Sacramento Health & Fitness Blog

Past studies have strongly linked weight training as a way for the elderly to gain and maintain muscle mass as they age.

But new research from Ball State University, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, now suggests otherwise. The study featured just six women in their 80s who worked out their quadraceps three times a week. They did three sets of 10 lifts, with a 2-minute rest period between sets.

Alas, the women did not gain muscle size after three months, nor did biopsies from the thigh muscle show muscle changes at the cellular level.

One of the researchers, Scott Trappe, tried to look on the bright side, saying in a press release that the study suggests it's better to build as much muscle mass as possible earlier in life to ensure more muscle strength in later life.

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The Associated Press/ Women dash from the starting line Sunday in Australia at the International World Cup season opener in Mooloolaba, Australia

A study released Saturday at the American College of Cardiology conference in Florida shows that triathlon participants are at a higher rate of heart-attack risk than marathoners.

Not that mortality rates in either sport are high. In triathlons: 1 in 15 million.

Still, it's important to note that a triathlon (or marathon, for that matter) is not something to undertake lightly. You need lots of training, particulaly in the swimming portion of a triathlon.

Dr. Kevin Harris, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital told the Associated Press: "(People) might prepare for a triathlon by swimming laps in their pool. That's a lot different than swimming in a lake or a river."

Read the AP's story here.

For a primer on open-water swimming, check out Thursday's Outbound section of The Bee. We'll have a complete how-to guide from experts.  

The Xterra Real Mountain Bike Triathlon, a pro-amateur event Sunday at Granite Beach, was won by 27-year-old Tim Helms of Davis at 1 hour 32 minutes 38 seconds. But Elk Grove's Joshua Olmstead, just 20 and on the cusp of a pro Xterra career, placed a close second at 1:33:18. Damien Gonzalez of Stockton (1:34:11) was third.

In the women's division, Truckee's Emma Garrard, 28, the 11th ranked pro Xterra female competitor, finished first at 1:42:31. Second place went to 15-year-old Roseville phenom Shayna Powless at 1:50:15.

  

The highlight of Sunday's Nutrition Fuels Fitness 5K and 10K runs in Elk Grove was the duel between two swift Sacramento runners, Steven Schenck and Chad Worthen.

Schenck, 25, was able to hold off Worthen, 35, finishing the 6.2 miles (10K) in 33 minutes. Worthen finished at 33:09. Third place went to Paul Smith of Chico at 33:27.

In the women's 10K, Carmichael's Angela Escay (37 minutes) beat Jaymee Marty by 24 seconds. Third place: Stacy Worthen (Chad's wife) at 39:26.

In the 5K, the winners were Mason Moore of Rocklin (16;25) and Midori Sperandeo (18:08).

Saturday's Total Body Fitness Racing events: In the Super Sprint Mountain Bike Triathlon, 21-year-old John Donovan finished first at 46:34, and 12-year-old Nielson Powless finished second at 54:25. The top female was even younger than Powless: 11-year-old Femke Keukenkamp at 1:01.44, with Amy Newton finishing second at 1:03:53. In the Xterra  Half Marathon Trail  Run: Jeff Moreland (1:20:02)  was the top male and  Aracekky Clouse  (1:34:04) the top female.

Results from Sunday's Xterra Real Mountain Bike Triathlon have yet to be posted. Stay tuned. 

 

 

Reuters, the news service, reports that you can get cancer of the esophagus from drinking tea at too hot a temperature. That's the word from Iranian researchers, whose work was published in the British Medical Journal.  

How hot, you ask? 150-degrees Fahrenheit. You've got to let it cool to less than 140.

Read the Reuters story here.

 

Mayo Clinic researchers report that a noninvasive finger sensor test is "highly predictive" of a major cardiac event, such as a heart attack or stroke. A patient simply puts his or her finger in a thimble-shape device and keeps it there for 15 minutes while the pulsing machine measures blood flow.

