is a reflection of
running form, it is more influenced by those
microscopic structures that influence oxygen delivery to and use by the
muscles--capillaries and mitochondria, the densities of
which are both enhanced with high mileage. Research has shown that runners who
run high mileage (more than 70 miles per week) tend
to be more economical, which leads one to believe that running high mileage
improves running economy. In addition to increasing
mitochondrial and capillary density, the greater repetition of running movements
may result in better biomechanics and muscle fiber
recruitment patterns and a synchronization of breathing and stride
rate, which may reduce the oxygen cost of breathing. Running economy may also
be improved by the weight loss that often accompanies
high mileage, which lowers the oxygen cost. Since VO2max plateaus with about 70
to 75 miles per week, improved running economy may
be the most significant attribute gained from running high mileage.
However, it's hard to prove cause and effect, since it is not entirely clear
whether high mileage runners become more economical by
running more miles or are innately more economical and can therefore handle
higher mileage.
Want to learn more about running economy? In my popular CD collection, The 3
Players of Distance Running, you'll get all the info
you could ever want on running economy as well as VO2max and lactate threshold,
including specific workouts to improve your running
performance! To order, just go to
http://www.runcoachjason.com/merchandise or e-mail
mailto:jason@....
To view past newsletters go to: http://www.runcoachjason.com/newsletter
Copyright Jason Karp All Rights Reserved - http://www.runcoachjason.com


3. Raining Kenyans:
Out of the dark and the thick vegetation they come. Spectral figures gliding
silently across the damp, red earth. It is a primal,
almost primeval scene. But then a guttural comment or a giggle betrays them.
They may look like wraiths but there is little more
substantial on earth. This is the Kenyan cross-country squad, fine-tuning for
the World Championships in Turin on Sunday. When the
weekend is over, they will almost certainly rule the world. Again. For the time
being, this is 6am on the dirt paths around St
Mark’s Teacher Training College in Kenya’s Central Highlands, about two hours’
drive north of Nairobi.
There is no small irony in this whole procedure of bringing their elite
squad to Kigari for a month before the World
Championships. Nairobi, where most of these athletes live, is already over 1600
metres (5,500ft) above sea level, ample for the
altitude training which has long been recognised as beneficial to any endurance
event. But, as head coach Dan Muchoki tells us:
“Nairobi is just as polluted as any big city nowadays so it’s fresher up here;
also there are fewer distractions.” Paul Tergat,
world champion for the last two years, confirms the benefits of squad training.
“Running together three times a day for a month, you
get to know the strengths and weaknesses of your team-mates, and you can work on
that, so by the time of the World Championships, we
are really strong.”
“Up here,” is over 7,000ft high on the South-eastern slopes of Mount Kenya.
After the early morning run (only 10km today) the
squad, top finishers in the senior and junior nationals last month, then
congregate for a light breakfast of boiled eggs, bread and
jam, washed down with the milky, sugary tea which could well have originated on
the surrounding plantations. There is a short break
before they get down to the “serious” work around 10am. Since this is less than
a week before Turin, the load is being eased. After
20 minutes of jogging and stretching, Muchoki supervises a 30-minute intensive
sprint session, with four groups criss-crossing
diagonally on the college hockey field, with the now cloud-capped peak as a
backdrop. After lunch, they will run another 10km,
individually if they wish, around 4.30pm. This is already impressive, but
Muchoki relates that a month earlier the “serious” session
was probably two to three times longer. “They start off doing 220km a week and
we gradually come down to around 120km. The women
will do about 60 per cent of that load.”
More...from Globe Runner at:
http://www.globerunner.org/blog/?p=12


4. The Well Podcast: Cancer and Exercise:
Several studies have shown a link between exercise and lower cancer risk.
However, the message often isn’t well received by patients
who think it blames the victim by suggesting they wouldn’t have cancer had they
just been more active.
That’s what I learned this week when I blogged about a new study suggesting
cancer patients don’t exercise any more than the rest of
us. The finding is troubling because some studies suggest exercise improves
cancer survival, signaling that cancer patients have
much to gain from exercising after a diagnosis.
But more than 100 readers responded to the article, and many of them complained
that it was judgmental and blamed cancer patients
for their plight. They added that exercise and calorie-counting are not
priorities to a cancer survivor. I invited Leslie Bernstein,
a noted cancer and exercise researcher from the City of Hope cancer center in
Duarte, Calif., to talk about it.
Listen to the podcast at:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/the-well-podcast-cancer-and-exercise/


