Better stay on the couch!
Marilynn Marchione THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ORLANDO, Fla. – Warning to weekend warriors: Swim-bike-run triathlons pose at least twice the risk of sudden death as marathons do, the first study of these competitions has found.
The risk is mostly from heart problems during the swimming part. And while that risk is low – about 15 out of a million participants – it's not inconsequential, the study's author says.
Triathlons are soaring in popularity, especially as charity fundraisers. They are drawing many people who are not used to such demanding exercise. Each year, about 1,000 of these events are held and several hundred thousand Americans try one.
"It's something someone just signs up to do, (often without a medical checkup to rule out heart problems)," said Dr. Kevin Harris, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. "They might prepare for a triathlon by swimming laps in their pool.
"That's a lot different than swimming in a lake or a river."
The rate for triathletes is far higher – 15 out of a million, the new study shows. Almost all occurred during the swim portion, usually the first event
Remainder of Article:
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/610631
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
What is YOUR Perfect Day?
With life seemingly so hectic, a friend and I were recently having a conversation about what our idea of a "perfect day" would be.
I think for me, it would be as follows:
Wake up at 6am to a full pot of freshly brewed coffee. Have a few cups, and eat a nice big breakfast, Eggs Benedict of course.
Join some of my close friends for a leisurely 2 hour road bike ride in perfect 70 degree temps. On the bike ride we would stop for coffee and a baggel at our favorite litte coffe shop.
After the ride, we would have a swim in the lake followed by Burgers and Beers on the dock. A nice nap in the afternoon sun, with some more swimming and beer.
Evening would be Nachos and Beer with the gang.
What is YOUR perfect day?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
It’s Time to Make a Coffee Run
WELDON JOHNSON first tried caffeine as a performance enhancer in 1998. He was not a coffee drinker but had heard that caffeine could make him run faster. So he went to a convenience store before a race and drank a cup of coffee.
For the first time in his life, he ran 10 kilometers in less than 30 minutes.
“I remember being really wired before the race,” he said in an e-mail message. “My body was shaking.”
From then on, he was a convert.
Mr. Johnson, a founder of LetsRun.com, would avoid caffeine, even in soft drinks, for a few weeks before he competed in a race, wanting to have the full stimulant effect.
It may have been a huge placebo effect, but I swore by it,” Mr. Johnson said. “Having a cup of coffee exactly one hour before the race was part of my routine.”
Or maybe it was not a placebo effect.
Caffeine, it turns out, actually works. And it is legal, one of the few performance enhancers that is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
So even as sports stars from baseball players to cyclists to sprinters are pilloried for using performance enhancing drugs, one of the best studied performance enhancers is fine for them or anyone else to use. And it is right there in a cup of coffee or a can of soda.
Starting as long ago as 1978, researchers have been publishing caffeine studies. And in study after study, they concluded that caffeine actually does improve performance. In fact, some experts, like Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of McMaster University in Canada, are just incredulous that anyone could even ask if caffeine has a performance effect.
“There is so much data on this that it’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s just unequivocal that caffeine improves performance. It’s been shown in well-respected labs in multiple places around the world.”
For the rest of article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/health/nutrition/26best.html?th&emc=th
For the first time in his life, he ran 10 kilometers in less than 30 minutes.
“I remember being really wired before the race,” he said in an e-mail message. “My body was shaking.”
From then on, he was a convert.
Mr. Johnson, a founder of LetsRun.com, would avoid caffeine, even in soft drinks, for a few weeks before he competed in a race, wanting to have the full stimulant effect.
It may have been a huge placebo effect, but I swore by it,” Mr. Johnson said. “Having a cup of coffee exactly one hour before the race was part of my routine.”
Or maybe it was not a placebo effect.
Caffeine, it turns out, actually works. And it is legal, one of the few performance enhancers that is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
So even as sports stars from baseball players to cyclists to sprinters are pilloried for using performance enhancing drugs, one of the best studied performance enhancers is fine for them or anyone else to use. And it is right there in a cup of coffee or a can of soda.
Starting as long ago as 1978, researchers have been publishing caffeine studies. And in study after study, they concluded that caffeine actually does improve performance. In fact, some experts, like Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of McMaster University in Canada, are just incredulous that anyone could even ask if caffeine has a performance effect.
“There is so much data on this that it’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s just unequivocal that caffeine improves performance. It’s been shown in well-respected labs in multiple places around the world.”
For the rest of article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/health/nutrition/26best.html?th&emc=th
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Cool link for podcast fans
If anyone is like me, and enjoys listening to podcasts while working out, or in the care... this seems like a cool link for some running/tri related podcasts.
Running Podcasts
Running Podcasts
Does this come in King Size Dave?
Behold, the official Ironman mattress.
Wonder if I can train less if I use it?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Possible Nacho trip?
This could be a potential Nacho Trip.
Hotter N' Hell 100 is a 100 mile bike race in Texas.
Damnit if we couldn't get some good nachos there.
http://www.hh100.org/
Hotter N' Hell 100 is a 100 mile bike race in Texas.
Damnit if we couldn't get some good nachos there.
http://www.hh100.org/
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Huntsville Pool Closed from June to December 2009
March 11, 2009 - by Carlye Malchuk Dash
The pool and auditorium at the Huntsville Centennial Centre will be closed in early June and remain closed until mid-December due to construction on the centre as part of the expansion project to add a second arena surface, community services director Brian Crozier told council recently.
At the March 6 council meeting, Crozier announced construction and centennial centre shutdown times for the spring and summer.
Crozier told council the centennial centre would operate as usual during the busy upcoming March break week, with an official construction start date of April 8.
“On March 24 and 25 we’re setting up for our spring registration for swimming, so we’ll get that in before we start making these changes,” he said. “Right after that . . . we will change the entrance and then the next week after that, we’ll have program registration for all our day camps on March 31 and April 1 and those registrations will happen here in our pool lobby as we normally do.”
The pool and auditorium at the Huntsville Centennial Centre will be closed in early June and remain closed until mid-December due to construction on the centre as part of the expansion project to add a second arena surface, community services director Brian Crozier told council recently.
At the March 6 council meeting, Crozier announced construction and centennial centre shutdown times for the spring and summer.
Crozier told council the centennial centre would operate as usual during the busy upcoming March break week, with an official construction start date of April 8.
“On March 24 and 25 we’re setting up for our spring registration for swimming, so we’ll get that in before we start making these changes,” he said. “Right after that . . . we will change the entrance and then the next week after that, we’ll have program registration for all our day camps on March 31 and April 1 and those registrations will happen here in our pool lobby as we normally do.”
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