How Running & Exercise Can Impact the Behavior of ADHD Children

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)is one of the most common mental disorders in children. Neurologist Dr. Fred Bauman reports on adhd-report.com that in 1985, 500,000 children were diagnosed with ADHD. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates 3-5% of American children today have ADHD- approximately 2 million.

While the medical community studies possible causes and solutions to this growing problem, Dr. Michael S. Wendt, Ed.D. thinks he has found a primary cause.

"The first indication that I was onto something surfaced when I compared the decrease in fitness and activity levels of children with the rising incidence of psychosomatic disorders over the past ten years. There was a direct inverse relationship."

This great article on kidsrunning.com summaries some of the work done by Dr. Wendt, including a 6-week study that linked significant improvements in the behavior of ADHD children when enrolled in a supervised exercise program.

No kidding.

Does Altitude Training Help- or Not?

Many coaches and athletes are convinced that altitude training gives them an edge over their sea-level trained competitors. According to legendary distance Joe Vigil, "Since 1968, 95% of all Olympic and World Championship medals from the 800 through the Marathon were won by athletes who lived or trained at altitude...It can therefore be concluded that altitude training is necessary for success in endurance events." Renowned Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar has his athletes (including Kara Goucher who recently set the American record for the half marathon) sleeping at altitude using simulation equipment and tents.

At altitude, the body adapts by increasing red blood cells and hemoglobin, stimulated by higher levels of EPO. Logically this should give endurance athletes an edge.

Not everyone agrees. Athletes training in Madison, Wisconsin such as 2-mile American record holder Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky (5 time NCAA champ) train and sleep exclusively at sea level.

Owen Anderson, PhD, a leading expert on endurance training and performance, does not think altitude training helps. Anderson writes in this article published at runnersweb.com, "Overall, VO2max dropped by around 6.3 percent for each 1000-foot increase in altitude (above the baseline of 1000 feet). As VO2max declines, workouts at high-quality paces become much-more difficult to handle."

You would think that science would have this figured out by now. Stay tuned!

A Runner's Account of Learning to Swim

Running and swimming are as different as night and day- one is weight bearing, one is not. One uses the upper body significantly more than the other. Muscle recruitment is different. And so on.

Amy Burfoot, a one-time winner of the Boston Marathon, gives this colorful account in runnersworld.com of how he mastered swimming a mile non-stop.

Amby went to Total Immersion creator Terry Laughlin for guidance.

Aerobic Exercise PLUS Strength Training Best Approach for Diabetes Control

"After roughly five months, all three exercise groups showed an overall improvement in their hemoglobin A1c, a blood test that measures blood-sugar control. However, the group that combined aerobic and strength conditioning had the greatest improvement.

If there were a pill that showed such an effect, it would be readily prescribed, write the authors of an editorial published with the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine"

- Lifescript.com

Olympic Marathon Trials Preview

Read all about the upcoming men's Olympic marathon trials in New York City November 3. Profiles of top runners, course information, complete list of qualifiers, prize money breakdown, and much more! Chasing Glory, nyyr.org

The women will run in Boston on April 20, the day prior to the Boston Marathon. The website,posted by the Boston Athletic Association, is bostontrials2008.com. One more reason to run Boston in 2008!

More is Not Always Better!

I found this great journal entry by Brandon O'Keefe on the New York Road Runners website. Brandon relates how injuries forced him to repace running days with cycling, with astounding results!

Nutrition for Ultra Endurance Events

How much should you drink during a marathon or ultra? Debra Wein, MS, RD, LDN summarizes the latest findings in this article published in National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. Wein contends that the current American College of Sports Medicine position statement on fluid intake during exercise exceeding an hour (600-1200 ml per hour) may actually be too high for ultra athletes performing at a low intensity or smaller athletes with lower metabolic and sweat rates.

Recommendations for the Ironman distance:

500-800 ml per hour during the bike portion (500 ml is slighly more than 16 ounces)
300-500 ml per hour during the run portion (300 ml is about 10 ounces)
(lightweight athletes even less)

.3-.7 grams of sodium per liter (.5 grams equals .017 ounces)

The obvious problem with this article is failure to take into account the environmental factors that influence sweat rates, namely heat, humidity, wind, and direct sunlight.

It's a good practice for runners to always weigh themselves before and after long runs, and keep track of how much fluid is consumed- the goal is to always try to keep weight loss less than 2% of total body weight.

