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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Event Calendar: Marathons, Road Races, & More! (Courtesy of Active.com)

Posted January 4th, 2008 at 2:00 PM by thefinalsprint.com

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Running & Training, Tools & Resources, Road Racing

Looking for your next marathon, half-marathon, or other distance road race? Then input when and where you would like to race in the Active.com Event Calendar found below and you’ll find a plethora of opportunities to reach your goals and Finish Strong!
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Endurance training techniques for runners of all levels

Posted January 5th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Emily Hoskins

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

Unlike many recreational activities, training for a marathon is serious business. If you fail to train properly you not only run the risk of not finishing, but you could seriously injure yourself.

There are several types of endurance training out there, so finding the right one for your personal goals and needs is crucial. The types of aerobic endurance training differ in duration, frequency, and intensity which will lead to different physiological adaptations within the body that improve your overall fitness level.
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Portable electrolyte tablets: What’s all the buzz about?

Posted December 16th, 2006 at 6:19 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements

Since the advent of Gatorade, manufacturers have been in fierce competition to one-up each other with new and better ways to fuel athletes. This has created a very saturated market; one that features a plethora of choices for competitive athletes. As a result, athletes vary greatly, especially in the world of endurance sports, about which option they believe is the most effective.

One alternative that has begun to slowly, pick-up steam in the market is the electrolyte tablet. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding these portable tablets, such as Nuun and Zym, because they are quick and convenient mechanisms for obtaining vital replenishment of electrolytes and other vitamins.
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What causes muscle fatigue during endurance events?

Posted December 5th, 2006 at 3:00 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Training Tips

When you exercise for a long time, your muscles start to burn and feel sore, which forces you to slow down. You call this fatigue and tiredness, but a recent study from Japan shows that muscle fatigue is caused by damage to the muscle itself (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, July 2005).

This also explains why exercising long and hard enough to feel the burn for an extended period leaves your muscles sore for one or more days afterwards. Athletes call this Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and they learn that they have to have this next-day soreness to improve for competition.
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How Much Water Should I Drink? How Much is Too Much?

Posted October 15th, 2006 at 12:00 PM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Nutrition, Hydration, Health & Fitness

For the last 40 years, sports medicine experts have told athletes in endurance events that they should take fluids frequently during events lasting more than one hour.

However, three years ago, a 28-year-old woman collapsed and died after finishing the Boston Marathon. Her blood salt levels were extremely low and she died from a condition called hyponatremia. A few weeks ago, a policeman training for bicycle duty died of the same condition.

On July 26, 2005, sports medicine experts issued a warning to all athletes from the First International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, July/August 2005).

I have never seen this syndrome in well-conditioned athletes. It has been reported almost exclusively in very thin, less-fit, slower and novice athletes, and is far more common in women. This condition is caused by drinking too much fluid and is not caused by excessive loss of salt in sweat or by exercising. Read the rest of this entry »

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