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Runner's Web Digest - August 13, 2021 - Posted: August 13, 2021

The Runner's Web Digest is a FREE weekly digest of information on running, triathlons and multisport activities.
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Runner's Web Digest INDEX

1.Brooks Levitate Stealthfit 5 & GTS Performance Review
2. Anti-aging benefits of HIIT
3. There’s New Evidence on Heart Health in Endurance Athletes 
4. What kind of training does it take to become a world-beating athlete?
5. Fitness: How soon should young athletes start nurturing their Olympic dream? 
6. How to Push Yourself to the Edge Without Falling Off, According to Olympic Marathoner Molly Seidel
7. Israel’s Olympic marathon runner had to pause her race due to menstrual cramps
8. This Is How Safe It Is to Go to the Gym Right Now
9. Yawning is more than contagious
10. How to Use Running Apps to Hit the Road
11. Why Older Athletes Lose Explosive Power 
12. Exercise Vigorously for 4 Seconds. Repeat. Your Muscles May Thank You.
13. 3 ways to mentally adapt to training in extreme heat
14. What We Think We Know About Metabolism May Be Wron
15. Early vs Late Specialization: When should children specialize in sport?
THIS WEEK'S POLL:
Which of these athletic events did you enjoy the most at the Tokyo Olympic Games?
*	Sprints/hurdles
*	Middle distance
*	Long distance
*	Steeplechase
*	Jumps (high, long, triple jump)
*	Throws (shot, discus, javelin)
*	Pole vault
*	Decathlon/Heptathlon 

Vote here

PREVIOUS POLL RESULTS:
In regards to the IAAF ruling on limiting testosterone levels for female athletes:
1 I agree with the IAAF ruling regarding events from 800M to the Mile 	147  (6%)
2 The ruling should apply to all events 	1701  (73%)
3 The ruling is wrong and there should be no limits 	352  (15%)
4 No Opinion 	141  (6%)
Total Votes: 2341

FIVE STAR SITE OF THE MONTH AUGUST: RUNNING SCIENCE: Running Science was started in 2016 by Dylan and Jonathan, who wanted to collaborate on their joint passion for working with runners and discussing training philosophies. They wanted to create a site and a brand that could be used as a platform for not only teaching runners about the how’s and why’s of training, but also as a way of initiating discussions and debates around thought-provoking running-related topics. The name Running Science combined the focus on running while also looking at things from a more general sports science perspective. JONO is primarily a trail runner, who has been competing and coaching full-time for the past few years. However, he enjoys all varieties of running and has competed in everything from 800m to road marathons to ultra-trail races; with countless podium placings along the way over all distances and terrains. His coaching philosophy is based on creating a well-rounded athlete and building consistent, continuous improvement over a long period of time. Part of this is ensuring that despite being challenging, training must always remain enjoyable and mentally stimulating. Another key aspect of his training is communication, to ensure that an athlete can approach training with the right mentality and a good understanding of the purpose behind every run. DYLAN has a 5 year background in sport science and has worked with athletes, coaches and sports scientists across the board. He has dedicated an immense portion of his time studying the sport to understand that training is neither a science or an art, but both. He emphasises approaching training holistically, instilling confidence in an athlete as well as ensuring that there is maintainable long term growth. In his own capacity Dylan has run at a national championship level and has medalled at a senior provincial level. Visit the website at: RunningSciwence

