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
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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.runnersweb.com/running/STWM_Transporter.html

5. Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon - October 18, 2009
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.
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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://www.universalsports.com 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://www.universalsports.com

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

11. 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/

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NEW THIS WEEK:
Thanksgiving is typically associated with food and football. However, Turkey
Trots and Thanksgiving runs/walks are increasingly
becoming a tradition for not only athletes, but families as a way to keep off
the pounds and spend time together during the
holidays. Mothers, fathers, kids and cousins - Turkey Trots are the events that
bring out family members who have never run before.
Active.com is featuring a special Turkey Trot section that can be found at
http://www.active.com/running/turkeytrot. Featuring 368
races in 45 states, visitors can search for Turkey Trots and holiday races in
their community and also learn strategies for
preventing the holiday bulge.

We have added a new event calendar. It is available for event directors to add
events at:
http://runnersweb.mhsoftware.com/
Events must be approved before going live.

Watch live and webcast of Track and Field and Road races on Universal Sports
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At the Runner's Web site, click "Join this group". Once I have approved your
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RUNNER'S AND TRIATHLETE'S WEB CONTENT PARTNERS

ROAD RUNNER SPORTS
We have partnered with Road Runner Sports, the world's largest online running
store, to provide a shopping portal. Check it out at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/Mobile_RRS.html

* 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/

* 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. Smart Fabrics Make Clever (Medical) Clothing
2. Team USA Minnesota's Mental Training Techniques
Learn how to use your mind to get the most from your body.
3. 16. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine
4. This Week in Running
5. Interview with John Cook
6. The Cardiovascular Benefits Of Music Are Similar To Those Found In Previous
Study Of Laughter
7. Running Battles: Winterize Your Shoes
What to wear to stay on your feet on snow and ice.
8. Glycogen synthesis: your post-exercise plan
9. Drug Mimics Low-cal Diet To Ward Off Weight Gain, Boost Running Endurance
10. Muscle Cramps : No link between hydration and cramps
11. Learning How to Walk (Chewing Gum Not Included)
12. Think Fast
Yes, you need to train your legs, but it's really your brain that dictates your
pace.
13. Functional Strength Training for Triathletes
14. 'Fast' Does Not Equal Strong
15. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"What are the chances of Lance Armstrong winning the 2009 Tour de France?"

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:
"When did you set your last PR (Personal Record)?"
Answers Percent
1. 2008 17%
2. 2 years ago 4%
3. 3 years ago 4%
4. 4 years ago 4%
5. 5 years ago 9%
6. 6-10 years ago 13%
7. 11-20 years ago 13%
8. 20+ years ago! 35%


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE MONTH: GoPriscilla.com - "The Official Website of
Priscilla Lopes-Schliep"
Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (born 26 August 1982) is a Canadian hurdler in track and
field athletic competition. She was born in
Scarborough, Ontario and currently lives in Whitby. Lopes-Schliep is the first
cousin of Dwayne De Rosario.
She won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in women's 100m hurdles. It
was the first medal for Canada in Athletics at the
Summer Olympics since the 1996 Games. It was the first medal for a Canadian
woman in Olympic track and field since the 1992 Games.
Visit her website at:
http://www.gopriscilla.com

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

BOOK/VIDEO/MOVIE OF THE MONTH: Running Well
Nothing beats the pleasure of running. Unfortunately, many runners are slowed
down by injuries that could be avoided through changes
in training or technique.
That's where Running Well comes in. Based on the latest scientific principles,
this accessible guide shows you these techniques:
~ How to minimize the risk of injury and stay healthy
~ The differences between training and straining
~ How to strengthen and maintain the primary running muscles
~ Ways of assessing and improving technique
~ How to recognize injuries early on and avoid more serious setbacks
And if you do get injured, Running Well will return you to action quickly.
Sections devoted to each bodily region detail common
symptoms and causes of discomfort. You'll learn how to treat the injury, know
when to seek help and know how to prevent the problem
from reoccurring.
From avoiding overtraining to increasing flexibility, Running Well has
everything you need to keep you running all year round so
that you sprint-not limp-to the all-important finish line.
Buy the book from Human Kinetics at:
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?associate=880&isbn=0736077\
456

