Dr. John Ratey, author of A User's Guide to the Brain has recently been giving a course on the effect of exercise on the brain for Bluehorn. It has been a fascinating experience for all who have been taking it! Though we think about exercise as a way of strengthening our body's muscles, it turns out that exercise is also a way to literally strengthen the brain.

Research shows that aerobic exercise actually increases brain mass by growing new capillaries, which is associated with an increase in neural activity. In addition, exercise increases levels of many brain chemicals, including norepinephrine and serotonin (linked to improved mood, self esteem, impulse control, and greater focus) and dopamine, which is the major driver of the attention center of the brain.

In fact, according to Dr. Ratey, "There is nothing that affects brain neuroplasticity as much as exercise. It causes a rapid and persistent uptick in the factors and chemicals that enhance learning and mood. Every week, 4-8 papers are released in the neuroscience literature on the positive effects of exercise on the brain." Exercise literally "stresses" the brain in a good way, in part by restricting blood flow to the brain (because the blood is flowing to your muscles instead of your brain). Just as your muscles deal with the stress of exercise by becoming bigger and stronger, so does your brain. In this case, "bigger and stronger" means "neurogenesis" or the building of additional brain matter and synaptic pathways.

This means that everyone in your family should be incorporating regular aerobic and other kinds of physical exercise into your schedule. It helps keep your mood positive and also readies your brain for learning. Schools tempted to cut recess time and physical education should reconsider, as lack of exercise can actually decrease learning even as teachers spend more time on academic subjects.

Dr. Ratey's course has been so interesting to its participants that we are thinking of offering it again sometime in the first quarter of 2007. If you wish to be notified via email when it is scheduled, feel free to send an email to Melissa Orlov at morlov at HallowellConnections dot com.

it makes one more sexualy attractive!!!

heya,
Exercise ~yes, yes, yes~

... other reasons more important though ...
exercise should be aerobic, or anaerobic to lift the aerobic threshold - that is, the aerobic fitness level ... why?
Evolution.
The pattern - in generation of man - was *not* to produce a strong organism [to fight others]

->- 1:1 with your average lion and we'd be cat food ...

... our pattern - our special characteristic is that we just ...
'keep on goin'

marathons - bimarathons and this sweet event in the French Alps which is calling to me ... a 24 hour quad-marathon ...

:-)

so - why - are we evolving towards aerobic fitness and away from anaerobic fitness?

Think
aerobic == oxygen
man is special - because of *mind*
mind sits on top of brain - is filled with neurones ...

evolution ->-
oxygen,neurones

what are those pesky neurones trying to do?

:-)

Incidentally - ever felt the pleasant sensation - of hyperfocus when operating at the aerobic:anaerobic threshold ...

lumme!

... the feeling has no equal ... imagine all the bad stuff - anxiety, depression - inverted ...

... to be a little clearer - our pattern of evolution is being sculpted by the movement towards complexity of an aspect attributable to mind [brain] ... and the experiential perspective of pretty much all that we are (through our eyes) - is a byproduct of the neuronal masse's evolutionary drive towards complexity.

Look at evolution through the eyes of the neuronal mass - and we understand ourselves (through our own eyes) ...

... the problem - we look through our own eyes - expecting the view to overlay with the view from Norman Neuronal-Masses vantage point.

How I wish there were an aerobic exercising mighty fine spiritual ADDer on ADDF to help me out with this idea ...

... ... ... called Ian

:-)

...alas...

... and ...
How confusing is it that we've a forum member called Iansdad with avatar of a beagle-esque dog ... :-) ...

... I ask you - since when have dogs sired scorpions and snakes and chickens ...?...

:-)

I wish that everyone could somehow grasp how easy aerobic activity is. No matter your physical condition, aerobic activity is just that! You have air (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobic_exercise)!

The simplest gauge to determine the correct intensity is the talk test.


From: www.trackshack.com/training_programs/training_talk_articles/technology.php (http://www.trackshack.com/training_programs/training_talk_articles/technology.php)
Another simple test used to gauge your level of effort is the Talk Test. My training partners accuse me of participating in this test a little too much. When we are engaged in exercise, you should NOT have enough breath to sing, but you should have enough breath to talk. The best intensity for beneficial cardiovascular exercise is at a moderate pace; being able to carry on conversation, but not being able to sing. Gasping for breath and experiencing difficulty talking is not ideal...
Posted: November 10, 2006

This is undoubtedly the best thing I've done to help myself. Making it a priority to get out four times a week for 45 minutes at this level of intensity is the best feel good drug I know.

The first six to eight weeks show very rapid gains. The price is right too. :P It really doesn't matter what you do as long as you hit that intensity for 30 minutes or more about every second day.
Cheers! Ian (http://static.flickr.com/120/264683695_5263b976a6_o.jpg)

A snake that doesn't bite teaches you nothing :eek:

I've been hounded! :)

The Alps sound too much like the Western States 100 (http://www.ws100.com/). I think the combined elevation change is something like 11000m or something silly like that.

You ultra/trail guys are something else. :eyebrow:
The rookie - Ian

... being able to carry on conversation, but not being able to sing ... ... best advice you'll ever get - say no to heart rate monitors - and yes to listening to your own breathing patterns.

