The California International Marathon on Dec. 6 reached its 7,000-entrant limit by the deadline on Sunday.

So you runners who -- do'h -- forgot to actually fill out the online form and fork over the entry fee are plum out of luck, right?

Not so fast.

Race director John Mansoor (pictured) says the CIM board meets tonight and is likely to approve at least 200 additional spots for tardy runners. To be put on the waiting list, email runcim@jhu.edu. pronto. There will be a price to pay for tardiness, though: Mansoor says the entry fee will be raised to $200 (from $100, plus bus fare). The "penalty fee" will be donated to charity, Mansoor says.

"We capped out a 6,000 last year and then we got a lot of people just desperate to get in," Mansoor says. "I can't believe this, but it's happening again. I've heard from people who are coming from Canada who already bought their airline tickets, already made their hotel reservation but didn't enter. It doesn't make sense.

"Last year, we did 200 additional entries for charity. We donated that money to the (American River) parkway for the improvement of the running trail. We'll probably do at least 200 charity entries again this year, if not more."

 

Marathon relay entries also closed at 850 and Mansoor says that the relay will not be expanded. 

 

More than 7,000 runners in the marathon field is impressive, but Mansoor says the race has become so popular that it could swell to as many as 10,000. But such an expansion, he says, would mean some changes in the race.

 

For instance, there would have to be "wave" starts every 15 minutes, the faster runners going first. That would mean keeping the race course open a half an hour longer than the current six hour time limit, but Mansoor says community officials are open to the idea. 

 

The other change would be to ban personal vehicles from parking anywhere near the starting line in Folsom and having all runners take buses to the start line. That's a  practice nearly all big and medium marathons already employ, but it would without a doubt  lead to some grumbling from bus-averse runners. 

 

To encourage runners to take the bus, the CIM will route the shuttles around the car traffic and designate an "express route" on the newly opened Folsom Lake crossing bridge. 

 

"We're also going to stop personal vehicles a little further away from the start line and force them to get out of their cars and shuttle them in that last way," Mansoor says.

  

 

If you're a parent who has an active kid, this latest study will hardly come as a surprise: Sports-related injuries such as bruises, scrapes and broken bones accounted for 22 percent of hospital emergency department visits for children ages 5 to 17.

So says the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which analyzed incidents in 2006. Here are the highlights:

• Boys had three times more visits to treat sports injuries than did girls (147 visits per 10,000 children vs. 50 visits per 10,000 children).
• Teens were five times more likely than children to be treated for sports injuries in emergency departments (154 visits per 10,000 15 to 17 year-olds vs. 30 visits per 10,000 5 to 9 year-olds).
• Some 81 percent of all visits were for bruises, sprains and strains, arm fractures, or cuts and scrapes to the head, neck or chest.
• Only 1.3 percent of visits resulted in hospital admissions, mostly for leg and arm fractures. In nearly 99 percent of visits, the children were treated and released.

Personally, I'd like to see the figures specifically for teenage skateboarders. It's got to be off the charts.

A new study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Havard Medical School shows that the amount of weight a women gains during pregnancy -- and weight before getting pregnant -- impacts her daughter's risk of obesity decades later.

Analyzing data on mothers' recalled weight and pregnancy weight gain for more than 24,000 mother-daughter pairs, the study found that the heavier a mother was before her pregnancy, the more likely her daughter was to be obese in later life. An average-height mother who weighed 150 pounds before pregnancy was twice as likely to have a daughter who was obese at age 18 as a mother who weighed 125 pounds before pregnancy

 "If we can help women reach a healthy weight before they start a family, we can make a difference for two generations," says lead author Dr. Alison Stuebe, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina, in a press release. 

The ideal weight gain during pregnancy, according to the study, was 15 to 19 pounds to ensure the lowest risk of obesity in the daughter. Women who gained more than 40 pounds during pregnancy were twice as likely to have daughters who were obese by age 18.

 

A condensed version of May's forum titled "How to Stay Healthy in a Sick Economy," sponsored by Capital Public Radio and The Bee, will air Friday at 10 a.m. on KXJZ (90.9 FM).

Moderated by Jeffrey Callison, host of the public-affairs show "Insight," the forum features doctors specializing in primary care and integrative medicine giving information on nutrition and dietary supplements, as well as mental health professionals and such health mavens as Fleet Feet Sacramento's Dusty Robinson and Davis Farmers Market guru Randii MacNear. (Yes, even your humble blogger is on hand to represent the health and fitness media perspective.)

By the weay, the next free Health Forum will be Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Sacramento State Alumni Center. The subject: "Would It Kill You to Plan for Your Death?" The subtitle: "A painless way to approach the inevitable."

Now there's a subject to die for.   

For the fifth straight year, Mississippi reigns as the fattest state in the union, with a whopping 32 percent adult obesity rate, according to the nonprofit Trust for America's Health. California fares better at No. 42 with a 23.6 percent obesity rate.

Yikes! In chilhood obesity, California is at 30.5 percent, ranking 28th.

Read the study's press release here.

Todd Starnes, the former KFBK radio news anchor now working for Fox Radio in New York, has written a weight-loss memoir with a catchy title: "They Popped My Hood and Found Gravy on the Dipstick." (Check amazon.com for availablity).

Starnes will be in Sacramento on Saturday, July 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at Creekside Town Center, 1256 Galleria Blvd. in Roseville.

When he worked at KFBK, Starnes' weight ballooned to 300 pounds and he suffered a heart attack. He chronicled his bypass surgery on the air. Since losing weight and moving to New York, Starnes has run in the New York Marathon. 

 A new Mayo Clinic study, published this month in the journal Gastroenterology, reports that celiac disease is four times more common today than it was 50 years ago.

Celiac, an immune system reaction to gluten in the diet, affects about one in 100 people, according to the Mayo research.

Says Mayo gastroenterologist Joseph Murray, "We also have shown that undiagnosed or 'silent' celiac disease may have a significant impact on survival. The increasing prevalence, combined with the mortality impact, suggests celiac disease could be a significant public health issue.

"Something has changed in our environment to make it much more common. Until recently, the standard approach to finding celiac disease has been to wait for people to complain of symptoms and to come to the doctor for investigation. This study suggests that we may need to consider looking for celiac disease in the general population, more like we do in testing for cholesterol or blood pressure."

 

So, you think your business promotes helth and wellness among employees? Maybe there's a health club onsite and fitness programs?

Sure, that's nice.

But here's what I want my employer to buy me -- a treadmill desk.

Hey, it only cost $4,899.

My previous posting about an altercation with a motorist at 15th and Q streets in midtown Sacramento prompted quite a response from the cycling community.

Reader Gregory Wilkins, who recently moved from Dallas to Folsom, says he's been hassled by motorists and cops on his bike to such an extent that he carries a DMV booklet with him.

The way Wilkins tells it, being a cyclist in Texas is dangerous (hey, isn't that where Lance Armstrong is from?)

"I moved here to ride my bike and be left alone," he says. "In Dallas, I have been harrased for being a commuter for 25 years, (riding) 1.500 miles a month. I'm a chef, and it keeps me in shape and happy. The DMV book in Texas has less than a half page and the drivers think in Texas that bikes are only legal in parks and on sidewalks.

"I have been shot at three times, chased, (had) beer bottles thrown, dogs sicced on me and a lot of middle fingers."

Reader Diane Craig says that California might want to adopt the New York City model of "green pavement markings to indicate where cyclists should be...(Some have) proposed the idea of 'advance boxes' so that cyclists in a right lane bike lane can stop ahead of where motorists stop.

"In a regular intersection, this would ensure that the motorists (1) see the stopped cyclists and (2) allow them to proceed straight ahead after the light turns green, (3) before the motorists turn right, into or in front of them. I think we need a statewide consistent bicycle marking policy. I like green."

 And here's this from David Allen, of Roseville, a League of American Bicyclists instructor: 

"I've found that horn honkings and verbal commentary are related to motorists not knowing where I'm headed. The more I eliminate ambiguity in my riding, the rarer such interactions occur. How do I do this? By riding predictably and communicating often.

"For your situation at 15th and Q, I recommend a slight variation in your approach. The center lane, which is the rightmost through lane, is the place to be when you're going straight (as you noted). (But) I can see that it's not wide enough to share with a car, truck or bus, so riding in the rightmost portion of that lane puts you at risk of getting squeezed between cars on both sides and makes it less clear to other roadway users where you're headed.

 

"I suspect this may have contributed to the commentary from the woman in the sedan. So instead of moving into the right portion of the lane, move a bit further left. As you prepare to merge left into this lane to avoid the right-turn-only lane, look for an opening in traffic, signal, then move into the center of this lane when there's an opening.

 

"OK. This is the point where most cyclists' blood runs cold. "I'm not crazy enough to ride in the middle of the lane." Well, as it turns out, this is the best place for you to ride (and yes, it's legal). You are more visible and your intended destination is much clearer. Worried about now being honked at from motorists who also want to use this lane? Once you're in the lane, look back just long enough to let motorists behind you know that you know they're there. I've found that this quick glance keeps the hands off the horns. If they're in a hurry, they can pass in the leftmost lane. Besides, you'll be out of the lane in a jiff once you cross 15th and a bike lane appears."

 

Unless we can drum up some guest bloggers from among The Bee staff ("Anyone, anyone? Bueller?"), the blog is going no vacation for a week.

See you June 30. 

I recently switched chairs at work -- traded up, or so I thought -- and I notice I've been slouching more.

Maybe I need to get one of these iPosture gizmos that zaps you whenever you slouch. MSNBC.com gave it a test spin. Read its findings here.

A new study from India, appearing in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, reports that gargling with a solution made from licorice before surgery can help people who awaken from anesthesia with a sore throat.

Researchers at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, India, put 40 spinal surgery patients into two groups. About 25 percent of patients who used the licorice gargle had a sore throat, compared to 75 percent of those who gargled with water. Postoperative sore throat was also less severe in the licorice group.

They also found that the licorice group had fewer incidences of post-op coughs.

 

 

Sal Vasquez (Courtesy of the Marin Independent Journal)

Today's story in The Bee about the Dipsea Race did not mention that the all-time recordholder now lives in Sacramento.

That's because we didn't know that Sal Vasquez, who has won seven Dipseas (the last in 1997), now calls our flatlands home. Vasquez, 69, has been a Sacramentan for the past seven years during his semi-retirement.

In Dipsea lore, Vasquez is a living legend. After he won four straight Dipseas, the officials started awarding penalty minutes to previous winners. They call in the "Sal Vasquez Rule."

Vasquez says he was planning to run in this year's race, but an ankle injury felled him. He had surgery to repair tendons in May and says he'll be ready to go for next year's 100th race. Sal, who also has won a Double Dipsea, will be 70 and he thinks he's got a good shot at winning.  

YouTube, the video-sharing site, is all about interactivity, so it's not surprising that some slob "answered" the spoof ultramarathon video we linked to yesterday.

The guy in the video is pretty funny -- though I don't recommend his workout, per se. Plus, he really needs what Seinfeld scholars would call a "bro."

 

Check out today's feature on the venerable Dipsea Race over Mount Tamalpais in Marin County. Twenty four runners from the Sacramento area participated, including Elk Grove's Brian Olson, shown below.

 

In honor of the upcoming Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, here's a hilarious video produced by Brooks, the running shoe company, spoofing the pitfalls that ultra runners face -- the hallucination, bonking, anger, tears, etc. Enjoy!

 

In California, it's the law: Anyone under 18 must wear a helmet while bicycling.

Raise your hand if you've seen kids biking sans "lid"?

That's a lot, but at least our state has a law.

A new report by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital show that in areas where no bicycle helmet laws exist, nearly one-half of children, ages 4 to 17, never wear a helmet.  

Here are the grim facts about kids and bike injuries: Every three days, a child in the United States is killed while riding a bicycle, and every day at least 100 children are treated in emergency rooms due to bicycle-related head injuries. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that universal bicycle helmet use by children, ages 4 to 15, would prevent about 40,000 head injuries and about 50,000 scalp and face injuries every year.

By the way, here's California's youth helmet law:

21212.  (a) A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard, nor shall they wear in-line or roller skates, nor ride upon a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or standards subsequently established by those entities. This requirement also applies to a person who rides upon a bicycle while in a restraining seat that is attached to the bicycle or in a trailer towed by the bicycle.

 

... is good!

At least, we don't take out our frustrations on our fellow drivers.

That's according to a telephone survey of 2,500 people to determine the best and worst cities for road rage, commissioned by Auto Vantage, an automobile club.

Sacramento is the fourth most courteous city, according to the surgery, behind Portland, Ore., Cleveland, Baltimore and ahead of Pittsburgh.

The least courteous, in order: New York City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Click here to read more.

Not content to put on some of the most highly-attended road races in the area, Fleet Feet Sacramento will be holding a trail run on Aug. 16 with the enticing name of "Blood, Sweat and Beers."

It's in Auburn, and there are  8K and 15K races.

More details here.

 

Sacramentans like to think of themselves on the cutting edge of bicycle culture. And Davis, of course, is a certified bike crazy town.

But neither of our cities is up to speed with Montpelier, Vermont.

On Saturday, bike activists staged the Naked Bike Ride right smack through Main Street to the State House. Yup, 42 men and women let it all hang out. Why? According to the Rutland Herald, it was to to preach "the ills of oil dependency and the beauty of the bicycle."

Nudity is legal in Vermont, according to the Herald, but disrobing in public is not.

While you scratch your head over that one, here's a quote from one of the participants, co-organizer Jill Cichoski: "It's more nonconfrontational when you're naked. When you're naked, people can't get angry at you when you're telling them what to do."

Oh, by the way, the riders did wear helmets.

They are sticklers about helmets, those nude cyclists. Safety first.

Read the full story here. (Alas, no photos.)

 

VICTOR PLATA

The very name "Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon" sounds rigorous, and it is. But for Victor Plata, a professional traithlete who is studying at the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento,  it was easily conquered.

Plata finished fifth in the elite pro division of the 1.5-mile swim (from Alcatraz to the Bay), 18-mile hilly bike ride and 8-mile run (including the 400 steep "sand ladder" steps) with a time of 2 hours 13 minutes 52 seconds.

Originally from Santa Cruz, Plata moved to Sacramento for law school. He competed for the U.S. in the 2004 Olympic Games in the traithlon, finishing 27th. Read more about Plata here.

Meanwhile, just across the bay in Mill Valley, the annual (and also grueling) Dipsea race -- a 7.4-mile age-handicapped run from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach over Mount Tamalpais -- saw Sacramentan Iain Mickle, 48, finish 18th at 53 minutes (actual time 57:12). It was the fifth straight year Mickle, a Sacramento lawyer, finished in the top 35, earning the coveted black shirt.

For a complete report on the Dipsea, read Thursday's Outbound section in The Bee.   

That's the word from a professor of OB-GYN at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

"Laptops are becoming increasingly common among young men wired into to the latest technology," said Dr. Suzanne Kavic, MD, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology at Loyola, in a press release. "However, the heat generated from laptops can impact sperm production and development making it difficult to conceive down the road."

Her recommendation to guys who want to one day become fathers: "Place your laptops on desktops to prevent damaging sperm and decreasing counts and motility."