5. Getting to racing weight for triathletes:
Carrying a couple of extra kilograms of bodyweight a few weeks out from your
first major race leaves no time to reduce the deficit
in a healthy and performance enhancing way. The fat or obese person can probably
just increase their exercise level and hey, the fat
count will drop off. However, you are probably a different animal, training hard
or at the very least above 'normal' and for the
most part eating quite well. So how do you go about hitting your optimal weight?
Weight (fat) loss from an athletic perspective cannot just be about nil by mouth
as this will limit your performance in training,
and anyway 95% of 'crash' diets fail in the first few weeks. Instead you must
attack fat loss with an holistic approach with optimum
nutrition and exercise intensity. We know that fat loss will only occur when
energy output exceeds energy intake, regardless of the
diet’s macro nutrient mixture (fad diets that will not work long term).
So, why don’t the diets work?
A prudent dietary approach to weight loss unbalances the energy equation just
enough to cause change. Therefore, by reducing energy
intake by around 500 kcal below daily energy expenditure will produce greater
fat loss in relation to the energy deficit (you must
be able to train/ recover) than a more severe energy-restricted diet. It has
also been show that to crash diet the body restricts
the amount of fat being burnt (which is after all our aim).
So, should you just go out and train as hard as you can, eating as little as
possible? It’s so much easier than that, especially for
your first two phases of training (base I & base II).
More...from Tri247 at:
http://www.tri247.com/article_2936_Getting+to+racing+weight+for+triathletes.html\
?category=training



6. Tough job: Volunteers needed for chocolate study
Calling all chocoholics: British researchers recruiting volunteers willing to
eat a bar of chocolate daily for a year, guilt-free
and all in the name of science.
The trial starting in June will explore whether compounds called flavonoids
found in chocolate and other foods can reduce the risk
of heart disease for menopausal women with type 2 diabetes, the researchers said
on Monday.
"We are looking at a high risk group first," said Aedin Cassidy, a biochemist at
the University of East Anglia, who will lead the
study. "We hope there will be an additional benefit from dietary intervention in
addition to the women's drug therapy."
Previous studies have suggested dark chocolate is rich in the beneficial
compounds linked with heart health but experts note the
high sugar and fat content of most commercially available chocolate might cancel
out some of the advantages.
A host of other research has also shown dark chocolate appears to lower blood
pressure, improve the function of blood vessels and
reduce the risk of heart attack.
More...from Reuters at:
http://features.us.reuters.com/wellbeing/news/L28554958.html


7. Hypertension: In Retreat, but Hardly Vanquished :
As with cholesterol levels, the concept of a normal blood pressure has fallen
strikingly as doctors learn what it takes to preserve
good health. Decades ago, for example, my brother, Jeff, who had high blood
pressure that hovered between 160/80 and 170/90, would
have been considered normal.
Lacking good treatments for hypertension, no doctor was concerned when, at age
57, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s blood pressure
was 170/90. And so the president’s blood pressure rose inexorably over the next
six years, and on April 12, 1945, at age 63 and with
a pressure of 200/110, he died of a brain hemorrhage caused by severe
hypertension.
But in 2000, when Jeff was 54, his cardiologist knew better. Now with excellent
treatments, most often used in combination, an
elevated pressure can be lowered to normal in most people. His doctor said that,
with our family’s medical history of three
coronaries on our father’s side occurring at ages 56 and 58, something should be
done to protect Jeff’s health.
Jeff’s treatment “evolved” until he was taking a daily three-pill cocktail —
Diovan HCT, a combination of a diuretic and angiotensin
II receptor blocker; Norvasc, a calcium channel blocker; and Toprol XL, a beta
blocker. He also works out on a treadmill several
times a week, runs up and down stairs at home and at work all day, and eats a
mostly heart-healthy diet, including five to 10
servings of fruits and vegetables a day, whole grain breads, nonfat milk and no
added salt.
With his blood pressure now at 106/66, the low end of normal, my brother has
thus far escaped a premature coronary death.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/health/22brod.html?_r=1&ref=fitnessandnutritio\
n&oref=slogin