Incidentally - gentle humming falls on the side of 'conversation' - for those exercising alone, and with a stereo.

... :-) ...

I'm so very very alone.

... :-) ...

So Scattered - and I swear - you are a quotation locating professional - *yes* - aerobic exercise is important
- but I believe we know why ~now~ from the perspective of evolutionary physiology :-)
[incidentally that discipline doesn't exist]
... :-) ...
and it ain't nuttin' to do with hand-waving or general sentiments relating to 'fat is bad' ... maybe true
... but ...
everything to do with a pattern which the neuronal mass must grow towards in order to satisfy their collective drive to evolve towards complexity.

... remember though - we get to swim in the byproducts of these changes in complexity - and so it's kinda' important to try and identify what they are.

Well, from personal experience, way before understanding that it was good for me -- I discovered that I daydreamed better while running or jogging (not realizing of course that it made all my mental processes work better). So while entertaining myself in my own mental home theatre my grades kept climbing and climbing all the way through two masters programs (all without the help of medication). Having recently returned to exercising daily, I'm truly amazed at the difference in how I feel and function when I exercise as opposed to when I don't. I not only can focus better and get more done, but am much better at avoiding even more problematic comorbids such as depression and anxiety.


Good news is that my 9 year old ADDer has discovered this on her own and is out running and daydreaming on a regular basis! She's also doing really well in school (although the days it rains and she has to stay inside are pretty rough!:eek: ). With so much upside and so little downside, I wonder why we don't build our school programs, mental health programs, etc around daily aerobic exercise.

In case anyone is interested, a pretty interesting little book on the subject is called Nature's Ritalin for the Marathon Mind: Nurturing Your ADHD Child with Exercise by Stephen Putnam. He explains the benefits both with and without medication. Marathon Mind -- does that fit you well SB?:)

Take care!
Scattered

Even knowing how good it is for you and knowing how easy it is...It can still be a challenge for some people :eyebrow: to actually do it.

Hardest part is finding a place in your schedule that you'll actually do it. After that the great post-exercise feeling is a great incentive to keep coming back. That and a specific goal in mind--for me, clearing my head is one of the best.

Re: ditching the heart rate monitor... in the special case of someone with asthma or similar difficulties, the talk test isn't necessarily reliable. I would urge anyone with asthma to try a heart rate monitor when exercising. It makes my exercise SOOOO much easier, so it's easier to be consistent. It also keeps me from getting distracted and pushing too hard to want to come back next time, or sacrificing endurance because I overextended a few times too often.

Ian, thanks for the Western States link---what a kick.

SB, please post a link to the quad to help me continue to log the miles this winter. xxo I can't track the dang thing down! :P

Scattered, aerobic activity covers so many bases that it's difficult for me to imagine why it's not tied to our health care in some way. I too find aerobic activity a particularly profound elixir. Thanks for the Marathon Mind book link.

I've never seen the the point in using an mp3 player while running. The music just can't come close to competing with that same home theatre here, that Scattered has going on.

Tara, the best drugs aren't for everyone. Do the thing, have the power. Habits take about 12 weeks to establish. The best part is that at the lower intensities weight leaps off ones frame. 60% of MHR is reputed to be ideal. It gets to be self perpetuating in pretty short order.

I've come to a point where I sacrifice other things to make room for running. It makes me feel good! Can I get too much of that? No, no, no. :*)
Better living through chemistry - Ian

I've come to a point where I sacrifice other things to make room for running. It makes me feel good! Can I get too much of that? No, no, no. :*)
Better living through chemistry - IanBack in college I remember a friend telling me that they didn't have time to exercise -- I told them I didn't have time not to. Everything took so much longer (if it got done at all) that exercise was a necessity, not a luxury. I ran on the track or climbed the million steps around campus during the day and roamed the dorm halls at night after they locked us in -- I really don't think I'd have made it through without that. I'm doing better with daily trips to the gym, then I was doing on a combination of counseling and medication (and it actually reduced my tics instead of exaserbating them:cool: ). I also look a lot healthier. It's nice to know I'm not the only who has found exercise so helpful and fun!:)

Scattered

I discovered that I daydreamed better while running or jogging

... but am much better at avoiding even more problematic comorbids such as depression and anxiety.

Good news is that my 9 year old ADDer has discovered this on her own and is out running and daydreaming on a regular basis! ... great observations - :-) - really so happy - because the first and third - essentially identical - crack open a major aspect of ADD.
... really really really so - ADD thought is easier when operating at the interface between the aerobic and anaerobic thresholds {within aerobic though} ...
... Scattered - great call ...

... and if I can add a little to the middle quote which I've taken from your post ...
... which I think you may find useful ...

~please~
... if you're feeling anxious - try jumping on a {static} bike and hitting :-) 'the zone' ... :-) ... {get it slightly quicker on a bike than running} ... ADD thought -
- and monitor how your anxiety fades whilst on the bike
... and then feel
- as you stop exercising
- how it returns over a period of several minutes.

