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
The 2009 race will be run on June 20th.
For more on the race visit the website at:
http://www.emiliesrun.com.
**Register before January 31, 2009 and get a 15% discount**

3. Road Runner Sports, the world's largest running store at:
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4. Toronto Waterfront Marathon, September 27, 2009
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5. Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon - October 18, 2009
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8. iRun Magazine
More than a million Canadians are runners, making it this country's most popular
recreational and fitness activity. Canadians run
for exercise and we run to raise money for important causes. We run alone and in
groups. And every year, hundreds of thousands of us
participate in organized races, from fun runs to marathons, which are growing
steadily.
Until now, Canadian runners haven't had our own running magazine. But now,
there's iRun, providing a uniquely Canadian perspective
on the activity and the sport. Published six times a year, iRun educates,
informs and inspires Canadian runners.
The Team
Mark Sutcliffe, Publisher and Editor
Mark has more than 20 years of experience in the Canadian media business. An
avid runner, he has completed five marathons and 10
half-marathons. He writes a popular weekly column on running in the Ottawa
Citizen and co-hosts The Running Show every week on The
Team 1200 radio. Mark is the former Executive Editor of the Ottawa Citizen and
has also launched several publications, including the
Ottawa Business Journal, now in its second decade, and the Kitchissippi Times, a
successful community newspaper in Ottawa. His
writing has appeared across the country in daily newspapers, and magazines like
Macleans and Canadian Business.
Ray Zahab, Contributing Editor
Ray Zahab is Canada's most renowned ultramarathon runner. A former pack-a-day
smoker, Ray transformed his life by becoming a
successful long-distance runner, winning some of the world's most challenging
foot races. Beginning in November 2006, Ray and two
other runners ran across the Sahara Desert in 111 days, averaging 70 kilometres
per day without a single day's rest. Ray is an
accomplished public speaker, writes regularly about running and coaches athletes
striving to achieve their own goals.
Distribution
iRun is Canada's highest-circulation and most popular running magazine. With a
total distribution of 50,000 and more than 9,000
subscribers, iRun is leading the market in the rapidly growing and highly
desirable demographic of Canadian runners.
iRun Magazine is a sponsor of Emilie's Run
http://www.irun.ca/

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

10. 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
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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
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Circuit training is so much easier with your own
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The stylish looking headphones play the usual MP3, WMA and WAV formats and are
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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:

Register for Emilie's Run - June 20, 2009 before January 31, 2009 and get a 15%
discount.
http://www,emiliesrun.com

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
Sign up at:
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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
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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
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Breaksweat TV is not a user generated website, or a broadcasting channel; rather
it is a platform used to host Breaksweat.tv's
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For more information and to visit other existing channels in the Simply Media
network, please visit:
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* Sports Nutrition by Sheila Kealey. Sheila is one of Ottawa's top multisport
athletes and a member of the OAC Racing Team and X-C
Ottawa. She has a Masters in Public Health and works in the field of nutritional
epidemiology as a Research Associate with the
University of California, San Diego. Her column index is available at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/SK_index.html

* Carmichael Training Systems Carmichael Training Systems was founded in 1999 by
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* Peak Performance Online Peak Performance is a subscription-only newsletter for
athletes, featuring the latest research from the
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rowing to cycling and swimming, and each issue is packed
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published 16 times a year, including four special reports,
by Electric Word plc. Peak Performance is not available in the shops - only our
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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
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past two it has been awarded the "Golden Shoe Award" in recognition of it's
outstanding achievements.
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Check out the Peak Running article index at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/PRP_index.html .

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

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

THIS WEEK'S DIGEST ARTICLE INDEX:

1. Age Matters
Are you too old-or too young-to run your best marathon?
2. Don't Forget To Eat
3. Collapse in the Endurance Athlete
4. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
5. Sportsmedicine: Ankle Injuries, Ankle Pain and Sprained Ankle Treatment -
Part II
6. Key To A Healthy Lifestyle Is In The Mind
7. This Week in Running
8. Improve Your Functional Strength and Muscle Elasticity for Better Running
This Season and Beyond
9. Sportsmedicine: Ankle Injuries, Ankle Pain and Sprained Ankle Treatment -
Part III
10. Abnormal Heart Function Associated With Reduced Capacity For Exercise
11. Caffeine dehydration : Caffeine and alcohol - just how dehydrating are they?
12. More Wisdom From the Wizard of Italy
Part 2 of a visit with coaching legend Renato Canova.
13. Freaky Fitness: What Working Out Can Do to You
Weird Things Exercise Can Do to Your Body, From Black Toes to Orgasms.
14. 30 Years of Marathon Training
We Know MORE, But It's Still 26.2 Miles.
15. Digest Briefs


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"Which city should host the 2016 Summer Olympics?"

