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2012-01-19T09:10:00.001-05:00

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Far out man, endorphins are toast

2011-02-22T14:08:00.002-05:00

Does everything about running have to change? Running shoes hurt your feet, hydration horrors are bunk and now, horror or horrors, endorphins are as effective as oat bran which is not very effective at all.

The good news is, we may all be running with bongs shortly. It also explains why someof us get the munchies after a long run. Don't borgart that joint my friend.

The very far out coach.

Runner's High? Endorphins? Fiction, Some Scientists Say

By GINA KOLATA
Published: May 21, 2002

Dr. Richard Friedman, a psychopharmacologist at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, had a runner's high -- once.

''When I was young and foolish, I ran a marathon in the Smoky Mountains,'' he said. ''I have never before or since had that kind of high, and maybe it was just the result of a near-death experience.''

Bill Fox, a recreational bicyclist and an I.B.M. research lab technician, says his exercise highs do not come easily.

''You've really got to work for this high,'' Mr. Fox explained, saying he usually needed two hours or more of sweaty, intense, vigorous exercise. But when the feeling comes, he said, it is just like cocaine, a drug he knows from his days as an addict. ''It has that well-being kind of feeling, that Superman kind of feeling,'' said Mr. Fox of Middletown, N.Y.

Others say they never get such a feeling, no matter how hard or how much they exercise. In fact, despite a widespread belief in the so-called runner's high, a feeling of intense euphoria that is supposed to come with vigorous exercise, the experience is not consistent or predictable. Some researchers have asked whether it exists at all.

Many say its supposed genesis, a rush of endorphins into the brain, is without scientific evidence and some say the whole endorphin-runner's-high hypothesis is the scientific version of an urban legend.

''I believe this endorphin-in-runners is a total fantasy in the pop culture,'' said Dr. Huda Akil, an endorphin researcher at the University of Michigan, who is president-elect of the Society for Neuroscience.

Yet only now are a few researchers rigorously examining exercise as an addictive behavior. They are finding that exercise, in rats at least, may actually be addictive but that it is not at all clear that the crucial brain chemical is an endorphin.

The hypothesis that there is a runner's high and that it is caused by endorphins emerged in the 1970's, when scientists found a new class of brain chemicals that act just like morphine.

''We had meetings to decide what to call it,'' said Dr. Solomon Snyder, a neurobiologist at Johns Hopkins University, with a committee deciding on ''endorphin.'' The word is an amalgam of endogenous, meaning made by the body, and morphine.

Scientists eagerly looked for evidence that the chemicals mediated any and all sorts of pleasure. Meanwhile, Dr. Snyder said, a running craze had begun, with enthusiasts exalting in the wonderful feelings they said exercise elicited.

Every Picture Tells a Story...

2011-02-15T11:31:00.004-05:00

And not just any Tuesday run. This Tuesday is Johnny N's birthday. Another Nelligan reaches the age of persuasion, and a persuasive guy he is!

Instead of predicting your future John, lets talk a bit about your past. In fact, your genesis. You were born on Wednesday on 15.February.1961 and you think this is your oldest day of your life history but you are sadly wrong. Let's surprise you:

Monday, (Your birthday -310 days): On 11.April.1960, Monday, your father has produced the semen that will be half of you soon. He produced 1000 sperms every second of his life and you will be the lucky one out of 500 million sperm he sent on their way to concieve you. You may find it interesting to know that if he had drunk (or not drunk) coffee on this Monday morning, you might born as someone else (for instance, a girl) as caffeine changes the speed of male sperms.

Tuesday (Your birthday -295 days): Today your mother had her last menstrual cycle and started building up the egg, that will be the other half of you. After today, she will not have this cycle again for a very long time (she thanked you for this). She spent Tuesday as moody, anxious, short-tempered and you should be glad, you were not around her that day!

Wednesday (Your birthday -280 days): Your mother's egg is ready to build the other half of you and your father and your mother got together to make you. But there is still no "you" around so don't get excited much. It can take several hours for your father's sperm to reach your mother's egg and now it is just on its way out.

Thursday (Your birthday -279 days): Out of 500 million sperm on their way to your mother's egg, the sperm which built you has won the race by coming first, and the sperm and the egg became one to make your very first cell. Do you see how your drive for success, power and fast race results came to be? IT began with half of you coming first among 500 million rivals, and the other half waiting patiently at the finish line!

Thursday, 12.May.1960: Your "first day alive" because this is when you are a living entity, an embryo, congratulations! Although you are just a 1 cell creature today your unique DNA is also formed so your future destiny like your sex, height, physical appearance, intelligence, talent, stamina and yes - speed - has already been determined. Go ahead and say it, you were born with it.

Thursday (Your birthday -265 days): As your mother is an intelligent women, she suspected that she is pregnant at 26.May.1960. She is not very sure yet but she is suspicious. We hope she was excited and joyed, not worried about the growing Nelligan clan.

Thursday (Your birthday -258 days): Today your mother is telling your father about her pregnancy and he is celebrating to be a daddy, again. Thursday is also important in that, your heart has pumped for the first time today. We don't know if it is a coincidence that your father learned about you the very day your heart first pumped, but we are sure he was pumped when he got the news. He was creating his own small community, one sperm at a time.

Some important facts About Your Life:

Your lucky days are Wednesday (Conception date) and Thursday (Your first cell is built
Your mother suspects she is pregnant, Your heart beat for the first time).
You are exactly 50 years 1 week 5 days 11 hours 28 minutes 52 seconds old.
If your hair were never cut since 15.February.1961, it would be 7.287 m. today.
If your nails were never cut since 15.February.1961, they would be 1.808 m. today.
An apple tree seeded on 15.February.1961, bore 4,440.534 kg. apple till today. Its contribution to economy is $17,717.7 and it fed 7,451 people.

Happy 50th John. In honour of you being on top of the hill, lets run to the top of the hills between Woodbine and Occasions, 2 of each, no walking in-between.

tonight

2011-02-08T06:43:00.002-05:00

Its Tuesday, it must be cold...lets do the same route as last week, see if we can do it faster, better, stronger. The title route should take you to the post that includes the route. If not, tell me, I will re post.

cu2nite

Saturday Run

2011-01-14T12:44:00.002-05:00

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” Dalai Lama

Even though, there will be snow, tomorrow. Our little Victoria will be toasty and warm, but her big bad stellars will be braving the storm.

Yea, so, it is supposed to snow again, tomorrow. Here is the proposed route for 14 and 16k. For the 16k instead of Rosedale Valley, if it does snow as they say, go down Yonge to Wellesely, east to Sumach, and back that way.

And did you notice? The next storm is scheduled for, you guessed it, Tuesday!

see ya tomora.

2011-01-03T23:34:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! Another year for you, and another year for us. Whatever you committed to do, in whatever state you were at the time of the commitment, here is a first run schedule. Well no, it isn't here, I'll be sending it separately.

To begin the discussion of your commitment, whether you are honest or not, lets do a nice 8ishk tomorrow. Up Kingston to Balsam, down to Pine, head back west down the pines, across the bridge, stop at Quail/Nelligan for a brew, ok, don't do that, and back to Tuesday headquarters for the brew. By then, you will:

a) rip up the pavement in excitement about your 2011 goals;

b) rip up the schedule in protest of the goals;or,

c) order your usual and suck it up. We are stellar, after all.

And most importantly, lets do this one for Eileen - for her stellar courage and strength, and for Bart and the Calderone/Nelligan family.

See you tomorrow!

Top 5 Health and Fitness "Truths" That Bit the Dust in 2010

2010-12-30T20:24:00.003-05:00

Not every year has destroyed or at least shaken so many myths about health and fitness as 2010. There were at least five major developments that should cause us to reflect on what we do to stay healthy.

Here are my top 5 Dust Biters

1. Saturated fat not linked to heart disease

This is a momentous announcement as it undoes what we have been told for nearly 50 years, that fat is bad. Here is the quote from Leslie Beck, the nutrition columnist, who I greatly do not admire. She has written hundreds of articles over the last few years touting a low fat diet. Here is what she had to say this week.

"For decades, the view that eating too much saturated fat - found in meat and high fat dairy products increases the risk of heart disease, has been the driving force behind the recommendation to eat a low fat diet. But given the evidence presented this year, our thinking on diet and heart disease may shift."

Earth to Leslie, get a grip, start doing research. There is a new thing out there called the internet. It's really cool. You can learn stuff. You may have discovered that this is not new thinking at all, that it has been there amongst serious researchers all the time. It was the marketing departments of food companies and the low fat diet cabal that have been touting this nonsense for years.

She goes on to comment that a review of 21 separate studies show no difference in heart attack rates between those on high fat or low fat diets. No means no. In fact the authors point out that switching from refined carbs (Doritos and Coke anyone) to high fat products will improve your chances of avoiding heart attacks.

A trillion dollars of misleading ads gone in a puff of smoke.

Lest you think that this was the only Oscar for natural saturated fasts, you are mistaken.

2: Full fat dairy might protect against diabetes

According to researchers, a natural substance found mostly in full fat dairy products seems to protect against the disease. The substance, trans-palmitoleic acid, (yes I said a trans fat, another myth it appears), cut the risk of type 2 diabetes by 60% in those with the highest levels. In other words, with those who ate the most full fat dairy. Time to throw away that yummy no fat yogurt and toss on the butter. I hate to say this, but maybe the French were right after all.

3: Heavy weights not necessary for building muscle mass during weight training

Recently published results from McMaster University in Hamilton, which suggest you can build muscle just as well – or perhaps even better –with light weights have been greeted with "surprise".

"There are plenty of people who just don’t believe it,” admits kinesiology professor Stuart Phillips, the senior author of the paper, which appeared in the journal PLoS ONE.

So what's the catch. The key isn't the weight or the reps, its reaching the point of failure or total fatigue - "I can't do another rep."

Dr. Phillips and his colleagues, led by PhD student Nicholas Burd, performed a series of blood tests and muscle biopsies before and after the workouts to measure the rate of muscle-protein synthesis – essentially, how quickly new muscle was growing at the molecular level.

The results were clear: The two groups that lifted to failure had roughly similar rates of muscle-protein synthesis, and both were higher than the group that didn’t lift to failure. In fact, 24 hours later, the rate of synthesis for one type of muscle protein was significantly higher in the light-weights group than the heavy-weights group.

Higher protein synthesis is not the same as bigger biceps, however. Dr. Phillips hopes these initial conclusions will be confirmed by the results of a full-scale training study, in which volunteers lifted light or heavy weights and had their muscle and strength gains measured over time. The results of that study are currently being analyzed.

This new training paradigm could be important for many groups: older adults, people recovering from injuries or illness, as well as anyone who’s intimidated by going to the gym, since lighter weights are more easily deployed at home.

“It’s a very generally applicable mechanism,” Dr. Phillips says. “And I think it’s easier for most people to swallow.”

It’s not just a question of comfort. As you get older, your joints become more susceptible to injury and your capacity to heal connective tissue, tendons and ligaments decreases. A lifting program based on lighter weights could allow people to fight age-related muscle loss without the injury risk associated with heavier weights.

Of course, lifting to “failure” isn’t easy, whether the weight is heavy or light. Fortunately, while reaching failure may be necessary to squeeze the absolute maximum out of your workout, you can probably get most of the benefits just by coming close.

“It should be a hard effort,” Dr. Phillips says. “At the end, if you’d score it an eight or nine out of 10, then we honestly believe you’re going to get the adaptation.”

Hans and Franz should be worried. "I'm going to pump you up with girly weights" is just not going to cut it.

4: Dehydration can limit endurance or maybe not

A group of South African soldiers were sent on a gruelling 14.6 km march and were shown to have lost on average 1.3kg of weight though they did not ingest anything other than air. However, isotope measurements showed that the amount of water in their bodies increased by .53 kg. So Holmes, where did this extra water come from?

Turns out that the body has hidden stores of water that is released by the burning of carbs and fats. We have been told that weighing yourself before and after exercise is the only way to know whether you took in enough fluid or not. Turns out this may not be the case as the research shows that burning one gram of carbs releases 3 grams of water.

The folks at the Gatorade Research Institute were quick to dispute the study. I wonder why. It probably comes back to drink when you are thirsty OR do what works.

5: Barefoot running, who is crazy here?

This one has caught fire since the release of the lovely book "Born to Run". So what's the deal. To paraphrase our own Dr. Penner, who you going to bet on, thousands of years of evolution or another marketing department. A few of us Stellars have tried the less is more shoes like the Nike Free's and generally I would say we are converted. While I could barely run a few 400's in my Frees at the beginning, with time this has worked up to the low 20ks. My other shoes feel heavy and pillowy now. I cannot tell where the ground is. Interesting for me, my step daughter Daniella has now caught the craze and tells me her shin splints, a chronic condition for her, are disappearing.

So what's the truth? My guess is our feet are wonderfully engineered and the less we get in the way of of them, the probably the better. However, most of us have years of "unconditioning" on our feet, so go easy if you want to go this way.

Have a great New Years everyone.

2010-12-10T11:25:00.002-05:00

“The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.”

Bertrand Russell

Clearly demonstrated here - by one who willingly dawns a turkey suit every year, guided by the knowledge that her actions will add so much to the lives of others. And her friends, who had to come by, for a photo op, and a contribution. I like the skirt, gives me ideas. I think Bob has already ordered one.

So here is my proposal for tomorrow. Max 16k.

Lakeshore West, cross DVP to Cherry.
North one block, then west through the Distillery.
Cross Parliament to the Esplanade, follow to Yonge.
Right on Yonge to Front.
West on Front to Bathurst.
South to Queens Quay.
East to Cherry
South to the Water, Path back. That is roughly 16k.
for 3k less, at Cherry, head back along lakeshore instead of going south.
For even less, go south from Front on Spadina or York, or Yonge.

See you tomorrow.

Did Another Exercise Maxim Just Bite the Dust?

2010-11-29T19:09:00.002-05:00

This article in the Globe is potentially game changing. This debate on hydration has been going on for a while now with the South African researchers leading the battle on the "Hydration theories by Gatorade is Crap" side. Sort of having Wall Street be the overseers of the financial markets) - wait a minute they are and that explains a lot of things.

The South African researchers say that "thirst" is serious and you should drink when thirsty but not before. This can be summed up by "nature knows best". When you and the boys are out on the savanna hunting a few wildebeests for the pre- raiding party and you are a few K's away from the local 7 Eleven, why would nature design a system that tells you that you are thirsty when it is already too late.

Now the purveyors of Gatorade, as the article points out, came up with research that says "wait a minute" that's not true. How convenient of them. I am sure their data is as pure as New York snow.

So where are we.
Fat is good
Feet are better than running shoes
Drink when you are thirsty.
Hmmmm

Enjoy the article.

The evidence based coach

Rethink how you rehydrate when exercising

Alex Hutchinson

From Monday's Globe and Mail

How much should I drink during exercise to stay properly hydrated?

The answer

Here’s a riddle posed recently by South African scientists: A group of soldiers undertook a gruelling 14.6-kilometre march during which they lost an average of 1.3 kilograms. But sophisticated measurements with isotope tracers showed the total amount in water in their bodies actually increased by 0.53 kilograms. Where did this “extra” water appear from?

Groups such as the American College of Sports Medicine have long advocated weighing yourself before and after exercise to determine how much fluid you lost. A litre of water weighs exactly one kilogram – so by this calculation, if you’re a kilogram lighter, that means you sweated out one litre more fluid than you replaced by drinking. Lose more than about 2 per cent of your starting weight, the ACSM warns, and your performance will suffer due to dehydration.

But the South African study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine by researchers at the University of Pretoria, adds fuel to a simmering debate about whether weight loss during exercise corresponds to water loss. They argue that some of the weight loss is from the energy stores you burn, and that your body has “hidden” stores of water that are released during exercise – which may mean we need to rethink how we approach hydration.

No one disputes that weight loss and water loss could, in theory, be different, says Nicholas Tam, a doctoral student at the University of Cape Town, whose forthcoming study in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine found similar anomalies in half-marathon runners: a loss of 1.4 kilograms on average, but with no change in “total body water” measured with isotope tracers.

“You will use fat, and you will use carbohydrate,” he says, “and once you’ve burned it up, it’s not there any more.”

Scientists agree that when you burn carbohydrate, fat or protein, the byproducts are carbon dioxide, which you breathe out, and water, which actually adds to the fluid available for hydration.

Perhaps more significantly, your body stores carbohydrate in a form that locks away about three grams of water for every gram of carbohydrate. This water doesn’t contribute to essential cellular processes until you start unlocking the carbohydrate stores, so your body sees it as “new” water when it’s released during exercise.

For decades, these factors were assumed to be insignificantly small. But a 2007 paper by British scientists at the University of Loughborough estimated that a marathoner could conceivably lose 1 to 3 per cent of his or her body mass without any loss of water.

These calculations were swiftly disputed. Last year, researchers at Pennsylvania State University published a study funded by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute that put runners through a two-hour intermittent treadmill test and used the isotope tracer technique to measure water in the body. “We found that there were no statistical differences between the runners’ change in body mass and the change in their total body water from pre- to post-exercise,” says Lindsay Baker, the study’s lead author, who is now employed by Gatorade.

The reason for these conflicting findings isn’t yet clear, but it may relate to the details of the experimental protocols, since the amount of water produced by factors such as fuel-burning depends on the intensity of the exercise and whether the subjects have loaded up on carbs.

There’s more than just curiosity about the inner workings of the body at stake in this debate. We’ve known for a long time that drinking only when you’re thirsty during vigorous exercise means you’ll lose some weight; the new results suggest that might not be a problem when it comes to performance.

Mr. Tam believes that a better marker of hydration status is “plasma osmolality,” a measure of the concentration of various substances, such as sodium and glucose, in the blood. In his half-marathon study, the subjects were allowed to drink as much (or as little) as they liked. They lost about 2 per cent of their starting weight – a potentially harmful level, according to the ACSM – but showed essentially no change in plasma osmolality and, more importantly, no noticeable signs of compromised function.

Despite the controversy, weighing yourself before and after exercise remains by far the simplest way to estimate fluid loss. But the new studies suggest that you should use weight loss as a way of comparing the effects of different workouts, rather than worrying about a specific threshold (such as 2 per cent).

Instead, Mr. Tam says, you can trust your body to tell you when it needs water – as long as you listen carefully to signals such as thirst.

Alex Hutchinson blogs about research on exercise at sweatscience.com.

tonight

2010-11-16T15:21:00.001-05:00

looks gloomy out there...maybe this route will cheer you up. If not, it will definitely take you up.

later.

Saturday Run

2010-11-12T14:22:00.001-05:00

"To be happy all the time is one of the most nonconformist things one can do. To be always joyful is not just rebellion, it's radical. Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate."

Albert Schweitzer

So, be nice to me, even if you don't like the suggested route....enjoy the beautiful day!

2010-11-08T10:17:00.002-05:00

This is a beautiful article from the New York Times. Enjoy. Thanks to Carol Sue who brought it to may attention when I was away participating in the the Marathon of Hope instead of weightlifting the Times and a coffee on Sunday morning for my cross training session.

graycoach

Born to Run the Marathon?

By CHRISTOPHER MCDOUGALL

James Rexroad

Even though I’m running better and farther now than I did in my 20s and have been researching, writing and talking about almost nothing but running, I’ve stayed away from the marathon. The distance wasn’t the problem. It was the event itself that bugged me.

Ten years ago, I quit running for good. I was sick of the constant injuries and dismissive shrugs of doctors who wondered, “Well, what did you expect?” One study found that up to 9 out of every 10 marathoners get hurt in training, so how many cortisone shots would it take before I got it through my head that it means something when a sport has a nearly 100 percent casualty rate? The human body wasn’t meant for all the pounding, the doctors kept telling me — especially not 230-pound bodies with nearly 40 years on the meter.

So I took their advice and tossed my Nikes, somehow missing the zoological weirdness in their diagnosis. I never thought to ask, “Hang on — if running is bad for humans, why isn’t it bad for every animal?” Dogs run on sidewalks, elephants trot for miles across baked African savannas, reindeer bound across solid ice on rock-hard hoofs, yet they don’t get shinsplints and Achilles tendinitis. How come every other creature gets along just fine on its own limbs except us?

