Run for the Lakes

It was a marvelous day for a 13.1-mile run (thank god I wasn't running the full marathon!) Criminy! It's almost May.

Think Twice before Taking a Break from Your Exercise Routine!

Consistency, consistency! Check out these findings reported in Science Daily.

The consequences of quitting exercise may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that determined that the weight gained during an exercise hiatus can be tough to shed when exercise is resumed at a later date. Using data collected from the National Runners’ Health Study, Williams found that the impacts of increasing and decreasing vigorous exercise aren’t the same among all runners. At distances above 20 miles per week in men and 10 miles per week in women, the pounds gained by running less were about the same as the pounds lost by running more. At these exercise levels, the effects of training and quitting training are comparable, and the weight gains and losses associated with changes in exercise levels are probably reversible. However, Williams found that people who didn’t run as many miles per week face an uphill battle if they want to lose the pounds accumulated during an exercise hiatus. At these less intense levels, an interruption in exercise produces weight gain that is not lost by simply resuming the same exercise regimen.

Endurance Sports Meet Private Equity

Wow. Those private equity schmucks will not stop until they have taken over the world. Falconhead Capital LLC issued a press release today announcing the completion of its acquisition of Inside Communications Inc., the publisher of the venerable cycling magazine VeloNews "The Journal of Competitive Cycling." Falconhead Capital also recently purchased Elite Racing - the firm that puts on the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series. Falconhead is also rumored to be interested in purchasing the Los Angeles Marathon. Why are these parasites so interested in endurance sports? Here's a hint from a The Deal.com article that is available on Falconhead's website.

Triathlons are a $1.3 billion industry and growing; membership has risen by 23% since 2002 and is now growing by 35% a year, according to USA Triathlon, the sport's official governing body."

Moreover, the demographics "are highly attractive to marketers," says Moross, noting that the average household income for triathletes is $160,000.

"Where we see big value is where we can harness all customers who read these magazines. It's all about being able to spend more money and get folks to buy things," he adds. Revenue comes from entry fees, sponsorship, TV, merchandise and fitness expos.

I haven't quite processed all of this yet. But I'm pretty sure that this is not a good thing, and that it signals the top of the running/cycling/triathlon boom.

The End of the Specialty Running Store

Can small independent running stores compete as chaings like Road Runner Sports, The Running Room, and Fleet Feet expand? Check out this NY Times article.

Some of the stores are seemingly no bigger than a closet and their wares fairly limited. But for a generation, specialty running stores have managed to survive — even thrive — around the country despite competition from the big chains and online and mail order outlets. These small stores may be at a turning point, though. They face newly invigorated competition from bigger players looking for a piece of their profitable action. Chief among them is Road Runner Sports, a 25-year-old mail order (and now Internet) powerhouse based in San Diego. The company is opening its 19th store this month, and its president and chief executive, Michael Gotfredson, has a goal of 100. The Road Runner stores offer the same personalized service as their specialty rivals but are far bigger (8,500 square feet of selling space, on average) and have a more extensive inventory. At the same time, the specialty running stores are, in effect, graying. Some of the pioneers of the genre got into the business more than 30 years ago, and are now close to retirement age, many without a succession plan.

Crawford County Iowa Bans RAGBRAI

This is just wrong on so many levels:

RAGBRAI has been banned from rolling through Crawford County.Stinging from a $350,000 settlement paid to the widow of a RAGBRAI rider who died in Crawford County, the board of supervisors on Tuesday passed a resolution that prohibits the bicycle ride or "any event of like kind and nature."Crawford County officials say their roads are not designed for bicycle travel, so they are too risky for use by participants in the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

A new Health Food?

This Runner's World article confirms what Gopher Girl learned long ago: Peanut butter is the perfect food. "Peanut butter-yes, that sticky companion to jelly on all those sandwiches your mom made-just might be the best runner's food on the planet."

Intervals or Tempo Runs?

When it comes to improving your race times, quality (intensity) beats quantity.

I'm BACK!

Gopher Girl has been on vacation, and so much happened while she was away. For example, Runner's World took a cue from the LBOs and announced that it was acquiring the Running Times.

When Exercise is Bad for You

The Times reports on a study published in the European Heart Journal. According to the Times, super-fit athletes who train hard for triathlons and marathons can develop a life-threatening condition called ventricular arrhythmia. As is usually the case with these "endurance exercise is bad for you" reports, the condition is very rare.

Need to Race!

I am going through race withdrawal. I haven't run a race since December's Reindeer Run http://www.reindeerrun.com/website/ and given the casual (and cold) atmosphere that one hardly counts. I need a new challenge and I can't wait until spring. What's a northern girl to do?

And now, a word from our orthopedist

Everything you ever wanted to know about repetitive strain injuries: http://julstro.com/what_happens_exactly.html

Not Quite Terry Fox, But Still Cool

This summer and fall, Paul Staso, an ultramarathon runner from Missoula, ran solo (and unsupported) across the U.S. to encourage kids to be active, averaging 30 miles a day. His trip took him from Cannon Beach, Oregon to Cape Henlopen, Delaware. The first part of the route retraced much of a great roadtrip a friend and I took in 1994. The question is, how many pairs of running shoes did it take, and did he carry extra shoes with him or buy them along the way? Read all about it: http://www.pacerun.com/

Don't drink the water, or eat the food

2008 Olympians, beware! The former head of China's Olympic Doping Center warns that athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics who decide to sample the local cuisine run the risk of testing positive for anabolic steroids and other banned substances. The issue was underscored when 336 people fell sick in Shanghai in September after eating pork contaminated with anabolic steroids. http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/28112006/3/doped-chinese-food-sets-2008-olympic-alarm-bells-ringing.html

The First Sign of Spring?

Registration for the 30th Annual Get in Gear Races is now open! http://www.getingear10k.com/registration.html

The Dangers of Bike Helmets

An article in today’s Sunday New York Times magazine reveals the punch-line of an upcoming article in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention. (Who even knew there was such a publication? Of course, as a subscriber to that other page-turner, Pensions & Investments, who am I to judge another profession’s publications.) According to the Times, a University of Bath psychologist used an ultransonic sensor to measure how much room passing motorists gave him while riding his bicycle, with or without a helmet. He found that when he wore his helmet, motorists passed, on average, over 3 inches closer. The author of the upcoming article theorizes that helmets change the behavior of drivers. Motorists regard a helmet as a signal that the cyclist is experienced and thus can be approached with less caution. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/magazine/10bike.html

High Runners?

Endorphins' role in "runner's high" has been dismissed, but a University of Beirut neuroscientist believes that he has identified the biological agent responsible for the feelings of calm and euphoria often reported by endurance athletes. The substance works on the same brain receptors as the psychoactive agent THC. "The natural chemical was discovered in 1992. It's called anandamide, from the Sanskrit word for "bliss." Anandamide is very similar to THC, and it produces pleasant feelings of relaxation and pain cessation similar to those often described by runners and pot smokers." http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--1102-0,00.html

Have another glass of red wine this Thanksgiving

This New York Times article explains why endurance athletes should drink more (red wine, that is.) "An ordinary laboratory mouse will run one kilometer on a treadmill before collapsing from exhaustion. But mice given resveratrol, a minor component of red wine and other foods, run twice as far. They also have energy-charged muscles and a reduced heart rate, just as trained athletes do, according to an article published online in Cell by Johan Auwerx and colleagues at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France." http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/17/health/17drug.html