Messi Destroys Valencia

David — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:46:48 +0000

Lionel Messi . . . not too bad!

Ironman Lance

abowen — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:43:46 +0000

Lance Armstrong got his start as a triathlete, competing by age 13 and becoming sponsored at 16. And this past weekend, at age 40, “old man” Lance returned to the sport in incredible form, finishing an extremely close second to New Zealander Bevan Docherty in the Panama 70.3.

Of course, Lance is best known for his incredible string of Tour de France wins. As he neared the end of his Tours, Lance began testing out his marathon legs. When he announced his intention to run NYC in 2006, speculation began running wild. Would Lance be a world-class marathoner? Could his legendary aerobic capacity (VO2 max reportedly 83.8 mL/kg/min) translate to a 2:15 marathon? Could Lance possibly set a marathon world record?! Completing three marathons between 2006 and 2008 (Boston once and NYC twice), Lance’s personal best was 2:46:43 – nothing to sniff at, but not world class.

Now back to his roots in multisport, Lance appears to have found his stride with a sizzling 3:50:55 half Iron distance debut (more detailed race report here). Official splits not yet up, but from various news sources, Lance posted 19:22 on the swim, 2:10:18 bike, and 1:17:01 run. Reports say that Lance led the run until the final mile and a half, when Docherty overtook him for the win (Lance +: 42 seconds). Docherty’s 1:12 half marathon was a full 5 minutes faster than Lance’s.

Next up for Armstrong: Ironman France this summer, and possibly Kona this fall. If Lance can overcome his challenges on the run, we may be in for some seriously fun spectating. With the right marathon training, could he win Kona? Let the speculation begin.

Pedal Power Comes with a Duty

David — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:09:46 +0000

Great NY Times article on not only the benefits of cycling, but the responsibility that comes with it . . . and not just for the cyclist, but others around us.

Click here for the article

Cristiano Ronaldo Seals Hat Trick With Sublime Strike

David — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:53:28 +0000

From Deadspin.com:

You are unlikely to see as perfect a soccer goal as this for a very, very long time.Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s hoarding goals at such a clip it’s as if he’s trying to make every Spanish soccer fan forget the name Messi forever, finished a natural hat trick against Levante with this shot, his 119th tally for Real Madrid and the 4000th in the club’s history at the Santiago Bernabéu.

I must agree, what a fantastic goal!

Click here to watch.

Adults Keep Dementia-Related Death at Bay with Exercise

David — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:09:53 +0000

From the American College of Sports Medicine:

Research released this month by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) finds that increasing physical activity may decrease the risk of dementia-related death. The study, titled “Cardiorespiratory Fitness as a Predictor of Dementia Mortality in Men and Women,” appears in this month’s issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of ACSM. The article is one of the first reports to examine the relationship between objectively measured cardiorespiratory fitness levels and dementia-related deaths in a sample of nearly 60,000 adults.

Public health efforts in the U.S. have triggered gradual declines in deaths associated with heart disease, breast cancer and stroke over the past few years. Deaths related to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, however, have increased dramatically over the last 15 years, skyrocketing 46 percent between 2002 and 2006.

Researchers conducted baseline examinations and maximal exercise tests for 14,811 women and 45,078 men, ages 20-88 years, at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Baseline examinations included self-reported personal and family medical history, a questionnaire on demographic information and health habits, blood chemistry tests, and other clinical measurements. Participants were grouped into one of three fitness categories – low fit, middle fit or high fit – based on their performance on the fitness test.

“A major strength of our study is the use of standardized and objective physical activity measurement,” said Rui Liu, Ph.D., currently a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. “Cardiorespiratory fitness is preferable to self-reported physical activity because it is an objective, reproducible measure that is more closely correlated with a person’s usual level of physical activity and many health outcomes.” Liu conducted the analysis as part of her dissertation at the University of South Carolina.