Other fertility tips the doc provided include:

* Avoiding hot tubs
* Using boxers over briefs
* Refraining from ejaculating too frequently (the recommendation is to only engage in sexual intercourse every other day around ovulation)
* Exercising moderately (one hour, three to five times per week)
* Avoiding exercise that can generate heat or trauma to the genital area
* Eating well
* Taking a daily multivitamin
* Getting eight hours of sleep per night
* Staying hydrated and limiting caffeine to no more than two cups per day
* Refraining from smoking
* Avoiding drugs and excessive alcohol use
* Minimizing exposure to toxins
* Avoiding excessive weight gain or weight loss
* Practicing stress reduction techniques

Heck, just reading that list elevates my stress level.

 

OK, so don't overreact and start strictly following the no-carb Atkins mantra again.

But...

New research on breakfast choices from the University of Alabama, Birmingham confirms earlier studies finding that a diet moderately lower in carbohydrates shows less fluctuation in glucose levels. Glucose, found in simple carbohydrates (doughnuts and bagels), cause a spike in insulin levels, which sends hunger signals to the body.

In other words, you'll feel fuller if we eat a breakfast that contains more fiber and, fruit and some dairy. Your "fullness" feeling will last longer into the morning and prevent you from snacking.

The study was presented this week at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Washington, D.C.  

Steve Larsen, the former Davis resident who went on to become a professional cyclist and champion triathlete, had coronary heart disease that led to a heart attack that killed him on May 19. (Read The Bee's earlier story on his death here.)

That's the autopsy report from the medical examiner in Bend, Ore., where Larsen collapsed while doing a track interval running workout. The Bend Bulletin quotes Steve Cross, the Deschutes (Ore.) County medical examiner as saying even fit athletes such as Larsen can have undetected artery blockage.

"Unfortunately, sometimes the first indication of heart disease is sudden death," Cross told the paper. "Nearly 1 million people will die this year, and about half of them will die of heart disease."

Read the complete story here. 

 

Bee File Photo 2007/Randy Pench

David Takemoto-Weerts, bicycle program coordinator at UC Davis walks among hundreds of bikes that have been picked up on campus and stored in this warehouse.

You gotta love Davis, the bike-crazy burg.

Apparently, students at UC Davis have this strange habit of leaving their commuter bicycles behind upon leaving campus for the summer. They either lock 'em up and then retrieve them in the fall or they just leave them behind to lighten the load when moving out of the dorms.

A story in the student newspaper, the Cal Aggie, reports that the university's Transportation and Parking Services will post with impoundment warnings that give the owner 48 hours to remove bikes from racks. If the bikes aren't retrieved, they go into the university's annual spring bike auction. 

Read the complete story here.  

 

What is, arguably, the one household appliance that leads to acute injury?

Would you believe the personal computer?

OK, so some might not consider the computer an appliance, per se, but it sure is used a lot more than the dishwasher and microwave, at least at my house.

A study released this week by Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that acute computer-related injuries increased by 732 percent, from nearly 1,300 to approximately 9,300 injuries per year.

The study didn't chart chronic conditions, such as lower back pain from slumping in front of the screen or blurred vision. Rather, it tracked mishaps such as lacerations and contusions and abrasions. Young children are especially vulnerable to head injuries.

Among the injuries was hitting the side of the computer and sustaining a contusion (37 percent of all injuries) and computer equipment falling on the patient (21 percent). For the elderly and young children, tripping over computer cords was a big problem.

"Various agencies provide safety recommendations for the home, including the bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen, but the home office or computer area is rarely considered," Dr. Lara McKenzie, who led the study, said in a release. "Parents should take steps to make their computer areas and home offices as safe as possible by keeping computer equipment away from the edges of desks and out of reach of young children, installing safety covers on unused electrical outlets, allowing young children to only use the computer with adult supervision, and keeping play areas separate from the computer workstation."

 

More than 1,000 women converged on the Capitol Sunday morning for the Nike Women's Fitness Festival 5K, and no one was faster than Sacramento's Kirsten Schneider.

Schneider, a 40-year-old member of the Buffalo Chips running club, won the 3.1 double loop around the Capitol in 17 minutes 55 seconds. That bettered her winning time in last year's race of 18:26. Schneider also won the racve in 2007 at 18:18.

She was tested this time, however, by Bridgette Pilling, 26, of the River City Rebels club. Pilling led after the first mile and finished second at 18:07.

It was a big triathlon weekend at Rancho Seco. On Saturday, the Tri for Fun Sprint (half-mile swim, 16-mile bike, 3-mile run) was won by 15-year-old Jeroen Keukenkamp in 1 hour 13 minutes 1 second. The top woman was Pamela Jennings, 29, at 1:18.15.

 On Sunday, in the Tri For Real Olympic Distance race (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run), 35-year-old pro triathlete Jeffrey Piland of San Carlos won in 1:56.32. The top woman was Kari Mundschenk, a 43-year-old veterinarian from Sloughhouse, at 2:04.32. Mundschenk finished sixth overall.    

 

It was bound to happen: the first tweeting-while-running injury.

The casuality involving the self-involved Twitter phenomenon happened in Great Britain. Here are the first few paragraphs from the London Guardian:

Office worker Mr Coleman, 23, was 'tweeting' to his followers on his Blackberry while jogging to work when he cracked his head on a heavy low-hanging branch.

The force of the impact sent the dazed runner crashing to the pavement and left him with a badly bruised black eye.

Now Mr Coleman has vowed to keep his phone in his pocket while jogging the three miles from his home in St.Andrews, Bristol to work."I guess you could say I feel a right Twit," he said.

 

 

 

We've all heard that taking the stairs, rather than riding passively in an elevator or on an escalator, is a good way to be more physically active and strengthen that heart.

But building designers, apparently, haven't been stair-friendly, according to a study appearing in this month's Southern Medical Journal. Co-authors  Dr. Ishak A. Mansi of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, and wife, architect Nardine M. Mansi, call for builders to make the stairs the star of office buildings, department stores and the like. 

"Stairs are frequently hidden from entrances, with only small signs denoting their locations, typically in connection to the fire exit," the authors write. 

They say fire exits are usually guarded by heavy doors, not carpeted, and not air-conditioned. They also report that architects find it challenging enough to comply with current building codes emphasizing fire safety and accessibility.

 "As a result," the report concludes, "a conscious focus on health does not enter the design process."

So, what exactly can designers do to make stairs more attractive to people used to taking the easy way?

The authors suggest carpeting and air conditioning. And, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention building in Atlanta, officials found that playing music in stairwells and displaying motivational signs significantly increased the use of stairs.

. 

 

 

 

May I vent for a moment about clueless -- or just plain rude -- motorists when it comes to dealing with cyclists?

Let me preface this rant by saying that the vast majority of drivers are respectful and tolerant of bike riders and that, in some cases, cyclists can endanger cars.

Still, an incident on the ride into work still bothers me.

It happened at the intersection of Q and 15th streets. I was headed east into the heart of Midtown Sacramento and, just before the light, the far right lane becomes a right-turn only lane (clearly marked) and the left lane can either go straight or turn left.

So, the light turns red and, nearing the intersection, I migrate left to exit the far right lane and go to the far right side of the left (non-turn) lane. Well, a sedan pulls up in the turn lane and a woman rolls down her window and calls me a hazard for being what she calls "in the middle of the road." 

She wanted me to stay in the right lane, as near to the curb as I could get. In actuality, doing that would've made me a hazard for any car wanting to turn right once the light changed to green. I mentioned something to that effect to her, but she still thought what I was doing is illegal. 

Memo to the DMV: How about if you include more questions for motorists about dealing with bikes on the driver's test?  

 

The previous post about the new book, "What's Your Diet Type?," got me thinking about all the catchy names publishers slap on the numerous diet tomes on the market.

Just peering at the bookshelf at my cubicle, I can see a few. Here are some of the ones I've seen that make me laugh (which burns calories, by the way):

* "Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salad"

* "Lessons From the Fat-o-Sphere"

* "Why Your Last Diet Failed And How This Book Won't Help You on Your Next One"

*  "The Hacker's Diet: How to Lose Weight and Hair Through Stress and Poor Nutrition."

* "The No 'S' Diet"

* "The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets"

* "Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir"

What's your favorite diet book title?  

UPDATE AT 2:20 P.M.: I just received an email from the publisher Simon & Schuster about a new diet book coming out this month. Title: "Nice Girls Finish Fat" I kid you not.

 

Not a day goes by that a new diet book -- or 10 -- is not published. Rare is the book, though, that comes with its own playing cards.

Yup, coinciding with the publication of the diet tome, "What's Your Diet Type?," authored by registered dietician Heather K. Jones and two Sacramentans (Dr. Ed Redard and fitness and wellness expert Mary Miscisin) are a set of cards that perfectly illustrate the book's premise.

We particularly liked "Diet Player" card, showing a mod-dressed woman with thought bubbles swirling around her head: "I want it NOW!" and "Today must be enjoyed...tomorrow may never come," and "Variety is the spice of life."

The book ($19, Hatherleigh Press, 267 pages) matches specific dieting plans with your personality type, using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.and other personality research. It really is more a look at the emotions and reasons why people overeat than a how-to weight-loss manual -- though it's included as well.   

For more information, click here.

Medical reports are still pending regarding the exact cause of death of former professional cyclist and ex-Davis resident Steve Larsen, who collapsed and died on a Bend, Ore., track during interval training two weeks ago. (Read the story here.)

But a former cycling competitor of Larsen's, Patrick Mannion, wonders whether it might have been exercise-induced asthma that killed Larsen. Mannion, in an email, tells his harrowing brush with near death.

"Several years back, I myself was within reach of very sudden death due to an exercised-induced asthma attack.  From what I have heard regarding the circumstances of Steve's death, it sounds very much like what happened to me.  I am (quite literally) very lucky to be alive. I suspect that very few who have experienced what I did actually survived to talk about it.  I remember collapsing to the ground knowing I was about to die.

"After a 12 year layoff, I started bike racing again in 2000 after moving from California to New Jersey. In late May of 2000, I remember riding a training race and noticing the familliar musty, humid smell of maple pollen in the air.  At one point during the race I started to suddenly cough.  Figured I must have inhaled a mosquito or something.  The cough got worse, and at one point I even thought to myself 'Hmm, I'm almost short of breath.'  But then I recovered and just kept racing.

"Next year, same time of year, same circumstances, same kind of event, I had similar symptoms.  The next year, I was actually riding home from a training race, pedalling quite slowly and taking it easy, sipping some water.  Suddenly, I started coughing again.  The same tree pollen smell was everywhere again.  But this time, the coughing got worse, and it went even further.  Within seconds, I could feel my lungs literally compressing and robbing me of more and more air.  With each exhale, I could take in less air on the next intake.  I stopped the bike, right next to two pedestrians with mobile phones.  My last available breath was used to say 'Can't breathe, call for help,' and I fell over.  

"At this point, I was convinced that I was going to die right there and then.  No doubt about it.  I was terrified.  And I was three blocks from home.  At about that point, my lungs suddenly relaxed and the cough went away, and my breathing returned to normal. A visit to my doctor then turned into a trip to the pulmonologist.  The verdict:  Asthma. 

"I'd never had asthmatic symptoms before these three events, but apparently when you find your asthmatic trigger, you'll get attacked.  I found mine.  Hard strenuous areobic exercise, combined with hot, humid weather and maple tree pollen is the trigger.  I was advised to carry an emergency inhaler with me.  I opted to stop riding bikes in the months of May and June. That near-death experience scared the daylights out of me. I have not raced since.  Not worth dying over.

"I suspect Steve found his trigger, and unfortunately, it did not let go of his lungs like it did with mine."

 

Mark your calendars and lace up your shoes. Wednesday is National Running Day, an effort by "major organizations in the running industry" (according to the Web site) to promote this healthy fitness habit.

For many readers, I know, every day is Running Day. But why not make a special effort to represent the sport?

Check out the Web site here.

Hey, skateboarding is not a crime! In fact, it's even encouraged by the Sacramento Parks & Rec.

Max Baer Park (7851 35th Avenue, Sacramento), torched by arson a few years ago, has risen from the ashes with a new skateboard park that opened to raves last weekend.

The skatepark, 4,332 square feet, features quarter pipes, boxes, flat ledges, angled ledges, grind rails, wedges, wedge corners, and a skateable table and stairs.

Park and Rec officials also have added a full basketball court and picnic areas.

"Community members not only came together to rebuild the playground, they worked closely with my Office to transform the entire park into a safe place for the residents of southeast Sacramento," Council member Kevin McCarty said in a press release. "The new youth skate park and the many other park improvements will attract more children, youth, and families to Max Baer Park."

 

 

The World Health Organization has released a pretty grisly photo gallery of public service ads that various countries produce to discourage smoking.

Most show the graphic health consequences. It's hard to stomach. But if your teenager is a smoker, you might want to show them the gallery and what might be in store for them.

Click here for the link.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have debunked the popular belief that parents significantly influence a child's eating patterns.

In a study published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, Johns Hopkins nutrition professor Dr. Youfa Wang said "factors other than family and parental eating behaviors may play an important role in affecting American children's dietary intakes."

And what are those factors?

Answer: Community and school environment, peer influence, television viewing habits, self-image. 

So now I can eat that Twinkie in front of my brood without guilt, right?

 

Howdy, podner: How 'bout you round up four of your friends, tie yourselves together and run the inaugural Running of the Bullipedes on July 1 at 6 p.m. in old town Folsom?

It's only a mile and only cost $50 for a team. Awards will be given for best costume. Best of all, the Bullipedes run happens before the annual running of the bulls that kicks off the Folsom Pro Rodeo. So you don't have to, uh, watch your step.

However, race organizers warn that your team better finish that one-mile jaunt in a half an hour because the actual cattle drive starts at 6:30.

More information here.

Oh, and in case you aren't sure what a centipede running group is, here's a "deck of cards" centipede from the Bay to Breakers in San Francisco.

.

    

 

I've always wondered about whether that Yoga Toes product, advertised in the back of seemingly every health and fitness magazine, really works in relieving pain from bunions, corns and plantar fasciitis.

Now, msnbc.com provides the answer in its wonderfully informative online column, "Does It Work?" Read the verdict on Yoga Toes here.  

Sure, statistics that rate the fitness of cities can be massaged and twisted like participants in a yoga class. Take it all with a grain of salt. Then again, you better lay off that sodium if you want to be ranked high.

That said, we Sacramentans have good reason to puff out our pink-lunged chests and celebrate that the capital ranks 12th on the newly released American Fitness Index, which crunched the numbers to determine the fitness and health levels of the 50 largest metropolitan areas.

We may be well behind top-ranked Washington, D.C. (which includes parts of Virginia) and our buff neighbor, No. 5 San Francisco, but we kicked tail on Los Angeles (No. 30) and edged San Jose (No. 13).

The criteria? The index, developed by the American College of Sports Medicine and the nonprofit WellPoint Foundation, looked at the number and accessibility of parks, walking and bike trails, public transportation, the percentage of people who report exercising regularly and eating the recommended number of fruits and vegetables daily, the percentage of residents with access to health care and insurance, and the number of nonsmokers.

For purposes of the survey, "Sacramento" was defined as the four-county area of Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo. So the endurance athlete haven of Auburn and bike-crazy Davis, combined with the American River Parkway, helped boost Sacramento.