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:
"Do you use an iPod or MP3 player while running?
Answers Percent
1. In training 22%
2. In races 19%
3. In both training and races 11%
4. No 48%


FIVE STAR SITE OF THE MONTH: Women's Running Magazine
Women's Running is the world's largest women-specific running magazine.
Women's Running covers all aspects of the running lifestyle, from active beauty
needs to training plans. The Women's Running mission
is simple: to create a high-quality magazine for smart, successful women who use
running to balance and enrich their lives. Women's
Running features quality editorial that motivates women to train intelligently,
participate in active travel, adopt healthy
nutrition habits and keep moving.
Women's Running is distributed at over 4,000 retailers including Barnes & Noble,
Borders, REI, Dick's Sporting Goods, Eastern
Mountain Sports, and other independent, specialty retailers.
Visit the website at:
http://www.womensrunningmag.com


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


BOOK/VIDEO/MOVIE OF THE MONTH: Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon.
By Brad Hudson (Author), Matt Fitzgerald (Author)
Do you want to run faster? Are you trying to peak for a particular race? Would
you like to find your true running potential? Brad
Hudson, former Olympic Trials marathoner and current coach to Olympians like
Dathan Ritzenhein, will show you the way in this
practical, reader-friendly guide. Hudson is the most innovative running coach to
come along in a generation. Until now, only a
handful of elite athletes have been able to benefit from his methods. Now Run
Faster from the 5K to the Marathon shows all runners
how to coach themselves as confidently and effectively as Brad coaches his
world-class athletes. Becoming your own best coach is the
ticket to running faster at any distance.
First you will learn to assess your abilities. Then you'll learn how to devise a
training program specifically geared to you. Filled
with easy-to-follow sample training programs for distances ranging from the 5K
to the marathon and abilities ranging from novice to
advanced, Run Faster is the cutting-edge guide for optimal performance.
With Hudson's guidance, you can train smarter and more effectively-and avoid
injury. And you'll soon be running faster than you ever
thought possible!
Buy the book from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767928229/runnersweb/102-0182896-9006569\
?v=glance&s=book

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. Age Matters:
Are you too old-or too young-to run your best marathon? To find out, we asked
top scientists, coaches, and elite athletes about the
impact of aging on endurance. Their answers might pleasantly surprise you.
The two Olympic Marathons held last August in Beijing were literally races for
the ages. Kenya's Samuel Wanjiru, 21, broke more than
an Olympic record with his 2:06:32 win; he crushed long-held conventional wisdom
that marathon performance peaks among runners in
their late 20s and early 30s. That conventional wisdom also took a beating when
a 38-year-old mother with 10 marathons under her
belt, Romania's Constantina Tomescu-Dita, won the women's event. To a casual
observer, these Olympian efforts resembled an emerging
trend, with runners young and old bursting through a narrow age boundary. The
youth movement included two 25-year-olds-Dathan
Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall-who qualified for the U.S. Olympic squad (and finished
ninth and 10th, respectively, in Beijing), as well
as 19-year-old Kum-Ok Kim, a North Korean who finished 12th in the women's race.
And on the other side of the age spectrum, the U.S.
women's team was led by two 35-year-olds- Deena Kastor and Magdalena Lewy
Boulet-while "old-timers" and world record holders Paula
Radcliffe (34) and Haile Gebrselassie (35) showed no signs of slowing down.
Korean who finished 12th in the women's race. On the other side of the age
spectrum, two 35-year-olds - Deena Kastor and Magdalena
Lewy Boulet-led the U.S. women's team. Meanwhile, "old-timers" and world record
holders Paula Radcliffe (34) and Haile Gebrselassie
(35) continued posting world-beating performances in races last fall.
Impressive results from youngsters like Wanjiru and older runners like
Tomescu-Dita might imply that marathon performance isn't
bound by rigid age limits. But are these remarkable performances simply the
exceptions to a rule, or are top marathoners truly
stretching age boundaries? If so, how, and what are the implications for those
of us who finish races far behind? Is there an ideal
age to run your best marathon?
We posed these questions to top physiologists, statisticians, coaches, and elite
athletes. Their answers paint a picture that offers
lots of encouragement to runners of all ages and talents.
More...from Runner's World at:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-413--13034-0,00.html


