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Lead Stories: Friday, July 25, 2008

Josh Cox: Miracles . . . A Runner’s Case for Theism (Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #6)

Posted April 3rd, 2008 at 12:45 PM by Josh Cox

Section: Elite Athlete Blogs, Josh Cox

Welcome to the official blog of U.S. marathon runner Josh Cox. Every other Wednesday visit http://joshcox.thefinalsprint.com for Cox’s latest blog entry and for more information, also please visit: www.joshcox.com

“If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it.” -Richard Dawkins, Evolutionary Biologist, Oxford scholar, author of “The God Delusion”

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”
-CS Lewis, author, teacher, former atheist, and Oxford Scholar

“It is, of course, true that your success would be open to a variety of interpretations-perhaps such a miracle says nothing about the existence of God but demonstrates that clairvoyance is an actual power of the human mind and that you possess it in spades.” -Sam Harris, atheist evangelist and author, explaining away the miraculous

“Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature, and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable.” --Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist

I wasn’t planning on writing this. Honest. I pondered the idea during my long run with Dan [Browne] last week, again during my 15 miler over the weekend and a final time as I responded to nearly half of the 17 emails asking what I believed and why I believed it – but not even those served as this blog’s impetus. Nope. The tipping point came when I stumbled across the poem I wrote for my dad’s funeral nearly two years ago. I didn’t read it all; I couldn’t read it all – didn’t want to. Tears, therapeutic as they may be, don’t lend themselves to productivity; and because I am busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest I figured I would spare my wife the Dick Vermeil impression.
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AquaJoe: New, Convenient & Portable Hydration System

Posted January 8th, 2008 at 10:15 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Nutrition, Hydration

The new AquaJoe portable hydration system gives runners and active individuals a convenient solution for carrying their favorite powdered drink.
The concept is simple:

1. Fill the AquaJoe with the desired measure of powdered drink
• Each AquaJoe holds up to 3 tablespoons of powder
2. Seal the AquaJoe to ensure no spillage during your activity
• Just turn the scoop 180 degrees to seal
3. Clip the AquaJoe to your hydration pack or water bottle, or tuck into your backpack

• The device weighs about 1 oz and is 6″ in length, making it very portable
• Is compatible and works well with hydration devices (Fuelbelt, Camelbak, etc.) and Nalgene waterbottles.
4. When you need a new drink, just add the required concentration of powder to water.

• This allows you to refill your water bottle and add powder several times during a single activity.

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Q&A: Is it true that weight loss during exercise is normal?

Posted December 29th, 2007 at 2:16 PM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

If you weigh yourself before and after an hour or two of exercise, the difference is likely to be fluid loss. However, in events lasting several hours or even several days, measurable fat loss can occur. At a competitive 12-hour indoor stationary bicycle marathon, one athlete took fluids and food throughout the entire competition, and still lost 2.64 pounds (Schweizerische Rundschau für Medizin Praxis, July 2007).

Of this weight loss, 1.98 pounds was due to loss of fat. His calculated muscle weight increased by 1.46 pounds due to damage to the muscle cells, which results in fluid retention in the cells.
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TFS Follow-up Review:
nuun’s New “kona cola” Flavored Electrolyte Tablets

Posted December 4th, 2007 at 7:54 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Product Reviews

In the expanding world of hydration products, nuun has separated itself from the pack with their quality portable electrolyte tablets. It is dissolves quickly, is sugar-free, is convenient to use, and tends to have a mild, pleasing taste.
(For nuun product details and to read TheFinalSprint.com’s review from earlier this year, please click here).

Since TFS’s review, nuun has added “kona cola” as a new flavor to their existing lineup of lemon-lime, tri-berry, and citrus fruit. Not only does Kona Kola give a new taste, but also offers 40 mg of caffeine for each tablet. This quantity of caffeine is roughly half of the amount found in a cup of coffee, and is more on par with a cup of tea or a serving of cola.
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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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Gatorade and Tiger Woods Join Forces to Develop a Signature Line of Sports Performance Beverages

Posted October 17th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Nutrition, Hydration, Supplements

The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo, and Tiger Woods announced today a collaboration to develop Tiger- inspired sports performance beverages for athletes at all levels. Terms of the licensing deal were not disclosed.