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. Smart Fabrics Make Clever (Medical) Clothing:
European researchers have developed a smart fabric that can monitor muscular
overload and help prevent repetitive strain injury, or
RSI. But that is just the beginning. The team is also exploring a pregnancy belt
to monitor baby's heartbeat, clothing to help coach
hockey, and shirts that monitor muscle fatigue during training.
Smart fabrics promise to revolutionise clothing by incorporating sensors into
cloth for health, lifestyle and business applications.
In the long term, they could consist of circuits and sensors that provide all of
the typical electronics we carry around today, like
mobile phones and PDAs.
Current, first-generation applications are far more modest, and pioneering
medical smart fabrics are used to monitor vital signs
like heart rate and temperature. But two crucial hurdles - unobtrusiveness and
reliability - impede widespread adoption of such
clever clothes.
Now one European research team has developed groundbreaking medical-sensing
smart fabrics, and its work could lead to pregnancy
monitoring belts, sports clothing that provides training tips, a wearable
physical game controller, and a vest that helps to prevent
repetitive strain injury.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081021190640.htm


2. Team USA Minnesota's Mental Training Techniques:
Learn how to use your mind to get the most from your body.
Team USA Minnesota's proven formula for success is underscored by its Midwestern
and metropolitan influences. In my previous column
about the team, we visited with head coach Dennis Barker and one of the founding
team members, Matt Gabrielson.
Both agree that the Team USA Minnesota model is conducive to maintaining
athletes in the program and the sport. In fact, nearly half
of the 13 members have been with the team since it formed in 2001: Gabrielson,
Carrie Tollefson, Katie McGregor, Kristen Nicolini
Lehmkuhle, Jason Lehmkuhle and Chris Lundstrom. Involvement in the running
community, as well as leading lives outside of running,
helps keep these athletes both mentally and physically fresh and healthy.
Gabrielson suggests that it is "first and foremost, the people involved that has
kept me here since 2001. Katie [McGregor], Carrie
[Tollefson], and Jason [Lehmkuhle] are some of my best friends. It has been
seven years we've gotten to know each other. Everybody
has their own role and responsibility."
A chat with Coach Barker, however, instantly reveals there are even greater
forces at work in making these runners successful. In
particular, it is important to take notice of the group's focus on the
psychological underpinnings of peak running performance, or
mental training techniques.
A firm believer in the power of the mind, Barker has made mental training an
important part of his program. He is a true student of
the sport, constantly referring to different things he's read or research he has
come across. His metaphors are simple, yet
profound. They are the kind of anecdotes that any average runner could relate to
and use in training.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=14907