Among Sacramento area's strengths:

* A higher percentage of people bicycling or walking to work.

* More dog parks and golf courses per capita.

*  A higher level of state requirements for P.E. classes.

*  More farmers markets, ball diamonds and playgrounds per capita.

*  A higher percentage of people eating five-plus servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

 Among the region's weaknesses:

* "Higher percentage of days when mental health was not good during the past 30 days"

* Fewer swimming pools, recreation centers, tennis courts and acres of parkland per capita.

* A higher percentage of people with diabetes.

*  A lower percentage of people taking public transportation to work.

Metro areas west of the Mississippi River claimed six of the top 10 spots. California's lowest area was Riverside/San Bernardino, which placed 40th.

The list:

1. Washington, D.C.

2. Minneapolis-St. Paul

3. Denver

4. Boston

5. San Francisco

6. Seattle

7. Portland, Ore.

8. San Diego

9. Austin, Texas

10. Virginia Beach, Va.

11. Hartford, Conn.

12. Sacramento

13. San Jose

14. Cincinnati

15. Atlanta

16. Pittsburgh

17. Milwaukee

18. Buffalo, N.Y.

19. Baltimore

20. Raleigh, N.C.

21. Kansas City, Mo., Ks.

22. New York City

23. Tampa, Fla.

24. Cleveland

25. Chicago

26. Nashville, Tenn.

27. Philadelphia

28. Jacksonville, Fla.

29. Columbus, Ohio

30. Los Angeles

31. Miami

32. Phoenix

33. St. Louis

34. Charlotte, N.C.

35. Dallas

36. Indianapolis

37. Memphis, Tenn.

38. Louisville, Ky.

39. San Antonio

40. Riverside

41. Houston

42. Las Vegas

43. Birmingham, Ala.

44. Detroit

45. Oklahoma City

Note: Orlando, Fla.; Providence, R.I.; Richmond, Va.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Salt Lake City were not rated because of a lack of governmental data.

 

In this age of media consolidation, in which large corporations own a stable of magazines, the humble "Marathon & Beyond" bi-monthly keeps chugging along like an ultramarathoner sucking on packets of Gu.

The May/June edition is the 75th for this Little Magazine That Could, started 13 years ago by Northern California ultra runner Richard Benyo. Here's how old school Benyo, who lives and publishes in Forestville (Sonoma County),  is: "From the first issue ... I've used a lined sheet of paper to plan each issue, the sets of lines broken into various categories," he writes.

Many of the feature stories in "Marathon & Beyond" appeal to those not crazy enough to run ultras, but there's also enough geeky, insider ultra tips and information to statisfy the hard core readership.

This month, for instance, there's a great general interest feature on the history behind the Western States 100 trail. Read it and you'll find out who Brney Cavanaugh, of Cavanaugh Ridge, was, as well as other origins for Devil's Thumb and Rucky Chucky.

To check out "Marathon & Beyond's" Web site, click here.     

 

It's been more than 20 years since the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, released guidelines for the amount of weight that women should gain during pregnancy.

Today, the new charts are out, and the Institute of Medicine team that set the guidelines say it's needed.  

"Women today are ... heavier; a greater percentage of them are entering pregnancy overweight or obese, and many are gaining too much weight during pregnancy. Many of these changes carry the added burden of chronic disease, which can put the mother and her baby's health at risk." the report states.

Here are the new guidelines, using Body Mass Index to determine the categories:

* Normal Weight (18.5-24.9 BMI): Gain 25-35 pounds. In the second and third trimesters, 1 pound a week.

* Under Weight: (below 18.5 BMI): Gain 28-40 pounds.

* Overweight: (25-29.9 BMI): Gain 15-25 pounds; 0.6 pounds a week in the second and third trimesters.

* Obese (More than 30 BMI): Gain 11-20 pounds; 0.5 pounds a week in the second and third trimesters.To calculate your BMI, click here.

A new study. published in July issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, reports that by ninth grade students mostly abandon pphysical activities they enjoyed while younger.

That's mostly because, when kids get older, they get weeded out of team sports because the competitive level rises.

According to Montreal researchers, who conducted the study of midle and high schoolers, students reported their participation in 29 physical activities over five years. Although participation in team-based activities started high at 94 percent in seventh grade, 50 percent of girls and 31 percent of boys had dropped out by the end of high school. Conversely, only 10 percent of adolescents abandoned their individual activities during the same period.

According to Dr. Mathieu Bélanger, research director at the New Brunswick Medical Training Centre,  the most popular activities in seventh grade -- such as walking, running and physical conditioning -- had the highest levels of reuptake five years later (around 50 percent). In fact, walking was the only activity that girls continued to participate in at the same level over time.

The idea is that if schools taught lifelong fitness activities in PE class (walking for fitness, running, cycling, swimming), all of those ex-soccer and football playing teens would be able to stay in shape once they stop participating in team sports.

That pleasant late August 5K evening run, the Race for the Arts, will be moving from its usual  downtown (3rd and O streets) to William Land Park this year because of construction in the Crocker Park area.

Mark your calendars. For more information, click here.  

 

Courtesy of Sport Photo, Inc.

Barbara Miller, the swift 69-year-old runner from Modesto (pictured), was the winner for the second straight year Monday in the age-graded Buzz Oates No Excuses 5K at Sacramento's Land Park.

This popular handicapped race (by age and gender) gives those, ahem, "veteran" runners a chance to shine. And no one shined brighter than Miller, an excellent Masters runner who in February won her age division in the USA Master's Half Marathon Championships in Melbourne, Fla., with a time of 1 hour 48 minutes 37 seconds.

In the 5th Annual No Excuses run on Memorial Day, Miller finished in 23:36. Given the mathematical calculations of world record 5K times broken down by age and gender -- way too complicated to explain here -- Miller's age-graded time was converted to 13:44. She was well ahead of the second-place finisher, 48-year-old Wendy Pratt of Davis, who finished in 18:55 (converted to 14:46 in the age grade), and the third place finished, 39-year-old Mary Coordt of Elk Grove, who finished at 17:59 (15:14.2 converted).

In 2008, Miller also emerged victorious with a time of 23:11, which converted to 13:52.

The top male -- eighth overall -- this year was 44-year-old Mike Livingston of Folsom, who finished at 16:37 (converted to 15:14.6).

Oh, yeah: The actual overall, non-handicapped winner was some young whippersnapper, 19-year-old James Tracy of Fair Oaks, who ran the 3.1 mile course in 15:45. That converted to a 15:25 time, good enough for eighth place.    

Celebrity note: Sacramento Mayor (and former NBA star) Kevin Johnson, age 43, competed in the race. He finished at 30:50 (28:29, age grades), placing him 651st out of 1,057 runners.

 

 

A new survey set to be released to coincide with the advocacy group Corporate Accountability International's "Value the Meal" campaign found that 57 percent of Americans believe the fast food industry is "responsible for the increase in diet-related diseases and health conditions" in the U.S.  The survey was conducted by Lake Research in Chicago.

The advocacy group has produced an online mapping tool that shows the proximity of fast food restaurants to schools in San Francisco, Boston and Chicago. Check it out here.

The group wants to push for zoning changes to eliminate the proliferation of burger joints around schools.

 

 

 

One of our favorite personal trainers-slash-philosophers, Chip Conrad of Body Tribe Fitness in midtown Sacramento, has released a DVD called "Strength Rituals."

As Chip says, "There is no magic in a single tool, a single program or a single principle. The Bodytribe template is license for creativity, allowing you to escape dogmas by embracing and manipulating the many malleable factors that we can use to forge our strength."

What that means is plenty of old-school workouts featuring pull-ups, push-ups, dumb bells, bar bells and your own body weight. Plus, Chip and crew were using kettlebells, leverage clubs and sandbags as fitness tenchniques before they became trendy. The video contains four complete workouts and promises you'll never have to use a weight machine again. 

You may recall Chip as the "model" The Bee used is a recent Health & Fitness section story on the pleasures and sorrows of the humble push-up. Read the stories here and here.

To order "Strength Rituals" ($55), go to Body Tribe at 920 21st Street in Sacramento, or click here.  

 

 

 

 

It's not too late to register for Monday's Buzz Oates No Excuses 5K at William Land Park.

Race director Rich Hanna goes to extremes to make the race entertaining -- age-graded finishes; the 50th finisher gets a Laz-E-Boy chair -- but the best part are the T-shirts. Last year's features a crying runner on the front; on the back is a list of top excuses for "Why I didn't win the Buzz Oates No Excuses 5K."

The excuses range from "Serious bottleneck at the waterstation"  to "Too many slow-twitch muscles" to "My shorts kept riding up."

My favorite excuse, sort of an inside joke to runners, is: "Galloway Method didn't work." That's a reference to former Olympian Jeff Galloway, who trains novice marathoners by having them combine running and walking. Not exactly the way to go in a 5K (3.1miles).

One other excuse is an inside joke to friends of Hanna: "Pre-race bacon and eggs-- bad idea." That was the breakfast Hanna's mom served him at age 13 on the day he ran his first marathon in 1977. Despite that, Hanna still finished in 3 hours 1 minute.  

 

Millions have been made in the fitness industry on "recovery" drinks for athletes after vigorous exercise. Countless studies by nutritionists about what to eat, the protein-to-carb ratio, have been conducted.

But could the answer be in your cereal bowl?

A new study published this week in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition has shown that "readily available and relatively inexpensive breakfast food is as effective as popular, carbohydrate-based sports drinks."

Woo-hoo. Grrrreeeaatt!

Pass me the Frosted Flakes.

Not so fast. Turns out, it's got to be whole-grain cereal. But still, that's a lot more low-tech and tasty than whey-saturated sports drinks. The researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, studied 12 well-trained cyclists recovering after moderate exercise -- a regular workout, in other words.

"We wanted to understand their relative effects on glycogen repletion and muscle protein synthesis for the average individual," said Texas exercise physiologist Lynne Kammer in a press release. "We found that glycogen repletion, or the replenishment of immediate muscle fuel, was just as good after whole grain cereal consumption and that some aspects of protein synthesis were actually better.

"Cereal and non-fat milk are a less expensive option than sports drinks. The milk provides a source of easily digestible and high quality protein, which can promote protein synthesis and training adaptations, making this an attractive recovery option for those who refuel at home."

 

 

 

I had to really feel for the cyclists taking part in last Saturday's Davis Double Century (that's 200 miles) Bike Ride. Sunday's photos in The Bee really captured the heat and its affects on the riders.

But, as a longtime distance runner, I was perplexed by the above photo of cyclists cooling their feet in a kiddie ice bath -- with their toe-clip cleats and socks on!

Isn't that a great way to get blisters? Shouldn't they have taken off their shoes and socks?

Let me know, avid cyclists. Am I all wet, or is that asking for injury?  

 

The hot weather always brings out the "seasonal" lap pool swimmers in droves. At least, that's the case at the pool at my health club. Sunday night, I nicely asked a woman to share a lane, since it was the only lane not occupied by at least two swimmers. She said, curtly, "no." Sheesh!

So this seems a perfect time to remind people about lap pool etiquette. Here are some pointers, in truncated form, from a list posted by the staff at the Davis Athletic Club.

* Look for an open lane. "Pick the open lane most appropriate to your pace. Fast swimmers usually avoid the end lanes but otherwise group together in one half of the pool."

* Sharing. "Ask or otherwise let the other person(s) know when you're joining them...Let the other swimmer decided whether you will split the lane or swim in circles (each swims up one side and back on the other.) If you are the third swimmer, expect to swim in circles."

* Pacing. "Start 5-10 seconds after the other swimmer in your lane...If you get touched on the foot, the person behind you probably wants to pass, usually at the end of the lane."

* Resting. "If you stop to rest, move to the corner of the lane where you approach the wall."

* Waiting. "If you'd rather wait (for an open lane), stay on the pool deck and stretch/warmup away from a specific lane. Please give swimmers their space...You should not 'claim' a lane by placing your stuff at the end of your chosen lane or hovering nearby. People willing to share a lane may get in while you are waiting and, in a busy pool, you may never get a lane to yourself."   

 

Sunday's 98th Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco, which drew 62,000 runners ranging from those in elaborately dressed costumes to no clothes whatsoever, saw two Sacramento-area runners place in the top 15.

On the women's side, Folsom's Midori Sperandeo finished 12th at 44 minutes 53 seconds. She was the third U.S. resident to finish; Olympian Deena Kastor was the top U.S. woman, finishing third at 39:04. Ethiopian Tebya Erkesso was the winner at 38:29.

On the men's side, Davis' Brad Poore finished 13th at 39:08. The race was won by Kenyan Sammy Kitwara at 33:31.             

 

It's not too early to think about July 18 and the 36th running of Eppie's Great Race, the iconic 5.82-mile run, 12.5-mile bike and 6.35 paddle on and along the American River.

Race organizers have announced that, until the end of May, teams entering the race can get a $60 discount. For more infomation, click here.   

 

Olive Garden's "Tour of Italy" plate

Those crusaders at the Center for Science in the Public Interest are always looking out for our health, especially when it concerns the nutritional value of restaurant food.

Its latest examination is the sodium content of entrees at 17 chain restaurants. It found that 85 of the 102 meals contained more than a day's worth of sodium. Here are the worst offenders, according to the study:

• Red Lobster Admirals' Feast with Caesar Salad, Creamy Lobster Topped Mashed Potato, Cheddar Bay Biscuit, and a Lemonade:  7,106 mg
• Chili's Buffalo Chicken Fajitas (with tortillas and condiments) and a Dr Pepper:  6,916 mg
• Chili's Honey-Chipotle Ribs with Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Seasonal Vegetables, and a Dr Pepper:  6,440 mg
• Olive Garden Tour of Italy (lasagna) with a Breadstick, Garden Fresh Salad with House Dressing, and a Coca-Cola:  6,176 mg
• Olive Garden Chicken Parmigiana with a Breadstick, Garden Fresh Salad with House Dressing, and Raspberry Leonade:  5,735 mg

 

Courtesy of The Guardian (London)

 

Raise your hand if you've every had a running injury?

OK, now put your hand down. You don't want to add a rotator cuff injury to your shin splints, hamstring pull, iliotibial band syndrome, patellar tendinitis and sacriliiac joint pain.

If you're a runner nursing an injury -- and, really, who hasn't at one time or another -- you might want to keep the evening of May 27 free.

Fleet Feet's Sacramento store (23rd and J streets) is teamming with Mercy Medical Center for a a "Running Without Pain" seminar at 7:15 p.m. Mercy doctors Heather Rachel Davids (pain management) and Topher Stephenson (physical medicine and rehabilitation) will lead the discussion that will answer, among other subjects, when to keep running and when to pull back when dealing with aches and pains. 

Here's hoping the chairs at Fleet Feet are comfortable. 

To RSVP for the event, click here.  

Speaking of seminars -- and rotator cuffs -- Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa (1220 Arden Hills Lane, Sacramento) will host an "Ask the Experts" forum on shoulder injuries on June 10 at 7 p.m. It cost $20. Call (916) 482-6111.