2. Don't Forget To Eat:
When embarking on a long drive or road trip, one typically starts by filling the
gas tank. Since fuel is consumed throughout the
adventure, you are required to make periodic re-fueling stops to avoid running
out of gas. The number and frequency of re-fueling
stops is based on your speed, the distanced traveled, traffic congestion, road
conditions, etc. And when you finally reach that
final destination it is generally a good idea to top off the gas tank in
preparation for local travel excursions (or the return
trip). A road trip provides a great analogy for the preparation, participation,
and recovery from a long distance running event.
Simply put, you want to be assured that your fuel tank is full prior to your
event, you want to maintain your energy reserves
throughout the race to avoid "bonking", and after the event recovery should be
first and foremost on your list of "things to do".
All too often runners don't follow these simple rules of the road and the
consequences can be disastrous. Here, I'll provide some
useful information regarding proper nutrition for before, during and after and
training sessions and races. Follow these simple
guidelines and expect to see immediate results!
"Fill the Tank" before your event
In the months leading up to your race you trained hard, you watched your diet
and maintained the recommended diet composition of
60-70% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein, and fat 10-15% fat. The few days before the
race you consumed high carbohydrate, low fat meals
and your gas tank is full! You've had plenty of sleep throughout the week so
you're well rested for the next day's event. Race
morning arrives and you're feeling confident and ready to race. Although your
well-planned meals have boosted your body's energy
stores, the question still remains: Is the
More...from Running Research News at:
http://runningresearchnews.com/News_And_Events.php?cid=1&iid=131


3. Collapse in the Endurance Athlete:
Collapse is perhaps the most dramatic of all medical problems affecting
athletes. Though collapse can be seen in any athletic event
requiring maximal exertion, it is most common in endurance events, such as
marathons and triathlons. The incidence seems to increase
as the race distance, temperature, and humidity increase (O'Conner et al.,
2003).
In endurance events, about 85% of the cases of collapse occur after the athlete
crosses the finish line (Holtzhause & Noakes, 1997).
Most of these cases are benign and the athlete suffers no lasting deleterious
effects, but in some circumstances collapse can be
severe and life threatening. For this reason, medical personnel attending
endurance events or caring for these athletes should be
aware of the proper evaluation and management of the collapsed athlete, which
can sometimes be the difference between life and
death.
Defining Exercise-Associated Collapse
Exercise-associated collapse can be defined as the inability to walk unassisted,
with or without exhaustion, nausea, vomiting, or
cramps (Holtzhause & Noakes, 1997; O'Conner et al., 2003). An athlete who
collapses may have a body temperature that is normal,
high, or low. For the purposes of this article, exercise-associated collapse
excludes orthopedic conditions such as knee or ankle
injuries that could potentially prevent an athlete from walking unassisted but
can be easily distinguished from the more traditional
causes of collapse.
The conditions that usually cause exercise-associated collapse are relatively
few in number and can generally be grouped into benign
and serious conditions. The most common benign causes of collapse include
exhaustion, postural hypotension, dehydration, and muscle
cramps. Serious causes include hyponatremia, heatstroke, hypoglycemia,
hypothermia, cardiac arrest, and various other medical
conditions.
More...from GSSI at:
http://www.gssiweb.com/Article_Detail.aspx?articleid=699&level=8&topic=1


4. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine:
* Greater Endurance with Aging
I'm 74 years old and ride my bicycle more than 200 miles per week, often in pace
lines with younger riders. I have noticed that
younger riders can easily pull away from me in short bursts, but I keep coming
back on them and seem to be better able to keep up
with their accelerations as the ride progresses.
The latest issue of Exercise and Sports Sciences Reviews (January 2009) reviews
the entire world's literature to show that endurance
improves as you age. Wow!
The maximal muscle contraction force occurs when you do a single muscle
contraction with all your might. Even though older people
are not as strong as younger ones, many studies show that they can retain
maximal force after many contractions far longer than
younger people can.
Here's the theory and evidence to explain why aging improves endurance. Muscles
are made up of millions of individual fibers just
as a rope is made up of many different
threads. Each muscle fiber is enervated by a single nerve. As you age, you lose
nerves throughout your body and when you lose the
nerve that enervates a specific fiber, you also lose that muscle fiber.
Muscle fibers are classified as type I endurance fibers and type II strength and
speed fibers. With aging, you lose far more nerves
that enervate the strength and speed fibers than those that enervate the
endurance ones. So, with aging, you lose strength but you
retain a greater proportion of endurance fibers.
Muscle fatigue comes from the accumulation of waste products that occurs while
food is converted to energy to power your muscles.
Scientists can measure fatigue by measuring the accumulation of acid (H+),
Phosphate (Pi) and protonated phosphate (H2PO4) in
muscle. With the same percentage of their maximal muscle force, older people
accumulate far lower levels of these end products than
younger people do. Therefore even though older people are weaker, they can
maintain their forceful contractions far longer than
younger people can and they have greater endurance. This exciting recent data
will encourage me to train even harder.
* Dear Dr. Mirkin: I'm an avid runner who gets severe leg cramps; could they be
caused by an over-the-counter supplement that
contains beta sitosterol?
Beta sitosterol is a plant cholesterol that blocks the absorption of animal
cholesterol in your intestines. It's unlikely that
these supplements would cause your leg cramps. Low salt levels are a far more
common cause of cramps in exercisers. When you
exercise intensely, you lose tremendous amounts of salt in your sweat. Go for a
long run of at least ten miles. On the next morning
have your doctor draw your blood sodium level. If it is below 130, you need
more salt.
Try adding more salt to your food and eat salted peanuts or other salty snacks
frequently during your rides. Salt may contribute to
high blood pressure in non-exercisers, but it rarely
causes high blood pressure in athletes. If you are concerned about the effect of
added salt on your blood pressure, get an
inexpensive wrist blood pressure cuff at your local drug store and keep a log.
* Dear Dr. Mirkin: Should I exercise when I have a cold or a fever?
Exercise may actually be beneficial when you have a cold. However, it's probably
better to stop exercising altogether if you have a
fever with aching muscles. When you exercise, your heart has to pump blood to
your muscles to supply them with oxygen. It also must
pump blood from your muscles to your skin where the heat is dissipated. When you
have a fever, your heart has to work harder to get
rid of extra heat.
You risk injury if you exercise when your muscles hurt at rest. When muscles are
damaged, they release enzymes from their cells into
the bloodstream and they fill with blood from broken blood vessels. One study
reported markedly increased muscle damage during
relatively minor exercise during an infection, with blood tests showing
increases in muscle enzymes and ultrasound tests
demonstrating hemorrhage into the muscles. You will not lose much conditioning
if you take off a few days.
* Exercise and Healthful Diet More Important than Salt Restriction
A recent report from the University of London warns that a high-salt diet is
associated with increased risk for stroke, heart
attacks and premature death (Journal of Human
Hypertension, January 2009). The authors feel that taking in too much salt is
the major risk factor for high blood pressure,
associated with 62 percent of strokes and 49 percent of heart attacks. They are
correct about the association between high salt
intake and high blood pressure in some people. However, the association with
heart attacks is much stronger between eating meat and
processed foods (both high food sources of salt) than it is with added salt.
Other studies show that eating meat increases
inflammation that causes heart attacks (reported in my eZine on November 9 and
16, 2008.)
The highest association between high blood pressure and risk for heart attacks
is in people who have a systolic (heart contraction)
blood pressure that does not drop below 120 in the evening. I recommend getting
a wrist blood pressure cuff (about $30 in drug
stores) and taking your blood pressure in the evening. If your systolic blood
pressure is above 120 before you go to bed, you are
at increased risk for premature death and need to check with your doctor, make
lifestyle changes and perhaps take
medication.
Data associating a high-salt diet with disease is reported only in people who
are not heavy exercisers. In 1942, James Gamble of
Harvard Medical School showed that salt is the only mineral you lose in
significant amounts with exercise. If you are a regular
exerciser and run low on salt, you can become too tired to work out every day
and be at increased risk for muscle cramps and
injuries.
Eighty percent of people with high blood pressure can be cured with diet alone.
See my explanation of the DASH diet at
http://www.drmirkin.com/heart/8614.html Regular exercisers who have bedtime
blood pressures below 120 probably do not need to
restrict salt. If they suffer muscle cramps, injuries or chronic fatigue, they
should get blood sodium (normal is above 135 nmol/L)
and chloride (normal is above 98 nmol/L) levels. If either test result is low,
they may need to take in more salt.
From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine at:
http://www.drmirkin.com


