Dear Eden,

One of my classes this semester is Nutrition for Sports and Exercise. The big project (rather than exams!) is that we are each paired with a student athlete and have to use what we learn in class to help them better their nutrition. They get to do cool stuff like a resting metabolic rate test and a Vo2 max test and a body composition test, keep records of everything that they eat, and hopefully both parties learn something.

Tuesday, October 30 at 8pm ET/PT on PBS
Check your local listings as dates and times may vary.
Broadcast in High Definition where available

How do you run 26.2 miles if you have trouble making it around the block? With good coaching, discipline, and lots of group support, as NOVA shows when it follows 13 normally sedentary people through a training regimen designed to prepare them for an ultimate test of stamina and endurance.

[ Author's note: I wrote this for the First Strides group, and figured I could put it up here too in case anyone else is interested. It is geared toward beginning exercisers but the principles are smiliar for recreational to elite athletes.]

Aerobic Fitness

When we talk about people being “in shape,” or “fit,” the terms are vague. There are lots of different forms of exercise, and being fit for one does not mean that you are fit for another. For instance, an Olympic weight lifter might be just as fit as a marathon runner, but they are two different types of fitness. By running and walking, you are increasing your aerobic fitness.

Hey everyone,

We did these two tests in exercise phys tonight, and they're easy, and you can do them at home, so I thought I'd share - at least a couple of you will find this interesting.

Vo2 stands for volume of oxygen consumption. It is measured in ml/min and standardized to mL/kg/min, allowing you to compare your Vo2 max to others, and to predict race times (there's a table for this in Noakes' "The Lore of Running.") The unit means that your body is taking in X milliliters of oxygen, per kilogram of body weight, per minute.

Starting two days after Boston I'm going to start the 26.2 mile countdown to Sugarloaf. Starting with mile 1 and working our way to the finish

(or, for those of you who have been coached before. or are coaches. whatever.)

-What do you expect from your coach?
-What does your coach expect from you?
-How, and how often, do you and your coach communicate? (ie - weekly/daily/other, email/phone/in person/other)
-What are the good things about having a coach?
-What are the bad things about having a coach (if there are any)?

As to "why are you asking this?!" - I'm in the process of finding a new coach, the goal being to find someone I trust, feel comfortable with, and will LISTEN TO ;) - and just trying to figure out just exactly what a coach/athlete relationship is supposed to be like, and how it works.

This week has been about the same for my training as I have been able to follow since end of May. Total of about 35 miles more or less. Usually I have to train only between 3:45 and 5:15 daily after working a full eight hours on my feet. This week like normal I mix some running on carriage road and some on trails. I normally do not train on any paved road. Sat. no run today. Sunday 13+ miles I ran long around the mountain and at the top of big hill ran up trail to Sargent Mtn., over to Gilmour Mtn., and to Parkman. Monday 4 miles I ran on mixed surface trails up Day Mtn. over to Van Santmor Trail near Traid and down. Back on the carraige Rd. to trail closest to Rt.3 Tuesday 8 miles I ran up Caddy from South face Rt. near Black Woods CG and return in 57 minutes. Wed. 8 miles I did the same run in 55 minutes. Thursday 6 Miles I ran eagle lake with Chris G. Friday 3 miles I ran up Champlain Mtn. on beachcroft trail and return 24 minutes. Sat. ?.

Here's a place to list music that you like that matches a 90 beat per minute optimum running and biking cadence.

[This, forwarded by Don Bell, is from the Gatorade Institute]

Hydration Recommendations for Marathoners

Marathoners know that proper training, tapering, nutrition, and pacing are all part of a successful marathon. The same is true for hydration.

During training and competition, fluid lost in sweat, urine, and respiration contributes to dehydration. Fluid loss - particularly from sweating - varies widely among runners. Some runners are light sweaters and lose relatively little fluid each hour. Others sweat a lot and can dehydrate quickly. Regardless of whether you're a light or a heavy sweater, your sweat loss can change dramatically from one race to another depending on your fitness, the environmental conditions, your pace, your heat tolerance, your clothing, and your hydration status.

Stuart Jenkins

Stuart Jenkins of ran the *official* third fastest Boston Marathon by a resident Mainer - (2:21.37 in 1982). Mr. Jenkins also tied for winning the 1981 Paul Bunyan Marathon in 1981. He currently is the CEO of Principa College in Elsah, Illinois.

RK Special Notes...Stuart's fastest and perhaps the fastest marathon by a Mainer at Boston I have found written second hand was 2:18.46, 4 seconds away from qualifying in the Olympics - I'm not sure of the year - but Stuart explains why I haven't found it yet in the record books. I'm going to do some further research on this.

Hi Everyone-
It's CeCelia Palow, a.k.a babycrow....
When I was younger, as some of you may know, I had a lot of success with running. Now, through injuries and lack of motivation, I don't have my same drive and success for running, and it really bothers me. I have decided I want to get back into running, and I want to try really hard to get back to where I was. I know this will take a lot of time and effort and dedication, but I'm willing to do it. I miss running a lot, and I want to be back in it, and go to races every weekend, and succeed in cross country this year. I'm not doing spring track, because I want to volunteer for Middle School track, so I'm dedicating this spring and summer to get back into shape for cross country.

How does this work anyway? to you go in up to your waist? to you touch bottom with your whole foot or just your tootsies? I thought to do some, but don't know where to start.

RK Notes - 3 Tips is a new feature for Eden Athletics. I have thought carefully about the history notes that I have been writing up and attempting to connect the past with the present. These individuals have been kind enough to correspond with me, to you, in the hopes of providing tangible advice about training.

Hank Pfifle

Hank Pfeifle, of Yarmouth, was one of Maine's top road racers in his prime, and competed at the highest levels out of state. His fastest Boston time was 2:20.34 in 1980.

RK Notes - 3 Tips is a new feature for Eden Athletics. I have thought carefully about the history notes that I have been writing up and attempting to connect the past with the present. These individuals have been kind enough to correspond with me, to you, in the hopes of providing tangible advice about training.

Steve Podgajny

Steve Podgajny, a 2:16:45 marathoner (Boston, 1981) and three-time All American at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (Cross-Country and 5,000 meters) is one of the founders and the co-meet director of the Maine Distance Festival that was held at Bowdoin College annually since 1994. Today he is the director of the Portland Public Library and has also worked hard improving Maine's cultural life through the New Century Community Project. Most recent marathon...Big Sur Marathon 1998 - Finishing 3rd overall. 2:55.01.

I’ve run for years, now I am training for my first marathon and am battling one injury after another. I have started icing my legs after speed work and long runs for about 2 minutes and stretching more after runs. I think this is helping, but I need all the advice I can get.