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
Emilie's Run is over for another year. Almost 300 women completed the race with
38 women running under 20:00
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

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, September 28, 2008
http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

5. Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon - October 19, 2008
http://www.torontomarathon.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. On August 5, 2008, uber ultra-runner Karl Meltzer will set off on the
biggest race of his life. His challenge: to run the entire
length of the 2,174-mile in less than 47 days.
Definitely daunting. Absolutely grueling. Probably insane. But when he does it,
he'll rule the AT as the guy who conquered it, all
of it, the fastest on two feet.
This is going to be Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Self, Man vs. Clock - and it's going
to be good. So, check back. As Karl's start date
draws near, this site will transform into mission control. With an interactive
map featuring real-time GPS tracking of his progress,
a blog, forums, videos, pictures and podcasts, whereskarl.com will be the place
to keep track of the Speed Goat as he ticks off the
miles on his way from Maine to Georgia. In the meantime, sign up for email
updates* on Karl's training and racing leading up to his
AT attack, feature additions to this site, and occasional discounts from
Backcountry.com and other sponsors
Check it out at:
http://whereskarl.com/?utm_source=runnersweb&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=ad1&u\
tm_campaign=whereskarl

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/

13. Labour Day Oakville Half-Marathon and 10/2K - Oakville, ON
http://www.oakvillehalfmarathon.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:
Free Shipping with Under ArmourR
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/tplclick?lid=41000000024875861&pubid=2100000000\
0028567

Get FREE SHIPPING on everything at NikeStore.com when you enter 4JULY4 at
checkout
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/tplclick?lid=41000000024851903&pubid=2100000000\
0028567

New Balance Men's 708 Running Shoe for $29.97 - 40% off
URL:
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/tplclick?lid=41000000024847565&pubid=2100000000\
0028567

Save 20% on All Orders at Puma.com - code JUNE20 - ends 7/4
URL:
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/tplclick?lid=41000000024809299&pubid=2100000000\
0028567

Watch live and webcast of Track and Field and Road races on WCSN.
Sign up at:
http://www.wcsn.com/sport/index.jsp?id=34003&affiliateID=hptRunWebLNAV1A021208&p\
artnerId=hptRunWebLNAV1A021208

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 2,393 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

* BREAKSWEAT.TV
We have partnered with Breaksweat TV to provide us with video content.
Simply Sports Media is part of a large group called Simply Media, which operates
more than 25 digital TV channels, including 6 on
satellite and cable. Simply Media has developed and continues to expand on
premium content for TV, web, mobile, captive Audience
Networks, and IPTV.
Breaksweat.tv was recently launched to provide instant access to premium video
content covering outdoor sports. The innovative
online channel uses a system called, Brightcove to continually and seamlessly
deliver content to its users, whilst providing
easy-to-use navigation.
Breaksweat TV is not a user generated website, or a broadcasting channel; rather
it is a platform used to host Breaksweat.tv's
independently produced video content, and content it obtains from key
relationships in the outdoor sports industry. By applying this
strategy to supply content for its viewers, SnowZone.tv is able to showcase
video content that is unique, high-quality, and
continuous filled with updated material.
For more information and to visit other existing channels in the Simply Media
network, please visit:
http://www.simply.tv/

* 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 TWO personal postings this week.
ONE:
The 2008 Lake County Triathlon is happening August 10, 2008 in Lake Zurich
Illinois!
It's one of the best of the Mid West!!!
More Info:
www.lakecountytriathlon.com
Register at:
http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1593191&assetId=c8a6c458-6\
0b7-4cae-a1a6-cc41a5e19c7b
Questions? Email mailto:kchung@...
TWO:
Jacques Rogge and Olympic Committee: Please move Marathon, Triathlon, and
Cycling out of Beijing's Deadly Air Pollution!
Carbon Monoxide, Industrial Pollution,Lead,Particulate Matter, Ozone....
Please read my most recent article, in which I ask Jacques Rogge and the
International Olympic Committee to move the venues for the
Endurance Competitions, like Marathon, Triathlon, and Cycling, out of Beijing's
Smog:
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=52987&ret=AccountDtl.aspx
If you know Olympic athletes, physicians, sports enthusiasts, and
internationally minded people, please forward this to them, and to
friends and colleagues. I look forward to your reply!
Thanks so very much,
Stephen Fox, Managing Editor Santa Fe Sun News
mailto:stephen@...


THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Dr. Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine
2. Energy and Electrolyte Drink Comparison
3. Dehydration - Sweat Loss and Electrolyte Replacement
4. Fatigue: What's the cost of sore muscles?
5. Uncommonly Big Hearts May Not Harm Athletes
6. Peaking to Race
7. Biomechanics of running: From faulty movement patterns come injuries
8. This Week in Running
9. The World's Longevity Secrets
10. The Greatest Races: The Men's Marathon
Legendary battles and heroes.
11. Skyscraper Run-Ups: What It Takes To Be An Extreme Athlete
12. Post-Exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel
13. Technique and Endurance Development of Young Children
14. Magnesium--The Natural Statin
15. Athletes use Viagra for a competitive edge, experts say
16. Marathon runners: Metabolic markers of peak performance
17. Contemporary LSD
Long, slow distance training - A new slant on an old training concept.
18. 'Fast' Does Not Equal Strong
19. Determining Functional Threshold Pace (FTP)
20. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"Paula Radcliffe is recovering from a stress fracture but stills hopes to run
the Beijing Olympic Marathon. How will she do?"