A Mayo Clinic press release explains: "(The test) measures the health of endothelial cells by measuring blood flow. Endothelial cells line the blood vessels and regulate normal blood flow. Research has shown that if the cells don't function properly - a condition called endothelial dysfunction - it can set the stage for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and lead to major cardiovascular health problems."

Researchers seethe finger test as a tool to supplement -- or replace -- the long-used Framingham Risk Score.

 

 

For runners, this weekend's main event is the 6th Nutrtion Fuels Fitness 5K and 10K in Elk Grove on Sunday. It's part ofthe Buzz Oates Racing Series, a series of races of various distances around the area in which runners pick up points and win cash prizes. Details here.  

If you runners would rather try something away from home, there's the Benicia Run for Education 10K. Details here.

Total Body Fitness has a full lineup this weekend, with a Super Sprint Mountain Bike Triathlon and an XTERRA half Marathon Trail Run on Saturday and the pro XTERRA Real Mountain Bike Traithlon on Sunday. Details here.

Here's a challenge: The Napa Valley Trail Marathon on Saturday. Click here for details.

Want something really challenging? How about driving down to Solvang on Saturday for the Solvang Double Century> That's 200 miles, folks. Details here.

 

Grand Rapids Press

Oh, my. We knew ballpark food is mostly unhealthy, but the minor league West Michigan White Caps are taking it to heart-stopping (literally) levels.

The team has introduced a 4,800-calorie burger for its fans. Here's what it contains, according to the Grand Rapids Press: an 8-inch bun, a cup of chili, five meat patties, each 1/3 pound, five slices of cheese, nacho cheese sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream. Oh, and Fritos. How could we forget the Fritos?

Does it whet your appetite? Read the Press' story here.    

A study released today from University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health finds that women with moderate or high aerobic fitness levels were much less likely to die from breast cancer. It appears in the April issue of the journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Some 14,000 women between ages 20 to 83 years who had no previous history of breast cancer were given fitness tests in 1973 and 2001 and were monitored for breast cancer mortality through 2003.

"Women in the study's lowest fitness category were nearly three times more likely to die from breast cancer than women in the most fit group," Dr. Steve Blair, an Arnold School researcher, said in a press release. "We believe this is the first study to evaluate the association of objectively measured fitness and risk of dying from breast cancer. The results suggest a stronger protective effect than has been seen in most studies on self-reported physical activity and breast cancer, probably because the objective laboratory test of fitness is more accurate that self-reports of activity."

 

 

 

So you weren't pay attention and blew right through that four-way stop, only to look in the rear-view mirror seconds later and go all Homer Simpson ("D'oh!").

According to UC Davis researchers, what probably happened is that brain wave patterns in regions in the back and mid-section of your noggin increased markedly during that bout of inattentiveness.

Using an electromagnetic brain imaging device -- magnetoencephalography -- UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain fellow Ali Mazaheri and researchers from the Donders Institute in the Netherlands mapped just what happens right before a mistake is made and how the brain corrects itself so that, hopefully, the mistake is not repeated.

Some 14 subjects were placed before a computer and asked to complete repetitive "attention response" exercise -- pressing a button when a number between 1 and 9 were flashed; refraining to press when the number 5 flashed. Just before the subjects made a mistake (pressing the button when 5 flashed) the alpha waves in a region near the back of the brain increased by 25 percent and increased activity also was seen in the middle portion of the brain, the sensorimotor cortex. 

Mazaheri, whose results were published today in the journal Human Brain Mapping, explained that the activity is "what happen when the brain runs on idle."

What practical applications could this discovery portend?

Mazaheri says, for instance, wireless EEG devices could alert air traffic controllers to when they are losing attention. Also, children with ADHD could have their alpha waves monitored to see if certain treatments are effective.  

 

  

 

Time maybe to increase your chicken and fish intake.

A new study by the National Cancer Institute shows that people who are heavy red-meat eaters had a 30-percent rise in death risk over a 10-year period compared to those who eat little red meat.

The study looked at more than half a million people over 10 years and quizzed them on 124 varieties of food. It turns out red meat eaters were more likely to be obese, smoke, refain from exercise and not eat vegetables and fruit.

