When Training Backfires: Hard Work That’s Too Hard
Category: Sports

There has been lots of talk locally in Boston based on Nate Jenkins' recent 191 mile running week. Where does the body's limits lie in terms of being able to benefit and adapt to the running stresses we put it through? Even in a fantasy existence for me that might include 12 hours per night of sleep, daily massages, ice baths, PT at will, sleeping in a chamber, etc. I KNOW my limits would be way south of 191 miles per week...

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September 4, 2008
PERSONAL BEST
When Training Backfires: Hard Work That's Too Hard

By GINA KOLATA
UNTIL last spring, running was going great for 15-year-old Erik Kraus. He had been training hard without a break for 18 months and was becoming faster and faster.

Then, when spring track started, something went awry. Every time he raced 1,500 meters, his time was 15 seconds slower than in the previous race.

Erik's father, Dr. William Kraus, a runner himself and a cardiologist at Duke University who studies exercise, was concerned. Erik was tired all the time; his legs felt heavy; he was frustrated, irritable. Could it be the condition that athletes dread: overtraining?

Overtraining is the downside of training, the trap that can derail an athlete's success. It's a real physical condition caused by pushing too hard for too long. It can happen with too much exercise, too much intense exercise, or both. Its hallmarks are poor performances, exhaustion and apathy.

"You just feel bad," said Dr. William O. Roberts, an internist at the University of Minnesota who specializes in treating athletes and is a former president of the American College of Sports Medicine. "The spark is gone."

It can come on so insidiously that before athletes know it, they find themselves trapped in a downward spiral. The harder they train, the worse they do.

But there's another trap — the overdiagnoses of overtraining, said Dr. Steven Keteyian, the director of preventive cardiology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Dr. Keteyian, who has written textbook chapters on the condition, cautions that it is quite rare. But many athletes worry about overtraining every time they fail to perform as well as they think they should.

"It doesn't happen over a two-week period of time," Dr. Keteyian said. And it is unlikely to strike someone running 20 miles or so a week or doing the equivalent amount of another endurance sport, he said.

"Twenty miles is nothing," Dr. Keteyian said. "Talk to me when you are running 50 miles a week. If you are a runner and have a steady history of running 40 to 70 miles a week and now you are pushing it to 80, 90, 100 miles a week and your times are dropping and you are feeling sluggish, then I'll start to listen."

If overtraining has occurred, "it's a long road back," Dr. Keteyian said. The only cure is to take weeks or months off. No athlete wants that, Dr. Keteyian said, so it's important not to jump to conclusions.

Dr. Kraus knew that overtraining was unlikely. But his son seemed to meet the criteria, such as they are. He began looking for credible data on overtraining but was soon disappointed to discover that overtraining remains poorly understood and understudied.

There is no definitive test for overtraining. Instead, the diagnosis is reached by exclusion. Besides slower times and fatigue, Dr. Keteyian and others say athletes may notice that their muscles are weaker and that their coordination is poorer. Their heart rates may be higher than they should be with moderate exercise. And their resting heart rates, taken first thing in the morning, can be higher, too.

Overtraining is an unintended consequence of the only known way for athletes to improve — by pushing their bodies and stressing themselves by deliberately going faster or longer than feels comfortable. "Training a little bit beyond your capabilities is the only way to get better," Dr. Kraus said. "But you have to balance that with rest and recovery. It's a fine line. Where is that edge and how do you get as close as possible without going over it?"

Elite athletes and their coaches are acutely aware of overtraining, said Frank Busch, the head coach for the University of Arizona's swimming team and an assistant coach for the United States men's Olympic swimming team. And they have become adept at heading it off.

Not too long ago, coaches thought that volume — hours upon hours of training — was the key to outstanding performances, Mr. Busch said. "The result was sort of an arms race among swimmers and other endurance athletes to see who could train the most," he said. "Athletes began getting overtrained."

Now coaches and swimmers know that there is a point of diminishing returns. Coaches look for signs that their athletes are doing too much. Performance is one indicator, of course, but so is something as simple as a swimmer who has stopped smiling, Mr. Busch said. "That's usually a sign that they are dreading practice or there is something else going on. Maybe they are exhausted around the clock."

Dr. Roberts said that among his recent overtrained patients was a young man who was a stellar Nordic skier. A year and a half later, in marched another: the man's mother, a middle-aged woman, also a prize-winning Nordic skier.

"They both trained too hard," Dr. Roberts said. Both, he added, "were more or less self-coached at the time." No one was monitoring them.

"Athletes are obsessed and gullible," Dr. Keteyian said. "They will do anything they can to improve their performance and they don't know when to stop."

Dr. Roberts suggested that athletes who feel tired all the time first take some time off from their sport, perhaps a few days to two weeks. If they still do not feel better, they should see their primary-care doctor and mention that they are concerned about overtraining. Or, he said, they might want to seek out a physician who specializes in sports medicine — a list is available on acsm.org.

"An athlete would want to look for a physician who practices the broader scope of sports medicine and has not limited his or her practice to musculoskeletal problems," Dr. Roberts added.

As for Dr. Kraus, he told his son to take a two-week break. That did not help. He had the youth tested for ferritin, an iron storage protein. Overtrained athletes can have low iron levels and anemia, although overtraining is not the only cause.

But even though Erik's ferritin levels were sub par, and even though they rose slightly when he took iron supplements, he felt as tired and sluggish as ever. In the end, Erik Kraus ended up taking two months off. It was not easy. Like other athletes, he wanted to train, wanted to race, and he worried that he would never be competitive again. Now, finally, he has returned to running.

"When he first started back, he said, 'Oh, my gosh, this feels good,' " Dr. Kraus recalled. Then Erik went for an eight-mile run with the fastest runner on his team. He not only kept up with his teammate but pushed him at the end.

Erik returned home from that run all smiles. "He said, 'Dad, I had a breakthrough today,' " Dr. Kraus said.

4:43 AM - 4 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: Twist and Shout on the Charles River (Race 4 of 5 in the 2008 Lets Run Series)
Category: Sports

Date:    8/28/2008 7:01 PM
Type:    Race
Course:    Marsh Post 4.2
Distance:    4.2 miles
Duration:    21:13
Pace:    5:04 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-DS Racer (VII WORK)
Weight:    170.1 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 168 / Max: 177
Misc:    Quality: 8/10, Effort: 5/10
Field Placement:    1 / 909 (0.1%)
Group Placement:    1
Gender Placement:    1
Weather:    70° F, Sunny
Event URL:    coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Aug28_Twista_set1.shtml
Notes:    Cambridge, MA - Race 4 of 5 in the 2008 Let's Run Summer Series was tonight's Twist and Shout 4.2M on the Charles. Came in feeling a bit zapped by a hectic day and some good mileage of late.

Got the following email from Pickles at noon thirty:
"Possibly bad news -- I hurt my back in a soccer tournament this past weekend and I may not be able to race today. Man, I seem to have been having alot of problems lately. Anyway, I'm downing Advil and I hope I can make it."

Was he trying to ice me? Nah, unfortunately, Pickles really hurt himself. No stranger to back pain myself, I certainly was hoping he would be full strength and feeling up for battle. Either way, I know better than to take him lightly given his talent and toughness.