It would be absurd if trout were at high risk for swimming injuries or 90 percent of blue jays tore their rotator cuffs from flying. Yet humans, who only had their feet for transportation for most of their existence, somehow arrived in the 21st century broken on delivery. Geronimo used to outrun cavalry horses and say, “You can only count on your legs. They’re your only friends.” So why are doctors telling me just the opposite?

In 2005, after years of exile from running, I discovered that Geronimo’s secret is still alive and well among the ultra-running Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyons. I met their gringo protégé, “The White Horse,” and Daniel Lieberman, Harvard’s “Barefoot Professor,” and discovered that injury-free legs aren’t such a miracle after all. Within nine months, I transformed myself so completely that I was able to join the Tarahumara in a 50-mile race and haven’t missed a day of running due to injury ever since.

Since I told this story in my book “Born to Run,” I’ve been invited to speak at lots of marathons. And at every one of the pre-race dinners, I’d look down from the podium at people who’d handed over a month’s worth of grocery money to be there. They’d been herded through a maze of booths selling worthless and insanely overpriced running shoes, and would be crowded into buses the next morning and wait for hours penned up in corrals — corrals! like cattle! — before being released in waves, so many bodies they’re measured by oceanography — in exchange for…what, exactly?

If you want to run 26.2 miles, the door’s right there. Go. Why do you need corporate hoopla and 45,000 strangers along for the ride?

“I think mega-marathons pretty much epitomize everything that’s wrong with recreational running,” I recently e-mailed Dr. Lieberman, letting him know I’d decided to turn down an invitation to run this year’s New York City marathon with him.

His response was gentle and friendly, but boiled down to this: Get over yourself. What makes you so special that you can’t be part of “the world’s biggest peripatetic party,” as he put it. “Yeah, there is lots of commercialism, sponsors, hype — but to me these marathons are really more like festivals.”

And parties, essentially, are the centerpiece of Dr. Lieberman’s entire theory of human evolution. A big old running party, he believes, is what made our existence possible in the first place. Two million years ago, the brains of early humans dramatically increased in size, meaning they must have been eating other animals: in those pre-tofu, pre-Greek yogurt, pre-cultivated legume days, only flesh could provide enough condensed caloric energy to fuel that many brain cells. But the first spears and arrows only appeared about 200,000 years ago, so how were wimpy little Homo sapiens catching and killing prey without the benefit of claws, fangs, speed, strength or weapons?

Simple, Dr. Lieberman says. We’re really, really good at sweating. Our one natural advantage in the wild was our ability to vent heat by perspiration, instead of respiration. Let a horse run in the sun, and after a few panting miles it has a choice: breathe or cool off. It can’t do both at the same time, but we can. So he believes early humans formed into hunting parties and set off on hot days to chase bounding beasts into heat prostration, trotting along just fast enough to keep them on the move and out of the shade. But the crucial word isn’t “hunting,” but “party.” Try chasing a kudu on your own, and there will be two cadavers on the savanna.

That’s why we feel this urge to gather by the tens of thousands to surge through the city streets for an average of 4.5 hours — which, incidentally, is almost exactly how long it takes to run an antelope to death. You didn’t choose that distance; survival chose it for you.

But when I looked at today’s marathoners, I didn’t see a pack of brothers and sisters pulling together. I didn’t see communal spirit. I saw isolated, iPod-ed individualists more interested in their Garmins than each other. I saw commercial greed and egotistical obsessions over fractions of a minute.

And then I saw Derartu Tulu.

When she entered last year’s New York City marathon, Ms. Tulu was a 37-year-old has-been from Ethiopia who hadn’t won a marathon in eight years. Months earlier, she’d decided to retire. She hadn’t competed for two years after nearly dying in childbirth and was coming to realize she’d never regain the form that sped her to an Olympic gold medal nearly two decades before. But the limits of her aging body were complicated by the demands of a tender heart; in addition to her own two children, she’d adopted four orphans, and one last payday could guarantee her family’s security for a long time. She decided to go for it.

Unfortunately, so did the most formidable female marathoner in history: Paula Radcliffe, the world-record holder and three-time New York City champion. “Lean and mean,” the race announcers said in awe as they watched Ms. Radcliffe rocket off the starting line. “All the other athletes are so intimidated by this great champion. She’s the sharp end of this spear.”

But at mile 22 something strange happened, followed by something even stranger. Ms. Radcliffe grimaced and fell back. Her left hamstring had seized. It was the chance of a lifetime for Ms. Tulu — and she blew it. Instead of blazing toward the finish, she let the lead pack pass while she stopped and waited for Ms. Radcliffe.

“Come on,” she urged the lean, mean spear tip. “We can do it.”

Ms. Radcliffe tried, but her hamstring wouldn’t release. Ms. Tulu finally set off on her own. Somehow, she caught back up with the lead pack, and then the under-underdog blew past in the final quarter-mile to snap the tape. It’s among the most awe-inspiring performances I’ve ever seen, and to this day, I still don’t understand exactly what happened.

The best I can come up with is this: Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that one of the most compassionate people on the streets that day was also the most competitive. The greatness of spirit which urged her to watch for every faltering orphan, to keep the pack together, also gave her the strength to lead it. At its finest and most time-tested, after all, running was never a solitary pursuit. The Tarahumara don’t compete individually, preferring instead to kick-flip a small wooden ball from teammate to teammate, maintaining a constellation of flowing bodies. The Hopi believed running was a form of prayer; before setting off on a long run from Arizona to the Pacific, they’d offer their effort on behalf of loved ones in need of help. “I’m offering my strength to them,” the runner would murmur to their god, the Great Mystery, “and in return I ask for some of yours.”

I sent Dr. Lieberman another message. “I’m in.”

The real tragedy of the mega-marathon wasn’t too much hype and too many marathoners, but too little and too few. Luckily, the message has recently begun spreading that running can be easy and gentle and injury free, meaning lots more people may soon be joining the party that started them all.

Saturday Run & Good Luck Mary Anne!

2010-11-05T14:01:00.004-04:00

"We must overcome the notion that we must be regular. It robs us of the chance to be extraordinary and leads to the mediocre."

Uta Hagen

Finally. Justification for being just the other side of regular. Regular people don't get up early to run with other irregular people, and enjoy it. Regular people organize their own races, when there are organized events you can just pay for. And regular people don't run two marathons in a month. But extraordinary people do - Mary Anne, you have all the stellar strength behind you this weekend, include your posse to get your where regular people don't go. We are with you on Sunday, physically and spiritually!

For the rest of us, a few distance options to consider. See you tomorrow.

Nike Turns London Into a Game Board to Get People Running

2010-11-01T12:33:00.002-04:00

This article from Fast Company hows just how innovative Nike is when it comes to marketing. Something like this might work well in Toronto.

The Guy Coach

BY E.B. BoydFri Oct 29, 2010

Nike asked Wieden+Kennedy to get young people excited about running. W+K said forget ads, let's make a game.

Nike has turned the city of London into a game board for a two-week competition called the GRID which the shoe manufacturer hopes will ultimately encourage young people who already jog for exercise to start identifying themselves as "runners."

The company has broken the city down into its 48 zip codes. Each zip code (or "postal code" as they say in England) has four traditional phone boxes. Players compete by doing runs, which they start by going to one of the phone boxes, dialing a specific number, entering their unique identifier, and then following the instructions they're given, which send them to other phone boxes in the city.

The first GRID competition was held back in April, around the time of the London Marathon. In an essay that ran in a British advertising magazine, Graeme Douglas of Wieden+Kennedy, which developed the game, wrote that when Nike approached them with the task of getting young people engaged in running, they didn’t have a specific idea about how to do that. "It was evident from the start that a message-based campaign wasn’t going to be enough," Douglas wrote. "We needed to get people out and active; and introduce to them a new way to run."

Douglas goes on to say, "We decided the best strategic option to deliver this would be to augment the running experience; creating a layer of experience on top of the run that aimed to alter how the activity would be interacted with." Hence the game. The current competition started last Friday and runs (no pun intended) for 15 days. Players, who can compete individually or in teams, get points, badges, and prizes for speed, routes, and "various unlockables," Douglas writes, "that become apparent as the game unfolds." As of this writing, the game had 2,834 players and 323 teams.

What’s particularly cool about the competition is the GRID website, where Nike not only tallies scores but is also serving up visualizations of the race. Since it’s collecting data all the time--every time a competitor makes a call from one of the phone boxes, it logs who they are, where the box is, and what time it is--Nike is turning that information into visualizations (powered by San Francisco’s Stamen Design) that illustrate various aspects of the race. In one of those visualizations (embedded below), the GRID pits men against women, plotting the competitors' individual runs over time on a stylized map of London (in pink for women and blue for men), while tallying up their points on a scoreboard on the side. And, in the good-natured competitive spirit of the game, the video declares at the end: "Boys lead!" and urges their counterparts: "Get running girls!"

"GRID is part of a growing category of ideas that sits within, as Tom Coates of Yahoo! describes, the 'real world web,'" Douglas writes, "connected things that blur the physical and virtual spaces--things that thrive primarily because they excite us as humans, rather than being a vehicle for demonstrating technical capability."

Saturday Run

2010-10-29T13:29:00.002-04:00

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Albert Einstein

My hope for tomorrow, is no wind. Suggested route is taking us east, still some leaves to see, and sparkly water to enjoy!

Also want to bookmark November 27th with you! Our baby is getting bigger, and is looking forward to his or her first stellar party! This is the date ...more details coming soon!

see you tomorrow.

Tuesday Run

2010-10-26T15:25:00.001-04:00

"The City of Toronto is open for business."
Mayor Ford

Yep, we have a new Mayor. I think the church run is in order. See you tonight.

Saturday Run

2010-10-22T14:18:00.002-04:00

Time to bust out the Stellar Toques! Colours are still spectacular, so the offering is a ravine/rosedale run. Distances debatable.

See you tomorrow!

Chowhound Becomes a Greyhound and Seal Goes Stellar

2010-10-17T19:01:00.006-04:00

Veni Vidi, Gluti. He came, he saw, he kicked ass. Simon ran a beautiful PB of 3:27:52 on a spectacular fall day in Toronto. His Boston Qualifier was close to picture perfect. The first half was nailed and it was clear sailing until about 32k or so where the fabulous Stellar Peloton of Todd Penner, John Fry, Graham Westwood and Bob Carreau jumped on board to clear a path to the finish. At 32k we could see signs of fatigue, understandable given the headwind on the outbound portion of the Lakeshore route. He was quieter than usual with none of his normal boisterous laugh. I was worried he was beginning to run on fumes. Other runners create fumes when they run but that is an entirely different thing.

John Fry ran smoothly a few metres ahead of Simon, while I did the math at each k marker. As he remarked at a celebratory beer at Harbord House, he was glad we were doing the math as he couldn’t remember whether you carry the one or not. Architects are not known for math at the best of times -14 floors -16 floors…… whatever.

As it turns out he was slowly losing a little speed as this excellent graphic from RunPix (available on the marathon site) shows. (BTB check out RunPix, this is the new standard in marathon graphics. Simply awesome.) We had a 5 minute cushion built into the plan which was good. Still it shows how remarkably consistent he was. The numbers are the kilometers per hour he was running.

Perhaps, most satisfying, was the fact that he passed 95 runners on the last 8k while nobody (yes Mel, Nobody) passed him. This might have something to do with Bob Carreau, Simon’s personal bodyguard, re enacting the Running of the Bulls and charging on his bike at anyone who came to close. However, I would also bet someone else’s bottom dollar that he had no recollection of passing anybody on the last few k’s.Come to think of it, I’m not sure he had any recollections of any sort towards the end.

Here is how his finish looked.

The other piece of Stellar running was courtesy of Steve Seal. For starters he ran a 22:35 5k to finish 4^th in his age group. He then went home to change to meet Jo at the 21k mark to run with Jo’s sister Mary for a few k’s. Well the few k’s turned into the full half marathon distance…..and this is a guy who only took up running this year and whose longest run to-date was 11k. Positively annoying but congratulations anyway.

Congrats must go out to our own Leslie Morgan who completed the marathon in-spite of some nasty cramping. Goes to show that the marathon still bats last and chooses how you do.

2010-10-16T11:28:00.003-04:00

It's Time for Women to Run Faster

Boston's Crowded Marathon Prompts a Gender War; Why Females Get an Extra 30 Minutes

KEVIN HELLIKER And DAVID BIDERMAN

If you're interested in running next year's Boston Marathon, you'd better get set.

Race officials say the marathon's 21,000 prized slots, which used to take six months to distribute, could be filled in a matter of days after registration opens on Monday. In fact, every spot could be taken before the ING New York City Marathon—the nation's largest—takes place on Nov. 7. If that happens, New York's race would effectively be eliminated for the first time as a qualifier for next year's Boston.

The record demand for Boston slots has much to do with the exploding popularity of marathons in the U.S.: The 10% growth in participation last year was the largest spurt in 25 years. The number of runners who qualify for Boston now far exceeds the available places (excluding about 5,000 spots reserved for charity runners).

View Full Image

Associated Press

Runners cross the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at the start of last year's New York Marathon.

But there's another possible reason for the surging demand—one that has the potential to kick up a fair amount of controversy. It's the notion that the qualifying standards for women are too soft.

By all accounts, the running boom is being fueled by women more than men. Women made up 42% of finishers in the 2010 Boston race—a proportion that is higher than the percentage of all U.S. marathoners who are women. But according to gender rules instituted in 1977, the marathon times women need to post to qualify for Boston are 30 minutes slower than the times the men in the same age group have to run. The problem: There's no evidence that women really need that much extra time.

The typical gap in major 2009 marathons between the world's elite male and female runners was closer to 20 minutes than 30—and has been shrinking over time. For less-than-elite runners, these gaps have created some questionable benchmarks. To qualify for Boston, for instance, a man aged 50 to 54 has to have posted a time of 3:35 or better. But that time is five minutes faster than the time required for women 34 and younger. In a nutshell, to make Boston, a 54-year old man has to run faster than the nation's youngest and fastest women.

Going the Distance

Compare the Boston, New York and Chicago marathons. See elevation profiles, last year's fastest times, recent race-day temperatures and other details.

Some running experts say that one way to reduce excess demand for Boston slots would be to stop treating women like the gentler sex. When the 30-minute qualifying gap was implemented in 1977, "the mentality was, 'frailty, thy name is woman,' " said Tom Derderian, a Boston-area running coach and author of a history on the Boston Marathon. "People don't realize many women today run faster than the men who won the Boston Marathon in the past."

"The women's times should probably be tougher," said Maria Simone, a 36-year-old New Jersey professor who has qualified for Boston. Last November, Ms. Simone and her husband, John Jenkins, who is also 36, ran the Philadelphia Marathon in pursuit of a Boston qualifying time. He finished in 3:25, 13 minutes ahead of her. But she qualified for Boston with seven minutes to spare while he remains 10 minutes short of the 3:15 that he needed to qualify. "The strange thing is, I used to be faster than him," Ms. Simone said.

Guy Morse, executive director of the Boston Athletic Association, which oversees the marathon, called grading for gender "an inexact science." He said no tightening of standards is imminent for either men or women. Mr. Morse added that the marathon's legendary course is too narrow to accommodate any expansion of the field. "Exclusivity is part of the allure," he said.

View Full Image

Getty Images

Teyba Erkesso winning the women's division of this year's Boston Marathon.

The 30-minute head start for women was enacted only five years after the event began allowing women to register and fully seven years before the Olympic Games introduced a women's marathon.

Narrowing the gender gap would align Boston more nearly with its counterpart in the world of ultramarathon racing, the Western States 100—a 100-mile race whose slots are highly coveted by men and women alike. Qualifying requirements for the Western States have always been identical for men and women, says a historian of that race, Antonio Rossmann.

A veteran himself of the Boston Marathon, Mr. Rossmann said the women's qualifying times for Boston "are much softer than empiricism should suggest." Mr. Rossmann said he believes Boston officials have kept the wide gap as a way of compensating for all the earlier years of "keeping women out of the race."

With physiological advantages such as larger hearts and greater lung capacity, men will probably always run faster than women. But elite women aren't that far behind. The women's world marathon record 40 years ago stood about 54 minutes behind the male record; today it's only about 11 minutes slower.

The female winner at last Sunday's Chicago Marathon crossed the finish line about 14 minutes after the male winner. At the nation's five largest marathons—all certified as Boston Marathon qualifying races—the gender differential among top runners in 2009 stood closer to 20 minutes than 30.

Running USA, a research center based in Colorado, has collected raw data from nearly 500 marathons across the country that show a median gender difference of about 28 minutes in finishing times. But similar data also show that while men tend to finish in a long line from fastest to slowest, women divide into two distinct groups—one that's fast and another that's considerably slower.

Running experts say the second grouping, which tends to move as a pack, drags down the median finishing times for all women. "Women are social and tend to tackle new goals with a close friend or group of girlfriends more often than men," says a report on the Running USA website.

If Boston raised its qualifying standards, it's possible that more women would fail to qualify. But many others would likely pick up the pace. At a marathon in Oregon in May, Julie Fingar of Sacramento, Calif., a pro runner who works as a pacesetter, led several hundred runners, mostly women, at a pace designed to finish just under 3:40, the Boston qualifying time for women 34 and under. "If they tightened the standards, I think most of those women would just run faster," she said.

In any event, runners who've already qualified and who hope to register for next spring's Boston marathon won't be taking any chances on Monday.

"Everybody's worried that it might fill up the first day," said Boston veteran Jennifer Lashua of San Francisco.

Marathon Day!!!

2010-10-15T11:27:00.002-04:00

"What matters is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

This Sunday, size matters. Simon, Leslie - looks like you have a great day ahead for a fabulous marathon! The support systems are in place, your training is complete, your heads are in the game, all you have to do, is run!

For those running Saturday, I recommend another spit round, or head east along the boardwalk.

Good luck guys! IT is going to be a fabulous day!

Free the Free Radicals

2010-10-11T18:02:00.002-04:00

Phys Ed: Free the Free Radicals

This article from the New York Times is an eye opener. We have all been bombarded by claims about anti-oxidants and those nasty free radicals. Perhaps its time for a rethink especially for those of us who are endurance runners. Perhaps we should save our pomegranates for martinis and our blueberries for pancakes. I am expecting an article on the beneficial effects of smoking any day now.

The not anti anything coach

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

David Stewart/Getty Images

We’re all used to hearing that everything we once thought was good for us is not. But even within that framework, the latest science about antioxidants, free radicals and exercise is telling. As many of us have heard, free radicals are molecules created by the breakdown of oxygen during metabolism. Each of us constantly creates free radicals simply by living and breathing. But these molecules are highly reactive and capricious, sometimes attacking other cells and damaging tissue. Wilding free radicals have been linked with a number of diseases and with aging. Exercise, because it requires increased oxygen consumption, also increases the production of free radicals. So, many experts began urging the fitness-minded to pop large doses of antioxidant vitamin supplements, like vitamins C and E, to counteract the presumed damaging effects of the free radicals. Food alone would not supply sufficient levels of the necessary antioxidants, it was thought. The exercising body needed help from vitamins.

But then a few years ago, researchers from the University of Valencia in Spain and the University of Wisconsin in Madison set out to study what would happen if you tried to prevent exercising muscles from creating free radicals. They had laboratory rats run on small treadmills until they were exhausted. Some of the rats had been injected with a powerful, pharmaceutical-grade antioxidant that works in the body to halt the production of most free radicals. After the rats ran, the researchers measured the levels of a number of substances in their leg muscles. Not surprisingly, the injected rats showed almost no free-radical activity. They were virtually immune to what scientists had considered a kind of bodily damage.

The leg muscles of the other exercised rats, though, teemed with free radicals. But at the same time, they buzzed with other, unexpected biochemical reactions. In their legs, genes were being expressed that activated growth factors that, in turn, increased levels of ‘‘important enzymes associated with cell defense’’ and ‘‘adaptation to exercise,’’ the researchers wrote. There was hardly any similar activity in the rats with low free-radical levels. Somehow, the researchers speculated, the free radicals had jump-started a process that over time would allow the rats’ muscles to adapt to exercise. Suppressing the production of free radicals had, they concluded, prevented the ‘‘activation of important signaling pathways’’ and altered the muscles’ ability to adapt to exercise. As a result, they wrote, ‘‘the practice of taking antioxidants’’ to ward off the presumed free-radical damage caused by exercise ‘‘may have to be re-evaluated.’’