XTERRA 10K National Championship Trail Run- Sept 29, Incline Village, NV

As you can see, the course had a few twists, including these 2 logs that we had to run across twice. I am happy with the way I ran, finishing 9th overall in 39:11-5th in the National Championships but 2nd in the 50-59 age group to Kevin Tuck from Salt Lake City, a guy that I have yet to even come close to. I definitely felt the altitude difference- Tahoe is 6,200 feet. RESULTS

I have a few more pictures posted here.

Goucher Shatters American Record in Half Marathon

American Kara Goucher upset marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe in a stunning 66 min 57 sec at the Great North Run Half Marathon in Tynside, England on Sunday. Goucher, who won the bronze medal at 10,000 in this year's World Championships in Osaka, was running her first half marathon.

"....her times at 15km (47:36), 10 miles (50:59) and 20km (63:33) were also quicker than any US athlete has run before."

Kara is coached by former Oregon great Alberto Salazar. Go here for the full story.

Two other Salazar coached athletes, 2006 NCAA X country champ Josh Rohatinsky and Kara's husband Adam place 5th and 6th. results

Salazar is a firm believer in using a stint of altitude training prior to big races (see this great article published last Aug in the Oregonian).

Geb Finally Does it- 2 hr 04 min 26 sec!

BERLIN, Sept 30 (Reuters) Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie shattered a marathon world record on Sunday in Berlin...

Hallie believes 2 hours will be broken. iaaf.org

Berlin Marathon Top 10 Results:

Men

1. Haile Gebrselassie ETH 2:04:26
2. Abel Kirui KEN 2:06:51
3. Salim Kipsang KEN 2:07:29
4. Philip Manyim KEN 2:08:01
5. Mesfin Adimasu ETH 2:09:49
6. Lee Troop AUS 2:10:31
7. Arkadiusz Sowa POL 2:12:00
8. Joseph Kahugu KEN 2:12:08
9. Tomohiro Seto JPN 2:12:21
10. Ignacio Caceres ESP 2:12:46

Women:

1. Gete Wami ETH 2:24:26
2. Irina Mikitenko GER 2:24:51
3. Helena Kirop KEN 2:26:27
4. Irina Timofeyeva RUS 2:26:54
5. Naoko Sakamoto JPN 2:28:33
6. Hayley Haining GBR 2:30:43
7. Rose Nyangacha KEN 2:31:33
8. Leonor Carneiro POR 2:31:41
9. Angeline Flueckiger-Joly SUI 2:35:57
10. Eva-Maria Gradwohl AUS 2:36:21

Don't Be a Race Bandit- Even if Your Last Name is Galloway

The following is an exerpt from www.sailfishstriders.com. The Sailfish Striders is a running club that I founded back in the mid 1980s. Located on Florida's Treasure Coast, they take pride in putting on races with accurate courses, organized finish lines, and quick results. See what happens when runners decide to run but don't bother to register-

The Beach To Beach 5K Race had a confluence of unusual factors that led to errors in processing the results the night of the race, and every effort was made to find and correct any and all errors before disseminating them to the media. If you believe that an error is still displayed in the results, then please send an e-mail to Race Director Mike Melton and explain why you think an error exists. Mike has all the documentation from the event and will diligently determine if your inquiry has any validity, and if it does, then the error will be corrected immediately.

A record crowd of runners, the vacation season, a record number of race bandits (including former Olympian Jeff Galloway), pull tag failures, runners exiting the chute before being recorded, and timer printer problems all contributed to the situation.

In conducting more than 400 events in our Club's history, this is the first time we have had this experience, and we will do everything within reason to ensure that it does not occur again! Thank you for your understanding!

Jenny Crain Update-Sept 29

There is a new website up for Jenny called- jennycrain.net.
Track Jenny's recovery, send well wishes, and receive e-mails of Jenny Crain updates.

Don't Diet Before Racing!

You would think that the best runners in the United States should know better than to fool around with diet in the days leading up to an important race. When an athlete is good enough to make a living at runing fast, it's important that they take advantage of all available resources to do so, i.e. massage, chiropractic, coaching, and DIETARY ADVICE!

Thinking he could run faster if he was lighter, it looks like Dathan Ritzenhein was trying to diet the week prior to the US National Track and Field Championships this summer. Check out this candid interview with Dathan as he descibes the last 1K. interview .

One athlete who did use all resources avalible when preparing for major competitions was Lance Armstrong. Cyclists more so than runners pay particular attention to the importance of weight, yet have figured out how to balance caloric intake and expenditure without loss of endurance and strength.