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:
"Should an Olympic athlete be banned for life after their first doping offense?"
Answers Percent
1. Yes 75%
2. No 25%


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE MONTH: The Runner's Tribe, Side By Side, Stride By Stride.
The Runner's Tribe believes, quite simply, that running is the most pure form of
physical endeavor known to humans. Being the first
and foremost true world sport, the basic process of running occurs daily the
world over wherever there are people.
At its most basic level running needs no fancy or expensive equipment, no
man-made constructions, or sterile playing arenas. Runners
are free to enjoy the solitude of nature either by themselves, or with a group
of friends around them.
The Runner's Tribe believes that running is vital for the health of society as a
whole. In today's modern world, kids growing up
turn to video games instead of playing outdoors, movies instead of weekend
sport, or junk food instead of a play at the park.
Furthermore, the percentage of overweight people continues to climb, as do rates
of depression. We believe that running acts as a
natural form of medicine, increasing self-confidence and improving both mental
and physical health.
The Runner's Tribe also believes in the value of taking running to the elite
level and acknowledges the amazing athletes who
dedicate much of their lives to the pursuit of superior fitness. Running is one
of our truly world sports, thus making success at
the elite level rare indeed. We believe that the level of dedication required to
be an Olympic runner exceeds the commitment
required for most other sports.
The world's best runners hail from all corners of the globe, from Nigeria to
London, New Zealand to Zurich. It isn't a sport
dominated by one nationality, nor is it structured in a way that only wealthy
people can gain access to it. We believe that these
amazing athletes do not receive the recognition that they deserve. We hope to
improve the profile of athletics at an elite level and
help aspiring elite athletes realise their dreams.
Check out the site at:
http://www.runnerstribe.com/mission.html

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

BOOK/VIDEO OF THE MONTH: Out of Nowhere: The Inside Story of How Nike Marketed
the Culture of Running
By Geoff Hollister
Synopsis
How does a boy from a small Oregon farm town get swept up in the politics of his
chosen sport? Out of Nowhere takes the reader along
on Geoff Hollister's 33 year journey at the center of Nike, the company that
would change not only the world of athletic shoes and
apparel but the business of sport itself.
Nike began with a handshake and a few hundred dollars passed between Phil Knight
and legendary track coach Bill Bowerman. Hollister
was coached by him at the University of Oregon and was Bowerman's pick as Nike's
third employee. Before he had even graduated
Hollister began selling shoes out of the trunk of his car for Blue Ribbon
Sports, the company that became Nike.
Out of Nowhere provides an inside look for the entrepreneur, from someone who
experienced the humble beginnings, lived and breathed
the first 33 years of Nike, now the largest sports and fitness company in the
world. Hollister takes you on the rollercoaster ride
of success and failure.
Buy the book from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/184126234X/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. Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine:
* Fatigue or heatstroke? Know when to stop exercising
After you have played a long tennis match on a hot summer day, you feel weaker
and less accurate with your shots. The fatigue,
muscle weakness, tired aching feeling and decreased coordination that you get in
any sport lasting several hours is caused by low
levels of fluids, salt or calories. There are no early warning signals. By the
time you feel hungry, you have already run low on
calories and are ready to crash. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already
severely dehydrated and feel weak and tired. By the
time you are low on salt, you already have tired, aching or burning muscles;
feel weak, tired and dizzy; and may already have muscle
cramps.
The primary limiting factor in sports that require great endurance is the time
it takes for your heart to pump oxygen in your
bloodstream from your lungs into your muscles. A study from the University of
Connecticut (Medicine and Science in Sports and
Exercise, May, 2006) shows that with dehydration, your heart beats with far less
force so it pumps far less blood with each beat,
and is unable to bring as much oxygen to your muscles.
You can't depend on thirst to tell you when you lack fluids. Certain brain cells
called osmoreceptors tell you when you are thirty,
but only after the salt concentration of your blood has risen considerably. When
you exercise, you sweat. Sweat contains far more
water than salt in comparison to blood. So you lose far more water than salt
during exercise and blood levels of salt rise. By the
time that a your blood salt concentration is high enough to trip off the
osmoreceptors, you are severely dehydrated and it is too
late for you to be able to drink enough during exercise to catch up with your
water deficit. On the other hand, if you take salt
with fluids, then your blood salt levels rise faster and tell you that you are
thirsty earlier.
There are other reasons that you should take salt with fluids during prolonged
exercise. First, it helps prevent muscle cramps.
Remember, during exercise you lose salt and water. If you are replacing only
water, you can eventually take in so much water that
your salt levels drop to cause muscle cramps. Second, even though salt is a mild
diuretic at rest, during exercise it helps your
body to retain water. So when you are going to exercise for more than a couple
hours, particularly in hot weather, drink small
amounts frequently and eat salted foods such as peanuts. Always stop if you feel
sick, have chills, headache, severe muscle burning
or aching, dizziness, or blurred vision. Seek help if your symptoms do not
subside in a few minutes; you could be headed for heat
stroke that can kill you.
* How To Run Faster
If you don't run very fast in practice, you won't be able to run very fast in
races.
At the University of Copenhagen, Danish scientists studied experienced runners
who had been running 60 miles a week at a fast pace.
One group was told to cut their mileage in half to only 30 miles a week, but to
run a series of around 50 to 100 yard dashes as fast
as they could. The other group continued running 60 miles a week at a fast pace.
Runners who ran fewer miles at a faster pace had a
7 percent improvement in their body's maximal ability to take in and use oxygen.
Runners who did not increase their speed in practice did not improve, even
though they ran twice as many miles. Jogging slowly
reduces your chance of injury, but it won't help you to run fast. You can race
only as fast as you run in practice, but don't try to
run fast every day. Intense exercise damages muscles. Try to run fast once or
twice a week, never on consecutive days and don't run
fast when your legs feel heavy or hurt.
When I trained seriously for marathon running, I thought that the runner who ran
the most miles would be the best. I didn't become a
great runner, but I did become an expert on injuries. My patients seldom come to
me with a running injury that I haven't had.
Many top runners run more than 100 miles a week because their bodies have the
genetic ability to withstand such abuse, but the vast
majority of runners will never be able to run 100 miles a week without being
injured frequently. Furthermore, running a lot of miles
slowly will slow you in races. The ability to run fast in races depends more on
how fast you run in practice than on how many miles
you run each week. However, every time you run fast, your muscles are damaged
and feel sore on the next day, and it takes at least
48 hours for your muscles to heal enough to allow you to run comfortably again
at a very-fast pace. After every workout in which you
run very fast, take the next day off or run at a much slower pace. Most top
athletes plan their workouts so they run very fast only
two days a week. The same principles apply to any endurance sport.
Twelfth European Track Coaches Congress Acoteias, Portugal pp10-16. RRN January,
1991
* Progress Report on Our Training Program
Several of you have asked about our training progress since I retired from my
radio show and full-time medical practice. Diana and
I are a 66-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man who want to ride a tandem
bicycle faster than any one else in our age group. We know
that training for sports requires stressing and recovering. On one day, we take
a hard workout in which we ride as fast as we can,
feel sore the next morning, and then go slow for as many days as it takes for
the soreness to leave our muscles.
Since we often go to rallies on weekends, we usually ride very fast on Saturday
and Sunday. I feel so sore on Monday that I take
the day off, and then go slowly for the next four days
because it takes that long for my muscles to recover. So we are doing two hard
days, followed by a day off, then four recovery days
and repeat the cycle. I must tell you that training depends on how you feel, so
our schedules vary from week to week, depending on
how sore or tired we are. There are days when we plan to ride hard, but have
to take an extra easy day or even a day off, or we
can expect to become injured.
It took many years for us to get up to schedule we do now. Diana had never
exercised hard until she was in her late forties, so she
has built up gradually over the last 17 years. She
has never had a wear-and-tear injury from riding too much, but she has had three
serious injuries from crashes. On the other hand,
I have spent my lifetime trying to exercise hard all the time and have paid with
repeated, persistent wear-and-tear injuries. Until
recently, I just refused to take days off.
Last Saturday we raced 62 miles over a hilly course almost as fast as we could,
holding back a little because we knew that we had to
ride fast the next day also. On Sunday we raced 45 miles. On Monday, my legs
were so sore that I took the day off. On Tuesday, my
legs were still sore so we rode 20 slow miles. On Wednesday, my legs were still
tired so we rode 43 miles, mostly easy with slight
pickups when other riders came along. On Thursday, we rode 38 miles and on
Friday, 46 miles. That amounts to 253 miles for the
week with one day off. We are doing so many miles now that I try to stay off
my feet when I'm not riding, because I know that
walking and standing delay muscle recovery from hard exercise. We have several
wonderful cycling trips planned this summer and
will post some pictures soon.
* Dear Dr. Mirkin: Will exercising in the evening keep me awake at night?
Many fitness instructors give bad advice when they tell you not to exercise
within three hours before going to sleep, because
several studies show that exercise does not interfere with sleep. One study from
the University of California at San Diego showed
that three hours of vigorous pedaling at 70 percent of maximum oxygen uptake in
very bright lights did not stop fit men from falling
or staying asleep.
The old argument was that vigorous exercise causes your body to produce large
amounts of its own stimulants, adrenalin and nor
adrenalin, that make your heart beat rapidly, raise body temperature and prevent
you from feeling tired. Newer studies show this
doesn't happen. Exercise whenever it's convenient for you, even if it's just
before you go to bed.
* Muscle Loss with Aging
As you age, it takes more effort and time to walk up stairs, mow the lawn, fix a
faucet or wash the dishes. Tasks that you did
without effort when you were younger can become major ordeals that leave you
exhausted when you are older. Dr. Jerome Fleg, a
cardiologist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, tested 800 men
and women over several years and found that their
ability to sustain exercise decreased rapidly as they aged. The older they
became the faster they lost what researchers call aerobic
capacity (Circulation, July 26, 2005). Aerobic capacity is a measure of your
ability to use oxygen to do work. If your body can
process more oxygen than that of another person, usually you will be able to run
faster, walk or work longer, and have more energy
than that person. The men and women lost three to six percent per decade in
their 20's and 30's , and 20 percent per decade in their
70's. The men lost aerobic capacity faster than the women. The men lost 8.3
percent of aerobic capacity in their 40's and 23 percent
per decade in their 70's.
This study was done with people who were healthy enough for vigorous exercise on
a treadmill that measured their exercise capacity.
People who have had heart attacks, strokes, diabetes or other wasting diseases
would lose aerobic capacity much faster than healthy
people. The results showed that a regular exercise program can increase exercise
capacity by up to 25 percent, which would give the
older participants the same exercise capacity as you would expect in people who
are twenty years younger.
The loss of aerobic capacity with aging explains why older people cannot compete
effectively against younger ones in endurance
events. The good news is that a regular exercise program can increase your
maximum heart rate. By exercising regularly and
vigorously, your will develop stronger skeletal muscles. When you contract your
leg muscles, they squeeze against the veins in your
legs and pump blood toward your heart. When your leg muscles relax, the veins
dilate and fill with blood. This alternate contacting
and relaxing pumps extra blood toward your heart. The extra blood returned to
the heart stretches and strengthens the heart muscle,
causing it to beat faster and with more force. So strengthening your leg muscles
increases your maximum heart rate, even as you age.