3. 16. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine:
* Jock Itch
Men often get jock itch, women rarely do.
Jock itch means that you have scaling and itching in the crease where your legs
meet your body. It can be caused by a rubbing of
your thighs when you walk, a skin condition such as psoriasis or seborrheic
dermatitis or an infection with a bacteria or fungus. If
you have this condition, your doctor will usually scrape some cells from the
rash and look for a fungus and probably do a bacterial
culture also. If you have a fungus, you can be cured with a special cream and if
that doesn't work, with pills such as griseofulvin
or the newer itraconazole and allylamine. The culture may tell your doctor if
you have a bacterial infection, the name of the
bacteria and what antibiotics to use.
If you have dandruff, thick toenails and possibly thick plaques on your elbows
or knees, you probably have psoriasis and will have
to take cortisone creams and sometimes more powerful medications.
Otherwise, your doctor may make a diagnosis of intertrigo, which means that the
skin on your legs is rubbing against the skin on
your groin. The major causes are obesity and wetness. If you are overweight,
it's time for a weight loss. Since wetness causes your
skin to stick and become abraded, try powdering your groin every morning to help
adsorb the sweat. Keep your skin clean by showering
every night.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
* Dear Dr. Mirkin: I have a knobby, bony area on top of my foot that hurts
when I walk or run. Is this common, and is there a
simple remedy?
A: A nerve runs across the top of the foot, so when you have spurs or "bony and
knobby" growths on the top, anything that presses
against them will irritate that nerve, causing tingling, burning or shooting
pains. If it presses the blood vessel, you get
throbbing as well.
When lacing your shoe, skip the holes that cross the area of these bumps. Be
sure to leave the laces loose. The only other
suggestion (short of surgery to remove the spurs) would be to place 1/8"
adhesive felt on each side of the bumps to keep pressure
off. --This answer comes from Gene Mirkin, DPM
http://www.marylandfoot.com
* Muscles and Diet
Many body builders and weight lifters are overly concerned about what they eat
and what food supplements they take. If you want to
grow larger and stronger muscles, you should concentrate on lifting weights, but
you can help muscles grow larger by understanding
how what you eat affects how you recover from hard exercise. Just exercising
will not make you strong and it will not help you to
grow large muscles. If exercise made you strong, marathon runners would have the
largest muscles. The only stimulus to make muscles
larger and stronger is to stretch them while they contract. When you lift a
heavy weight, your muscles start to stretch before they
start to contract. This tears the muscle and causes soreness on the next day and
beyond. If you rest and let the muscle heal, it
will be stronger than before you stretched it lifting weights.
This training principle of stress-and-recover is so strong that you can enlarge
a muscle by lifting weights even if you are fasting,
losing weight and all your other muscles are getting smaller. In one study,
obese, un-athletic women were instructed to restrict
food and lift weights. They averaged a weight loss of more than 35 pounds in
three months and gained a lot of muscle.
Training for sports is done by taking a hard workout and then having sore
muscles on the next day. Then you take easy workouts or
you take off until the muscle soreness disappears. You improve by taking hard
workouts and your muscles grow and heal while you
recover on your easy days. Of course, if you could recover faster from a hard
workout, you could do more work and be a better
athlete. Scientists have known for years that you recover faster by eating
carbohydrates immediately after you finish your hard
workout (2). New studies show that eating extra protein on the day that you take
hard workouts helps you recover even faster. Eating
extra protein reduces muscle damage during hard exercise (3). Eating
carbohydrates along with a protein building block called
leucine helps you to recover even faster (4).
Chronic muscle fatigue in athletes is associated with low blood levels of amino
acids, the building blocks of proteins (1). The
sooner you eat protein after you finish your hard workout, the quicker you will
recover. The benefits of eating protein soon after
you lift weights does not apply just to elite athletes. A study from the
University of Arkansas shows that eating meat helps older
people grow large muscles when they also lift weights. Muscles are made
primarily from protein building blocks called amino acids.
Muscles heal from a hard workout when amino acids and other nutrients travel
from your bloodstream into the muscles. Eating food,
particularly protein, immediately after you finish your workout helps muscles
heal faster. This study shows that men between the
ages of 51 and 69 recover faster and grow larger muscles when they include meat
than when they eat only dairy, fruits, vegetable,
whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts (5).
1) JE Donnelly, T Sharp, J Houmard, MG Carlson, JO Hill, JE Whatley, RG Israel
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition OCT 1993;58(4)
.
2) KJ Kingsbury, L Kay, M Hjelm. Contrasting plasma free amino acid patterns in
elite athletes: association with fatigue and
infection. British Journal of Sports Medicine 32: 1 (MAR 1998):25-32.
3) Nancy Rodriquez. The Journal of Nutrition July, 1999.
4) Hayward R et al. Effects of dietary protein on enzyme activity following
exercise-induced muscle injury. Med Sci Sprts Exerc.
March, 1999. 31(3):414-420.
5) WW Campbell, ML Barton, D CyrCampbell, SL Davey, JL Beard, G Parise, WJ
Evans. Effects of an omnivorous diet compared with a
lactoovovegetarian diet on resistance-training-induced changes in body
composition and skeletal muscle in older men. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999, Vol 70, Iss 6, pp 1032-1039.
* Side Stitches
Side stitches are caused by a stretching of the ligaments that run downward from
the diaphragm to hold up the liver. You breathe
once for each two strides. You breathe out when one foot, usually the right,
strikes the ground. So, your diaphragm goes up when the
force of your foot strike causes your liver to go down. This stretches the
ligaments to cause pain.
You can relieve the discomfort by stopping running and pressing your fingers
deep into your liver to raise it up toward your
diaphragm. At the same time, purse your lips and blow out as hard as you can
against the tightly held lips. Pushing the liver up
releases the stretched ligaments. Breathing out hard against resistance lowers
your diaphragm. The pain usually goes away
immediately and you can resume running.
From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine at:
http://www.drmirkin.com


