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
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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 March 15, 2009 and get a 10% discount**

3. Road Runner Sports, the world's largest running store at:
http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000010069822.

4. Toronto Waterfront Marathon, September 27, 2009
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/STWM_Transporter.html

5. Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon - October 18, 2009
Register before the end of this month for the Marathon, Half Marathon, or 5k and
save $$. Fees increase March 1st!
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. 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
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www.GoodLifeFitness.com Limited time offer.

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
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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Race Directors: Advertise your event on the Runner's Web.
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NEW THIS WEEK:

The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K Race for Women - June 20, 2009
Register before March 15, 2009 and get a 10% 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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&SPSID=105551

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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. Knee realignment surgery lets athletes stay active
2. Fast Transitions - How the Pros Do It So Fast
3. Athletes’ Own Blood Could Nurse Them to Health
4. Recovery
The coach, author and former Olympic marathoner describes what to do when.
5. Eggs Pack Protein, Power, Strength And Energy Say Food and Sports Scientists
6. Psychology (General Concepts) - Competition Plans and Routines
7. This Week in Running
8. Ten Quick Fixes to Save Your Running Knees Long Term
9. Great Workout, Forget the View
10. Sore, No More
11. Sweeteners: Real Aid or Excuse to Indulge?
12. Running Times Newsletter
13. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
14. Study Examines Effects Of Exercise On Quality Of Life In Postmenopausal
Women
15. Sprints may be best for diabetes prevention


RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
"If you are unable to run, what do you 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 women's road race records ("best times") be allowed to be established in
mixed (men and women) races?"
Answers Percent
1. Yes 26%
2. No, women's only races 74%


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: The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers
and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon
By John Hanc
The Coolest Race on Earth* follows Hanc's 2005 attempt to complete the 26.2 mile
grueling race in humorous and invigorating detail.
This icy adventure traces the wild history of the Antarctica Marathon while
amusingly meditating on what drives people to spend
thousands of dollars to run atop glaciers, thick mud, penguin dung and extinct
volcanoes on the most desolate continent on earth.
With a diverse and delightful cast of international athletes, among them a
wheelchair bound runner, three law-breaking grandmothers
and an ex-Marine who describes the race as "the hardest thing I ever did in my
life, next to Vietnam," *The Coolest Race on Earth*
tells an exhilarating Antarctic tale that truly few people in the world can
tell.
Buy the book from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1556527381/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. Knee realignment surgery lets athletes stay active:
New research confirms that active people who undergo a procedure called high
tibial osteotomy (HTO) to repair an arthritic knee will
be just as active after the surgery.
Bowing of the leg due to arthritis on the inside of the knee joint is common
among active people who sustain injuries to the
cartilage or bone of the knee, Dr. Andreas Imhoff of Technische Universitaet
Muenchen in Munich and colleagues note. When
individuals with this injury are young, they add, joint replacement "may not
provide sufficient longevity," due to loosening or wear
of the artificial joint or progression of arthritis.
These patients can undergo HTO to restore normal alignment of the joint, which
can put off the need for knee replacement 5 to 10
years, Imhoff told Reuters Health. Thanks to new implant materials, he added,
patients can bear weight on the leg immediately after
surgery. Rehabilitation time is also much shorter than it is for some major knee
operations including knee replacement surgery or
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, he added.
More...from Reuters at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51F2S220090216


2. Fast Transitions - How the Pros Do It So Fast:
If you always wonder how the pro triathletes have their T1 and T2 times way
under a minute where you would take 2 or sometimes 3
minutes, here’s the answer.
Know the transition area – First thing Elite athletes do when they arrive at the
race site is study the details of the transition
area; The exit of the swim and bike, the entry of the bike, mounting and
dismounting lanes and where is the best position to rack
your bike (usually as close to the bike exit as possible reducing the time you
have to run carrying your bike).
Get your bike/running shoes ready – Make sure your bike is in the right gear for
the course. If you know that you have to climb a
hill right off the transition area, don’t leave your gear on the big chain ring.
If it’s a flat course or at least starts flat,
definitely put on the big chain ring for best usage of your power output and
also to save time with shifting. Rack your bike from
the saddle, put your helmet on the handlebars (with the straps already open)
facing you so you don’t have to turn it around. Leave
your sunglasses with the arms open inside the helmet (put it on before you put
the helmet on so you don’t pull them off with your
helmet in T2). Clip your shoes on the pedals and make sure the straps are opened
and not grabbing the chain rings. Put the cranks on
a 9 o’clock position so your shoes won’t hit the ground, or even better use
rubber bands to secure the shoes on the position. Put
your running shoes in a position ready to put them on, use the "speed laces"
(elastic lace shoes) that don’t need to be tighten,
pull the tong of the shoes out and turn it forward to facilitate the entrance of
your feet. Baby powder is a great trick to speed
the slide into the shoes (bike or running).
More...from TriFuel at:
http://www.trifuel.com/training/triathlon-training/fast-transitions-how-the-pros\
-do-it-so-fast