Again
- key -
... this observation ->- because we're provided with the basis to aspects of the bad stuff which we as ADDers feel ... ... ...

... simply the mind needs action -
- gets it - when exercising ->- and when in daydream ...
... but without the two - strives for other mechanisms to keep its cogs turning.

Neurones aren't particularly bothered if we're feeling good or bad - they just want electrickery surging through their veins ...
... erm ... axons?
... erm ... dendrites?
... erm ... myelin sheaths ...?...

... oh! ... {alas} ... I don't know.

... Hey Ian
- sure :-) ... will dig out a link ... aren't mountains so totally it
... :-) ... :-) ...

...we've much to thank the unique environment which a mountain offers - UV and its gift of life - rapid mutation rates ... and the aerobic fitness which is driven by higher altitudes - increased rbc counts ... higher iron levels - as a consequence - improved aerobic fitness ...

... and then - looking carefully at that last sentence - it does appear to me as though we've arrived at the very same idea which this post began with ...

->- Aerobic -<-

man - a tale of iron and oxygen
iron meets oxygen
iron falls in love with oxygen
iron binds with oxygen - and refuses to ever let go

*starring*

~Arnold Schwarzenegger~ as iron
and
~Sylvester Stallone's mother~ as oxygen

->- Ian ->-

http://www.ultratrailmb.com/accueil.php

:-)

... a stroll in the park

it is not ...

... Scattered - great call ...

... and if I can add a little to the middle quote which I've taken from your post ...
... which I think you may find useful ...

~please~
... if you're feeling anxious - try jumping on a {static} bike and hitting :-) 'the zone' ... :-) ... {get it slightly quicker on a bike than running} ... ADD thought -
- and monitor how your anxiety fades whilst on the bike
... and then feel
- as you stop exercising
- how it returns over a period of several minutes.

Again
- key -
... this observation ->- because we're provided with the basis to aspects of the bad stuff which we as ADDers feel ... ... ...

... simply the mind needs action -
- gets it - when exercising ->- and when in daydream ...
... but without the two - strives for other mechanisms to keep its cogs turning.

Neurones aren't particularly bothered if we're feeling good or bad - they just want electrickery surging through their veins ...Good point -- I actually use the stationary bike these days (injured my back years ago jogging on hard surfaces) and really notice the difference after hitting "the zone". Hallowell and Ratey discuss how the effects of exercise will stimulate an ADDers brain for a number of hours after exercise, but that exercise multiple times a day is needed to maintain that those improved levels. My kids recently tag teamed me in being sick which kept me from the gym for about a week and a half -- the difference was amazing. My anxiety kicked right back up including very stressful anxious dreams at night. As soon as I got back to the gym, they cleared up. The ADD brain will have something to rev it up and if something wholesome isn't available, anxiety will do the trick (as well as danger, stirring up trouble, etc). Hallowell discusses the trap of stirring up trouble just to avoid the anxiety that comes for an ADDer when things are going to smoothly and his observations of how often anxiety serves as a focusing took for when ADHD is involved.



There is a special trap for people with ADD. We often use worry as a kind of entertainment or stimulation. Contentment, however pleasant it may be, is just too bland. But worry offers pain, which is stimulating -- unpleasant , but stimulating.....If you have ADD consider how often yo might inadvertently be drumming up topics to worry about as a means of focusing your mind to entertain yourself. (pp. 295-296)They're saying pretty much the same thing you were SB.is pretty much saying the same thing you did SB. :)

Scattered

I know SB and Ian already know this, but in case anyone else stumbles across this thread, I just wanted to share a few more of my favorite Hallowell/Ratey quotes about exercise and ADD. (Favorite of course, because they describe me so well!:p ).
One of the best treatments for ADD is physical exercise. Never deny children recess: they need that exercise. You can use exercise to wake you up when you are working or studying and you start to feel logy or distracted; just stand up and do a few jumping jacks and stretches. And if you get regular physical exercise every week, your mind will be better focused throughout each day. Ten minutes of physical exercise offers the same benefits --- without the side effects -- as a dose of Prozac combined with a dose of Ritalin. (p. 175)

Regular exercise also acts as an antidepressant and an antianxiety agent.....

Especially important for those who have ADD, exercise also promotes mental focus, making it an excellent treatment for ADD. Regular exercise promotes sustained attention, the ability to stay alert and remain on task. Regular exercise builds mental endurance and reduces mental fatigue.

Not only does physical exercise provide preventive maintenancy aginst ADD, it also is an excellent treatment in ADD emergency -- what I call a mental meltdown... A quick burst of exercise is like pushing the resent button on your brain. It totally changes your brain's chemistry and leaves you feeling refreshed and focused.

Children and adults alike who have ADD should think of physical exercise as a mainstay of their treatment program. (pp. 219 - 220)I also liked what Mel Levine (A Mind at a Time and The Myth of Laziness) has to say about how exercise provides the energy of physical movement to help the dysregualtion and sometimes sluggish mental energy flow. He discussed how we're always trying to get kids to hold still and not wiggle in class, when that is exactly what many ADDers need to do in order to focus (along with more vigorous exercise). I would give exact quotes from Dr. Levine, but I'm feeling to lazy at the moment! It's a must read book anyway, IMHO!;)

Scattered

Just curious as to other's experience... how long do the mind-clearing effects of exercise last for you after a good workout?

