Runner's World Extr@

for Friday, March 3, 2000

==== In this issue ====

Women marathoners race for Sydney, Regina Jacobs misses world record in 1500m, eating to save money, high school track, Jearl Miles-Clark and weekend events.  

==== News ====

Sportswriters around the country may have experienced a little confusion when they saw the wire reports from Saturday's women's Olympic Marathon Trials. Wait, they must have said, we thought the Alaskan was supposed to win the men's Trials. Is it May already? Nobody would have guessed that unseasonably warm temperatures would give a boost to Christine Clark, an unknown 37-year-old pathologist and mother from Anchorage, Alaska. Clark ran a seven-minute PR - and an evenly paced race - to blow away the field. See, when you train in Alaska, you train on a treadmill...in a heated room not unlike the surprise seventy-degree conditions in Columbia, S.C. Unfortunately, Clark's amazing performance also created a nightmare for USATF, which, because of its own rules and IAAF standards for entry to the Sydney Olympics, must now tell two of last year's best marathoners - one of whom finished second in Columbia - that Clark will be the only U.S. female marathoner going to Sydney. 

• Christine Clark wins U.S. women's Olympic Marathon Trials < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/February/000228.html > 
• Let's fight for a full Olympic team in Sydney < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/February/000228.html#editorial > 

Regina Jacobs had succeeded in three consecutive record attempts over the last two years, lowering American records at 5,000m and 1,000m outdoors and 1,000m indoors. So she had every reason to believe in her fitness for a 1500m world record attempt on Tuesday at the Armory. Jacobs hoped to be the first woman to dip under 4:00 for the distance indoors, but fell off pace in the last laps and finished short with a 4:07. 

• Jacobs falls short in world record bid < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/March/000301.html >  

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

The first four hours after exercise is a crucial time period. Consuming complex carbohydrates in solid food, such as fruit and breads, or simple carbohydrates in energy-replacement drinks immediately after exercise and then every 15 minutes for the next few hours will enhance muscle glycogen synthesis. Doing this, instead of eating one big meal an hour after a race, maintains higher blood glucose and insulin concentrations, which in turn makes greater absorption of energy into the muscles possible. - from Ken Sparks and Dave Kuehls’s The Runners Book of Training Secrets, page 132. You can buy this book at:  http://rodalepress7.cam-colo.bbnplanet.com:8080/Unity/UrlView/7/10/52/2/4141   

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

Save money, stay healthy: If you eat low-fat, low-cholesterol foods, you're probably saving money on your grocery tab. "Foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol tend to be on the expensive side, including meat, snacks and some baked goods," says Sharon Saber, clinical nutrition manager for the University of Alabama Hospital. 

Reason number 156 to keep running: Runners and other lean, physically active people may have yet another weapon in the war against heart disease - low leptin levels. Some scientists think high levels of the hormone leptin may trigger obesity and heart disease. When couch potatoes start exercising, their leptin levels plummet, according to a recent study.  

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

Cinder tracks...bus trips...track spikes...two-mile relays. Ahh... spring track is just around the corner; and you can’t get more "grass roots" than high school track and field. Log onto the forums in our High School site www.highschoolrunner.com and chat with high school competitors from around the country. < http://proxicom.rodalestore.com:8080/servlet/AppServer?t=login/login_rw >  

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

Jearl Miles-Clark will defend her 400-meter title at this weekend's USATF Indoor Championships in Atlanta. She recently set a world indoor 500-yard record of 1:00.61 in Pocatello, Idaho and holds the U.S. outdoor 800-meter record of 1:56.40. She lives and trains in Florida and is married to her coach, J.J. Clark. Runner’s World spoke with Miles-Clark: < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/2000/March/000302.html#chat >   

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

Saturday, Gate River Run: The U.S. men's and women's 15-K national championships will take place in conjunction with Jacksonville, Florida's biggest race. Web site: < http://www.1stplacesports.com >. 

Saturday, Reedy River Run 10-K: Greenville, South Carolina hosts one of the oldest races in the state. 

Sunday, Los Angeles Marathon: California's biggest marathon is as much a celebration as a race. Web site: < http://www.lamarathon.com >. 

Sunday, Napa Valley Marathon: Scenic tour through Northern California's wine country from Calistoga to Napa. Web site: < http://www.shnvm.com >.

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

If you’re a beginner, run by time instead of distance. That way, you won’t be preoccupied with your speed. For example: Rather than heading out for 2 miles, tell yourself you’ll run for 20 minutes. Slowly build your endurance by adding a few minutes at a time. - Alisa Bauman, RW senior editor  

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

Rest is as important as running. It allows me to push forward, renewed and ready for the challenge. I listen to my body. If it tells me not to run, I rest. I also listen to my spirit. It needs the boost I get from running. My spirit is renewed when my feet carry me forward into the wind. - Dolores E. Cross, from Breaking Through The Wall

====== Television Schedule  ======