Tuesday, May 20, 2008 04:33 PM Maurice Greene and Marion Jones win golds at World Champs, Jones injures back in 200 meter semi-final, Williams and Coogan take national half-marathon titles, diet soda bad for weight loss, nutrition advice and running effortlessly.
Maurice Greene and Marion Jones won the 100-meter gold medals at the World Championships in Seville, Spain this past week. Greene ran 9.80, the second fastest time in history, and Jones zipped to a 10.70. Green and Jones win 100-meter gold medals <http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/August/990823.html>
Hicham el Guerrouj and Haile Gebrselassie defended their World Championship titles in the 1500 meters and 10,000 meters respectively. El Guerrouj won the fastest ever 1500 Championship competition with a time of 3:27.65, the fifth best time in history. Gebrselassie won his fourth straight gold medal in the 10,000 meters with a time of 27:57.27. el Guerrouj and Gebrselassie repeat gold medal victories <http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/August/990825.html>
Todd Williams and Gwyn Coogan finished victorious at the 1999 USATF national half-marathon competition last Saturday in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Williams broke the finish tape in a time of 1:04.24 while Coogan crushed the women's field and finished a full two minutes ahead of her competitors in 1:12.36. Williams and Coogan grab national half-marathon titles <http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/August/990823.html#h ead2>
Marion Jones did not finish her semi-final of the 200 meters at the World Championships on Wednesday due to serious back spasms and cramps. Jones fell to the track on the homestraight of the 200 meters, knocking her out of further World Champs competition. Jones's back injury knocks her out of World Championships <http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/August/990826.html>
When activated by stretching, receptors cause the muscles to contract or shorten (the stretch reflex). Within 10 to 20 seconds, the stretch reflex subsides, allowing further extension of the muscle. This is why holding a stretch longer than the first 15 seconds is more productive than a shorter tug on the muscle. -- from Ken Sparks and Dave Kuehls, The Runners Book of Training Secrets, p. 70 . You can buy this book at: http://rodalepress7.cam-colo.bbnplanet.com:8080/Unity/UrlView/7/10/25/2/4141
Don’t count on diet soda for weight loss: Researchers from the United Kingdom offered either water, a sugary beverage or a beverage with the artificial sweetener aspartame to people who had just exercised for 50 minutes. Then, researchers let everyone eat. Those who drank the artificially sweetened drink ate more than those who drank water or the higher-calorie beverage.
Run effortlessly: When you try to throw all the energy you have into tearing up a hill or completing another 400-meter repeat, you make the task harder than it needs to be, say Jerry Lynch and Chungliang Al Huang in their new book Working Out, Working Within (1999 Putnam). You’ll actually be able to go much faster with less effort if you relax and aim to give only 90 percent.
You can never get too much nutrition advice. This week's topics in our nutrition forum cover a wide range of areas including, protein intake, energy gels, diabetes, whole grains and calorie intake during marathon training. The forums are always wide open, so jump on in at: <http://proxicom.rodalestore.com:8080/servlet/AppServer?t=login/login_rw>
None this week.
Saturday, August 28, Crim 10-Mile Run, Flint, Michigan: One of America's biggest 10 milers, festival with ongoing entertainment, 3-day expo. Web site: <http://www.crim.org>.
Saturday, August 28, Men's World Championships Marathon: Some of the top men's marathoners in the world will tackle steamy conditions at Seville, Spain. Check out < http://www.runnersworld.com > for the latest on the race.
Sunday, August 29, Chris Thater Memorial 5-K, Binghamton, New York: Located in the middle of New York State, this race still draws some of the better national running talent looking for a share of $10,000 in prize money.
Sunday, August 29, Tim Kerr 10-K Run, Avalon, New Jersey: Honors long- time Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey star. A flat certified course in a seashore community.
Sunday, August 29, Women's World Championships Marathon: The women get their chance to contest the challenging Seville, Spain 26.2 miles. Live coverage on <http://www.runnersworld.com>.
Don't let pre-race jitters get the best of you. They're normal. After four marathons and a slew of shorter races, I still get butterflies before a race. Rather than trying to ignore your nervousness, acknowledge it. Then remind yourself that you're well-prepared for the event, take a few deep breaths and move on. -- Mark Remy, RW senior editor
Running gives you freedom. When you run, you can go at your own speed. You can go where you want to go and think your own thoughts. Nobody has any claim on you. -- Nina Kuscik, first official women's champ in the 1972 Boston Marathon and two-time NYC Marathon champ
barry Tuesday, May 20, 2008 04:33 PM