Read the study here.

"The Way Bobby Sees It," an extr5aordinary documentary on blind mountain biker Bobby McMullen, will be shown Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Basic Bar in Old Town Roseville. It's a benefit for Jamie Whitmore, the former World XTERRA triathlon champion who is battlnig cancer. Total Body Fitness Racing is sponsoring the showing. McMullen and Whitmore will be in attendance and sign autographs. Please RSVP to bill@totalbodyfitness.com. Above is a trailer for the movie.

 

 

IS THIS THE CURE FOR PLANTAR FASCIITIS?

Last Sunday's Bee Health & Fitness section cover story on the heartbreak of plantar fasciitis -- pain in the tissue that connects the heel to the ball of the foot -- elicted some unorthodox "cures" from readers.

From reader Gary Rannefeld of Dixon:

"The cure for us (and others we know) still seems illogical and counterintuitive.

   If you're looking for a fun run to experience as a family, check out the 29th annual ZooZoom on April 19 benefitting the Sacramento Zoo.
   The event includes a 10k run, a 5k run-walk and four kids' races: 220 yards for ages 4 and under, 440 yards for 5-6, 1/2-mile for 7-9 and 1-mile for 10-12.
   The 5k and 10k courses go through scenic Land Park. The 5k begins at 8 a.m., the 10k at 8:35 a.m. and the kids' fun runs at 10 a.m.
   Don't procrastinate. Entry fees go up after March 31. Until then, registration costs $25 for the 5k and 10k and $12 for the kids' races. Kids will receive a T-shirt, race number and a finishers' medal.
   Race officials plan to award at least $2,000 in grants and free Zoo passes to the schools with the most total runners and the highest percentage of kids in the event.
   For more information, go to www.sacramentozoozoom.com.

 

UPDATE!!

Whew. That was a close shave. New Jersey has reversed itself and will not move to ban Brazilian waxing, after all (see previous blog item). Here's what the Associated Press reports, hot off the presses just moments ago:

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey is smoothing out differences
over a plan to ban bare-it-all bikini waxing.
    The state on Friday decided to reverse course on the proposal
after angry salon owners complained about losing business ahead of
swimsuit season.
    "It was an unnecessary issue," said spa owner Linda Orsuto.
"In New Jersey especially, where the government has been picking
our pockets for so long, it was like, 'Just stay out of our pants,
will you?"'
    The state Cosmetology and Hairstyling Board proposed banning
so-called "Brazilian" bikini waxing after two women were
hospitalized for infections following the procedure.
    On Friday, Consumer Affairs Director David Szuchman effectively
killed the plan. In a letter to the board, Szuchman says he won't
support the ban, and since his office oversees the board, the ban
would never be approved.
    "Many commenters have noted that the procedure can be safely
performed. I, therefore, believe that there are alternate means to
address any public health issues identified by the board,"
Szuchman wrote the board. He encouraged the board to "to begin an
immediate review of the training necessary to safely provide this
service, and to establish appropriate protocols and safeguards."<QA>
    The ban was considered after the women complained to the board
about their injuries; one woman filed a lawsuit.

 

The Associated Press

Hope you can stomach these two stories:

1. British researchers have found that (gulp!) maggots (pictured) can be an effective treamtent for leg ulcers. How the University of York profs found 267 test subjects willing to have maggots placed on their legs, I'll never know. Anyway, the maggots ate the dead tissue on the leg faster than the prescription gel (the control in the experiment). Read more here.  

2. Brazilian waxing: banned in New Jersey?!? The AP reports that the state's Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling is considering the ban on the hair depiliation of one's nether regions after two women got injured during the hot waxing procedures (ouch!) and filed suit. Read more here.

 

This might be a good weekend to head on over to the Bay Area (where, perhaps, it won't rain) or farther north for some running events.

Here's a rundown:

* A 5K and 10K in San Jose, the Susan Alves Memorial Scholarship Run, Saturday in San Jose. Details.

 * Make a weekend of it up on the north coast with the 25th Annual Whale Run 5 and 10K in Fort Bragg on Saturday. Details.

