Monday, July 30, 2012

Trail Running Takes a Different Mindset

HUDSON - Running is running, right? Well, trail running is a little different from road running, according to people who do both. Here's their advice to new trail runners:

Be committed

Trail running takes more motivation. "It's a lot easier to run out your front door," said Eddie Lloyd. A trail runner may drive 20 miles to get to his or her favorite trail.

Running with God

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"Running that day became for me, as I'm sure it has for others, a mystical experience. A proof of the existence of God."

-- Dr. George Sheehan, "Running and Being"

As she approached the 2-mile marker along the wooded path, Elisa Torres imagined the perfect place to run.

"I'd love to run in Dublin," she said, puffing as she slowed her pace to a walk along the Kent Trails south of John Ball Park.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Want More Energy?

Question: I need your help. I have always been active but lately, I just don't have the energy to do anything. I'm tired all the time, am experiencing various health issues (high blood pressure and my weight has skyrocketed) and seem to have lost my motivation. What do you suggest?

Answer: Well, to put it bluntly, it's called exercise. Exercise lowers blood pressure, reduces body fat and raises "good" cholesterol, lowers "bad" cholesterol improves blood flow, keeps intestines and the colon healthy and regulates key hormones.

The Sheboygan Press

I would suggest that you take a moment to think about how you felt when you were active and ask yourself what it will take to get you fired up to begin exercising again. To help you out, I have included some helpful tips:

1. DO: consistent cardio

The verdict is in: People who exercise almost daily really do keep ticking longer. Aerobic exercise such as walking, biking, jogging, and swimming protects your heart by lowering blood pressure, reducing "bad" cholesterol, and keeping arteries flexible to improve blood flow.

Suggested workout: 30 minutes, five days a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Work at a pace that allows you to talk freely; if you can sing, you're not exercising hard enough. To get started, choose an activity you enjoy and do 10 minutes, five days a week. Then increase by five minutes each week until you're doing 30 minutes at a time. Dividing your exercise into three 10-minute bouts throughout the day works, too.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Weightlifting: Whys and Hows

Why am I lifting weights?

That is the biggest question that a lot of people that hit the gym can t answer honestly. And then, they wonder why they don t see a change in their body and lose interest just as fast as they gained it.

First of all, you must decide what your goals are for hitting the gym. What is it that you want to accomplish with your weight training and cardio regimen. Do you want to be more competitive in your sport of choice? Do you want to lose weight, or tone up, or get bigger or stronger? Once you answer that question, then and only then, can you devise a program that is right for what you are trying to do. And, then the fun part begins, and that is trying to tailor a workout designed to fit your needs.

Friday, July 27, 2012

7 Running Feats

Below are brief descriptions of some of the greatest accomplishments in endurance running. Even if you've never run a mile in your life you have to respect these athletes for their achievements.

    Three men running across Sahara desert Three men ran 4,000 miles across the Sahara desert in 111 days. Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin ran the equivalent of two marathons a day for 100 days to become the first modern runners to cross the Sahara Desert's grueling 4,000 miles. They were stricken with tendinitis, severe diarrhea, and knee injuries all while running through the intense heat and wind, often without a paved road in sight. Temperatures varied from over 100°F during the day to below freezing at night. Typical day: up at 4:00am, run until lunch, eat, run until 9:30pm. Then get up and do it again... for 111 days.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Are Low-Fat Diets Right for Runners?

If you're thinking about or already training to run or race-walk in the Bolder Boulder next month, or perhaps planning to do a longer race event this summer, don't forget diet as part of your pre-event preparations.

And don't be misled into thinking that going low fat is the nutritional pathway to the finish line.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Ultras: A Snapshot

The sun beats down on Mike Tselentis as he passes the aid station, grabs two small pieces of watermelon and heads back onto the course at Gibson Ranch.

He has been running for six hours, his 71 year old body showing few signs of strain as the temperature climbs above 90 degrees and the clock ticks past 1 p.m. at this 24-hour endurance run.

How does he feel?

"It's too early to tell," he says.

Nearly 18 hours later, it's too late to care.


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Karnazes Kraziness

Forbes: Dean, what does a typical training week look like for you?

DK: I like to get up early around 4 or so and if possible run a marathon before breakfast. In the afternoon, I’ll do some shorter speed work–maybe some tempo work with an eight to ten mile run. The next day I have a favorite loop I do on the ElliptiGo that is two hours and it is pretty sustained. It is climbing and I spin out my legs. I rotate typically one day run, one day ElliptiGo. Sometimes I mix it up with morning run and afternoon ElliptiGo. I do a lot of cross training with resistance also.