“Gatorade has been part of my game plan for years, whether I’m training or competing, so this is an ideal match,” said Woods. “Gatorade is a winning brand with a proven formula and the science to back it up. That’s why I wanted to partner with them. I’m eager to launch my first signature product in a few months and look forward to developing additional sports performance beverages with Gatorade in the coming years.”

The first product, Gatorade Tiger, is a Gatorade Thirst Quencher subline that will be launched in March 2008. The subline charters new territory for Gatorade, as it marks the first-ever licensing deal for the $5 Billion brand (US) and Tiger Woods’ first-ever endorsed sports beverage.
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CHICAGO MARATHON PREDICTION CONTEST:
Win a four-month supply of Ultima Replenisher’s balanced electrolyte drink!

Posted October 8th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Announcements, Marathons, Nutrition, Hydration, Special Features, Sweepstakes

TheFinalSprint.com and I would like to thank the thousands of people who took the time to enter our Chicago Marathon Prediction Contest.

We also sincerely appreciate all of the support from our friends at Ultima Replenisher and thank them for generously awarding our lucky winners with four-month supplies of Ultima’s Balanced Electrolyte Drink; enough to keep them running strong throughout this fall’s marathon season!

Speaking of winners … Congratulations to Eddie (Chesterfield, MO), Liz (Deerfield, IL), Danielle (New York, NY), and Mark (Shaker Heights, OH) for being randomly selected among entrants with correct predictions as this year’s winners!

Thanks again … and stay tuned … because we’ll be announcing another exciting sweepstakes in just a few days!

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TFS Review: Camelbak Octane 8+ Hydration Pack

Posted September 27th, 2007 at 7:45 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Nutrition, Hydration, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

It seems that in the world of hydration systems, there is always give-and-take and compromise. The small, light packs may not carry enough water. The bottle-based belt systems require use of hands and often make you stop in your activity during use. The hands-free, bladder-based systems tend to bounce around too much and cause discomfort.

Personally, I tend to gravitate toward the bladder-based hydration systems, such as those made by Camelbak or Ultimate Direction, because I can use them in full stride during my runs. I hate having to stop, pull out a bottle, and then put it back before resuming my run. However, all of the bladder-based hydration systems I had used in the past tended to have a heavy weight, poor center of gravity, and a tendency bounce around. Over the duration of a long road or trail run, this not only proves to be annoying, but can also cause chaffing, discomfort, and alteration of my stride.
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What You Need to Know When Starting a Running Routine

Posted September 20th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Jamal Walker

Section: Running & Training, Training Plans

Why run?

Running carries with it the same benefits of all cardiovascular exercise: it helps reduce stress, strengthens the heart and lungs, reduces risk of certain diseases, increases confidence, brightens your mood, helps you sleep better, gives you more energy, and, in general, provides a better sense of well being. It is also a great way to burn calories.

How many calories do you burn running a mile?

Conventional wisdom says that, for every mile you run, you will burn 100 calories. But other factors play into the equation as well, including your running speed and your body weight. Generally speaking, a 135 pound person will burn about 100 calories per mile. A 200 pound person, running at the same speed, may burn 150. Obviously, the faster you run, the more calories you will burn.

Starting to run

Running can be stressful on your body, particularly on your leg muscles and knees. But you can minimize your risk of injury by following a few, simple tips.
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Got Cramps?
Check Your Salt Intake

Posted August 31st, 2007 at 8:10 AM by Katie Drummond

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

The most common cause of muscle cramps in exercisers is lack of salt, according to a report from the University of Oklahoma (Sports Medicine, April-May 2007).

The authors cite studies of tennis and football players showing that crampers tend to be salty sweaters, and of triathletes who cramp losing more salt during a race than peers who did not cramp. They found that intravenous saline can reverse cramping, and that more salt in the diet or in sports drinks can help to prevent heat cramping.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

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