A FREE WEEKLY E-ZINE OF MULTISPORT RELATED ARTICLES. The Runner's and
Triathlete's Web Digest is a weekly e-zine dealing with the
sports of running and triathlon and general fitness and health issues. The
opinions expressed in the articles referenced by the
Digest are the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of the Runner's
Web. Visit the Runner's Web at
http://www.runnersweb.com The site is updated multiple times daily. Check out
our daily news, features, polls, trivia, bulletin
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SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS: All of the revenue from our advertisers and affiliates
goes to support clubs, athletes and clinics related
to multisport and Canadian Olympians.

1. Emilie's Run - The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K Race for Women - Canada's
Fastest Women's 5K
Emilie's Run is over for another year. Tara Quinn-Smith set a new course record
of 16:15.7 beating the 16:29 set by Nicole Stevenson
in 1996.
364 women completed the race with 33 women running under 20:00
The 2010 race will be run on June 19th..
For more on the race visit the website at:
http://www.emiliesrun.com.

2. Cruise To Run -2010, THE ULTIMATE RUNNERS VACATION
January 24-31 www.cruisetorun.com
Registration is open for Cruise To Run 2010. If you are interested in going on
THE ULTIMATE RUNNERS VACATION it would be wise to
book early as Cruise to Run sold out to in 2009.
As the organizers of Cruise to Run we have emphasized that we have put together
runs that we are sure everyone will enjoy. But what
makes Cruise To Run special is the runners who attend. Over 300 runners together
on a vacation doing what they love to do. How can
we go wrong?
The 2010 Cruise will leave San Juan Puerto Rico on the Caribbean Princess and
visit St. Thomas, Tortola , Antigua, St. Lucia and
Barbados. The cruise will have something for everyone, a 5k race, prediction
run, group runs, hash run and a challenging mountain
run. Also included are cocktail parties an organized swim guest speakers, meals,
and much more.
The Caribbean Princess boasts casinos, restaurants, 24 hour buffet, 4 swimming
pools, hot tubs, entertainment, fully equipped gym,
and movies under the stars all for your enjoyment.
The Cruise is meant for everyone to enjoy from the serious to recreational
runner. Runs are a variety of distances and each run is
optional. With Cruise to run you will still have time to the beaches,
snorkeling, shopping and everything else the Caribbean has to
offer.
Guest speakers include Runner's World CRO Bart Yasso, eleven time Ironman
champion Lisa Bentley and marathon great Dick Beardsley.
For more information or to register visit www.cruisetorun.com

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.
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/

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
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.

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/

11. Training Peaks
The Runner's Web has partnered with Training Peaks to provide online coaching
from experts such as Hal Higdon, Joel Friel and Matt
Fitzgerald.
Sign up at:
https://home.trainingpeaks.com/create-account-personal-edition.aspx?af=RunnersWe\
b

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Race Directors: Advertise your event on the Runner's Web.
For more information:
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NEW THIS WEEK:
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from experts such as Hal Higdon, Joel Friel and Matt
Fitzgerald.
Sign up at:
https://home.trainingpeaks.com/create-account-personal-edition.aspx?af=RunnersWe\
b

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http://www.universalsports.com//SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23000&KEY=&SPID=13055\
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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

* 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

* 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. Seeking Help for an Injury, at Any Price
2. High Levels Of Cycling Training Damage Sperm: What Can Be Done To Protect
Triathletes From Infertility?
3. How To Maximize Benefits Of High Altitude Training
4. Sex and sports injuries
5. Twisted Ankle Isn't Just a Simple Sprain
6. Crafting a Pre-Race Plan: Make Your Pre-Race Plan Your Race Day Reality
7. Michael Smith Interview
8. Supplements for Athletes Draw Alert From F.D.A.
9. Satisfying Substitutions
Better food choices for runners.
10. How to Avoid Heatstroke
11. What's Your Running Age?
Genetics, lifestyle and your running history.
12. Mark Bittman: Running Low on Protein
13. 2009 Summer Shoe Guide
14. Marathon Tech Review: Sony's W-Series Walkman
15. Digest Briefs



RUNNER'S WEB WEEKLY POLL:
Are you running a fall marathon?
Yes
No
No, don't run marathons

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:
Which is your favourite running season?
1 Summer 17%
2 Fall 75%
3 Winter 0%
4 Spring 8%
5 No opinion 0%