* Running at Lake Merritt in Oakland is always pleasant. On Saturday, you can do the Greek Independance Day 5 and 10K. Details.

* There are two runs on Sunday in the Bay Area: a 5K run in Palo Alto with a separate race for those 50 and older, details; and in San Francisco, the Fort Point 12 K at Little Marina Green Park. Details.  

 

A study released today in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, reports that people with osteoporosis (low bone density)  are three times more likely than the general population to get vertigo, the inner-ear balance condition.

The study size, however, was small -- 209 subjects.

But researchers speculate that people with vertigo may have a problem with calcium metabolism.

Read the study here.

British researchers, analyzing data from 57 studies in the U.S. and Europe on body weight and longevity, report in the current issue of the journal Lancet that being obese can take as much as 10 years off people's lives.

The study looked at nearly 900,000 subjects -- about 100,000 of whom died during the course of the study.

The results: A Body Mass Index of over 40, considered "gross obesity," takes 10 years off your life; those "moderately overweight" (BMI: 30-35) lose about three years of their lives.

The biggest culprit, according to researchers: vascular diseases.

Says Dr. Gary Whitlock, of the University of Oxford, in a statement: "

"Excess weight shortens human lifespan," Whitlock said in a prepared statement. "If you are becoming overweight or obese, avoiding further weight gain could well add years to your life."

Calculate your BMI here.  

 

  

 

 

That would be Tim Twietmeyer, of course. The former Western States 100 champion, known as one of the best ultramarathoners in the U.S., will hold a seminar next Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. at Fleet Feet in Sacramento (2311 J Street). 

The talk is free, but Tim's advice is anything but cheap. The guy knows his endurance running.

Twietmeyer will specifically focus on the final training stages for the American River 50 Miler in April 4.   

 

 

There are so many certified fitness professionals out there, boasting quality credentials and training, who toil in relative obscurity.

Can you blame them for being slightly peeved that celebrities can just breeze on in and get tons of publicity for "exercise programs" based on who knows what?

With that in mind, let me tell you about the latest Celeb fitness entrant: Dr. Laura.

Yes, that Dr. Laura (Schlessinger), the talk-show advice host. Her new Web and on-demand TV show "Dr. Laura's Gettin' Fit With Jason Baker" (Jason's her personal trainer) includes videos of workouts such as "Dare to Take the Stairs," "Handbag Posture" and "Shower Stretches."

Hey, how about we propose some other radio/fitness pairings: Rush Limbaugh's "Pilates and Panatella," NPR's "All Things Conditioning" and  "Body By Bill (O'Reilly)."   

 

 

So I'm walking around the Raley Field concourse after yesterday's Shamrock'n Half Marathon, and I notice a painful sight: a runner wearing a tight white technical shirt with bright red stains the size of pancakes on his pectorals.

Yup, another case of the old bleeding nipple affliction for runners.

I hate when that happens.

It used to happen to me, occasionally, on long runs. The nipples rub against the technical fiber. Believe me, you don't feel it much during the run. It's afterward, in the shower, when the pain starts.

I have not had the bleeding-nipple problem since I started wearing Band-Aid Clear Water Block Plus 100 Percent Water Proof" bandages on the area for any run longer than 10 miles. Works like a charm. The Band-Aid doesn't come off even when I sweat heavily.

For those suffering from nipple soreness today, try some healing balm. My wife once gave me a jar of cream that nursing mothers use. It really helped.

 

Under a gorgeous overcast sky (yes, runners like overcast, though not the often-accompanying wind), 3,603 runners took part in the Shamrock'n Half Marathon this morning at Raley Field.

The winner by nearly a minute was Paul Smith of Chico, who covered the 13.1 miles through Sacramento and West Sac in 1 hour 11 minutes 37 seconds. Smith's smoking hot performance, hotter even than the jalepeno almonds passed out after the race, was more than enough to hold off Oakland's Chris  Ekman (1:12.28) and Davis' R. Matthew Wise (1:12.37). Other fast male finishers from the Sacramento area  included Jason Hame of Folsom (1:15.11), Paolo Castiglioni of Davis (1:16.25) and Tom Hannickel of El Dorado Hills (1:16.27).