BOOK/VIDEO/MOVIE OF THE MONTH FOR AUGUST .THE JOY OF SWEAT: THE STRANGE SCIENCE OF PERSPIRATION: By Sarah Everts (Author) A New York Times Most Anticipated Book of the Summer A taboo-busting romp through the shame, stink, and strange science of sweating. Sweating may be one of our weirdest biological functions, but it’s also one of our most vital and least understood. In The Joy of Sweat, Sarah Everts delves into its role in the body—and in human history. Why is sweat salty? Why do we sweat when stressed? Why do some people produce colorful sweat? And should you worry about Big Brother tracking the hundreds of molecules that leak out in your sweat—not just the stinky ones or alleged pheromones—but the ones that reveal secrets about your health and vices? Everts’s entertaining investigation takes readers around the world—from Moscow, where she participates in a dating event in which people sniff sweat in search of love, to New Jersey, where companies hire trained armpit sniffers to assess the efficacy of their anti-sweat products. In Finland, Everts explores the delights of the legendary smoke sauna and the purported health benefits of good sweat, while in the Netherlands she slips into the sauna theater scene, replete with costumes, special effects, and towel dancing. Along the way, Everts traces humanity’s long quest to control sweat, culminating in the multibillion-dollar industry for deodorants and antiperspirants. And she shows that while sweating can be annoying, our sophisticated temperature control strategy is one of humanity’s most powerful biological traits. Deeply researched and written with great zest, The Joy of Sweat is a fresh take on a gross but engrossing fact of human life. Biy the book from Amazon.

For more books on Running and Triathlon visit:
HumanKinectics.com,
Amazon.com,
VeloPress.com, and
SkyHorse.com

THIS WEEK'S FEATURES:

1. Brooks Levitate Stealthfit 5 & GTS Performance Review:
What You Need To Know
Weighs 9.8 oz. (278 g) for a US M 9 / 8.6 oz. (244 g) for a US W 8
New Stealthfit upper is silky soft and secure
Levitate now comes in stability option
No one will ever know what “GTS” means
Release August 1, 2021 for $150 each
ADRIENNE: Brooks is somehow making things less and more complicated with their naming system. They nixed their stability Bedlam and there are now FOUR options of the Levitate: the neutral one, the neutral Stealthfit one, the GTS (stability) one, and the GTS Stealthfit one. Are you still reading this? Let’s get to the review.
MERCER: I’ve had my experiences with DNA Amp midsoles. When I first got into shoes the Levitate looked so upscale and fast. I became an Amp fan pretty soon after, and am very excited for the new Levitate Stealthfit 5.
ALDREN: As far as I know, the quickest way to pick up girls at a local group run is either to run as fast as Jeremy (back-to-back Baltimore Marathon champ) or look really fly. While some of us dream of running sub-2:30 marathons, the casuals like you and I need to lean into the fashion side.
More...from Believe in the Run.

2. Anti-aging benefits of HIIT:
HIIT Could Help to Reduce the Risk of Developing Chronic Health Conditions
One risk of aging without regular exercise is developing chronic health conditions like heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes; and yes, as with other forms of exercise, the evidence suggests that HIIT could be an important component for greatly reducing this risk. As mentioned previously, when you work at higher intensities, muscles will metabolize carbohydrate, specifically muscle glycogen, to produce ATP; one important benefit of exercise during the aging process is maintaining efficiency of carbohydrate metabolism in the muscle cells. As mentioned, specific enzymes like LPL are used to metabolize FFAs into ATP, and different enzymes are required for type II muscle fibers to convert glycogen to ATP. Research at Ball State University found that adults in their 70s who maintained a high level of fitness throughout their life span had enzyme levels similar to adults many years younger (Gries et al. 2018). This means that performing high-intensity exercise consistently through the aging process could help you to metabolize carbohydrate much more efficiently and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes; because lower-intensity exercise relies on aerobic metabolism, it may not deliver the same benefit.
This is an excerpt from Ageless Intensity by Pete McCall. Human Kinetics.

3. There’s New Evidence on Heart Health in Endurance Athletes:
After years of debate on the dangers of “too much exercise,” researchers sum up the state of current knowledge/
About a decade ago, a series of studies emerged with the counterintuitive message that modest amounts of exercise might actually be bad rather than good for your heart. The newspaper headlines—“One Running Shoe in the Grave,”—were almost gleeful. The evidence, on the other hand, was weak.
That debate has mostly faded out of the headlines, but the questions haven’t been completely dismissed. Some of the initial fearmongering about the dangers of, say, training for a marathon, or even running more than a few times a week, were clearly nonsense. But there are plenty of ultrarunners and Ironman triathletes and cycling junkies racking up huge training numbers, and for these people the evidence about possible risk is sparser and more ambiguous.
More...from Sweat Science on Outside Online.