FIVE STAR SITE OF THE MONTH: Chrissie Wellington, 2007 and 2008 Ironman World
Champion.
"Hello and welcome to my official website! My name is Chrissie Wellington and I
am a British Triathlete and reigning, and double,
World Ironman Champion (2007 and 2008). While you're here you can find out all
my likes and loves, view my gallery, find out more
about my sponsors, view my race results and race schedule and see what I've been
up to on my Blog. I really hope that you enjoy the
site and please use the contacts page to email me with any questions you have."
Visit her website at:
http://www.chrissiewellington.org


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


BOOK/VIDEO/MOVIE OF THE MONTH: The Runner's Edge: High-tech Training for Peak
Performance
Elite runners have long relied on technology to analyze performance, maximize
training, and challenge the competitive boundaries of
the sport. Serious runners long sought the same advantages only to be confronted
with a costly and complicated process. Not any
longer. Now, The Runner's Edge is yours.
The Runner's Edge takes you inside tech-based training, from the assortment of
speed and distance devices available to the
advantages of tracking and analyzing your results with the latest software. With
the most current research in sport and science,
you'll learn to leverage technology for more productive workouts and faster
times.
Written by scientist, coach, and training pioneer Stephen J. McGregor, PhD, and
best-selling author and running expert Matt
Fitzgerald, The Runner's Edge provides new insights into technology-based
training. In this one-of-a-kind work, you'll learn these
skills:
~ Determine pace targets for all of your workouts.
~ Define optimal weekly and long-term training loads.
~ Identify and address strengths and weaknesses in your running fitness.
~ Recognize periods of overreaching resulting in illness or overtraining.
~ Identify plateaus to ensure progressive training.
~ Taper your program to peak for optimal performance.
Complete with a consumer buying guide, sample programs from 5K to marathon,
guidelines for using technology on race day, and
triathlon-specific strategies, The Runner's Edge will revolutionize your running
regimen. Experience the power of technology-based
training, and step up to elite-level performance.
From the Publisher
"Stephen McGregor and Matt Fitzgerald are masters of the science and technology
of training. By following their expert guidance in
The Runner's Edge, you will become a better runner."
Buy the book from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0736081151/runnersweb/102-0182896-9006569\
?v=glance&s=books


For more publications on running and triathlon visit:
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/human_kinetics.html and
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/amazon.html


THIS WEEK'S FEATURES:

1. Seeking Help for an Injury, at Any Price:
IN my role as a medical reporter, I am a seasoned skeptic. If a new treatment
has scant evidence behind it, I reserve judgment. I'm
all too aware of the many times patients said they were cured and doctors said
they had seen great results, only to discover, when a
proper study was done, that the treatment was useless.
But it's one thing to be a professional reporter and quite another to have a
running injury and be desperate for relief. Is there an
unproven treatment that might help? Give it to me, whatever it costs, even if my
insurance does not pay. Mine is a personal story
that showed me why and how health care costs can easily go out of control.
My problem began on March 12. I was halfway through a seven-mile run when
suddenly my hamstring hurt so much I could not go on.
After a few weeks, I was able to run again, ignoring pain that ranged from a
dull ache to something sharper.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/health/nutrition/23best.html?_r=1&ref=nutritio\
n


2. High Levels Of Cycling Training Damage Sperm: What Can Be Done To Protect
Triathletes From Infertility?
The high-intensity training undertaken by triathletes has a significant impact
on the quality of their sperm, the 25th annual
conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard
June 29. Professor Diana Vaamonde, from the University
of Cordoba Medical School, Cordoba, Spain, said that the triathletes who did the
most cycling training had the worst sperm
morphology.
Professor Vaamonde's team has previously shown that both high exercise intensity
and high exercise volume may be detrimental to
sperm quality. They decided to take a more profound look at the sportsmen who
seemed to show the greatest alteration - the
triathletes - and assess the correlation between the volume of training in each
activity and sperm quality. Of the three modalities,
only cycling, the activity for which triathletes undertake the most training,
showed a clear correlation with sperm quality. The
more cycling training the sportsmen undertook, both in time and kilometres, the
worse their sperm quality became.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629081755.htm


