Racing Gimmicks Gaining Popularity

Who could have guessed this would catch on? The Color Run offers the opportunity for runners to get splashed with an assortment of colors along the way. Wear white! How about a Zombie Run, where you get to wear flags and try to prevent zombies from ripping them off by choosing to negotiate a number of obstacles along the way. Seems like this ghoulish concept is catching on as well. I have to hand it to the folks who come up with these ideas and are able to sell it to major cities- By the way, it will cost you $40 to do a Color Run, and $77 to do a Zombie Run if you register early! Reed Street Productions puts on the Zombie Run and according to annarbor.com, Travis Snyder is founder of the Color Run,

Tomato Juice May Boost Exercise Recovery

Tomato juice intake suppressed serum concentration of 8-oxodG after extensive physical activity-  Nutrition Journal
DNA is constantly exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS), spontaneously arising during the normal oxygen metabolism. ROS may result in temporary as well as permanent modifications in various cellular components such as lipids, proteins and DNA, which may have deleterious consequences. Demonstrating that a dietary supplementation of antioxidants can reduce oxidative DNA damage may provide evidence for the value of such supplementation in prevention of cancer and age related diseases. Findings: The present study was conducted to address whether tomato juice protects against ROS induced by extensive physical exercise in untrained individuals. As a marker of oxidative stress, serum levels of 8-oxodG were monitored using a modified ELISA. An intervention was performed involving 15 untrained healthy subjects who performed a 20 min physical exercise at 80% of maximum pulse using an ergometer bicycle. Blood samples were taken before and one hour after the exercise. The procedure was repeated after 5 weeks with a daily intake of 150 ml tomato juice and followed by a 5 weeks wash-out period and another 5 weeks with a daily intake of tomato juice. The results indicated that a daily intake of tomato juice, equal to 15 mg lycopene per day, for 5 weeks significantly reduced the serum levels of 8-oxodG after an extensive physical exercise.

Conclusion

These data strongly suggest that tomato juice has a potential antioxidant effect and may reduce the elevated level ROS induced by oxidative stress.

Note:  150 ml is equal to just 5 oz.  Worth a try.

Ryan Hall Will Finish Top Ten in London!

We believe it is important to run fast on the track while preparing for a fast marathon - Greg MacMillan MY COMMENT: Good interview with Greg McMillan- unlike Ritzenhein, not afraid or revealing his runners "secrets." His comment agrees with what I've been saying all along about Ryan Hall's lack of racing at shorter distances. It remains to be seen if Hall can pop another good marathon without showing any improvement in his track times.

I posted this in Feb, 2010- and after 2 horrible races leading up to London, I believe Ryan Hall is finally beginning to figure it out.  In this interview with letsrun.com, Hall says "What I've learned recently is the importance of speedwork for me. I've been doing a lot more interval work than I've done for recent marathons. I've realized how important speed is for me. I have had to change my training to prioritize my training to emphasize that."

I've been saying this for a few years now about Hall's approach to marathon training, yet he has continued to hammer out one decent marathon after another.  But if he's looking for something new to boost his fitness besides more rest, he's probably found it.   Let's hope it's not too little too late for Ryan.  From the sound of this, he may be ready for a top 10 finish.

Prefontaine Was a "Neat Freak"- Pat Tyson

I enjoyed this inteview with Pat Tyson, who reflects on what life was like as Steve Prefontaine's roommate. I got to meet Pat at a track meet in Eugene in 2009, who started talking to me like some long lost buddy- even though we'd never met, I think he sensed running as a common bond. Pat is currently head track and cross country coach at Gonzaga.

Intensity of Exercise Increases Body Temperature- Not Dehydration!

You shouldn’t relate overheating to dehydration. You overheat when you run too fast. That’s the key. You don’t overheat because you become dehydrated. The brain’s too clever. If you’re not going to drink, the brain will slow you down, and that will lower your body temperature, not raise it. So, we’ve got some great studies where we look at people running half marathons, marathons, short ultramarathons, and long ultramarathons. The longer the race, the lower the temperature, because they are running slower - Tim Noakes in Outside Online.

MY COMMENT:  Noakes is stirring up a hornets nest.  I didn't realize 4 of the 6 researchers who published the ACSM Guidelines on Dehydration had ties to Gatorade.  According to Noakes,  "Of the six authors, four – Drs. Maughan, Burke, Eichner and Stachenfeld – have direct and longstanding involvement with Gatorade and the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), but only three (Drs Maughan, Eichner and Stachenfeld) deemed it necessary to disclose in the Position Stand the existence of that relationship. The two remaining authors – Drs. Sawka and Montain – are employed by the United States Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (USARIEM)"  -sweatscience

Waterlogged! Everything You Think You Know About Dehydration But Don't!

"If fluid loss leads to thirst, why do some of the best competitors finish endurance races in quite advanced states of fluid loss? Time and again, studies, even those by researchers expecting different outcomes, have shown that the runners who are the most dehydrated, as measured by percentage of body weight loss, run the fastest. " - Waterlogged excerpt in Running Times MY COMMENT: Tim Noakes is generally recognized as the leading authority on dehydration and endurance performance. I can't wait to read this new book!

First 5K in Over a Year!

I'm not even going to bother searching for the last time I did a 5K, but pretty sure it was more than a year ago. Of course when MWR puts on a race, expect anything but an accurate course. This one measured out at 2.8 miles. I was hoping that I could maintain 6 min pace, and that is exactly what I was able to do- finishing up in 16:54. Pretty sure that I could hold that another flat mile, but any hint of an incline and forget it. Using the Runners World Age Graded Calculator, my 85.95% age graded score (AGE GROUP WORLD RECORD/ACTUAL TIME)is about as high as I have ever recorded, predicting a 15:01 (finish time adjusted to that of an open division participant). The good news is that I know I can run faster, and my knee isn't giving me much trouble lately.