From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine at:
http://www.drmirkin.com


2. Energy and Electrolyte Drink Comparison:
Proper hydration for athletes requires more than water. During exercise
electrical impulses are being carried, muscles are
contracting, calories are burning, heat is being produced, and sweating occurs.
To keep these systems within optimum parameters,
electrolytes needs to be maintained and energy stores need to be replaced-all
within a fluid medium. The endurance athlete is faced
with an ever-increasing variety of products to meet these nutritional needs. We
have put together a comparison of 15 currently
available drinks, and some thoughts to consider when selecting an exercise
drink. Click here for comparison chart.
Yes, our bodies depend on fluid to do the business of exercise, but that fluid
contains more than water. It contains electrolytes
primarily, along with some amino acids and vitamins. Electrolytes are dissolved
mineral salts that are found in the fluid both
inside and outside of the cells in our bodies. The primary minerals lost are
sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium.
Sodium, potassium, and chloride are key to the conduction of electrical
impulses, and are involved in transportation of nutrients
into cells and wastes out of cells. Many people think of bones when they think
of calcium. That is true; bones are the largest
reservoir of calcium in the body. However, soluble calcium in body fluid is also
necessary for neuromuscular conduction, muscular
contraction, inter- and intracellular messaging, and plays a key regulatory role
in glycogen metabolism. Magnesium is important for
proper transmission of nerve impulses, muscular contraction, and energy
production. Nutrition during exercise should include these
five critical electrolytes.
For athletes participating in longer duration and/or higher intensity exercise,
the electrolytes lost through exercise can exceed
what is available in many sports drinks. Some companies have recognized this and
recommend supplementing with electrolyte tablets
during exercise. Adequate amounts of electrolytes should be available in the
sports drink.
More...from First Endurance at:
http://blog.firstendurance.com/2008/07/energy-and-electrolyte-drink-comparison/