There was some serious noise at the starting line about the distinct possibility of Pickles, Nurse, and myself getting beat by the very talented Teresa McWalter (Stanford standout who had kicked my ass at Jim Kane two years ago and talked some fantastic smack in doing so - in a good way)

The race went out a bit slow. I was decidedly running for position and not trying to do something stupid. McCrevitz made the early charge and took control of the lead pack that included me, Nurse, and Pickles. I felt very comfortable and the weather was as nice as one could ask for.

Around a mile in I pushed the pack a bit and then Nurse and I spent the next large chunk taken turns doing the work. Pickles remained close and battled his back pain with some success for quite a while.

As we headed into the S curves, Pickles had fallen off and it became a two-man battle between Nurse and myself. I decided to match should he go but otherwise to stay back and move late in the race. Given that Nurse is still just a few weeks back from injury I suspected his kick would be less than full steam so staying close seemed like a decent strategy.

With about 1/2 mile to go, I picked up the pace and created some separation. I picked it up a bit more in the final stretch and pulled off an important victory with Nurse on my heels giving me a one point lead (Pickles finished 3rd) heading into the final race of the series in a few weeks. Far from cinched but an important night of racing nonetheless.

Hopefully, Pickles will be healthy again in a snap and the epic summer battle will continue full strength. It certainly is a challenge for any of us to stay healthy and in shape for five consecutive months. I failed to and barely made the second race of the series with my knee (right quad tendon) injury.

Looks like we'll all get to battle again this Thursday at the Thompson Island 4k XC race.


Another fun battle on the Chuck...in the books.

Click here for race results.

Statistics:    Calories: 540
VO2 Max: 67.4

Gotta go...

3:24 AM - 1 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: Thomas Chamberas 6k XC (2008 Edition)
Category: Sports

Thomas Chamberas 6k XC


Date:    8/24/2008 9:00 AM
Type:    Race
Course:    Thomas Chamberas XC Race
Distance:    6 kilometers
Duration:    18:49
Pace:    5:03 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-DS Racer (VII WORK)
Weight:    170.1 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 168 / Max: 175
Misc:    Quality: 4/10, Effort: 2/10
Field Placement:    14 / 113 (12.4%)
Age group:    30 – 39
Group Placement:    5
Weather:    72° F, Sunny
Event URL:    coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Aug24_Thomas_set1.shtml
Notes:    Carlisle, MA (Great Brook State Park) - Ran the Thomas Chamberas 6k XC race today. Last year it was a 5k (same course) - the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Felt a bit dead and not really in a "fighting" mood but still happy to get the workout in. Went out quick enough and got into good position for the single track portion of the race.

Felt pretty good in the early couple miles but just didn't have enough in the tank to sustain and got passed a lot over the second half of the race. On the other hand, I wasn't exactly battling - a sign of my wimpiness and an excuse for not being to concerned about a lack of fitness. The first XC race is always an adjustment and today was no different.

Really dogged the last bit of the course and found myself enjoying the corn fields and sunshine more than the battle of competition.



Still ran about a minute faster than last year...

Carrara defended his title with a good battle from Aaron Price upfront...



Note: Pictured above are two real racers - great battle upfront by Ryan and Aaron.

Click here for Results:

Statistics:    Calories: 480
VO2 Max: 67

Gotta go...

8:20 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: Brew Run (2008 Edition)
Category: Sports

Date:    8/9/2008 4:00 PM
Type:    Race
Course:    Brew Run
Distance:    5.2 miles
Duration:    27:33
Pace:    5:18 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-DS Racer (VII WORK)
Weight:    169 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 167 / Max: 176
Misc:    Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement:    1 / 1479 (0.1%)
Group Placement:    1
Gender Placement:    1
Weather:    75° F, Sunny
Event URL:    www.coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Aug9_BrewRu_set1.shtml
Notes:    Brewster, MA - Not sure what to expect from this race given the difficult race in Shelburne Falls this morning falled by a traffic filled drive across the state to the Cape for this race.

Did a good job refueling after the first race (grilled chicken sub from Subway, 2 chocolate chip cookies, gatorade, pretzels, coca cola) and took about an hour nap on the ride down. Still, this is not a typical experience so toed the line with a lot of uncertainty but a commitment to put in the effort and see what happens.

Ian Nurse asked me if I was racing or running it at the start - I replied that I wasn't sure but I was willing to put the effort it. Past winner Joe Navas was not at the start so it looked like Ian's race to lose with some unknown young guns sure to be in the mix.

The race went out reasonable with a pack of 6-8 of us. Nurse, three college kids, Greenie McCrevitz, myself all in the mix.

A little after the mile it developed into Nurse, three college kids, and myself forming a pack. I was happy to just tuck into the back of the pack. Oh, there was also some smelly guy too and that was a bummer.

After a bit the race took good shape of the two college kids who both stayed strong, Nurse and myself. Mostly, Nurse and I hung back a couple of steps to see how it would develop.

About halfway through the race, I was not feeling great (a little low blood sugar feel) but I wanted to help Nurse see if the two kids were legit. We turned a sharp left corner and I charged to first place to shake things up a little. Nurse gave chase and we took over the pack for a brief period.

Then, one of the college kids (Sonny Gamble from UMass) took over and opened up a big lead on all of us. I started to fade off the pack and Ian and the other kid (Wesley Moseman) both looked strong in chase.

I had the strong feeling that I was going to fade hard and was starting to get complacent with a 4th place finish. Thoughts like - "still not bad considering I ran a race today already" were entering my head and I then called myself some names and sprinted to catch back up with Nurse and Moseman.

The first place kid remained a wide margin ahead and it now seemed like a race for second place. My new goal was to see whether an returning from injury Nurse or a tired Gordon would prevail.

I made a strong move and surged ahead and started to feel much better. A couple of uphills created some seeds of doubt about the wisdom of my move at about 3.5 miles into the race but some downhill followed and I started to feel better again.

Around mile 4, I started to groove pretty good and was gaining ground on the first place kid from UMass. I was amazed that he was back in sight and I decided to give it a go.

I surged ahead and really ground swelled on him pretty quickly. I knew the finish was downhill and was not confident about a late race kick against a young kid. We turned the corner with about 1 mile to go and I blasted past him.

At this point, it was too late in the race to not sustain the pace - it would have been embarrassing to take a lead that late only to give it back. I pushed onward hoping the finish would arrive.

There was an incredible crowd over the last 1/4 mile line with people on both sides of the road. I couldn't quite see where the finish line was so I pushed ahead hoping it would be enough. It was - I capped off the double race day with a tough, strategic victory that I was very proud of.

Great, supportive crowd that offered lots of congratulations after. Also, got a nice original painting from a local artist as a prize for the victory.

Great finish to a fun day...

Splits:
Mile 1 - 5:14 (156/165);
Mile 2 - 5:18 (167/171);
Mile 3 - 5:24 (168/171);
Mile 4 - 5:22 (170/173);
Mile 5 - 5:01 (173/175)

Click here for race results.

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Aug9_BrewRu_set1.shtml
Statistics:    Calories: 665
VO2 Max: 64.6

Gotta go...

3:50 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: Bridge of Flowers 10K Grand Prix Champhionship (2008 Edition)
Category: Sports

Date:    8/9/2008 9:00 AM
Type:    Race
Course:    Bridge Of Flowers
Distance:    10 kilometers
Duration:    34:22
Pace:    5:32 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-DS Racer (VII WORK)
Weight:    169 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 167 / Max: 176
Misc:    Quality: 7/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement:    28 / 734 (3.8%)
Weather:    72° F, Sunny
Event URL:    http://www.coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Aug9_30thAn_set1.shtml
Notes:    Shelburne Falls, MA - The Bridge of Flowers 10k. The race returned to its Grand Prix Status this year for the first time since 2003. This course is a challenging one with the 3/4 mile mountain climb up Crittendon Hill that requires a thoughtful approach to this race amidst a talented field. Of course, to make things more challenging, Greenie McCrevitz and I agreed to make today a double-race with the plan to head clear across the state to Brewster (the Cape) for the Brew Run (a 4:00 p.m. start).