I’m doing a 135 run across Death Valley in July. I have to do a couple of 75 or 100 mile training runs. It sounds absurd, but you have to do it to condition your body. I go through a lot of audio books.

Monday, July 23, 2012

The 30-minute fat blaster

Limited time for the gym?

Here's how to make the most of it.

FIND AN EMPTY MACHINE Don't worry if it's not your favorite type of cardio. You won't be there long, instead of slogging away on one machine for your entire workout your new goal is to rotate among three to four different options, hitting each as hard as possible and keeping your rest period between machines as short as possible.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Shhhh. Wanna Know the Kenyans' Secret?

'You want to know what the secret is? That there is no secret." Brother Colm O'Connell, a retired Irish priest and one of Kenya's top running coaches, is almost spitting with delight as he talks to me. We are standing in the grounds of St Patrick's school in Iten, Kenya. On the grass in front of us, his athletes are going through their warm-up drills. Among them is the tall figure of David Rudisha, world champion and world record holder for the 800m.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Walnuts Anyone?

Prostate cancer is a major health concern for men that strikes approximately one in six men and is a leading cause of male cancer deaths in the United States(1). New research offers hope in this fight - according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition, walnuts may help reduce prostate cancer risk. Researchers at the University of California - Davis and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California found that prostate tumors in mice fed the human equivalent of three ounces per day of walnuts were approximately 50% smaller and grew 30% slower than prostate tumors in control mice. In addition to lower plasma Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a biomarker strongly associated with prostate cancer, walnut fed mice had lower LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as distinct differences in their liver metabolome, a chemical inventory of what the liver - a major source of both IGF-1 and cholesterol - is doing (see also California Walnut Commission).

Friday, July 20, 2012

Kirk Robertson Sheds 170 Pounds, Becomes Ultra Runner

Old friends no longer recognize him.

"I've been fat since I was five," said 33-year-old Kirk Robertson of Broken Arrow.

The man transformed himself from a 340-pound liver disease sufferer to a healthy 170-pound ultramarathon runner in less than two years.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Double-Amputee Finishes Badwater

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A FORMER soldier who had an arm and leg blown off clearing landmines has completed one of the world's toughest ultra marathons.

What's the Go-To Group on Your iPod?

A right number can turn your otherwise dull workout into the most fun and anticipated time of the day. Whether it's cycling, intense cardio routines or heavy lifting, here's how you can make your exercise experience more pleasurable by just pressing 'play'.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Mike Le Roux Seeking to Complete the Grand Slam of Ultras

CAIRNS endurance athlete Mike Le Roux has turned his attention and voluminous lung capacity towards becoming the first Australian to complete the four most prestigious 160km races in the US in the one season

Badwater Badasses

The Badwater Ultramarathon is a terrifying race - 135 miles, on pavement, through Death Valley's 116-degree

average temperatures. The gun goes off July 16 near Badwater, Calif. (282 feet below sea level), and the race ends

48 hours later on Mount Whitney (8,360 feet above sea level), more than halfway up the highest peak in the continental U.S. Here's what this year's five military runners had to say about the long road to Death Valley:

Do You Stretch?

The pros do it. We should, too.

Stretching can keep us loose and limber, able to do more. It can relax us, which is a boon to sleep and stress reduction. And it can release muscle tension, easing headache or back pain. Although stretching is an easy way to exercise, exercise tapes often give it lip service or skip it entirely. So do many joggers and other weekend warriors - until muscle pulls send them to a doctor.

Why stretch?

Monday, July 16, 2012

Success is a Marathon

When you feel good, it shows. How adopting healthy habits can help you reach professional peaks:

• Vary that pace. Think it's most productive to go from task to task in a steady pace? "We call this being linear," Jack Groppel, co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, a fitness consultancy, told IBD.

The problem is people don't operate like monotonous robots. "The human brain will just check out," he said.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Trail Beckons

Myra Rhodes catches flak from her tennis buddies for running ultramarathons. They figure she should stick to something less taxing at 70.

Diana Lundy hears a similar response if she mentions her sport at work. Running 31-, 50- and 100-mile races?

Why?

Friday, July 13, 2012

Walking Works



The next time someone tells you to "take a hike," do it.