 

We're always told not to obsess about weight, and part of that obsession is daily weigh-ins on the ol' bathroom scale. Some have even suggested that people should weigh themselves once a week, only, at the same time of day. The worry has been that daily weighing would lead to body "dissatisfaction" and potential eating disorders.

But a new study by University of California San Diego researchers of 130 overweight adolescents found that "frequent self-weighing is associated with positive behaviors and may prove to be a useful weight-control tool," according to a UCSD press release.

Results of this study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, shows that teens were more likely to exercise and eat more vegetables if they closely monitored their weight via scales.

 "It's a process called self-regulation, which is not about the weight; it's about paying attention," said UCSD Dr. Kerri N. Boutelle in a release. 

 

 

Don't know about you, but I believe everything I read on cereal boxes.

That's why I was shocked -- shocked! -- to read that my beloved Cheerios is making claims it can't back up. Specifically, it claims that eating the round ball o' whole grain can lower cholesterol by four percent in six weeks.

The Food and Drug Administration sent General Mills, Cheerios' maker, a warning letter this week, saying only a drug can make that claim. And Cheerios ain't no drug. Or, at least, it's an "unapproved drug," as the letter states.

Read the letter here.

 

I'm typing this standing up, which is no easy trick when the keyboard is at waist level.

I'm doing so because a study in May's Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise says that we are sitting ourselves to death. Yes, researchers from Ottawa and Lousiana have found a link between being a couch potato and "premature mortality."

More than 17,000 Canadians between ages 18 and 90 took part in the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey and were followed for 12 years. During that time, 1,832 participants died, and the mortality rate was nearly three times higher among the sedentary people.

The chilling part of the study was that even physically active people died prematurely -- if they had jobs a good chunk of the day sitting. Uh-oh. The authors wrote that "physicians should discourage sitting for extended periods." They suggest taking breaks to stand and walk around every hour.      

 

I've been training for an upcoming hilly race, the Dipsea, and I figured I better get some serious hill work in on Sunday.

So I went from blissfully flat Davis to Vacaville, where the hills spring up next to Lagoon Valley Park (you can see it off I-80, looking east near the Pena Adobe exit). I'm running along a sloping, singletrack trail carved into the hillside and, just after a downhill stretch and negotiating a sharp right turn, the path was blocked by a cow.

A huge cow, I might add. We're talking obese, Type-2 Diabetic cow. There was no way I could go around the cow, which was the size of a Buick. It was just standing there, lazily grazing, with scores of flies swirling around its head. The animal seemed docile enough, but I was a little freaked out by the sheer size of the thing. Did I mention it was BIG?

(Do I even need to add that I'm a city boy used to running on asphalt?)

Question: What to do? I mean, it wasn't as if I could run up behind it and say, "on your left" and expect the cow to hoof it up the hillside. So, after about 15 seconds standing stock still, I figured I'd jog toward the cow and it would move out of the way.

Oh, it moved, all right. Farther along the trail. For the next two minutes, at least, the cow and I ran together -- it about five feet ahead of me. I'd stop, and then the cow would turn its head and stop, as well. I'd start up again and so would the Ms Cow, who proceeded to leave me a, uh, present on the trail, which I dodged nimbly.

Eventually, my strategy worked and I must have tired out the cow, who lugged itself up the hill to let me pass.

Afterward, I wondered about my cow etiquette. Was I being a wimp? Should I have immediately passed the cow from behind? Do cows attack, or is that just bulls?

Well, what else should I have expected: The town is call Vacaville, after all.  

    

 

Yes, there are some positives from the Swine Flu mania out there.

According to a Harvard Public Health survery released today, 67 percent report of Americans say they or someone in their household has washed their hands or used hand sanitizer more frequently in response to the flu.

Washing hands: always a good thing.

Another positive finding: 55 percent says made preparations to stay at home if they or a family member is sick.

On the other hand, some respondents seem to be overreating just a tad: 27 percent are avoiding air travel (including Joe Biden, apparently) and 14 percent say they have stopped shaking hands with people. 

The big event around these parts this weekend is the Komen Race for the Cure Saturday morning at Cal Expo. Registration is closed, but you can go out there anyway and cheer the racers on. Details here.

Another fun and challenging race that I've enjoyed (though my quadraceps complained) is the Mt. Tam Wild Boar Run 10K and 18K in Mill Valley on Saturday. Great off road trails highlight this run, not to mention cool T-shirt featuring snarling boars. Details here.

Triathletes can flock to Angels Camp for the 17th running of the Angels Camp Triathlon. It's a 1,00-yard swim (wetsuits allowed), 16-mile bike and 4-mile trail run. Details here.

 

The New York Times today ran a story  debunking the effectiveness of over-the-counter sports creams, which is a multi-million dollar industry. The Times quoted Mayo Clinic doctors, pain management experts, American College of Sports Medicine specialists and researchers, and not one of them said the gooey stuff does much good in easing pain or speeding recovery.

Because there are no double-blind clinical studies to back up any claims of healing properties, these creams are about as effective as rubbing Crisco on your quads.

Pardon me a moment while I weep for all the money I've spent as a runner over the years on these creams. And I'm not alone. When I was at the Eugene, Ore., Marathon Expo last week, I saw runners snapping up free samples of analgesics. And in the corral before the start, I saw many a hamstring get lubed up.

I've tried them all -- ALCiS (ineffective), ProfenHPCream (somewhat effective) and FlexPower (not sure but it sure feels good on my calves) -- and pretty much had the attitude of, Well, it can't hurt, can it? 

The ironic thing is that my orthopaedic doctor at the UC Davis Sports Medicine Clinic was the one who originally recommended FlexPower.

Oh, well.

   

CORRECTION (May 18): The proposed requirements for personal trainers under State Senate bill 374 would dictate that a personal trainer must have a degree in exercise science or related field or a certificate from an accredited organization.   

Uh-oh. My personal trainer's certification, which I spent 50 bucks on the Internet to acquire back in November, soon might be a useless piece of paper.

A bill proposed by State Sen. Ron Calderon to set rigorous standards for personal trainer certification, was approved recently in the senate and now is being mulled in the assembly.

If passed and signed by the Guv, SB 374 would prohibit anyone from offering services as a personal trainer with certification from a recognized national group and or a bachelor's degree in fields such as exercise science and kinesiology.

It's that college degree requirement that might strike fear in the hearts of many personal trainers. But Calderon (D-Montebello) says the bill is needed to protect consumers from trainers who could cause them to become injured.

"I was amazed that virtually anyone can call themselves a personal trainer, regardless of their education or lack thereof," Calderon said in a statement. "The implications of having no requirements for this profession are frightening. People who train improperly can be injured for life."

 

Several readers questioned the recent blog item about a new study in the European Heart Journal about the beneficial effects of eating fatty fish in combating heart failure.

We quoted the lead researcher as explaining that Swedish men who ate one serving per week of fish had a 12 percent reduced risk of heart failure. But those who ate more than that -- two or three servings a week -- had nearly the same heart failure rate as men who ate no fish at all.

That is an accurate figure, and Levitan says it's meant to show that moderation might be the key to fish intake and heart benefits. She hypothesizes that men who ate more fish may already be in poor health, and may be trying to improve their health through fish consumption.

"Our study reinforces the current recommendations for moderate consumption of fatty fish," Levitan said in the news release. "Current guidelines from the American Heart Association recommend eating fatty fish twice a week."   

It was a big weekend for local endurance racers, especially two Davis triathletes and two Sacramento marathoners.

In the popular Wildflower Triathlon in Monterey, Davis' Kyle Leto, 23, was the winner in the Olympic distance at 2 hours 2 minutes 23 seconds, two minutes ahead of second-place Kenneth Rakestraw of Newport Beach. Davis' Mary Ann Smith, 37, finished 10th among women at 2:29.26.

Meanwhile, up north at the Eugene (Ore.) Marathon, Sacramento marathoner Chad Worthen finished second out of 6,000 participants at 2:26.3, eight minutes behind winner Matt Hooley, 26, of Madison, Wisc. Sacramento's Emily Mah-Nakanishi, age 27, finished third overall among women at 3:01.25.

Worthen told the Eugene Register Guard newspaper  that he wasn't aware he finished second.

""I really had no idea. I ran by myself the whole way, from two miles on," Worthen told the paper. "I let (Hooley) go, and then there was a whole pack of (full marathon) guys I let go. At one point someone told me I was fourth, but a couple guys must have dropped out because I have no idea how I got second. It just happened."

Worthen was diappointed with his time. He was hoping to run two minutes faster. 

"I wish I had more people to run with, and I wish it hadn't been raining," he told the local paper, with a laugh. "Early on I was a little ahead of pace, so I slowed down and came into the halfway point right on pace. The second half I started falling apart a little bit. That's where if I had someone to work with it would have been easier. I did a lot of talking to myself to keep me going out there."

The top local finishers in the Avenue of the Giants Marathon up in redwood country were Lisa Elliott of Orangevale, 48, and Thersa Cane, 38, of Elverta, at 3:42.27.

Closer to home, Sacramento's Steve Schenck won the Fair Oaks 5 Mile at 27:20 and the first woman was Elissa Briggs at 31:43.

The Parkway Half Marathon in Sacramento saw local Justin Matulonis, 36, finished fourth at 1:19.29, with Janine Marello finishing as the second woman at 1:26.26. 

 

 

Specifically, if you've had a rotator cuff tear, it could be in part because you've had a relative suffer the same fate.

That's the result of a review of cases in a study published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 

"This strongly suggests genetic predisposition as a possible cause for rotator cuff disease," said Robert Z. Tashjian, MD, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine Orthopaedic Center in Salt Lake City, in a press release.

Utah researchers crunched numbers from Utah's population database and medical files to come up with the theory that heredity can put one at a higher risk for rotator cuff tears (particularly if you're a baseball pitcher.) The risk extends out and beyond third-cousin relationships 

But researchers have yet to identify a genetic component.

 

 

The Food and Drug administration today notified makers of botox that they need to strengthen warnings on product packaging, including "the risk of adverse events when the effects of the toxin spread beyond the site where it was injected."

So, what can happen when the botox spreads?

Oh, just "breathing and swallowing" problems.

Gee, who would've thought injecting a toxin into your face could have risks? 

Read the FDA update here

There are two big marathons this Sunday in which many locals will run -- the Avenue of the Giants up in Redwood country and the Eugene, Ore. Marathon, where runners will run by 26 statues of "running giants," such as Steve Prefontaine and Bill Bowerman.

Not too late to enter. Click here for the Avenue of the Giants and here for Eugene.

For only half the fun (and the effort), you could run the Parkway Half Marathon Saturday morning on the American River Parkway. Hurry, though: As of Thursday afternoon, only 248 spots were left in the half. Click here for details.

For you wacky ultra runners, the Miwok 100K race is Saturday in Sausilito. Details here.

For cyclists, there's the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure in Roseville on Saturday. Details here.

Then, of course, there's the ever-popular Wildflower Triathlon in Monterey on Saturday and Sunday (there are different courses.) Details here.

 

At last, here's a run for a good cause that we all can get behind.

On May 16, Roseville High School's journalism program will hold the Tiger Fast Break 5K, which starts at 9 a.m.on the school's football field and "meander(s) through the local community." It costs $15 for students, $20 for adults. Call (916) 782-3753. They'll have the usual awards, T-shirts and age divisions, plus a raffle and free breakfast.

Our copy editors were impressed by the J-program's press release, which spelled "benefiting" correctly. Bravo.

Note to bosses: Think "Run to Save The Bee." It could work. You never know.   

 

Marge need not worry. Maggie Simpson, the "Simpsons" cartoon character whose pacifier seems permanently attached to her face, still will be able to successfully brestfeed.

A University of Virginia review of literature, conducted by Dr. Fern Hauck and published in the April edition of the Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, found that the highest level of evidence on pacifier use and breastfeeding shows no adverse relationship between the two.

""Mothers who breastfeed are often advised not to use a pacifier. This recommendation needs to be corrected. However, if a baby refuses a pacifier, it should not be forced upon him or her," Hauck says in a press release. "Physicians, nurses and others who advise parents on infant care issues do need to be educated about the potential benefit of using a pacifier for SIDS prevention, and further, now need to be reassured that using the pacifier should not interfere with breastfeeding."

Hey, in two decades on the TV, have we ever seen Marge breasfeed baby Maggie? Just askin'. 

 

 

Put down your cigarette, pal, and pick up your iPhone.

Yeah, it seems as if there's an application for everything now on the iPhone. There's now a free app doanloadable from iTunes and iPhone to the National Cancer Institute's "quitline" service. You can talk to a coach or, if you'd rather, text with one.

The app was developed by the George Washington University's School of Public Health and Health Services and the National Tobacco Cessation Collaborative, with support from the National Cancer Institute.

For more information, click here.

 

 

The American Lung Association today released a report on the best and worst cities for air quality.

And, well, Sacramento rates high on the worst list, up down there  with Los Angeles. In the ozone category, the Sacramento valley ranked sixth among the "at risk" cities, just two down from Fresno. Los Angeles, of course, topped that list. The good news: Sacramento didn't make the list of bottom 25 "at risk" cities for year-round particles.

Taking a closer look at the charts, which you can find here, Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado counties all received an "F" for number of ozone days. For particle pollution, Sacramento received an F grade, Yolo a D and Place a C. El Dorado didn't make the list.

Now, you mgiht be thinking, our air quality in't nearly as bad as in Southern California, and you're right. But the ozone and particle pollution we do have are a bane to the 109,920 pediatric and adult asthma sufferers in the county, as well as the 16,063 with emphysema, according to ALA data.  

Many of the top runners in the Sacramento area are age 30-plus, but it was the young-uns who turned in swift performances in last Sunday's Run Rocklin 5K and 12K.

The youngest competitor to place was 13-year-old Brynn Sargent of Folsom, who finished second in the 5K at 17 minutes 21 seconds, just five seconds behind 20-year-old winner Juan Aguirre of Rocklin. In the women's 5K, another teenager, 18 year-old Kimberly Spencer of Rocklin, finished one second behind winner Corrisa Jacomini of Lathrop, who covered the 3.1 course in 20:50.

In the 12K, Tim Tollefson, a 24-year-old Roseville resident, was the easy winner at 39:03, an impressive 5:14 pace. The top woman was Lindsay Nelson, 23, of Roseville at 46:39.  

For complete results, click here.  

 

Dr. Lynn Silver is my new hero.

Silver, an assistant commissioner in the New York City Health Department, is spearheading an effort to regulate the salt content of foods such as pasta, sauces and such. Read the Associated Press story here.

High sodium levels in foods is killing us. Nearly half the daily recommended allowance for sodium (2,300 milligrams) is in one Big Mac. Eat that with a Super Sized fries and watch your blood pressure go skyrocketing.

Now, I know that many will sneer at a governmental agency wanting to interfere with our God-given right to shake salt on entrees, but study after study shows that high sodium intake is bad for our hearts. And most of the sodium we get come from prepared foods, not from the shaker.

 

Attention, teachers: You might want to rethink that ban on chewing gum in the classroom.

A new study by Baylor College of Medicine researchers suggests that gum chewing in class can help improve students' test scores.

In research sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute (yeah, big potential conflict there) and presented at the Annual Meeting of Experimental Biology 2009 in New Orleans, 108 students ages 13 to 16 in math classes were assigned to either chewing or non-chewing groups while doing homework and taking quizes.

