Marathon You Can Do It

I was surfing around the internet when I found this interesting piece on cbs news

During a 2004 Summer Olympics awash in controversies over steroids and supplements, one sportswriter wryly noticed that top American swimmer Michael Phelps was playing it safe — he preferred to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast between races.

I wondered whether Carnation Instant Breakfast supplement had any special ingredient that made Phelp’s swimmer faster than competition.

One fact about Carnation Instant breakfast is that it contains key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, in quantities that sports drinks like gatorade can’t match.

The carnation instant breakfast also contains alot of calories, it adds 130 calories to a single glass of milk.

All this benefits of carnation instant breakfast helps to hasten recovery.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 2004 Summer Olympics, American Swimmer, Calcium, Calories, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Cbs News, Controversies, Energy Drink, Glass Of Milk, Michael Phelps, Nutrients, Olympics, Phelp, Quantities, Sports Drinks, Sports Energy, Sportswriter, Steroids, summer olympics, Vitamin D

When most people undergo surgery of knee, ankle, hip or any other part of the leg they wonder whether it is possible to get back running. The answer is Yes.

Inspiration for recovering surgery from Joan Samuelson

Joan Samuelson was the first woman Olympic marathon champion. Looking at her career you will see she had a record of surgeries but she was able to return to road running and win races at the top level.

Joan Story story of overcoming surgeries

Born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Benoit took to long-distance running to help recover from a broken leg suffered while slaloming. At Bowdoin College she excelled in athletics and then entered the 1979 Boston Marathon as a relative unknown. She won the race, while wearing a Red Sox cap,[1] in 2:35:15, knocking eight minutes off the competition record. She repeated that success with a victory again in 1983 that took more than two minutes off the world’s best time, set by Grete Waitz in the London Marathon just the day before, despite having had surgery on her Achilles tendons two years earlier.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics she won the first Olympic women’s marathon in a time of 2:24.52 in hot and smoggy conditions, more than a minute ahead of her rivals; again despite surgery, this time arthroscopic surgery on her knee 17 days before the trials earlier that year.

From Joan story, you can see it is possible to recover from surgery and get back to running. To get back to running you have to allow a full recovery. Make sure your Doctor is informed with your intention so that he can monitor your recovery because he alone has the authority to give you a green light to start running again.

Once your doctor gives you a go ahead start running on soft surfaces  first such as treadmills, oval track and grass before hitting the tarmac.

Happy healing

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 1984 Summer Olympics, Achilles Tendons, Boston Marathon, Bowdoin College, Broken Leg, Cape Elizabeth Maine, Competition Record, First Woman, Joan Samuelson, Knee Ankle, london marathon, Marathon Champion, olympic marathon, Olympic Women, Oval Track, Runnign, Slaloming, Soft Surfaces, summer olympics, Treadmills, Waitz

American swimmer Michael Phelps is targeting to win a world record eight gold medals at Beijing Summer Olympics. To achieve his goal the 23 year old will have to recover quickly from one swimming event to the next.

Phelps body has a remarkable ability to recover quickly from intensive workouts. Hard working muscles release lactic acid, which causes soreness. But Phelps’ body can flush out lactic acid in minutes vs the hour or two it takes the bodies of most athletes.

How runners can help their body remove lactic acid

The same lactic acid production is what causes soreness during running.  You can help you body flush out lactic acid by doing the following

1) Stretching

2) Massaging

3) Soaking the lower half of the body for 20 minutes or so in cold or ice water may force blood through the leg muscles to speed recovery

Although lactic acid is bad for the body this fruit acid has its own benefits, such as treatment of skin acne. Lactic acid is derived from sour milk or bilberries.

Lactic acid acne : Lactic Acid Skin

Lactic acid is used in treatment of skin problem such as acne. Through a procedure known as lactic acid peel : This lactic acid face peel will remove dead skin cells, and promote healthier, softer and more radiant skin.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Acne, Acne Skin, American Swimmer, Dead Skin Cells, Face Peel, Fruit Acid, Gold Medals, Lactic Acid Production, Leg Muscles, Marathon, Michael Phelp, Michael Phelps, Radiant Skin, Remarkable Ability, Resistance, Runners, Running, Skin Problem, Sour Milk, summer olympics, Swimming Event, Training, Workouts, World Record

How bad will the pollution in Beijing affect athletes?

I was out this morning doing my morning run when a big truck overtook me, the truck moved slowly and at the back the exhaust pipe released a dark smoke. The dirty smoke filled the air and breathing became difficult. The little dirty air that got inside my system made me feel like vomiting!

From my Beijing like moment my answer to the pollution question is “unbelievably bad!”

The worst gas pollutant in Beijing will be Carbon monoxide, which has been filled in the air by the over 3 million cars in Beijing city. Carbon monoxide (car exhaust) attaches to hemoglobin far better than oxygen and so it reduces hemoglobin which reduces oxygen transport. The slower oxygen transportation the slower the athlete. Beijing is dealing with the Carbon monoxide pollution by banning some cars to the capital.

According to a post I read on Coach dean blog, The US olympic team is being prepared for Beijing Summer Olympics by  going to a training center set up in Korea. It will have low pollution.

ESPN “outside the line” have a video documentary of how the pollution in Beijing will affect athletes performance. Click to Watch the Video

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Beijing, breathing, pollution, Running, summer olympics