8. 'Tuning up' performance - music and videos as ergogenic aids:
Elite professional sport is now so competitive that few elite athletes can
afford to ignore the psychological skills and techniques
required to enhance mental toughness. Recent research has seen some creative
approaches to developing psychological skills, such as
listening to carefully selected music and watching personal motivational videos.
Andy Lane evaluates these new techniques, explains
how they can be assessed and suggests ways in which they can be incorporated
into training
Music as an ergogenic aid
Music can play an important part in the preparation process for sport
performance. The sight of athletes wearing headphones in
warm-up areas before competition is commonplace, and club anthems are often
played as teams come out to play. The proposed
performance-enhancing effect of crowd noise and crowd singing is also well
documented anecdotally.
Sport psychology researchers have recently sought to move from anecdotal to
scientific knowledge in this area. The development of a
scientific evidence base for the effects of music and motivational videos
requires researchers to design appropriately controlled
studies that seek to control for a number of factors that could affect the
results. The scientific base for these new ideas is
emerging with encouraging results from initial tests.
Cutting-edge research to investigate the effects of music on psychological
states is led by my academic sparring partner and former
Brunel University colleague, Dr Costas Karageorghis. Karageorghis suggests that
music may elicit a number of psycho-physiological
responses that lead to improved performance.
More...from Peak Performance at:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/a-creative-approach-to-sports-psychology-35894


9. Building Strength and Muscle without Illegal Substances:
Every week the media comes out with a new story of another amateur or
professional athlete using steroids. For athletes and health
fanatics it seems they are willing to do whatever they believe is necessary to
get results, and ignore the risk involved in using
illegal substances.
According to studies and research, using anabolic steroids merely inflates your
muscles (hence the term "juiced") and does not
provide permanent results. There are also several harmful side effects of
steroid use, like diabetes, rage, aggression,
uncontrollable mood-swings and significant changes to body systems that are not
natural to the user's gender.
Several years ago, a widely respected and still used natural supplement Endothil
CR entered the market. Dr. David Summers, the
creator of Endothil CR, says that body builders and athletes are using this
product instead of steroids to build and sustain
strength and muscle mass.
Summers further stated, "I have spent the last two years on my newest
formulation and next generation natural fitness supplement for
men and women called Stemulite. It is a stronger formulation than Endothil and
now has seven key all-natural ingredients of very
effective and targeted natural proteins, enzymes and amino acids, including a
stem cell agonist and a trace mineral called indium."
More...from ARA Lifestyle at:
http://aralifestyle.com/article.aspx?UserFeedGuid=95c76156-b007-4a71-82f0-e3a80f\
4b5a6a&ArticleId=1210&title=Building-Strength-and-Mu

scle-without-Illegal-Subst
[Long URL]


10. Overweight warning: More than exercise needed
Exercise will not cut the risk of heart disease in those who are overweight
unless they also slim down, according to a study of
thousands of U.S. women published on Monday.
"Even high quantities of physical activity are unlikely to fully reverse the
risk of coronary heart disease in overweight and obese
women without concurrent weight loss," Dr. Amy Weinstein and colleagues at
Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported.
"Regardless of body weight, (the findings) highlight the importance of
counseling all women to participate in increasing amounts of
regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight to reduce the risk of
coronary heart disease," they concluded.
More...from Reuters at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2848216220080428


11. Fueling the Runner: Nutrition Over the Long Haul:
Jackie's Marathon Nutrition Plan from the Trenches.
The Marathon – Just saying the name of the event may make your stomach churn.
Some may think of it as a glorious long run while
others recall it as pain provoking 26.2 miles. No matter how you feel about
running a marathon, I think many will agree the more
prepared you are, the better the race plays out.
Preparation for a marathon can take multiple forms. There's no question, that
there is a level of fitness to achieve. And in
achieving fitness, it is very important to maintain a balance in the training
progression as to arrive race day injury free. There
are also various aspects of nutrition that factor into the preparation of the
marathon. Specifically, the importance of race
nutrition cannot be neglected.
I recently had the privilege to run the Olympic Trials Marathon. I managed to
achieve great fitness leading into the marathon.
Unfortunately, my body broke down in trying to over compensate for an injury.
My preparation fell short in terms of arriving race
day injury free. However, I still had a marathon to conquer and knew race day
nutrition could not be abandoned.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=13317