5. Sportsmedicine: Ankle Injuries, Ankle Pain and Sprained Ankle Treatment -
Part II:
A guide for the prevention and treatment of ankle injuries
Part 2
In part 1, we took a look at exactly what a sprained ankle is. We had a look at
the structures that make up the ankle joint; what
happens when an ankle injury occurs; the symptoms associated with an ankle
injury; and the major causes and risk factors that
contribute to ankle injury.
In part 2, we're going to start off by looking at the risk factors and common
causes of ankle injury, and then look at a number of
prevention strategies to help reduce those risk factors.
Then we're going to outline a detailed strategy for the complete treatment and
rehabilitation of an ankle sprain. Firstly, we'll
look at the importance of the immediate treatment (the first 48 to 72 hours).
Secondly, we'll outline the ongoing treatment
necessary for a full recovery, and finally we'll look at the rehabilitation and
conditioning exercises needed to get your ankle
joint back to 100%.
Prevention should be your First Priority!
In part 1 we outlined a number of common causes and risk factors associated with
ankle sprains. They included: a lack of
conditioning; inadequate warm up and stretching; inadequate footwear; training
on uneven ground; and the big one, a previous history
of ankle sprains.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2009/rw_news_20090118_TSH_Ankle.html


6. Key To A Healthy Lifestyle Is In The Mind:
The main factors influencing the amount of physical exercise people carry out
are their self-perceived ability and the extent of
their desire to exercise. A study of 5167 Canadians has shown that psychological
concerns are the most important barriers to an
active lifestyle.
Sai Yi Pan, from the Public Health Agency of Canada, led a team of researchers
who carried out a study which examined data from a
nationwide series of telephone interviews. She said "Our findings highlight the
need for health promotion programs to enhance
people's confidence and motivation, as well as providing education on the health
benefits of physical activity".
One interview question asked participants how confident they were that they
could regularly do a total of 30 minutes of moderate
physical activity (PA) three or four times a week and a total of 60 minutes of
light PA each day. This 'self-efficacy' score was
consistently found to be related to higher PA across gender, age group,
education level and family income level. According to the
authors, "Confidence in one's personal ability to carry out exercise plays a
central role in the direction, intensity and
persistence of health-behavior change. People who have higher PA self-efficacy
will perceive fewer barriers to PA, or be less
influenced by them, and will be more likely to enjoy PA".
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090115190449.htm


7. This Week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Elana Meyer (RSA) won the Tokyo (JPN) Half Marathon in a near WR
time of 1:06:44. Not
far back was Esther Wanjiru (KEN) who clocked in at 1:06:49.
Kerryn McCann (AUS) was a
distance 3rd in 1:09:05. John Kanyi (KEN) won the men's race in
1:00:49 with Lee Troop
(AUS) next in 1:01:00 and Emerson Iser-Bem (BRA) 3rd in 1:01:14.
20 Years Ago- Doug Padilla (USA) won the Sunkist Invitational (CA/USA) 3000m
with a 7:57:02. Brian
Abshire (USA) and Matt Giusto (USA) were close behind with
7:57.88 and 7:57.89
respectively.
30 Years Ago- Nick Rose (ENG) won the Sunkist Indoor Meet (CA/USA) 2 mile in
8:27.3 with Alberto
Salazar (USA) in 2nd at 8:35.9 and Chris Schankle (USA) 3rd at
8:42.0. Julie Brown
(USA) took the women's 3000m in 9:23.5 with Martha Cooksey (USA)
next in 9:33.1 and
Linda Heinmiller (USA) 3rd in 9:41.2.
40 Years Ago- George Young (USA) won a two mile indoors at Los Angeles CA/USA
(time not known).
He was followed by John Lawson (USA) at 8:42.6 and Ron Clarke
(AUS) at 8:44.2.
50 Years Ago- Benjamin Basil Heatley (ENG) won the Inter-Counties Championships
(ENG), prevailing
by 20 seconds over John Merriman (WAL). John Anderson (ENG) was
another seven seconds
back.
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.