They published their findings in 2005, and since then a number of other studies have replicated and expanded on their results, to thought-provoking effect. One of the most reverberant experiments, published last year, enrolled a group of young men in a monthlong exercise program. Some swallowed moderately high doses of the antioxidant vitamins C and E. Others did not. At the end of the month, the men not taking the vitamins showed higher-than-average activity in their bodies’ innate antioxidant defense system. The men downing the vitamins did not, which makes sense; the antioxidant vitamins were mopping up the free radicals for them. But at the same time, the men not taking vitamins significantly increased their insulin sensitivity, a key measure of the health benefits of exercise, while those taking the antioxidants did not. Apparently, when the body’s natural antioxidant defense system went into high gear, so did its ability to handle insulin. Removing the necessity for the body to deal, on its own, with the free radicals also prevented other adaptations that make exercise healthy.

What these findings mean for those of us who work out regularly is still being determined by scientists. But one message is clear. ‘‘The evidence suggests that antioxidants are not needed’’ by most athletes, even those training strenuously, said Li Li Ji, a professor of exercise physiology and nutritional science at the University of Wisconsin and one of the authors of the rat study. ‘‘The body adapts,’’ he said, a process that can, it seems, be altered by antioxidant supplements.

Another lesson: ‘‘Eat well,’’ he said. Although this is not yet proved, it seems likely, he continued, that antioxidants from foods, like blueberries, green tea and carrots, may work in tandem with the body’s natural antioxidant defenses better than those from supplements.

But the overriding lesson of the newest science about exercise and antioxidants may be as simple as: let the body be. ‘‘It is quite a smart machine,’’ Dr. Ji said. ‘‘It knows how to respond’’ to stresses like a hard run, without the need for antioxidant pills.

It's Time!

2010-10-07T13:11:00.002-04:00

The time has come. Long, hot training runs, gallons of water consumed. 100's of gel packs disgarded, at least two pairs of shoes, and you're ready to go.

As a final thought, I offer you Kirk Mahoney's visualization plan. We know the marathon is mostly mental, so its you and your head at the start line.

Good Luck, and have a fabulous time! For those staying behind, the spit seems to be the plan. 16k out to the lighthouse and back along the outside.

Happy thanksgiving!

Visualization of Marathons and Half Marathons
by Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D. on March 24, 2010
Many experienced runners and walkers know that completing a marathon or half marathon is as much mental as it is physical. A best-practices approach to visualization includes these characteristics:

Imagine the end-result.
Include details.
Include emotion.
See yourself.
Use relaxing music or a quiet space.
Spend only five minutes per visualization session.
Visualize only once daily.
So applying this best-practices approach to visualizing a successful marathon or half marathon means the following.

Imagine the end-result.
Concentrate your visualization on the finish line and the finish time. Of course, the finish time that you visualize should be reasonably related to the best paces that you have experienced during your training sessions. So do not visualize a race duration that would be far shorter than what most coaches would tell you is possible for you at this stage in your training. But also do not visualize a race duration that would be unreasonably long for you, either; in other words, do not short-change yourself!

You should drive the race course or watch a fly-over or street-level video of it so that you are familiar with its twists and turns, where the various mile-markers will be, and the hills and valleys.

But do not worry about visualizing your individual training sessions or the individual mile-markers along the race course. The finish line is THE most important aspect of your race to visualize. Why? Because your unconscious mind will use this vision to figure out the HOW-TO’s that you need for your training and on race day. All that you have to do is feed it the final WHAT — your crossing the finish line with the desired finish time.

Include details.
What are you hearing as you cross the finish line? Is a band playing? Is the announcer calling your name and home town? Are your friends and family members shouting your name, ringing bells, honking horns, and waving posters? Are strangers cheering for you? Are police officers holding spectators back? Is the sun shining in your face or on your back, or is it an overcast day? Is it a cold day, or a hot day? Where is the finish-time clock — above the finish line, or off to one side? What color is the finish-line timing mat? Are there different finishing chutes for the marathon and half marathon? Are the racers around you sprinting to the end? What are you doing as you head toward and across the finish line?

Write down the answers to all of these questions as well as many other questions that you can ask, and review those answers right before you close your eyes to begin your visualization session. Or record yourself gently asking all of the questions, and then play that recording to guide you through each session.

And do not worry about whether the details that you are visualizing will exactly match reality. For example, the color of the finish-line mat could differ between your visualizations and reality. What matters is that you visualize details that make sense to you — so that your unconscious mind fully “gets” that you want this success.

Include emotion.
Here is a leading question for you: What are your most vivid memories? The answer: They are the ones with the strongest emotions attached to them.

So it is crucial that you include emotion in your visualization sessions. How big is your smile as you see the final photographers on the course? How do you feel as the finish-line area comes into view or you approach the louder crowds at the finishing area? How do you feel as you enter the finishing chute — either alone or with other racers? How do you feel as you cross the finish line? How do you feel as someone hands you your medal? How do you feel as post-race volunteers greet you?

Imbue your visualizations with emotions, and your unconscious mind will connect more deeply with your desires.

See yourself.
A common mistake that many people make when visualizing is NOT including themselves in their imagery.

One solution is to use a first-person perspective, as if you were looking through your own eyes at your own body, clothing, and race-day gear. For example, you should visualize your own watch or GPS unit on your own wrist with your own hand attached — all the way down to the sweat, freckles, wrinkles, and scars — and your other hand reaching across to press the stop button as you cross the finish line.

Another solution is to take a third-person perspective, as if you were someone else looking at you. For example, you can look at your own face and how joyous you are as you enter the finishing chute and cross the finish line.

A third solution puts you in front of one or more mirrors in your visualization and lets you get both perspectives. You can see your own body through your own eyes (the first-person perspective), and you can see your full body as if you were someone else (the third-person perspective). For example, and although it might seem odd as a practical matter, you can imagine seeing yourself run by a full-size mirror along the finishing-chute sidelines and seeing yourself approach another full-size mirror a safe distance beyond the finish-line mat.

The best approach to seeing yourself in your visualizations is to use all three of these solutions.

Use relaxing music or a quiet space.
Some people find that gentle music can help them relax into their visualization session. Others find that they must have no sounds when they are visualizing. Find what works for you, and keep using it.

Spend only five minutes per visualization session.
This advice contradicts a popular misconception — that you must spend thirty minutes or an hour visualizing in order to get any benefit from it. But what many visualization practitioners eventually discover is that they cannot maintain their concentration for more than five minutes per session. So most of that half hour or hour is wasted.

And here are two more benefits to limiting your visualization session to five minutes: (1) you are more likely to start this daily practice; (2) you are more likely to make this into a daily habit — because you know that it takes no time away from your other training for your race.

Visualize only once daily.This is another piece of advice that contradicts a popular misconception — that you must visualize several times a day… or that “If some is good, then more is better.” — which it is NOT in this case.

There are two key reasons why you should plan to visualize a successful race only once a day. One is that it becomes less of an obstacle to developing the habit. But the more important one is that visualizing multiple times a day can actually be counter-productive — because you start to compare the perfection of your visualizations to the imperfections of your everyday life. And those comparisons can lead to a conscious focus on HOW you will achieve your visualizations — the HOW-TO’s — which can lead to feelings of overload and despair.

One more thing: Start visualizing today!
There really is no time like the present to start visualizing a successful race. Of course, the more days that you can visualize before your next race, the better. But, even if your marathon or half marathon is next weekend and you have not visualized throughout your training season, you can still benefit from visualization in the final days leading up to the race and right before the race on race morning. So get started today.

Saturday Run

2010-09-30T08:51:00.004-04:00

Is there anything better than the last long run before a marathon? No! A mere 13k for Chicago, 19k for Toronto....Sounds like a trip up the Don River is the desired destination.

yabadabdoo!

Saturday run

2010-09-24T14:53:00.003-04:00

Another Race Day! Scotiabank, 23,000 strong! And a Torch Relay! Should be a blast. And a good day for a good solid race. For those running Saturday, we are heading east. Enjoy today, 'cause these days are bonus prizes.

Good luck on Sunday!

Don't pay for joint supplements, insurers told

2010-09-18T20:00:00.001-04:00

Some useful news on those very popular joint supplements.

CBC News

Doctors should be discouraged from prescribing two popular supplements, glucosamine and chondroitin, for osteoarthritic hips and knees, researchers conclude.

A review analyzed the results of 10 published studies involving more than 3,000 patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis. Study participants took glucosamine, chondroitin, or both, and all studies used a placebo.

Annual sales of glucosamine pills, right, have reached $2 billion, but researchers say they provide no benefit. (Eric Risberg/Associated Press)

Prof. Peter Juni, head of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland, and his colleagues concluded the supplements are not dangerous for joint pain — but they do not work.

"We see no harm in having patients continue these preparations as long as they perceive a benefit and cover the cost of treatment themselves," researchers wrote in Friday's online issue of BMJ.

"Health authorities and health insurers should not cover the costs for these preparations, and new prescriptions to patients who have not received treatment should be discouraged," the authors added.

For the past decade, some doctors have recommended glucosamine and chondroitin to treat arthritis pain in the hip or knee.

The supplements are components of human connective tissues found in cartilage and bone.

Worldwide, sales of glucosamine supplements reached almost $2 billion US in 2008, up about 60 per cent since 2003, the researchers said.

But the results of randomized trials on the effectiveness of the supplements were conflicting, the researchers said in explaining why they conducted a large-scale review.

The researchers found no clinically relevant effect of chondroitin, glucosamine, or their combination on perceived joint pain or on joint space narrowing.

It is up to patients to decide whether to continue taking the supplements, said Jane Tadman, a spokeswoman for the charity Arthritis Research U.K., which was not involved in the research.

"Some people may want to consider an over-the-counter trial as part of a wider self-management plan which includes exercise and keeping to an ideal weight," Tadman said.

The study was paid for by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Saturday Run

2010-09-17T12:10:00.004-04:00

"The road is long, the destination sweet".
Joanne M. Burton

The last, long run before that sweet destination! This route will take you long the bottom part of the Toronto Marathon, up to Bloor, and across Bloor to Old Mill. From there, a nice path system takes you down to the Humber River Bridge, where you head home. Below is a map of the trail part. Enlarge it so you can visualize where you will be going. Unless you like not knowing, then ignore....

for those running shorter distances on Saturday, some of us are starting at8am, for 12-14k.

Humber River - Lakeshore to 427

http://www.bikely.com/

Saturday Run

2010-09-03T13:29:00.005-04:00

"Life has, indeed, many ills, but the mind that views every object in its most cheering aspect, and every doubtful dispensation as replete with the latent good, bears within itself a powerful and perpetual antidote."

Lydia H. Sigourney

The power of positive thinking. That, and the ability to zone into another world, is what will get you through the distance tomorrow. A suggested route, an alternative to the west, for those looking for variety this weekend. At least it will be cool...cool!

cu2morrow

Saturday Run

2010-08-27T12:53:00.004-04:00

"Information is the currency of the internet. As a medium, the internet is brilliantly efficient at shifting information from the hands of those who have it into the hands of those who do not. Often the information existed but in a woefully scattered way. In such instances, the internet acts like a gigantic horseshoe magnet waved over an endless sea of haystacks, plucking the needle out of each one. The internet has accomplished what even the most fervent consumer advocates usually cannot: it has vastly shrunk the gap between the experts and the public."
Steven Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
(excerpted from Freakonomics)

Debate and discuss on your long run...which, relatively speaking, ain't that long! These routes have been published before, but worth repeating.

For those who want a measly 12k, Bart, Jo O and Jo B will be running at 7:30am. I think we will follow this route, but turn right at college.

see you tomorrow.

tonight

2010-08-24T13:49:00.002-04:00

More rain this weekend, than we have had since the G20. Great for the garden. But for camping? If we knew it would rain that much, if we knew we would have a river running through our otherwise Utopian set up, would we have cancelled? Probably. Are we glad we went? Absolutely! More memories created, more stories to grow!

Tonight, up to you. Check the schedule for what it has in store, and see you tonight.

The News All Stellars Have Been Waiting For

2010-08-22T16:43:00.003-04:00

Does this mean that Cliff Clavin was right all along? It also explains why teetotalers are such PITBs. Now excuse me while I look for look for a glass of cognitive enhancement.

The ABC Coach

Wine May Cut Decline in Thinking Skills

Study Shows Wine Drinkers Perform Better Than Teetotalers on Cognitive Tests

By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Aug. 18, 2010 -- Drinking wine in moderate amounts may reduce the risk of decline in thinking skills in some people and may even protect against dementia, a new study shows.

Researchers in Norway studied the drinking habits of 5,033 men and women over a seven-year period, including some teetotalers.

And they report that wine drinkers scored better than teetotalers on a range of tests of cognitive function, or thinking skills.

Not drinking alcohol was linked in women, but not in men, with significantly lower scores on tests of reasoning and thinking ability.

And women who reported drinking wine at least four times over a two-week period were at reduced risk of scoring poorly on the tests, compared with women who had less than one drink during the period.

In addition, women who didn't drink any alcohol scored lowest on the tests. The average age of people in the study was 58, and none had suffered a stroke.

The researchers say that drinking wine, "but not beer and spirits, was positively associated with cognitive function in women, whereas both beer and wine consumption was associated with better cognitive test scores in men."

They also say that "light-to-moderate wine consumption in women and light-to-moderate wine and beer consumption in men were associated with better scores on cognitive tests, compared with those with a low intake of alcohol."

The study is published in the journal Acta Neurologica Scandinavica.

Saturday Run

2010-08-19T13:29:00.002-04:00

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."

John Lubbock

Which, is exactly what I will be doing this weekend. For the rest of you, lots of k's, depending on your goal. I understand you have your routes planned out, so I leave you to it! Have a good run, stay hydrated, take it easy, and celebrate with the beer and bath at the end. Works every time.

Happy Tuesday, Happy Birthday Carol!

2010-08-17T09:43:00.006-04:00

We are meeting as usual, plan your workout for tonight. More importantly, today is Carol's birthday!

Other famous, or infamous people born today: Davy Crockett, Robert De Niro, Mae West, Sean Penn. What a combo.

Carol, you are at some sort of a turning point in your life, in terms of personal growth. Events that occur this year act as catalysts that get you in touch with some important issues. Your emotions run high, as you run fast, faster than many of us, who are humbled and grumble.."how does she do that..." Yet, there may be a great urge to do something different. The year ahead promises to be a busy and dynamic. (Crap, can you run even faster?!)

A clearer sense of purpose, less ambiguity, and more direction is with you in the period ahead.
It's easier than usual to express your unique individuality, and if this involves bungy jumping, mountain biking, 42 push-ups a day or extreme yoga - its something that takes you forward into unexplored territory. You are more willing to adapt to new circumstances, ideas, and unfamiliar situations this year. It's a good time to join other organizations and groups, because the Stellarrunners are simply getting too eccentric and weird. Flexibility is the key to success, you need to balance this strangeness with a more balanced influence. But stay away from the Runningroom, they will make you lead their clinics.

Social relationships and partnerships come into strong focus this year, as the Stellars keep their grip on you. Creative energy, romantic excitement, and playful competitiveness will lead to Matt madness, as you chase him through the streets of Toronto.

You want to grow rather than stagnate, and communication and stimulation are very important to you. Examining relationships in terms of your personal growth is a theme this year. You may be questioning whether or not the Stellars are holding you back. Of course they are. They need you. Period.

2010 is a Number One year for you. Ruled by the Sun. This is a year of action. So many races, so little time. Age is on your side, to place or win many of the events you participate in. Others might find you less sociable, because you are so busy staring at your metals that you rarely lift your head. Still, you are outgoing and your initiative is stronger than ever. Advice - Stand alone, take action, start fresh, express independence. Too bad they can't run as fast as you can, too bad. You are an individual, a Stellette.

2011 will be a Number Two year for you. Ruled by the Moon. This is a year of potential companionship. We Stellars offer that in spades. This is an excellent year in which to build and develop for the future. Advice - be patient, be receptive, enjoy the peace, collect. And keep kicking the asses of the stellars who need you!

Happy Birthday Carol! You are one amazing woman!

Low Carb Diet Trumps Low Fat Diet in Cholesterol Study

2010-08-03T10:46:00.002-04:00

Another nail in the low fat hypothesis coffin. About time to move on to what is really causing harm. Time to ponder the billions spent on cholesterol lowering drugs when a good old fashioned low carb diet will do the same. Now pass me my Twinke.

The trying to keep his girlish figure coach

Here is the article.

A low-carb diet works just as well as a low-fat diet at taking off the pounds over the long term, and it might be better for your heart, new research suggests.

Both diets improved cholesterol in a two-year study that included intensive group counselling. But those on the low-carbohydrate diet got a bigger boost in their so-called good cholesterol, nearly twice as much as those on low-fat.

In previous studies, low-carb diets have done better at weight loss at six months, but longer-term results have been mixed. And there's been a suggestion of better cholesterol from low-carb eating.

The latest test is one of the longest to compare the approaches. At the end of two years, average weight loss was the same for both — about 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) or seven per cent.

The key difference was in HDL, or good cholesterol: a 23 per cent increase from low-carb dieting compared to a 12 per cent improvement from low-fat, said Gary Foster, director of Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education in Philadelphia, who led the federally funded study.

He said the low-carb boost is the kind one might get from medicines that improve HDL.

"For a diet, that's pretty impressive," Foster said.

The findings, published in Tuesday's Annals of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 307 adults, two-thirds of them women. Participants were obese but didn't have cholesterol problems or diabetes.

Half followed a low-carb diet modelled after the Atkins' plan and half went on a low-calorie, low-fat diet. All attended group sessions to help them change bad eating habits, get more active and stick to their diets.

The volunteers had periodic checks of their weight, blood, bone density and body composition. After two years, there was no major differences between diet groups, except in good cholesterol. Why the low-carb diet had a bigger effect on good cholesterol isn't known, the researchers said.

Support for dieters

As low-carb plans became popular, experts feared the diet would drive up the risk of heart disease because it allows more fat. (coaches comment - shows you how bad science can get entrenched - the problem has always been caused by "white death" - refined sugars and carbs. However this is not what the food industry or big pharma wants you to know) The latest results suggest those concerns are unfounded, Foster said. In the low-carb group, there was an early rise in "bad" cholesterol, the kind that builds up in arteries. But after two years, both groups ended up with similar improvements to bad cholesterol.

The study's strengths include its size, length and its multiple locations — Denver, Philadelphia and St. Louis, said Dr. William Yancy, of the Durham VA Medical Center in North Carolina.

"These are results we should have a lot of confidence in," said Yancy, who has done similar diet research but was not involved in the study.

Foster, the study leader, said dieters should be less concerned about which diet to use, and focus on finding the support or technique — like writing down what they eat — that keeps them on track.

"It doesn't make a difference for weight loss how you get there," he said.

Saturday Run

2010-07-30T08:27:00.003-04:00

"Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown."

Author Unknown

This week there are a variety of distances, 14-30k. I am suggesting the same options as last week. West will be the Caribana Run, which is well underway. I am away myself, so I will see you Tuesday. And speaking of Tuesday, the run will take place at a different location: Pam's pad. We will venture into Scarberia, to run and partake in Pam's fine hospitality! More deets to follow on that.

Have a fabulous long weekend!

Wisdom from the principles of Budō: Lessons for work & life

2010-07-27T18:38:00.002-04:00

Garr Reynolds, the author of Presentation Zen, is someone I admire greatly. This is from his blog. The 3 prohibitions, joys and evils are especially insightful. Much of this applies to those attempting a particularly challenging athletic endeavour.