4. What kind of training does it take to become a world-beating athlete?
So you’re fired up from watching the action at the Tokyo Olympics, and ready to sign up your toddler for year-round travel judo so she can start racking up those 10,000 hours?
Hold that thought.
A new study published in Perspectives in Psychological Science wades into the long-standing debate about skill acquisition and talent development – a debate that, over the past two decades, has spilled out of psychology departments and elite sports institutes and into the broader public discourse.
Bestselling books such as Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers and Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code popularized the idea that early specialization and relentless practice – 10,000 hours’ worth, by some accounts – is what makes champions, not just in sports but in education, business and life. But others have pushed back against that view, as David Epstein’s 2019 book Range explained
More...from the Globe and Mail.

5. Fitness: How soon should young athletes start nurturing their Olympic dream?
The International Olympic Committee warns against specializing in a single sport too soon.
One of the most significant Olympic legacies is a post-Games uptick in kids’ sports participation. Inspired by the performances of the world’s best athletes, youth around the world start dreaming of standing on a podium with a gold medal around their neck. The question is: How soon should kids begin working on their Olympic dream?
There’s no easy answer, but the International Olympic Committee warns against specializing in a single sport too soon. In a consensus statement on youth athletic development, the IOC acknowledges the trend of asking young athletes to concentrate on a single sport at an early age and the “increase in competitiveness and professionalization within youth sport itself.”
More...from the (Ottawa Citizen.

6. How to Push Yourself to the Edge Without Falling Off, According to Olympic Marathoner Molly Seidel:
For the latest episode of Smarter Better Faster Stronger, Seidel talked to GQ about qualifying for the Olympics in her first marathon and learning the subtle difference between discomfort and pain
When distance runner Molly Seidel lined up to race the Olympic marathon trials, she knew she’d have to finish in the top three to make it to Tokyo. A difficult task, made even more challenging by the fact that it was her first ever marathon. But 19 miles into the race, Seidel finds herself tucked into the leading pack of runners. Then, as they raced up a hill, she and one other runner, Alphine Tuliamuk, separate from everyone else.
“I felt good—or as good as you can at mile 19 of your first marathon—everybody else slowed down on the hill, and I just kept going the same pace,” Seidel remembers. “When I realized I was out ahead, it was like, shit, shit, shit, what are you doing?”
What she was doing was running her way to an unexpected second place finish. Though she surprised even herself, Seidel says this “ability to push a little bit harder than the people around me” is something that started all the way back to fifth grade, when she ran a six minute mile, and helped carry her to multiple individual national championships at Notre Dame. “I can go forever,” she says.
More...from GQ.

7. Israel’s Olympic marathon runner had to pause her race due to menstrual cramps:
Speaking about an uncomfortable topic ‘can open some people’s minds,’ says Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, a medal favorite who led race but ultimately finished 66th in Tokyo on Saturday
Sapporo on August 7, 2021. (Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)
Israeli Olympic marathon runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter said she was forced to pause running at the Tokyo Games on Saturday due to intense menstrual cramps.
“Women — we struggle sometimes with this kind of situation,” she told Channel 12 news during an English-language interview that aired Monday evening. “Not every day is good for us because every month we receive this period and some ladies, they’re ok with it, and some are not good with it.”
Chemtai Salpeter — a native of Kenya who became an Israeli citizen in 2016 after meeting and marrying her Israeli husband, Dan Salpeter — was out at the front of the pack of runners for much of the women’s marathon on Saturday. But with just four kilometers left to go, she paused on the side of the track after experiencing severe pain. She ultimately returned to finish the race and came in 66th out of 88 runners.
More...from thwe Times of Israel.