3. Dehydration - Sweat Loss and Electrolyte Replacement:
Many athletes dehydrate during competitive events, especially long ones, even
when it's not particularly hot. You can't rely on
feeling thirsty as a reminder to replace fluid lost through sweating - one of
nature's dirty tricks is that exercise suppresses
thirst. Dehydration impairs both physical and mental performance in all types
and levels of sport, yet it can be avoided (or at
least minimized) by appropriate drinking strategies. Before we explain what
those are, here's a bit of background physiology.
Exercise produces heat. Prevention of overheating occurs by transfer of heat to
the skin by vasodilation of the cutaneous
circulation, and by the cooling effect of evaporation of sweat. Exercise causes
body fluid losses from moisture in exhaled air as
well as from sweating. Although sweat rates are highest under conditions of
high-intensity exercise in heat and high humidity, total
fluid losses can be appreciable in very prolonged events, whatever the
conditions. Unless fluid losses are replaced by drinks,
sweating causes progressive depletion of circulating blood volume, leading to
hypohydration (commonly called dehydration) and a
thickening of blood. This places a strain on the cardiovascular system, with a
rise in heart rate in order to maintain adequate
blood flow to exercising muscles and vital organs. As blood volume depletes,
blood flow to the skin is reduced. As a result,
sweating decreases and heat dissipation from the skin is impaired, causing body
core temperature to rise, potentially leading to
heat stress, collapse and even death.
Even low levels of dehydration have physiological consequences. A loss of 2%
bodyweight (just 1kg for a 50kg person) causes an
increase in perceived effort and is claimed to reduce performance by 10-20% A
fluid loss exceeding 3-5% bodyweight reduces aerobic
exercise performance noticeably and impairs reaction time, judgment,
concentration and decision making - vital elements in all
sports, from pole-vaulting to football. A particular issue for boxers is that
dehydration increases risk of brain injury.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2008/rw_news_20080708_TSH_Dehydration.htm\
l


4. Fatigue: What's the cost of sore muscles?
By Dan Geller, M.D.
Oh, those aching muscles ...
As triathletes we have a very intimate relationship with fatigue. No doubt we
all have experienced the tired, burning legs from
simply walking up our apartment steps, hitting the snooze button repeatedly
before dragging ourselves to swim practice in the
morning or doing the Ironman shuffle on our easy three-mile recovery run.
Fatigue is a right of passage, something we have all
learned to deal with and even embrace at times.
But at what cost? What does this level of fatigue do to our body's ability to
fend off injury? And how can we know when we are
pushing the limits?
Fatigue affects athletes differently and everyone's physiologic response to it
varies. Researchers have been trying to elucidate the
effects of muscular fatigue on joint laxity and neuromuscular characteristics in
male and female athletes. They've been particularly
interested in determining whether such effects would be more pronounced in
female or male athletes participating in the same sport.
However, studies have shown that all athletes demonstrate an overall decrease in
the ability to detect joint motion, decrements in
proprioception ability and alterations in muscular activity in response to
muscular fatigue.
Researchers have studied the effects of muscular fatigue on knee ligament
injuries, an injury quite common in runners and
triathletes. They have postulated that injury caused by fatigue is directly
related to a loss of joint position or proprioception.
Sports doctors and therapists have long known that reduced joint position sense
leads to injury but are not sure exactly how. Is it
a change in the receptors in the muscle? Receptors in the joint? Or is some
other part of the proprioception pathway affected?
More...from InsideTri at:
http://www.insidetri.com/article/71630/fatigue-what-s-the-cost-of-sore-muscles


5. Uncommonly Big Hearts May Not Harm Athletes:
The three young men, tall, lean and tanned, had just been named to the United
States Olympic rowing team. They showed up at Mercer
County Park recently to meet the public and bask in their achievement. But their
most amazing physical feature was inside their
bodies, researchers say.
These athletes have hearts that make cardiologists gasp in awe, hearts that are
among the biggest ever seen in healthy people. They
are enormous, elongated, torpedo-shaped hearts, twice the mass of a normal
heart, that draw blood in like a suction pump and push it
out like a piston.
Ordinarily, of course, no one would know how big and powerful an athlete's heart
might be. But these men - 29-year-old Wyatt Allen,
28-year-old Chris Liwski, and 31-year-old Bryan Volpenhein - were taking part in
a research project that involved regular
echocardiograms. Its goal is to find simple ways of deciding whether an athlete
whose heart is huge has a dangerous condition that
can lead to sudden death or whether the enlarged heart is a normal adaptation to
strenuous, demanding exercise that allows people to
perform at elite levels.
The so-called athlete's heart has been something of an obsession with doctors
and researchers for more than 100 years. Athletes like
marathon runners and Tour de France cyclists had enlarged hearts, doctors
reported, and there were fears that the enlargement was
not good - that it could lead to untimely death.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/health/07hearts.html?ref=olympics


6. Peaking to Race:
C 2006 by Joe Friel
An issue that most athletes find mysterious is coming into competitive "form" at
the times in the season when their most important
events are scheduled. Form is a vague concept used by athletes in some sports to
describe when they are ready to compete. The word
has its roots in eighteenth century horse racing when sheets, or "forms," would
be provided for race track bettors showing the past
performances of each horse.
Exercise scientist Andrew Coggan, Ph.D., defines form as the timely combination
of fitness and freshness. Fitness has to do with how
well the body's many systems function at a given point in time. A fit endurance
athlete has optimized the cardiovascular, metabolic,
respiratory, muscular and nervous systems. A fresh athlete is one who is rested
and ready to go. It's possible to be fit but not
fresh due to lots of heavy training but not much resting leading into an event.
You're tired. It's also possible to be fresh but not
fit. You've been taking it easy for too long and are undertrained. Bringing
fitness and freshness together at the same time is
called "peaking" and is the underlying purpose of training for the competitive
athlete in the last few days and weeks before a race.