After 14 weeks came the big math test.

Results: a 3 percent increase in test scores and better overall grades.

Theories put forth by the Baylor researchers: Gum chewing decreases anxiety and increases blood flow in the brain.

 

 

 

Yet another study has linked the benefits of eating "fatty" fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, etc.) with helping to prevent heart failure. Once again, it's those valuable omega-3 fatty acids that do the trick.

In the largest study yet looking at heart disease and fish consumption, reported in today's on-line issue of the European Heart Journal, researchers followed nearly 40,000 Swedish men (ages 45 to 79) with no history of heart problems for six years. It found that men who consumed approximately 0.36 grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day from fish were 33 percent less likely to develop heart failure than the men who consumed little or no marine omega-3 fatty acids.  

"We divided the men into five groups based on their intake of fatty fish," lead researcher Emily Levitan at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center explained in a press release . "The first group consumed little or no fatty fish; at the other end of the spectrum, the fifth group consumed significant quantitities, three or more servings per week. We found that while the 'middle group' - who ate one serving per week - had a 12 percent reduced risk of heart failure, the next two groups, who ate either two servings a week or three or more servings a week, had nearly the same heart failure risk as the men who ate no fish at all."

Can't stand fish?

Researchers report they had similar findings with subjects who consumed fish oil supplements.

 

The news last week that United Airlines will start charging obese passengers for two seats has understandably touched a nerve in the size-acceptance community. (Read a Chicago Tribune story here.)

But large airline travelers do have an option: Move to Canada.

Air Canada has announced that it will give obese passengers a second seat for thier girth, gratis. But only on domestic (that is, within Canada) flights.

 

My fam loves Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal. (Yeah, yeah, I know: The frosting part is bad for you. I'm a terrible parent.) 

Anyway, I always got a little chuckle over the claim on the box that it's been "clinically shown" Mini-Wheats improves children's attentiveness in school by 20 percent.

Well, today, the Federal Trade Commission announced it had reached a settlement with Kellogg so that it will stop the "false advertising" that violates federal law. 

Says FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in a statement: "We tell consumers that they should deal with trusted national brands. So it's especially important that America's leading companies are more 'attentive' to the truthfulness of their ads and don't exaggerate the results of tests or research. In the future, the Commission will certainly be more attentive to national advertisers."

Read the FTC's entire press release here.

 

Sacramento runner Jenny Hitchings (pictured) completed this morning's Boston Marathon in 3 hours 57 seconds, placing fourth in the women's 45-49 age group.

Hitchings was the 75th woman.

Among top local male runners: Robert Peterson, 28, of Folsom at 2:49:43; Michael Fadling, 40, of Roseville at 2:55:57; Kevin Nugent, 50, of Fair Oaks at 2:58:06; Chris Pollack, 31, of Sacramento at 2:58:35 and Kurt Mellick, 42, of Elk Grove at 3:00:45.

To search for other local runners competing today in the Boston Marathon, click here.

 

Jeff Piland (pictured), a 35-year-old professional triathlete from the Bay Area community of San Carlos, was the easy winner Sunday in the Icebreaker Sprint Triathlon at Granite Beach on Folsom Lake.

Piland, sponsored by Team Sport Beans, finished the half-mile swim, 15-mile bike and 4-mile run in 1 hour 10 minutes 47 seconds. Second place went to Elk Grove teenager Joshua Olmstead, at 1:14.15. Another teen to do well was 13-year-old Caton Avilla, 20th at 1:21.16.

The top women's finisher was 36-year-old Lori Olsen, who completed the course in 1:22.34. That placed Olsen 24th overall.

Complete results are here. 

To read more about Piland, click here for his Web site.

In Sunday's other big race, the Zoo Zoom 5K and 10K, the %K proved to be very competitive, with Reno's Jeff Huxhold (15:42) beating Sacramento's Chad Worthen (15:58) for the victory. In the women's race, Folsom's Midori Sperandeo (17:27) beat Elk Grove's Mary Coordt (17:39). The 10K winners: Men: Paolo Castiglioni of Davis (35:13). Women: Elissa Briggs of Sacramento (38:27).   

The Associate Press reports:

"The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled three million fitness balls, made in China and manufactured by EB Brands, of Yonkers, N.Y., because the balls can unexpectedly burst during use if they are overinflated, which could cause the user to fall to the floor.

The company has received 47 reports of fitness balls unexpectedly bursting, including reports of a fracture and multiple bruises. The recalled balls were sold in 55-, 65- and 75-cm diameter sizes. The rubber balls come in various colors and have either a Bally Total Fitness, Everlast or Valeo logo printed on them. Department stores and fitness retailers nationwide sold the balls from May 2000 to February."

Details: Call 800-624-5671; on the Web here.

There's plenty going on for fitness-lovers.

The two big events in these parts are the Icebreaker Triathlon and the Zoo Zoom 5K and 10K, both on Sunday.

The Icebreaker, held at Granite Beach, is the unofficial opening of sprint/Olympic distance triathlon season in the Sacramento area. It's a sprint event (1/2 mile swin, 12 mile bike, 4 mile run) but there also is a "baby icebreaker" at a shorter distance. The race may not live up to its name this year, since the weather is expected to be balmy. And that's a good thing. At last weekend's Icebreaker Swim, the water temperature was said to be in the 60s. Cold, but not icy. Click here for more details on the race.

The Zoo Zoom is part of the Buzz Oates Racing Series, which is a culmulative event in which runners earn points in a number of various of various lengths. So expect some speedy runners. But this event is really geared toward the whole family and plodders. Plus, there's a cool T-shirt with zoo animals trotting all over the front. Details here.

If you feel like traveling to the Bay Area for races, there's the Marin County Marathon at McNears State Beach on Sunday. Details here.  Or head farther south for the Santa Cruz Half Marathon/10K on Sunday. Details here.

And, finally, for you crazy ultra folks, there's the Mt. Diablo Marathon and Endurance Run at Mitchell Canyon Trailhead in Clayton (at the foot of Mt. Diablo) on Sunday. Details here.

 

 

The Bee recently profiled Jamie Whitmore, the former XTERRA triathlon world champion, whose career was cut short because of an aggressive form of cancer.

Whitmore's blog chronicles her struggles. I dare you to read the following posting and not get motivated to go out and exercise:

"I often think about that last day I ran and the day I rode my bike. I ran for only for 10minutes in Tucson, Arizona. Courtney and a couple friends from the camp were with me. The upper part of my left calf hurt like crazy but I was determined to keep going. By the time we finished I could barely walk without limping let alone stretch. It was at that point I knew something was seriously wrong.

"A week later was my last ride on the road bike. For a week my leg was becoming more and more uncomfortable but on this particular day it was too much to handle. I was supposed to go for an easy 1hr spin but 5minutes into the ride I was in agony. I kept thinking it would go away but it only got worse. I started crying and by 15minutes I knew I had to turn around. The entire ride back to my car I could barely turn the pedals. The pain was indescribable.

"With the amount of pain I was in for both of those days I couldn't truly enjoy either one. Instead the memory of agony is embedded in my brain. If only my last run could have been on my favorite trail in Sly Park, with rolling single track around a lake. I spent most of my winters on that nine mile loop smelling the fresh cedar and damp air. If only my last ride could have been battling it out in Salmon Falls with Courtney and Cliff in 90degree weather trying to avoid the poison oak. The first time I ever rode that trail I crashed over and over. I walked almost all of the technical, steep descents. Months later I was able to ride everything on that trail. It became my favorite place to ride and drop the hammer on all the guys. It has just the right amount of hill climbs and technical difficulty. There are tight single track sections with rocks all over the trail and a cliff to one side. Every once in a while you run into cows or skunks and a handful of other riders but most of the time I felt like it was my own personal trail and I had it all to myself.

"The desire to get back to riding my bike and running is highly driven by these memories. I want to feel the wind blowing in my face and my heart rate sky rocket when I am attempting a difficult section. I want to feel the endorphins from running 10 miles at a steady pace. It is hard to get on an elliptical trainer inside 4-5days a week and not miss what I used to do. I am thankful I can at least workout but the longing to do something more doesn't go away. There is no "fix" from an hour of elliptical or 30minutes on a stationary bike. There is no sun that beats down on my neck as I lift weights. There is nothing that smells like the outdoors. There are only TV monitors and florescent lights while the top 40 plays over the speakers.

"Two weeks ago I had a mold of my bad leg made. One week later Kenneth made a prototype brace for me to try out on the bike. Yes, one week. It is in San Francisco waiting for me to pick it up and try it out. I have been waiting for my kidney drain to be removed before I get back on a bike but I don't think I can wait that long. I need to get out on the open road. The sun is shining and the outdoors is calling my name. We have a borrowed tandem, we have the brace . . . Courtney just needs to make some modifications to my pedal and shoe along with some special custom bike shorts and I will be able to attempt a ride on the road.

"I have a hard time sleeping these days because of the excitement. I didn't expect all of this to come so soon. I didn't expect so many people to jump at helping me get back on the bike. The possibility is right at the tip of my fingers. If only we could solve this kidney problem right now I would be riding tomorrow.

"Two weeks ago Total Body Fitness and Bobby McMullen held a fund raiser for me. It was the premier of Bobby's movie "The Way Bobby Sees It!" The film is about how he rides blind . . . On his own bike off-road with a guide. He is a good friend and inspiration. I look at all that he has accomplished and I know I will be able to overcome similar obstacles. It's the kind of movie that motivates you to get off the couch. This movie has inspired one of my best friends, Kacey to do a triathlon in honor of me. I told her I would get her through this and have started training her. Even though she is incredibly sore and her lungs burn every time she jogs she has that desire and determination. I find it inspiring.

"As the racing season approaches I encourage you to enjoy the ride. Take in everything life has to offer. And if you are sitting on a couch doing nothing get out and walk. Smell the fresh air!"

 

If you've been a runner long enough, you probably have scores of old, smelly shoes moldering in the back of the closet.

You can't wear them all to mow the lawn, buddy.

So why not recycle your old shoes with the Sole Patrol, a Sacramento group that makes good use of your discards? The Sole Patrol will have a booth at Sunday's Zoo Zoom 5 and 10K races in Sacramento. Or, you could turn in your old shoes when picking up your race packet at Fleet Feet Sports on 23rd and J streets Friday or Saturday.  

Yes, we said free.

Of course, you've got to be either a student, staff member of faculty member of Sacramento State to participate in the first annual 5K Fun Run on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Serna Plaza. Alumni must shell out $20. 

Check out the details here on Sac State's Wellness Blog.  

It may be too late to help you in Sunday's Icebreaker Triathlon at Granite Beach, but the Swimstitute, a new swimming facility in Rancho Cordova, will be hosting a two-hour technical swimming clinic on Saturday at 9 a.m., featuring Tim Elson, former Pepperdine University head swim coach and vice president of swim equipment maker Finis.

Stroke technique will be the focus of the clinic, which costs $40 and includes a swimmer's snorkel. Call 916-851-0840 to reserve a spot. The Swimstitute is located at 11335-B Folsom Boulevard in Rancho Cordova.

 

 

We received an email today from the California International Marathon -- never too early, we suppose, to start trawling for 2009 entrants -- but the big news was buried near the bottom of the fact sheet:

"In 2008, USA Track & Field (governing body for distance running, race walking and track & field events) modified its rule banning electronic devices at road racing events. Each event's management team may now determine whether or not to allow these devices. USATF and the Road Runners Club of America continue to recommend that particpants do not use electronic devices (NOTE: That's the CIM's bold face, not mine) during the event. The CIM wholeheartedly agrees with this recommendation, but has not instituted a rule banning them. Be aware that using electronic devices during the race could compromise your safety and that of other runners."

I, personally, don't use my iPod during races or long training runs. But, yes, on days I don't feel motivated, I'll strap them on.

Many races frown on headphones (for insurance, if not aesthetic, reasons) but allow them because so many runners these days are dependant on them. The reason I don't wear them in races is two fold: (1) I want to hear my breathing and stay intune with my body during the race; (2) It just seems so anti-social.

I mean, if it takes blaring rock music in your ear buds to motivate you during a race, you must not be that motivated to race. I'm just sayin'.   

 

I feel vindicated!

See, I've been feeding my brood a steady stream of broccoli until they nearly scream in protest. Turns out, I was helping the kids' peptic ulcers and helping to prevent stomach cancer.

The April issue of the Cancer Prevention Research reported that Johns Hopkins reserchers found that broccoli helps eliminate the the germ -- Helicobacter pylori -- in the same manner as antibiotics. But broccoli sure is more tasty.

Caveat: It was a relatively small study (50 people infected with the germ, half given broccoli, half alfalfa as a placebo.) 

What color is your fat?

Apparently, it matters. Research reported in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that those adults with more "brown" fat -- as opposed to the evil white fat around our midsection, hips and thighs -- burn more calories and expend more energy.

Previously, it was thought that only babies and children had the so-called "good" brown fat. But now researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center report that it can stick around in adults. The researchers see brown fat as a way to treat obesity and type-2 diabetes.

The study found that younger patients were more likely to have larger amounts of brown fat and brown fat is more plentiful in the body during colder weather to burn energy to generate heat. Brown fat was also more common in adults who were thin and had normal blood glucose levels.

"Not only did we find active brown fat in adult humans, we found important differences in the amount of brown fat based on a variety of factors such as age, glucose levels and, most importantly, level of obesity," said lead author Aaron Cypess, M.D., Ph.D., a Research Associate and Staff Physician at Joslin.

Added Dr. Ronald Kahn, senior author and Head of the Joslin Section on Obesity and Hormone Action at Harvard University: "What is of particular interest is that individuals who were overweight or obese as measured by higher Body Mass Index (BMI) were less likely to have substantial amounts of brown fat. Likewise, patients taking beta-blockers and patients who were older were also less likely to have active brown fat. For example, individuals both over age 64 and with high BMI scores were six times less likely to have substantial amounts of brown fat."

 

As if Sacramento's inferiority complex with regard to neighboring San Francisco weren't entrenched enough, here comes Prevention magazine to make it worse.

Prevention, in association with the American Podiatric Medical Association and Sperling's Best Places, has released the Top 25 Walking Cities in the U.S.

Number 1: San Francisco.

Numbner 24: Sacramento.

Ouch!

Now, I've worked in both cities and I much prefer walknig in Sacramento. For one thing: It's flat. Another thing is -- and let's be brutally honest here -- you aren't hit up quite as much for economic bailouts by street people as you are in San Francisco.

The magazine says it used 19 criteria to evaluate walking cities, stuff such as square miles of parks, population density per square mile and use of mass transit.

Read the list here.  

 

Hey, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center says that vacations are good for one's health.

So, your humble health & fitness blogger is taking some time off, returning April 15. Not to worry, blog fans: Staff writer John Schumacher will be checking in his blog positings from time to time.

In the meantime, why don't you take a vacation yourself. It just mgiht save your sanity, according to UTS shrinks.

"We typically think of a vacation as a period of rest and relaxation," says Dr. Ann Matt Maddrey, assistant professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "But if you look at the word 'vacate,' it means to 'leave' or 'empty out' - as in empty one's mind of your normal routine, to make way for other things. Sometimes we get so stressed that we don't take time to recharge. When a battery runs down, there's no energy left; it needs to be recharged. That's exactly what happens to people."