I felt like garbage on the warm-up and was questioning my ability to run even one race today. This has been an unusually high mileage week for me but the weather has been very runable and the calendar turning to August creates some sense of necessity in training for real if I have any goals to achieve this fall. Also, excited to not be in school for the first time in years and hoping to break through to some new capabilities.

This course has given me fits. My two fastest times have involved some walking on the big hill - not good. I decided to run by feel but to also run to compete because there was a chance I would be a scoring member of the BAA team today and this was a NE Grand Prix Championship and means something.

I went our reasonable over the hilly first mile and hit the first mile in 5:21. I felt pretty comfortable and was mostly surprised at how smooth I was on the downhills. Lots of familiar faces along the way and Hank Scollard, Mike Broullet, Kent Lemme, Ben Strain, and others were all running strong.

I ran hard to the hill and then implemented the rest on the hill approach. The idea being that I won't run it fast either way and to just relax, find a gear, and prepare for part two of the race post hill. I felt pretty decent and worked carefully not to explode over the never-ending climb. Got passed by a couple of runners but not too many.

I crested the hill hard and did a decent job of flying down the dirt hill. I lost focus a bit during the bottom third and got passed by a couple of guys - including Kent Lemme. I tried to regain my fast but was struggling to sustain a smooth, easy stride.

As we hit the long, winding road back I started to catch back up to Lemme. I also saw Scollard about 30 seconds ahead and a bunch of runners lined up in between. I wasn't feeling great but I was working to sustain here given that I might be needed to help my team.

I got in Kent's ear about his need to catch Scollard ($$$). He began to charge ahead but then seemed to fade a bit. I decided to start throwing in some hard surges (as much to help Kent along more than anything else) and I started picking people off but the handful. I suspected Kent would give chase given that fact that he had never lost to me (despite some decent battles).

I charged ahead and began to gain on Scollard. With about 3/4 mile to go, I caught Scollard and warned him that Kent was coming. I then really picked it up with Mile 6 split showing my fastest (5:06) and a hard turn onto the bridge getting me Verrington and an extra spot.

I was hopeful that my effort was enough to at least be helpful to the BAA. Terry Shea came in shortly after as our fifth scorer (amazing - just weeks after surgery for a collapsed lung - unreal). I dry heaved for a moment in the shoot (so...that's what effort feels like).

This proved to be a decent race. I PR's for the course, finished 4th on our team and our team eeked out a close victory to take the 10k championship.

A quick cool-down and it was off to the Cape for the second battle of the day...


Splits:
Mile 1 - 5:21 (159/166);
Mile 2 - 5:29 (166/169);
Miles 3&4 - 12:00 (168/174);
Mile 5 - 5:26 (170/173);
Mile 6 - 5:06 (173/175)
Last .2 - 0:57 (176/176)
Click here for race results

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B.A.A. Men Capture the USATF New England 10k Grand Prix Title
8/9/2008

It was an ideal day for racing and the B.A.A. made the most of the conditions with the men's team capturing the 2008 USATF New England 10k Grand Prix title and the women placing all four competitors in the top 10. The championship, held on Saturday, August 9th, was hosted by the Bridge of Flowers 10k in Shelburne Falls, MA. The race last served as the USATF New England Grand Prix Championship in 2003.

Faced with the infamous Crittenden Hill, a close to 3/4 mile climb at mile 2, several of the men took a conservative approach early on and moved up through the field over the latter part of the race. Eric Blake, the winner of the 2008 Mount Washington Road Race, took 7th place overall and improved his time over last year by almost 30 seconds. He was followed by Wilson Perez in 9th place, Matt Carter in 17th, Josh Gordon in 28th place and Terry Shea in 36th place. These five combine to win the team competition by 31 seconds.

The women had a strong showing at the Bridge of Flowers, placing all of their finishers in the top 10. Heidi Westerling who placed second at this race in the previous two years, ran a personal best on the course to take third in this year's competition. Amy Nedeau repeated her fourth-place finish from 2006, while running 42 seconds faster. Nedeau led the race early-.. being passed by the top three at the four mile mark. Lara Johnson, who has been posting PRs at races all summer, had a remarkable performance, placing 5th in 38:08, a 2 1/2 minute improvement over last year.

The Bridge of Flowers is a popular New England race which annually attracts some of the top talent in New England. This year was no exception: the race was the largest in its 30-year history and one of the most competitive as the top teams and individuals in New England came to compete for the USATF New England 10k title.

With 5 events completed in the seven-event USATF New England Grand Prix, the men are in first place in the overall standings. Individually, Matt Ely, Shea, and Perez are at the top of the men's leader board, while Westerling moved up from third to second in the individual results with her Bridge of Flowers performance. The B.A.A. teams will be back in action at the next race in the series, the Ollie 5-Mile Road Race in South Boston on Saturday, September 6, 2008.

MEN'S RESULTS

7. Eric Blake 32:23
9. Wilson Perez 32:48
17. Matt Carter 33:37
28. Josh Gordon 34:22
36. Terry Shea 34:38
70. Mike Brown Dowling 35:48
79. Deon Barrett 37:05
88. Christopher Smith 38:00

WOMEN'S RESULTS

3. Heidi Westerling 36:51
4. Amy Nedeau 37:00
5. Lara Johnson 38:08
10. Carly Graytock 39:23


TEAM RESULTS

1. BAA = 2:47:48
ERIC BLAKE, WILSON PEREZ, MATTHEW CARTER, JOSHUA GORDON, TERRY SHEA JR., MIKE BROWN DOWLING, DEON BARRETT
2. RUN = 2:48:19
3. GBTC = 2:50:29
Statistics:    Calories: 794
VO2 Max: 62

Gotta Go...

8:45 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Is Stretching All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
Category: Sports

Is Stretching All It's Cracked Up to Be?

INVESTIGATORS have begun two large studies of stretching, asking about its effectiveness in much the way scientists might ask about a new drug or medical device. They're actively recruiting thousands of volunteers to participate, in the United States and elsewhere, and randomly assigning participants to use the method, or not. That is the only way, researchers say, to detect the subtle effects that most treatments and exercise interventions might be expected to evoke.

The studies are being done independently, one by researchers based in Norway and Australia and the other by a group in the United States.

The studies are not identical, reflecting perhaps the different views of stretching worldwide. People in Norway and Australia stretch for different reasons than people in the United States and do slightly different stretches. Yet exercisers and coaches everywhere, the researchers report, tend to have passionate convictions about the merits of stretching, or lack thereof.

Researchers say those strong feelings pro and con show in themselves that it will take a large study to see what, if anything, stretching really accomplishes. If stretching were remarkably effective, athletes would notice its effects right away and everyone would agree on when to stretch and what stretching does.

The study in Norway was the inspiration of Dr. Andy Oxman, a senior scientist at the Norwegian Knowledge Center for the Health Services. He had just completed what he calls a public clinical trial. It was a sort of reality show on public television that asked whether the nutritional supplement Valerian helped with insomnia; 405 people signed up to receive Valerian or a placebo and reported on their sleep by logging onto a Web site. Some participants insisted that because they slept so well they were taking Valerian. Or they said they knew they had taken the placebo because their sleep didn't improve.