By Dec. 31, 2003 (an average of 17 years after the baseline examinations), there were 4,047 deaths. The National Death Index attributed 164 of these mortalities to dementia (72 vascular dementia and 92 Alzheimer’s disease). Of the 164 individuals whose deaths were related to dementia, 123 were in the low-fit category, 23 were in the medium-fit category, and 18 were in the high-fit category. Compared to the least-fit individuals, those in the medium- and high-fitness groups had less than half the risk of dying with dementia.

“These findings support physical activity promotion campaigns by organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association and should encourage individuals to be physically active,” said Liu. “Following the current physical activity recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine will keep most individuals out of the low-fit category and may reduce their risk of dying with dementia.”

Is GPS All in Our Head?

David — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:17 +0000

Julia Frankenstein, psychologist with Germany’s University of Freiburg, wrote an interesting editorial in the New York Times. In her piece, she wonders aloud if GPS navigation is preventing us from developing mental maps. Dr. Frankenstein contends that using these electronic gadgets dulls our ability to navigate in the raw, so to speak.

“Navigating, keeping track of one’s position and building up a mental map by experience is a very challenging process for our brains, involving memory (remembering landmarks, for instance) as well as complex cognitive processes (like calculating distances, rotating angles, approximating spatial relations). Stop doing these things, and it’ll be harder to pick them back up later.”

So, that got me to thinking, has that occurred with runners and other endurance athletes? Has the use of GPS watches, power meters for bikes, etc. dulled our sense to self-regulate our paces and efforts?

The first marathon I ran was Chicago in 2004 and I did all non-treadmill training with one of the first Garmin watches. I have since had a few “free” runs without my newest Garmin watch and truth be told, I found it quite liberating. But, I always seem to come back to Mr. Garmin . . . it helps my effort/pace, it helps me keep track of my runs, and let’s be honest, this map and its associated data is pretty cool!

After reading her article, I will give an honest effort to go without my Garmin for some runs (don’t want to overly dull that mental map!) . . . unfortunately, I think I’m a bit too nerdy to quit altogether!

Dynamic Stretching for Endurance Athletes

David — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:18:28 +0000

I have written, posted and discussed stretching quite a bit over the past several years. The concept just fascinates me!

Why is it so fascinating?

When playing soccer and other sports as a child, teenager and in college . . . when learning about stretching in college . . . when watching people at the gym or on the trail, static stretching was (and remains) a staple of pre-exercise routines for the vast majority of people. It’s fascinating because recent research has overwhelmingly shown that not only does pre-exercise static stretching not prevent injury, it often negatively impacts performance!

So, in December of last year, I posted an article on the benefits of using a pre-run dynamic warm-up routine. In the February issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers from Florida State University reach the same conclusion and offer similar guidance.

In this study, participants had their VO2max determined and then either performed a series of novel dynamic stretches or did nothing. Following this period of dynamic stretching or rest, participants had their flexibility measured, then performed a 30 minute preload run at 65% of VO2max. This preload run was followed by a 30-minute performance run in which ”subjects were asked to cover their maximal distance possible for 30 minutes.” Participants in both groups covered just over 6km in that 30-minute performance run (approximately 7:55 minutes/mile pace). The authors conclude by stating, “in contrast to static stretching, dynamic stretching does not seem to decrease endurance performance and may increase performance in male elite runners during our particular experimental protocol.”

So, coupling these findings from Florida State with a 2010 study that showed static stretches held for 30 seconds before a long run decreased performance by approximately 5%, it is our conclusion that if pre-run stretching is to be performed at all, dynamic stretching is the preferred mode.

The Gift of Being Coached

David — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:32:56 +0000

“In the end, I guess the most important person we need to answer to is the face we see in the mirror every morning.” It’s one of those things that people say. It’s a cliche. And unlike most cliches, it’s dead wrong.

In this month’s Running Times magazine, Rachel Toor writes an excellent, introspective article on her experiences with having a running coach.