And the folks at the Harvard Medical School provide a list of 10 health-related things to take with you on vacation:

1. Your prescription medications. Take at least a week's supply in your carry-on (in case your luggage is lost). Anything beyond a week's supply can be packed in your checked luggage.

2. Other prescription medications. Depending on your destination and personal medical history, consider asking your doctor about taking along antimalarial medications and an antibiotic for self-treatment of moderate to severe diarrhea.

3. Gastrointestinal medications, such as antidiarrheal medication (for example, bismuth subsalicylate or loperamide), a mild laxative, and an antacid.

4. Allergy medications, such as antihistamine and 1% hydrocortisone cream for mild allergic reactions. If you or a traveling companion has a history of severe allergic reaction, bring an epinephrine auto-injector (such as EpiPen). (This is a prescription item, so if you don't already have one, talk with your doctor.)

5. Cold-symptom medications, including a decongestant and throat lozenges.

6. Motion sickness medication.

7. Pain relievers like acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen.

8. Antifungal and antibacterial ointments.

9. Lubricating eye drops.

10. First-aid items like adhesive bandages, gauze, an elastic bandage, antiseptic, tweezers, scissors, cotton-tipped applicators, and a first-aid book.

 

I love running in rural Yolo and Solano counties, just a blessed few miles outside of Davis' city limts. I especially like the outskirts of Dixon, where cows, sheep and other unidentified livestock (hey, I'm a city boy) stare at you as you puff by.

So I was a little distressed to read a story in the Davis Enterprise about a cyclist who claims a cropduster plane purposely sprayed him on a road near the old Milk Farm site (you can see it off I-80). The comment by an unnamed Solano County law enforcement official -- "'Maybe he has seen 'North By Northwest' one too many times" -- was a little too flippant for my taste.

We cyclists and runners have put up with a lot on the roadways, from motorists swerving at us for kicks, to dogs with teeth bared to the freakin' wind that always seems to be in our faces, without pesticides raining down on us.

Read the story here.   

 

 

Yeah, each week, I'm the guy who nags you about exercising and perhaps participating in a run/cycle or other fitness event.

But I'm here today to recommend being a spectator at this Saturday's American River 50 Mile endurance race. Staff writer John Schumacher this morning tells the story of a paratriathlete, Amy Dodson (pictured), with prothesis who will compete. (Read John's story here and go out at various viewing points along the river trail to cheer her on.)

Oh, and take note of this update: If you haven't already signed up for the off-road Golden Gate Headlands Marathon, Half Marathon and 7-Mile run starting in Sausalito on Saturday, you're out of luck. The event is sold out.

Still, it might be a good wekend to get in that long training run or 100-mile bike ride you've been putting off.

Hey, just sayin'.

  

The results are in from judging of the 5 worst packaged lunchbox meals for your kids, and it's a landslide win for Oscar Meyer's Lunchables franchise, garnering three of the five spots.

The winner, chosen by dieticians with the nonprofit Cancer Project, was Lunchables Maxed Out Cracker Stackers, weighing in at 660 calories, 22 grams of fat and a whopping 1,600 grams of sodium. It features yummy treats such as processed ham and cheese, candy bars and a sugared "juice" drink. Looking for fiber? Ha!

Cancer Project dietitian Krista Haynes said in the organization's press release: "Most Lunchables and other packaged lunch meals are packed with saturated fat and cholesterol. The only way to get significant fiber from these products would be to eat the box."

No doubt, some young kids have eaten the box.

Click here for more information on the results.

Here's an idea, parents: Why not make your kid's school lunch to ensure it's balanced. Or, better yet, have them do it. (But check on the contents before they leave; We learned that the hard way around our house.)

 

Coke or Pepsi?

Uh, try water or unsweetened iced tea instead.

Beverages, not necessarily food, are what can really lead to packing on the pounds.

That's the result of a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study released today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers found that sugar-sweetened beverages (regular soft drinks, fruit drinks, fruit punch, or high-calorie beverages sweetened with sugar) are the main culprits, not the diet drinks.

As Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Benjamin Caballero said in the journal, "A reduction in liquid calorie intake was associated with a weight loss of 0.25 kg at 6 months and 0.24 kg at 18 months. Among sugar-sweetened beverages, a reduction of 1 serving was associated with a weight loss of 0.5 kg at 6 months and 0.7 kg at 18 months. Of the seven types of beverages examined, sugar-sweetened beverages were the only beverages significantly associated with weight change."

Those seven beverage types included the aforementioned sugar-sweetened and diet drinks, plus milk, juice, coffee and tea with and without sugar and alcoholic beverages.

The result: At 37 percent, sugar-sweetened beverages were the leading source of liquid calories.

Fleet Feet Sacramento is staging its "Nike April Fools Run" tonight at 5:30 at the store on J and 23rd streets in Midtown.

What's it it for you?

Well, in addition to going on a nice, noncompetitive run with lots of people, Fleet Feet says it will give away commemmorative T-shirts in the first 25 male and 25 female runners. (Shirts won't be handed out until 5 p.m., so don't go staking out Fleet Feet on your lunch hour.)

More information: (916) 442-3338 or click here.  

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.

.

 

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.

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.

 

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.   

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. 

 

Perhaps there should be a Surgeon General's warning for any B-list celebrity who is thinking about going on the hit ABC reality show, "Dancing With The Stars."

Yet another "star" has fallen to injury. This time, it's the singer-songwriter Jewel (above), whose knee tendinitis apparently has flared. She's not officially on the disabled list but listed as "questionable" for the show. Read all about Jewel's injury here.

Jewel joins a list of hobbled stars that includes Lance Bass (toe), Susan Lucci (ankle) and beach volleyball's Misty May-Treanor. (That's Misty pictured below; we'll take any excuse to ogle beach volleyball players!) 

 

 

 

OK, so it's a little late to, as a lark, sign up and run the Napa Valley Marathon, which is Sunday. I mean, you need to train at least 18 weeks for a marathon. But that doesn't mean you can't get in on the fun. There's a 5K that's run in conjunction with the 26.2 mile trek. Information: here.   

 If you'd rather run near the ocean than through vinyards, try the Great Highway 4 Mile run in San Francisco. As its name implies, runners will do an out-and-back along the Great Highway, starting at the southern end of Golden Gate Park and the highway. Best of all, the entry fee is only $5. 

 

Uh, sorry. We meant, subject for a medical study?

If so, you're in luck. UC Davis internal medicine researchers are embarking on whether strontium citrate, a widely available over-the-counter dietary supplement, is true to its claim as a prevention for osteoporosis.

Researchers are looking for post-menopausal women at least one year -- but less than five years -- past their last menstrual period.  After a screening visit, blood draw and scan, subjects will be randomly assigned to either a group that will take strontium citrate plus calcium and vitamin D for three months, or a group that will take a placebo plus calcium and vitamin D for three months.

For more information or to schedule a screening visit, contact Stephanie Burns, study coordinator, at (530) 754-7576 or (916) 734-5562 or scope@phs.ucdavis.edu.

 

 

 

I've been running for nearly 30 years and never have been bitten by a dog -- until this morning.

Here's what happened: I was on a dirt and grassy canal in north Davis before dawn and came upon a couple walking their two huge black dogs, off leash. The couple was about 30 feet ahead of the dogs, who were frolicking behind. I've encountered this scenario many times and just kept running past. Sometimes, I'd have to dodge an overly friendly canine, but I never felt threatened.

So I kept running this morning, too. Only this time, one of the dogs bolted to my left and bit me in the left hip before running to catch up with the couple, who seemed blissfully unaware of the incident. I didn't stop. In fact, I sped up and the dog backed off and bounded toward its owner. (Fortunately, the bite didn't break skin -- or the garment of my rain slicker. I do have a nice bruise, though.)

It turns out that I did everything wrong when it comes to runners versus dogs.

First mistake: I raised my hands over my head. I figured it was a peace offering, showing the dog that I meant no harm. I learned only later from the folks at animalhealthcare.com that dogs perceive that as a threat.

Second mistake: I kept running. Experts suggest to stop and stay still and avoid eye contact. They say it's a dog's instinct to chase "prey."

Third mistake: I didn't tell the dog "no" or say sternly "go home" when it started following me.

Final mistake: I didn't stop and get information on the dog from the owners. Who knows, maybe it didn't have its rabies shot.

So, lesson learned. Let me know if I start foaming at the mouth -- or foaming more the usual.

The American Running Association has guidelines for dealing with dogs. Click here.

Jayne Williams, author of "Shape Up with the Slow Fat Traithlete," will speak Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Running Zone, 8470 Elk Grove Blvd, in Elk Grove.

Williams, a Sacramento resident, was featured last Thursday in The Bee.

 

Sure, coffee lovers are legion. And they've been bolstered by recent reports that the high-octane caffeinated beverage isn't as bad for you as first thought.

Still, if you want a steamy cup of caffeine that's healthier, try tea.

A new study from UCLA, published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, reports that drinking at least three cups of black or green tea a day can decrease your chances of a stroke by 21 percent. Credit the antioxidants in the tea, reserachers say.

Caveat: Herbal teas won't give you the benefit, just tea made from the plant Camellia sinensis.

Caveat No. 2: Unilever Lipton Institute of Tea funded the study.

 

 

 

Bee Photo/Randy Pench

Shayna Powless, 15, was the top female finisher at the Chanoko Mountain Bike Duathlon.

 The Sacramento area's first family of off-road endurance sports, the Powlesses, had a big weekend at Folsom Lake in events run by Total Body Fitness racing.

Shayna Powless, 15, was the top female finisher in the main event, the 2009 Chanoko Mountain Bike Duathlon # 2 (2-mile run, 15-mile bike, 2-mile run) at 1 hour 31 minutes 1 second, well ahead of Lynice Anderson at 1:34.42.

Dad Jack Powless was third overall at 1:22.50, behind only winner Kyle Stock, 36, at 1:20.54 and Dave Hackett at 1:21.58.

In the Kids Duathlon (2-mile run, 5-mile bike), Neilson Powless, 12, was the winner at 33:41. The top female finisher was Avery Morin at 39:41.

 

So I was chugging along on the Yolo Causeway late yesterday afternoon on my bike, going only slightly slower than the traffic stacked up as it is every Friday.

I look to my left and this guy rolls down his passenger side window, leans over from the driver's seat and yells, "Get a car!"

I wasn't offended; thought it was funny. But as I chugged along, I started wondering why some motorists are so aggravated by cyclists. OK, OK. I can understand a little irritation when riders run red lights and dart into oncoming traffic. But I was on a fenced-off bike path.

I'd like to hear for car drivers who are annoyed by cyclists. Tell me what your problem is. Really, I'd like to know.

Post script: I was looking forward to telling my fam the heckling story at dinner. But my 13-year-old son trumped me with his story. Seems he was cruising down the sidewalk near a shopping center and a car pulled up to the entrance of the driveway. The driver yelled at him, "Get that skateboard out of here."

The kicker: Turns out the driver was his JUNIOR HIGH PRINCIPAL!!!

My son swears he had the right of way on the board. Plus, it must be noted that he may be the only kid skateboarder in Davis who wears a helmet. (We make him do it, much to his chagrin.)

Mercy Medical Center orthopaedic doctors, physical therapists and registered dieticians will descend on Fleet Feet Sacramento (2311 J Street) on Monday at 7 p.m. for its "Get Your Game Back" presentation.

After the formal presentation, you can ask the doc about your aching ________ (fill in your chosen malady here), get strength analysis from the therapist and nutrition advice from the RD.

And, hey, there's not even a co-pay.

Nope, absolutely free.  

It's a big weekend at Total Body Fitness Racing at Folsom Lake.

On Saturday, there's a mountain biking/running (called a duathlon) lallapalooza for competitors of all skill levels. The main event is the Chanoko Mountain Bike Duathlon (2-mile run, 12-mile mountain bike, 2-mile run). But there's also a kids duathlon and kids junior duathlon anda six-mile trail run for those who don't do the mountain-bike thing. and there's also "Jamie's Race," which is a 2-mile run, 5-mile bike, in honor of former XTERRA World Champion traithlete Jamie Whitmore, who is battling spindle-cell sarcoma.

Sunday, TBF Racing is hosting a mountain Bike Challenge, distances ranging from 7 miles (for first-timers) to 28 (for experienced cyclists).

 

 

 

 

We love studies featuring rodents here on the blog. But mix in illicit drugs and candy and, boy, do you have our attention.

So we present here a study from the Journal of Proteome Research, showing that a licorice ingredient called isoliquiritigenin (ISL) can block the nervous system's production of dopamine, which is triggered with cocaine use. Read the study here.

Scientists from South Korea and Pennsylvania used rats as model animals to show that rats injected with ISL just prior to cocaine-administration showed 50 percent less of the behavioral effects associated with the illicit drug. They also showed that ISL injections protected nerve cells in the brain from cocaine-associated damage.

We know this wasn't the way the study was conducted, but we like the mental picture of a debauch of rats snorting cocaine, then pigging out on licorice to end the high. 

The state's menu-labeling legislation is a good thing -- more information is always good, right? -- but a guy can look pretty geeky studying the small print at ye local fast food joint while others behind him in line are tapping their feet and clearing their throats in annoyance.

A new Web site, Good Food Near You, allows people to check out the healthiest choices before heading out to Burger King, Applebees, Subway, etc.

Want to know the healthiest selections at, say, Del Taco? (Yes, smarty pants, there are some less caloric items there besides the iced tea.)

Here's a list of Del Taco items from the Good Food site:

HEALTHIEST

Beef taco: 160 calories, 10 grams fat

Chicken Taco Del Carbon: 170 calories, 5 grams fat

LEAST HEALTHY

"The #7" (Macho combo burrito, large fries, macho drink): 1,850 calories, 765 grams fat

Macho Chicken Burrito: 930 calories, 33 grams fat

MOST DECEPTIVELY CALORIC

The Deluxe Chicken Salad, at 740 calories and 34 grams fat, is worse for you than a Double Del Cheeseburger (560 calories, 35 grams of fat).

 

 

 

AP/ELAINE THOMPSON

The mass start for the swim at the World Ironman Traithlon  Championships in Hawaii.

 

Those triathletes who just can't quite meet the time requirements for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii can still try to gain entry via lottery.

But you need to enter now, because the deadline is Feb. 28. To enter, click here.

Every year, the Ironman Lottery awards 150 domestic, 50 international and 5 physically challenged slots that are chosen randomly from more than 7,000 lottery entries.

Here are the details, courtesy of ironman.com

U.S. APPLICANTS
There will be 150 lottery slots available to the U.S. applicants. ONLY U.S. CITIZENS MAY APPLY. 100 names will be drawn from the Passport Club. 50 names will be drawn from the U.S applicants and any unselected Passport Club members. Lottery selections will be available on April 15, 2009 at 12:00pm EST on Ironman.com.

INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES
There are 50 lottery slots available to International applicants. CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT BE ENTERED. 25 names will be drawn from the Passport Club. 25 names will be drawn from the International Applicants and any unselected Passport Club members. Lottery selections will be available on April 15, 2009 at 12:00pm EST on Ironman.com.

