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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Your First Marathon:
You Can Do It!

Posted November 12th, 2007 at 6:30 PM by Andrew Goodman

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Motivation, Training Tips, Cross Training, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Completing a marathon puts ordinary runners in the company of elite athletes—finishing a 26.2-mile run is an impressive accomplishment.

But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to join the ranks of marathoners around the world. With dedication and training, most runners can complete a marathon—and then have the satisfaction of being able to say, “A marathon” Yeah, I’ve done that.”

So don’t shy away from a marathon because it seems too hard, too long, too painful. With the right attitude and a good training regimen, it’s just 26.2 miles away.
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Five helpful tips for a healthy, active summer of running and overall fitness

Posted June 25th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Motivation, Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Supplements, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

The following article was written by TFS guest contributor Dr. Larry Robinson. For more about Dr. Robinson, check out the “About Dr. Robinson” section at the conclusion of the article.

1. Use the summer weather to increase your outdoor activity:

“From running and baseball games in the park to weekend getaways hiking, biking and canoeing, summer’s the perfect time to get in shape without a daily trip to the gym,” says Dr. Robinson. “Use the season to start a new sport you’ve always been interested in that can carry you through the holidays, New Year’s resolutions and colder weather.”

Of course check with your physician first if you have any physical concerns, and always start off easy. If you’re prone to heat stroke or exhaustion, take advantage of dusk and dawn to complete your fitness activity. And, as always, drink plenty of water and don’t forget the sunscreen for daytime outdoor activities.
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Do triathletes get injured more often than one-sport athletes?

Posted March 12th, 2007 at 12:29 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Cross Training, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Triathletes are injured only about one third as often as marathon runners even though they do far more work in their program of swimming, cycling and running. Training intelligently for three sports is less likely to injure you than training very hard for one. Training is limited by damage to skeletal muscles.

Every time you exercise, your muscles develop small tears with bleeding. It takes at least 48 hours for muscles to heal from exercise. Each sport stresses a particular group of muscles most. Marathon runners who train every day stress the same muscles and often do not allow adequate time to recover from the previous day’s workout, so they are at increased risk for injury.

Top triathletes train in different sports on consecutive days. Running stresses the lower leg muscles most, cycling stresses the upper leg muscles most and swimming stresses the arms and shoulders most. Triathletes usually set up a workout schedule that includes two sports on one day and one on the next.
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Podcast 20: Interview with Kristin Armstrong, Olympic cyclist & former pro triathlete

Posted February 26th, 2007 at 1:30 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Today’s podcast features my interview with U.S. Olympic and TEAm LIPTON cyclist Kristin Armstrong.

Although osteoarthritis ended her competitive triathlon career, Kristin made the transition to professional cycling and never looked back. In just five short years she has become one of the world’s elite; winning the 2004 American Olympic Trials, 2004 U.S. Elite National Road Race and the 2005 National Time Trials Championship.

Download the podcast to hear Kristin talk about how she overcame osteoarthritis and her own self-doubt to achieve tremendous success. She also discusses the journey from multi-sport training to a singular focus on cycling, injury prevention, TEAm LIPTON, how fans often confuse her with Lance’s ex-wife, her advice for runners looking to attempt a triathlon and much more!

Listen In
[MP3] Direct Download (Right click, select “save as”).
[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Kristin Armstrong
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 16.2MB
Length: 00:23:44

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

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Are spinning classes a good way to exercise?

Posted December 31st, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

Whether you’re out of shape or very fit, spinning classes can help you improve. You ride a stationary bicycle in a group, with a leader who tells you what to do and plays lively music to set the tempo.

Many health clubs and gyms offer these classes, and I recommend them to all of my patients. Spinning is relatively safe because it is done with a smooth rotary motion that does not involve the muscle damaging road shock of running.
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