4. This Week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Andrey Kuznetzov (RUS) won the 22nd running of the Ocean State
(RI/USA) Marathon with a time
of 2:17:58. Tesfaye Eticha (ETH) and Sergey Shalomeyev (RUS)
rounded out the top three with
2:19:06 and 2:19:39 respectively. Madina Biktagirova (RUS) won
the women's race in
2:36:21, more than 8 minutes ahead of 2nd place Christine
McNamara (USA) who ran 2:44:51.
Laurie Parton (USA) was 3rd at 2:49:00. This race continued for
five more years before
it was discontinued.
20 Years Ago- Richard Umberg (SUI) won the Cesano Boscone (ITA) Marathon with a
2:16:56. Fausto Molinari
(ITA) took 2nd with a 2:17:12 and Thomas Ertl (GER) wasn't that
far back in 3rd at 2:17:25.
Antonella Bizioli (ITA) took the women's contest with a 2:31:21,
more than ten minutes
ahead of Valentina Bottarelli (ITA) at 2:42:17. Paola Fedeli
(ITA) was 3rd at 2:43:53.
This race continued for 12 more editions, reaching 20 for its
final running.
30 Years Ago- The Choysa (NZL) Marathon managed to get the distance right after
the previous year's
fiasco where 13 runners went under the (then) world record. This
time, Ian Thomson (ENG)
won in a reasonable 2:13:49 with David Cannon (ENG) 2nd in
2:16:11 and Don Greig (NZL)
3rd in 2:16:48. Gillian File (NZL) won the women's race in
2:44:11 with Beverly Shingles
(NZL) and Gayle Barron (USA) finishing in 2:45:00 and 2:45:20
respectively.
40 Years Ago- Ron Hill (ENG) won an hour run in Leicester ENG with a distance
of 20.471 km. Ronald
Grove (ENG) was 2nd with 20.303 km and James Alder (SCO) was 3rd
with 20.201 km.
50 Years Ago- Bill Baille (NZL) won a marathon in Auckland NZL with a time of
2:23:41.
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.


5. Interview with John Cook:
On many counts John Cook could not have had a better 2008 as a coach. His three
athletes all made the US Olympic Team-Shalane
Flanagan in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres and Shannon Rowbery and Erin
Donahue in the 1500 metres. Add to that a bronze medal
from Flanagan in the 10,000m-the only US medal from 800m up to the marathon-and
you have all the ingredients of a fairy tale summer.
However, it is coach Cook's obsession with excellence, discipline and detail,
along with his high expectations of those around him,
that made 2008 one of the most frustrating season's in this long career coaching
at the sharp end of track and field.
In this riveting follow-up interview, coach Cook talks openly and honestly,
beginning with the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, about
each step of the way on the "Road to Beijing". He recounts the struggles and
setbacks his team encountered, but how in the end they
came together to produce some outstanding results. He also comments on the
future of the endurance events and his beliefs about what
coaches, athletes and governing bodies need to do to keep pace with the
Africans. This is a hard-hitting, frank and fascinating
interview with one of the most creative, innovative and original coaching minds
working in athletics today.
Listen to the interview at:
http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/?pid=1&spid=81


6. The Cardiovascular Benefits Of Music Are Similar To Those Found In Previous
Study Of Laughter:
Listening to your favorite music may be good for your cardiovascular system.
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of
Medicine in Baltimore have shown for the first time that the emotions aroused by
joyful music have a healthy effect on blood vessel
function.
Music, selected by study participants because it made them feel good and brought
them a sense of joy, caused tissue in the inner
lining of blood vessels to dilate (or expand) in order to increase blood flow.
This healthy response matches what the same
researchers found in a 2005 study of laughter. On the other hand, when study
volunteers listened to music they perceived as
stressful, their blood vessels narrowed, producing a potentially unhealthy
response that reduces blood flow.
The results of the study, conducted at the University of Maryland Medical
Center, were presented at the Scientific Sessions of the
American Heart Association, on November 11, 2008, in New Orleans.
"We had previously demonstrated that positive emotions, such as laughter, were
good for vascular health. So, a logical question was
whether other emotions, such as those evoked by music, have a similar effect,"
says principal investigator Michael Miller, M.D.,
director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center
and associate professor of medicine at the University
of Maryland School of Medicine. "We knew that individual people would react
differently to different types of music, so in this
study, we enabled participants to select music based upon their likes and
dislikes."
More...from Medical News Today at:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/129106.php