I have more mental energy overall when exercising regularly, but the actual ADD-clearing feeling only lasts about 4 hours after exercise for me.

..... what she said ... ps yay! ... ... what she said ... exactly ... :-) ...

... 4 ... How long do you find regular ritalin exerts its effects upon you for -?-
- better still regular dexedrine ...?...

- add 3/4 to 1 hour extra over ritalin ... to generate the value for dexedrine for me at least ,,,
... regular dexedrine pre-dates ritalin ... and is closer in structure vs ritalin - to its endogenous partner.

Rebound hits me at 3.25 hours on ritalin.
I get 0.75 hours 'on' extra out of dexedrine.

... For sure ...
... 4 ...

... dexedrine was initially sold as an anti-D ...

Regular exercise also acts as an anti-D...... ...

Regular exercise also acts as an antianxiety agent ... if you're feeling anxious - ... ...

ps
http://www.addforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=360376&postcount=1
and #2

In fact, according to Dr. Ratey, "There is nothing that affects brain neuroplasticity as much as exercise. It causes a rapid and persistent uptick in the factors and chemicals that enhance learning and mood.

Exercise butt exercise brain . . . hmmm sounds vaguely familiar . . .



Hallowell and Ratey discuss how the effects of exercise will stimulate an ADDers brain for a number of hours after exercise, but that exercise multiple times a day is needed to maintain that those improved levels.

Maybe us wiggle worms can’t do a desk job or desk home work hyper actives who exercise sitting in a chair (rather hard in the chair. . .need new one) have had a major point all along. . . maybe hyperactivity is the minds response to a sedentary world that need to get off their duff and wiggle. . . . .

Exercise a hyperactive kid let them run and run and burn all that energy off then instead of sitting in a corner . . . . .watch the needed dosages medication go down. . . one of the reason I believe I was able to remain high functioning despite all the odds against me is my mom believed the wiggles were best cured by running around the block a few times, the best thing for the blues was hard work which doubled as an answer for complaints of boredom . . . mad run around the block, lifts some weight, Lifting the trash out of the kitchen into the can out side will be an excellent warm up. . . .on your way out. . . . to run around the block do some push ups lift some thing heavy. . . . preferable some thing to heavy to throw. . . it would have to have out weighed me . . . I could lift my weight in rabbit food, dry dog food and kitty litter by the time I was 12.

My daughters both ADD would rather have a quick spanking than to sit in a corner for five minutes . . . . the sitting hurting as much lasted twice as long. . . . their Dad didn’t understand this but some where inside I did. . .


At work I can move and still care for patient, pass medications, bounce here go there take care of this and that even if my medications wear off but try to sit down and do paper work . . . okay where is the Adderall!

Lots of physical activity - hyper activity = the brain trying to develop itself, through exercise of the body = the answer . . .why punishments don't work on ADHDers . . . .we must move or it does hurt. . . .

Sitting still I hurt because the human body was never designed to sit still for hours and hours and hours. . . sitting still for to long not good for the brain . . . . inattentive brain trying to stimulate itself using itself . . .hyperactive brain using body to stimulate itself same animal different colored fur . . .

Perhaps it isn’t us who must move that are dysfunctional (in nature) but the sedimentary expectations of society, the discouragement of physical activity in environments of learning . . . we are labeled as disordered, unable to inhibited our physical movements, which is hog wash with a rather large scientific brush, I remember choosing to be paddled rather than make my body be still because the still hurts more.

Why? Lack of movement decreases the development of the brain. . . . . . especially in children. . . .and the mind knows this moves to compensate . . . .needs movement to develop to full potential . . . .hyperactive people hurt when we don’t wiggle because it hurts our developing brains if we do not exercise enough . . . . I remember knowing when I was seven the reason other people could sit still for a long time because it didn't hurt them to do so. . . .light a fire under a non-ADDers posterior and they will wiggle just as much as we hyperactive do this should be painfully obvious but isn't . . . as of yet. . . .

As science looks at the connections of exercise with the effects on the brain and development thereof, then they will be looking in the right place for the answers about the true nature and origin of ADD. . . beyond EF but much simpler not easier but simpler. . .there in lies the answers . . . we wiggle because to exercise butt is to exercise brain ( I begin this chant over a year ago). . . Seems like Ratey has been reading my post!(lol)

(new addition ) stimulate the brain as in inattentive day dreaming ???? development of mind. . . . just an idea to throw out there = as exercise seems to decrease inattentive states as well as do much to relieve the hyper active uncontrollable wiggles??? Yet I have read often than many were hyper active as children but became combined ADD as adults, hyperactive mature into middle age we begin to physically slow down but our minds still race then we have problems with the “blink”


EF is effect not cause of ADD our sedimentary life is . . . ADD adaptation to survival in a world that spends to much time on it’s a** doing stupid boring crap!