3. Athletes’ Own Blood Could Nurse Them to Health:
Two of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest stars, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu,
used their own blood in an innovative injury treatment
before winning the Super Bowl. At least one major league pitcher, about 20
professional soccer players and perhaps hundreds of
recreational athletes have also undergone the procedure, commonly called
platelet-rich plasma therapy.
The technique’s early promise is reassuring experts in sports medicine that
platelet-rich plasma therapy, which is strikingly
straightforward and easy to perform, could eventually improve the treatment of
stubborn injuries like tennis elbow and knee
tendinitis for athletes of all types.
The method centers on injecting portions of a patient’s own blood directly into
the injured area, which catalyzes the body’s
instincts to repair muscle, bone and other tissue. Most enticing, many doctors
said, is that the technique appears to help
regenerate ligament and tendon fibers, which could shorten rehabilitation time
and possibly obviate surgery.
Research into the effects of platelet-rich plasma has accelerated in recent
months, with most doctors cautioning that more rigorous
studies are necessary before the therapy can emerge as scientifically proven.
But many researchers suspect that the procedure could
become an increasingly attractive course of treatment for reasons both medical
and financial.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/sports/17blood.html?_r=1&ref=sports


4. Recovery:
The coach, author and former Olympic marathoner describes what to do when.
We often hear that the benefits of training are absorbed while we're recovering.
What can you do to speed your recovery from a hard
run so that you're ready to go again sooner? Former Olympic marathoner, coach
and author Pete Pfitzinger describes some of the best
things to do after your next run. (12:34).
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=15711


5. Eggs Pack Protein, Power, Strength And Energy Say Food and Sports Scientists:
Researchers reviewing 25 studies on protein suggest that the protein in eggs
makes a valuable contribution to muscle strength, helps
to satisfy hunger and provides a source of sustained energy. They suggest that
because research shows eggs are rich in leucine, an
essential amino acid that plays an important role in how muscles use glucose,
they would be a valuable food for men and women
undergoing endurance training.
The study, by Drs Donald K Layman and Nancy R Rodriguez, is published in the
Jan/Feb 2009 issue of the journal Nutrition Today.
Layman is a professor emeritus at the Department of Food Science and Human
Nutrition at the University of Illinois and researches
amino acids and muscle metabolism, and Rodriguez is an associate professor of
Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut Sports
Nutrition Programs at the University of Connecticut and researches links between
exercise and protein.
More...from Medical News Today at:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/139231.php


6. Psychology (General Concepts) - Competition Plans and Routines:
The first article this week tackles some important issues regarding the
psychological effects on performance. It is arguable that
mental skills are every bit as important as conditioning and technical skills.
This text looks at some efficient ways to develop
mental skills through competitive plans and routines, as well as a discussion of
some dangerous mindsets that hinder performance. In
our second article, Sustov and Nikitushkin discuss several factors involved in
the efficient development of young distance runners.
Topics discussed include the influences of growth factors, the biological age
and certain developmental processes on the ability of
young athletes. This article is an excellent read for coaches attempting to
optimize the safe training of their young endurance
athletes.
More...from the Canadian Athletics Coaching Center at:
http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/?pid=2&nid=195