In the women's field, 34-year-old Carmichael runner Angela Escay (1:19.38) held off Sacramento's Jaymee Marty, 41, (1:19.46). Another Sacramento marathoner, Jenny Hitchings, was the fourth woman at 1:23.35.

And, yeah, I ran, too, and finished third in my geezer (45-49) age group at 1:25.27. But, get this: The dude who finished right ahead of me, five seconds ahead, was a guy named J.R. Mintz of Santa Clara.

Junior Mintz: get it?

Jeez, I was beaten by a candy snack.

No word yet on whether I held off Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and the relay team of M & Ms.

To find complete Sharock'n results, click here.

Saturday's Way Too Cool 50K, for those hard-core ultra runners, was won by Leor Pantilat of Santa Clara at 3:39.51, a 7:05 pace. The top local finisher was Michael Fink of Lincoln, 21st at 4:09.39. Other local males: Erik Skaden (4:12) and Michael Cook (4:13.34).

The top three local women were Danielle Widenmann of Fairfield (4:35.28), Anne Hitchcock of Auburn (4:37.59) and Caren Spore of Davis (4:41.38).

To find complete Way Too Cool Results, click here.

   Anyone who hasn't experienced the ultrarunning world might consider checking out the Way Too Cool 50k, which begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Cool Fire Station.

   The field is full, but simply watching an ultrarunning event can be an experience.

   The camaraderie in this sport is unrivaled. Frontrunners hang around to cheer on those in the middle and back of the pack, cooperation is as important as competition and there's a casual, friendly atmosphere.

   "It is low key," said Janet Pucci, a 60-year-old business owner from Newcastle who plans to run in her 20th Cool race Saturday.

   "Just realizing you can do it, it's fun."

   Expect the Cool winner to finish in around 3 1/2 hours. The last finisher will likely come in about five hours later.

   The Cool course is considered ideal for first-timers. But there are two steep hills that remind runners they're in a trail race, not a road one.

   "You get out on the trails and you discover what a marathon considers a hill is just a rise," Pucci said.

   "Cool doesn't have a lot of long, long hard climbs ... For the beginning trail runner, it's very doable."

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OK, say you're injured and on the rehab shelf. You can still go out to two popular races this weekend -- the Way Too Cool 50K on Saturday and the Shamrock'n Half Marathon on Sunday -- and cheer on the competitors in the soldout events.

But, if you're not injured and just lazy, there are other events out there.

* On Saturday at 3:14 p.m., the Sacramento Walking Sticks are hosting a Pi Day event starting at the Starbucks on Howe Ave, near CSUS. You know, Pi, the mathematical calculation. Details here.

* You can run around angel Island off of San Francisco in the Romancing the Island 12K and 25K on Saturday. Details here.

* San Francisco also hosts the Emerald Across the Bay 12K, in which you cross the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday morning. Details here.

 

 

As we age, we can't hold our alcohol as well. Those two glasses of wine that gave us a warm glow in our 30s possibly can make us stagger like a Skid Row derelict in our 70s.

And the thing is, older adults often don't know just how tipsy they've gotten.

That's the result of University of Florida research published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Results of testing showed that people 50 or older in the study metabolized alcohol similar to how younger people did, but they performed worse on special tests after having moderate amounts of alcohol and did not always realize when they were impaired. And the older adults reported they felt significantly less perceived impairment than they actually had.

Read the study here.

Everybody's been told by her or his primary-care doc that excessive salt is bad for you. High blood pressure, heart disease and all that.

Yet, we crave it.

And researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered why. Turns out, salt is something of nature's Prozac -- an antidepressant.  

When researchers deprived rats of sodium cholide, the critters started shying away from activities they normally enjoy, like drinking a sugary substance or pressing a bar that stimulates a pleasant sensation in their brains. That, folks, is case-book depressive behavior.