Check out this article about Lance's dietary planning posted on msnbc.com.

"To make positive adaptations to training, your body needs a slight surplus of energy. To lose weight, you need a slight energy deficit. Trying to lose significant amounts of weight while training hard can do more harm than good because it robs the body of its ability to recover, which in turn reduces the positive impact of workouts."

The Best Running Shoes- Fall Review

Here is the Fall Shoe Guide from msn.com.

Jenny Crain Update- Sept 25

September 25, 2007

JENNY PREPARING FOR REHAB

"While Jenny’s condition remains basically the same, her care team is preparing for her transfer to a rehabilitation facility in Milwaukee.

Jenny continues to minimally respond to stimuli: she is blinking her eyes and giving finger/hand gestures. It is anticipated that Jenny will be moved in the next few days.

As Jenny acclimates to her new environment, we are not sure what the visitation schedule will be. Jenny’s family wants a good mix of visitors and focused therapy. Please stay tuned to this page for information on supporting Jenny’s rehabilitation.

Thanks you for your devoted support for Jenny."

-www.carepages.com

Racing and Training Update

Last Saturday I raced a 5K in the Standard Examiner Classic (17:49)- I did not feel particularly strong and my time was a little slower than I had hoped. I think I just need to sharpen a little with a few more races and or quality interval workouts.

This weekend is the XTERRA 10K National Trail Running 10K
Championships at Incline Village, Nevada.

I've made some changes in my workouts the last month- more sustained tempo (20-30 minutes)runs and some better weekend long runs- a couple of 15 milers. The rest of this week I will do a short interval workout- today was 8 x400s and I will do something similar tomorrow and hope to feel strong on Saturday.

Does Intermittent Exposure to Altitude Simulation Work?

According to AltO2Lab, a company that makes portable altitude simulators, an effective protocol with their device calls for an hour a day of 6 minutes on, 4 minutes off. Unfortunately, I was unable to access the link to their supporting research, but the website claims significant improvement in athletic performance following 15 days compared to a matched placebo group.

Colorado Altitude Training, a company that sells altitude simulator systems, cites this study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology that concludes just the opposite: "Four weeks of a 5:5-min normobaric hypoxia exposure at rest for 70 min, 5 days/wk, is not a sufficient stimulus to elicit improved performance or change the normal level of erythropoiesis in highly trained runners."

I'll keep looking!

Jenny Crain Update

September 16, 2007 - from carepage.com

JENNY TRANSFERRED OUT OF ICU, CONDITION UPGRADED

Tonight Jenny was moved from ICU to 5NW Room 18 at Froedtert Hospital. This is an important milestone reached by Jenny. Jenny will been taken off all of her antibiotics by Wednesday indicating that her infection has been successfully addressed.

For the third straight day Jenny’s eyes are open and moving. She seems to be showing increased eye movement and is occasionally following objects around the room. Jenny is also beginning to exhibit some muscle resistance in her arms when her family is helping her with range of motion therapy.

Jenny’s family is deeply appreciative of the entire care team in the ICU. Please join in thanking the medical team for their outstanding treatment of Jenny.

Yesterday Briggs and Al’s Run occurred on the streets of Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on the event reported it this way:

“Jenny Crain wasn't there Saturday to defend the title she has won the past two years at the Briggs and Al's Run and Walk for Children's Hospital.

But her spirit was certainly in attendance.

Crain, the well-known Milwaukee marathoner, remains in critical condition at Froedtert Hospital, where she has been since Aug. 21. On that day, Crain was hit by an automobile in Milwaukee while on a training run.

Crain, 39, who had been given a strong chance of making the 2008 United States Olympic team, is suffering from head, jaw and neck injuries. The three-time winner of the 8-kilometer Al's Run's was in the hearts and minds of many of the competitors and spectators at the event, which is in its 30th year.

"I have never run in this event before, but I wanted to be here today for Jenny," said women's winner Bethany Brewster, 27, a six-time All-American runner at the University of Wisconsin from Madison. "It felt good to come out here and race for her."
Many of the runners and spectators wore "Make it happen" T-shirts supporting Crain.

Al's Run organizers gave space to the Crain supporters to sell the T-shirts, the proceeds of which will be used to help defray her medical costs.”

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=662679

Sleep is Part of the Running Performance Equation

Besides genetics, what are the factors that can impact your running? Long runs, speed work, recovery, nutrition, and who knows what else. What about sleep?