3. How To Maximize Benefits Of High Altitude Training:
A study by Indiana University researchers found that athletes' elevated or
heavier breathing at sea level immediately following
high-altitude training accounts for a substantial amount of the gains from the
high-altitude training. The heavy breathing is
temporary, however, said Robert Chapman, lecturer in IU's Department of
Kinesiology, and makes a case for why athletes should
consider giving themselves one week to 10 days at sea level before a major
competition.
Elite endurance athletes, such as runners, swimmers and triathletes, often train
at high altitudes for a month or more because the
body creates more red blood cells to adapt to the lower oxygen content of the
air. An increase in red blood cells can help athletes
by shuttling more oxygen to fuel muscles when they compete nearer to sea level.
Chapman said their study, however, found that the elevated breathing athletes
experience temporarily when returning to sea level can
account for 10 percent to 20 percent of the body's increase in its ability to
consume oxygen. If athletes factor this time in before
their competition, the heavy breathing would go away and they still would likely
have the extra red blood cells, unless they wait
too long.
More...from Science Daily at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090531102843.htm


4. Sex and sports injuries:
No major sex divide in sports injuries.
Several studies have shown that sportswomen are at much higher risk of injury to
the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee
than men. But does this perceived gender difference extend to other
sports-related injuries? That's the question a Californian
research team set out to answer with a 15-year retrospective study comparing
sports injuries in men and women.
The study involved 3,767 18-22 year old male and female athletes from
California's Pomona College competing in seven sports -
basketball, cross-country running, football, swimming, tennis, track and water
polo - at intercollegiate level. From the autumn of
1980 through the spring of 1995, all athletic injuries seen in the training room
at the college were evaluated by the same head
athletic trainer, with injury reports retrospectively compiled and categorised
by gender, sport and anatomic site of injury.
Analysis of the patterns of injury demonstrated much more similarity than
difference between the sexes. Key findings were as
follows:
l. Overall, female athletes had more injuries (52.5 per 100 participant-years)
than their male counterparts (47.7 per 100
participant-years). However, this difference was not statistically significant.
More...from Peak Performance Online at:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0654.htm


5. Twisted Ankle Isn't Just a Simple Sprain:
sprained ankle is one of the most common joint injuries, prompting many people
to consider it "just a sprain" and not treat it with
the respect it deserves. The too-common consequence of this neglect is a lasting
weakness, an unstable joint and repeated sprains.
Given that some 25,000 ankle sprains occur each day in the United States, it is
worth knowing how they can be prevented and how they
should be treated.
I suffered two memorable ankle sprains, and although I did better with the
second than the first, in neither case did I do
everything right.
The first occurred 40 years ago when I was nine months pregnant with twins. I
twisted my ankle stepping on an uneven surface in my
backyard. The pain subsided in a few minutes, and I did nothing about it.
Nothing, that is, until it began to swell and throb hours
later and I couldn't walk. I was not a pretty sight hobbling to the doctor using
my husband as a crutch.
The second occurred about two decades ago, when I turned my ankle coming down
the stairs of a commuter plane. This time the acute
pain was so severe I had to be carried into the airport, where a wheelchair and
ice packs were provided. On my connecting four-hour
flight, I was given a three-seat row where I could keep my ankle elevated and
periodically iced. I slept that night with the pillows
under my foot. The next morning, the pain was gone and I went jogging.
The two mistakes: My first injury should have been treated immediately, with
rest, ice and elevation and an elastic bandage to keep
down the swelling; with the second, I had no business running on that ankle less
than 12 hours after the injury.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/health/28brod.html?_r=1&ref=nutrition


6. Crafting a Pre-Race Plan: Make Your Pre-Race Plan Your Race Day Reality:
By David Glover
"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but
planning is indispensable."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, American President and General
My client, LtCol Tom Impellitteri, USMC, recently competed in his first Ironman
(Ironman USA in Lake Placid, NY). I've been working
with Tom since January this year in his quest to hear the magic words from Mike
Reilly, "You are an Ironman!"
One of the most useful "tricks of the trade" that I've picked up over the years
is to write a "pre-race plan" of what you want to
happen on race day. The intent is to write up your plan as if it's already
happened and everything goes the way you want it to go.
The idea behind it is that by thinking about it and putting it down on paper,
you can make it happen. Be as detailed or as high
level as you want. This should be an iterative process as you put stuff down,
think about it some more, and make changes to
ultimately come up with a clear picture of what you want on race day.
Tom put together one of the most organized, realistic and well thought out
pre-race plans that I've seen, which is a useful example
for anyone preparing for any race at any distance. I like that Tom has
conservative goals for his first Ironman, yet is willing to
through out what he wants to happen in a dream day.
More... From USA Triathlon at:
http://usatriathlon.org/content/index/6990