7. This Week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Gabriela Szabo (ROM) became the first woman to run under 15
minutes for 5000m indoors,
lowering Liz McColgan's (SCO) WR by more than 15 seconds to
14:47.35 at the Sparkassen
Indoor Meeting in Dortmund GER. Tegla Loroupe (KEN) was also
under the old mark with a
14:51.69. Leah Malot (KEN) was 3rd in 15:17.88 while Petra
Wassilik (GER) was 4th in 15:56.33
20 Years Ago- Domingos Castro (POR) won the L'Equipe Crosscountry (FRA) 9K by
16 seconds over twin
Dionisio Castro (POR). Bertrand Itsweire (FRA) was the first
non-Castro finisher in
3rd, another five seconds back. Albertina Machado (POR) won the
women's 5.5K by an even
wider margin, 53 seconds, over Annette Sergent (FRA). Albertina
Dias (POR) was 3rd, four
seconds behind Sergent.
30 Years Ago- John Dimick (USA) won the Mardi Gras (LA/USA) Marathon with a
wind-aided 2:11:53. John
Gregorio (USA) and Ron Hill (ENG) went 2-3 with 2:15:29 and
2:15:46 respectively. Gayle
Olinekova (CAN) won the women's race in 2:38:12 with Susan Parks
(USA) 2nd at 2:46:46 and
Karen MacKeachie (USA) 3rd at 2:48:40. This course was a last
minute replacement for the
traditional course, necessitated by a police strike. The course
needed no traffic control
as it was run almost entirely on the Lake Ponchartrain Bridge.
Ted Corbitt was attending
the RRCA convention held in New Orleans and was able to certify
the course before the race.
40 Years Ago- Bernd Diessner (GER) won a 3000m in Berlin with a time of 7:47.8.
He was followed by Gert
Eisenberg (GER) at 7:58.6 and Klaus Schimmagk (GER) at 8:06.6.
50 Years Ago- Bill Dillinger (USA) won the New York Athletic Club Games
(NY/USA) 2 mile (indoors) in 8:59.8.
Al Lawrence (AUS) was 2nd and Alex Breckenridge (USA) was 4th (no
times available).
60 Years Ago- Gaston Reiff (BEL) ran 8:53.8 to win an indoor two mile in New
York NY/USA.
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. Ten Quick Fixes to Save Your Running Knees Long Term:
By Matt Russ
Unlike swimming and biking running is weight bearing and involves compressive
forces many times body weight. The eccentric
(lengthening) muscle contractions are also very hard on your body. If you are a
large or heavy set person; harder still. If you plan
on running long term there are some basic rules to follow which will keep you
striding long term.
1. Take at least 1-2 rest or active recovery days per week. This means no impact
giving your joints a rest from the pounding forces
that running produces. Less experienced runners may need 2-3 rest/recovery days
per week.
2. Perform no more than 1-2 "break through" or high intensity interval work outs
per week. Speed work puts more stress and the body,
and requires more recovery time. This type of training must performed
prescriptively and carefully. Try to schedule these key work
outs directly proceeding a rest or recovery day.
3. Train in 2-3 day cycles, with a rest or recovery work out in between cycles
giving your body to some space to recover from and
adapt to the training load. Some athletes will need more rest and less training,
especially as intensity increases.
4. Change your shoes out frequently. A good rule of thumb is at least 3x per
year for a high volume runner. You may want to write
the date you purchased your shoes in permanent ink on your shoes for reference.
Buying shoes is expensive, but so is your insurance
deductible.
More...from the Sport Factory at:
http://thesportfactory.com/site/trainingnews/10quickfixesrun.shtml


9. Great Workout, Forget the View:
EIGHTEEN years ago, Ronnie Guie considered buying a treadmill or a
stair-climbing machine to stay in shape. Then one day on his
lunch hour at Con Edison in Astoria, Queens, two co-workers invited Mr. Guie to
take a walk to the top of the 10-floor building. He
was breathing heavily by the time he got there, but was hooked: he had found his
workout for free.
“For me, it’s a quick fix,” he said.
At 59, Mr. Guie says he still has the same waist size (30 inches) and weight
range (150 to 155 pounds) that he did when he was 17,
thanks to his five-day-a-week regimen. He climbs the concrete stairs usually 10
times or so in an hour, depending how much time he
has. “I get the results out of it — and it’s not easy,” he said. “But I always
feel great.”
Stairs are everywhere, of course, but they are rarely embraced as an option for
getting into shape. They wait in the stale air wells
of high-rises (especially in dense urban centers like New York City), or on
stationary machines in the corners of health clubs now
inundated by the more popular, but less strenuous, elliptical machines. Many
stairwells aren’t even accessible, often because of
post-9/11 security concerns. But when they are, or are opened especially for
runners going up, they provide a workout that returns
maximum value in minimum time, with low impact. And going up is much better for
your knees than going down.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/health/nutrition/19fitness.html?ref=nutrition