To increase freshness as you get closer in time to the competition you cut back
on the training workload by reducing the duration
and frequency of workouts. You include more easy, recovery workouts or days off
each week. As a result you become more fresh. To
maintain the fitness created over the previous weeks and months of training you
do a few key workouts at race intensity and
otherwise train easily between them. Getting the intensity of your workouts
right is why your
More...from the Training Bible at:
http://www.trainingbible.com/pdf/Peaking_to_Race.pdf


7. Biomechanics of running: From faulty movement patterns come injuries:
Running is both a very popular competitive sport in its own right and a fitness
activity used at all levels, from recreational gym
routines to elite sports training programmes. But running requires the body to
absorb continuous repeated impact forces, and
running-related injuries are a common presentation in any physiotherapy or
sports medicine clinic. At the extreme, elite endurance
runners will probably require a weekly physiotherapy treatment, all year round,
to keep their bodies healthy.
There is a complicated and highly individual interaction between intrinsic
(personal) and extrinsic (environmental) factors that may
contribute to a running injury. Specifically the research suggests that the
biggest predictors of injury are the following two
extrinsic factors:
~ total volume of running undertaken;
~ sudden changes in volume or intensity of running.
By contrast, research is equivocal when it comes to pinpointing specific
biomechanical patterns (intrinsic factors) that cause
injury. That said, it is probably safe to assume that, for a given amount of
weekly running, an individual with an abnormal or
inefficient running action is more likely to suffer injury than someone with
good mechanics.
It is impossible to say, for instance, that all runners who over-pronate (tilt
heavily inwards) at the foot will definitely suffer
injury. Every runner will have a their own threshold of tolerance to the
stresses of running, and it will take a unique combination
of factors to tip that runner's body over the threshold and in to injury.
More...from the Sports Injury Bulletin at:
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/biomechanics-running.html


8. This Week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Khalid Khannouchi (MAR) won the Peachtree Road Race (GA/USA) 10K
by ten seconds over
Simon Rono (KEN), 27:47 to 27:57. Kenyans took the next four
places. Helen Kimaiyo
(KEN) won the women's race in 31:52 with Lornah Kiplagat (KEN)
next in 31:56 and
Colleen deReuck (RSA) taking 3rd in 32:18. Kiplagat is now NED
and deReuck is now
USA (Kimaiyo is still KEN as far as known).
20 Years Ago- Pascal Thiebault (FRA) won the 5000m at the Mobil Bislett Games
(NOR) over a stellar
field. His 13:17.48 put him ahead of five-time world cross champ
John Ngugi (KEN)
who ran 13:17.95. To-be 10,000m WR holder Yobes Ondieki (KEN)
was 3rd in 13:19.95
and US 5000m record holder Sydney Maree was 4th in 13:20.29.
Martin Eamonn (ENG)
won the 10,000m in 27:23.06 with Salvatore Antibo (ITA) 2nd in
27:24.79 and Arturo
Barrios (MEX) 27:25.07. Barrios is now USA.
30 Years Ago- Mary Slaney (Decker) lead a 1-4 USA sweep in the women's race at
the Peachtree (GA/USA)
10K, winning by nearly 3 minutes in 33:52. Sisters Julie and
Mary Shea went 2-3 with
36:47 and 36:58 respectively and Shirley Silsby ran 37:11 for
4th. Mike Roche won the
men's race in 28:59, leading a 1-4 USA sweep here, too. Greg
Meyer was next in 29:15
and Ralph King was 3rd in 29:19.
40 Years Ago- Mohamed Gammoudi (TUN) won a 10,000m in Athens GRE with a
29:18.6. Mamo Wolde (ETH)
was 2nd in 29:19.6.
50 Years Ago- Yevgeniy Zhukov (RUS) won a 10,000m in Moscow RUS in a very close
race over Pyotr
Bolotnikov (MDA), both runners given times of 29:04.4.
Bolotnikov would break the
WR two years hence.
60 Years Ago- Curtis Stone won the USA 5000m title in 14:49.1 (race held in
Milwaukee WI).
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. The World's Longevity Secrets:
It may have seemed like good news when federal officials announced last month
that U.S. life expectancy had jumped four months and,
for the first time, surpassed 78 years.
But forget about 78. What if someone said that you--not some future
generation--should be able to live into your 90s in relatively
good health?
That's the premise behind a new National Geographic book, The Blue Zones:
Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the
Longest. Partially funded by the National Institute on Aging, explorer Dan
Buettner and a team of researchers identified four
geographic regions where small groups of people are living particularly long,
healthy lives. Blue zones refer to the concentric
circles Buettner and his team drew on a world map in blue ink to demarcate the
areas with the highest life expectancies, including
the Barbagia region of Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; the community of Seventh
Day Adventists in Loma Linda, Calif.; and the
Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.
While many of the factors that appear to have contributed to the longer life
expectancies of these populations appear to be common
sense, such as eating more plant-based foods, being active and cutting stress,
Buettner says that's not necessarily true today.
Americans are bombarded with reports of often conflicting health data (e.g.,
don't eat carbs, eat carbs, eat only certain carbs),
causing them to lose sight of the importance of making smart, subtle lifestyle
changes.
More...from Forbes at:
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/2008/07/02/health-longevity-secrets-forb\
eslife-cx_avd_0702health.html


10. The Greatest Races - The Men's Marathon:
Legendary battles and heroes.
April 10, 1896
It all started when 17 men lined up on a dusty road in the village of Marathon,
25 miles from Athens, Greece. Behind them their
attendants perched on laden bicycles, and a cluster of horses bearing officials
stamped and snorted. The starter made a speech about
national pride and fired his pistol. At that moment began one of the greatest
series of sports events the world has known -- the
Olympic marathon.
There has never been a dull race among the 25, so I can only offer apologies for
omitting such champions as Hannes Kolehmainen
(Finland, 1920), Boughera El Ouafi (1928, the first African champion, though he
represented France), Sohn Kee-Chung (1936, Korean,
representing Japan), Delfo Cabrera (Argentina, 1948), Emil Zatopek
(Czechoslovakia, 1952), or Stefano Baldini (Italy, 2004). But the
five races I have chosen have attained the greater resonance of myth.
5. ATHENS, 1896
When that pistol fired in the village of Marathon, it was predictably three
foreign track runners who raced ahead. By 10 miles,
Albin Lermusiaux (France), prancing along with neat white gloves and Gallic
verve, had a huge lead. At halfway, where the hills
began, the villagers of Harvati cheered him through a triumphal arch and crowned
him with leaves. But the Frenchman was wilting. He
was replaced as leader by the jaunty Australian Teddy Flack, the 800m and 1500m
champion, roguishly sporting a tasseled school cap
and escorted by a bicycling butler in a bowler hat. But style counts for little
in the Olympic marathon. Way behind, a humble Greek
peasant called Spiridon Louis, a water-carrier by trade, took a glass of wine at
a taverna in Pikermi, and announced quietly that he
would win. He was used to pacing himself on these dusty hills. Trotting steadily
with teammate Kharilaos Vasilakos, he delayed his
move until 21 miles, then closed on Flack so quickly that the Australian folded.
Now the crowds through the outskirts of Athens
shouted "Ellene! Ellene!" ("Greek! Greek!"). Boys whooped alongside and girls
scattered flower petals under Louis' feet. The stadium
crowd (estimated at up to 125,000) "went mad for joy" as the little figure in
white entered. Two royal princes ran alongside him,
flourishing their hats. Vasilakos was second, seven minutes behind. For Louis,
it was a moment that made him a hero, a legend, and a
proverb. For Greece, it was national ecstasy. For the Olympic marathon, it was a
triumphant birth.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=13643