Did I just come up with a theory as to the origins of ADD? . . . I would go back and read my post but it is time to wiggle my hinny hurts it has been in this chair too long already. . . time to moveeeeeee

If nothing else my two cents worth . . . . let me know what you all thing good or bad. . .or indifferent.

Just curious as to other's experience... how long do the mind-clearing effects of exercise last for you after a good workout?

I have more mental energy overall when exercising regularly, but the actual ADD-clearing feeling only lasts about 4 hours after exercise for me. Hallowell/Ratey state that up to four hours of improvement is what most people exercise, so you're right in the zone! I'm not sure I get quite four hours -- two -3 real good hours for sure after exercise. Interesting that as someone mentioned, that is about the same time frame as regular release Ritalin. I was reading in the Marathon Mind book that research indicates even some next day benefit, but the big benefit is right away in terms of focus. I think the anti-depressant/anti-anxiety effects are on going. I start noticing a build up of anxiety by the second day without exercise.

Scattered

we wiggle because to exercise butt is to exercise brain ( I begin this chant over a year ago). . . Seems like Ratey has been reading my post!(lol) Ratey probably didn't have to read it, since I expect he lives it! He's ADHD too ya know! Catharine Johnson who wrote Shadow Syndromes with him described being with him "as being in a room with lightening". Got the mental picture!:D

(new addition ) stimulate the brain as in inattentive day dreaming ???? development of mind. . . . just an idea to throw out there = as exercise seems to decrease inattentive states as well as do much to relieve the hyper active uncontrollable wiggles??? Yet I have read often than many were hyper active as children but became combined ADD as adults, hyperactive mature into middle age we begin to physically slow down but our minds still race then we have problems with the “blink”


EF is effect not cause of ADD our sedimentary life is . . . ADD adaptation to survival in a world that spends to much time on it’s a** doing stupid boring crap!


If nothing else my two cents worth . . . . let me know what you all thing good or bad. . .or indifferent.It's good -- stimulation is stimulation is stimulation -- interesting daydream, danger, stimulent medication, exercise, fascinating discussion, etc. And yes, if we lived truly wholesome, movement based lives medication based stimulation wouldn't be nearly as prevalent IMHO. Of course, practially this is the world we live in and elimating all the boring, non moving parts isn't practical or possible for most of us. Of course, when you tic as badly as I do on meds these days, you find out you really can get by more than you thought you could without meds -- but it is definately a harder row to hoe. Exercising becomes in my case a mental health necessity.

Scattered

...stimulation is stimulation is stimulation... ... look through the eyes of the stimulated neurone - noting that the most stimulated neurones will probably be more integral to modelling our rrreality (than the slack 'uns) ... and it becomes clear that better models of rrreality (noting that I'm clustering a buncha' neurones into a set - calling it a logical model - calling it a meme) ... and suggesting that they operate as a team ...

... pretty much that if one feels the surge of 'trickery - that pretty soon after - a team-member (just a little further down the line) ... will ... also.

So - we've the connection to the higher level construct of - our minds appearing to need stimulation ...
... we've an understanding that stimulation is neurotransmission ...
... we've the idea of a selfish logical model or meme - which seeks to replicate itself ... much like the viral genome ...

... we have an understanding of the energetic drive of the virus to replicate its genome... a kinda' energetically driven process - a ball rolling downhill ...

... we've the idea of reality - the world out there driving evolution - because the memes which model reality better will be fitter - will fire more ... will be more 'alive' ...

... we need to know why (now) ... Norman Neurone wants to be a part of an electric team ... why does the neurone want to fire? ... Why is the neurone driven to adopt conformations which maximize its firing? ...

...we're looking out the windscreen {through the eyes of the neurone}
- and we're tootling along ...
- when (from the passenger side) ...
- we look over to see the driver ...

What is the process?
Who is the driver?
What is driving?
Why el'trickery good -?-

...why oh why oh why ...?...
~is~
...stimulation ?
is stimulation ?
is stimulation...?...
...our everything... ... ...

Stimulation is stimulation is stimulation is a gross overgeneralization on my part. What I really wanted to convey is that the ADD mind will take whatever kind of stimulation it can get it's hands on in a pinch. Some kinds are more effective, or healthy, or low risk -- but in a mental melt down crisis --any of them may be utilized.;) Scattered

Exercising becomes in my case a mental health necessity.

Scattered
Amen. :)

I think we're about to answer rather a large question ...

*why* do neurones want to fire ...?...
~or~
{from our perspective}
*why* do we crave stimulation ...?...

The solutions must be identical - though phrased from different perspectives.

Why don't neurones just want to sleep all day - crawl into some quiet corner of a lush garden ... and snooze ...?...

... ... ... presumably something to do with a ball rolling down a hill ...?...?...?...

Amen
Ayyyyyy{...}mhennn [brother]

I think we're about to answer rather a large question ...

*why* do neurones want to fire ...?...
~or~
{from our perspective}
*why* do we crave stimulation ...?...


'fraid I can't answer the above since it would take us into the forbidden territory of why we're here in the first place:p -- but to that why I say amen and thank you!

Scattered

:-)

Originally Posted by Scattered
Exercising becomes in my case a mental health necessity.