12. Eat More Protein:
Runners skimp on this key nutrient--but you need more than you think.
Go to any prerace party or postrun potluck and you'll see legions of runners
twirling forks in huge plates of spaghetti. And why
not? Carbs are king, right? Except you may be missing out on another essential
running nutrient, especially if you've been following
the government's dietary guidelines. In September, the International Society of
Sports Nutrition (ISSN) released a position paper by
nine researchers in the field of protein and exercise. Their message? People who
engage in regular exercise, like runners, don't
just need more calories than desk jockeys, they need more protein.
"With every footstrike, a runner carries two to seven times his or her body
weight," says Douglas Kalman, Ph.D., R.D., who has done
extensive research on the effects of protein in athletes. "Protein is what keeps
your body healthy under all that strain." Adequate
protein intake accelerates muscle growth and speeds recovery by helping rebuild
muscle fibers stressed during a run. Since protein
helps muscles heal faster, runners who consume the right amount are less likely
to get injured. The reverse is also true, according
to the authors of the ISSN paper: Athletes who get insufficient amounts of
protein are at a higher risk of injury.
What's more, high-protein intake has been shown to help maintain a strong immune
system. "After an intense bout of exercise, your
immune system is weakened for about four to five hours," says Richard Kreider,
Ph.D., one of the ISSN study's authors and head of
the Exercise and Nutrition Laboratory at Baylor University. "Protein stimulates
white blood cells, which helps shield against
upper-respiratory problems." Military research studies show that Marines who
ingested high amounts of protein had fewer medical
visits than those with lower protein intake.
More...from Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-300--12554-0,00.html?cm_re=HP-\
_-Top_5_Articles-_-Eat%20More%20Protein

[Long URL]


13. The Coaching Files: Drink To Your Health… And Performance:
Chris Carmichael
Over the past several months, I’ve been asked most frequently about making the
best hydration choices for specific events. The truth
is, what you drink matters as much as how much you consume, and both of these
variables change as your events or training sessions
get longer. Hydration doesn’t begin and end with the fluids in your water
bottles though; making sure you’re adequately hydrated
prior to starting your workout improves your performance more than anything you
eat or drink while on the bike. For most athletes,
this means consuming about a gallon of fluids (128 ounces) every day, which is
over a 30% increase over what sedentary individuals
need in order to stay hydrated. This gallon of fluids (some of which you’ll get
from food) doesn’t include the water and sports
drinks you consume during your workouts, and your decisions about fluids during
training depend on the intensity and duration of
your workout.
The Hour of Power
Training sessions and races that last about an hour are usually very intense;
indoor cycling classes offer just one example. As a
result of the intensity, athletes tend to sweat profusely, leading to
significant losses of both body fluids and electrolytes. A
warm environment in a gym during an indoor cycling class, and/or poor air
circulation, contributes to even higher sweat rates.
Replenishing ones fluids is the most crucial goal when consuming fluids during
these short, intense training sessions. Water or
simple electrolyte replacement drinks are good choices because they are rapidly
absorbed and most athletes find them more palatable
during high-intensity exercise.
More from CTS at:
http://www.trainright.com/articles.asp?uid=3392


14. This Week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Abel Anton (ESP) won the Flora London (ENG) Marathon by ten
seconds over Abdelkader
El Mouaziz (MAR), 2:07:57 to 2:08:07. Antonio Pinto (POR) was
3rd in 2:08:13.
Catherina McKiernan (IRL) won the women's race in 2:26:26,
followed by Liz McColgan
(SCO) in 2:26:54 and Joyce Chepchumba (KEN) in 2:27:22.
20 Years Ago- Ravil Kashapov (RUS) won the European Cup (BEL) Marathon with a
2:11:30. Alessio
Faustini (ITA) took the silver medal in 2:11:52 while Alain
Lazare (NCL), representing
FRA took the bronze medal in 2:12:24. Katrin Dörre (GER) won the
gold medal for the
women with a 2:28:28. Raisa Smekhnova (BLR) was the silver
medalist in 2:28:40 while
the bronze medal went to Zoya Ivanova (KAZ), both the latter
representing the Soviet Union.
30 Years Ago- Massimo Magnani won the ITA marathon championship over Paolo
Accaputo, 2:16:46 to
2:18:36. Michelangelo Arena was 3rd in 2:20:53.
40 Years Ago- Van Nelson (USA) won both the 3 mile and 6 miles at the Drake
Relays (IA/USA). His times
were 13:17.4 for the 3 mile and 28:22 for the 6 mile.
50 Years Ago- Osvaldo Roberto Suarez (ARG) won the South American Road
Championship (URU) Half Marathon
with a time of 1:12:38.
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.