GW

I have great respect for those who dedicate themselves to the study of the martial arts in Japan. Budō, or "the martial way," is a term which encompasses the martial arts here in Japan. Bu (武) conveys the meaning "to stop clashing weapons." Dō (道) is "the way" or "the path" to truth and liberation. There is much we can learn by examining the principles found in traditional disciplines, even though they may seemed quite removed from the daily experience of most people. At the risk of greatly over simplifying things, think of Budō practice as not only being about competition or fighting and technique, but also of being a mastery of self. In the book Budo Secrets: Teachings of the Martial Arts Masters by professor and Aikido instructor John Stevens, the author recounts the three rules of the Tanseki School of Swordsmanship. I list the "Three Rules" below and then comment specifically only on Vicissitude (one of The Three Joys). Following that we'll look at "The Ten Evils for a Budo Practitioner" with the art of presentation delivery in mind.

Even though these first simple rules comprising "The Three Rules for Practice" are taken from a manual on swordsmanship from a time long ago, notice how you may use these rules in your own work, or life in general. You can see how these ideas apply to the practice of the Japanese martial arts, of course, but perhaps you can also apply the ideas to the activities of everyday living including delivering a presentation or speech, managing a project or leading a team, and other practical endeavors where excellence is required and self-mastery a must. Here are the three rules from the Tanseki School of Swordsmanship.

The Three Prohibitions
(1) To give up
(2) To misbehave
(3) To be clumsy
The Three Joys
(1) Vicissitude
(2) Honesty
(3) Skillfulness
The Three Evils
(1) Fear
(2) Doubt
(3) Confusion

The Joy of vicissitude
Change is a part of life. Change — even sudden and painful change — is indeed about the only thing that is certain in life, yet often we deny it or run from it. Instead, learn to prepare for change, face change, and even embrace it. We must adapt to the vagaries and ceaseless changes of everyday life. Experience can be a good teacher for dealing with the vicissitudes of life and work. Perhaps this is why athletes, for example, improve through real-game experience due to all the challenges that one faces in a real game that can not be simulated well in practice. If you want to get better at something, you have to do it, make mistakes, make adjustments, and improve over time. Just as a martial artist has his training enhanced by widening his experience through confronting ceaseless changes, we too can broaden our skills by being open to change and developing our skills further through the experience of dealing with those changes.

Ten "evils" to overcome
These items below come from The Ten Evils for a Budo Practitioner, a list from a Kashima Shin School scroll which appear in Budo Secrets. These ten (fear & doubt appear again) have to do with one's character as a martial artist, but as the author points out, these are aspects of ourselves that everyone needs to overcome. All of these are in us (we're just human after all) — the key is not to be defeated by them. Our enemy is not in the audience (or the competition, etc.). Usually, the biggest obstacle to success is not from without, but from within. I love these words by the late Aikido master Kensho Furuya: "You have the infinite capacity to do anything you want. You compare yourself to others—that's why you feel so limited" (slide). Here's the list from The Ten Evils for a Budo Practitioner:

(1) Insolence
(2) Overconfidence
(3) Greed
(4) Anger
(5) Fear
(6) Doubt
(7) Distrust
(8) Hesitation
(9) Contempt
(10) Conceit

I think you can see, for example, how none of these ten are helpful when making a presentation, performing a piece of music, teaching a class, and so on. All of the ten listed above can be destructive and hold us back, fear and doubt in particular. Fear holds a lot of us back. It is our fear of failure, our fear of what other people may think. We're afraid. We're not sure. So we hesitate...and we fail to act. Seth Godin calls this the Lizard Brain. Now, confidence is necessary and important, but overconfidence can sometimes be as destructive as fear and can also hold us back. Overconfidence, conceit, and contempt also prohibit us from seeing the lessons from those people and experiences around us. The old adage is "Once you think you have arrived, you have already failed." Humility, a virtue often gained through much practice, study, and experience, is key. Yet humility and great strength go hand in hand. However, a kind of projected modesty that is really a face over self-doubt and fear is not the same thing as humility. Genuine humility comes from a place of strength. It is the truly courageous who remain always humble.

If the Shoe Fits - Run in It

2010-07-24T17:12:00.002-04:00

Great article from the NY Times. Another sacred cow bites the dust.

Graycoach

Phys Ed: Do Certain Types of Sneakers Prevent Injuries?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Digital Vision/Getty Images

A few years ago, the military began analyzing the shapes of recruits’ feet. Injuries during basic training were rampant, and military authorities hoped that by fitting soldiers with running shoes designed for their foot types, injury rates would drop. Trainees obediently began clambering onto a high-tech light table with a mirror beneath it, designed to help outline a subject’s foot. Evaluators classified the recruits as having high, normal or low arches, and they passed out running shoes accordingly.

Many of us have had a similar experience. For decades, coaches and shoe salesmen have visually assessed runners’ foot types to recommend footwear. Runners with high arches have been directed toward soft, well-cushioned shoes, since it’s thought that high arches prevent adequate pronation, or the inward motion of your foot and ankle as you run. Pronation dissipates some of the forces generated by each stride. Flat-footed, low-arched runners, who tend to over-pronate, have typically been told to try sturdy “motion control” shoes with firm midsoles and Teutonic support features, while runners with normal arches are offered neutral shoes (often called “stability” shoes by the companies that make and categorize them).

But as the military prepared to invest large sums in more arch-diagnosing light tables, someone thought to ask if the practice of assigning running shoes by foot shape actually worked. The approach was entrenched in the sports world and widely accepted. But did it actually reduce injuries? Military researchers checked the scientific literature and found that no studies had been completed that answered that question, so eventually they decided they would have to mount their own. They began fitting thousands of recruits in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps with either the “right” shoes for their feet or stability shoes.

Over the course of three large studies, the most recent of which was published last month in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers found almost no correlation at all between wearing the proper running shoes and avoiding injury. Injury rates were high among all the runners, but they were highest among the soldiers who had received shoes designed specifically for their foot types. If anything, wearing the “right” shoes for their particular foot shape had increased trainees’ chances of being hurt.

Scientific rumblings about whether running shoes deliver on their promises have been growing louder in recent years. In 2008, an influential review article in The British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that sports-medicine specialists should stop recommending running shoes based on a person’s foot posture. No scientific evidence supported the practice, the authors pointed out, concluding that “the true effects” of today’s running shoes “on the health and performance of distance runners remain unknown.”

More recently, a study published online in late June in The British Journal of Sports Medicine produced results similar to those in the military experiments, this time using experienced distance runners as subjects. For the study, 81 women were classified according to their foot postures, a more comprehensive measure of foot type than arch shape. About half of the runners received shoes designated by the shoe companies as appropriate for their particular foot stance (underpronators were given cushiony shoes, overpronators motion-control shoes and so on). The rest received shoes at random. All of the women started a 13-week, half-marathon training program. By the end, about a third had missed training days because of pain, with a majority of the hurt runners wearing shoes specifically designed for their foot postures. (It’s worth noting that across the board, motion-control shoes were the most injurious for the runners. Many overpronators, who, in theory, should have benefited from motion-control shoes, complained of pain and missed training days after wearing them, as did a number of the runners with normal feet and every single underpronating runner assigned to the motion-control shoes.)

The lesson of the newest studies is obvious if perhaps disconcerting to those of us planning to invest in new running shoes this summer. “You can’t simply look at foot type as a basis for buying a running shoe,” says Dr. Bruce H. Jones, the manager of the Injury Prevention Program for the United States Army’s Public Health Command and senior author of the military studies. The widespread belief that flat-footed, overpronating runners need motion-control shoes and that high-arched, underpronating runners will benefit from well-cushioned pairs is quite simply, he adds, “a myth.”

The mythology grew and persists, however, in large part because “in certain aspects, the shoes do work,” says Michael Ryan, Ph.D., the lead author of the study of female half-marathoners and currently a postdoctoral fellow in the department of orthopedics and rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Motion-control shoes, for instance, do control motion, he says. Biomechanical studies of runners on treadmills repeatedly have proved that pronation is significantly reduced in runners who wear motion-control shoes.

The problem is that “no one knows whether pronation is really the underlying issue,” Dr. Jones says. Few scientific studies have examined how or even if over- or underpronation contributes to running injuries. “There is so much that we still don’t understand about the biomechanics of the lower extremities,” Dr. Jones concludes.

For now, if you’re heading out to buy new running shoes, plan to be your own best advocate. “If a salesperson says you need robust motion-control shoes, ask to try on a few pairs of neutral or stability shoes, too,” Mr. Ryan says. “Go outside and run around the block” in each pair. “If you feel any pain or discomfort, that’s your first veto.” Hand back those shoes. Try several more pairs. “There really are only a few pairs that will fit and feel right” for any individual runner, he says. “My best advice is, turn on your sensors and listen to your body, not to what the salespeople might tell you.”

Saturday Run

2010-07-23T13:20:00.009-04:00

"I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell.
Harry S. Truman and Graham B. Westwood

No more needs to be said. Truth hurts. And so does 27, or 32k. To try to ease the pain, there are two choices: beltline, which has some hills but lots of shade, or west, which is flat.

cu2morrow.

tonight, again

2010-07-20T15:49:00.003-04:00

As I am still in post vacation mode, I now see that the schedule has us doing a tempo run tonight. If that is your preference, check out this 8k route.

tonight

2010-07-20T15:48:00.002-04:00

Better late than never! A good night for the track. All schedules are now posted on the blog, check yours, see you tonight!

Splitting your Long Run

2010-07-14T10:39:00.003-04:00

This is an excellent article from the Marathon Nation blog. It is especially useful to those marathoners who expect to be out on the marathon course for greater than 4 hours and 30 minutes. The key wisdom in the article is that training beyond 3 hours at a session is not useful and is potentially very detrimental.

coach

The marathon is considered by many to be running’s ultimate test. But as anyone who as trained for a marathon can tell you, the real challenges happens long before race day or the dreaded “wall.” It’s the hard work you do in the weeks and months prior to your race that can make — or break — your performance on race day. Balancing training and recovery can be a full-time job, but you can make it easier on yourself by taking the radical step of splitting your long run.

The Role of the Long Run
The long run is a critical component of any marathon training plan, as it’s where you build the endurance and experience that will help you on race day. Distances vary, but most marathon plans will have long runs that peak out somewhere between 18 and 22 miles.

Athletes who run 10 minute miles or slower will be running anywhere from three to five hours! It’s no coincidence that so many middle of the pack runners suffer overuse injuries. After all, they consistently run one-and-a-half to two times longer than their faster counterparts.

In other words, no one single run is what prepares you for your race. It is the effect of training your body over weeks and months — and the ability to focus that fitness on the big day with your race execution — that will give you the results you seek. Your can reap the benefits of a 45 mile run week by splitting that long 20 miler into two efforts without suffering the consequences of putting 50% of your weekly mileage into one session and overwhelming your body.

A Quick Example
Let’s look at a long run of 2.5 hours for our friends Speedy Stan (7:00/miles) and Wandering Wally (12:00/miles). Both athletes are running the same effort for the same time. The only difference is that Stan can rack up 21+ miles while Wally covers 12.5 miles. They are doing the same work (as measured by Effort times Time), it’s just that Stan’s output is much higher.

They both need to cover 20 miles per their shared training plan, but for Wally that means running an additional 90 minutes on top of what Stan has done. In other words, Wally faces the prospect of doing more work at the point when he is most fatigued and ill-prepared to run well. Like most runners, Wally sucks it up and keeps slogging through his run.

Across a full training program, Wally logs an average of 90 to 150 minutes of more running per week than his buddy Stan. This impacts his ability to recover, increases his fatigue and definitely hampers his ability to fit training in with all the other things in his life. And yet cramming all that hard work into one long run session isn’t necessary for Wally to be his best on race day.

Your Body & The Cost of Running Longer than 2.5 Hours
Inside Marathon Nation we don’t advocate long runs over 2.5 hours, although you can do runs up to about 3 hours if you are fit and able to dedicate time to recovery. We can do this since we incorporate a good amount of intensity in our training plans, even the long runs. This increased effort offsets the need to go longer at an easier pace, as we are earning the same training stress.

The longer you run over the 2.5 hour mark, the risk of getting injured and/or over-trained is significantly increased. Yet you aren’t gaining any additional fitness that couldn’t be achieved in shorter runs with better technique. In other words that costs of running longer significantly outweigh any potential benefits.

Aside from the increased risks, it’s important to note that once you have hit the two hour mark on a long run, your body is pretty much functioning a total marathon capacity. You are fueling up as your glycogen stores are dwindling and you are hydrating to offset water loss. Nothing else magical happens to you after your body has reached this point other than needing the mental strength to continue on to the finish line.

The Long Run and Race Day
One of the most convincing arguments about not splitting will come from anyone who followed a conservative running plan and then had a bad race experience. Somewhere around mile 16 to 20, things got really bad…must have been the lack of a long run, right? Wrong!

Most of the time poor race experiences are a function of poor race execution. This includes everything from poor pacing at the start to poor overall pace selection, from insufficient food to the fact that running 26.2 miles is hard. Really hard.

Don’t be deceived by these individual tales of doom. A solid program will get you fit and knowing how to execute makes a huge difference. If you need race execution guidance, be sure to download our quick reference sheet and video here.

Wholistic Training & Bigger Picture Goals
The most important thing to consider during your internal debate about splitting boils down to this: Can you accept that your your marathon fitness — not your training — is the sum of countless hours of individual sessions compiled over weeks of working out. That speedwork, hill work, skill work and yes, long runs, all combine to make you fitter and stronger during the training cycle.

If you can agree to this simple truth, then it follows then that adjusting just 2-3 runs out of 100+ workouts will not undermine your ability to run to your potential. It will take some schedule juggling and focus during the training, but it will help insure that you meet your biggest goal: arriving at the starting line healthy and ready to go.

You can’t overestimate the importance of showing up to the marathon starting line 100% physically and mentally ready to race. Middle of the pack runners are plagued with over-use injuries because they spend significantly more time running than their swifter counterparts (since they follow the same training plans!). Running 2 hours longer than a 3.5 hour marathon finisher is already hard enough; doing it with cortisone shots in your hip, knee, calf, and/or foot doesn’t make it any more bearable. A healthy runner is a happy runner.

Splitting Options
There are several different ways that you can split your long run workout. Here they are in best possible order; you pick the option that best works for your schedule.

Option A: Split Morning and Night (12 Hours)
This is the best possible option, as it allows for active recovery during your day and ensures you are still carrying some fatigue into that second run. It can be tricky to manage your food across a single day, as you’ll need to recovery from the first run but don’t want to be too bloated / heavy for the second effort.

EXAMPLE: Split a four hour run into 2.5 hours in the AM, 1.5 hours in the PM.

Option B: Split Night and Morning (12 Hours)
A close second to Option A, as this choice means you will be getting a bit more rest with a night of sleep between the two efforts. This additional rest option makes it ideal for beginner marathoners or folks who will be running over 5 hours to cover the long run distance.

EXAMPLE: Split a five hour run as 3 hours on Saturday afternoon, then do 2 hours on Sunday morning.

Option C: Split Morning and Morning (24 Hours)
Also know as the “weekend option,” this plan would allow you to split the long run to a pretty reasonable Saturday and Sunday morning schedule. Not as optimal as the other options listed above, but certainly very doable.

EXAMPLE: Split a five hour run as 3 hours on Day One an 2 hours on Day Two.

Option D: Split Thursday and Saturday (36+ Hours)
This is the least ideal option as your body will be 100% recovered before the next run. That said, some times life gives us no other option. Ideally you would be able to do this as a PM effort for the first run and an AM effort for the second, keeping the runs to about 36 hours apart.

EXAMPLE: Split a five hour run as 2.5 hours on Thursday and 2.5 hours on Saturday.

Splitting A Marathon Plan
Of course any marathon plan has more than just one long run in it. Odds are your plan will have anywhere from three to five long runs of 18-miles or longer. Three long runs as 18, 20 and 22 miles for the 10:00/mile runner (or slower) means splitting some or all of the runs.

If your plan calls for 18, 20, and 22 mile runs consecutively — that’s very aggressive. Splitting will help to reduce the impact of the individual workouts and will still allow you to reap the benefits of progressive overload.

Here’s how we suggest you do it: Add a shorter run week between each long run.

Review your training plan early and factor alternating weeks with a single run. Per the table below, our Split Runner will put in “harder” runs in the non-split weeks. This will still provide a challenging program that ensures a progression of fitness without any individual overload workouts.

Cautionary Notes on Splitting
While many folks consider the very act of splitting to be a virtual shortcut, there’s no denying that you are still covering the same miles, in the same time, each and every week. That said, it still feels easier — after all you aren’t suffering through 4 and 5 hour individual sessions. It’s only human nature to then compensate…but you shouldn’t.

Here are the top three things you should not do when splitting.

1 – Do Not Run Faster / Harder Overall
It’s tempting to run the two 2.5 hour blocks faster than you would if it had been one long 5 hour session…but you shouldn’t. Remember that the effects of too much on your long runs only appear downstream. What feels okay now might contribute to a problem in 3-5 weeks. Instead, run your workouts like you would any long run. Make it through your cycle and your race, then you can adjust. T

2 – Do Not Split Every Long Run
This technique is really only recommended for your longest efforts; the ones nearing or exceeding the three-hour mark. You still need to build up your endurance and durability, and you can achieve this over the beginning weeks and months of your marathon program. Just remember that you will most likely need to alter your plan by working backwards from the last long run weekend per the table above, so definitely plan ahead!3 – Do Not Go Crazy Between Split Runs

Splitting runs within the preferred 12-hour window means precious little time to recover and refuel. Add in the fact that you have a life and other commitments, and chances are you won’t be spending too much time with your feet up!

While active recovery is great, you still need to be careful not to overdo it. Going shopping or cheering on your kid’s soccer game is great; mowing the lawn is not. Tidying up the house and doing laundry is okay; spending two hours tending your garden in the midday heat — not good.

I really hope this advice helps you make running a fun and reasonable part of your fit lifestyle. Training for a marathon is a massive undertaking, and it’s important to remember that while we all seek the same finish line, nothing says we all have to train the same way to reach it.

this week

2010-07-04T14:21:00.005-04:00

Hope you are somewhere by water, ac, or not moving. I am happily getting ready for a two week vacation! I will run, as I have talked some into a fall race with me, right?? Had a fab run today with Jude, Mo, Sue (who hasn't seen 8am on a Sunday since she stayed out all nite) and Nancy today. Mo had us doing all terraine running down rocks and across a river, which made it even better! That added at least an additional K.....thanks for the run guys!

Tuesday, this and next, follow the schedule for hills or if you prefer the track, 6 800's this week and the same foe next. Look at the pace chart on the blog and see if you can keep your pace.

for this Saturday,we have 14, 16,18, 21 and 27. For 14k, go up Glen to Summerhill, west to the bridge and turn back. For 16k, turn back at Moore after going through the ravine. For 21k, beltline to Oriole parkway, which is the second major road you come to.

Now, the most important part. We all know, you can run but you can't hide. Gray, tomorrow, you will truly be able to look back and say "yep! so far so good!" and know, that the best is yet to come. Happy Birthday buddy!

Saturday Run

2010-06-30T15:10:00.003-04:00

"You can't make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you're doing is recording it." Art Buchwald

Debate and discuss. During your 21, 18 or 16k run, or on your 5k Pride run...take your pick! Graham has left us for Furman, again, bring back the latest means of getting faster Gray!

Happy Canada Day!!!

The Best Pacing Strategy Ever...........so far

2010-06-25T15:32:00.002-04:00

This is from Marathon Nation and is excellent. Some of you may wish to check out their website and sign up.

Proper Marathon Pacing: Nail Your Start to Manage Your Heart Rate

14. Jun, 2010 Categories: Race Execution, pace by Patrick 0 Comments

After months of training and countless miles, your race is here. Hundreds of hours of hard work all come down to one day and 26.2 miles. Yet after juggling workouts and recovery, managing your commitments, and making nuanced adjustments to your nutrition, the most common race strategy is practically no strategy at all:

1 — determine your goal finishing time
2 — divide by 26.2 to get a per mile split.
3 — run that even pace until you blow up, burn out, or hit the finish line…whichever comes first.

Any veteran marathon runner will tell you that their race day splits look nothing at all like that neat little pace band they picked up in the expo. There are countless factors to contend with on race day: crowding, weather, and terrain just to name a few. And let’s not forget the biggest factor of all: YOU.