7. Michael Smith Interview:
Michael Smith is in his 15th year on the coaching staff at Kansas State and in
his fifth year as the head coach for men's and
women's cross country. During his tenure, the Wildcats have won three women's
championships in the Big 12 Conference, earned their
highest ever women's NCAA team finish in cross country (5th) and top 10 NCAA
finishes in men's and women's track and field.
Michael's athletes on the track have won 13 conference championships, set 20
school records, earned 12 All-American certificates and
set 4 Big XII meet records. In the summer of 2008, Michael guided former
wildcat, Christian Smith to the 800m final of the US
Olympic Trials where he claimed the third qualifying position (1:45.47) for the
US Olympic team. Previously, Smith's K-state career
included an NCAA mile title, a collegiate record in the 1000m run (2:19.57) and
personal bests of 1:44.86 for 800 meters and 3:38.10
for 1500 meters. Michael has also worked with a number of other post-collegians
including Lysaira Roman Del Valle who was fifth in
the 1500m at the 2008 Pan American Games. Michael serves as an instructor for
the USATF level II coaching education program in the
endurance events and has been a clinician at numerous track and field and cross
country clinics. He also provides the commentary and
expert advice and analysis on two excellent DVD's titled, Building a Better
Runner: Building from the Ground Up.
In this interview Michael discusses what he refers to as "athleticism" and how
he incorporates a range of preventative and general
strength routines into his runners' programs. Based on his extensive
consultations with a number of sports therapists, doctors and
other coaches, as well as a strong research-informed educational base, Michael
has developed a system that he believes prevents
injury and increases the work capacity of his athletes while also taking into
consideration gender, environmental and maturational
differences. He also discusses in this interview how he uses a range of tests to
better understand his athletes' individual
strengths and weaknesses, all of which, he believes, gives him more information
to be successful as a coach and help his athletes
reach their potential.
Click here to access this interview via our Media On Demand system...
https://apps.rampinteractive.com/athleticscoaching/


8. Supplements for Athletes Draw Alert From F.D.A.
Federal regulators warned consumers on Tuesday not to use body-building products
that are sold as nutritional supplements but may
contain steroids or steroidlike substances, citing reports of acute liver injury
and kidney failure.
Tren Xtreme and Mass Xtreme are among the eight supplements cited by the F.D.A.
as containing steroidlike substances.
The Food and Drug Administration said it issued the warning because of increased
reports of medical problems in men who had used
such products.
But except for naming eight specific supplements sold by a single company, the
Food and Drug Administration did not provide much
clear guidance to consumers on what other products to avoid. The F.D.A.
acknowledged that it did not know how many products its
warning affects.
Generally, the F.D.A. said, buyers should beware of body-building products that
claim to enhance or diminish the effects of hormones
like testosterone, estrogen or progestin. In particular, the agency said
consumers should not buy products labeled with code words
like "anabolic" and "tren," or phrases like "blocks estrogen," and "minimizes
gyno." The references to estrogen and "gyno" are meant
to indicate the products do not have a feminizing effect on the body, like
swelling breasts or shrinking testicles, which can be
unwanted side effects of steroid use in men.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/health/nutrition/29drug.html?ref=nutrition


9. Satisfying Substitutions:
Better food choices for runners.
It's tempting to stick with the same foods week after week, year after year
because you're used to and like their trusted
appearance, flavor and texture. But what if you could keep those attributes you
love in a food while getting more nutrients at the
same time? Here are five satisfying substitutions-foods with the same flavor and
"mouth feel" but greater nutritional punch than
their more-popular counterparts.
Satisfying Substitution #1
Instead Of: Iceberg lettuce
Try: A darker leaf such as spinach, romaine or chard
Because: Hands down, the rich color of a green leafy vegetable offers more
nutritional quality than a serving of iceberg lettuce.
Dark green leafy vegetables pack much more fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus, iron, folate, phytonutrients,
beta-carotene and so much more. Nutrients like these are important to a runner's
diet and contribute to healing the aches and pains
associated with hard training. For example, consider magnesium. It plays an
important role in the oxygen delivery system of your
body. Iceberg lettuce provides only 11% of the magnesium found in spinach.
Taste Tip: When you really want the familiar crunch of iceberg lettuce, try a
combination of leaves. A mixture of romaine and
spinach will offer the crunch with the romaine heart, but the extra nutrient
richness of the darker leaf spinach.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=17155


