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Lead Stories: Thursday, August 28, 2008

Johnson Visits Aspire Youth Sporting Facility in Qatar

Posted January 30th, 2008 at 9:15 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Record breaking Olympians Sir Steve Redgrave and Michael Johnson took time out from the 2008 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy, to visit the ASPIRE Academy for Excellence – and were immediately impressed with the ultra-modern facilities.

The two sportsmen – who between them amassed ten Olympic gold medals – were taken on a guided tour of the facilities by Prof. Dr. Dieter Hackfort, Dean ASPIRE & Director QESA Department who briefed them on the aims and function of ASPIRE before explaining the workings of the sport psychology aspect of the Academy in which they were especially interested.

Redgrave, who won five consecutive rowing golds, and US sprinter Johnson – winner of gold at 200m, 400m and 4×400m relay – toured the complex as part of their visit to Doha as guests of Commercialbank.

And the American admitted it was an eye-opening experience. “We don’t have anything like this in the US as most young people play sport anyway and there is an automatic natural process of selection,” he said.
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Impact of extreme weather conditions on marathon running performances

Posted May 23rd, 2007 at 1:00 PM by Megan Hueter

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

In general, marathon races are among the most physiologically demanding endurance events in the world with runners competing for a distance of 42 kilometers (26.2 miles). (3,6) Competitive marathon runners often maintain a pace equaling 70-90% of their VO2max (max output) for over two hours. (6) Both biological and environmental factors affect the thermoregulatory balance in marathon runners.

Marathon races are considered mass participation events, and heat injuries occur in less extreme conditions. When running in closer proximity to other runners, it has been reported that the physiological heat stress is three times more straining on the body compared to someone running solo in identical weather conditions. (6) As mentioned earlier biological and environmental factors play a role in maintaining thermoregulatory balance in marathon runners. Biological factors such as dehydration, metabolic rate and gender limit thermoregulatory control. (3)
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TFS Review: Jack Daniels’
The Art and Science of Running DVD

Posted May 11th, 2007 at 5:07 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Motivation, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Coaches, runners, and fans of training methodology take note: the knowledge of the man declared by Runners World as “Worlds Best Coach” and by NCAA as “Cross Country Coach of the Century” is now accessible through DVD. You can now gain insight into the mind of running guru Jack Daniels via the Jack Daniels - The Art and Science of Running DVD.

The DVD is composed of three main sections, each with several sub-topics:
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