8. Improve Your Functional Strength and Muscle Elasticity for Better Running
This Season and Beyond:
"The economy of running is determined on one hand, by how the degrees of
movement are restricted, and on the other hand, by how
energy is reused."
- Bosch and Klomp from: Running- Biomechanics and Physiology Applied In Practice
Runners and triathletes are a stubborn and dedicated bunch, whose approach to
training is often rooted in traditional thinking. When
it comes to running, traditional thinking states that all a runner need do to
improve is to just run, and run, and run some more,
without paying much attention to other aspects of overall fitness such as
functional and core strength, or maintaining muscle and
joint mobility and elasticity. The problem with that thinking is that running,
in and of itself, does NOT make you stronger, and
it's not an activity that helps you stay more mobile and flexible. Why does
strength or flexibility matter? Over time, as we age and
as the miles pile up, if we do nothing but just run, we will become weaker and
tighter and eventually that weakness and tightness
will ruin our performance and increase our injury risk. In what is a cruel
reality, if you just run and ignore the other aspects of
a smart, balanced training program, you will end up losing the ability to do the
ONE thing you most want to do, which is run!
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/training/run/improve-your-functional-strength-and-muscle-\
elasticity-for-better-running-this-season-a


9. Sportsmedicine: Ankle Injuries, Ankle Pain and Sprained Ankle Treatment -
Part III
A guide for the prevention and treatment of ankle injuries
Part 3
In part 1, we took a look at exactly what a sprained ankle is. We had a look at
the structures that make up the ankle joint; what
happens when an ankle injury occurs; the symptoms associated with an ankle
injury; and the major causes and risk factors that
contribute to ankle injury. Click here if you missed part 1.
In part 2, we started by going over the risk factors and common causes of ankle
injury, and then looked at a number of prevention
strategies to help reduce those risk factors. We then looked at the importance
of the immediate treatment (the first 48 to 72
hours), and begun to outline the ongoing treatment necessary for a full
recovery. Click here if you'd like to go back and have a
look over part 2.
In this issue, part 3, we're going to outline a detailed strategy for the
complete rehabilitation of an ankle sprain. We'll look at
the rehabilitation and conditioning exercises needed to get your sprained ankle
back to 100%.
By now, you've come over 80% of the way. You may even feel that your ankle is
fully recovered. Your treatment so far may have
stopped the swelling and bleeding, it may have reduced the amount of scar tissue
at the ankle, and it may have even started to heal
the ligaments that were injured. But there is still one more important thing to
do.
The last 20% can be the most crucial to your complete recovery. If you've ever
suffered from a sporting injury in the past, you'll
know how annoying it is to think you're recovered, and then out-of-the-blue,
you're injured again and back to where you started. It
can be one of the most frustrating and heart-breaking cycles an athlete, or
anyone else for that matter, can go through.
More...from the Runner's Web at:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2009/rw_news_20090122_TSH_Ankle.html


10. Abnormal Heart Function Associated With Reduced Capacity For Exercise:
Patients with abnormal diastolic function (when the heart is relaxed and
expanded) in the left ventricle of the heart have a
substantially lower maximum capacity for exercise, according to a new study.
Many factors, including age, female sex, body mass index and co-existing medical
conditions are known to be associated with a
decrease in exercise capacity. Identifying potentially reversible mechanisms
underlying the decline in maximum exercise capacity
could have important implications. Some research has suggested that assessing
left ventricular (one of four chambers in the heart)
function could be used to predict exercise capacity, according to background
information in the article.
Jasmine Grewal, M.D., of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and colleagues conducted
a study to examine the relationship between left
ventricular diastolic function and exercise capacity. The study included 2,867
patients undergoing exercise echocardiography (a
noninvasive diagnostic procedure that uses ultrasound to study the structure and
motions of the heart) with routine measurements of
left ventricular systolic (contraction of the heart) and diastolic function.
Analyses were conducted to determine the strongest
correlates of exercise capacity and the age and sex interactions of these
variables with exercise capacity.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090120164213.htm