10. How to Avoid Heatstroke:
A few years ago, two triathlons in Melbourne, Australia, held two months apart
provided a fine if unconventional laboratory for
studying heat illness. During the first event, early in the Australian summer,
fifteen competitors were treated for heat illness.
Three of them were diagnosed with life-threatening heat stroke. In the second
similar triathlon held on a another very hot, muggy
day, no racers succumbed.
Scientists don't yet know why some people become seriously ill while exercising
in hot weather, and others don't. At one time, it
was believed that exercise-related heat illness was caused by the sizzling rays
of the sun beating onto an athlete's skin, causing
overheating from the outside in, and contributing to dehydration, which was
thought to be a primary cause of heat problems. But that
theory doesn't explain why athletes develop heat illness on overcast days, when
sunlight isn't directly reaching them. They've also
been known to become ill on relatively cool days, when temperatures are below 80
degrees. And many collapse despite being fully
hydrated. The triathletes who fell ill in the first Melbourne race weren't
desiccated, as a group of scientists studying the two
events pointed out in a paper published in 2007. They'd sickened before
dehydration set in.
"There's still a lot we don't understand" about heat illness, says Douglas Casa,
an associate professor in the Department of
Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, who's extensively studied athletic
performance in the heat.
Heat illness itself is an omnibus term, covering "a spectrum of seven or eight
different conditions," that range from mild heat
exhaustion to life-threatening heat stroke, Casa says. August is prime season
for the illnesses, since, even as temperatures soar,
many athletes must or choose to continue exercising outside. "Football teams
start two-a-day practices at this time of year," Casa
says. Runners training for a fall marathon increase their mileage. So do
cyclists and triathletes preparing for autumn events.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/how-to-avoid-heatstroke/


11. What's Your Running Age?
Genetics, lifestyle and your running history.
Have you ever wondered why some runners pay little heed to the calendar as the
years pass by while others seem to run into a brick
wall? Or why others come out of obscurity to become age group aces when they
reach their 40's or 50's? Don't you just hate it when a
"new kid" knocks you back a place in your age group?
How quickly you age is due to both your genetics and overall lifestyle. Your
genes play the largest role in how quickly you fall
apart as the years go by. Your genes regulate the myriad of processes that we
collectively describe as aging. They tell your body to
make thousands of types of proteins such as human growth hormone, collagen and
testosterone and some people's bodies naturally make
more of the good stuff and make it longer than others. This helps to explain why
some runners lose muscle and put on fat despite
their best efforts, while others drift into middle age with little change in
body composition or performance. Unfortunately, as of
2002 there is very little you can do about your genes (but stay tuned).
Another major factor in aging is your lifestyle. The cumulative effect of all
that alcohol, saturated fat, caffeine, late nights,
sugar and general hard-living takes its toll on your body. To get a pretty good
idea of how you will age, look at your parents and
try to factor out the lifestyle differences between you and them, remembering
that genetics is typically the larger determinant in
aging.
For runners, however, chronological age, genetics and general lifestyle factors
only tell part of the story. To determine your
"running age," you also need to factor in your running history.
Let's take a brief look at the careers of several outstanding runners who had
amazing results at a relatively advanced age to see if
there are any common threads in their success.
More...from Running Times at:
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6007


12. Mark Bittman: Running Low on Protein:
It's been almost two months since I began training for the New York City
marathon. I had been running fairly regularly before - a
few days a week with the occasional weekend long run - since March. But once my
weekly mileage surged past 25 miles a week, I was
tired much of the time. Not only that, I'd often run out of energy halfway
through even four-mile runs.
For advice, I contacted Madelyn Fernstrom, author of the book "The Runner's
Diet." Dr. Fernstrom's credentials - a Ph.D. in
psychology, epidemiology and surgery, a board certified nutritionist, and fellow
"Today"-show regular - are impressive enough, but
her forceful personality and booming intelligence are even more so.
We met, she heard me out, then immediately declared my diet to be on the "low
end" protein-wise - which, she said, "would certainly
cause fatigue," especially since I eat mostly vegetables and don't typically
consume "complete" proteins (code-word for animal
products). "Most of us," she said, "only become aware of possible low intake
after dissecting our eating patterns."
Later, Dr. Fernstrom, who is director of the nutrition and weight management
program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center,
explained that while carbohydrates get much of the attention for runners,
protein matters too.
"Fatigue can come from lack of calories, protein or fluids," she said. "When you
exercise, you are increasing protein synthesis in
muscle and need more amino acids to fuel this increase in synthesis."
More...from the NY Times at:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/running-low-on-protein/