US/INTERNATIONAL SELECTED ATHLETES
Athletes who are SELECTED through the Ironman Lottery must have completed an Ironman 70.3 or other long-distance event (1.2 Mile, 56 Mile + 13.1 Mile) or longer within one year of the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship to validate his/her lottery slot. Lottery winners must complete a validating race before August 31, 2009 and all validating information should be E-mailed to Lottery@ironman.com by August 31, 2009. Failure to comply will result in forfeiture of the lottery slot.

 

Move over Buffalo Chips, River City Rebels, Fleet Feet, Golden Valley Harriers and TBF Racing. There's a new running club in the area -- the Folsom Roadrunners.  

The group was formed in January and already has 20 members, according to spokeswoman (and USA Track and Field certified coach) Kristen Shill.

Shill says the club stages many group runs, training to prepare for races and individual coaching.

Though we try to eat healthy breakfasts, we admit to having a particular weakness for pancakes.

So we'll be at the corner of Stockton Boulevard and Colonial Way (the UC Davis Medical Center parking structure) Thursday between 6:30-8:30 a.m. for a fund-raiser for the UCD Children's Hospital.

All you have to do is make a donation, and they'll serve you a short stack of pancakes ... right there in your car.

OK, so it's not the healthiest promotion imaginable. You don't even get the exercise that comes from parking and walking to get said pancakes. And I don't think the folks at IHOP (co-sponsoring the event with the UCD Med Center) will substitute oatmeal or a fruit plate.

But, hey, it'ss for a great cause. So, indulge.

Some 766 runners participated this morning in the Valentine Day's 4 Mile Run in Sacramento, benefiting the justice center. Check out your result by clicking here.

Austin Ramos, 24, of Fair Oaks was the winner, covering the distance in 19 minutes 58 seconds ,a 5-minute pace. That was good enough to hold off second place finisher Patrick Boivin of Chico.

The top woman was Lauren Weaver of Sacramento (21-29) and Jaymee Marty, one of Sacramento's better women marathoners, finished second at 23:34.

Hey, did you hear there's some bike race in town this weekend?

Who knew?

Anyway, many of us would rather participate than watch -- or, in the best of both worlds, participate and then watch.

That, you can do.

On Saturday, you can run the Valentine's Day Run For Justice 4 Miler at 9 a.m. at 2420 Byrano Drive in Sacramento, just behind Country Club Plaza. That will still give you plenty of time to catch the Amgen Tour of California time trial.

Or... You can ride on the streets of San Jose with other avid amateurs in the San Jose Cycling Classic on Saturday in downtown San Jose. You can do the 30-mile tour ride or the time trial through downtown San Jose -- or both.

 

 

 

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has anointed Mattel's Barbie Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Doll as the winner of its first TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) award in an online poll.

 "No one who cares about children's wellbeing could produce a toy like the Barbie Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader doll," Dr. Susan Linn, executive director of the public-interest group. "It embodies a host of harmful expectations about what girls are supposed to be like."

What's most galling to Linn is that the toy is marketed as suitable for children as young as 6. As the group said in a press release, the doll "comes with the shortest of short shorts, stiletto boots, and a revealing halter top.  The preposterously skimpy outfit allows children to get a better view of Barbie's impossibly long legs and dangerously thin body."

Speaking of body image, coming this Sunday in The Bee's "Health & Fitness" section is a story on a Folsom mother who has started a nonprofit, Real Body Story.

  

 

Learn more about the risks and rewards of bariatric weight-loss surgery in a seminar hosted by Sutter Medical Center Sacramento on March 9 at 6 p.m. at the Sutter Cancer Center (classroom 2) at 2800 L Street in Sacramento.

The seminar, hosted by Dr. Gary Grinberg, will highlight all aspects of obesity and surgery options, including behavior modification, exercise and diet.

For more information, call (866) 409-1611.  

 

Frequent marijuana users, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center recently reported, are nearly 70 percent more likely to be stricken with a virulent form of testicular cancer than nonsmokers, according to the journal Cancer.

They are especially susceptible to nonseminoma, a testicular malignancy that strikes between ages 20 and 35 and accounts for about 40 percent of all testicular-cancer cases.

Says the study's authors in a press release: "Chronic marijuana exposure has multiple adverse effects on the endocrine and reproductive systems, primarily decreased sperm quality. Other possible effects include decreased testosterone and male impotency. Because male infertility and poor semen quality also have been linked to an increased risk of testicular cancer, this further reinforced the researchers' hypothesis that marijuana use may be a risk factor for the disease."

 

Dr. Michael Wilkes

That's the provocative title of the first "Second Opinions" community health forums scheduled to debut Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law lecture hall in Sacramento.

Sponsored by Capital Public Radio, in association with The Bee, the forums will feature panel discussions with experts to inform consumers about practical solutions to solve health-care problems and open a dialogue between the public and medical professionals.

The "Can You Trust Your Doctor?" forum will be moderated by UC Davis School of Medicine professor (and Bee medical columnist) Dr. Michael Wilkes. The panel includes Dr. Marion Leff, director of Sutter Health Family Medicine Residency Program; Marge Ginsberg, executive director of Sacramento Healthcare Decisions; Beth Mertz, of the Center for the Health Professions at UC San Francisco; and Sharan Ahari, a former pharamceutical sales representiative for Eli Lilly Corp.

Theforum is free. To register for the forum, click here.

The results are in from the Davis Stampede, and two Bay Area runners won the half marathon.

Juan Gomez, 22, of Oakland, was the top male finisher at 1 hour 13 minutes 59 seconds, while Vacaville's (yeah, that's technically the Bay Area) Allison Kerr was the top female at 1:20.53.

The the 10K, teenage phenom Kurt Rucgg of Yountville was the winner at 33:25, beating 29-year-old R. Matrthew Wise of Davis at 33:46. Sacramento's Jennifer Kent won the women's race at 39:43.

In the 5K, Davis' Drew Wartenberg took first place at 15:50, while West Sacramento's Juliet Wahleithner (18:06) led the women.

Interesting note: Race director Dave Miramontes watched his wife and son turn in good performances. Wife Jennifer finished first in the 40-44 women's age division in the half marathon, while son Ian finished first in boys' 12-under in the 5K.

Embarrassing note: Yours truly found himself still in a porta-potty when the gun sounded -- first time in 20 years of racing that's happened to me -- but thank goodness for chip timing. I was still able to finish first in the 45-49 age group in the half marathon, if I can be so arrogant to mention it.

The weather gods (would that be Mark Finan or  Dave Bender?)  were kind this morning  at the Davis  Stampede half marathon, 10K  and  5K. It was clear, with just a hint of a breeze and, yeah, a little cold at race time (39, according to the Weather Channel). But, hey, we could be living in upstate New York or Wisconsin, where they'd kill for 39 degrees.

It wasn't until near the end of the half marathon that the wind picked up (Have I mentioned I hate the wind?).

Now, you may be thinking, why is this clown spending so much bandwidth commenting on the weather?

Well, that's because the results still aren't functional on the Capital Road Race management Web site. (Hopefully, by the time you read this, all will be solved and results will be plentiful.) And, like a fool, I forgot to write down the winners before leaving downtown Davis.

Anyway, stay tuned, cross your fingers, and click here for the results.

I'll post again when we know more.

At the 31st Jed Smith Ultra races -- 50 miles, 50K, 30K -- an impressive performance was put in  by 32-year-old Todd Braje, who came down from McKinleyville and smoked the field in the 50-Mile run.

To find your time, click here.

Braje finished first in 5 hours 30 minutes 50 seconds, a blazing 6:37 pace given the distance. The top Sacramento finisher was veteran ultra runner Ray Sanchez, who finished fifth at 7:05:49.

In the 50K, Chickara Omine of San Francisco easily won at 3:08:44, outdistancing Michael Fink of Lincoln (3:19:02). In the women's division, Reno's Jenny Capel won with a time of 3:28:31. Rena Schumann of Gold River was second at 4:26:59.

Davis runner Mark Murray won the 30K at 2 hours 2 minutes, covering the loops at a 6:26 pace. The top woman was Lainie Callahan-Mattoo of Lincoln (2:28:08).

As a card-carrying Davisite, I'll be at the Davis Stampede Half Marathon, 10K and 5K on Sunday morning. It's not too late to register.

For those runners seeking more of a challenge, try the 37th Jed Smith Ultra Runs, 30K, 50K and 50 Miles, sponsored by the Buffalo Chip running club. You've got to be a little loopy to do it, however. Yup, it's 3.1-mile loops.  It's at Gibson Ranch Park. Go out and see if you can beat these long-standing course records in the 50K race -- Jennifer Pfeifer's 3 hour 35 minutes 6 seconds for the women in 1999 and Dennis Rinde's 3:02:41 for the men in 1993.

Those wanting to get back to nature can turn to our friends at Total Body Fitness Racing, which is hosting the Chanoko Trail Run and Duathlon in Granite Bay on Saturday and the Mountain Bike Challenge on Sunday.

.   

 

We healthy types are drawn -- sometimes too fervently -- to the latest health fads.

We've been told for months, nay, years now that green tea is something of a "miracle" drink. But even green tea has its downsides.

So say researchers at the University of Southern California, who reported in the latest edition of the journal, Blood, that taking the supplement renders a cancer drug (Velcade) used to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma completely ineffective in treating cancer. At least in mice. More study is scheduled.

Axel H. Schönthal, the lead USC researcher, called the results "completely unexpected."

Read the study for yourself here.

 

 

 

The Shamrock'n Half Marathon is on the horizon (March 15), but if you register by Feb. 15 you can pimp personalize your bib number when you register.

So, say, if you're a fan of the movie "Superbad" and wanted your bib to read "McLovin" (see above), you could do that.

Here's where you can register and get more information.

Primary-care physicians are too lax in prescribing colorectal cancer screening for patients.

That's the finding of a study done jointly by UC Davis, the University of Washington and Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, and published in the February issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.

The study reviewed cases of 50,000 patients, age 50 to 78, who belonged to the Group Health Cooperative insurance plan in Washington state. It found that more than half of patients with frequent primary care visits -- four or more per year -- did not get screened. Primary-care physicians normally recommend screening.

"Colorectal cancer screening is not on the primary care agenda as much as it should be," lead author Joshua Fenton, assistant professor of family and community medicine at UC Davism said in a press release. "Merely encouraging people to see their doctors won't increase screening...We have to do more to make sure that eligible patients are identified during primary care visits and counseled about options."

Government figures show that 49,960 died of colon and rectal cancer in 2008.

 

A UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researcher, Blythe Corbett, has designed a theater program, SENSE Theatre, to help reach children with autism.

The program's debut performance will be this Friday at 7 p.m. at the 250-seat Davis Musical Theatre (607 Pena Drive, Davis). Tickets are $50. The cast is a mix of young actors specializing in social communication and autistic children. Also appearing will be Franc D'Ambrosio, "the world's longest running Phantom," meaning Phantom of the Opera.

For tickets, click here.  

A new study by researchers at U.C. Davis' Children's Hospital, published today in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, concluded something that many have long suspected: Children in fair to poor health, who are at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiency, aren't taking vitamins.

But here's a mild surprise: Healthy children who don't need vitamins are more likely to take them anyway and may be at risk of overdosing on their Flinstones. 

Ulfat Shaikh, assistant professor of pediatrics at UC Davis School of Medicine and the study's lead author, analyzed data on more than 10,000 children from 1999 to 2004 who took part in a nutritional survey. Shaikh found that 37 percent of children in "excellent health" took vitamins; 28 percent of children in "fair or poor health" took vitamins.

"Supplements for children and adolescents who are healthy and eat a varied diet are not only medically unnecessary but they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration," Shaikh said in a press release.

Children sometimes equate vitamins with candy and risk overdose, which can lead to vomiting or, in extreme cases, kidney damage, Shaikh said.

Not surprisingly, socioeconomic factors contributed to the low number of children in "fair to poor" health taking vitamins. Only 22 percent of of children in families living below the poverty line used vitamins.

 

 

Rich Hanna

A few Sacramento-area runners made the trek down to San Francisco this morning to run the Kaiser-Permanente Half Marathon. If you want to check out all the results, click here.

Rich Hanna, one of Sacramento's top distance runners even at age 44, finished seventh overall and first in his age group, covering the 13.1 miles in 1 hour 13 minutes 7 seconds.

Other top male Sacramento-area runners: Steve Brusig, 37, of Lincoln, 65th overall at 1:22:02; Charlie Brenneman, 30, of Roseville,  120th  overall  at 1:25:29; Greg Mandler, 45,  of Elk Grove 182nd overall at 1:28:56; Craighton Chin, 54, of Davis, seventh in his age group, at 1:29:23.

Top female finishers: Keri Hamby, 30, of Sacramento, 12th woman and third in her age group, at 1:25:11; Ashley Gorr, 22, of Davis, 33rd among women, at 1:29:06; Wendy Pratt, 48, of Davis, 6th in her division, at 1:32:46.

Here's a hilarious YouTube video that makes its point about exercise so slyly.

 

OK, so if your Sunday afternoon is going to be devoted to burrowing into the couch to watch the Super Bowl, why not do something healthy beforehand?

Here's just a sampling of what you can do this weekend:

* Total Body Fitness, the leading XTERRA and triathlon folks in the area, will be holding a mountain bike skills camp Saturday at 9 a.m. at Granite Beach on Folsom Lake. Cost: $60. It runs pretty much all day. It's worth it just to learn braking technique alone.  

* How's this for a deal? Fleet Feet Davis (615 2nd Street, Davis) is holding an 8 a.m. training run Saturday, followed by free waffles and, for the first 60 participants, a free pair of DryMax socks.  

* Those wacky runners at Sacramento Hash House Harriers -- the "the drinking club with a running problem" -- will chase the "hare" for about 5 miles and then down some pints on Saturday. It starts at 1 p.m. at Carlisle Woods Park.

* If you're looking for a half marathon (maybe as a final training run before next week's Davis Stampede), try the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon Sunday at 8 a.m.

 

 

Why is this man smiling?

 

Turns out that 1974 British Medical Journal study on a new affliction, "Cello Scrotum," was a hoax perpetrated by a rogue researcher with a junior high school mentality.

Read the researchers' mea culpa here.   

 

Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, hold the ... nutrition?

That's a possibility, according to John Stanton, Ph.D., chair of food marketing at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Stanton posits that "frills" in hamburgers -- you know, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, the only healthy part of it -- will no longer come gratis. Want a pickle? Be ready to pony up more coin.

His prediction isn't that far-fetched. Look at the airline industry, charging us for peanuts now.

"In the long run consumers will accept the added costs -- we always have," Stanton says in a news release.

What's next? Restaurants charging us for salt and pepper shaker access? 

 

We always look forward to the Nutrition Action Healthletter, especially its "Food Porn" feature in which the editors of the Center for Science in the Public Interest give nutritional breakdowns of caloric foods.

This month: Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie.

The Healthletter says a slice of said pie has 1,590 calories, 37 grams of saturated fat and 910 milligrams of sodium. Not surprising, given it contains caramel, chocolate galore, hot fudge and, of course, ice cream.

Wow, that's a triple threat for metabolic syndrome!

So, let's hear it, readers: Will you throw nutrition to the wind and indulge?