15. An Hour Before the Start:
By Valery Borzov
This article, condensed from the original text, is from the vault of Legkaya
Atletika, (1:89-9, 1979) and is the great Russian
sprint champion’s account of his own mental preparation prior to a race. If you
ask an athlete what he does and thinks about in the
final moments before a competitive event, you may get an answer like: “My
immediate preparation for
competition is a sort of ritual. It is very personal, my own domain, and if I
divulge it, it will cease to be ‘mine.’”
I am on the warm-up track. It’s familiar. I was here just yesterday. As a rule,
I meet old acquaintances - coaches, athletes,
journalists - before the warm-up. Our talk usually focuses on distribution of
effort, on definite competitors, and the length of
spikes on running shoes. But my eyes, ears, and thoughts were afar off. I was
interested in other things: how the opponents looked,
their height and weight, how they looked on their feet, how they walked,
mimicry, gestures, whom they were looking at, how they were
talking and about what, how many minutes before the start the warm-up is begun,
and how long it was before the start. If it’s cold,
I begin an hour and 10 minutes beforehand; if warm, an hour. I start to
warm up 40 minutes before a final if the semi-final was held an hour-and-a-half
to two hours earlier. An hour is left... Just enough
time to get the body ready, but plenty of time not to
omit something, to make a mistake in choosing warm-up tempo, to burn out the
nerves, to lose what had been built up by years of
training.
More...from the Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre at:
http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/UserFiles/File/Sport%20Science/Psychology/Genera\
l%20Concepts/Borsov%20An%20hour%20before%20the%20sta

rt.pdf


16. Blisters - A rite of spring?
Monday, April 21, 2008. The 112th running of the Boston Marathon. Helena
Carvalho was two-thirds of the way to a
three-hour-and-49-minute finish at one of the world's premier sporting events.
But with every graceful stride towards that finish, something nasty was brewing
beneath the athletic sock on her left foot. A great
big, bulging purple blister.
"I could feel it starting. And then the stickiness, I thought, 'oh, it's seeping
out a little bit, there's going to be a big stain
on my sock.'"
Despite the pain, the 44-year-old resident of Brampton, Ont., carried on and
finished her second Boston Marathon in as many years.
"I saw these signs along the [marathon route] — 'pain is temporary, glory is
forever.' I thought, forget all this pain and keep
going."
Blisters, like the one that plagued Carvalho, are caused by friction. But you
don't have to run a marathon to develop them.
Blisters form when fluid from blood vessels leaks into the skin. The fluid —
which is usually clear — collects beneath the outer
layer of skin forming the typical raised bump.
More...from the CBC at:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/04/24/f-health-blisters.html


17. Train Hard, Win Easy. The Kenyan Way:
Watch the video at YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dmjQfCYEtQ&feature=related


18. Fast-Food Liver Damage Can Be Reversed, Experts Say:
Diets high in fast food can be highly toxic to the liver and other internal
organs, but that damage can be reversed, says one of the
country’s leading experts on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, who offers four
steps to undo the effects of a 'super-size me' diet.
It was probably enough to make many Americans lose their appetite: A recent
study from Europe showed that eating too much fast food
– a diet high in fat and sugar – could cause serious damage to your liver.
Yet for those who overdo it with too many trips to their favorite burger joint,
there’s good news. You can likely reverse the damage
to your liver and other vital organs if you simply give up the unhealthy
lifestyle, according to a leading liver specialist at Saint
Louis University who conducted a similar study with mice.
“There’s strong evidence now that a fast-food type of diet – high in fat and
sugar, the kind of diet many Americans subsist on – can
cause significant damage to your liver and have extremely serious consequences
for your health,” says Brent Tetri, M.D., professor
of internal medicine at the Saint Louis University Liver Center and one of the
country’s leading experts on non-alcoholic fatty
liver disease.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430204519.htm