13. 2009 Summer Shoe Guide:
No running shoe is perfect for everyone. That's why we rely on hundreds of real
runners and extensive mechanical testing at the RW
Shoe Lab to evaluate each pair we review. The results are summarized in the
chart on the facing page and in the reviews and tester
comments that follow.
Because shoes need to both dampen the shock of heel-strike and allow for the
natural motion of the foot, we carefully measure each
shoe's cushioning, flexibility, and responsiveness. To make these guides more
useful, we've changed how we display the test
results-longer bars in the chart now indicate higher performance. Yet our goal
remains the same: to help you find the best shoe for
you.
More...from Active.com at:
http://tinyurl.com/nwhwn6


14. Marathon Tech Review: Sony's W-Series Walkman:
So it's settled: the Apple iPod is the music player of choice. Imagine my
surprise, then, when I discovered that my friend and
colleague (who requested to remain anonymous out of fear of being teased)
listens to a battered Sony Walkman AM/FM radio, which
looks to be circa 1999, when she goes out for a run. I know - crazy. I will say
this, though: her Walkman does have a removable
battery.
Fast-forward to 2009. Sony of course still makes Walkmans, including the W
Series for active users. It has a compact all-in-one
design, with the music player built into the earbuds. This, unfortunately, makes
it look as if you're wearing two Bluetooth
headsets. And sure, I looked geeky and got a few double takes when I wore them
out on a run in Central Park, but I found the music
player to be comfortable and a lot less cumbersome than dealing with headphone
cords.
The $70 device has 2 gigabytes of flash memory, which can hold up to 500 songs.
Sony says that a fully charged headset should give
you 12 hours of battery life, while a quick three-minute charge should last 90
minutes. In my tests, a full charge lasted just over
12 hours. I don't know if it will sustain that battery life over time, but it
works as advertised out of the box.
The Walkman comes with a U.S.B. charging dock. Even though the box says it works
only with a Windows-based computer, it also works
on a Mac. I tested it out on both. It plays both WMA and MP3 music file formats.
More...from the NY Times at:
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/marathon-tech-review-sonys-w-seri\
es-walkman/