  

 

AP Photo/ Nathan Bilow

Maybe it's because I live in Davis -- a college town -- but when I went to the gym recently more people on the treadmill had the TV turned to the X Games than "The Bachelor."

One look at those extreme winter athletes makes an old dude such as me think, "Hope they've got good insurance."

Turns out, that extreme winter sports is a boon to orthopaedic specialists, enabling them to pay for that second home in Tahoe.

Snowboarding is the leading cause of winter sports injuries, sending 149,388 people to hospital emergency rooms, doctors' offices and clinics in 2007, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission. Skiing resulted in 131,454 injuries and snowmobiling caused 34,699.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has released the following tips to stay injury-free on the mountain:

•Cold muscles, tendons and ligaments are more susceptible to injury. Do some light exercise for at least 3 to 5 minutes, then slowly and gently stretch the muscles to be exercised, holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds.

•Do not try to imitate stunts seen in televised events. The people in those events--even the X Games, which appear to be less formal than events like the Olympics--are professional athletes with years of training. If you have children who watch these events, make sure that they understand this.

•Never participate in extreme sports alone. Many extreme sports enthusiasts have a coach or responsible party overseeing any activity. Have a partner who can assist you or go for help if you get injured.

•Wear appropriate protective gear, including goggles, helmets, gloves and padding, and make sure equipment is in good working order and used properly.

•Take frequent water breaks to prevent dehydration and overheating.

•Avoid participating in any sport when experiencing pain or exhaustion.

•For warmth and protection, wear several layers of light, loose and water- and wind-resistant clothing. Layering allows you add and remove clothing to accommodate your body's constantly changing temperature when outside or in a cold environment such as an indoor ice rink.

•Wear proper footwear that provides warmth and dryness, as well as ample ankle support.

•When falling, try to fall on your side or buttocks. Roll over naturally, turning your head in the direction of the roll.

•Pay attention to warnings about upcoming storms and severe drops in temperature to ensure safety.

 

The Davis Stampede half-marathon, 10K, 5K and kids fun run is one of my favorite races of the year -- OK, except for that one year when the wind was gusting at 20 mph.

Anyway, the 27th running of the Stampede is Feb. 8 and race director Dave Miramontes at Change of Pace is offering some enticements to increase registration.

Here's the deal: If you register two people for the Stampede, you'll get a 1-month free membership at the Davis Athletic Club plus a gift certificate to Chipotle. Burritos for everyone! Please note, though: This offer is only good through Sunday, Feb. 1.

They put on a great race -- nice to have that sweat check on cold mornings, by the way -- but a great race plus burritos? Sign me up. Here's the link to register.

So, as I was struggling to change a flat tire in the pouring rain on the Yolo Causeway last night, cursing my piece-of-#%&* hand pump, I thought of a way I could make my first million and augment my paltry newspaperman's salary:

Start a AAA road service for cyclists in the four-county area (Sac, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado). Hey, we've got lots of cyclists and, of course, we know how to change tires and do minor maintenance in transit. But how many of us really want to do it? I mean, our fingers already are frozen and our nerves frayed. Plus, changing it in the dark by the light of my front headlamp is a challenge for a technologically challenged soul such as me.

So, what we'd do for BAA is, as they do with AAA, is have cyclists pay a yearly fee, give them a card and an emergency number to call and have support vans at the ready with everything needed to repair flats, bent rims, chain issues, whatever.

The key, of course, is to have the repair crews act swiftly. No one wants to be left out in the middle of nowhere for a long spell. But, judging by the time it took an incompetent like me to change the aforementioned tire, it might've been quicker to make the call to BAA and wait.

OK, I know there are flaws in my get-rich-slow scheme.

But I'm open to investors. All you venture capital dudes out there, call me.

 

We're suckers here on the blog for studies involving mice, and this one from the University of Southern California, published in The Journal of Nutrition, caught our eye.

It seems the practice known as "caloric restriction" -- a growing movement that posits that you'll live longer if you severely restrict your food intake -- doesn't extend life, at least in our rodent friends.

Check that: Caloric restriction works in obese mice, but not lean ones. The study's author, Raj Sohal, professor at the University of Southern California's School of Pharmacy, says it can be a dangerous practice for humans. (You know how they are in SoCal, never too rich or too thin.)

Says Sohal in a statement: ""Today there are a lot of very healthy people who look like skeletons because they bought into this (caloric restriction philosophy."

Read the entire study here.   

Don't let a little rain stop you from taking advantage of the multitude of fitness events out there.

Here are a few:

We've already told you about the Arden Arcade Run (free!) on the American River Parkway Saturday. Details here.

Speaking of free, Total Body Fitness racing, which puts on lots of triathlons and cycling competitions, is holding its TBF Mountain Bike Family Day at Granite Beach (Folsom Lake). It starts at 9 a.m.

Are you taking the kids down to SoCal for that Disneyland/Legoland amusement park extravaganza this weekend? You can also have them participate in the Keebler Kids Marathon Mile on Saturday at Legoland in Carlsbad. Then, the next day, the little ones can watch mom and dad run the Carlsbad Marathon or Half Marathon.

 

 

 

 

News10, in a weather promo during last night's airing of "Lost," made me chuckle. Its teaser said to tune in to the station's "microcast" to "find out if it's raining and whether you should move your morning run to the afternoon."

Two things:

1. Just look outside. That'll tell you whether it's raining.

2. What's wrong with a little rain?

Running in the rain -- provided it's not a downpour -- is a pleasure, not a burden. This morning is a great example. There was a steady rain in Davis during my 6 a.m. jaunt, but nothing a rain jacket couldn't stop. Plus (and this is a big plus) it was 50 degrees out with no wind.

Those are great conditions for morning running. It was the first time in a week I haven't had to wear gloves. And I wore just two layers -- a base and the jacket. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

One point:  Remember to dry out your shoes afterward by stuffing them with newspaper -- The Bee, of course.

See, there still is a use for "old" media. You can't dry out your shoes with an online news source! 

 

A new Cochrane Collaboration review of medical literature shows that positive results of studies tend to get published -- and publicized -- more often than those showing a negative result.

In other earth-shattering news, the sun rose in the east this morning.

Cochrane Collaborative researchers found that trials are 1.78 times more likely to be published "if they are perceived as important, reveal a positive effect or offer scientifically significant findings." Cochrane's research found that just 41 percent of negative trials showing a drug or treatment either has no effect or possible bad effects were printed.

Snark aside, there's a serious downside to the publication of primarily positive results from studies, according to Kay Dickersin, director of the U.S. Cochrane Center at John Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health. .

"If positive results are published more often than negative, what we think we know isn't really what we know. We might think a drug works, when it really doesn't work, because the negative results haven't been published," said Dickersin in a press release.

And, yes, smarty pants, the Cochrane study was, indeed, published in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library.  

Don't know whether to keep or toss that box of Famous Amos peanut butter cookies or Keebler peanut butter crackers?

The Food and Drug Administration has a Web site set up for the recall.

 

 

ABBA, a group of outgoing Swedes who probably aren't at risk for early dementia.

Here's yet another reason to envy (or emulate) those outgoing, happy-go-lucky types:

They might have a lesser chance of developing dementia. That's the word from a new study published in Neurology, the journal of the  American Academy of Neurology. Researchers survery 506 older adults in Sweden and asked them about their degrees of sociability and extroversion and anxiety levels, then followed up to see if they developed dementia.

The results:

People who were not socially active but calm and relaxed had a 50 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared with people who were isolated and prone to distress. But the dementia risk was also 50 percent lower for people who were outgoing and calm compared to those who were outgoing and prone to distress.

"In the past, studies have shown that chronic distress can affect parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus, possibly leading to dementia, but our findings suggest that having a calm and outgoing personality in combination with a socially active lifestyle may decrease the risk of developing dementia even further," study author Hui-Xin Wang, PhD, with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, said in a press release. "The good news is, lifestyle factors can be modified as opposed to genetic factors which cannot be controlled. But these are early results, so how exactly mental attitude influences risk for dementia is not clear." 

Estimates are that one in seven Americans aged 71 and older has some form of dementia. The number of Americans nearing that age is expected to double by the year 2030. .

Reuters
Even the "evil" Kim Jong Il will wave, but apparently cyclists can't be bothered.


Is it just me, or are runners friendlier than cyclists?

Them thar are fightin' words, I know, to many who exercise on two wheels instead of two feet.

But let me relate something that happened to today as a microcosm for something I've noticed for awhile now:

I was out in the middle of rural Yolo County, near the bypass, on my long run this morning. Not a car or a soul (and sole) was around. In the distance, heading toward me, came a cyclist. It's always nice, on a long run, to occasionally encounter, you know, other human beings. So as the cyclist  approached, I smiled, briefly raised my left hand and said, "mornin'." Spandex boy on the bike  looked right at me and just kept on going, not even a nod of acknowledgment. It's  not as if I was running him off the road or anything.

This is not an isolated incident. I've been snubbed several times by cyclists, but rarely has a runner not nodded, waved or said "hello."

OK,cyclists. Let's get your thoughts. Do waving runners bug you?

The new Running Times magazine arrived today -- much better than Runner's World, IMHO -- and I was not at all surprised to see our own octogenarian runner Helen Klein listed among the top World Masters Association runners.

But I was really impressed by a mathematical chart converting the times of masters runners to the equivalent "open" time and juxtaposed to the world's best. In this age-graded calculation, the 85-year-old Klein had the second best performance of 2008.

Klein's 5 hour 36 minute 18 second performance in the Napa Marathon was adjusted to a 2:11:29 marathon -- nearly four minutes faster than the women's record.

She's an amazing athlete. When I'm 85, I just hope I'm still running. Heck, walking. Still breathing, actually.

 

 

I've been having a heckuva time keeping my hands from freezing on these winter mornings when I'm crazy enough to ride my bike to work from my cozy Davis abode.

One day last week, for five minutes, I couldn't move my fingers enough to disengage my bike lock in the rack at The Bee. Yes, yes. I was wearing gloves -- a Pearl Izumi model, not top of the line but not cheap, either.

So, a few days ago, I decided to make a sojourn to REI and get some thin glove liners, figuring that perhaps an extra layer would help. The store was having a sale and I snagged a pair for 10 bucks.

Well, I'm happy to report that my hands felt much warmer this morning. Still a little cold but not rendered immobile by the cold. (OK, so I exaggerate a bit; they aren't like that frostbite illustration above.)

Was it because it was a tad warmer this morning? Perhaps. But the Weather Channel still told me it was 35 degrees at 6:15 a.m. So, not exactly balmy.

What's your opinion, cyclists? Do glove liners really work? And what do you do to keep your hands warm on those chilly a.m. rides.  

 

  

 

Photo courtesy of the New England Journal of Medicine

Hey, all you medical workers. Wash your hands! You don't know where that patient has been!

This story from National Public Radio about the germs workers accumulate on their hands (see photo above of a staph infection) is troubling.  

 

 

It's just another survey -- sponsored by a battery company, no less -- but it made me chuckle.

Energizer, plugging its "Healthy Lifestyle" program, asked 1,051 baby boomers about the state of their health. Some 73 percent rated their health "good" or "excellent."

Hmm...

Why is it, then, that the National Center for Health Statistics say that 50 percent of boomers have high blood pressure and two in five boomers are obese.

Ah, so you're in good health. It's everyone else who's slovenly.  

 

AP/ Jeffrey M. Boan

Oklahoma running back Mossis Madu right, enjoys a laugh with beefy offensive lineman Trent Williams before last week's BCS championship game. Williams is among the linemen at risk for metabolic syndrome. 

As we gear up for the Super Bowl, we've often wondered whether those rather, ahem, large football linemen are healthy specimens. Sure, we've got bulging biceps and pecs of steel and can move a Mack truck, but isn't there a lot of fat there, too?

Well, a new study by Ohio State researchers in the current issue of the Journal of Athletic Training shows that those beefy linemen are at risk for metabolic syndrome (a condition that can lead to Type II Diabetes adn heart disease) later in life.

Researchers tested 70 Division I, II and III college linemen. Some 34 athletes had at least three risk factors indicating they had metabolic syndrome based on measures of waist circumference, glucose levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL, i.e. good cholesterol), blood pressure and triglycerides. Only one lineman hit for the cycle (to mix sports metaphors) and had all five risk factors. All but five linemen had elevated blood pressure. 

Of course, once their playing careers are over, these linemen will all lose weight, eat right and become triathletes.

Yeah, right!

Many of us religiously keep track our our LDL (the so-called "bad cholesterol") levels for a variety of important reasons.

So, it's a tad troubling that a new study from UCLA is indicating that nearly 75 percent of heart attack patients had LDL numbers that fell within the accepted levels. The current national guidelines consider LDL levels between 100 and 130 milligrams per decileter acceptable. In fact, nearly half the patients studied had "optimal" LDL numbers.

"Almost 75 percent of heart attack patients fell within recommended targets for LDL cholesterol, demonstrating that the current guidelines may not be low enough to cut heart attack risk in most who could benefit," Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, Eliot Corday Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study's principal investigator, said in a press release.

Bottom line: Don't rest easy just because your LDL is OK. You can still have what doctors euphemistically call "a cardiovascular event."

How the study was done: Sponsored by the American Heart Association, researchers pored over a database of patients at 541 hosiptials nationside and looked at the cases of 126,905 patients from 2000 to 2006. It accoutned for 59 percent of hospital admissions for heart disease.  

Linda Rapposelli, the Ironwoman triathlete who will be featured in The Bee's health and fitness section Sunday in a "Workout By" feature, speaks of doing yoga after a hard workout.

Here's a video for runners and triathletes wanting to add yoga to the mix. Remember: Only do this after your run.

Most of the running events in the Sacramento area have been around for a while. So, it's interesting when a new race (or, rather, "run" -- there is a difference) comes on the scene.

It's the Jan. 24 Arden Arcade Community Run, a 7-mile loop that begins at William B. Pond Recreation Area, travels to Watt and back. (There also is a 2-mile loop.) It's a free, low-key event, but you can spring for a T-shirt for $10.

Who knows? This may be the start of a tradition. After all, the Run to Feed the Hungry was a small race about 15 years ago. Look at it now.

 

Oh, and the difference between a race and a run?

Well, you can have more fun, less cut-throat competition...unless you're one of those Type-A runners, which includes most of us.  

 

 

Welcome, readers, to The Bee's health and fitness blog.

(Sorry for the graphic image to beign the blog but, hey, let's face facts: We Americans are F-A-T.)

Let's start out with the latest depressing news about American obesity, released just in time to make you feel miserable about already failing on your New Year's resolution to lose weight.

The National Center for Health Statistics issued a report that 34 percent of Americans are obese, elbowing out the merely overweight (32.7 percent). Six percent are "extremely" obese. These alarming stats are based on a 2006 survey of 4,356 adults over age 20.

Researchers measured using the simple body mass index (BMI) -- weight divided by height. If your BMI ranged from 25 to 29, you were listed as "overweight," 30 to 40 "obese" and over 40 "morbidly obese."

BMI is controversial because it doesn't take into account body-fat percentage. For instance, a professional athlete might be listed as obese because he weighs 250 pounds and is 5-11 but has very little body fat. Take your BMI test here.