8. This Is How Safe It Is to Go to the Gym Right Now:
Experts in disease transmission weigh in.
As COVID-19 cases begin to rise again in all 50 states and the CDC is now recommending even vaccinated individuals wear masks indoors in certain cases, we must beg the question: how safe is it to go to the gym right now, if you should go at all? We asked doctors, infectious disease experts, and aerosol experts how they assess the risk.
Per the CDC, those who are and aren't fully vaccinated should consider wearing mask indoors in areas of high transmission or if they have an at-risk person at home. Most gyms and fitness centers are allowing vaccinated patrons to enter and exercise without a mask, however some cities like Los Angeles are re-implementing mask mandates as infection rates are on the rise. What does this mean for gymgoers, both regular and aspiring?
More...from Men's Health.

9. Yawning is more than contagious:
It can help muscles and joints function better, and its absence can be a marker of brain injury. This powerful action can also be replicated for stress-reduction and therapy.
It’s possible you’re already yawning, or at least have a yearning for it. No doubt you’re thinking about it, so give it time.
Yawning, like sneezing, swallowing, hiccups and other reflexive phenomena, is perfectly natural, commonly done daily by all mammals, and is a necessary function. While we can often encourage a yawn, public yawning is considered taboo in some cultures, or embarrassing in others, and voluntarily inhibiting it is difficult. At the same time, we should be thankful for this natural reflex.
Yawning seems like a simple phenomenon, yet it is associated with many brain and spinal cord areas. It is also linked to various neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin, along with sex hormones and many others, not to mention many key muscles that control full body posture, movement and balance.
More...from Dr, Phil Maffetone.

10. How to Use Running Apps to Hit the Road:
There are tons of services out there to help, whether you're a total beginner or getting back into it. Here's how to make the most of them.
I love running for the sole reason you can do it anywhere. I've run in foreign cities, using the time to explore back alleys and lesser-known monuments. In total, I’ve completed 13 marathons, including Boston, New York, and Chicago. I even ran the Beijing marathon in China.
I felt alive pounding the pavement day after day, running with like-minded friends. But two cross-country moves and a couple of children later, I was running solo and not enjoying myself. I gave up and joined the local gym.
When the pandemic hit, we bought a Peloton. I’d never taken a spin class, but I wanted a way to exercise from home that wasn’t mind-numbingly boring. Membership to the Peloton universe came with an app. One I ignored for at least six months.
More...from Wired.

11. Why Older Athletes Lose Explosive Power:
Scientists have been debating whether muscles contract more slowly as you age, but new data suggests the real problem is a loss of strength.
Here’s a somewhat depressing question to ponder if you’re in your thirties or beyond: Are your muscles getting slower, or are they just getting weaker? It’s an important question, because for many functional tasks—sprinting up a hill, pulling yourself past the crux of a climb, or simply getting out of a plush armchair—success depends not just on how much force you can exert, but on how quickly you can exert it. This is the question tackled by an interesting new study in PLOS ONE, from a research team at Manchester Metropolitan University led by Hans Degens.
The combination of strength and speed is what we call power. Mathematically, power is force times velocity, and it’s what enables explosive movements like jumping. The older you get, the less power you’re capable of generating, which translates into reduced athletic performance and, beyond a certain point, difficulty in carrying out the daily activities needed to live independently.
More...from Science of Sport on Outside ONline.

12. Exercise Vigorously for 4 Seconds. Repeat. Your Muscles May Thank You:
High-intensity interval training has surprising benefits for fitness and physical power, but don’t stay seated the rest of the day.
A mere four seconds of all-out exercise, repeated two or three dozen times, could be all many of us need to build and maintain our fitness, strength and physical power, according to an inspiring new study of the potency of super-quick workouts. The findings expand on other, recent studies showing that four-second interval workouts beneficially affect metabolism and muscles in adults of various ages. But they may also highlight new concerns about what we miss if we make our workouts too brief.
Almost anyone with even a passing interest in exercise and health has heard by now of high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, a topic I have covered frequently in this column. A typical HIIT workout involves repeated, short bursts of arduous effort, known as intervals, interspersed with rest periods.
More...from the New York Times.