Then, the results were announced on the TV show and published: Valerian had little or no effect on sleep. Some who maintained they had the supplement actually had the placebo and vice versa.

After that, Dr. Oxman and his colleagues cast about for another good subject for a public clinical trial. A colleague in Australia suggested stretching, pointing out that there were no good data on its effects. The studies that were done were almost always small and inadequate.

The first question, though, was what is stretching supposed to help with? Dr. Oxman's group surveyed people in Norway and Australia and heard that they tended to stretch to prevent soreness and injuries and enhance well being and performance. In Norway, people stretched after they exercised; in Australia, they stretched before exercise.

The investigators designed a 13-week study that would include walkers, runners, cyclists, swimmers and soccer players. That way, said Gro Jamtvedt, the principal investigator and a researcher at the Norwegian Knowledge Center, their findings will not be specific to any one sport — they should apply across the board.

And they decided that to get meaningful results they needed at least 2,300 volunteers who exercised at least once a week and were willing to be randomly assigned to stretch or not.

Participants enroll on the Internet and report back once a week on the study's Web site, telling about muscle soreness, injuries and feelings of looseness. Those who are randomized to stretch are asked to do a 10-minute program before and after exercise, stretching muscles in their legs, hips and back. Those randomly assigned not to stretch must continue their normal exercise routine but refrain from stretching for 13 weeks. (http://stretchingstudy.nokc.no/study-stretching-web/innhold/welcome.faces)

Subjects include Luciana Macedo, 28, a physiotherapist in Sydney. She plays soccer once a week for an hour and a half and was assigned to the stretching group. She believes stretching helps her loosen up. "It's almost like if after a stretch you were able to do a bit more," she wrote in an e-mail message.

Another participant is Christian Rafn, 59, a management consultant in Oslo. He plays tennis once or twice a week and occasionally rides a mountain bike. He thinks stretching prevents soreness. In the study, though, he was assigned to the group that does not stretch.

So far, the investigators have more than 1,700 participants and are looking for more — there is no limit to the number they can accept, Ms. Jamtvedt said.

The stateside study is sponsored by USA Track & Field, but is the inspiration of Alan Roth, a 65-year-old runner, who is a marketing consultant and a partner at a start-up company, and his orthopedist, Dr. Daniel Pereles of Montgomery Orthopedics in Kensington, Md.

Dr. Pereles, a marathoner, a triathlete and a member of an advisory board for Runner's World magazine, mentioned to Mr. Roth that he wanted to do a clinical trial of stretching but didn't know where to find enough subjects.

Mr. Roth was intrigued and conferred with the track and field association. The group agreed to cooperate and Mr. Roth also enlisted the Road Runners Club of America. He found a statistician in his local running club and, he said, he got help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in designing questions for participants.

THE study (http://www.usatf.org/stretchStudy/) began last August. It continues to recruit people who run at least 10 miles a week. It is not asking about soreness — that's not why people in the United States stretch, Mr. Roth said. Instead, it is asking whether stretching before exercise affects the injury rate.

Participants are given a static stretching program for their hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles, the sort of routine done by most runners who stretch, Mr. Roth said. Participants agree to do the stretches before running, or to abstain from stretching before their runs, for three months. They also have to report their injuries during that time. So far, the study has enrolled 1,905 runners of whom 795 have completed their assigned regimens and submitted reports.

The researchers will keep recruiting participants until they see at least a 5 percent difference in injury rates between the stretchers and nonstretchers or until it becomes clear, because they have accumulated data from so many thousands of runners, that there is no difference.

In the meantime Mr. Roth, at least, still stretches the way he always has: never before exercise, nor afterward. Instead, he stops and stretches during runs and "at odd times during the day," he said.

Nevertheless, he said he was agnostic about stretching and was looking for runners who feel the same way.

"If you listen to coaches or trainers, they are very opinionated about stretching," Mr. Roth said. "Some say, 'Don't ever stretch before you run.' Others say, 'You just have to stretch before you run.' We say, if you feel strongly that you must stretch or you must not stretch, don't join the study."

8:43 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: Jerry Garcia 4.2M Race (Race 3 of 5 in Let’s Run Summer Series)
Category: Sports

Date:    7/31/2008 7:30 PM
Type:    Race
Course:    Marsh Post 4.2
Distance:    4.2 miles
Duration:    21:35
Pace:    5:09 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-DS Racer (VII WORK)
Weight:    174 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 171 / Max: 179
Misc:    Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement:    1 / 1021 (0.1%)
Weather:    79° F, Humid, Partly Cloudy
Event URL:    coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Jul31_JerryG_set1.shtml
Notes:    Cambridge, MA - Tonight was the 3rd race out of 5 for the 2008 Let's Run Summer Series Competition. Greg Picklesimer came into this race with a 2 point lead over me in the series as a result of his consecutive victories and my consecutive non-victories. So, I put this one in my mind as getting somewhat close to a "must" win - or at least a "must beat Pickles." Beating Pickles is always easier said than done - by my calculation he has beaten me in 87% of the time that we have toed the starting line of a race together. He is talented, smart, and tough and races a style very similar to me only he usually does it better.

This race was stacked pretty good with talent tonight - marked by the return of Henry "Hank" Scollard (who has been posting some monster performances all summer including demolishing Pickles and I at the Lil' Rhody 5k in June), Ian "I'm Not a Doctor But I Put on a Clinic" Nurse (returning from injury but looking very strong from many many hours of pool running), and the talented depth from the likes of John Colavincenzo, Chris George, Andy MacDonald, Mike McGrane, Tom Szumita, and Mike Dowling. My dream scenario would have had me racing very well and then some of the talent finding a way to sneak between me and Pickles. My nightmare was for the reverse and to lose even more ground to Pickles in the series. So, this was an important one.

Coming into the race I was feeling healthy (knee injury behind me), fat, tired (3 hours sleep), confident from Tuesday's 15:51 5k, and uncertain what to expect from my body given all of those factors.

The race went off and I shot through the gates quickly just to make sure I wouldn't get boxed out. Hank raced out ahead and quickly set the tone for the race. He looked smooth and easy and it occurred to me that he might just be in position to demolish me wire to wire. I felt decent but a gap had already started to form. I decided that I could let Hank go but needed to race with Pickles in mind and not get sucked out and then bomb.

In fairly short order, Pickles stepped into the foray and forced the issue as he charged toward Hank. OK, I was going to have to get myself into the mix now.

Pickles and Hank took a solid lead as we headed over the short dirt path section heading into the underpass. I didn't feel great but I knew it was critical that I hang around and hope that Pickles blew up or I felt better. The alternative of Nurse and others tracking me down was not a good one for me.

I grabbed some water at the first water stop and got my mind in line. Before the race, Cam Manning had asked me why I couldn't find an extra 5 seconds at Newburyport to try to grab a victory. To which I replied, "I'm not that tough anymore." Well, this creeped back into my head as we headed toward the Canoe and Kayak section and I got a steady mantra of "I AM that tough in my head." I regained contact with Hank and Pickles and just before the dock I made a sprint surge to catch back up and run with the both of them.