15. Digest Briefs:
** This Week in Running:
10 Years Ago- Jose Martinez (MEX) won the 5000m at the Pan American Games
(MB/CAN) with a 13:42.04.
Elenilson da Silva (BRA) took the silver medal with a 13:43.13
while Jeff Schiebler CAN)
collected the bronze medal at 13:43.66. Adriana Fernandez (MEX)
won the women's gold
medal in the 5000m with her 15:46.57, well ahead of Colombia's
Bertha Sanchez at 15:59.04.
Sanchez just edged American Blake Russell who came in at
15:59.77. Vanderlei deLima (BRA)
was a clear winner in the men's marathon, defeating Ruben Maza
(VEN), 2:17:20 to 2:19:56.
Eder Fialho (BRA) took the bronze medal with his 2:20:09. Erika
Olivera (CHI) won the
women's marathon quite handily over Iglandini Gonzalez (COL),
2:37:41 to 2:40:06. Viviane
Anderson (BRA) went home with the bronze medal at 2:40:55.
20 Years Ago- Marcus Nenow (USA) won the Bix (IA/USA) 7M by a good margin over
Brian Sheriff (ZIM),
32:17 to 32:32. Steven Spence (USA) was 3rd in 32:33. Erin
Baker (NZL) won the women's
race in 36:35, followed by Judi St Hilaire (USA) and Anne Audain
(NZL) who clocked
36:57 and 37:02 respectively.
30 Years Ago- Leonid Moseyev (RUS) won a squeaker over Shigeru So (JPN) at the
Open Spartakiada (RUS)
Marathon, 2:13:19.6 to 2:13:19.8. Aleksey Zubov was close in 3rd
with a 2:13:20 and
4th thru 6th finished in the next six seconds.
40 Years Ago- Fred Ritcherson (USA) defeated Chuck Smead (USA) in a one hour
run held at Goleta CA/USA.
Ritcherson covered 19.333 km while Smead managed 19.040 km.
50 Years Ago- Michel Bernard won the French 5000m title with a 14:28.2 while
Alain Mimoun won the
next day's 10,000m title in 31:02.2.
60 Years Ago- Jack Holden (ENG) won a marathon in Birmingham ENG with a
2:34:10.6.
70 Years Ago- Henry Palme won the Swedish marathon title with a 2:33:14.4.
Palme won ten national marathon
titles from 1934 thru 1944.
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.
** Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
* Timing of Exercise and Meals
In North America, more than 35 percent of the population becomes diabetic, and
most cases of diabetes could be prevented with
exercise. A high rise in blood sugar levels causes sugar to stick on the
surface of cells. Once there, the sugar can never get off
and is eventually converted to sorbitol which destroys the cell to causes all
the side effects of diabetes such as heart attacks,
strokes, arteriosclerosis, nerve damage and so forth (even in people who have
not been diagnosed as diabetic). So anything that
prevents frequent high rises in blood sugar helps to prevent cell damage.
This month, a study showed that exercise lowered high blood sugar levels in
diabetics far more when done AFTER eating dinner than
before eating (Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, July
2009). Muscle contractions drive sugar into cells with
little or no insulin. These people were out-of-shape diabetics who walked
slowly and for only 20 minutes. Longer and more intense
exercise lowers insulin and sugar levels even more and would be even more
beneficial.
Another new study shows that you should exercise BEFORE you eat because it
lowers blood sugar levels the next morning (Medicine and
Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2009). Nine healthy postmenopausal
women exercised two hours on a treadmill twice a day.
Those who exercised an hour before meals had a much lower rise in blood sugar at
16 hours after eating, compared to those who
exercised an hour after their meals.
Humans must use their muscles to stay healthy. Contracting muscles before
eating helps to prevent the rise in blood sugar that
follows meals, and exercising after eating helps
to keep blood sugar levels low the next morning. Of course many people do not
have the time to exercise both before and after
meals, but you will benefit from exercising WHENEVER you can because lowering
blood sugar and blood fats helps to prolong life and
prevent diseases such as diabetes.
* Heart or Muscle Training
You can't train for heart muscle fitness and skeletal muscle strength with the
same exercises.
To strengthen your heart muscle, you have to exercise vigorously enough to speed
up your heart rate and keep it elevated for a
while. To strengthen your skeletal muscles, you have to exercise against
increasing resistance in bouts of no longer than 50
seconds. To strengthen your heart muscle, you have to exercise vigorously enough
to make your heart pump more blood. The formula for
heart-lung fitness is to exercise vigorously enough to raise your heart rate at
least 20 beats a minute above your resting rate/ and
try to work up to 30 minutes, 3 times a week. If you can't exercise continuously
for thirty minutes, exercise, stop when you feel
tired, and repeat the cycle.
To strengthen your skeletal muscles, you have to exercise against increasing
resistance, such as lifting heavy weights or pushing
against special strength-training machines. The greater the resistance without
causing injury, the greater the gain in strength.
However, when you exercise against resistance, your muscles fatigue very
rapidly. If you exercise against resistance for more than
50 continuous seconds, you increase your risk of tearing your muscles.
To strengthen your heart, run, walk, swim, cycle, ski, dance or do any other
continuous exercise. To strengthen your skeletal
muscles, use weights or special strength-training machines. A good program would
include jogging on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
and using strength machines on Tuesdays and Thursdays
From Dr. Mirkin's e_Zine at:
http://www.drmirkin.com



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

August 1, 2009:
National Capital 5 & 10K Run - Ottawa, ON
National Capital Triathlon

TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K - Cape Elizabeth, ME

August 1-15, 2009:
Summer National Senior Games - SF Bay area, CA

August 2, 2009:
Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon - Chicago, IL


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

June 19, 2010
Emilie's Run
The Emilie Mondor Memorial 5K Race for Women
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
www.RunnersWeb.com
The Running and Triathlon Resource Portal
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http://www.OACRacingTeam.com
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