Simple vs Strategic
The pace band strategy is appealing because it’s so simple. All you have to worry about is running one simple split, over and over again, to meet the benchmarks and make your goal. Simple on paper, however, is not simple in reality.

At the start of the race you are excited and well-tapered; you have lots of energy. Contrast that with the end of the marathon, where most of us are on the ropes both physically and mentally. Somewhere between these two points is a happy middle ground that allows us to run well without making massive assumptions about our day and our fitness.

A strategic approach instead maps to how your body operates across the day. A good strategy allows you to conserve critical energy early, settle into a sustainable pace for the body of your race, and ideally sets you up to run the last few critical miles well.

That Which Doesn’t Kill Us…Makes Us Smarter!
We can learn a great deal about what we should do to by observing what we did that didn’t work. The two images at the top of this post show what happens when a running picks an overly aggressive pace for the full marathon distance.

As you can see from the blue chart, the overall pace degrades over time. The real decline starts just before the three hour mark. The runner regroups to run what might be a better pace for about 35 minutes (the 3:40 to 4:15 mark), but at this point even that’s too much. He chooses to use a run/walk strategy to keep moving forward, and by the end he’s buoyed by the finish line to finish with an effort that matches exactly how he started. In other words, his final “kick” was only as fast as he choose to run those first easy miles!

The Heart of the Matter
As the second chart shows above, this marathon runner’s real race isn’t against the clock, it’s against himself! The early aggressive pace he picked didn’t “show up” on his heart rate monitor as he was well-rested and tapered. Before long, however, he had gone from the low 140s to cracking 170 beats per minute…a 30-beat swing in under three hours on steady pacing! Yet another indicator that the initial pacing goal was simply too ambitious.

Over the course of the race, your heart rate will absolutely go up. It’s a function of continuing to exercise at a steady rate while your body uses up its energy stores and needs to continue delivering oxygen to your muscles as they fatigue and become less and less efficient. In other words, it takes more work to continue the same pace later in the day that was once so easy at the start.

In the case of our runner, the only way he could drop his heart rate to a more manageable level was to drop his pace…by walking. Great strategy for managing the heart rate issue; poor strategy for getting to the finish line quickly.

Here is the race in his own words:

I ran that race by attempting to run with the 5:00 hour pacer. I had a month old vDot from at 10k that would have put me at 4:20 so I didn’t think a 5 hour marathon was unreasonable. But if you compare my data to the pace Coach Patrick’s plan would have put me at it is easy to see why my marathon became a walk/run sufferfest around mile 16. On plan my first 6 miles would have been 11:42 when in reality, only 3 of my first 6 were over 11 and only one was close to the 11:42.

After the first 6 I would have been on plan at 11:22 and I was still faster, except for the pitstop in mile 11, until I hit mile 16. The next ten miles I would walk to get my heart rate down, then run because it hurt a little less than walking. At about my twenty my only goal was to save enough energy so the finishing photos would be of me running. As you can see, the minutes I saved (by running faster) in the first half did not go in a bank, they ultimately cost me 45 minutes on my overall time.

It’s Gotta be the Start
As the red chart reveals, you might not know you’ve made a poor choice until it’s too late. To fix this issues, we need a strategy that keeps us on track to meet our race goals and also takes the heart rate issue into account.

Proper early pacing can offset the damage that typical poor race execution yields. Starting the first three miles of a half marathon too hard means that our HR will continue to go up over time even if our pace declines (your body is working harder but your aren’t seeing the results). In fact, nothing short of walking will really help you get your HR back under control, and by that point you are no longer racing.

The savvy pace athlete starts off slightly slower, pegging a lower HR. She builds her effort into her race pace, not doing anything crazy to her muscles/body early on. She knows the marathon will get hard on its own, there’s no need to make things more complicated.

After the initial six mile period where her focus is on building her effort from very easy to slightly faster than goal average pace, she settles into steady state mode. All the rabbits are long gone, and she uses the next 14 miles to chip away at the extra time that her smart early pacing “cost” her. Thanks to her early pacing and now resultant lower Heart Rate, she is better able to process the critical calories and fluids that will help her through the latter stages of her day.

Just as her body starts to hurt around mile 20, she can wrap her head around “just” doing a 10k. After all, she’s only been really running for 14 miles — those first few easy miles are mentally “free.” It also helps that she is now passing lots of other folks, which helps her to stay focused and motivated.

Run to the Line; Race to the Finish
It’s the Marathon Nation motto, a value we work on instilling from the outset. Regardless of your speed or experience, anyone can have a great race if they execute well. The power of proper pacing is not in a killer last few miles of your race, but in the using restraint to conserve early energy to make the “meat” of our race, those middle miles, very consistent and powerful. When a race is executed properly the finishing kick is a function of your fitness and mental fortitude; both of which are much greater supply since you are no longer simply running hard from the gun and crossing your fingers.

Saturday run

2010-06-18T13:27:00.003-04:00

It is beginning to feel like a compound around here. I am in the epicentre of the G20. You can no longer see through the window face of our building to the road, as the fence is so dense, you can only see that it is daylight. Walking down the sidewalk feels the way cattle look when they are inside a truck being hauled down the highway. Except we can't stick our snouts through the thick mesh fence. The police presence is rapidly building. And while they are friendly and passive at the moment, they really are everywhere. Crossing the street must be strategically considered - if I don't chose this opening, I don't know how far I will have to go to the next one. And of course, this is a week away. Next week is a whole new ballgame. A

And it all makes me think - there are people who live like this and much worse, every day. We have only to live with this for a few short weeks.

Oh yes, the run. Schedules have 13, 14, 16, and 18k. This route will cover all of that. I have yet another family weekend, which means I may not get there tomorrow. If not, have a great run!

2010-06-15T13:17:00.003-04:00

Sounds like I missed a good one. A great party, for a great guy, (almost) at a great age. I hope you took pics, I want to see.

Another event happened this weekend: The Ride to Conquer Cancer. Margaret, Davide and Nat that I know of, others? When asked to describe the ride, I heard

"very long"
"OMG"
"Loved it...or most of it anyway"
"somewhat difficult"
"220kms by yourself is a long time"
"spent a very ugly final 90 minutes riding up the escarpment in a huge downpour. Graham’s bear was nothing compared to that hill"

When asked if they would do it again?
"Thinking about it"
"Based on the chafing I don’t think we are doing it for a while"
"I would have to suffer some “selected amnesia” to do it again"

Want pics and stories from you too!

The schedule suggests 8 hills tonight. Here is what I suggest.

Eastwood, cross Woodbine to Brookside, up to Kingston Rd.
Kingston Road to Scarborough (hill 1)
Down and up Scarborough (hill 2)
Down and up Silverbirch (hill 3)
Down and up Willow (hill 4)
Down and up Beech (hill 5)
Down and up Spruce Hill (hill 6)
Down and up Balsam (hill 7)
Back to the barn. there is a small hill in there somewhere, and by now, if you have completed the above suggested hills, you will feel that you have already overachieved.

I am going to a golf tournament today, and won't be there tonight. I will be the entertainment, given my golf expertise. Have a good workout!

A Gerkin for your Cramp, My dear?

2010-06-14T20:27:00.002-04:00

I am rather stuck at what to say about this article other than.......who woulda thunk.

Enjoy,

The Strubs Coach

Phys Ed: Can Pickle Juice Stop Muscle Cramps?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Stockbyte/Getty Images

Recently, 10 healthy male college students filed into an exercise laboratory at Brigham Young University in Utah to drink pickle juice. Many people involved in sports are convinced that the briny fluid combats muscle cramping. In a 2008 survey, a quarter of the athletic trainers interviewed said that they regularly dispense pickle juice to cramp-stricken athletes. Many also report that, in their experiences, the stuff quickly brakes the cramping. The athletic trainers have told researchers that they believe the pickle juice must be replenishing the salt and fluids the athletes had lost to sweat. But no laboratory science had verified that theory.

The Utah volunteers began with a series of 30-minute bicycling sessions, using a semi-recumbent bicycle, configured so that only the leg pedaled. The laboratory was warm, increasing the amount the exercising men sweated. Each cycled in 30-minute bouts (with five minutes of rest between) until each had lost 3 percent of his body weight through perspiration, a widely accepted definition of mild dehydration.

The young men were then fitted with a contraption on the big toe of their unexercised leg, and the tibial nerve in the men’s ankles was electrically stimulated, causing a muscle in the big toe to cramp. (The procedure causes some discomfort, making it too painful to use on larger muscles, like the hamstrings or the quadriceps.) The volunteers were told to relax and let the cramps run their course. The average duration of the cramps was about two and a half minutes.

The volunteers rested and did not drink any fluids. Then their tibial nerve was zapped again. This time, though, as soon as the toe cramps began, each man downed about 2.5 ounces of either deionized water or pickle juice, strained from a jar of ordinary Vlasic dills. The reaction, for some, was rapid. Within about 85 seconds, the men drinking pickle juice stopped cramping. But the cramps continued unabated in the men drinking water. Pickle juice had “relieved a cramp 45 percent faster” than drinking no fluids and about 37 percent faster than water, concluded the authors of the study, which was published last month on the Web site of the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Exercise-induced muscle cramps are one of the continuing mysteries of physiology. Extremely pervasive, they afflict most active people at some point. But scientists remain deeply divided about what causes the cramping. For years, most people, inside and outside academia, believed that cramping was caused by sweating-induced dehydration and the accompanying loss of sodium and potassium. Sufferers were advised to load up on potassium-rich bananas or chug large amounts of salty sports drinks.

But a number of laboratory and field studies in recent years have undermined the dehydration theory. The most recent, completed by the same group of scientists who studied pickle juice, employed a similar study design. A group of college students had cramps induced in their toes. They then pedaled with one leg until dehydration set in. Their toes were made to cramp again, Presumably if dehydration were the underlying cause of the cramping, the scientists should have been able to induce a cramp with less electrical stimulation when the men were dehydrated; their muscles should have been primed to cramp. But the experiment didn’t work out that way. As detailed last month in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the scientists had to use the same amount of stimulation to induce a cramp after dehydration as they had before. Their conclusion? “Exercise-induced cramps occurring to athletes” who are mildly dehydrated “were likely not caused by dehydration,” says Kevin C. Miller, Ph.D., ATC, the lead author of both studies and now an assistant professor in the Athletic Training Education Program at North Dakota State University in Fargo.

What, then, does probably cause athletes to cramp? The pickle-juice experiment provides some intriguing clues. “The pickle juice did not have time” to leave the men’s stomachs during the experiment, Dr. Miller points out. So the liquid itself could not have been replenishing lost fluids and salt in the affected muscles. Instead some other mechanism must have initiated the cramps and been stymied by the pickle juice.

Dr. Miller suspects that that mechanism is exhaustion, either directly or through biochemical processes that accompany fatigue. Certain mechanisms within muscles have been found, in animal and limited human studies, he says, to start misfiring when a muscle is extremely tired. Small nerves that should keep the muscle from overcontracting malfunction, and the muscle bunches when it should relax. Pickle juice may work, Dr. Miller says, by countermanding the malfunction. Something in the acidic juice, perhaps even a specific molecule of some kind, may be lighting up specialized nervous-system receptors in the throat or stomach, he says, which, in turn, send out nerve signals that somehow disrupt the reflex melee in the muscles. Dr. Miller suspects that ultimately, it’s the vinegar in the pickle juice that activates the receptors. In a recent case report by other researchers, a single athlete’s cramping was relieved more quickly when he drank pure vinegar (without much pleasure, I’m sure) than when he drank pickle juice.

At the moment, speculation about the powers of pickle juice remains just that, speculative. “It’s extremely challenging” to induce realistic sports cramps in the lab, Dr. Miller says. His technique, of causing the big toe to spasm, while useful, can’t fully replicate what happens in larger, stronger leg muscles during a cramp. Still, the work is suggestive and, perhaps most important, implies methods for finding relief. “If muscle fatigue is the cause,” he says, then training properly, building up your mileage slowly and perhaps adding strength training that focuses specifically on muscles that have cramped in the past, may help. In the meantime, if your calf or other muscle suddenly, painfully catches, “try stretching it,” Dr. Miller says. Doing so has been found in laboratory studies to significantly shorten the duration of a muscle cramp, most likely by shaking up and resetting the misfiring muscle and nerve reflexes. And perhaps, if you can stomach the idea, pack a few ounces of pickle juice on your next training session. It’s not as palatable as bananas, but unlike them, Dr. Miller says, “it seems to work.”

2010-06-07T11:58:00.002-04:00

I really like this article because it calls it like it is. The program he speaks about is actually very similar to our FIRST program. The trick is to know your fitness level though a time trial and then to follow the appropriate pace charts for your workouts. The program will gradually train you to be able to sustain your desired pace for longer and longer distances. Hope is not required.

For those of you wishing for a BQ, we will prepare the proper training program for you with all of the accompanying pace charts and mileage markers for the long runs. Having a record of how you are doing is very important. This is in effect what our friends at Marathon Dynamics do.

Let me know who would like to up their program a notch and we will do what is required. It would be great to see an ocean of really snappy Stellar jackets in Boston.

G

By Patrick McCrann
Marathon Nation
For Active.com

The minute you cross the marathon finish line, you are most likely consumed with a mixture of emotion and relief. You did it! After months of training, you put together a solid race and made it all the way to the finish line. As you struggle to get your chip off, pick up your medal, get changed and find your family, there's one consistent and nagging thought that hits almost every finisher.

It's the one thing that keeps us coming back to the 26.2-mile challenge. It's the knowledge that we can always be faster. It's not just competitive runners; it's part of the human condition. The good news is, you're right -- you can be faster. In this article, we'll cover the Principle of Specificity and give you insider tips on how to lay the foundation for a faster future marathon.

There are essentially two ways to improve your marathon time: get faster or race faster.

Racing faster, or race execution, is a critical part of anyone's marathon toolkit. In fact, it's really a topic unto itself. We've already talked about execution a little bit over here in terms of how it relates to the PRO System, but know the right plan can help any runner -- regardless of fitness or ability level -- run to their potential on race day. Just because you are a beginner doesn't mean you have to race like one.

So how does one actually get faster? It's a lot simpler than you might think... but nobody said it was easy.

The Fuzzy Math Problem

Most runners plan for a faster marathon by reverse engineering their desired race day performance into a long run training pace. Someone looking to go from a 3:45 to a 3:30 marathon will do the math to figure that they need to run about an 8 min/mile pace on race day. Suddenly 8-minute miles becomes an internal benchmark for every run: How was my 5-mile loop today? Can I do the hilly Thursday run at 8:00 pace? What about my recovery runs?

As these folks move into more race specific training, they begin to pay closer attention to the overall pace of their longer runs. How close is it to 8-minute miles? Should I run a bit faster than in training? Is a long run at 8:15 just as good?

This simple approach overlooks the significant difference between a 5-miler and a 20-miler both done at 8:00 pace. And let's not forget the lack of a strategic build up of effort and duration could lead to some misplaced race-day expectations.

Run Faster to Get Faster

There are lots of articles and opinions around critical workouts that make people faster. Some are good; others are purely science fiction. At the end of the day, we know one thing for certain: you have to run faster to get faster. No amount of running 10-minute miles will make you better at running 9-minute miles on race day.

Of course, easier training runs done at a 10 minute/mile pace might be a part of your regimen, but they don't constitute the bulk of the work you do to prepare for race day. But not just any old fast will do. Left to their own devices, most runners will overachieve in the fast department and dig holes that could impact subsequent runs and even potentially result in injury.

Focus Your Fast with Benchmarking

The PRO System approach uses a 5k test to eliminate the fuzzy math problem. No more "I think I can" seasons or dreamlining your next marathon by magically subtracting 15 minutes from your last finishing time. And just chasing faster people around a track every Tuesday is also less than ideal. Anyone can fake some really good intervals when the pressure is on, but just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should.

By plugging your run time into the PRO System, you can benchmark your current fitness. You are generating an approximation of your marathon potential. Your time from this test yields a vDOT score as based on Daniels' Running Formula (2nd Edition) . A legendary running coach in his own right, Daniels created his running formula to generate approximate training paces for different distances as based off of single testing value.

The critical value we want to know is your threshold pace. This is the given pace you can sustain for about a 10K (6.2 miles) up to an hour. Threshold pace is an effort you can hold for a substantial time, building fitness without triggering the need for significant recovery or impacting future workouts. Use this free calculator to generate your own vDOT score and threshold pace.

Build Your Fast, Then Add The Far

Now that we know what your threshold pace is, we can begin to add more work to your training plan. Just how much threshold work you can do depends on your current training cycle and the proximity of your next race. As a runner looking to get faster, you need to rethink your season, creating two main phases: Get Fast Phase and Go Far Phase.

Getting faster happens first, as this is the truly hard work of your season. This focus can happen any time up until the last 12 weeks of your marathon training cycle. During this phase, you will do three threshold workouts during the week. Two will be done as interval runs. The third session will be your long run, which includes some threshold running at the start before you dial the pace back to a more moderate effort. The remainder of your workouts will be skill or recovery oriented.

Adding far means more stress on your body, but it's not a difficult phase. After all, countless runners simply add 10 percent more miles each week to build up their endurance. The critical difference here is that you want to hold onto your "fast" for as long as possible. You should make the switch to "add far" training when you hit the last 12 weeks of your marathon training program.

Since the primary focus of this phase is to extend your new fast pace to the full distance of the marathon, we cut your threshold intervals down to two limited workouts.

There's the regular weekday interval session (which remains basically the same as before) and the long run. During the long run, we now start with a more appropriate long run or race specific pace, then add the threshold intervals at the end to test your mental and physical strength as race day approaches.

Sample Threshold Workouts:
1. 8 x 1/2 mile repeats at Threshold Pace, each with 2′ of rest after.
2. 2 x 1 mile repeats at Threshold Pace, each with 2′ of rest after.
3. 2 x 1 mile repeats at Threshold Pace, each with 4′ of rest after; then 2 x 1/2 mile repeats at Threshold Pace, each with 2′ of rest after.

Sample Long Run Workouts:
1. 6+ mile run as: 4 miles @ z1/LRP, 1 mile @ Z4 / TPace, 1 mile @ z1/LRP.
2. 12+ mile run as: 10miles @ z1/LRP, last 2 miles at z4 / TPace.
3. 14+ mile run as: 8 miles @ z1/LRP, then 3 x 1 miles @ Z4 / TPace. Each rep followed by 1 mile @ z1 / LRP.

Remember, being faster on race day is the result of quality training and good execution. Just going harder isn't enough; test your fitness to ensure you are doing the right training and targeting the right race day goal. Once the gun goes off it's all up to you.

Saturday Run

2010-06-04T09:07:00.007-04:00

"I had that stubborn streak, the Irish in me I guess."

- Gregory Peck

I have returned from one of my favorite vacations - Ireland with the female contingent of my family. A stubborn lot for sure, we were not at all sure that we could travel together for 10 days, in a car, on foreign soil, without a tiff or two. The trip was fabulous. It must be the Irish - in us, and in the many we had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with. I have a renewed appreciation and pride for my heritage, as well as the few stellars who have irish roots....

So now its time to commit to the summer and fall races. I have put schedules together for Scotia, Toronto, Chicago, Philly, Wineglass and Hamilton. On route to our final races of choice, there are lots of options: Acura, Midnight Summer's Run, 5 Peaks Series, Run for Chocolate, Chicken run....

Before I post anything, please let me know what your plans are. In the meantime, 14k this week is a good place to start.

Sunday, Jude and I will be running the first annual Phlox Run. We are doing the 10k, I am registering on Sunday. If you're interested in joining us, lemmie know! http://www.onlineregistrations.ca/phlox/

Oh, and one more thing....

There is a little Ironman coming up - June 27th - Coeur d'lene. Terror and Kyle will be there....the countdown is on!

http://www.ironmancda.com/index.php?dir=MiscVids&vidname=FordMotivationalVideo-low&playtype=wmv&w=320&h=240

The Marathon and the Bear

2010-05-31T12:30:00.004-04:00

I became reacquainted with the magic of the marathon on the weekend and also had a very personal encounter with the bear. The name of my bear is Ursala, but more about her later - first the magic.