The next section felt surprisingly good. Now, I was right with both runners and the pace felt exceedingly comfortable. I felt great but resisted any urge to make a move to take the lead then given how much respect I have for the talent and toughness of both Pickles and Hank. Plus, Hank did the dirty work of clearing the pack from walkers, kids on big wheels, dogs, etc.

As we hit the last bridge turn (about 1.2 miles to go) I could feel all three of us getting amped for what was sure to be a battle to the finish. My typical approach has been to hang as late as possible and make a strong sprint with about a 1/2 mile to go. The problem is, I have no reason right now to have any confidence in my finishing kick and it failed me against Pickles on both races so far in this series and, well...just about every race so far this summer. This is a flaw in my training and one I will be addressing soon. So, as we turned the corner, I tried a new tact for tonight. I went for it.

I passed both Hank and Pickles with about a mile to go and then it was time to grind. I absolutely had zero tolerance for being in first this late in a race and not closing her out. I passed Paulie and he shouts, "better get a move on, all three of those guys behind you can kick your ass!" No doubt...

So, I concentrated on staying relaxed, running with good form and keeping my legs popping at a reasonable clip. I kept a strong kick in my back pocket in case someone was able to match my move and just bought time until we ran out of landscape.

This worked tonight. I finished first in about the standard time of 21:3x that it takes to win this thing on most occasions. Pickles dug deep and outkicked Hank at the very end to prevent me from tying this series up. I now trail 1 point with two races to go.

This was a classic battle tonight. I love these races because they become so tactical and, I think anyone of us can sneak a victory on any given night. I most definitely still have my work cut out for me if I am to four-peat this series. All I did tonight was give myself a chance. Oh, and get a free pair of shoes...

Click here for results

Statistics:    Calories: 553
VO2 Max: 66.1

Gotta go...

8:01 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

The Thompson Island 4k Trail Race is Back!!!
Category: Sports

It's back! Great race...do it!

http://www.thompsonisland.org/english/support/trail-run
http://www.thompsonisland.org/english/support/trail-run
http://www.thompsonisland.org/english/support/trail-run

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7:55 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: Yankee Homecoming 5k (2008 Edition)
Category: Sports

Newburyport, MA - Sometimes a runner knows his limitations and opts for the Junior Circuit. Tonight, Flash made the decision to drop down from the 10M championship race and compete in a sparky little 5k given a variety of factors that pointed to no good coming from the 10 miler....

Well, at age 33 (just over two weeks shy of 34)...I got myself a PR...



Date:    7/29/2008 6:25 PM
Type:    Race
Course:    Yankee Homecoming 5K
Distance:    5 kilometers
Duration:    15:51
Pace:    5:07 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-DS Racer (VII WORK)
Weight:    169 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 172 / Max: 182
Misc:    Quality: 9/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement:    2 / 1577 (0.1%)
Age group:    30 – 34
Group Placement:    1
Weather:    85° F, Sunny
Event URL:    www.coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Jul29_Yankee_set1.shtml
Notes:    Newburyport, MA - Decided to run the 5k instead of the 10 mile tonight because of a combination of 1) lack of fitness, 2) returning from right quad tendon injury, 3) heat and lack of desire to run 10M race in it at this moment, and 4) summer series race on Thursday where I definitely would not bounce back given points 1-3 in that time frame to give Pickles, Nurse, Scollard, Colavincenzo et al any kind of battle and I'm already trailing two points in the series.

This turned out to be a good decision. This is a reasonably challenging 5k course with the last mile mostly uphill and some sharp turns and hills and a field stretch to the finish line.

I went out and quickly settled into top 5 and kept contact with the lead pack. As we approached the mile I made certain not to fall off and surged to contact with the top 3 guys and was now comfortably in 4th place. The mile split said 4:30 - me thinks not.

No two mile split but things had slowed down as there were some hills in this mile as well.

The eventual winner took a bit of control of the pack while the other guys would stick, fall off, and then surge back in. Jose Ortiz spent way too much time looking over his should back at me.

I didn't feel too bad or too peppy either. The most noticeable difference was that when I wanted to surge to close a gap, I could. This has not been in my running repertoire for the past month in any way, shape, or form.

I passed the 3rd place guy a couple of times only to get passed back on the flats. As we headed into the final mile with the long uphill, I started to feel a bit dead but really gained ground (I had fallen a bit back) on 3rd place. I passed him halway up the hill and he said some words of encouragement (he had battled hard all race and I guess this pass was legit enough).

As I crested the top, I caught the 2 runner and sensed the finish wasn't too far and it was time to get tough. I put a hard surge around the corner and saw the high school. I thought the finish was right at the top of the steep hill heading into the high school - I was wrong.

At this point, it was unacceptable to let anyone pass me back so I sucked it up, picked it up, and surged. I started to gain on 1 and he then sprinted onto the field to seal the deal and I came in with a PR at 15:51 for second place - 8 seconds off first.

Good race - very pleased given my lack of fitness, high mileage last week, and general fatitude.

Renee went sub 19 again for 5k! and finished 4th overall.



1 2732 THOMAS WEBB 21 M 1/31 M2024 WILLISTON VT 15:43 5:04
2 1811 JOSHUA GORDON 33 M 1/49 M3034 BOSTON MA 15:51 5:06 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
3 2078 JOSH ANDREWS 19 M 1/72 M1519 CHELMSFORD MA 16:01 5:10
4 2788 JOSE ORTIZ 19 M 2/72 M1519 METHUEN MA 16:02 5:10



Click here for results

Statistics:    Calories: 397
VO2 Max: 65.3


Gotta go...

8:17 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: Jim Kane Sugar Bowl (2008 Edition)
Category: Sports

South Boston, Massachusetts -

The Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5 Miler (err...5.14 miler).

Trust the process, trust the process, ignore the short term results...

Date:    7/17/2008 6:30 PM
Type:    Race
Course:    Jim Kane Sugar Bowl
Distance:    5.14 miles
Duration:    27:22
Pace:    5:20 / mile
Shoe:    Unknown Newton Stability Racer
Weight:    169 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 171 / Max: 177
Misc:    Quality: 6/10, Effort: 3/10
Field Placement:    5 / 1124 (0.4%)
Age group:    30 – 34
Group Placement:    2
Gender Placement:    5
Weather:    91° F, Sunny, Humid
Event URL:    coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Jul17_Sugarb_set1.shtml
Notes:    Boston - The 21st Annual Jim Kane Sugar Bowl was held tonight. Unfortunately, Colin Peddie of Marathon Sports decided to to put that race head to head instead of coordinating so the fields for both races were a bit diluted. Decided on Jim Kane because 1) it's in Boston and 2) I hate that Colin couldn't respect the calendar.

Not particularly in a competitive mood this evening. Felt dead coming into the race after a big travel month for work and just starting to pick-up the mileage post quad tendon injury. Plus, the heat of July has settled in for real.

The race started off slow. About 6-7 of us ran in a loose pack nice and easy for the first mile. Barely felt like we were running and it became clear that nobody was really going to assert themselves. Hit the first mile in 5:23 and was hardly breathing.

Still, like at Tuesday night's track workout, I felt out of form and...well...fat, really. Just felt like I was all belly with some little leg stumps waddling along.

John C. and Lou R. were antsy at this point in the race and I encouraged them to go after the top 3 that had now formed a little pack. I chased a few feet off just kind of floating. Again, not working real hard but not feeling that inclined to really pick it up or dig in. Kept hoping to get the competitive flare late in the race but nothing begets lack of competitiveness like a solid lack of fitness and that is the shoe that fits right now.