7. Running Battles: Winterize Your Shoes:
What to wear to stay on your feet on snow and ice.
For many of us, it will soon be time to run amid snow and ice. Your first issue:
What do you wear on your feet in the winter? Can
you get away with wearing your road shoes? Or do you need something more?
Winter running presents several challenges, and one of the most important and
difficult ones is simply maintaining traction. In just
about every other season, you can be assured of steady footing -- when your foot
hits the ground, you don't have to worry about it
slipping and sliding out from under you. The snow and ice that come with winter
make every step an experiment, as you never really
know what each step is going to bring.
There are basically four options to try in winter: road shoes alone, trail
shoes, an over-the-shoe product (such as Stabilicers or
YakTrax), or the screw-shoe method. (If you live somewhere with a lot of snow
and nice trails, you may also wish to try snowshoe
running.)
If you run somewhere with very little snow or ice, your road shoes may be
adequate. I find my road shoes work okay when there is
just a light dusting of snow on the ground as long as I am very careful. The
main issue I have with my road shoes is my feet get
cold easily from all that wonderfully breathable mesh. Even in cold weather,
running produces a lot of heat, and usually just a
thicker pair of socks is all that is necessary for me, even with a shoe with a
lot of mesh in the upper. However, your foot can
still get very cold when it gets wet from the snow or a puddle. I have dealt
with this problem in the past by putting duct tape over
the mesh.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=14917


8. Glycogen synthesis: your post-exercise plan:
The importance of replenishing muscle glycogen stores as well as fluids after
heavy exercise is well understood by sports scientists
and coaches. But the relatively recent discovery that muscle glycogen synthesis
is more rapid if carbohydrate is consumed
immediately after exercise has focused attention on early post-race strategies
to promote recovery and enhance subsequent
performance.
In a wide-ranging review of the literature in this field, exercise physiologist
John L Ivy, of the University of Texas at Austin,
points to the evidence that muscle glycogen synthesis is twice as rapid if
carbohydrate is consumed immediately after exercise
rather than several hours later, and that a rapid rate of synthesis can be
maintained if carbohydrate is consumed at regular
intervals for a few hours. He explains that the reduced rate of glycogen
synthesis observed when ingestion of a carbohydrate
supplement is delayed can be ascribed to the development of muscle insulin
resistance - apparently a protective mechanism to prevent
the development of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level) when insufficient
glucose is available. Providing a carbohydrate supplement
soon after exercise, therefore, enhances the muscle glycogen recovery process by
maintaining stable blood glucose levels and
preventing the development of muscle insulin-resistance. 'Moreover', Ivy poins
out, 'providing the supplement soon after exercise
maximises the time for recovery to proceed.' When a carbohydrate supplement is
provided immediately after exercise, its effect on
muscle glycogen synthesis eventually decreases as blood glucose and insulin
levels decline. But the rate of this decline can be
slowed if supplements are taken at regular intervals for several hours after
exercise.
More...from Peak Performance Online at:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0976.htm


9. Drug Mimics Low-cal Diet To Ward Off Weight Gain, Boost Running Endurance:
drug designed to specifically hit a protein linked to the life-extending
benefits of a meager diet can essentially trick the body
into believing food is scarce even when it isn't, suggests a new report in the
November Cell Metabolism.
The drug called SRT1720, which acts through the protein SIRT1, enhances running
endurance in exercised mice and protects the animals
against weight gain and insulin resistance even when they eat a high-fat diet,
the researchers report. The drug works by shifting
the metabolism to a fat-burning mode that normally takes over only when energy
levels are low.
The findings bolster the notion that SIRT1 may be a useful target in the fight
again metabolic disorders, including obesity and type
2 diabetes. It also helps lay to rest a long-standing controversy in the
scientific world over the metabolic benefits of the red
wine ingredient known as resveratrol. Resveratrol also acts on SIRT1, but its
influence on other metabolic actors had left room to
question exactly how it works.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104122135.htm