11. Skyscraper Run-Ups: What It Takes To Be An Extreme Athlete:
Scientists have recently become interested in the biomechanics of a very unusual
activity: skyscraper run-ups. Competitors in this
extreme sport ascend the steps inside the world's tallest buildings, the winners
often scaling thousands of steps in just a few
minutes. Impressive, yes, but why should these people be of interest to
physiologists and biomechanists?
Professor Alberto Minetti, from the University of Milan, pioneered the study
after previous work on walking and running at different
gradients. His research has gone on to shed light on the metabolic profile of
athletes, as well as having a potential impact on
studies of ageing. He will be presenting his results on July 9th at the Society
for Experimental Biology's Annual Meeting in
Marseille.
"The wide age range of participants, from teenagers to those approaching their
centenary, has improved our knowledge of the decline
in body performance as we get older," Professor Minetti explains. "Industries
involved in cardio-fitness could also include the
algorithms that we have developed in heart rate monitors, to help athletes
maintain their best possible performance throughout
races." Another very useful medical implication comes from previous work looking
at differing gradients, which suggests that heart
failure patients should rehabilitate by walking on a treadmill at a 10% downhill
incline and at a slow, self-selected, speed.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708210852.htm


12. Post-Exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel:
Recipe to recover more quickly from exercise: Finish workout, eat pasta, and
wash down with five or six cups of strong coffee.
Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more
rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and
caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research from the online edition of
theJournal of Applied Physiology shows. Athletes who
ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four
hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting
exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the
study, published by The American Physiological
Society.
The study, "High rates of muscle glycogen resynthesis after exhaustive exercise
when carbohydrate is co-ingested with caffeine," is
by David J. Pedersen, Sarah J. Lessard, Vernon G. Coffey, Emmanuel G. Churchley,
Andrew M. Wootton, They Ng, Matthew J. Watt and
John A. Hawley. Dr. Pedersen is with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in
Sydney, Australia, Dr. Watt is from St. Vincent's
Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. All others are with
the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
University (RMIT) in Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
More...from Medcial News Today at:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113587.php


13. Technique and Endurance Development of Young Children:
By Dr. Kuulo Kutsar
Dr. Kutsar, a sport physiologist and a regular contributor to Modern Athlete and
Coach, discusses the ability of 5 to 7-year-old
children to learn movement techniques and makes suggestions of how skill
learning can be combined with the development of endurance,
the most important component of the total physical work capacity. Re-printed
with permission from Modern Athlete and Coach.
TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT
There is a contemporary trend towards increasingly younger children taking part
in sport and track and field is no exception. This
trend has been responsible for interest among the physical education teachers to
find out more about the capacity of even 5 to 7
year-olds to learn physical movements and, in particular, their proper
techniques.
It is known that the neuro-muscular system at this age is capable from
anatomical, as well as physiological viewpoints to acquire,
not only general movement skills, but also sport specific techniques. Numerous
coaches have exploited this approach to skill
development for a long time and sport physiologists have lately agreed that the
nervous system of children in the 5 to 7 yrs. age
range is able to acquire successfully technical movement elements. They develop
a reasonably endurable stereotype, allowing teachers
and coaches
to exploit this possibility to mould technically exact and correct movement
skills. The last is most important, because it is a well
known fact that it is virtually impossible to correct some technical faults
later.
It has been established that the improvement of technique begins with the first
repetition of a movement and continues until the
fifth repetition, when the improvement rate stabilizes between the fifth and
eighth repetition, before it begins to drop again. This
is closely related to a loss of interest in the exercise and must be taken into
consideration in skill learning. Children are up to
the fifth repetition interested in exercise and perform it with interest and
cleanly. The interest drops rapidly after the eighth
repetition and is followed by sloppy and
technically incorrect performance of the skill. What happens from the
physiological viewpoint is that repeating a movement
stereotype begins at a certain stage to wear out the nervous centers involved in
the performance, leading to a functional status
where the skill begins to break down when the repetitions continue. At this
stage the teacher should change the exercise, keeping at
the same time in mind that the minimum number of repetitions to solve a
technical element is four. Less than four repetitions fail
to establish the structure of the movement in the brain of the child, leading
frequently to faulty techniques.
More...from Athletics Coaching Canada at:
http://tinyurl.com/62x7pq


14. Magnesium--The Natural Statin:
The death of Tim Russert struck a deep cord in the hearts of millions of
Americans who await the seemingly inevitable visit to a
cardiac ward. Looking at the facts of Russert's death. He was known to have
asymptomatic coronary artery disease; he was on drugs
for hypertension, as well as drugs for high LDL and triglycerides, and low HDL.
With the use of statin drugs, his HDL cholesterol
rose from the 20s to 37, which, according to his doctors was an "acceptable
lipid profile." Russert also had minimally elevated
blood glucose but did not have diabetes (yet). Apparently, Russert's stress test
in late April was normal.
Why did Russert die if he was in the capable hands of medical experts and on FDA
approved drugs for his condition? My question is,
was there anything else in their hands besides drugs? Unfortunately, with all
their expertise and all their medical education his
doctors neglected what the heart and body really need-proper diet, supplements,
and exercise. Medicine thinks it's smarter than the
human brain and body. It's theorizes that the heart muscle is getting too much
calcium and gives it a calcium channel blocker, when
what it needs is magnesium. Medicine thinks the body had too much fluid, so it
prescribes a diuretic to lower blood pressure but
ends up flushing out magnesium causing a vicious cycle of mineral loss.
In medical school, in my 200 hours of biochemistry, I learned, and every other
doctor who stayed awake in class learned that every
one of the thousands of metabolic functions in the body absolutely requires one
or more vitamins and minerals in order to proceed to
the next biochemical reaction. It's very simple and very basic and very much
forgotten by most doctors. Instead of learning about
the body's needs, we were taught to diagnose disease and treat disease symptoms
with drugs or surgery. That's our mandate and no
other system of health care has been powerful enough to suggest any other
approach to disease.
More...from Reuters at:
http://tinyurl.com/553wmv