Mile 2 was more of the same and I stayed in touch through the turnaround. I closed the gap right after the turnaround and passed John C. I tried to get him to chase with me but he didn't stick. I then went back to float mode when the race really was still winnable.

The complete wimpitude that I possess continued on for the remainer of the race. I just floated along, playing leapfrog with the third place wheelchair guy. Lou was coming back but I never really dug in to pass him and kind of just let him step through the finish ahead of me.

I felt like I really absorbed the lack of a competitive ambiance at this year's Jim Kane. Usually, there is a lot more energy to the race and it was sorely lacking this year.

Overall, I floated enough to run OK. The course was long (5.14M according to multiple GPS readings) but I really finished knowing I hardly put much into this race at all. Still, this is all part of the process of getting back into shape and I trust the process.

Miles 2 and 3 were especially notable for their lack of effort.

Splits:

Mile 1 - 5:24(166/170);
Mile 2 - 5:35(169/170);
Mile 3 - 5:30(171/172);
Mile 4 - 5:28(173/174);
Mile 5 - 5:23(174/177)

Click here for Race Results:




~~~~~~~~BAA NEWS~~~~~~~
It Was Double Duty For the B.A.A. as the Summer Series Continues
7/17/2008

For Matt Ely, it meant defending one title and relinquishing the other. The Defending Champion at both the Marathon Sports 5-Miler in Weston and the Sugarbowl 5-Miler in South Boston, Ely had to choose which title he would seek to reclaim as both races fell on the same night. Ely, who lives and works in Natick, MA, chose Marathon Sports as it was closer to home. "I would have liked to run the Sugar Bowl too" said Ely, "I was able to make it here because it was so close; I had to work late tonight." Rushing over from work didn't appear to effect Ely as he cruised to a 45 second victory, running 24:21 on a modified course that measured 4.9 miles.

Three other B.A.A. runners posted top-twenty finished with Chris Benested placing 10th, Ken Leinbach, placing 16th, and Chris Smith finishing 17th overall. Benested's 27:19 was good enough to win the 30 -39 category while Chris Smith was third in the 40-49 age group. Leinbach easily took the 50-59 year-old crown, besting his nearest competitor by over a minute.

Brett Ely, who was also victorious here last year, has been recovering from the U.S. Olympic Trials Women's Marathon and a foot injury and had to settle for the runner-up spot. She is just starting to gear up for the B.A.A. Half-Marathon and the fall cross country races.

Also placing in the top 15 in the women's race were Grace Trabulsi who was 9th and Karen Ringheiser who was 15th. In addition to her top-ten finish, Ringheiser took third place in the 40-49 age division.

Meanwhile, as the starters gun was going off in Weston, Lara Johnson and Christine O'Donnell were crossing the line in South Boston, going 1-2 in the women's race. Johnson's decision on which race to run was also influenced by the location: the full-time grad student is also working part time and living in Boston.

The duo of Johnson and O'Donnell lead a strong B.A.A. women's contingent of Erin Heslin, Suzy Walsh, Renee Knapp, and Ann Morrissey take 5th through 7th and 15th place in the women's race.

In the men's race, Josh Gordon had a solid performance, taking 5th place in this popular summer event and also leading a sea of blue as B.A.A. runners packed 4 runners in the top ten and 5 in the top 15: John Colavincenzo, Chris George, Matt Herman, and Andy MacDonald went 7th through 9th and 14th place respectively.

It was a B.A.A. sweep in the 50, 60, and 70 year age groups as Patrick Stumbras, Dennis Herman, and Bill Riley captured those titles respectively. Andy MacDonald was given the prize for the top 45-49 year old, but his time of 29:16 easily bested all of the 40-44 year-olds as well. Bernie O'Reilly was second in the division while Lynne Schuler, who is recovering from a torn hamstring tendon, was second in the women's 45-49 catagory.

The B.A.A. Summer Racing Series continues with two USATF-New England Grand Prix Races: the Yankee Homecoming 10-Miler in Newburyport, Ma on July 29th and the Bridge of Flowers 10k in Shelbourne Falls, MA on August 9th. It concludes with the Ollie 5-Miler on Saturday, September 6th.


MARATHON SPORTS 5-MILE RESULTS:(modified 4.9 mile course)

1. Matt Ely 24:21
10. Chris Benested 27:19
16. Ken Leinbach 28:44
17. Christopher Smith 28:52
18. Brett Ely 29:19 (2nd Female)
27. Sean Biggs 30:12
59. Keith Gamble 32:08
60. Peter DeCambre 32:13
77. Grace Trabulsi 33:00 (9th Female)
97. Bryan Dove 33:49
107. Karen Ringheiser 34:27 (15th Female)
161. Shaun O'Brien 36:08
174. Patrick Brennan 36:32
597. Phil Ryan 49:58




For complete results of the Marathon Sports 5-Miler, go to the Event Website

SUGARBOWL 5-MILE RESULTS:

5. Joshua Gordon 27:22
7. John Colavincenzo 27:40
8. Chris George 27:51
9. Matt Herman 27:59
14. Andy MacDonald 29:16
22. John Barrett 30:03
23. Lara Johnson 30:11(1st Female)
25. Patrick Stumbras 30:16
32. Christine O'Donnell 30:46 (2nd Female)
34. Erik Dill 31:01
35. Bernie O'Reilly 31:07
45. Erin Heslin 31:55 (5th female)
51. Suzy Walsh 32:14 (6th female)
52. Craig MacFarlane 32:16
58. Renee Knapp 32:33 (7th Female)
65. Jesse Bump 32:57
75. Paul Morrison 33:29
90. Bill Riley 33:48
107. Jim Thompson 34:33
108. Ann Morrissey 34:36 (15th Female)
135. Dennis Herman 35:46
254. Lynne Schuler 38:52 (57th Female)
300. Marcela Norton 39:44 (73rd Female)
Statistics:    Calories: 657
VO2 Max: 64.2


Gotta Go....

6:53 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Uncommonly Big Hearts May Not Harm Athletes
Category: Sports

.. Uncommonly Big Hearts May Not Harm Athletes ..

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. — The three young men, tall, lean and tanned, had just been named to the United States Olympic rowing team. They showed up at Mercer County Park recently to meet the public and bask in their achievement. But their most amazing physical feature was inside their bodies, researchers say.

These athletes have hearts that make cardiologists gasp in awe, hearts that are among the biggest ever seen in healthy people. They are enormous, elongated, torpedo-shaped hearts, twice the mass of a normal heart, that draw blood in like a suction pump and push it out like a piston.

Ordinarily, of course, no one would know how big and powerful an athlete's heart might be. But these men — 29-year-old Wyatt Allen, 28-year-old Chris Liwski, and 31-year-old Bryan Volpenhein — were taking part in a research project that involved regular echocardiograms. Its goal is to find simple ways of deciding whether an athlete whose heart is huge has a dangerous condition that can lead to sudden death or whether the enlarged heart is a normal adaptation to strenuous, demanding exercise that allows people to perform at elite levels.

The so-called athlete's heart has been something of an obsession with doctors and researchers for more than 100 years. Athletes like marathon runners and Tour de France cyclists had enlarged hearts, doctors reported, and there were fears that the enlargement was not good — that it could lead to untimely death.

Now, said Dr. Paul Thompson, a cardiologist at Hartford Hospital, it is known that if the heart is healthy, there is never a point at which it is too big.

And, said Dr. Benjamin Levine, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, it is also known that the heart can grow or shrink by a third, depending on the demands it must meet.

But a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy afflicts 1 in 1,500 people, leads to a huge heart and is a leading cause of sudden death in athletes. That is what led Dr. Malissa Wood, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and a colleague, Dr. Aaron Baggish, to do their study to try to tell whether an athlete has that condition or is simply adapting to the stress of training.

Wood and Baggish, who are marathon runners, began looking at athletes' hearts a few years ago with studies of Olympic speedskaters. Skaters do not have hearts the size of rowers — few athletes do — but the right side of their hearts, which pumps blood, is enlarged, Wood said. The skaters also had a surprising ability to conserve energy. When they were at rest, their hearts were very relaxed, beating far less vigorously than the hearts of sedentary people.