10. Sore, No More:
You have had the experience: You've gone out for an extra-long run, worked out
on some steep hills for the very first time, or
completed an unusual number of work intervals on the track - and then paid the
grisly price. For a few days after your effort, your
legs felt stiff, your muscles and tendons were tender and sore, and your usual
leg strength was missing in action.
What did you actually do to your legs to create so much discomfort and weakness?
Did you set back your training, or are such
occasional bouts of pain and feebleness a normal part of the training process?
Was there anything about your soreness induction
which would actually be good for you during subsequent training? Before we
respond to these key questions, let's take note of a fact
which will help us with our answers: You have probably also had an interesting,
follow-up experience with soreness. That is, it's
likely that you performed - at a later date - a workout similar to the one which
produced so much leg distress initially, after a
few weeks of other sorts of training, for example. Somewhat surprisingly, this
second session produced no ill effects at all - not
even a whisper of protest from the sinews and cables in your lower appendages.
Why did the first effort lead to misfortune, while
the second failed to perturb your legs at all?
This scenario, in which a specific workout produces pain after its initial
completion and then rubs milk-and-honey balm on your legs
after its second and subsequent fulfillments, has been noticed by exercise
scientists and is often called the "repeated-bout
effects" (1 & 2). Amazingly enough, the "protection" from soreness and
enfeeblement which occurs after the first training session
can last for several weeks - and possibly for as long as six months in some
cases (3).
Why should we care about this? If we can understand the underlying mechanism
which produces protection from significant soreness, it
might be possible to train in ways which invoke this mechanism (without
producing significant tissue damage) and thus protect
ourselves from muscle strains and training-related tendon damage. There might,
in fact, be a general routine, a combination of
strength training and running, which, when carried out during an initial phase
of training, could provide many protective benefits
over the course of a training year.
To date, investigations which have attempted to unravel the mystery of the
repeated-bout mechanism have produced some extremely
interesting results. Some research has suggested, for example, that a muscle
group does not have to be exercised in the same manner
in the initial and subsequent bouts of exertion in order for a protective effect
to occur (a clear violation of our hallowed
specificity-of-training principle). For example, one study found that 100
maximal, eccentric contractions of the quadriceps muscles
furnished protection against quadriceps damage following a subsequent bout of
downhill running (4).
That word "eccentric" will appear repeatedly as we talk about post-workout
soreness, so let's deal with it for a moment. Recall that
eccentric muscle contractions are notorious for producing soreness and that an
eccentric muscular contraction is one in which a
muscle is exerting force and attempting to shorten - and yet ends up being
elongated by other forces acting on the muscle. A good
example of this is what happens to your quads as you run. The poor fellows'
contract when your foot hits the ground, but the forces
of impact make your knee flex anyway, and the quads get temporarily stretched
and lengthened - as they are trying to shorten and
keep the knee joint under control. Put yourself on a significant hill and run in
a downward direction - and things get much worse
for the quads. Since your foot is falling farther with each step, the leg is
accelerating downward to greater extent than usual, and
thus the forces on the quads are considerably augmented. The eccentric-strain
damage to the quads is more extensive, and post
workout quadriceps pain is likely to appear - if you have not done much prior
downhill running. It is clear that eccentric strains
produce a significant amount of leg discomfort which is part of running
training. However, there is also something about eccentric
straining/training which ultimately provides a considerable amount of protection
for muscles and tendons (5). In short, eccentric
strains damage muscles - but lead to adaptations which are highly protective.
To learn more about Sore No More (the full article can be read by purchasing
Vol. 22 Issue 4 of Running Research News) and many more
running related topics, simply click-on the Back Issues link, and select the
volume and issues number, from the drop-down menu. A
subscription to Running Research News is another way to receive valuable
information about running. BUY NOW. From RRN at:
http://runningresearchnews.com/catalog/running_nl


11. Sweeteners: Real Aid or Excuse to Indulge?
You may find this surprising — I certainly did — but only about 15 percent of
Americans regularly consume beverages and foods that
contain artificial sweeteners.
Given the perpetual struggles in this nation with expanding waistlines, and the
apparent popularity of diet sodas, I would have
expected that at least half the population would routinely try to cut calories
by choosing what scientists call non-nutritive
sweeteners in place of caloric sweeteners like sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose
corn syrup.
Experts offer several reasons people may be reluctant to make the switch. One,
of course, is taste. People become used to foods and
drinks tasting a certain way, and they won’t or can’t adapt to a new flavor. Try
convincing a lover of regular Coke that Diet Coke
tastes as good.
Another obstacle is the safety concerns about the federally approved
non-nutritive sweeteners: aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal),
saccharin (Necta Sweet), sucralose (Splenda), stevia (Truvia and PureVia),
acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) and neotame (a relative of
aspartame).
Forty years ago saccharin and cyclamates came under scrutiny after a study found
that the combined artificial sweeteners caused
cancer in laboratory rats. That led to a federal ban in 1969 on cyclamates, a
sweetener that is still marketed in more than 100
countries. Saccharin, rarely used in soft drinks, remains a popular tabletop
sweetener despite a suspected link to bladder cancer.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/health/17brod.html?ref=fitnessandnutrition