I guess I had forgotten how wonderful an experience the marathon can be. Here I was running stride for stride with my marathon partner, Annie, and a small crowd of fellow travelers surrounding Brian, the 3:45 pace bunny. Glib comments were flying back and forth, to be fair, most of them by me, about "were we going to stop at Tim’s or just do the run through and when were we going to make our break on the Kenyan’s". Everything was nice and loose. The course through downtown and across the river and back through Rockcliffe was really pretty. Families were out with their kids cheering us on and one rock band of 10 year olds was playing their hearts out. It was magic, the pure joy of running and visions of a fantastic finish were dancing in my brain – at least for the first 24k or so.

The half split was fantastic, with even a little time in the bank - going better than I thought. Then around 22k I had to stop for a quick bio break. When I came out of the facilities, (definitely not the Ritz) I saw the 3:50 pace bunny go by “Wait a minute” I thought. “We were ahead of the 3:45 pace bunny till now and I wasn’t in there very long. I asked Annie if she saw the 3:45 pace bunny go by and she said no. “No problem, 3:50 is the time we have to beat anyway” I thought to myself, in a not totally convincing manner.

It was at that point that I heard the footsteps, quiet at first but then increasingly louder. It was Ursala, my bear. You see we all have a bear. The bear is your negative voice, the one that feeds on self-doubt, fatigue and pain - the one that tells you to stop or at least slow down. Bears are very canny – they know your weaknesses intimately. I was, frankly, a little surprised she took so long to show up. I kind of expected her at the start line. “Who are you fooling? This isn’t your day, you have already been to Boston, this is for Annie, you’ll never keep up the pace. Remember what happened in Chicago last time.” But my bear was no where to be seen.

A couple of k’s later we went through a water station and I stopped for a moment to take in some water or Gatorade, not sure I even knew what it was. I turned around and Annie was gone. Uh oh I thought………not good. The bear’s footsteps were louder now. We all run by ourselves any way, I reasoned, so I took off thinking Annie was ahead.

At 30k I saw Judy and Maureen at the side of the road, "wow these are my people" I thought and some of the magic came back. My time was still good but it I was working harder now and struggling to keep up with the 3:50 pace bunny. At that point Ursala started to whisper to me. “What are you doing sport, in a few short weeks you gain an extra 10 minutes on the BQ time? Relax and enjoy the run. The effort isn’t worth it. There is always a next time.”

I first became acquainted with the concept of the bear in Christopher McDougall’s magnificent running book “Born to run” – all about ultra marathoners. One of the characters talked about her bear. At one point in a very long run her bear arrives and rather than succumbing to its negative charms she welcomes it with a hearty “Oh there you are, I was wondering when you were going to show up. I sure hope you are up for a good fight.” – and she proceeds to have a fantastic run in spite of her ursine companion. Then a few short weeks ago, I heard Clara Hughes, our wonderful Olympian, on a CBC radio interview. And here she was talking about the pain of doing 5000m runs. How the first laps are fine but then it feels like daggers are thrusting into all you muscles until the last couple of laps when even your eyeballs hurt. Finally, we picked up a copy of the iRun magazine at the expo and there was a wonderful article about the brain and how it influences how you feel – how it convinces you to slow down even though your body is willing. So I am reading or listening to this and thinking “so you can overcome the pain and fatigue, it doesn’t have to win”………and I filed these thoughts away.

As I crossed the ominous 32k mark and knew I was entering the deep dark woods filled with lions and tigers and of course bears, I turned on my iPod for the first time in my running career, thinking strong counter measures are in order. After 2 or 3 songs, I turned it off, it was too damn distracting. The 3:50 pace bunny was pulling away. I decided to face the bear head on. “Go ahead, show me what you’ve got, I screamed silently at the bear. I’ve got more”. I willed my legs to go faster and caught back up with the pace group. I then saw the 3:50 run/walk group (I had been with the 3:50 continuous bunch) and thought "what the hell, a little walk break won't hurt anyone". Wrong move, stopping was not a good idea. Ditched that idea and dug deep to keep my continuous runners in view. I was now dancing with my bear full time.

The 35k sign appeared. 35k, “hell that is only 17 laps of the track left - laps not k's", I mumbled. “But your legs hurt like hell" Ursala growled, "and besides your pace team is pulling away. Face it you're out of gas Jack. ” At this point I realized I had a choice. I could indeed back off and everyone would be so understanding. “You were so close they would all chime.” But then I thought about my friend Lynda who passed away a few weeks ago and my Stellar community and all the training I had done. A lousy 4k left, maybe 22 minutes total, for all the glory of a marathon and another BQ – what the hell is a little pain. It also dawned on my that I am supposed to coach (between the Guinness and the wings of course and that perhaps I should take a take an advanced course on "sucking it up" to learn first hand what's what. Choosing the second option I screamed “So close, my ass!” at Ursala and pushed through the pain and the fog. Remarkably there were moments when I transcended the pain and fatigue and got into that beautiful zone where there was only directed motion.

Up ahead I saw Todd merge in with the half marathon crew, thought for a moment, a very short moment, about putting on a burst to catch up with him and perhaps run in together, but looked at my watch and saw I had some time in the bank. I let Ursala win that one. 2k to go, a lousy 2k. What the hell is 2k” bupkiss, nada, zilch. It all sounds so good on paper. Problem was I could not see the damn finish line and it might as well have said 10 miles.

I know that the sight of the finish line opens up a secret reserve tank of energy and I wanted that damn reserve now and a side order of endorphins if you don't mind. I kept checking the watch. Finally a sign that said 750m but no finish line in site, thinking that someone is playing a horrible practical joke. And there it was, the Finish Line, one of the most beautiful sites in the world, the heavenly choir started singing and I sprinted to the finish and checked my watch - the watch that I made absolutely sure to start it as I went over the start line. The digital read out had not reached 3:50. I made it.

Then crashing silence……….alone in my thoughts, emotions welling up. It was all slow motion now. Images of my parents, and Jo and Lynda and the Stellars flashed across my mind. Gradually I became aware of the crowds around and hobbled to get the medal, more than a piece of metal now - a memento of my first successful fight with a bear. I grabbed some orange slices, my god they were wonderful, and made my way to a small patch of ground. Thought for a moment about sitting but thought that that might be a very stupid thing to do.

Then I saw Todd, remarkably fresh after a zippy ½ in his Nike Free’s and Shelley, all smiles. Jo wandered in a while later after running an amazing ½ on guts alone. And I thought about Annie and how she did. Hoping for the best but fearing the worst. You see, part of the magic of running is the community, the sense of shared accomplishment with people you do not even know and those you know oh so very well.

There is something about a marathon that the ½ cannot touch. I know that now. ½’s are great but marathons teach and the teachings stick and are reusable in kinds of situations. I learned about the bear and I know I can beat her. Oh she will win some of the time, but not very often, because I know her tricks and how to counter them. I now know that I want to change my training just a little, to more frequently get out of the comfort zone, to go into bear territory, so that I can learn more and push my self just a little harder……….because I can, and the feelings after wards are worth it.

After a shower and some clean clothes, we wandered to a nearby pub and I hoisted a glass of Guinness, to my team mates, to my friend Lynda, my partner Jo and to Ursala. She put up a good fight, but came second.

I'd like to defer Boston for another year, until a few more Stellars can have their own bear fights and join me for a celebratory stroll from Hopkinton to Boston. Any takers? I'll buy the Guinness.

Guiness Yes - Red Meat Yes - Refined Carbs No

2010-05-27T11:21:00.002-04:00

The following column is from Leslie Beck who has been on the fat is bad bandwagon for as long as there have been bandwagons. Mind you, she is not alone in this regard. It is a shame that none of these folks would actually read the science. Perhaps we could have avoided billions of dollars in wasted money on low fat foods and wickedly expensive cholesterol lowering drugs.

She still will not give up the bad fat position as is clear in her first line, even though the data she references clearly states "consuming more saturated fat didn’t increase or decrease the risk". Mixed messages like this confuse people. We have known since the early 1900's that refined carbs (white mans disease) have been the smoking gun all along. Get off the fat fixation Leslie, warm up the barbie and pass me a Guinness. I'll pass on the Twinkies however.

Here is her column.

If you want to prevent a heart attack, watching your fat intake isn’t enough. When it comes to diet, what seems to be more important is eating the right type of carbohydrate.

A landmark study to be published in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides direct evidence that refined, highly processed carbohydrates are worse for your heart than saturated fat.

The study – the first to investigate the link between heart disease and type of carbohydrates consumed – revealed that replacing saturated fat with refined carbs actually puts you at greater risk for heart attack than if you didn’t avoid saturated fats to begin with.

For decades, the view that a high intake of saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease has been the driving force behind the recommendation to follow a diet low in fat – especially saturated fat – and high in complex carbohydrates.

It is advice that has led us to consume considerably less saturated fat. But it’s also advice that’s linked with unintended consequences – it has spurred an increase in our intake of refined carbohydrate and added sugars that growing evidence suggests is contributing to obesity, Type 2 diabetes and now heart disease.

Until recently, the role of carbohydrates in heart disease received little attention. Carbohydrates are traditionally classified as simple or complex, depending on their chemical structure. Simple carbohydrates such as fructose (in fruit), lactose (in milk) and sucrose (table sugar) have one or two sugars linked together.

Complex carbohydrates, or starches, are long chains of sugar (glucose) units linked together. Starchy foods have long been considered a healthy substitute for saturated fat. But we’re learning that not all carbohydrates are created equal.

While all carbs ultimately end up as glucose in your bloodstream, they do so at different rates.

It turns out that many complex carbohydrates, such as baked potatoes and white bread, cause even faster spikes in blood glucose than do simple sugars.

And it seems the speed at which carbohydrate enters your bloodstream affects your risk for heart disease.

The glycemic index (GI) is a good indicator of the quality of carbohydrates you consume. The GI is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-rich foods by how fast they raise blood-sugar levels compared with a standard food, usually pure glucose, which is ranked 100.

A food’s GI value depends on the amount and type of fibre and the extent of processing. Foods with a high GI (70 or more) are digested quickly and cause a rapid rise in blood glucose and, as a result, an outpouring of insulin, the hormone that removes sugar from the blood and stores it in cells.

It probably comes as no surprise that refined carbohydrates, which are ground and milled and devoid of bran, have a high GI. Many carbohydrate-rich foods we eat on a regular basis are highly processed, such as bread, rolls, pizza, white rice, instant oatmeal, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, cookies, honey, table sugar and sugary drinks.

Foods with a low GI (less than 55) release sugar more slowly into the bloodstream and don’t produce a rush of insulin. Examples include grainy breads with seeds, steel-cut oats, 100 per cent bran cereal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, pasta, apples, citrus fruit, grapes, pears, legumes, nuts, milk, yogurt and soy milk.

In the latest study, researchers compared the association between saturated fat and carbohydrates with the risk of heart attack among 53,644 healthy men and women living in Denmark.

After 12 years of follow-up, 1,943 people had suffered a heart attack. Substituting some carbohydrate in the diet with saturated fat did not alter the likelihood of heart attack. In other words, consuming more saturated fat didn’t increase or decrease the risk.

However, replacing some saturated fat in the diet with high-GI carbohydrate significantly boosted the risk of heart attack – by 33 per cent. Conversely, substituting low-GI carbohydrates for saturated fat lowered the risk of heart attack, although this wasn’t statistically significant (so it could have been a chance finding).

Only two other studies have investigated the substitution of carbohydrates for saturated fat. While one reported a higher risk of heart disease, the other did not. However, these studies looked only at total carbohydrate, not the type consumed.

High-glycemic meals are thought to increase the risk of heart disease by increasing blood triglycerides (fat), promoting inflammation and impairing blood vessel function.

The effects of a high-glycemic diet are especially harmful for people with insulin resistance, a condition in which the body produces insulin but does not use it properly. (Excess weight and lack of physical activity contribute to insulin resistance.)

Experts warn that our obesity epidemic and growing intake of highly processed carbohydrates have created a “perfect storm” for heart disease. What’s more, in a population that’s predominately overweight and sedentary, refined carbohydrates likely cause even greater damage than saturated fat.

Guiness good for you - It's official

2010-05-23T20:05:00.002-04:00

Guinness good for you - official

The long-running ad campaign is well-known

As you are aware, as a coach, much of our work involves tedious research for which we are prepared to sacrifice our bodies in the hope that others will benefit. However, it looks as if the work we have been doing at the Occassions Laboratory might be paying off after all.

My last post pointed out that steak was healthy and now it's Guinness. What a great Victoria Day weekend.

The Research Coach

The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all, according to researchers.

A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as a low dose aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks.

Drinking lager does not yield the same benefits, experts from University of Wisconsin told a conference in the US.

Guinness were told to stop using the slogan decades ago - and the firm still makes no health claims for the drink.

The Wisconsin team tested the health-giving properties of stout against lager by giving it to dogs who had narrowed arteries similar to those in heart disease.

They found that those given the Guinness had reduced clotting activity in their blood, but not those given lager.

Heart trigger

Clotting is important for patients who are at risk of a heart attack because they have hardened arteries.

A heart attack is triggered when a clot lodges in one of these arteries supplying the heart.

Many patients are prescribed low-dose aspirin as this cuts the ability of the blood to form these dangerous clots.

The researchers told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida, that the most benefit they saw was from 24 fluid ounces of Guinness - just over a pint - taken at mealtimes.

We already know that most of the clotting effects are due to the alcohol itself, rather than any other ingredients

Spokesman, Brewing Research International

They believe that "antioxidant compounds" in the Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls.

However, Diageo, the company that now manufactures Guinness, said: "We never make any medical claims for our drinks."

The company now runs advertisements that call for "responsible drinking".

A spokesman for Brewing Research International, which conducts research for the industry, said she would be "wary" of placing the health benefits of any alcohol brand above another.

She said: "We already know that most of the clotting effects are due to the alcohol itself, rather than any other ingredients.

"It is possible that there is an extra effect due to the antioxidants in Guinness - but I would like to see this research repeated."

She said that reviving the old adverts for Guinness might be problematic - at least in the EU.

Draft legislation could outlaw any health claims in adverts for alcohol in Europe, she said.

Feelgood factor

The original campaign in the 1920s stemmed from market research - when people told the company that they felt good after their pint, the slogan was born.

In England, post-operative patients used to be given Guinness, as were blood donors, based on the belief that it was high in iron.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers were at one stage advised to drink Guinness - the present advice is against this.

The UK is still the largest market in the world for Guinness, although the drink does not feature in the UK's top ten beer brands according to the latest research.

Tuesday Run

2010-05-18T06:17:00.005-04:00

Yep, he did it...and soooo close....seconds close. Which means, Sam Adams is whispering in his ear. Our resident pacer and getoutofourway go to guy, John Fry led Simon through the last 10k. A solid contingent of stellar support got him there, sent good vibes, and celebrated in true stellar style. Way to go Simon.

Tonight, back to the track. Schedule says 4 x 800, 400mRI.

Make Mine Medium Rare

2010-05-17T19:59:00.002-04:00

Turns out that a good old lardio-vascular workout is not so bad as long as you skip the processed meats. Just in time for the BBQ season.

The trying to maintain his girlish figure coach

'Sausage not steak' increases heart disease risk

Researchers believe it may be the salt, not the fat, that's the problem

Eating processed meat such as sausages increases the likelihood of heart disease, while red meat does not seem to be as harmful, a study suggests.

A Harvard University team which looked at studies involving over one million people found just 50g of processed meat a day also raised the risk of diabetes.

But there was no such risk from eating even twice as much unprocessed meat, such as beef, lamb or pork.

This was despite the fact the two forms of meat have a similar fat content.

Writing in the journal Circulation, the researchers speculated that given the similar quantities of cholesterol and saturated fats, the difference may be explained by the salt and preservatives added to processed meats.

This is defined as any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting and includes bacon, sausages, salami and other luncheon meats.

Salt can increase blood pressure in some people, a key risk factor for heart disease.

In animal experiments, nitrate preservatives can promote atherosclerosis and reduce glucose tolerance, which can in turn lead to heart problems and diabetes.

Similar lifestyle

The team from Harvard School of Public Health looked at 20 studies involving more than one million participants from 10 countries.

On average, each 50g serving of processed meat per day - the equivalent of a sausage or a couple of rashes of bacon - was associated with a 42% higher chance of developing coronary heart disease and a 19% higher risk of diabetes.

"Although cause-and-effect cannot be proven by these types of long-term observational studies, all of these studies adjusted for other risk factors," said Renata Micha, lead author.

"Also, the lifestyle factors associated with eating unprocessed meats and processed meats were similar, but only processed meats were linked to higher risk."

Victoria Taylor, senior heart health dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: "If you like red meat, this can still be included as part of a balanced heart healthy diet.

"Go for lean cuts and aim to cook from scratch using healthier cooking methods like grilling or baking. If you need to add flavour, then try using fresh and dried herbs, spices and chilli's instead of salt."

Saturday Turkey Run - 8am!

2010-05-14T12:45:00.000-04:00

Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off... the right pitch will come, but when it does, be prepared to run the bases.
Rick Maksian

And, that is how it will be on Sunday, for those running Mississauga. Full, or half....and/or a challenging goal....be prepared to run the bases. for those not running Mississauga, a few options. Schedule says 19k for Ottawa half, this gives you a wee bit of a break...

Happy Friday.

Tuesday Run

2010-05-11T13:40:00.002-04:00

By now most are sporting the new stellar gear...I have the remaining and will bring them tonight. And tonight, we are 5 x 1k, 400m RI. Ik = 1000 m, or 2.5 laps.

cu2nite

Potty Training and How to Tie Your Shoes

2010-05-06T15:53:00.004-04:00

It is self evident that many of you were not raised properly and missed out on proper potty training. You are on your own on this one. However, many of you were also not paying attention (surprise surprise) when the subject of tying your shoes came up. ADD anyone?

This article from Runners World 'splains" it all and should have you in knots right away.

The concerned coach.

Saturday Run

2010-04-30T09:14:00.000-04:00

The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.
John F. Kennedy

should be another good day for our run, 16k for most, longer for the crazy few. This route east has it all...

Tuesday Workout

2010-04-27T10:32:00.002-04:00

Tonight, we have 10 x 400, or a variation depending on how much track you have done!

Thanks to Bart, Gray, Jude, Mikky and 5 Shore Things for offering to help out with the Sportinglife 10k. If there is anyone else, please let me know.

See you tonight!

Saturday Run

2010-04-23T13:45:00.004-04:00

I don't have a quote today. Can't think of one...the sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful, and so are you. Dear Stellars, won't you come out to play hay hay....ok, i know, I'm just not feelin' it.

Schedule says 18k, and I would really like to go through the Moore Ravine. So, that is what is offered. If you want 13k, you can go up Glen to Summerhill. 16k, Through the Ravine to Moore.

One more thing. If you ordered a jacket, Shelly needs the cashola. I will collect for her, via check, payable to Shelly-Anne Roy.

See you tomorrow!

Tuesday Workout

2010-04-20T14:33:00.001-04:00

Track tonight, shorts and t's. 3 x 1600. See you then!

Saturday Run

2010-04-16T14:55:00.002-04:00

This Saturday, a new adventure. Schedule says 14k, seems if we head to Sunnyside Beach, that would be about 7k out.

See you tomorrow 8am!

Directions to J&K:
160 Baldwin St.Unit 615 Ring number 1466
416 596 8510
Go up Spadina to 2 lights north of Dundas (Nassau)Do a U turn - yes it is legalturn right on Baldwin we are 1/4 down the block with P parking (cheap) on the left..

Saturday Run

2010-04-08T23:06:00.002-04:00

"Never be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams"...or something like that. I don't remember who said it either. Don't care. La la la la la la la...feelin' groovy.

Yep, getting ready for a little trip to NYC. And you are running 16 or 32k. For 10k, turn back at Fallingbrook. 12k, turn back at Kingston Rd. 14k, Warden.

Have a good run, and a fabulous weekend!

