Runner's High Like Smoking Dope

According to a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, "humans had shown significantly increased levels of endocannabinoids after running. So had the dogs, suggesting, for the first time, that they, too, experience a runner’s high (The Evolution of Runner's High) Endocannabinoids are natural compounds within the human body that are essentially identical to medicinal compounds found in cannabis

UCAN Superstarch

By muting insulin response it allows the body to tap into fat stores, the body's natural and abundant source of energy. MY COMMENT: Jeff Volek , associate professor at the U of Connecticut, a long-time advocate of low-carbohydrate diets, is now on board as Director of Nutrition and Fitness for UCAN (Volek interview on How Men Can Lose Weight While Building Muscle Through Exercise and Smart Nutrition) discusses how to lose fat and build muscle by weight training on a low carbohydrate diet. Six servings of UCAN with a blender bottle sells for $17 at holibirdsports.com, so this is a drink that I would practice using prior to a couple of long runs, then save the rest for your races. The advantage with UCAN is you can take it 60-90 min prior to your workout and maintain blood sugar for a much longer time compared to a maltodextrin-based product. “Amy Yoder Begley’s found that she is able to do a 20-mile run off of 1 ½ packets an hour before. She then saves the second ½ packet as a recovery drink after.”

Frank Shorter Interview- Abused!

Wow!

15 Boys Under 9:00 at Arcadia 3200 Meters

Great race!

Long Runs and Iron Absorption

...a spike in inflammatory cytokines occurred right after the runs (so it preceded the spike in hepcidin). And there was a corresponding dip in serum iron levels around nine hours after the run (following the spike in hepcidin). -Can a Hard Workout Block Iron Absorption?

If you take iron, Alex Hutchinson suggests not supplementing in the 6 hours following your long run.

Sixth Grader Dashea Rogers: 2:09.44 for 800 meters

Desha Rogers of Plantation Florida has also run 5:00.99 for one mile!

Watch an interview with Desha here.

High School Girl Runs 33:17 for 10K!

Hatton in limelight after super 10K debut
Brilliant run by Calya Hatton, but I really would like to see the quad rehab exercises she was prescribed.  I've been experiencing knee pain for about a month now, so have switched to biking and swimming, along with hitting the gym for quad work. 

According to the article, she worked her quads daily, with what sounds like a low intensity, high repetition workout. 

By the way, Calya's time is an Olympic Trials "B" qualifier, meaning she would get to run if the field doesn't fill up ahead of here with faster times (24 runners).

Does Positive Feedback Enhance Running Performance?

This is important news for all you coaches out there!- Our findings show that enhanced expectancies can have a positive effect on movement efficiency and running experience. They add to the accumulating evidence for the social-cognitive-affective-motor nature of motor performance.

One group (enhanced expectancy) was provided with (fabricated) feedback about the efficiency of their running style every 2 min. A control group was not given feedback. Oxygen consumption decreased in the enhanced expectancy group across measurement times (every 2 min for 10 min), but remained the same in the control group. In addition, performance perceptions changed only in the enhanced expectancy group, indicating a perception of greater ease of running and reduced fatigue when assessed after compared with before running.

source: Enhanced expectancies improve movement efficiency in runners

MY COMMENT: No mention of the level of ability these runners have, however I am inclined to believe this technique might be effective for some runners with world class ability. Anybody who has ever run knows that physical talent and training do not make up 100% of the equation for optimal performance. This particular study only measured running performance at 75% over 10 minutes, but the possibilities are interesting, at least for races up to 2 miles.

Will Knee Extension Strength Improve Your Marathon Time?

In conclusion, we observed that, between kilometres 8 and 40,runners generally demonstrate increased stride length, contact time, peak hip flexion during swing, and peak knee flexion during swing, and decreased running speed, stride frequency, peak knee flexion during support and hip extension during swing. We believe that these changes were due to fatigue. In contradiction to our second hypothesis, the observed kinematics generally changed the same (between kilometres 8 and 40) for the fast and slow runners; however, the fast runners did exhibit a more consistent peak knee flexion during support throughout the race, relative to the slow runners. This may have been related more to the runners’ condition on race day. Runners should focus on resistance training which would be directed toward increases in both muscular strength and endurance of knee extensors. By so doing, peak knee flexion during support should be increased and be able to be maintained longer throughout the marathon

Kinematic changes during a marathon for fast and slow runnersed and be able to be maintained longer throughout the marathon

Kinetic Variables.................8K vs 40K difference
Stride length ..................... 1.3% increase
Contact time.......................13.1% increase
Peak knee flexion during support .. 3.2% decrease
Peak hip extension during swing ...27.9% decrease
Peak knee flexion during swing..... 4.3% increase
Peak hip flexion during swing ..... 7.4% increase

MY COMMENT: Knee extension? Haven't heard of that being recommended for runners in years. Interesting study. Who knew?

Micah True- a.k.a. Caballo Blanko Found Dead

(Reuters) - Ultra-marathon runner Micah True, missing for four days in the rugged wilderness of New Mexico, was found dead on Saturday, police said.

True was introduced to the world by Christopher McDougall in Born to Run as one of the true pioneers of barefoot running.  He went on to found the Cooper Canyon Ultra Marathon to pursue his passion to helping the Tarahumara Indians

  recently posted on facebook:  If I were to be remembered for anything at all, I would want that to be that I am/was authentic. No Mas. Run Free!"




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