19. Plantar Fasciitis – the most common cause of heel pain:
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar Fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia, a strong band of
tissue (similar to a tendon) which stretches from the
heel to the five toes at the bottom of the foot. This band of tissue supports
the arch of the foot. The inflammation usually occurs
as a result of repetitive trauma to the tissue where it attaches to the heel
bone. As we stand and apply weight to the foot, the
arch drops and the plantar fascia becomes taut. Plantar Fasciitis occurs when
the weight applied to the foot becomes so great that
the tension in the plantar fascia increases, causing damage as it begins to pull
away from the heel bone.
What are the causes?
~ Biomechanical factors such as excessive pronation (flat feet), high arches or
tight Achilles tendon
~ Poorly cushioned shoes
~ Poor arch support in shoes
~ Repetitive pressure of the feet from activities requiring prolonged weight
bearing activities such as walking or running
~ Rapid change in activity level
~ Wearing high heels
~ Running up hills or on toes
What are the symptoms?
The pain from Plantar Fasciitis can present as a dull ache or sharp pain on
weight bearing.
Post-rest pain occurs after a long period of rest, such as after walking in the
morning or prolonged sitting. A sharp pain is felt
that usually subsides after being on the affected foot for approximately ten
minutes allowing the fascia has warmed up.
More...from Tri247 at:
http://www.tri247.com/article_2929_Physio+Corner%3A+Plantar+Fasciitis.html?categ\
ory=training



20. Digest Briefs:
* Explainer: ACTN3
The ACTN3 gene comes in two variants and the test developed by the Australian
biotech firm Genetic Technologies distinguishes
between them. The test is based on research published by scientists at the
University of Sydney and the Australian National
University in Canberra. In a study published in the American Journal of Human
Genetics in 2003, the researchers compared the
versions of the ACTN3 gene present in 429 elite athletes from 14 different
sports (50 of whom competed in the Olympic games) with
436 volunteers. The researchers found that elite performers were more likely to
have particular combinations of the gene variants
compared to the volunteer group.
Genetic Technologies claims this research allows it to distinguish between
sprinters and endurance athletes with a simple mouth swab
test. It says people with one version of the ACTN3 gene are predisposed to
become sprinters, while those with the other are better
suited to endurance events. Scientists in the UK have been skeptical about such
interpretations. They argue that a single research
study is not enough to prove that the ACTN3 test can meaningfully determine
athletic ability - a series of studies would be
required.
But researchers acknowledge the importance of genes in physical ability - they
are thought to determine up to 40% of a person's
potential. At the elite level, where even the smallest advantage can be the
difference between winning and losing, the genetic
factor is therefore critical. All else being equal, winning an Olympic gold
medal would be near impossible without a
close-to-perfect genetic contribution.
* Perceptions: Go Ahead, Put the Water Bottle Down
Drinking a lot of water is supposed to be healthy, but there is apparently
little scientific support for the belief. A review of
clinical studies has found no evidence that drinking eight glasses of water a
day, the usual recommendation, is beneficial to a
healthy person.
Numerous claims have been made about water — that it prevents headaches, removes
dangerous “poisons,” improves the function of
various organs and is associated with reduced risk for various diseases. But
none of these is supported by scientific evidence. The
authors were not even able to find a study leading to the “eight glasses a day”
rule, whose origin remains unknown.
The researchers, in the June issue of The Journal of the American Society of
Nephrology, say some studies have found evidence that
drinking extra water helps the kidneys clear sodium, and long-term sodium
retention might increase the risk of hypertension, but no
clinical significance for the phenomenon has been established. Water also helps
clear urea, but urea is not a toxin.
There is “intriguing” evidence that water might help decrease appetite and
control weight gain, write the authors, who say this
might be worth more research.
“Under normal circumstances,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a co-author and a
professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania,
“drinking extra water is unnecessary. I want to relieve people of the burden of
schlepping water bottles around all day long.”
From the NY Times
* Nostrums: Study Critiques Antioxidant Supplements
A review of 67 randomized trials of antioxidant supplements has found no
evidence that they prolong life, and strong evidence that
they might shorten it. The trials included almost a quarter-million
participants, including healthy people and those with various
diseases.
Over all, the authors of the review paper found, antioxidant supplements had no
effect on mortality. But in the strongest studies
(19 double-blind trials with good randomization and follow-up), supplements in
doses considerably larger than those in typical
multivitamin pills appeared to increase the risk of death, by 16 percent for
vitamin A, 7 percent for beta carotene, and 4 percent
for vitamin E. It made no difference whether the groups tested were healthy or
ill. Vitamin C and selenium, on the other hand, had
no discernible effect.
The authors state their conclusions firmly. “Beta carotene, vitamin A and
vitamin E ,” they write, “given singly or combined with
other antioxidant supplements significantly increase mortality.”
The study, published April 16 in The Cochrane Library, also concludes that more
research on vitamin C and selenium is needed. But
the authors warn that given the risks of antioxidant supplements in general,
such work must be undertaken under the direction of
safety committees and with careful independent monitoring of data as it
accumulates.
From the NY Times