Low-Carb High Fat Breakfast is King

2010-04-07T13:57:00.004-04:00

It was with more than a little amusement, that I read Leslie Beck's nutrition article in the Globe. Is Leslie Beck, the queen of fat is bad, actually promoting a high fat breakfast? Next thing we will hear is that Stephen Harper is quitting politics and joining the Hare Krishnas.

I have always been a fan of evidence based medicine, though facts appear to be the least important component to many with a vested interest, whether it be economic or political. But facts is facts and seeing the evidence emerge is a relief. So the next time you are at the Sunshine Grill, smile at the waitress and say. "I'll have the three eggs over easy with a side order of pea-meal bacon, because I am concerned about my health.

An ironic side note to this article was another report released today that shows that a diet high in fruits and vegetables has a minimal effect on your likelihood of getting cancer. The speculation was that such a diet would reduce cancers by as much as 50%. The actual numbers came in around 2.5% Published in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the study found ''no conclusive evidence'' of a link between cancer and fruit and vegetables.

Here is Leslie's article

No doubt you’ve heard the adage “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.”

Now, a study published online in the International Journal of Obesity suggests this proverb contains sound advice toward a leaner body and better health.

According to the new findings, starting your day with a high-fat breakfast – and eating a lighter evening meal – can offset weight gain and lower the odds of metabolic syndrome.

A person is thought to have metabolic syndrome if he or she has a large waist circumference plus two or more of the following: high blood triglycerides (blood fats), high blood pressure, elevated fasting blood glucose and low HDL (good) cholesterol. The condition is thought to double the risk of heart attack and increase fivefold the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes.

In the study, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham examined how meal composition and timing affected the development of metabolic syndrome in mice.

When mice were fed a high-fat meal at the beginning of their active phase (upon waking), they maintained their weight and did not develop any features of metabolic syndrome. In subsequent meals, they were able to adjust their food intake and calorie burning to maintain a normal weight.

By contrast, eating a carbohydrate-rich meal at the start of the day led to metabolic disorder. The mice experienced weight gain, increased body fat, glucose intolerance, high triglycerides and other markers of metabolic syndrome.

When mice were fed a high-fat meal at the end of the day, their body weight increased, as did the risk of metabolic syndrome.

The researchers speculate that the first meal you eat programs your metabolism for the rest of the day. Fat intake at the time of waking is thought to turn on fat metabolism and help the body efficiently burn different types of food later in the day.

If the findings from this study translate to humans, it means that eating a carbohydrate-rich morning meal, such as cereal and toast, seems to “fix” your metabolism toward using carbohydrate for energy and impairs the body’s ability to burn fat later in the day.

A higher-fat breakfast, on the other hand, promotes a more flexible metabolism that can burn energy from fat and carbohydrate.

In other words, if you want your metabolism to respond efficiently to mixed meals during the day, then a higher-fat breakfast (think cheese, nuts, seeds, nut butter) – and a lower-fat dinner – could help prevent weight gain and keep metabolic syndrome at bay.

It’s the opposite of what most of us do. We tend to eat a high-carbohydrate breakfast and then increase our fat and calorie intake at later meals.

Previous research has hinted that time of eating matters when it comes to weight control. Studies have shown that individuals who skip breakfast have a greater risk of becoming obese and developing insulin resistance than those who eat the morning meal. People who routinely eat breakfast also tend to consumer fewer calories later in the day.

Conversely, eating later in the day has been associated with weight problems. People who suffer from night-eating syndrome, a disorder characterized by a lack of appetite in the morning and overeating at night, tend to have higher body mass index. Night-shift workers are also inclined to have an elevated BMI as well as a greater risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

While studies are needed to determine if the new findings hold up in humans, it is possible that adjusting the fat content of breakfast and dinner could help you hold your weight steady.

Adding a source of fat to breakfast can help put the brakes on your appetite later in the morning. And it makes sense to eat a lighter, lower-fat dinner based on previous research indicating the body burns fewer calories to digest an evening meal than it does a morning or mid-day meal.

Tuesday Run

2010-04-06T14:08:00.002-04:00

Was that not the best reward for enduring the first 3 months of the year? Hope everyone had a nice, long, warm, family/friend filled weekend. Kicked off in style of course, at the Todd/Shelly Stellar Clubhouse. Thanks to you both, it was a fabulous way to begin the weekend.

Tonight, back to the track for another round of 6x400. Take a look at the pace chart which still resides on the blog, to see what your goal times should be.

see you tonight.

Tuesday and Friday Run

2010-03-30T11:52:00.007-04:00

Hello Gang! You have to be happy - weather is fabby, and a long weekend is ahead! And! The clubhouse is open for business!

Tonight, we are really going to the track - 6 400's.

Saturday, is now Friday. Friday, we have a 30k, and a 14k. This route is the best for the longer distance. For 14k, head west on Summerhill to the bridge and turn back. After the run, Todd and Shelly are hosting. 14 Norway Avenue (one block south-east of Kingston and Woodbine). Please let Shelly know if you are able to make it by Wednesday.

I am celebrating passover tonight, so I won't be there, but I will see you on Friday.

Tuesday Run

2010-03-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

Welcome to spring - welcome back to the track. Tonight we are heading to Monarch Park. Run up for your warm-up. Some ABC's, lung stretches, then 4 x 800's. Start slower, speed up. Be prepared to time yourself, and give me your times. The link below will refresh your mind on the psychology of the track. Love it or hate it, its back.

#

Saturday Run

2010-03-22T14:41:00.002-04:00

You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.

Indira Gandhi

The end of a good week, with the exception of the mercury plunge. IF the sun stays, the wind abates, the temperature might be OK for those running Around the Bay! Good luck to you, bring back your war stories and metal. For the rest of us, 13k or 18k.

Happy Friday!

Saturday Run

2010-03-17T11:27:00.006-04:00

Happy St. Patty's Day. This is me, and my potential new dog, George Clooney. You had to be in on the conversation..at least the car closely resembles the truth. OK, and the driver. To some mild extent. The day is too good to stay inside, the patios are screaming for bums in seats!

This week we have 19k and 24k on the books. There has been a request for a flat westerly route, so here you go. For 19k Turn back at Strahan. For 24k, Boulevard Club. Both approximate.

May the luck o' the Irish keep you warm today!

Tuesday Run

2010-03-16T12:43:00.002-04:00

Fabulous. Today has got to make you feel good. Hills tonite, 8 of 'em. Lets go:
Eastwood cross Woodbine to Brookside, up to Kingston
Cross to Lee, to Norway
Norway west, to Waverley, south to Williamson
Williamson cross the bridge, up the pines. That's the first 2 hills

Along pine, up and down the hills of your choice for the next 6, then back the way we came.

See you tonite.

New Stellar FIRST Program Announced

2010-03-15T12:46:00.003-04:00

It is the season again and we are pleased to announce our new FIRST program for 2010. I am, of course referring to the Fry Institute of Responsible Sun Tanning. We set up this program to address the two basic needs of Stellar Runners, to look good and to look good. The photograph shows the beautiful view of the main tanning lounge overlooking the Toronto Waterfront. Please note that the model in the photograph (Bob Carreau, I think) is an advanced tanner and is doing the very difficult IT Bandtan maneuver where the entire body is supported only by the butt, one foot the back and the lounge chair (do not try this at home).

There are several programs available at the FIRST. Our Enduro-Tan program is for those with deep experience and who are starting with a reasonable base (tan). There are several workouts in this program. One is Tempo Tans which are grueling. We suggest you begin with 5 and 2’s. Five minutes in the sun and two minutes out. Naturally we all work up to 10 and 1s. The next is incline repeats at which your lounge chair is inclined at a perilous 30 degree angle (not for the faint of heart or skin). We understand that not all are ready for such an intense program. Therefore we are pleased to offer a Tri-a-Tan program for those new to competitive tanning.

The facilities at the FIRST are excellent. We have a full line of stationary lounges each with a cup holder and bottle of spritz nearby. Following your workout, you can retire to the Lardiovascular Lounge to replace those valuable pounds lost while working out. We feature a full menu guaranteed to slow down those fast moving blood cells before they do any more damage. Remember fast moving blood cells are like out of control Toyotas.

The only negative side to this announcement is the opening date. As all Stellars are painfully aware, if you want to slow down the completion of a facility either hire an architect or be an architect. The way things are going we expect to be ready for the fall rainy season.

Saturday Run

2010-03-12T00:47:00.001-05:00

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot;but make it hot
by striking.
William B. Sprague

A fabulous week! Except for the mud, and dog poo. snow is pretty, until it melts. This week, some are doing 27k, some are doing 16k. This route is through the ravine, which you can by-pass by going up Glen to Summerhill, across to the bridge and up to Moore. For those doing 16k, turn back at Moore. Only reason I wish I could do 27k, is the fact that I love this route! I"m working on it....

See you tomorrow.

Tuesday Run

2010-03-09T11:49:00.003-05:00

What a weekend! Very spring like, patio weather. And those of us who headed north were treated to a wondrous adventure through the blue mountains and along the Bruce Trail by snowshoe. I can't describe it. It was spectacular. And, as good a workout as runners on pavement....thanks to the N/Q team for that!

Tonight, 6 hills. We will stay local...warm up down Coxwell to Dundas and around back to Eastwood, then the hills between Belhaven and Woodbine.

See you tonite.

Saturday Run

2010-03-04T12:30:00.002-05:00

This weekend some are going snowshoeing, and most are running. 18k 21k, this route s a few options. -Enjoy!

2010-03-02T09:52:00.002-05:00

Sudden death against a younger, faster foe
who got the goal and had the mo'.
but Sid the Kid had a chance to shine
and for once it wasn't Miller Time.
...and a nervous nation let out a collective sigh then celebrated.
OK, it's no Casey at the Bat, but surely hockey fans will forgive me that.

It is a golden week, what a game! Tonight, a different almost 8k:

Gerrard west to River
south to Dundas
East back to Coxwell
BAck to the Barn.

Flat enough for a tempo....next week, back to the hills.

Saturday Run

2010-02-26T09:38:00.001-05:00

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who
is going to stop me.
Ayn Rand

This week, we have 14k, 16k and 21k. For 14k, go along Kingston Road to Vallaha, which is a couple past Warden, and turn back.

For those on the move team, we are going to run at 7:30. Enjoy the snow, it is beautiful! See you tomorrow.

Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?

2010-02-24T09:44:00.002-05:00

Judy Kealey has brought this important New York Times article to our attention. Some important stuff here for all you pain pill poppers.

Phys Ed:
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Several years ago, David Nieman set out to study racers at the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile test of human stamina held annually in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The race directors had asked Nieman, a well-regarded physiologist and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the North Carolina Research Campus, to look at the stresses that the race places on the bodies of participants. Nieman and the race authorities had anticipated that the rigorous distance and altitude would affect runners’ immune systems and muscles, and they did. But one of Nieman’s other findings surprised everyone.

After looking at racers’ blood work, he determined that some of the ultramarathoners were supplying their own physiological stress, in tablet form. Those runners who’d popped over-the-counter ibuprofen pills before and during the race displayed significantly more inflammation and other markers of high immune system response afterward than the runners who hadn’t taken anti-inflammatories. The ibuprofen users also showed signs of mild kidney impairment and, both before and after the race, of low-level endotoxemia, a condition in which bacteria leak from the colon into the bloodstream.

These findings were “disturbing,” Nieman says, especially since “this wasn’t a minority of the racers.” Seven out of ten of the runners were using ibuprofen before and, in most cases, at regular intervals throughout the race, he says. “There was widespread use and very little understanding of the consequences.”

Athletes at all levels and in a wide variety of sports swear by their painkillers. A study published earlier this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that, at the 2008 Ironman Triathlon in Brazil, almost 60 percent of the racers reported using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers (or NSAIDs, which include ibuprofen) at some point in the three months before the event, with almost half downing pills during the race itself. In another study, about 13 percent of participants in a 2002 marathon in New Zealand had popped NSAIDs before the race. A study of professional Italian soccer players found that 86 percent used anti-inflammatories during the 2002-2003 season.

A wider-ranging look at all of the legal substances prescribed to players during the 2002 and 2006 Men’s World Cup tournaments worldwide found that more than half of these elite players were taking NSAIDS at least once during the tournament, with more than 10 percent using them before every match.

“For a lot of athletes, taking painkillers has become a ritual,” says Stuart Warden, an assistant professor and director of physical therapy research at Indiana University, who has extensively studied the physiological impacts of the drugs. “They put on their uniform” or pull on their running shoes and pop a few Advil. “It’s like candy” or Vitamin I, as some athletes refer to ibuprofen.

Why are so many active people swallowing so many painkillers?

One of the most common reasons cited by the triathletes in Brazil was “pain prevention.” Similarly, when the Western States runners were polled, most told the researchers that “they thought ibuprofen would get them through the pain and discomfort of the race,” Nieman says, “and would prevent soreness afterward.” But the latest research into the physiological effects of ibuprofen and other NSAIDs suggests that the drugs in fact, have the opposite effect. In a number of studies conducted both in the field and in human performance laboratories in recent years, NSAIDs did not lessen people’s perception of pain during activity or decrease muscle soreness later. “We had researchers at water stops” during the Western States event, Nieman says, asking the racers how the hours of exertion felt to them. “There was no difference between the runners using ibuprofen and those who weren’t. So the painkillers were not useful for reducing pain” during the long race, he says, and afterward, the runners using ibuprofen reported having legs that were just as sore as those who hadn’t used the drugs.

Moreover, Warden and other researchers have found that, in laboratory experiments on animal tissues, NSAIDs actually slowed the healing of injured muscles, tendons, ligament, and bones. “NSAIDs work by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins,”substances that are involved in pain and also in the creation of collagen, Warden says. Collagen is the building block of most tissues. So fewer prostaglandins mean less collagen, “which inhibits the healing of tissue and bone injuries,” Warden says, including the micro-tears and other trauma to muscles and tissues that can occur after any strenuous workout or race.

The painkillers also blunt the body’s response to exercise at a deeper level. Normally, the stresses of exercise activate a particular molecular pathway that increases collagen, and leads, eventually, to creating denser bones and stronger tissues. If “you’re taking ibuprofen before every workout, you lessen this training response,” Warden says. Your bones don’t thicken and your tissues don’t strengthen as they should. They may be less able to withstand the next workout. In essence, the pills athletes take to reduce the chances that they’ll feel sore may increase the odds that they’ll wind up injured — and sore.

All of which has researchers concerned. Warden wrote in an editorial this year on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine that “there is no indication or rationale for the current prophylactic use of NSAIDs by athletes, and such ritual use represents misuse.”

When, then, are ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory painkillers justified? “When you have inflammation and pain from an acute injury,” Warden says. “In that situation, NSAIDs are very effective.” But to take them “before every workout or match is a mistake.”

Tuesday Run

2010-02-23T11:55:00.001-05:00

Don't think we'll get snow, but we will have slush...hopefully this 8k run will keep our feet kinda dry....see you tonite.

Saturday Run

2010-02-19T11:26:00.002-05:00

If you cannot win, make the one ahead of you break the record.
Jan McKeithen

Seems to be happening at the Olympics..which are tough to turn away from! Work, Olympics. Work, Olympics. Too bad about some of the diversions, such as crowd control at Alexis on Fire, or the protests. Last nights hockey game was gripping enough to keep the focus on the games, and on us! Go Canada!!!

Tomorrow is 16k or 18k. Also a 24k here. You can shorten this one up by heading back along College or Danforth.

Just another reminder, if you haven't already, let me know by the end of this weekend if you're planning to come to Collingwood. If there aren't enough, we can consider a day at Hardwood as an alternative, or cancel.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday Run

2010-02-16T11:08:00.002-05:00

Valentines Day, and Family Day. How nice. Both include family, friends, food, drinks, lounging. Which means we need to burn baby. So, tonite, we have a different twist for you.

We will run over to the waterworks. We will do our scheduled 10 hill repeats on the loop there. But, we are going to add a bit of cross training: Push-ups, plank, one legged squats.

Here goes.

Run First Hill: 10 push-ups.
Run Second Hill: Plank for 1 minute.
Run Third Hill: On a step, lift on leg, bend the other and lower your body towards the step below. Try not to hang on to teh bannister. 10 on each leg.

Repeat this drill 3 times, finishing with your final hill. Your rest will be your run down to start the next hill, no chatting in-between each set.

Now, we know you need to get some speed in here too. So, we will ask you to gradually increase your speed with each successive hill.

Of course this is all on the honour system, 'cause we will be doing this too, and cannot keep our eye on you. Especially those who are doing their training in Georgia. Or Europe. Or at home.

Drink your water, eat your carbs, see you tonight!

Saturday Run

2010-02-12T15:52:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, 16k. The route includes one small hill, no biggy. Enjoy the show tonite, wherever you are!

Take one for the Team

2010-02-10T15:32:00.002-05:00

Can the news get any better. We complete a hard workout and head back to our HQ for little bone building exercise. Cheers.

Beer for Better Bones?
Beer Is a Rich Source of Bone-Boosting Silicon, Study Finds
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Feb. 8, 2010 -- Drinking beer may be good for building more than just beer bellies. A new study suggests that drinking beer may help build better bones thanks to its high silicon content.

According to the National Institutes of Health, dietary silicon in the soluble form of orthosilicic acid (OSA) may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue and help reduce the risk of the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.

Based on those findings, some studies have suggested that moderate beer drinking may help fight osteoporosis, but researchers say the silicon content of beer has never been thoroughly evaluated until now. The results show that beer indeed is a significant source of bone-building silicon in OSA form.

The study analyzed 100 commercially available beers for their silicon content and found the average silicon content ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L).

There is no recommended daily intake for silicon. But researchers say based on the average daily intake of 20-50 milligrams, 2 liters of beer, on average, would be required to satisfy that requirement. In some cases, 1 liter of beer may be enough.

Super Foods for Your Bones
Bone-Building Beer?

Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon, researcher Charles Bamforth, PhD, DSc, of the department of food science and technology at the University of California, Davis, says in a news release. “Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort and much of this survives into beer.”

The results showed the India Pale Ale category of beers tends to have more silicon because they are traditionally a stronger and "hoppier" beer containing more silicon-rich malt and hops.

"By contrast, wheat-based beers contain less silicon, which seems to be related to the lower levels of silicon in wheat malt," write the researchers in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. "Additionally, wheat beers are produced with much less hops than many other beer styles."

Light lager-style beers were also lower in silicon, likely because of their use of corn during the brewing process, note the researchers.

In comparison, other sources of silicon in the diet include granola cereal, high-fiber wheat bran cereal, oatmeal, and dried dates.

Saturday Run

2010-02-04T14:19:00.003-05:00

"Its not bad, its a dry cold"

Edmontonians

Which, I suppose, is true. But anything colder than -10c is, in my books cold! No matter how cold, the Rockies make up for it. Natural beauty at every turn. Peaceful, quiet, serene, fresh, casual, relaxed - nice.

This week there is a 14k and a 16k on the books. It is also time to sign up for 2010 Stellars. I will send the form out to you with details later today or tomorrow, OK, it will be tomorrow.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

2010-01-22T15:30:00.002-05:00

Nice day...Here is the route for tomorrow, a little extra for the keener's.

Leslie to Dundas left
Dundas to Logan right
Logan to Hogarth right
Hogarth to Broadview right
Broadview to Danforth left
Danforth to Castle Frank right
Castle Frank to Elm left
Elm to Glen right
Glen to Summerhill left
Summerhill to Mt Pleasant - turn back for 14k

For 15ish, down Mt Pleasant to Bloor left
Bloor to Parliament right
Parliament to Wellesley left
Wellesley to Sumach right
Sumach to Riverdale Farm, down, cross bridge up to Broadview Right
Broadview to First Left
First to DeGrassi Right
DeGrassi to Queen left
Queen home.

tuesday run

2010-01-19T11:33:00.002-05:00

Nice and warm, perfect for our scheduled 6 hills. Usual warm up (coxwell, dundas, edgewood, eastwood). Hills are the set close to Occasions.

CUtonite. Yes, I will be there.

Tonight!

2010-01-12T14:40:00.001-05:00

Here is our route, a nice 8k. See you tonight!