12. Running Times Newsletter:
Q&A: Intended Tune-Up Race Pace in Pfitz Training Plan
Q: Pfitzinger 12/55 Marathon Plan & Tune-Up Races: Running Times is the best
magazine out there and I have become a huge fan of
Pete's work. I am currently training for a marathon using his 12/55 plan, along
with a few friends. We have a disagreement among
ourselves regarding marathon pace runs in the schedule.
If possible, could we get some clarification on how the tune-up races are
supposed to be run. There is one with 4 weeks to go and
one with 2 weeks to go in the schedule. Are these to be done as MP runs or as
true races? Any other info would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks and keep up the great work.
-- Charles
A: Thanks for your message and your kind words. The correct balance of tune-up
races, long runs and marathon paced runs for a
specific runner depends on a number of factors. Some of the considerations are
whether you are more of an aerobic animal who handles
long running relatively easily but struggles with a faster pace or whether you
are better suited to 10Ks and find the marathon to be
a real stretch.
In the Advanced Marathoning training schedules, I have tried to find a middle
ground that works for many runners, but am always
concerned that runners will stick to the schedules too closely without taking
their own unique circumstances into account. In the 12
week/55 plan, the intent was to do the races as "races" rather than at marathon
pace, but it would be a perfectly good option with 4
weeks to go to find a slightly longer race (perhaps a 20k or half marathon) and
do it at marathon pace if that suits you better.
Good luck to you and your friends!
--Peter Pfitzinger
Note: The second edition of Pete's Advanced Marathoning book is now available.
You can read an excerpt from the book in the April
2009 issue of RT, available on newsstands Feb. 24th.
(http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=7437#april)
Running Times Shoe Review:
http://runningtimes.com/Channel.aspx?CategoryID=194


13. Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine:
Dear Dr. Mirkin: I understand how aerobic activities such as running or cycling
help the heart, but what about weight lifting?
A: Most authorities recommend both endurance and resistance exercise for heart
health, even for people who have recovered from heart
attacks. Now a study from The University of Athens in Greece shows how
resistance exercise may help prevent heart attacks (Medicine
& Science in Sports & Exercise, February 2009). Nine healthy, untrained male
volunteers performed leg presses, with eight sets of
six repetitions and three-minute rest intervals. One day later their blood fat
levels were lower than normal after a high-fat meal.
This shows that a single bout of weight lifting can prevent a high rise in blood
fats one day later. A high rise in fat or sugar
after meals increases risk for heart attacks. Exercising and exercised muscles
help to remove sugar and fat from the bloodstream and
this effect can last as much as twenty-four hours.
Dear Dr. Mirkin: Are athletes allowed to take cortisone-type drugs during
competition?
A: Yes, but I believe that cortisone-type steroids should be put on the list of
forbidden drugs for athletes. Cortisone-type drugs
decrease immunity, prevent injuries from healing and cause high blood pressure,
diabetes, and unreasonable manic behavior, so most
doctors think that athletes will not take them to improve performance. However,
an article from Université d'Orléans in France shows
that 60 mg of prednisolone/day for one week taken before exhaustive exercise
almost doubled time to exhaustion from 64 to 107
minutes (British Journal of Sports Medicine, December 2008). This is not
surprising because cortisone-type drugs raise blood sugar
to very high levels so that extra fuel is available to power the muscles during
exercise.
Q: Dear Dr. Mirkin: What's the best exercise program for a person with back
pain?
A: People with back pain need to exercise as much as anyone else. The best
sports are those that do not hurt when you do them.
The bones of your spine are located one on top of the other, separated by pads
called discs. Bones are much harder than discs, so
when spinal bones are compressed and move closer together, they can flatten the
discs like pancakes. Since the discs are shorter,
they have to go somewhere else, so they widen and press on the nerves near them,
causing pain. This is called a herniated disc.
Anything that presses the bones closer together squashes the disc further and
usually makes it hurt more. During running or jumping,
the force of the foot striking the ground is transmitted up the leg to the back,
which can compress the discs and cause pain.
Riding a bicycle, walking or swimming do not exert a jarring force on the discs
to compress them, so these exercises are
recommended for people with back pain as long they don't
hurt while they exercise. Doctors often recommend special exercises to flatten
the lower back, strengthen the belly muscles and
stretch the lower back muscles. The key to exercising when you have a compressed
disc is to stop exercising when you feel pain. You
may need to try several different activities to find the right one for you.
Q: Dear Dr. Mirkin: How does alcohol damage the liver and what can I do to
protect my liver?
A: When you pour alcohol on cut skin, it hurts because alcohol damages cells.
The pain is caused by alcohol binding to water and
pulling the water molecule out of cells to damage them.
Most alcohol that you drink goes to your liver because it is the only organ that
can break down alcohol. The damage to liver cells
turns on your immunity so your own antibodies and
immune cells attack the liver as they would do to invading bacteria. This is
called inflammation. A recent study from Yale shows
that taking aspirin twice a day may help to prevent liver damage from alcohol by
shutting down the prostaglandins that cause
inflammation (Journal of Clinical Investigation February 2009). However, both
aspirin and alcohol can irritate the stomach, so
anyone with stomach problems should not take either.
The generally accepted guideline is that up to two drinks a day will not cause
harm, but more than that can damage the liver. A
drink is five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 2/3rds of a shot glass of any
liquor.
From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine at:
http://www.drmirkin.com