13. 3 ways to mentally adapt to training in extreme heat:
Squelch', a wonderful word used to describe the noise of something wet being squashed. Growing up in South West Wales, I got used to the squelching of my shoes as I ran through the inevitable rainstorm encountered on even the shortest of runs.
Now living in Dubai, you get used to the squelching noise around 30-40 minutes into a run, but for a very different reason - my socks and shoes are saturated with sweat rather than rain.
30°C (or 86°F) of temperature difference but the same outcome for your shoes!
Other than the squelch outcome, very little else is the same when going for a run in Dubai compared to the UK (or any other mild climate). Abby did a great article on the effects of extreme heat on your physiology here, and I'm going to discuss the mental shifts athletes must make when moving from cooler to (extremely) hot climates...
More...from Precision Hydration.

14. What We Think We Know About Metabolism May Be Wrong:
A new study challenges assumptions about energy expenditure by people, including the idea that metabolism slows at middle age.
Everyone knows conventional wisdom about metabolism: People put pounds on year after year from their 20s onward because their metabolisms slow down, especially around middle age. Women have slower metabolisms than men. That’s why they have a harder time controlling their weight. Menopause only makes things worse, slowing women’s metabolisms even more.
All wrong, according to a paper published Thursday in Science. Using data from nearly 6,500 people, ranging in age from 8 days to 95 years, researchers discovered that there are four distinct periods of life, as far as metabolism goes. They also found that there are no real differences between the metabolic rates of men and women after controlling for other factors.
More...from the New York Times.

15. Early vs Late Specialization: When should children specialize in sport?
There is no single pathway to success in sport. If there were, we wouldn’t be able to compare the stories of Chrissie Wellington, who discovered her remarkable talent late in life but went on to dominate IronMan Triathlon within a few years, to that of another endurance athlete, say Floyd Landis, who began cycling at school, with a single minded focus that took him to the professional level many years later.There are countless cases of both examples, not only in endurance sport, but in skill-based sports – cricket or rugby players who “arrive” in their 20s, compared to the “prodigies” who are ear-marked for success from their early teenage years, or even earlier. I am sure that in your own country, you can instantly think of one example of each.
If it took starting at the age of 4, with a parent driving a child to train for hours a day (think Agassi, Woods), then we wouldn’t have cases like Roger Federer, who showed exceptional tennis ability very young, but did play other sports (on this note, Federer is reported to have begun at 6, but played football and tennis until he focused on tennis at 12 – this is still young, as we’ll see later, but it’s not nearly as early as other cases of tennis players. Compare Agassi, who spent hours a day practicing at 6 years old, and who even played a match for money at the age of 9, at his father’s “request”)
But is there an optimal time to begin specialization in a particular sport? This is such a loaded question that I can’t possibly answer it, or even begin to cover it in one post. So with that question begins a series of articles where I’ll look at some of the evidence for whether young athletes who specialize very early on are more or less likely to succeed than athletes who delay high training volumes, competition and specialization in sport.
More...from Science of Sport.

FEATURED EVENTS:
*Please verify event dates with the event websites available from our FrontPage.

Upcoming Races, Marathons, Races, and Triathlons August 15, 2021: Asics Falmouth Road Race - Falmouth, MA August 21, 2021: Diamond League Eugene/Prefontaine Classic - Eugene, ORE August 22, 2021: Vitality Big Half - London, UK August 25, 2021: Diamond League Lausanne - Lausanne, Switzerland For more complete race listings check out our Upcoming Races, and Calendars. Have a good week of training and/or racing. Ken Email: webmaster@runnersweb.com


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