15. Athletes use Viagra for a competitive edge, experts say:
Athletes looking for a performance boost are increasingly turning to a little
blue pill more usually taken for its off-the-field
benefits: Viagra.
Some sports authorities say the drug is now finding a following among athletes.
It isn't clear how many might be taking it in hopes
of improving athletic performance, but stashes of the drug have reportedly been
found among some professional athletes.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is currently studying Viagra's effects on athletes,
but hasn't yet banned it. Experts are divided over
whether it actually offers athletes an edge.
"It's possible," said Anthony Butch, director of the Olympic Analytical
Laboratory at the University of California Los Angeles, a
WADA-accredited facility.
Viagra, also known as sildenafil, is manufactured by Pfizer Inc. It was
originally developed as a heart drug; its use as a treatment
for erectile dysfunction was only accidentally discovered.
The drug works by increasing the effects of nitric oxide, which makes blood
vessels expand. That should theoretically allow blood
cells to travel to the lungs more efficiently and to also receive more oxygen.
It may also improve heart function.
More...from the CBC at:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/06/27/viagra-athletes.html


16. Marathon runners: Metabolic markers of peak performance:
Differences in the metabolic response to exercsie between sedentary and trained
subjects are well-rehearsed. And much is now known
about the differences between moderately- and highly-trained athletes. But what
separates the high-level performers from those at
the very top of the game?
That is what a French research team set out to investigate with a small-scale
study comparing blood chemical parameters in 14
top-class male marathon runners from French and Portugese Olympic teams a few
weeks before they were due to compete in international
marathon events.
The subjects were asked to give the velocity they thought they would reach
during their next event, and a 10km run at this velocity
was used for testing purposes. The mean extrapolated performance time for the
marathon was 133.7 (2:13:42) minutes, with a range
from 126.9 to 142 minutes.
More...from Peak Performance Online at:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/marathon-runners.html


17. Contemporary LSD:
Long, slow distance training - A new slant on an old training concept.
In the 1960's, Arthur Lydiard contended that the most important aspect of
conditioning is volume. In the 1960's his LSD training
concepts were revolutionary and insightful, and brought phenomenal success to
many athletes who trained under Lydiard.
Metabolically, high-volume training makes sense. There are two main sources of
fuel for exercise: carbohydrates and fats. The energy
supply from carbohydrate and fat is inversely related. High rates of
carbohydrate use reduce combustion of fat. Carbohydrates are
used preferentially at very high efforts or at low fitness levels when fat
metabolism is underdeveloped.
Conversely, when you teach your body to rely on fat for fuel, your combustion of
carbohydrates goes down, thus sparing
carbohydrates. This benefits performance in endurance events. You become very
fatigued when you run too low on carbohydrates. We
store only a very limited amount of carbohydrate (glycogen) in our bodies.
Compare this with a relatively unlimited supply of fat.
Even an athlete with only 6 percent body fat will have enough fat to fuel
exercise lasting for many hours. When you use more fat,
you generate more energy and your carbohydrate supply lasts longer.
This sounds good. So why not stick to LSD over the next few months?
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/training/triathlon-training/contemporary-lsd


18. 'Fast' Does Not Equal Strong:
By Matt Russ and Jen Adley
There is a general perception that because an athlete is fast that they are also
physically strong. In reality an athlete can be
'fast' but lacking specific strength in certain muscle groups that will keep
them injury free throughout the season. What makes one
'strong' is a stable, flexible, and balanced platform that allows maximum
recruitment and firing of sport specific muscle fibers.
This platform can often be improved upon, and that is where strength training
enters the picture. A "fast" athlete can be made
considerably faster with the right program, but even more importantly injury may
be prevented.
What exactly is a muscular imbalance? A muscular imbalance is when two opposing
muscle groups do not have comparable strength
levels. Uneven strength levels cause a lopsided type of force effect to occur at
the joint. This may lead to an assortment of
complications such as joint instability. For example: when the quadriceps become
more powerful than the hamstrings the uneven pull
by these two muscle groups upon the knee joint can pre-dispose it to injury. The
very nature of endurance sport training can lead to
muscular imbalance. We may run mile after mile each week with certain muscle
groups such as the hamstrings or gluteals firing
improperly and working as they were designed to. In turn other muscles have to
work overtime to make up for these imbalances.
More...from the Sport Factory at:
http://thesportfactory.com/site/trainingnews/Fast_Does_Not_Equal_Strong.shtml


19. Determining Functional Threshold Pace (FTP):
By Stephen McGregor, Ph.D.
Also see: What is Normalized Graded Pace (NGP)?
(http://www.trainingpeaks.com/trainingwithtechnology/ngpexplained.asp)
Previously
(http://www.trainingpeaks.com/trainingwithtechnology/ngpexplained.asp) we
examined the concept of normalized graded pace
(NGP), and the information it can provide regarding the relevant physiological
response experienced by a runner on varied, open
terrain. In other words, we established that during open field runs, due to
changes in terrain, the "raw" pace reported by a GPS
device will often not reflect the physiological cost of the effort, but NGP
calculated from the raw GPS data and accounting for
changes in terrain and relative intensity can be much more indicative of the
actual effort.
Although the NGP is a valuable tool in and of itself, it is also a component of
other more sophisticated tools that can help an
athlete or coach to more clearly see their training progress and goals (the
forest), despite often noisy and confusing individual
training bouts (the trees). So, as the old adage goes, these tools will help the
athlete or coach "see the forest for the trees."
One other important component of these more sophisticated tools is what is often
referred to as the functional threshold,
specifically in regard to running, the functional threshold pace (FTP).
The functional threshold pace (FTP) is a necessary parameter for the
implementation of the more sophisticated tools that utilize
NGP. That is, FTP is the criteria upon which relative fitness based calculations
are performed. The sophisticated tools I am
referring to are the training stress score for running (rTSS) and Performance
Manager (PMC) modeling. We will come to these later,
because first we need to establish what the FTP is and how it is determined.
More...from Training Peaks at:
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/trainingwithtechnology/determiningftpace.asp