11. Caffeine dehydration : Caffeine and alcohol - just how dehydrating are they?
Do you do drugs? Think long and hard before you answer, because the answer is,
very probably, yes! Like it or not, alcohol and
caffeine are drugs that most of us consume regularly as part of our diet. Like
all drugs, they have side effects, one of which is
common to both - a 'diuretic' (waterloss) effect. But how strong is this effect,
and is a diet containing these drugs detrimental to
the goal of optimum hydration?
Trimethyl xanthine (more commonly known as caffeine) belongs to a family of
naturally occurring compounds found in a number of
plants. The most common sources of caffeine in western diets include coffee,
tea, cocoa and its derivatives (such as chocolate), and
kola nuts. Caffeine is also added to a number of carbonated beverages,
particularly cola drinks.
Part of the reason for the popularity of caffeine-containing beverages is that
caffeine is a central nervous stimulant. Caffeine
blocks the binding to nerve cells of a substance called adenosine, which
normally acts to slow down nerve cell activity. The
resulting increased nerve activity stimulates the release of the hormone
epinephrine (adrenaline) which, in turn, leads to such
effects as increased heart rate and blood pressure, increased blood flow to
muscles and the release of glucose by the liver.
Caffeine also increases brain levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is
involved in cognitive (thinking) processes,
alertness and memory.
More...from Peak Performance Online at:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/caffeine-dehydration.htm


12. More Wisdom From the Wizard of Italy:
Part 2 of a visit with coaching legend Renato Canova.
In part 1 of our profile of Italian coach Renato Canova, we learned his eclectic
approach to developing athletes, and how he
believes that performance-enhancing drugs are unnecessary to achieve peak
performances. In part 2, the Italian wizard talks about
how he became involved with Qataris and Ugandans, and reveals further sage
advice to athletes and his ultimate goal for each of
them.
In 2003, Canova was asked to create a Qatari team, and also to prepare the
Ugandan team for the IAAF World Championships. At the
time, he was already coaching Stephen Cherono, who would become Saaeed Saif
Shaheen when permitted to become a part of the Qatari
team, and Paul Kosgei, who almost won the IAAF World Half Marathon Champs during
his first time over the distance in 2002. Canova
took on Albert Chepkurui and was able to recruit for his newly formed Qatari
team only other Kenyan athletes not at the top level.
Nicolas Kemboi had run 26:30 for 10,000m under Canova's guidance, but the Kenyan
federation refused to release him. Then in 2004
Kemboi ran 27:17, and the Kenyan officials let him go to the Qatari team.
Care must be taken never to stereotype the members of any one nationality or
ethnic group. Canova cites the contrast between
Christopher Kosgei and his brother, Stephen Cherono (Shaheen). "The younger
brother of the elder champion who won the 3000 steeple
in 1999, Christopher Kosgei, (and) who was my first world champion, [Cherono]
could have very good motivation from the mistakes the
brother did. Because the brother exactly, finishing the competition where he won
in Seville, became again a Kenyan in mentality. For
a Kenyan it means that he was proud to be a winner and looked for his life not
as an athlete. And in eight months he never went for
even one minute of running. Nothing completely. And believe me, he lost the
opportunity for winning the Olympics in 2000 and World
Championships in 2001, because he was absolutely number one, absolutely. He was
not able to use this gift that he had in his future
life.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=15473


13. Freaky Fitness: What Working Out Can Do to You:
Weird Things Exercise Can Do to Your Body, From Black Toes to Orgasms.
When it comes to exercise, you get out what you put in. So, when you devote a
lot of work, you expect fabulous results. But,
sometimes, the results of a workout are far from what was expected.
From surprise orgasms to black toes, a number of strange things can happen to
the body when put through its paces. These issues
often occur when the exercise is intense, when it lasts a long time and is
atypical -- running a marathon, for example.
Many of the problems stem from simple nutrient depletion, as the body uses up
fuel to sustain a tough work out.
"When the body is stressed, it reroutes resources, such as blood flow, away from
non-vital systems," said Dr. Michelle Wolcott,
assistant professor and sports medicine specialist at the University of Colorado
at Boulder. "Muscles, particularly the heart and
leg muscles, use up all available nutrients and oxygen."
Because of this, loading up on electrolyte salts or carbohydrates for energy
won't solve the problem, and a person can go into a
state of hyponatremia, in which the body cannot even process any nutrients.
More...from ABC News at:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Fitness/story?id=6710852&page=1