Give the rats a hit of salt, though, and they perk right up. Could it be that rats, and by extension, humans, get addicted to salt?

Kim Johnson, a UI psychologist and author of the study, says "salt need and cravings may be linked to the same brain pathways as those related to drug addiction and abuse." 

University of Missouri researchers have found that high-impact activities, such as running, might have a greater positive effect on bone-density, a marker for osteoporosis, than resistance training.

This goes against conventional thinking -- and previous studies. It's important news, because older adults often are discouraged from running because the pounding can lead to arthritis. They are steered toward more non-impact sports. But those apparently don't retard bone loss to the extent running does.

Pam Hinton, associate professor in the nutrition and exercise physiology department at Missouri, says people who engage in activities, such as cycling, swimming, or rowing, should add bone-strengthening activities, such as resistance training or running, to their exercise regimens 

"Only the skeletal sites that experience increased stress from exercise will become stronger," Hinton says in a press release. "For example, performing upper body resistance exercises will not increase bone mineral density of the hips. The response of bone to loading is determined by the magnitude of the force, and the rate and direction at which it is applied. Therefore, high-impact, dynamic, multi-directional activities, including structured jump-training (plyometrics), result in greater gains in bone strength. Playing basketball, volleyball, or soccer are also good options."

 

 

A new study by Loyola (Chicago) University Hospital researchers reports that women who drink more than two cans of soda per day are at a higher risk for kidney disease.

Soda consumption, however, does not significantly raise the levels of albuminuria, a sensitive marker for early kidney damage, in men.

The  study appeared in PLoSONE, a peer-reviewed journal of science and medical research published by the Public Library of Science. Researchers examined data from a representative sample of 9,358 U.S. adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The NHANES survey included urine samples and a questionnaire about dietary habits.

Read the study here.

 

It's widely known that abdominal fat, especially those pesky love handles on your hips, can make you susceptible to metabolic syndrome (which leads to conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, etc).

Now, a new study published in the second issue for March of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine says that increased fat in the midsection can significantly decrease lung function. That's the case indepedent of common lung factors such as smoking and gender. The study says that the at risk groups are women with waist measurements 35 inches or higher and men at 40 inches or higher. 

Writes Dr. Natalie Leone, of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research and the study's lead author: "Abdominal obesity may mechanically affect the diaphragm and chest wall compliance with decreased lung volumes."

Read the study yourself here.

 

You can't use the weather as an excuse not to exercise this weekend.

So have at it.

Here are a couple of options if you're looking for a competition:

Total Body Fitness Racing is holding another Mountain Bike Challenge in Granite Bay at Folsom Lake on Sunday. On Saturday, there's another Duathlon (Mountain Bike/Run). Details here.

Trail runners can take part Saturday in the Marin Trails 10K and 20K at China Camp State Park in San Rafael, part of the Envirosports series. Details here.

 

 

A reader points out that those extra-wide "sports" chairs I blogged about below are not the most extreme models out there for our growing population.

Here's the heavyweight champion of chairs, courtesy of LivingXL.com. It can hold 1,000 pounds.

 

So, after four years of heavy use at too many youth soccer games to mention, one of our folding nylon "sports" chairs finally gave out.

We bought a replacement and noticed something odd -- it's significantly wider (about 5 inches) than our old chair.

Do you need any more proof that obesity is a (pardon the pub) growing problem in the U.S.?

The name of some of the chairs on the market is a dead giveaway as to the lard butts the manufacturers are targeting: "Mac Sports Big Boy Supersize," $24.99, with a 350-pound weight limit; and "The Bubba Chair," $67.99, with a 300-pound limit.

You know what? I think I'll just stand at the next game. You burn more calories standing than sitting.   

   If you like to keep track of your race performances, but aren't organized enough to do it, there's a web site that does it for you.
   Better yet, you can also check out how some of your running friends, acquaintances and co-workers have been doing.
   Go to www.zinsli.com, click on searchable running results, type in a name and set your search parameters.
   You might even find there's someone with your name who's also a runner, so their results and yours are merged.
   Fortunately, the runner who shares my name is faster than I am.