... 11.55pm UK time ...
... just finished my last session of exercise for the day ...
... 5 hours and 5 mins to the next session ... at 5.

:-) ...

... why we're here ... ... wo/man apprars to be breaking our tenancy agreement with Mother Earth ... the ADD mind can answer the question - not an individual - but the ADD mind ... perhaps speciation is the reaction to Mother Earth's disquiet.

SB, I almost missed your Mont-Blanc (http://www.ultratrailmb.com/accueil.php) ultra. Ouch is all I have to say there.

I'd love to see your training plan SB. A friend just ran his first 100km race (http://www.blackfootultra.com/index.shtml) this year. He baby sat me through my first half merry.

Lactic threshold in the spring - Ian

Lacticthat's my problem.
20 miles a day 3-5 sessions per day.
Cramp!!!
And training in the flattest place in the Universe - Cambridge ... for the Alps (not flat) ... !
Have 3 belts loaded down with weights discs - for resistance - but think that I need to get high to do the big guy.
:-)

Does anybody find that exercise to a certain point improves attention, focus, clarity, and ability to get things done, but if you go past that point there is a drop off in subsequent productivity?

Scattered

Yea when you pass out from running the Alps with weights around your waist-LOL!

Yea when you pass out from running the Alps with weights around your waist-LOL!:D

Yeah, after I typed my question it occured to me that Ian and SB might not be the right ones to ask that question!:rolleyes:

In my more average case, however, I find that doing 30 - 60 minutes of aerobic exercise really invigorates me and clears my head. However, if I do a lot of work with lifting weights, I'm not as alert of energetic the rest of the day, so I've backed off on the weight training to just a toning level and am focusing on the stationary bike, treadmill and such.

Scattered

... lifting weights ...... very importantly - lifting weights ->- anaerobic.

Throw in anaerobic work within aerobic workouts (sprints) - solely to lift the aerobic threshold.

The evol. pattern is towards sustainable aerobic metabolism - and away from stand-alone 'explosive' activities.

Switched all of my weight training now to dip bars and pull up bars.

Of course - weighted - the same ones as mentioned previously ... :-) ...
... with additional discs - when available ...

... noting a little imagination can deliver a whole body workout with 2 sets of bars.

... And that the bars *can* be substituted for - by a tree.

... :-) ...

I use a weight-training belt as a belt ->- needs to be strong to support the weights.
... wrist straps worn permanently
-also-
padded gloves wherever I go.

... silly humans - making things all expensive and complicated ->-
imagination + tree =>= happily exercising ADDer

...

... silly humans - making things all expensive and complicated ->-
imagination + tree =>= happily exercising ADDerDo I need to be contacting the tree rights people? -- You are being gentle with those trees, I trust!:p


Still trying to picture this tree workout!:eyebrow:

Scattered

:D

Yeah, after I typed my question it occured to me that Ian and SB might not be the right ones to ask that question!:rolleyes:
< snip >
Scattered
Scattered, don't be lumping me in with that nutter SB! I have issues getting beyond 20 miles a week, never mind the 20 he's logging per day.

He's talking about running a race (http://www.ultratrailmb.com/accueil.php) that is spread through three countries, 160km +9000m, has a positive elevation change of 8500m and the cut off is at 45 hours! So if you aren't done running for nearly two days straight and miss the 45 hour deadline and you're not across the finish, better luck getting a finishers medal next year is all you'll get. You get to walk away with a big fat dnf instead of the finishers goodies. :faint:

Then again maybe he's not so crazy. A marathon isn't really that far is it?

A funny book about a guy rediscovering his love for running is Dean Karnazes Ultramarathon Man (http://www.ultramarathonman.com/flash/). Last I heard he was working on 50 marathons in 50 days (http://enduranceis.typepad.com/) or something equally beyond my reason, I'm sure.

Now I'm tired just thinking about the mileage. Sleepage nowager
Ian, of the nice legs. :rolleyes:

Ian, of the nice legs. :rolleyes:
... you should show them off a little more ...
... :-) ...


subliminal message transmission
{commencing...}

~avatar~legs~avatar~legs~avatar~

subliminal message transmission
{...complete}

That's it, that's all, that's everything. :o

Scattered, don't be lumping me in with that nutter SB! I have issues getting beyond 20 miles a week, never mind the 20 he's logging per day. Twenty miles a week was about it for me, when I was 20! Having more than doubled that (age not miles), it sounds pretty impressive to me. Unfortunately because of a narrowed disc in my back I can't jog any distance at all without pinching my sciatic nerve -- I cried like a baby when the doctor told me that at the rip old age of 21, being a full fledged jogging addict. Fortunately hiking, walking and biking are still accessible and enjoyable -- although I would still prefer jogging if I had the choice! I love the verse that says, "They shall run and never get tired!" -- sounds like heaven to me -- count me in!:)

Now I'm tired just thinking about the mileage. Sleepage nowager
Ian, of the nice legs. :rolleyes:Very nice!;)

Scattered

... because of a *1*narrowed disc* in my back I can't jog any distance at all without pinching my *2*sciatic nerve*
Very nice!;) Very nice!;)
(seconded)

:eek::p

:faint::eek:

:confused::eek:

:D:faint:

:o:D

I have both of those too ->- *1* *2*

If you have a quick look for the piriformis muscle on-line (deep gluteal region) - that's where my pain radiates from - occasional twinge these days.