Do Running Shoes Make Us Run the Risk of Injury?

2010-01-09T18:19:00.003-05:00

This is a fascinating and timely article that Dan O'Connor shared with me. Supports the more minimalist shoe design philosophy, which I for one, have been following for a couple of years now. When you consider how many of us have been injured (approximately 100%), I would read this carefully. Click on the title to link to the original article.

Common wisdom amongst the sports medicine community would say that running is hard on the human body. This research and the core idea of the wonderful book "Born to Run", is that is crap. Human's are natural endurance runners. It is the technology that has got in the way of our natural abilities. Let's talk about this over a pint or two. Here is the article.

Runners spend $20 billion annually on running shoes, with many lacing up pairs that can cost as much as $200. But is all this fancy footwear really a good investment? A new musculoskeletal study finds that running with running shoes exerts significantly more stress on key joints than running barefoot, potentially increasing a runner's risk of developing disabilities such as osteoarthritis in the knees.

The key culprit is contemporary running-shoe design, which interferes with the body's natural ability to absorb forces through the foot, says lead author Casey Kerrigan, who published the study in the journal PM&R: The Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation. Most troubling is the finding that running with running shoes leads to a 38% increase in pressure to a part of the knee -- the medial tibiofemoral compartment -- particularly prone to joint degeneration.

Three Key Joints Feel The Pressure

"It was surprising that the percent increase was so high with running shoes," says Kerrigan, an expert in biomechanics, human movement and gait who has a medical degree from Harvard University. "We really didn't see those dramatic increases in walking."

Overall, the study finds that while today's running shoes do a good job of protecting the foot, wearing them dramatically increases pressure in three lower-extremity joints -- the hip, knee and ankle -- when compared to running barefoot. For example, researchers note that wearing running shoes while running leads to an average 54% increase in what's called hip internal rotation torque, pressure that may increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the hip joint.

To put things in perspective, walking in high heels -- long considered a joint-busting exercise -- increases knee joint torques (a pressure measurement) by no more than 26%, while the effect of running shoes on knee joint torques while running leads to up to a 38% increase, the researchers say.

With all the runner's out there -- the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says more than 7% of the U.S. population regularly runs for exercise -- the increased potential for osteoarthritis is a big concern. There's no cure for the degenerative joint disease, the most common form of arthritis, which costs about $186 billion a year in the U.S. to treat.

First Athletic Shoe In 1972

So why is it that with the first athletic shoe invented in 1972, designers nearly four decades later still haven't figured out how to make a shoe that can spare us from all these joint problems? Despite increasingly expensive shoes, there's been little change over the years in the rate of injury of runners.

Kerrigan argues that despite recent advances in gait analysis, the increased understanding of biomechanics hasn't yet been incorporated into shoe construction. While the cushion in the heel and the medial arch may keep the foot comfy in existing designs, they disrupt how the foot helps mitigate forces.

When running barefoot, people typically come down on the heel but quickly roll over to the inside of their foot. "Running shoes typically inhibit your ability to do that," says Kerrigan, who ran track in high school and college and continues to run today. "Ideally, what you want to do is enhance those abilities."

Running barefoot, however, isn't the answer, she says, unless you can run on grass with spongy topsoil underneath. "When you're running on hard surfaces, you just don't have that springy interface," says Kerrigan, a former professor and chair of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Virginia. "Unfortunately, our feet haven't evolved to accommodate hard surfaces."

Current Shoe Design Found Lacking

As chairman of the Charlottesville, Virginia-based "optimal" shoe-design firm JKM Technologies, it's no shock that Kerrigan's research finds faults with current running shoes. But it actually builds on loads of previous research suggesting there is something lacking in current running-shoe design.

"A lot of foot and knee injuries currently plaguing us are caused by people running with shoes that actually make our feet weak, cause us to over-pronate and give us knee problems," Daniel Lieberman, a professor of biological anthropology, told the U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail earlier this year. "Until 1972, when the modern athletic shoe was invented, people ran in very thin-soled shoes, had strong feet and had a much lower incidence of knee injuries."

In Kerrigan's study, researchers looked at 68 healthy young adult runners (31 men and 37 women) who each run at least 15 miles a week. An integrated measurement system that included a specialized treadmill, computers, cameras and reflective markers placed on the runners' "anatomical landmarks" calculated joint torques as they ran.

But as Kerrigan points out, there are limitations to this method: Researchers can estimate the net difference between the forces on either side of a joint, but not the actual joint-contact forces, the study says. "The only way would be to put a force transducer into a live joint," says Kerrigan. "We haven't been able to find any volunteers for that."

Brooks Explores All Innovations

The shoe used in the research was the Brooks Adrenaline shoe made by Bothell, Washington-based shoe and apparel maker Brooks Sports, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A). The shoe was not singled out for any reason, except for its "neutral classification and design characteristics typical of most running footwear."

Informed of the study by DailyFinance, Brooks says in a statement that it takes running biomechanics and injury prevention very seriously. "We value the results of this study and are in active research and development on many unique, performance running footwear solutions at Brooks," says the statement. "This includes styles that enhance the natural motion of the foot and body while offering protection from weather conditions, road debris and individual biomechanical variances. We continue to explore all innovations that deliver real, relevant solutions to today's runner."

One person who might be eager to talk to Brooks is Kerrigan herself. The mom of three daughters, who are also runners, is working on a shoe design that she says better responds to the natural movement of walking and running. Called the CDC Suspension System, it has a flexible carbon fiber cantilever unit that keeps the inside of the sole open -- imagine the sole like a "U" turned on its side.

"This one has been able to show that it provides true compliance and compresses and releases at the precise time that true forces reach their peak," Kerrigan says. "The heel cushions in existing shoes don't really provide true compliance."

Kerrigan isn't the only one looking to reinvent the running shoe. Concord, Mass.-based Vibram has come out with a shoe it likens to running barefoot, the "FiveFingers" model that resembles a glove for the foot.

Walking Shoe In The Works

As for Kerrigan, she's looking to license her technology to other shoe companies, a move she says that could lead to a new shoe in about a year. But so far, nobody's bitten, so she may develop it on her own, which could take three years, she says.

JKM Technologies is planning to release a women's walking shoe in the fall under the name OESH. "Hopefully we can get that made and get some feedback," she says. No doubt, the shoe industry will be listening.

First Tuesday - 2010!

2010-01-05T09:39:00.003-05:00

'Happy New Year! Back from the indulgences that only the holiday season can bring. But with that, comes inspired wisdom, thought, planning, and a renewed sense of what we truly are capable of.

It is an interesting concept this notion that the beginning of a calendar cycle somehow equates to a new start or a 'clean slate' for doing things differently. As though this day or this minute was any better or more appropriate than the last. Or the one before that. The amount and extent of your resolve somehow presumably correlating to and strengthened by the day your change journey commences.

Probably just a linear thinking thing, although why we choose to punctuate it with a midnight toast of an alcoholic beverage generally otherwise shunned despite being just as available all year round I'm not so clear on. Let's face it - most of us weren't downing Dom or Cristal on New Year's Eve so the price point is not really an issue.

At any rate, Carl Sagan said that in order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first create the universe. So our new 'beginnings' aren't really beginnings at all so much as they are simply course corrections along our continuing paths. Which, when taken in context, should actually make them easier to both tackle and adhere to.

So for all of us who have made resolutions - "New Year's" or otherwise - the time is now. The course adjustment begins tonight, with a run with some lift.

See you tonite.

Tonights' run

2009-12-22T10:33:00.005-05:00

The last stretch...already over-indulged, why not continue? Terror and Kyle have offered their home for our last run before Christmas. 48 Winners Circle. Location linked in the post title.

So here's the deal. T&K are providing some food for us. Thank you T&K! If you have time and want to bring a salad or something, feel free. BYOB. Just let Terror know. terrymcnamara@rogers.com

There is a run, here it is. Nice lights along the boardwalk, and in the park. This is about 6.5k. 6:3pm start.

Boardwalk to Silver Birch
Silverbirch to Queen
West to Willow
South on Willow to Park
head west to fir, down to Hubbard, along to Lee
Up Lee, cross Queen to Norway
West on Norway to Elmer
South on Elmer to Queen
Queen back to Winners Circle

See you tonight!!

tonights run

2009-12-15T13:29:00.002-05:00

Hills, again. But different.

Occasions - Eastwood - Cross Woodbine - Brookside, up to Kingston Rd.
Cross to Lee - Williamson Rd.
Left on Williamson, cross bridge, up the pines.
Straight to first hill, Balsam - down and up
Cross pine east to next hill - beech - down up
Cross pine east to next hill - beech - down, up to Kingston Road. Left and back to Occasions.

CUtonite.

Happy 50th Christine!

2009-12-14T19:22:00.005-05:00

A picture tells a story, don't it?
Happy Birthday Christine! You are now a member of an elite group of stellars, the group that can say and do what they please, just because they are in this club. Your horoscope tells the tale of a strong, determined, i-don't-give-a-rats-ass-I will do what I want kinda babe. Our kinda babe.

Now, we know, that you are a spirited, sensitive, and intelligent person who has a true spirit for adventure, yet a down-to-earth side to you that is unmistakable. Enterprising and ambitious, you need to experiment and mix things up a little in order to feel like you are truly living. Intensely curious, you never stop learning. Because you are easily bored, there are times that you have the urge to stir up a bit of controversy just to get some sort of debate started. Others find you fascinating and multi-talented.

Translation. Christine is a girl of action with a sense of humour and adventure, who likes to stir the pot. Our kinda girl.Self-confidence and action are highlighted in the year ahead, with the Sun trine Mars and sextile Jupiter in your Solar Return chart. Independent work is favored and competitive activities may also thrive this year. See what I mean? Stress is eased as you feel more confident about your abilities and your judgment. Also, you are more able to assert yourself without rubbing people the wrong way. Some form of recognition for your work or for past good deeds may be forthcoming this year. Fortunate circumstances arise from a positive attitude as well as sincere self-expression. Translation. Look out.

You are on the warpath, and will run circles around us in 2010. Venus also trines Mars, and pleasant and playful competitiveness in relationships is likely. You are on fire! If - no, when you are involved in competition, you could come out a winner. Translation. You are gonna kick some butt in the coming year! And, while you may desire change, you feel blocked by others or by circumstances. Sorry, we are not letting you go babe.

Happy birthday, keep goin, you have alot to accomplish this year!

Saturday Run

2009-12-11T09:00:00.003-05:00

In the Middle Ages, they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips, chains and corsets. Nowadays, we have a much more effective torture device called the bathroom scale.

Stephen Phillips

And that thing that Todd the bod does....If you want to avoid him, run your ass off before, during and after this season of gluttony.

Here is your route. As requested by someone...Shorter distances at the bottom, if you go out and back along the boardwalk as an alternative, it will be the same distance. Hopefully the deep freeze will be gone by Saturday....

As for our spirit of giving, Stellarrunners have contributed $110 to the Food Bank. Thank you!

Tuesday Run

2009-12-08T11:24:00.002-05:00

Although its been said, many times, many ways----THANK YOU Shelly & Todd. And, Maureen and Bob. Fabulous party, food, gifts, fun, ping pong, scotch...never a good idea at the end of the night, but Todd is very convincing.

Matt sent some pics - thanks Matt!! - and they are accessible through the headline of this post. I will also put them up on the blog. If anyone has any they want or need to share, send them and I'll add them.

Tonight is buffet night! A couple of ideas. Since we are being treated, the idea of a contribution to the Food Bank was suggested. If you want to do that, bring $10 or whatever you want to give. We will collect and give to the Food Bank.

For the run, I think hills. This time, lets do the usual warm-up (Coxwell to Dundas, east on Dundas to Edgewood, up Edgewood to Eastwood, head right to the hills. Lets go up each of the 4 hills 2x's, and back to the barn.

See you tonite!

Saturday Run

2009-12-04T07:46:00.002-05:00

"The answer to the big questions in running is the same as the answer to the big questions in life: do the best with what you've got."

Annonymous

The cold weather has arrived. AS much as I love the warmth of summer, winter running can be beautiful. The cooler weather is a welcome from the hot summer running days. But some days can be just plain cold. So, the usual tips, particularly important with the added flu concern....

Be smart and use your best judgment as to whether or not to run when you have a cold or feel like you might be getting sick. Sometimes it can feel good knowing you ran or made your scheduled training run even though you were sick, but it could lead you to getting sicker and missing a week rather than only one day. If you are training for a race, a big part of training is breaking down your body and it recovering to become stronger. As you break down your body, your immune system may weaken and make you more susceptible to becoming sick. Keep this in mind when considering whether or not to run when you are sick. Missing a single run is always better than missing 1-2 weeks while you are laid up in bed sick.

Dress appropriately to keep yourself warm, but not hot - and cool, but not cold. Our bodies generate heat as we run. It is okay to be a little cool at the start of a run knowing we will warm up, but if in doubt, take a pair of gloves and a cap (or toboggan) so you don't find yourself shivering late in the run. If you find the gloves are not needed, you can easily stuff them in your pants - or running bra - and run on.

Just because we may not sweat as much during cold days does not mean we can cut back on fluid consumption. Be sure to continue hydrating after runs and that you get your body weight back to within a half pound or equal to what it was before the run by consuming water or sports drink following the run.

This week, another set of options, depending on your maintenance plan. OF course, we have the now annual stellar club house Christmas party, courtesy of Shelly & Todd.

See you tomorrow!

tuesday Run

2009-11-30T23:23:00.001-05:00

Tuesday Run

2009-11-24T07:50:00.002-05:00

Here is your route for tonite, same as last week, but a little bit stronger. And for those of us who cheated last week, a little bit longer. i will be in my lounger.

November 23rd, the day Eileen joins the elite among us!

2009-11-16T15:53:00.005-05:00

Finally. She has come to the dark side. Happy Birthday Eileen! As always, the number 50 is blessed with your horoscope, and you cannot escape.

Eileen, the ruler of your Sun in Sagittarius is Jupiter. Not Bart. Jupiter is jovial, optimistic, idealistic, and philosophical. Well, so is Bart, but he is not your ruler. Born in the first decanate, you have a hearty sense of humor and fun, yet you seek to learn about the big picture so that you are not merely fun and games. Or, the bigger picture and fun and games.

Eileen, you are interested in knowing the truth, and you spend much of your life searching for it. This is a difficult task with the runners in your life, as they spend much of their lives avoiding it.

You have a strong moral conscience, but you do enjoy defying the status quo. You seek diversity through everyday experience. You see and expose the faults and the hypocrisy of others, thank you for holding the rest of us accountable for our bad behavior.

You are an idealist about romantic love. The man you have chosen provides you with manic love, which is fun, but may tap into your energy, leaving little time for the rest of us.

You are usually liberal in your approach to discipline because you feel that your kids will learn more about life if they're allowed to explore it freely. They may learn too much by their exposure to your running friends Eileen, but it’s too late to think of that now.

November 23 people derive pleasure from sports and physical activity. Religion often plays a vital role in their lives, giving them inner peace to withstand the pressures of life. Thank God for running.

You are drawn to careers that give you a chance to deal with large numbers of people. Which is important for you Eileen, as your family can populate a small town.

You are curious about life and you use your goals to take you on a journey of discovery. You appreciate the value of planning but also have a knack for taking advantage of circumstances. You live in the moment. Whatever destiny has in store, you accept. We know that is true.

We are very lucky to have become part of your destiny Eileen. Happy 5oth, and remember – Bart man is much older than you are.

Tuesday Run

2009-11-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

Hope the weekend was good, weather was, so how could it not be! Tonight, I propose hills. Route below and linked. see you tomorrow!!

Coxwell - Dundas
Left to Kingston Rd.
Left to Woodbine
Left to Eastwood
Left to Bellhaven
Up Bellhaven, Normandy, Kingsmount, Glenmore, to Gerrard.
Right on Gerrard to Golfview (just past woodbine)
Right to Corely
Left to Glenmount
Up to Gerrard
Left to Gainsborough
Back to the Barn. 8ish k

Saturday Run

2009-11-16T09:08:00.005-05:00

"Be daring, be different,
be impractical; be anything that
will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the
play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary."
Cecil Beaton

Do you agree? Some will, some won't. Whichever view you take, our collective differences are what make us stellar! This week another set of options. I am on my way to Florida on Saturday for 10 glorious days of sun, sand, running at my leisure, shopping close to par, and Roger Daltrey. Can't wait. Enjoy your run!

Saturday Run

2009-11-13T09:31:00.005-05:00

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. -Japanese Proverb

Right. This applies on so many levels. Running a race with no training. A BP because of a planned approach. Eating and drinking your way through the holidays without at least two runs a week. Nice vision.

So, each Saturday there is an optional long disance, a good idea to get you to year end without a few extra LB's...

As for goals, how about this one? something to consider...http://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=5107

Enjoy the day!

Tuesday Run

2009-11-10T11:05:00.002-05:00

Fabulous weekend! Have to take advantage of the last of the warmth, gotta love Indian Summer. Tonight, a 9k tempo run. We haven't done this one in a while, it is flat, so you can put some heat into it.

I will be at "August: Osage County" tonight, thank you Carol-Sue & Erin! Have a good run!

SRC

test

Far out man, endorphins are toast

Runner's High? Endorphins? Fiction, Some Scientists Say

Every Picture Tells a Story...

tonight

Saturday Run

Top 5 Health and Fitness "Truths" That Bit the Dust in 2010

Did Another Exercise Maxim Just Bite the Dust?

Rethink how you rehydrate when exercising

Alex Hutchinson

From Monday's Globe and Mail

tonight

Saturday Run

Born to Run the Marathon?

Saturday Run & Good Luck Mary Anne!

Nike Turns London Into a Game Board to Get People Running

This article from Fast Company hows just how innovative Nike is when it comes to marketing. Something like this might work well in Toronto.

Saturday Run

Tuesday Run

Saturday Run

Chowhound Becomes a Greyhound and Seal Goes Stellar

It's Time for Women to Run Faster

Boston's Crowded Marathon Prompts a Gender War; Why Females Get an Extra 30 Minutes

Going the Distance

Marathon Day!!!

Free the Free Radicals

Phys Ed: Free the Free Radicals

Related

It's Time!

Saturday Run

Saturday run

Don't pay for joint supplements, insurers told

CBC News

Saturday Run

Saturday Run

Saturday Run

tonight

The News All Stellars Have Been Waiting For

Does this mean that Cliff Clavin was right all along? It also explains why teetotalers are such PITBs. Now excuse me while I look for look for a glass of cognitive enhancement.

Saturday Run

Happy Tuesday, Happy Birthday Carol!

Low Carb Diet Trumps Low Fat Diet in Cholesterol Study

Support for dieters

Saturday Run

Wisdom from the principles of Budō: Lessons for work & life

Garr Reynolds, the author of Presentation Zen, is someone I admire greatly. This is from his blog. The 3 prohibitions, joys and evils are especially insightful. Much of this applies to those attempting a particularly challenging athletic endeavour.

If the Shoe Fits - Run in It

Great article from the NY Times. Another sacred cow bites the dust.

Phys Ed: Do Certain Types of Sneakers Prevent Injuries?

Related

Saturday Run

tonight, again

tonight

Splitting your Long Run

this week

Saturday Run

The Best Pacing Strategy Ever...........so far

This is from Marathon Nation and is excellent. Some of you may wish to check out their website and sign up.

Proper Marathon Pacing: Nail Your Start to Manage Your Heart Rate

Saturday run

A Gerkin for your Cramp, My dear?

I am rather stuck at what to say about this article other than.......who woulda thunk.

Phys Ed: Can Pickle Juice Stop Muscle Cramps?

Related

The Fuzzy Math Problem

Run Faster to Get Faster

Focus Your Fast with Benchmarking

Build Your Fast, Then Add The Far

Saturday Run

The Marathon and the Bear

Guiness Yes - Red Meat Yes - Refined Carbs No

Guiness good for you - It's official

Guinness good for you - official

Tuesday Run

Make Mine Medium Rare

'Sausage not steak' increases heart disease risk

Saturday Turkey Run - 8am!

Tuesday Run

Potty Training and How to Tie Your Shoes