As if we weren't depressed enough already, Business Week has to go and rate "America's Unhappiest Cities," based on criteria such as depression, suicide rates, job losses, crime figures, divorce rates and weather.

And -- audible sigh -- Sacramento finished 12th, just below Milwaukee and just ahead of Kansas City.

The magazine listed Portland, Ore., as the "unhappiest" city in the U.S., followed by St. Louis, New Orleans, Detroit and Cleveland.

To check out the entire list and read the depressing news, click here.

We asked for additional pickup basketball hot spots, in addition to the five we picked in our Health & Fitness section story two weeks ago, and folks from Roseville piped up.

Chris Pelzman, of the Roseville Parks and Rec department, nominates Maidu Regional Park at 1550 Maidu Drive, Roseville.

Here's what Chris says, via email:

In the late 90's and early part of this decade we were the place to play outdoors because we have a great outdoor court and many Kings players lived near by.  In those past days Jason Williams and others were out here playing frequently which drew a big crowd of players.  Our court is well maintained and in a great section of the park that also sells snacks and drinks daily and music playing in the park.  The best feature might be the fountain players can jump in to cool off quickly after a game when the temperatures rise.  The games pick-up during the week typically after 5 p.m. and after 10 a.m. on weekends.  Our court is lighted until 10 p.m. every day as well.

 

 

 

Is it just me, or are all the really hostile men, those total #&*%!@s out there, are, well, fat? (Or maybe it's just football coaches, like the Raiders' Tom Cable above.)

Turns out, it's not just me.

The American Journal of Epidemiology backs up the contention. Read the study here.

P.S.: Santa Claus, of course, is the jolly exception to the rule.

 

Shayna Powless, the Roseville High School freshman who is one of the top teenage Xterra triathletes in the world, now has taken her domination to the Northern California High School Mountain Bike Racing League.

In the season opening race at Fort Ord, near Monterey, Powless was the top girl in the field of 400, completing the loop course in 1 hour 13 minutes 36 seconds. That was two minutes faster than last year's undefeated varsity champion, Christine Ware of Union Mine High School. (Roseville High sophomore Katherine Pollard finished fifth.)

Powless had to peitition the league, founded as a nonprofit in 2000 and not affiliated with the CIF, to be allowed to compete in the varsity race; she got permission based on, among other feats, how she defeated the collegiate national champion in the Xterra Triathlon Nationals in Nevada.

 

Return to those wonderful days on theschoolyard and play a little dodgeball.

The Arden Manor Recreation and Parks District will hold its "Playground Classic" in April and early May. And first up is Dodgeball on April 18. (Warning: It's not quite as cut-throat as the Vince Vaughn-Ben Stiller movie suggests.)

Registration is $160 per team for the entire series, which includes kickball and capture the flag. Or you can register, per event, for $60 for a team. More information: click here.

 

Shout it -- or, rather, sneeze it -- from the rooftops.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Sacramento ranks 42nd in the nation for allergy sufferers. Lexington, Ky, finished No. 1, while San Diego was the top California city at No. 10.

Here's the criteria for the ranking, according to Web MD: allergy prevalence, seasonal pollen, allergy medication use per patient, and the number of board-certified allergy specialists per patient.
What's your experience?
Are your allergies exascerbated by the place where you live?

 

It was a good day for Elk Grove runner Mary Coordt at the rainy, winding 26.2-mile trek known as the Napa Valley Marathon.

Coordt won the women's race with a time of 2 hours 48 minutes 54 seconds, more than seven minutes ahead of the next fastest woman. Coordt finished 20th overall -- the second best runner from the Sacramento area in the race.

The top male was Mark Lantz of Gold River, at 2:45.56. Lantz was 12th overall. Robert Peterson of Folson broke the three-hour barrier by logging a time of 2:58.53, while Folsom's Steve LeClair finished at 3:03.

Other top women finishers from our area: Steffanie Finelli of Sacramento at 3:12.09 and Angela Hart of Davis at 3:20.19.

For complete results, click here.