• Aerobic exercise triggers new cell growth – study
• Region of brain affected linked to recollection
Research on mice shows that running and other aerobic exercise stimulate the growth of new brain cells, leading to enhanced memory recall.
The health benefits of a regular run have long been known, but scientists have never understood the curious ability of exercise to boost brain power.
Now researchers think they have the answer. Neuroscientists at Cambridge University have shown that running stimulates the brain to grow fresh grey matter and it has a big impact on mental ability.
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“If the hill has its own name, then it’s probably a pretty tough hill.” - Marty Stern
“It’s a hill. Get over it.” - Seen on the back of a runner’s T-shirt
“We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” - Will Rogers
“No doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success, although if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons with no brains than with no shoes.” - Don Kardong, Olympic marathoner
“Start slow, then taper off.” - Walt Stack
Dr. George Sheehan was running’s first and foremost philosopher.
Until he started writing in the 1970’s, running’s writers focused solely on running as effective means to get in shape and stay in good physical condition. Sheehan wrote about running as a way of life, the road to self-improvement and self-actualization. Reading Sheehan’s seminal book “Running & Being” cemented my lifelong commitment to running.
Although Dr. Sheehan was a traditional and religious man (he had 12 children, all with the same wife), his views on women and running were extremely progressive. His 1976 essay “You Let a Girl Beat You” contains many nuggets of wisdom, most of which are still applicable today.
To quote Sheehan: “When I see women running, I see a new world coming.”
http://www.georgesheehan.com/essays/essay29.html
“If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” - Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to enter and run the Boston Marathon
“The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can’t dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon.” - Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-Founder
“The marathon can humble you.” - Bill Rodgers, winner of four Boston and New York marathons
“I’m never going to run this again.” - Grete Waitz, after winning her first of nine New York Marathons
“With all the running that I do, why am I not losing weight?” Nothing better than a live question from a runner that I coach to provide good material for an article.
Exercise is only one of many factors that affect weight loss. Caloric needs are determined by your activity level throughout the entire day, not how hard you train. Several studies show that women who exercise and were sedentary the remainder of the day expended the same number of calories as non-exercising women who were active over the course of the day.
We all know runners who fall into this category. They train in the morning and are deskbound during the remainder of the week day. After completing their long run on either Saturday or Sunday morning, they nap and just hang out the rest of the weekend.
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Goal Setting
Regardless of your objective — running a certain number of times per week, completing a race or finishing a race in a specific time, you’ll be far more likely to achieve your objective if you have an organized plan to get there – daily goals that you’ve recorded in your log.
Motivational Tool
Recording a daily schedule in your log increases your commitment to a course of action and the likelihood of following through. Many runners (me included) hate recording zeroes on days that are scheduled run days. Knowing that your log will hold you accountable will help get you out the door on days when you just don’t feel like running and keep you on track with your commitment.
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The fall racing season is underway. For many runners, the fall race is the culmination of months of training. Running your marathon or half-marathon is an exhilarating experience, regardless of your finishing time. However, running this distance causes your body to undergo short term trauma, especially after a marathon. You finish in an overheated, dehydrated state. Your muscles suffer damage and inflammation. Your stress hormones (e.g. cortisol) are sharply elevated.
Here are eleven tips on how you can reduce your post-race physical distress, shorten your recovery period and safely resume your running in the shortest possible time. Although I’ll be discussing post-marathon recovery, the same principles are applicable to recovering from a half-marathon:
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Conventional wisdom holds that in order to run a good marathon or shorter distance races, it is necessary to run 5 or 6 days per week. Traditional marathon program required running 40 to 60 miles (64 to 96 km) weekly. These are often scaled-down versions of elite runners’ programs.
Most of us juggle busy family lives, work commitments and social interests. Running 5-6 days per week, 40 to 60 miles weekly can easily add more stress to our already busy lives.
Now for the good news! It has been proven that for runners that are not racing at an elite level, this frequency and distance are not necessary for good or even personal best performance!
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