I'll post my 'disc' journal.
Pictures of my intervertebral disc over 6 years ...

... I know - a *bit* odd ... :-) ...
... but not half as odd as my brain journal ...

... ... ... incidentally I am being serious.

I'm kinda' in with the brain imaging guys
~and~
the bone imaging guys.

... have you ever wondered why your back is straighter than most?
... tending towards vertical?

I'm kinda' in with the brain imaging guys
~and~
the bone imaging guys.
Me too -- my hubby's works in CT!

Twenty miles a week was about it for me, when I was 20! Having more than doubled that (age not miles), it sounds pretty impressive to me. Unfortunately because of a narrowed disc in my back I can't jog any distance at all without pinching my sciatic nerve -- I cried like a baby when the doctor told me that at the rip old age of 21, being a full fledged jogging addict. Fortunately hiking, walking and biking are still accessible and enjoyable -- although I would still prefer jogging if I had the choice! I love the verse that says, "They shall run and never get tired!" -- sounds like heaven to me -- count me in!:)

Very nice!;)

Scattered
One of two things that have limited me to 20 mile a week is a problem with sciatica. Yesterday was the first time I'd heard the word piriformis and I didn't discover it here. :eek::eyebrow:;)

I spent much of last night reading about piriformis syndrome. I love how coincidence works. :D

I'm 47 now and feel an ongoing thrill of victory that I can be doing this running without being injured. I set out to serve that goal after finding my running journal (full of woe) from 23 years prior and so far, it's all green lights. :o Well, up to the 20/wk threshold at least.

I'll do it until hiking is a more viable option. :) I'm moved that you carry the love for running still. My best jaunt was over a year ago now. It was my first 20km run. It was raining, my nipples were bleeding, my thighs raw and there I was in heaven. Running like it could go on for ever without any significant fatigue.

Brain and disc journals? Excellent.

... piriformis syndrome ... ... ahhh!
... memories - twinge diagnosed as [PS] by this chappy ->-Mel (http://www.lssm.com/mel_cash.html)-<- (in his house) - before his career careered out of control and he became a superhero :-) ... late 80's ...

I have some of his books now.

- talked mountain climbing - his thang before settling down in suburbia.

... his fingers + my deep lumbar muscles == omg!

... ooopsy - sorry about U-tube Ian ...

Writing my exercise in a book ????(well I do nurse notes and invoices). . . .measuring miles ???? . . . I don't do any of these things, I can walk a fast pace for a couple of hours straight. . .I can switch between walking standing and lifting until I need to sleep. I lift things weighing any where for 40-60 pounds for about 45 minutes to an -hour before I need a breather. . . for four hours if I mix the lifting with nailing . . . . I can use a roofers nail gun for three to fours hours straight after that I have to use two hands to hit the really small stuff I began to loose my accuracy. . . I nail things barely larger than the nail and hit it. . . accurately 98% of the time. . . . I can swing a metal framing hammer hard enough to drive a nail into oak one bys all day if I switch hands periodically . . . exercise in my free time pure insanity. . . that would cut into my computer time. . . I call these exercise things my jobs . . . . . . .I am paid to wiggle, walk, lift, shoot and hit crap with a hammer . . . life doesn't get an better then this! It not only helps my ADHD it helps pay the bills tooooooo!

I am different weather or not that is good or bad I do not know. . . it simply appears to be. . . ADHD accommodations meadd823 style get paid to move constantly because sitting constantly is simply out of the question. I do get a work out as well as a pay check. . . speaking of work nailing crap to other crap is much easier if one sleeps at least four hours . . . nite-all!

SB - youtube? I'm being pulled out to sea with the tide! Did I miss a link to a leg action clip? :P

Tammy, it's just a game, but I follow your aims. I need time to play. Mine is simply an experiment of one, where I attempt to influence the outcome in a physical test. Physical work is all short wave length return for me, like on race day. Training is long wave length stuff, sometimes taking 24 weeks or more. This type of deferred gratification used to be unthinkable, but there is nothing like race day after such a lengthy investment of educated guesses. I'm sure you make out just fine without it. Aren't you reaping the same attributes of physical work this thread ruminates on, irrespective of your style and application?

I love the guys that ask, "Did you win?" I always say yes unequivocally. Then again, I often will assign "perfect" to what others might deem "good enough." I don't treat Timex like Patek though.

I used to compete in canine obedience trials. I played the human. I left it because too many people showed up to compete with a hate on for others that might pose some competition to them. After months of endless repetition and a painfully slow increments of progress in the company of dogs, the last thing I wanted to do was go to a social event and not be social!