Ms. Toor (a 3:14 marathoner) is like most runners. Stubborn. Creature of habit. Reluctant to try something new. (“Lift weights? No way!” ”Only run three days a week? Are you crazy?!?!?”)

I’ve worked with enough runners to know that is the norm rather than the exception. But should it be?

Ms. Toor highlights the recent coaching she received from Furman University researchers and the scientific-based approach they incorporate into their plans (the only safe, effective, productive method, in my opinion). Despite her stubbornness, she learned, among other things, that

junk miles, while they might provide a psychological reprieve from daily life, are mostly that, junk
being held accountable is an important motivator

When, toward the end of my tempo runs, I wanted to slow or stop, I’d remember that I was going to have to report to my coach. I wanted not to disappoint him; I wanted, in fact, to run harder than he thought I could. So I pushed.

There are a variety of options for endurance coaching. One is an online template that runners can download and then structure their workouts. Interestingly, I recently asked someone what she was doing to prepare for the Lincoln Half Marathon. Her reply? “Modify one of (a certain person’s stock) plans . . .” There’s nothing seriously wrong with downloading a pre-made plan. Heck, I used that same person’s plan when I ran my first marathon way back in 2004; in looking at that plan now, this person’s website offers the exact same plan some 8 years later. For those wanting to simply finish a race of a given distance, that is not a major issue. But, so much new research (like dynamic stretching, core stability and strength training) has been published that demonstrates improved training techniques to make us both less injury prone and faster runners.

So, as Ms. Toor points out in her article, for those wanting to improve, for those wanting to go faster (perhaps faster than they imagined), coaching is the best approach.

We’re proud of the coaching we provide at OSPT. But if you don’t choose us to guide you through your next event, we suggest, at the very least, that you sign up with a coach that relies on the available research . . . as Ms. Toor concludes,

What I learned, other than the obvious insight that if you want to run faster you have to run faster, is that being secure enough to ask for and receive help is a hallmark of growth and maturity. You receive a more realistic image of yourself than the one in the mirror. Sometimes it’s hard to face, but most of the time it feels like a gift.

So, good luck during the training you undertake for your endurance-related events . . . we’re proud of the steps you’ve taken to get to this point!

-David

Pelé says Lionel Messi still not there

David — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:26:43 +0000

Interesting ESPN article . . . I believe several are still above Messi (e.g., Pele, Maradona, Cruyff).

But, he’s still quite young (only 24 years old).

So, what do you think? Who is better, Pele or Messi?

Endurance Events Going Extreme

abowen — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:42:38 +0000

A BBC article published today examines the emergence of new, ever-crazier obstacle course-type races. Plain old road races and triathlons have become too mundane for some, author Lucy Townsend believes, who have turned up the “crazy” a couple notches by entering races with mud, fire, barbed wire – some races even include electrical wires that shock passing runners (would you pay for that?).

Here in the U.S., race series such as the Tough Mudder, Spartan Races, and the Warrior Dash are advertising heavily these days. The webpages of these events proclaim each to be the best, the hardest, the craziest. The Warrior Dash calls itself “an extreme fun run from hell,” the Spartan Race “pure primitive craziness,” and the Tough Mudder “Ironman meets Burning Man.” None of these events have yet come to Omaha, but there is talk that they might – and some offer races in CO and MO.

But, is the BBC author correct in her assumption that these new events are the most appealing to established endurance athletes simply bored with marathoning? Or – are they marketing to (and attracting) a whole different crowd entirely?

My guess is that people who have long competed in road races, triathlons, and other traditional endurance events are not trading those in entirely for events such as these, but they might enter a mud run once a season just for kicks. I would also guess that many people attracted to these extreme events might otherwise be watching football, or weightlifting, or Cross Fit-ting, or just about anything other than racing – so if these races get people a bit more aerobically well-rounded, I’m a supporter.

Endurance blog readers, I put the questions to you. Have you tried one of these races? Would you? Are they going to be a lasting sport, or a fleeting trend?