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

May 3, 2008:
Cumberland Duathlon - Cumberland, ON

Disney's Go Red for Women 5K - Orlando, FL

May 4, 2008:
Blue Cross Broad Street Run 10 Miler - Philadelphia, PA

CareFirst Frederick Marathon - Frederick, MD

Disney's Women Run the World 15K - Orlando, FL

Eugene Marathon - Eugene, OR

Flying Pig Marathon - Cincinnati, OH

Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K - Spokane, WA

New Jersey Marathon - Long Branch, NJ

Niketown 5K for Kids - Denver, CO

Place d'Orleans Half-Marathon, 10&5K - Orleans, ON

Potomac River Run Marathon & Half Marathon - Alexandria, VA

Run for the Red Marathon - Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania

Sporting Life 10K - Toronto, ON
Live Results - www.sportstats.ca

St. Croix Triathlon - US Virgin Islands

Union-Tribune Race for Literacy 8K - San Diego, CA

May 5, 2008:
Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon - Ireland


Saturday, June 21, 2008
Emilie's Run - The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K race for Women
http://www.emiliesrun.com
Over $7,000 in prize money for top individual and teams
In 2007 45 women broke 20:00!

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.

Ken Parker
Runner's Web
mailto: webmaster@...
http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html
A running and triathlon resource portal
Runner's Web Online Store
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RunnersWebCoach
http://www.runnerswebcoach.com

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RUNNER'S WEB AFFILIATE PROGRAMS:
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All revenue from advertisers and affiliate programs goes into the support of
running and triathlon through sponsorship of events,
teams, clinics and fund raising programs for Canada's Olympic athletes.

XM Satellite Radio
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Peak Performance Online:
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Carmichael Training Systems at:
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Reebok
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Your very own personal trainer at a fraction of the cost
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Check out TotalWellness's mp3 Personal Training Program - only 5% the Cost of
Regular Personal Training!
http://www.totalwellnessconsulting.ca/fitter_u_totalwellness.htm

Geezer Jock Magazine, The Masters Sports & Fitness Magazine
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Mental Strength Training Center:
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National Bike Registry
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Buy Paula Radcliffe's book, My Story - So Far, from Amazon UK at:
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ShoeWallet.com has set out on a mission to enable people to easily carry ID and
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information.
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SportsShoes in the UK
http://www.sportsshoes.com/index.php?id=149

Visit on AssociatesShop.com Online Bookstore for running and triathlon books:
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TrainingPeaks.com by Wes Hobson.
Find the training program that fits you at:
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TriSwim Coach - The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming
http://hop.clickbank.net/?rhianyth/triswim1

If you have an accident while running or cycling, do you want your family to be
contacted? Do you want to receive immediate and
proper medical treatment?
If so, make this cool item part of your gear -- for safety and peace of mind.
Road ID has created 4 awesome ways for athletes to
wear ID: the SHOE, the WRIST, the ANKLE, and the NECK. Get your RoadID at:
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The Stretching Handbook:
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/cmd.php?af=245575&u=http://www.thestretchin\
ghandbook.com/newsletter.php

The Stretching Video in a DVD version. With the DVD version you're able to use
the convenient menu facility to:
* Go directly to a specific stretch;
* View only stretches for a specific muscle group;
* Pause each stretch to get a good look at how it is performed;
* View only the introduction and rules for safe stretching; or
* Play the entire video from start to finish.
Buy the DVD at:
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/cgi-bin/at.pl?a=286905&e=products/video-dvd\
.htm


NEW SUBSCRIBERS:
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*** END OF RUNNER'S AND TRIATHLETE'S WEB DIGEST...***




Fri May 2, 2008 5:38 pm

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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...
Ken Parker
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