10. Muscle Cramps : No link between hydration and cramps:
The popular theory that exercise-induced muscle cramping (EAMC) is caused by
fluid imbalances, particularly dehydration and
abnormalities in blood electrolyte levels, has been overturned by a South
African study of ultra-distance runners.
Electrolyte and fluid disturbances have been associated with muscle cramps in
certain clinical conditions, explain the researchers,
and it is therefore often assumed that exercise-induced muscle cramping (EAMC)
has the same cause despite a lack of evidence to that
effect.
They set out to determine whether acute exercise-induced muscle cramping (EAMC)
in distance runners is related to changes in serum
electrolyte concentrations and hydration status. A cohort of 72 male runners
participating in the Two Oceans Ultra-marathon, a 56k
road race held annually in Cape Town, were asked about their history of
exercise-induced muscle cramping (EAMC) and then followed up
for the development of the condition during the race.
All subjects were weighed before and immediately after the race to assess
changes in hydration status. Blood samples were taken
before, immediately after and 60 minutes after the race and analysed for
glucose, protein, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium
concentrations, as well as various markers of hydration status.
More...from Peak Performance Online at:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/muscle-cramps.htm


11. Learning How to Walk (Chewing Gum Not Included):
AFTER Lynne Wu moved to New York from Cincinnati, she realized her body wasn't
prepared for the sheer amount of pavement-pounding
required in her adopted city.
"At the end of the day my lower back and ankles would hurt," said Ms. Wu, 40, a
development consultant for nonprofit organizations.
"I just wasn't used to walking that much."
Ms. Wu discussed her problem with her former yoga teacher in Ohio, who made an
unusual suggestion: why not take walking lessons?
Many people would have been insulted by such advice - don't we all master this
skill as a 1-year-old? - but to Ms. Wu it made
perfect sense. "I hate exercising," she said. "So I thought, 'What would happen
if I could walk properly and get a relaxed, centered
workout in a city like this?' "
Last January, Ms. Wu and her husband, Rob Gilson, signed up for private walking
classes with Jonathan FitzGordon, a yoga teacher and
owner of Yoga Center of Brooklyn.
During 10 sessions over about seven months, Mr. FitzGordon trained her to walk
with her feet parallel, her weight evenly distributed
and her body aligned.
Ten months later, Ms. Wu still had ankle issues - she was in the very late
stages of pregnancy - but her back pain was gone and her
walk had changed drastically.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/health/nutrition/13fitness.html?ref=fitnessand\
nutrition


12. Think Fast:
Yes, you need to train your legs, but it's really your brain that dictates your
pace.
If you're like most runners, you discovered the importance of pacing the hard
way. You started too fast in your very first run or
race, and ended up staggering and wheezing through the second half. But you
learned your lesson and held back on your next attempt,
allowing you to make it to the finish without the urge to vomit. Eventually,
however, you may face a new dilemma: You become so good
at running conservatively that you finish feeling too comfortable.
Perfecting your pacing-trying to run a certain distance in the shortest amount
of time possible without falling apart-is a tricky
art. That's because even when we watch the clock, we run largely by feel: We
decide whether to speed up, slow down, or hold steady
based on how much discomfort we think we can handle.
Until recently, exercise science gave little attention to this mental side of
pacing. If you petered out midway through a run, most
experts would say your body temperature got too high or there was too much
lactate (a fatigue-producing chemical) circulating in
your blood. But Ross Tucker, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at the University
of Cape Town, South Africa, and a growing group of
exercise scientists believe there is a more complex system at work. Their
research shows that your brain reads what's going on in
your organs, tissues, and cells while you're running, and then uses that
information to get into the right rhythm at the start of a
run and then fine-tune your pace as you go. Learning how these internal sensors
work is the key to becoming a better pacer and
stronger runner.
More...from Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--12848-0,00.html