Doctors says the cardiovascular workout is great for the heart, fitness trainers say it's a good way to lose that paunch, physical therapists say it strengthens the back.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Worm Elixir for World Record Holder

On a trip to New York in January to receive a prestigious international sports award, Chinese running phenom Wang Junxia, 20, told reporters that her daily regimen consists of up to 22 miles of running and a diet that usually includes worms, extract of caterpillar fungus, and the blood of soft-shell turtles.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

26 Years Between Marathons



The last time Shirley Douglas ran a marathon, she was 35 - young confident, and a little naive.

When she toes the start line of the Oakland Marathon on Sunday, Douglas will be 61. While she might be a little slower, she feels a lot better prepared, and she says there's a good chance she'll be healthier and happier when she finishes her 26.2 miles.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Tea is Good for You

The health effects of tea have been examined ever since the first infusion of Camellia sunensis about 4700 years ago in China .The legendary emperor Shennong claimed in The Divine Farmer,s Herb-Root Classic that Camellia sinensis infusions were useful for treating conditions including tumors ,abscesses, bladder ailments and lethargy.

Some studies have been made of the other types of tea derived from Camellia sinensis, such as white, oolong and black tea.Green tea has been claimed to be helpful for atherosclerosis, LDL cholesterol , cancer , inflammatory bowel disease , diabetes ,liver disease ,weight loss ,neurodegenerative diseases and even halitosis.

What makes green tea so special?

Monday, July 9, 2012

Former 3-Pack-a-Day Smoker Hits Running Milestone with Daughter


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When Mary Signorelli ran her first marathon in Chicago in 1998, she remembers thinking, "I'd never do another one."

Boy, was she wrong.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Lisa Koll Uhl is Now a Famous Athlete


When a fifth-grade class was asked to write a report about a "famous athlete," Maggie Pollard didn't hesitate.

Her subject, of course, would be Lisa Koll.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Lisa Koll Uhl Ovecomes Shoe to Make Olympics

To make the U.S. Olympic team, former Iowa State star Lisa Uhl had to become her own NASCAR pit crew.

Uhl's shoe came untied a mile into the women's 10,000-meter run Friday at the Olympic Trials.

The Fort Dodge native was forced to stop at the side of the track to re-tie the shoe — losing 50 to 75 meters on the field — and fraying nerves at rain-soaked Hayward Field.

Friday, July 6, 2012

30 Years of Running without Missing a Day



Last month, Dr. Harvey B. Simon celebrated the 30th anniversary of his running streak.

In other words, he has run every day for 10,987 consecutive days. The last time he took a pass -- he was feeling a bit sore after a marathon -- was Oct. 30, 1978.

Are 5ks Enough?



Think a 5K isn't tough enough? Think again

Running a 5K seems simple enough. Lace up the shoes, hit the chronography button on your sports watch and vroom! You're off.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The Berry Boost

Scientists are identifying a growing range of benefits from eating berries, says WHETHER they are in or out of season, berries are in demand for more than simply tasting good and adding colour to mealtimes. More and more nutrition specialists say berries are a powerful boost for our bodies.

An increasing range of nutritional benefits is also being identified, says UK dietician Dr Catherine Collins.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Who is Tim Twietmeyer?

Tim Twietmeyer works hard to maintain and nurture his relationships - with his wife, his children, his colleagues and the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.

The four-time champion and 15-time participant of the 24-year-old race will defend his title Saturday, but unlike other runners of his caliber, he says his primary motivation is not to win.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Is 30 Miles a Week or More too Much?

For people who exercise but fret that they really should be working out more, new studies may be soothing. The amount of exercise needed to improve health and longevity, this new science shows, is modest, and more is not necessarily better.

That is the message of the newest and perhaps most compelling of the studies, which was presented on Saturday at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in San Francisco. For it, researchers at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health and other institutions combed through the health records of 52,656 American adults who'd undergone physicals between 1971 and 2002 as part of the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study at the Cooper Institute in Dallas. Each participant completed physical testing and activity questionnaires and returned for at least one follow-up visit.

The researchers found that about 27 percent of the participants reported regularly running, although in wildly varying amounts and paces.

The scientists then checked death reports.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Running the Sierra in the Winter

Tim Twietmeyer craved pancakes, eggs and bacon, with a milkshake on the side. Bill Finkbeiner looked forward to anything but more Gu and Clif bars. And Dean Karnazes dreamed of a hot tub and a beer.

Considering what they had just accomplished, how could anyone say no?

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Why We Run



IT’S SAID THAT writing about music is like dancing about architecture, and there’s a similar dilemma with running. It isn’t a process that readily transfers into words. Running, especially long distances, often becomes such a compelling or even spiritual experience that it seems beyond words, or at least those easily written.