14. 30 Years of Marathon Training:
We Know MORE, But It's Still 26.2 Miles.
"There's no race that's simpler to prepare for than the marathon," wrote Mark
Conover in our pages in 1996. Five years later, Pete
Pfitzinger echoed him, writing, "While running a marathon isn't easy, training
for it should be relatively simple."
If this is the case - and who am I to question two Olympians - I postulated that
I should be able to sort through all the marathon
training articles published in RT over the past 30 years and find the essential,
core principles by which to make all those
four-page, four-month, four-point-font charts "simple." I also wanted to see
what may have changed in those 30 years since RT began
publishing marathon training programs.
One way of making it simpler is to isolate which marathoners we're talking
about. Beginning marathoners have different priorities
and different programs than experienced marathoners. In the very first marathon
training program RT published, penned by Tom Allison
in February 1980 (coincidentally, the same year I first ran the marathon), we
laid out our target audience:
This article is addressed to individuals between these two extremes [first-timer
and elite]. If you have been running seriously for
at least one year, have progressed up to 50 or more miles per week, and have
completed at least one full marathon, then you may be
ready to begin a training program that will enable you to run the fastest
marathon possible for your age, sex, and genetic
endowment.
With very few exceptions, all of our marathon training articles since then, some
two dozen of them, have been aimed at the same
runners. While this simplifies the parameters, it complicates the training,
since for first timers, all that is required is adequate
miles and some long runs, as Jeff Galloway spelled out in a crash-course for the
100th Boston, or as John Treacy said in the intro
to his 1994 article:
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=9906


15. Digest Briefs:
* Endurance Training
Female Endurance Athletes
What foods and fluids should female endurance athletes eat during training?
Carbohydrates:
Consume 60% of calories from carbohydrates (7-to-10 grams per kilogram of body
weight daily) from nutrient-dense carbohydrate-rich
foods.
Fluids:
Drink 16 ounces of a rapidly absorbed fluid (water or sports drink) two hours
before exercise, and at least 5-to-10 ounces of a
sports drink every 15-to-20 minutes during exercise.
Calcium:
Eat low or non-fat dairy products to consume 1,000 mg of calcium daily (RDA).
Iron:
Emphasize iron from animal sources (red meat) for good absorption. The new RDA
for iron is 18 mg per day.
-- Ellen Coleman, M.A., M.P.H., R.D., Sports Nutritionist, The Sports Clinic
* Sports Psychology
Motivational Tips
What are tips for staying motivated late in the season?
To stay motivated, you need to set goals. Goals keep you on target or help you
refocus late in the season. Setting goals involves
the process of self-evaluation, and requires more than outcome goals. Outcome
goals, such as a win or specific time, are the end
products of your efforts. Process goals are more controllable, regulating the
steps you need to accomplish to reach favorable
outcomes. These preferred goals should be stated positively, specific to your
abilities, and set for practices as well as
competition.
-- Linda Petlichkoff, Ph.D., Professor, Boise State University


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

January 24, 2009:
Carlsbad Marathon - Carlsbad, CA

Keebler Kids Marathon Mile - Carlsbad, CA

Seasons 52 Park Avenue 5.2K - Winter Park, FL

Winter Carnival Half Marathon - St. Paul, MN

January 25, 2009:
ING Miami Marathon, Miami, FL

(Inaugural) Maui Oceanfront Marathon - Lahaina, HI

NYRR Half Marathon Grand Prix: Manhattan - NY

Osaka International Ladies Marathon - Japan

January 30, 2009:
Millrose Games, New York, NY

March 6-9, 2009:
European Athletics Indoor Championships - Torino, Italy


June 20, 2009
Emilie's Run - The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K Race for Women - Ottawa, ON
http://www.emiliesrun.com
**Register before January 31, 2009 and get a 15% discount**

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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