20. Digest Briefs:
* The benefits of having a good breakfast
EVERYBODY knows how important the first meal of the day is. But did you know the
following?
A YouGov survey recently showed that 47 per cent of adults usually eat breakfast
alone and 14 per cent said they don't eat breakfast
at all.
And for those that do, their breakfast of choice is as follows:
~ breakfast cereal: 29 per cent
~ toast/bread with ham or another spread: 17 per cent
~ bowl of porridge: 14 per cent
~ traditional cooked breakfast: 8 per cent
Most elite athletes eat a good breakfast too. Paula Radcliffe, for example, the
world marathon record-holder, is a big fan of
porridge - especially on race day - and this oaty breakfast is a perfect choice
for her because it provides a long, slow release of
energy to help keep her going during a two-hour-plus marathon.
"A nice simple breakfast of porridge made with low-fat milk, topped with honey
is perfect for Paula," says dietitian Jane Griffin.
"It is quick and easy to make and has a lovely calming influence too - just what
she needs before preparing mentally for a
marathon."
For more information, see www.farmhousebreakfast.com
* Quick Tip
By Robert Kunz MS
The First Endurance System
Since the onset, the First Endurance products were engineered to work
synergistically as a system. Each product can stand on its
own, yet works better when used in conjunction with other First Endurance
products. Here are two examples where this synergy is
evident.
1) Complete recovery requires addressing, adrenal stress, muscle tears, glycogen
replenishment, antioxidant status and electrolyte
balance. The use of Optygen (adrenal stress) and Ultragen (muscle tears,
glycogen replenishment, antioxidant status and electrolyte
balance) allows for complete recovery.
2) The harder one trains, the more calcium and vitamin C that is required.
MultiV has 400mg Vit C, 0mg Calcium while EFS has 120mg
Vit C, 100mg Calcium. Using more EFS when you train long also means you get more
Vit C and Calcium, assuring you get the right level
of these key nutrients when they are needed. Finishing your workout with a
serving of Ultragen delivers an additional 400mg Vit C
and 500mg Calcium. Many nutrient synergies have been built into the First
Endurance system of products so you can be assured of
optimal nutrition during all aspects of training.


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

July 5-27, 2008:
Tour de France

July 12, 2008:
Lifetime Fitness Triathlon - Minneapolis, Minnesota

July 13, 2008:
Carlsbad Triathlon - CA

Jungle Run Half Marathon / 10K - Los Gatos, CA

Nissan 10-Miler - Toronto, ON

Quelle Challenge Roth - Germany

August 15-24, 2008
Olympic Games - Beijing, China

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/

Send this to a Friend:
Forward the Runner's Web Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join

YOUR FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS:
Comments, contributions and feedback are always welcome via this list at:
mailto:runnersweb@yahoogroups.com and in our Runner's Web Forum, available off
our FrontPage. If you post to the mailing list and
get your email returned, please contact the Runner's Web at
mailto:webmaster@... to notify us of the problem. To update your
Runner's Web eGroups subscriber's profile, go to the
web.
site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join , sign in and update your
changes.
Forward the Runner's Web Digest to a friend and suggest that they subscribe at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RunnersWeb/join

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
http://store.runnersweb.com
RunnersWebCoach
http://www.runnerswebcoach.com

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

XM Satellite Radio
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000021517490

Puma
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/tplclick?lid=41000000005110141&pubid=2100000000\
0028567

Champion
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=h1QosBYBFXw&offerid=113858.10000144\
&type=1&subid=0

Nike
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000015009821

Free Ground Shipping on Orders of $175 or More at Patagonia.com
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/tplclick?lid=41000000012303508&pubid=2100000000\
0028567

Peak Performance Online:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/cmd.php?af=517509

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

Reebok
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=h1QosBYBFXw&offerid=117802&type=3&su\
bid=0

Your very own personal trainer at a fraction of the cost
http://www.cartville.com/app/?af=473063

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
http://www.geezerjock.com/index.cfm?affID=runnersweb

Athletes, Coaches, Trainers and Physio's
..new software designs unlimited stretching routines with ease!
Design unlimited stretching routines today, starting from scratch, in under 60
seconds!
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/cmd.php?af=245575&u=http://www.thestretchin\
ghandbook.com/products/instantstretch.htm

Mental Strength Training Center:
http://www.memberstar.com/redir_a.php?LFAId=1027

National Bike Registry
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=vVGS2V*0iZg&offerid=21387&type=3&sub\
id=0

Buy Paula Radcliffe's book, My Story - So Far, from Amazon UK at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/074325242X/runnersweb-21

Endurance Films
Triathlon Training DVDs
https://endurancefilms.hivelocity.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_C\
ode=EF&Affiliate=runnersweb

Instant Stretching Routines
Design unlimited stretching routines today, starting from scratch, in under 60
seconds!
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/cmd.php?af=245575&u=http://www.thestretchin\
ghandbook.com/newsletter.php

ShoeWallet.com has set out on a mission to enable people to easily carry ID and
medical information at all times. Basically, anyone
who is out on the roads or trails needs a convenient place to carry this vital
information.
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?joggerscompanion+pXgxpm+index.html+

SportsShoes in the UK
http://www.sportsshoes.com/index.php?id=149

Visit on AssociatesShop.com Online Bookstore for running and triathlon books:
http://associatesshop.filzhut.de/shop/index.php?ID=90c9f271c1a519abc4a69299be707\
5a9

TrainingPeaks.com by Wes Hobson.
Find the training program that fits you at:
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/rw

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:
http://www.roadid.com/?referrer=50

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:
This newsletter has been composed using Outlook set to "Text" format. The Digest
is sent via an email list at
http://groups.yahoo.com.
If you experience any delays in receiving your copy of the Digest, please advise
us at:
mailto:webmaster@...
You can receive the digest in three ways:
1. Immediately, via email,
2. Daily, in an email summary, and
3. By accessing the YahooGroups.com web site on demand.
The mail list has been set to not allow attachments out of concerns for viruses.
Also, all messages must be approved by the monitor (me) prior to being released
to the group. If you have any questions regarding
the options available for receiving this digest,
please do NOT email the list, rather email me directly at
mailto:Webmaster@...
*NOTE*
**[ Some e-mail clients may split the URL address into two lines. If you have
trouble connecting to a link, be sure that you paste
the entire address into your browser, so that it ends in ".html" or another
appropriate suffix ].
Note: An increasing number of media sites require free registration. If you wish
to sign up for free access to sources for our
articles without using your main email address we suggest the use of a mail
alias program such as http://www.emailias.com.

*** END OF RUNNER'S AND TRIATHLETE'S WEB DIGEST...***