14. Study Examines Effects Of Exercise On Quality Of Life In Postmenopausal
Women:
Exercise appears to improve quality of life in postmenopausal women regardless
of whether they lose weight, according to a report in
the February 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals.
Physical inactivity is a risk factor for various chronic conditions including
diabetes mellitus, heart disease, stroke and several
types of cancers, according to background information in the article. Regular
physical activity is often reported to improve mood,
reduce stress and increase energy levels, all of which are measurements of
quality of life. However, these claims are largely
derived from studies composed of participants with serious illnesses and have
not been confirmed in healthy populations.
Corby K. Martin, Ph.D., of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and
Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge and
colleagues studied the effect of 50 percent, 100 percent and 150 percent of
current public health physical activity recommendations
on quality of life in 430 sedentary postmenopausal women (average age 57.4).
Participants were randomly assigned to a non-exercise
control group (n=92) or one of three exercise groups: exercise energy
expenditure of 4 kilocalories per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of
body weight per week (4-KKW) (n=147), 8-KKW (n=96) or 12-KKW (n=95). A short
health survey was used to measure physical and mental
aspects of quality of life at the beginning of the study and six months later.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090209163207.htm


15. Sprints may be best for diabetes prevention:
A few minutes of intense exercise a week is just as good as a half-hour of
moderate physical activity a day for reducing a person's
risk of developing type 2 diabetes -- and may actually be even more effective,
new research hints.
"It is possible to gain significant health benefits from only 7.5 minutes of
exercise each week -- if that is all that you find the
time to do," Dr. James A. Timmons of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, one of
the researchers on the study, told Reuters Health.
"This is a dramatically different view from current thinking," he admitted.
Timmons and his team found that young sedentary men who did just 15 minutes of
all-out sprinting on an exercise bike spread out over
two weeks substantially improved their ability to metabolize glucose (sugar).
Traditional aerobic exercise programs can boost
sensitivity to the key blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin. The
high-intensity program did this too, but it also directly reduced
the men's blood sugar levels -- something that standard exercise programs have
not been shown to do.
More...from Reuters at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51F2T320090216



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

February 20, 2009:
Half-Marathon - UAE

February 21, 2009:
House of Hope Run Around the Pines 5K - Winter Park, FL

February 22, 2009:
Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon - FL

Winterman Marathon and Relays - Ottawa, ON

Radio
(CBC) Athletics: A Marathon to Remember
Canadian Marathon runner Danny Kassap survives a heart attack thanks to some
strangers on the streets of Berlin

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
**Register before January 31, 2009 and get a 15% discount**
**Register before March 15, 2009 and get a 10% discount**

August 15-23, 2009:
World Athletics Championships - Berlin, Germany

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

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Have a good week of training and/or racing.

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