Runner's World Extr@

for Friday, March 31, 2000

==== In this issue ====

A new time for Tergat, Kipketer kicks butt, showdown at the Shamrock Shuffle, why the grill doesn’t kill, rapping with Rhines and fixin’ your feet.

==== News ====

Maybe Paul Tergat was a bit disappointed with March 19th's World Cross-Country Championship result, but he made up for it the following week. Last Sunday Tergat blasted a 59:06 half-marathon in Lisbon, Portugal, the fastest ever. Tergat's time will be a "world best" rather than a record, since Lisbon is a downhill course, but the previous record is also Tergat's, a 59:17 from the 1998 Stramilano half. 

• Tergat runs world best half-marathon http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/March/000327.html  

Another runner looking for vindication after a disappointing World Cross was American Deena Drossin. But rather than going up in distance, Drossin went down and ran an American record for 5-K at the Carlsbad 5000. Drossin's stellar performance was eclipsed, however, by 18-year-old Kenyan Sammy Kipketer who ran a world-record 13:00 for the 5-K after opening with a 3:59 mile in the men’s race. 

• Kipketer, Drossin run 5-K road records http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/March/000327.html   

Elsewhere on the roads, Mark Coogan beat Todd Williams by half a step at the LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle 8-K in Chicago, and Howard Nippert and Dana Parrot won U.S. 100-K titles in Pittsburgh - Parrot just a month after running 2:57 at the women's Olympic marathon trials. 

• Coogan and Williams finishthisclose at Shamrock Shuffle http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/March/000328.html   
• Nippert, Parrot win 100-K titles http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/March/000328.html 

======= Training Tip ======

Runners who want to run fast must associate with what they are doing. This means that they must focus on their form, breathing, and feelings while they run. They monitor signals from all parts of their bodies that allow them to run their hardest. - from Amby Burfoot’s Runner's World Complete Book of Running, page 158. You can buy this book at: http://rodalepress7.cam-colo.bbnplanet.com:8080/Unity/UrlView/7/10/56/2/4141 

======== Health and Fitness ========

On grilled meat and cancer: The charred chemicals on grilled and barbecued meat may not cause cancer after all, at least not breast cancer. Researchers at the University of California at Irvine compared the diets of 114 women with breast cancer to 280 cancer-free women. Women who often ate grilled, barbecued, or pan-fried meat were no more likely to develop breast cancer than those who rarely ate this type of cooked meat. More research is needed to determine whether charred meat increases your risk of colon or stomach cancer. 

Give them phys ed: A recent survey done by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) found that 81 percent of parents want their children to receive daily physical education classes. Problem is, only 44 percent of children currently do so. "Unfortunately, most school districts across the nation are not living up to parental expectations or public health requirements. Indeed, 5 percent of children received no physical education at all. It is no wonder that obesity rates are soaring," says Carl Gabbard, NASPE president and physical education professor at Texas A&M University.

======== In our forums ========

Spring racing season is now upon us. So it's time to brush up on that speedwork and start planning your spring racing schedule. If you need a little help sweeping the dust off those old racing flats or oiling those fast twitch fibers, simply log onto our Competitive Running forum for a quick motivational tune-up. http://proxicom.rodalestore.com:8080/servlet/AppServer?t=login/login_rw .

======== Interview ========

Jen Rhines was 13th in the 8-K race at the World Cross-Country Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, March 18, helping the U.S. win the team bronze medal by 3 points. She was fourth in the 10,000 in the 1999 USATF Championships in 32:29.67 and won three NCAA outdoor 5000-meter titles and one cross-country crown while at Villanova. Runner’s World spoke with Rhines: http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/March/000329.html#chat 

====== Coming this weekend =======

Saturday, American River 50-Mile. One of the biggest and most popular ultra runs in America, takes place in Sacramento, Calif. 

Saturday, Cooper River Bridge Run 10-K: Point-to-point, scenic course through beautiful historic Charleston, S.C. Web site: http://www.bridgerun.com . 

Saturday, Fools' Run Scholarship Race 10-Mile and 5-K. Race takes place in Kutztown, Pa., just a few miles down the road from Runner's World home offices. Web site: http://www.lin-mark.com . 

Sunday, Indianapolis Distance Classic 15-K. Course starts downtown and winds northwest along White River and back to downtown; also a 4-Mile walk, Web site: http://www.kenlongassoc.com .

======= Editor's Advice =======

If you’re approaching a lone runner from behind on a quiet path or road, make your presence known before you get too close. (For example, cough loudly or say hello.) Otherwise you could give someone quite a scare. - Alisa Bauman, RW senior editor

====== Words to think about ======

Running is my meditation, mind flush, cosmic telephone, mood elevator, and spiritual communion. Lorraine Moller of New Zealand, winner of the bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic marathon

====== Television Schedule  ======