According to this article published in New York Times artcle by Gina Kolata, nobody seems to know for sure the impact of sleep deprivation on endurance. Or for that matter, the impact hard training has on the ability to sleep.

"Deena Kastor, who won the London Marathon last year and set an American record, said she sleeps 10 hours at night and takes a two-hour nap every afternoon. Steven Spence, a marathoner who won a bronze medal at the 1991 world championships in Tokyo, had the same sleep habits when he was training."

“I would be sleeping about half of my life,” Mr. Spence said.

The bottom line for advice for anybody, regardless of how much you run, would be to obstain from alcohol, caffeine, or energy drinks. Let's assume you don't use nicotine!

New Stretching Study Underway

USA Track and Field is looking for runners interested in participating in a large scale study on pre-run stretching and injury prevention.

In order to join this study, you must:

be 13 years or older
be injury-free for at least 6 weeks prior to enrolling
be running at least 10 miles per week
be able to run for at least 3 months (the duration of the study)
be willing to commit (after being randomly assigned) to either pre-run stretching or no stretching for your running routine

Interested? Go to the USATF website to sign-up.

Great Prices on Running Gear!

If you are in the market for some new running gear, check out the prices of Bill Rodgers Sportsgear here!
At least 50% off all items.

Going Back to What Works

This summer has been fantastic for training. For several weeks I did most of my running on the Snowbasin trails training preparing for the XTERRA trail race series. Trail running in the mountains has a place in the ideal training routine, but I have learned not to overdo it.

After 2 bad races in a row, I decided to head back down to the flat roads at 5,000 feet and focus more on tempo. One of my favorites turned out to be a 3 mile out and back, which I got down to 21 minutes out and 19 minutes back. I did a few of those and sure enough ran 17:25 at the Rosholt Labor Day Run, a good time for me (I turned 54 the week prior).

With the uphills, altitude, and poor footing, most trail runs on Snowbasin were run at 10 min mile pace. Even though my heart rate and breathing told me that I was working at a high enough percentage of V02 Max to get very fit, the leg turnover was just too slow.

The lesson? I'll continue to enjoy the trails, but only once a week as a serious uphill workout unless I go up for a planned easy day or just need a break from the faster training down on the flats.

Learn the Course!

Since I ran my first cross country race back in 1967, I've entered and run well over 1,000 races. Of those, I have gotten lost at least 2 dozen times, maybe more.

Well it happened again at the annual University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Alumni Cross Country race. Sometime after the 3-mile mark (which I hit in 17:55) with the main pack out of sight, I followed the guy in front of me, who for some reason veered off down the wrong loop (I think perhaps he followed a runner who was already cooling down).

Knowing that I would be well back of the leaders, I didn't bother studying the course map thoroughly enough. You would think I would know better.

Back in 1971, I attempted my first marathon in Whitewater, Wisconsin, which turned into complete chaos. I was in 18th or so after 10 miles but by 20 I was suddenly running in 4th. A pack of 15 or so went the wrong way. Hitting mile 25 in 2 hrs 51 minutes, I was on pace to easily break 3 hours until I followed an arrow sign the wrong direction. After several minutes, I figured everything out and finally got in at 3 hr 05 min. That was a painful mistake for me, but not nearly as painful as the 15 guys who got lost and ended up running an extra 4 or 5 miles.

Exercise Duration More Important than Intensity for Weight Control

...at least according to this study
Exercise duration and intensity in a weight-loss program"When participants were divided by their reported average weekly duration of exercise at months 6 and 12, the group which averaged > or =200 min/week at both time points lost more weight than the groups which averaged <150 min/week of physical activity or whose activity duration was inconsistent (difference among groups, P = 0.01). They also had a greater percent increase in cardiorespiratory fitness than those who averaged <150 min/week of physical activity (P = 0.007) and those whose activity was inconsistent (P = 0.003)."

Chambliss, HO, Clin J Sport Med. 2005 Mar;15(2):113-5

Is Walking 30 Minutes on 3 Days a Week Enough?

According to this study out of Ireland, subjects who walked 30 minutes on 3 times per week for 12 weeks averaged a 5 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure, a 2.6 cm drop in waist circumference, and a 2.4 cm drop in hip circumference. The numbers on subjects who walked 5 days a week were similar.

Here is another study that found no significant change in blood pressure, blood lipids, or girth measurements in previously sedentary adults who walked 20 minutes 3 days a week.

Obviously diet plays an important role in all of these parameters, however there seems to be evidence that you need to walk more than 60 minutes a week to experience some of these important health benefits.