13. Functional Strength Training for Triathletes:
Historically most people, including triathletes, think of strength training as
bodybuilding. Unfortunately this thinking keeps many
triathletes from participating in a properly designed strength and conditioning
program. For most endurance athletes the benefits of
strength training are outweighed by the fear of gaining too much bulk, loss of
flexibility and diminished "feel" of their sport. In
recent years much has been learned about the specific strength and conditioning
exercises that best suit triathletes.
Current thinking shows that functional strength training leads to better
muscular balance and joint stability, which will lead to
fewer injuries and increased performance. Strength training that is "functional"
mimics the movement patterns that are used in
swimming, cycling and running. By incorporating various exercises utilizing
minimal equipment you will assure yourself of that extra
edge next season. Now is the time of year to get organized with your off-season
training. Use the tips below to get started today
10 Tips of a Functional Strength Training Program for Triathletes:
1. Specific to the sport - Your routine must help develop and maintain sport
specific strength. Don't just do a basic circuit of
weight machines, as there are many new training devices that allow you to make
your training more sport specific. Cable machines,
physioballs, medicine balls, balance disks, etc- all allow for more functional
training.
2. Prevent Injury - Obviously strength training helps build strength, which
helps minimize the chance of injury, improves resistance
to fatigue and improves endurance. The ability to resist fatigue can allow you
to hold a set pace for longer or too increase speed
over a given distance. Muscular imbalances are also improved with a properly
designed functional program.
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/training/strength-training/functional-strength-training-f\
or-triathletes


14. 'Fast' Does Not Equal Strong:
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.
When an individual has not trained his or her antagonistic muscles (stabilizing
muscle(s) opposite to the action muscle), the body
will do things to compensate, i.e. move body positions or try to utilize other
muscle groups not intended for these purposes. These
issues will further diminish strength, stability, and optimal speed. Various
types of trauma may also occur as a result, and these
can range from constant nagging injuries to full blown muscle tears requiring
both surgery and rehab.
More...from the Sport Factory at:
http://thesportfactory.com/site/trainingnews/Fast_Does_Not_Equal_Strong.shtml


15. Digest Briefs:
* Overuse Injuries
The most common fitness-related injuries are injuries due to overuse. Particular
muscles and joints don't get enough rest time and
they just give up, leaving you to nurse them back to health. There are many ways
to prevent such injuries. Make sure you schedule a
rest day into your routine--no matter what. Sometimes it's hard when you've
really gotten the fitness bug to stop your high activity
level. But, as I've learned, if you don't give your body enough recuperation
time, it won't let you keep up your activity level.
Another great way to prevent overuse injuries is to cross train. By diversifying
your activities you will use different muscles and
that moves around the wear and tear so it's not focused on just one spot. In
addition, this keeps your workouts more interesting.
Don't do your main activity more than 4 or 5 times a week so those key muscles
have time to recover. Lastly, be sure to stretch
before and after a workout. Depending on what you're doing (a long hike or run
for instance) you may also want to stretch during the
activity as well. By stretching properly your muscles will be prepared for the
strain that will be put on them and they will have
help in the recovery process.




THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS:
*Please verify event dates with the event websites available from our FrontPage
(www.runnersweb.com)

November 14-15, 2008:
MyoMed Ragnar Relay Florida, Clearwater-Daytona Beach, FL

November 15, 2008:
Cape Henry 10 Miler - Virginia Beach, VA

SunTrust Richmond Marathon - Richmond, VA

November 15-16, 2008:
The Ultracentric Experience 24 Hour - McKinney, TX
U.S. National Championship / World 24 Hour qualifier

Run The Lydiard Way - Presented by Lorraine Moller
Victoria, BC

November 16, 2008:
Inaugural 13.1 Marathon Fort Lauderdale - Fort Lauderdale, FL

Inaugural Pasadena Marathon - Pasadena, CA

Ontario Cross Country Championships - Toronto, ON

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon - San Antonio, TX

Tokyo International Women's Marathon - Japan

Tulsa World Route 66 Marathon - Tulsa, OK

ZOOMA Atlanta Half Marathon - Atlanta, GA


June 20, 2008
Emilie's Run - The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K Race for Women - Ottawa, ON
http://www.emiliesrun.com

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

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Have a good week of training and/or racing.

Ken

Ken Parker
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The Running and Triathlon Resource Portal
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