"It was almost as if they were hibernating," Wood said. "But when they raced, their hearts really kicked in."

Last summer, the investigators took their portable echocardiograms to the skaters and studied their hearts again, asking what had happened now that the skaters had taken a break from intense training and competition. Their hearts, it turned out, had shrunk and were no longer so extraordinary.

In another study, the investigators compared Harvard football players to rowers. Both groups of athletes had enlarged hearts compared with what would be expected among inactive people the same size and age. But in a comparison with the rowers, the hearts of football players looked different, and acted differently. The football players had hearts that were thicker and stiffer. The rowers' hearts were bigger, more efficient, more relaxed.

Then the investigators became interested in Olympic rowers, reasoning that rowers were known to have big hearts. The reason is that rowers use all the big muscles of their body, repetitively contracting and relaxing them, which puts a huge demand on the heart to supply those muscles with blood.

In fact, Levine said, rowing puts such strains on the heart that astronauts use rowing machines during space flights to try to maintain their cardiovascular fitness.

Another reason for the big hearts is that rowers tend to be big people, and bigger people have bigger hearts. Allen is 6 feet 4 inches and 210 pounds, Liwski is 6-7 and 220 pounds, and Volpenhein is 6-3 and 215 pounds. The researchers, though, accounted for the men's size when assessing the size of their hearts, reporting that their hearts were still huge, twice the normal size.

But how big did the rowers' hearts actually grow? Wood and Baggish asked. And did their hearts continue to grow as they trained more intensely for the Beijing Olympics?

Wood and Baggish took their first look at the rowers' hearts in December, selecting the top three contenders for the United States team.

"Their hearts were incredible," Wood said. "Their masses were some of the biggest we have ever seen." Then they checked the rowers again in March. Their hearts had grown even larger.

The torpedo shape probably reflects a natural constraint on the heart's growth, Wood said. The heart is surrounded by a membrane, the pericardium, that, Wood suspects, constrains its growth along its middle. As the heart grows, it can push out along either end. (In fact, Levine said, dog trainers have snipped the pericardium of racing dogs, allowing their hearts to expand. The dogs, he says, then ran faster.)

But athletes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can also have huge, torpedo-shaped hearts. Wood said she thought she now knew how to distinguish them from healthy athletes' hearts.

The key, she said, is the high-velocity pumping and the powerful suctioning of blood back into the heart. An ill heart, she says, can never suction like that.

As for the rowers, they say they are happy to know their hearts are big, happy to see their hearts on the echocardiograms. It actually gives them confidence.

"You learn what your heart can handle," Volpenhein said. "Seeing it, knowing what it's capable of, you realize you can train harder."

7:43 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

To Beat the Heat, Learn to Sweat It Out
Category: Sports

.. To Beat the Heat, Learn to Sweat It Out ..

YOU already know that if you exercise outside on hot and humid days, you should drink plenty of water. And you are probably well aware of the risk of heat stroke given the countless reports about the warning signs.

But if you're going to be out exercising anyway, you may have different questions: How long does it take to acclimate to the heat and humidity, and what is the best way to do it? How much does your performance time slow when it is sweltering and humid, and why? Does it help to douse your head with water?

Should you go out in the morning, when it is cooler but the relative humidity is higher, or at night, when it tends to be hotter but less humid?

The answers, some exercise physiologists say, are not always what you might expect.

There is no question that heat can take a toll on performance. Look, for example, at results from races on the second weekend in June, when a heat wave gripped the Northeast.

On June 7, over 4,000 women ran the New York Mini 10-K race in Central Park. When the race began at 9 a.m., it was 71 degrees and the humidity was 78 percent. The winning time, 32 minutes 43 seconds, by Hilda Kibet, was the slowest in a decade.

"From the beginning, my legs were not really moving," Ms. Kibet told The New York Times.

That same day in similar weather and humidity, in Cambridge, Md., nearly 1,400 athletes raced in the Eagle Man Half Ironman — a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. Among them was Amy Roth, 32, the director of corporate partnerships at the Whitney Museum in Manhattan. She had trained hard, but the run, in particular, was difficult in the intense heat.

"I felt like I was dragging along but I couldn't move any faster," Ms. Roth said.

Still, she ran at a mile pace of 8:07.

"There were very fast people, very good athletes, who were walking, who just couldn't do it," she said.

Afterward, some posted comments, agonizing over their sluggish times, on Slowtwitch.com. "You could see the neuroses: 'Oh, my God, am I getting slower? What does this mean?' " Ms. Roth said.

The next day, 190 professional cyclists started the Philadelphia International Championship, a 156-mile race. It was 79 degrees at 9 a.m. start, and 94 degrees when the last cyclist finished in mid-afternoon. About half of the competitors dropped out. The winning time, 6:14:47, by Matti Breschel of Team CSC, based in the Netherlands, was nearly a half hour slower than last year's time, when it was cooler and drier.

One reason performance declines on sultry, humid days is that working muscles have to compete with the skin for blood. Directing more blood to the skin removes body heat and helps keep your body's temperature from rising to dangerous levels. But that can mean less blood reaches muscles. At the same time, when your body becomes hotter, muscle enzymes speed up, burning glycogen more rapidly, depleting stores of the sugar that the muscles use for fuel.

Until now, most studies of the effects of heat on performance used treadmills or stationary bikes. If the subjects simulated a 5-kilometer road race lasting 15 to 20 minutes, their times would be 10 percent slower at 100 degrees than at 70 degrees. The longer the subjects ran, the more the performance declined.

One concern is that studies with treadmills may not accurately reflect what happens outside on a scorching day. With no wind indoors, for example, sweat will not evaporate as effectively.

Scott Montain and Matthew R. Ely, researchers at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass., analyzed real-world data from seven major marathons, comparing performances over years when temperatures and humidity varied but the race course remained the same. Heat affected slower runners more, probably because they were on the course longer and ran in packs. Warm bodies close together make it harder for one's body heat to dissipate.

An elite runner capable of finishing in less than two and a half hours on a cool day (41 to 50 degrees) would be 2.5 percent slower in warmer climes (68 to 77 degrees.) A three-hour marathoner on a cool day would be slowed by 12 percent in the heat, the researchers reported.

It may seem like a brilliant idea, then, to pour water over your head to cool down. That is what Floyd Landis did during a grueling ride on a hot day in the Alps during the 2006 Tour de France.

And last month, on that balmy Saturday, amateur runners used the same trick, dousing their heads, in an 8-kilometer race in Moorestown, N.J. Town residents also squirted runners with their garden hoses.

It is a useless ploy, said Samuel N. Cheuvront, another researcher at the Army institute. "Sweat must evaporate to provide cooling," he said. "Dripping does not help."

