"Does running have an effect on male fertility?"

I was asked this question the other day and I didn't have an answer. Since some
of this group has medical backgrounds, and many have vast knowledge of all
things running, I was wondering if any of you have read, heard, or have any
information about it.

I remember seeing a TV news report about the negative effect that playing soccer
has on male reproductive functioning, but I don't remember if that was a product
of the running or something else.

While I'm on the subject, anyone know about the effects on female reproduction?
Besides low body fat contributing to the delay or loss of menstruation in
extreme cases, is their any negative effects?

Could the effects be positive because of the improve health and metabolism for
both sexes?

Thanks,
Patrick

> The registration for 2010 is closed or so I heard from grapewine.
>

ROFL. Yep, 'fraid so. Rolf raises the good point that pretty much anything you
settle on for nutrition (candies, gels, etc.) is going to contain enough sugar
to do tooth damage if left to work post-race. I've also read suggestions to use
the next available water stop to rinse your mouth out to help prevent the "sugar
effect."

Also, the reason I'm posting now is that I *just* read an article in Runner's
World suggesting raisins as a good "in race nutrition" boost and it reminded me
of this thread. Natural carbs and supposedly less acid action on the teeth.
Might be something to try - for the electrolyte need, you could always carry a
tablet (?) or rely on the race-provided drink du jour (Gatorade, etc.).
Applicable to long runs, also.

-Rose

--- In rvrr@yahoogroups.com, Gregory Deatz <gdeatz@...> wrote:
>
> Great comments from everyone.  Thanks for the input.  Now I have to brush my
> teeth after long runs, too?  Geez.
>
> Greg
>

I will be in Hopkinton, MA... the plan is as follow: Run to Boston. It's only
26.2 miles from one to the other. In fact, I think it's a race!? Crazy!

Bring your hammer, and I'll bring mine.

Mike A

I also brush my teeth BEFORE every run :-) New to the group, I love the
collective wisdom and experience here. Any other crazy running rituals to share?
You never know, one runner's craze is someone else's panacea... Thanks.

Judit

--- In rvrr@yahoogroups.com, Gregory Deatz <gdeatz@...> wrote:

>  Now I have to brush my teeth after long runs, too?  Geez.
>
> Greg

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Thanks Oleg. Great job on a tough day.

Countless fillings later, I've had to learn to bring a toothbrush
and brush my teeth IMMEDIATELY after long runs, as the
continual dosing of sugar across my teeth from six Ironmans,
three marathons, and so on has been ... well ... my dentist
has a new wing now.

-Rolf

I do reasonably well with gels (GU, Power Gels, Clif Shots), but I also like the
Gatorade Sports Beans. Basically, they're jelly beans with electrolytes. You can
find them with or without caffeine. In my best marathon, I used 2 gels and 2
sports beans packs for variety and that worked well for me. Note, while I think
the sports beans pack well, they do make some noise as you run.

Good luck in the search to find what works for you.

-Rose

--- In rvrr@yahoogroups.com, Gregory Deatz <gdeatz@...> wrote:
>
> So, two weeks ago, I ran the NYC Marathon.  What an experience!  I brought
> plenty of goo with me, but luckily enough, tons of people were handing out
> bananas, which were much tastier and more inspirational for such a long
> run.  Anyway, the course took me over four hours to complete, and in that
> time, I was reminded how much I really dislike goo, especially relative to
> bananas.
>
> I realized I had a problem, though:  I like bananas better, but my belt
> isn't big enough to carry enough.  Goo is highly portable, but it is so
> sweet and still so icky (by my standards) that eating it is a chore.
>
> Fast forward to this past Sunday, when I was doing just the opposite of a
> long run.  I was raiding my kids' Halloween stashes, and I happened upon
> some M&M's.  Wow.  They were really good, and I made a comment to my
> brother-in-law -- You know, they melt in your mouth, not in your hands!  And
> then I was reminded of a story that Mars developed M&M's for the military,
> as a way to deliver high calories, but without excessive mess.  I looked at
> the package of M&M's, and the calorie content for this relatively small bag
> of M&M's was 240, almost 3x the calorie content of goo.
>
> For the first time in my life, I think I was encouraged by the thought of
> M&M's being so high in calories, and I thought -- Gee, maybe it would be
> more pleasant to take M&M's with me on my long runs.  I mean, bananas are
> just too big, and I really dislike goo.  And, after all, they might be
> messy, but I could probably figure out a way to keep them in a fanny pack
> and just pour them in my mouth.  They'd still be ridiculously sweet, but
> maybe they wouldn't taste as bad.
>
> So... here's the question:  Anyone ever dabble with bringing regular ol'
> candy on their long runs?  M&M's?  Anyone know of any real drawback to
> this?  Goo (and by extension Powerbars and the like) seem like candy
> packaged to look healthy, but still just candy.  Thoughts, anyone?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Greg
>

I also find it hard to stomach the consistency and taste of goo gels!

I have never tried chocolate because of the melt-factor, but anything with
simple sugars should give you a little boost. My favorites for long runs (and
also before quick workouts/races) are a palmful of Skittles, jelly beans, candy
corn, or raisins. I've read that pumpkin seeds are also a great mid-race option
because they are loaded with iron and protein, but I have never tried them.

Hope you find this helpful!

--- In rvrr@yahoogroups.com, Gregory Deatz <gdeatz@...> wrote:
>
> So, two weeks ago, I ran the NYC Marathon.  What an experience!  I brought
> plenty of goo with me, but luckily enough, tons of people were handing out
> bananas, which were much tastier and more inspirational for such a long
> run.  Anyway, the course took me over four hours to complete, and in that
> time, I was reminded how much I really dislike goo, especially relative to
> bananas.
>
> I realized I had a problem, though:  I like bananas better, but my belt
> isn't big enough to carry enough.  Goo is highly portable, but it is so
> sweet and still so icky (by my standards) that eating it is a chore.
>
> Fast forward to this past Sunday, when I was doing just the opposite of a
> long run.  I was raiding my kids' Halloween stashes, and I happened upon
> some M&M's.  Wow.  They were really good, and I made a comment to my
> brother-in-law -- You know, they melt in your mouth, not in your hands!  And
> then I was reminded of a story that Mars developed M&M's for the military,
> as a way to deliver high calories, but without excessive mess.  I looked at
> the package of M&M's, and the calorie content for this relatively small bag
> of M&M's was 240, almost 3x the calorie content of goo.
>
> For the first time in my life, I think I was encouraged by the thought of
> M&M's being so high in calories, and I thought -- Gee, maybe it would be
> more pleasant to take M&M's with me on my long runs.  I mean, bananas are
> just too big, and I really dislike goo.  And, after all, they might be
> messy, but I could probably figure out a way to keep them in a fanny pack
> and just pour them in my mouth.  They'd still be ridiculously sweet, but
> maybe they wouldn't taste as bad.
>
> So... here's the question:  Anyone ever dabble with bringing regular ol'
> candy on their long runs?  M&M's?  Anyone know of any real drawback to
> this?  Goo (and by extension Powerbars and the like) seem like candy
> packaged to look healthy, but still just candy.  Thoughts, anyone?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Greg
>

Registration for the Big Chill 5k is now open.  I have created a team called RVRR and Friends.  When you register, select the "I want to register as a member of a team" option.  After completing the rest of the form, a new page will come up with a list of teams.  Just select RVRR and Friends and you will be part of the team.

Here is a link to the registration page:

http://bigchill.rutgers.edu/Register.html

Let me know of any questions or comments.

Ken