In fact, he added, if you get too wet you risk hidromeiosis, when sweat pores become blocked, which makes you even hotter.

AT least most races are held in the morning, when it is usually cooler and more humid, than later in the day, when it is hotter and drier.

Cold and humidity stresses the body less; you heat up less when it is cooler. Relative humidity may be greater on cool mornings, but what really matters for sweat evaporation is water vapor pressure. And water vapor pressure is lower when the air is cooler, meaning sweat evaporates faster.

Dr. Cheuvront said that if you have to choose between exercising in the morning when it is 60 degrees and 80 percent humidity, or in the evening when it is 90 degrees and 50 percent humidity, choose the morning.

Yet as challenging as heat and humidity are, people can acclimate. Blood volume expands, which reduces the strain on the heart from the increased demand for blood flow to the skin and muscles. And sweating increases — people who are heat adapted sweat sooner and more profusely, allowing their bodies to cool more efficiently.

For example, if you are not acclimated and run for an hour in 98-degree heat, your core temperature may go up to 103 degrees, bordering on the danger zone, said Craig Crandall, who studies heat acclimation at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. But if you are acclimated, your temperature might be 101 degrees after an hourlong run, which is well within the safety zone. Acclimation takes at least five days, Dr. Cheuvront found. He first asked participants to walk on a treadmill for 100 minutes in a room that was kept at 100 to 120 degrees.

On Day 1, Dr. Cheuvront said, they usually last 30 to 45 minutes. Then, he added, they will either request to get off the treadmill; collapse; or reach the safety-limit core temperature of 104 degrees, at which point they are stopped. By Day 5, just about everyone lasts 100 minutes.

It is possible to adapt even more. Dr. Cheuvront's subjects continued to improve when they walked on the treadmill in that hot room for five more days.

Some people naturally adapt to heat much more than others. But Dr. Cheuvront said he had never come across a person who did not adapt at all.

The key to acclimation, he said, is to exercise in the heat daily and to be sure you are sweating profusely — wearing extra layers of clothing can help if you are exercising indoors or in cooler weather. Given a choice between spending more time in the heat but exercising less intensely, or less time and exercising more intensely, it is safer to choose to go longer and work less intensely, he said.

MS. ROTH'S impression that running was much harder than cycling in the heat was correct, physiologists say. And it is not just because there is more cooling wind when you ride. It is also because you don't cycle upright, so your heart has less of a fight against gravity to pump blood to skin. That is especially true in the heat, when blood vessels in the legs are distended and blood tends to pool in the feet, making the flow of blood up to the head even more difficult.

But no matter how much you train in the heat, it will never be easy, athletes and researchers say. So perhaps the best strategy is to just accept discomfort and slowness.

"Heat is the X factor," Ms. Roth said. "Sometimes you have to just forget it and move on."

2:41 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: Pittsfield Independence Day 5k
Category: Sports

Click here for Race Results

Date:    7/4/2008 9:30 AM
Type:    Race
Course:    Pittsfield Independence Day 5k
Distance:    5 kilometers
Duration:    15:59
Pace:    5:09 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-DS Racer (VII WORK)
Weight:    169 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 173 / Max: 179
Misc:    Quality: 6/10, Effort: 7/10
Field Placement:    4 / 883 (0.5%)
Age group:    30 – 39
Group Placement:    1
Weather:    78° F, Partly Cloudy
Event URL:    www.plattsys.com/results/res2008/pitt08.htmPlatt
Notes:    Pittfield, MA - Did the 4th of July race in Pittsfield after traveling to the Berkshires post boat party day in Northampton. Exhausted today with too much drinking and not enough sleeping of recent. Up until close to 1:30am the night before and very little sleep all week.

The race went out fast but I chilled and stayed in about 8th place at the mile in 5:03 pace. Felt very easy the first mile and on the first hill after the mile I picked up the pace enough to pass three runners. Shortly after, I passed one more runner and then just tried to lock-in to a reasonable but not too difficult pace. The top 2-3 runners were way out in front and nobody was really pushing me too hard.

I held up pretty well. I lost focus around the turnaround and again at the rotary. I was having a hard time getting all that amped up for this event.

Finished 4th overall, a tick below 16:00 minutes (first in age). Pleased with how my knee felt and confident that I have a faster 5k in me later this summer or fall.

Race results: http://www.plattsys.com/results/res2008/pitt08.htmPlatt
Statistics:    Calories: 397
VO2 Max: 64.7


The Tale of Four Years Ago:

Date:    7/5/2004 9:30 AM
Type:    Race
Course:    Pittsfield Independence Day 5k
Distance:    5 kilometers
Duration:    16:41
Pace:    5:23 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-ICS (9)
Heart Rate:    Average: 172 / Max: 181
Weather:    69° F
Notes:    Pittsfield- Ran the Pittsfield 5k. First mile was 5:16. Felt easy. Struggled a bit with the wet surface as it felt like I was spinning my wheels a lot. Stayed in touch with the top few for most of the race. Drifted into 6th place with about 3/4 of a mile to go and then finsihed strong and 4th overall. Zach finished 13th and 1st in his age division.
Statistics:    VO2 Max: 61.5




Gotta go...

11:25 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Race Report: New Charles River Run 7.5M (2008 Injured Edition)
Category: Sports

Date:    6/29/2008 9:05 AM
Type:    Race
Course:    New Charles River Run 7.5 mile course
Distance:    7.5 miles
Duration:    41:59
Pace:    5:36 / mile
Shoe:    ASICS Gel-DS Racer (VII WORK)
Weight:    169 lb
Heart Rate:    Average: 172 / Max: 179
Misc:    Quality: 7/10, Effort: 5/10
Field Placement:    2 / 1096 (0.2%)
Age group:    30 – 39
Group Placement:    1 / 182 (0.5%)
Weather:    80° F, Partly Cloudy
Event URL:    www.coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Jun29_NewCha_set1.shtml
Notes:    Cambridge, MA - The New Charles River Run had an extra twist this year as the BAA decided to make it a club race in light of the construction / eviction at the MIT track all summer(bummer). Very conservative goals coming into this race. I have barely been running because of my right quad tendon (knee) injury and work travel has hindered my rehab activities so my longest run was less than this race. Therefore, the goals was to try to run consistently in form and to respect a strict no sprint rule.

I predicted a 5:30 first mile to John Colavincenzo (my prediction for favorite to win). A pretty good pack of 5kers, relay dude, Irish Sean, Benested and I hit the first mile in about 5:33. It felt very comfortable and I was really concentrating on keeping my left leg loose (fear of compartment syndrome that I experienced the past two races). Things felt decent and my breathing felt relaxed (even with the high humidity).

I let others do the work and just hung out back off the pack and coasted for a few miles. I did a couple of surges to see if my legs would wake-up if needed and they felt OK. I just wanted to make sure I didn't get left off of the pack. I ran for a while with Brian McNamara, Irish Sean, Benested until Irish Sean stepped aside. Then Benested and I picked it up a little but McNamara seemed comfortable throughout.

We lost Benested somewhere around Watertown Square. I still felt strong and relaxed and began some pace changing to see how McNamara was doing. He seemed like a guy who preferred steady but I knew I had a strict no sprint so I couldn't implement my preferred strategy of hanging and kicking - not today - not with this injury. I probably did 10-12 mini surges from miles 4.5 to 6.5 and with more confidence could have sustained one and opened some sp