Race day seems different. Maybe it's me that's different, but it seems to me that the running community is more focused on the personal struggles. Only a few compete at the front. By far the majority are pitted against themselves. Often others help each other through tough bits. Doing that with others is very attractive just now, but the best part is this crew's interest in carbohydrates! Do these guys know how to eat! heheh :foot: ;)

SB will be providing us with a blog so we can follow his insane consumption of caloric delights won't he? :eyebrow: Disc/brain journals be gone! In fact, maybe a training blog might better set the stage for race day. Oh the drama! I love it when that happens.
Pushy Tard

... ahhh!
... memories - twinge diagnosed as [PS] by this chappy ->-Mel (http://www.lssm.com/mel_cash.html)-<- (in his house) - before his career careered out of control and he became a superhero :-) ... late 80's ...

Friends are a good thing. Especially for recovery. ;)

I admire you guys with so much discipline to journal, set exercise goals and such. (I couldn't even get myself to do a regular journal for my counselor who I thought the world of). My exercise program just has to be fun for me to do it -- how ADD of me!:p Like Tammy I like to keep moving anyway (although I'm not sure I could keep up with the pace she described!:eek: -- since my upper body strength doesn't match the lower). Fortunately, commitment and self discipline isn't needed if I can latched onto a good daydream while exercising. The neighborhood kids used to call me the running girl, because I was always taking a break to go run, even during ski parties at my house I'd check out for a short lope.

These days I find I can stick my backside to a exercise bike and read a good book (ATM - Raising Resillient Children -- one I was having trouble getting through and that I really wanted to read). Apparently the exercise really increases my focus, because not only can I keep pedaling, but I can stay with reading material that I tend to put down after a couple of minutes otherwise. In other words, the exercise does the same thing that my meds did, but without the tics! Anyway, I can have fun exercising these days by reading, chatting, or daydreaming -- so my goal still gets met without a great deal of internal self discipline!;)

The fun loving exerciser!:)

Scattered

It's all about the fun! :D

... It's ***really*** all about the fun ........

I found this and thought I'd share it since SB and probably others are such avid marathoners -- I'm not pro or con, this is just an interesting FYI. I highlighted surprising research findings.

HE had not expected to spend his 60th birthday in a hospital cardiac unit. R. J. Turner, a commercial real estate broker from Frederick County, Va., had planned a robust celebration. “I was going to finish my 10th marathon,” Mr. Turner said, “which isn’t bad for a guy my age.”
Skip to next paragraph (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/07/fashion/07Fitness.html?ei=5087&em=&en=9c5d45487f947f89&ex=1166072400&pagewanted=all#secondParagraph) http://graphics10.nytimes.com/images/2006/12/06/style/07fitness.2.190.jpg Heather Bancroft/George Washington University
With him is Dr. Frederick C. Lough, director of cardiac surgery at George Washington University Hospital and himself a runner.




But near the start of the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 29, Mr. Turner raised an arm to wave at bystanders, and “everything went black.” Collapsing violently, he gashed his head, chipped a tooth and bit a deep hole in his bottom lip.

Mr. Turner, who had passed a stress test a year before, had just had a heart attack.

This has been an unusual season for the cardiac health of marathoners. After years in which almost no deaths were attributed to heart attacks at this country’s major marathons, at least six runners have died in 2006.

Two police officers, one 53, the other 60, died of heart attacks at the Los Angeles Marathon in March. The hearts of three runners in their early 40s gave out during marathons in Chicago in October, San Francisco in July and the Twin Cities in October. And at the same marathon where Mr. Turner was felled, another man, 56, crumpled near the 17th mile, never to recover.

This year’s toll has sobered race directors and medical directors of marathons. But, as Rick Nealis, the director of the Marine Corps Marathon, said, “Statistically, maybe, it was inevitable.”

Race fields have grown. In 2005, 382,000 people completed a marathon in the United States, an increase of more than 80,000 since 2000, according to marathonguide.com (http://marathonguide.com/). Meanwhile, the risk of dying from a heart attack during a marathon is about 1 in 50,000 runners, said Dr. Arthur Siegel, the director of internal medicine at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/h/harvard_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org).

But some physicians, including Dr. Siegel, an author of more than two dozen studies of racers at the Boston Marathon, wonder if there is more to the deaths than mathematical inevitability: Does racing 26.2 miles put a heart at risk?

A new study by Dr. Siegel and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/massachusetts_general_hospital/index.html?inline=nyt-org) and other institutions is at least suggestive. Sixty entrants from the 2004 and 2005 Boston Marathon were tested before and after the race. Each was given an echocardiogram to find abnormalities in heart rhythm and was checked for blood markers of cardiac problems — in particular for troponin, a protein found in cardiac muscle cells. If the heart is traumatized, troponin can show up in the blood. Its presence can determine whether there has been damage from a heart attack.

The runners (41 men, 19 women) had normal cardiac function before the marathon, with no signs of troponin in their blood. Twenty minutes after finishing, 60 percent of the group had elevated troponin levels, and 40 percent had levels high enough to indicate the destruction of heart muscle cells. Most also had noticeable changes in heart rhythms. Those who had run less than 35 miles a week leading up to the race had the highest troponin levels and the most pronounced changes in heart rhythm.

The findings, published in the Nov. 28 issue of Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/american_heart_association/index.html?inline=nyt-org), were a surprise, and not least to the runners. None had reported chest pains or shortness of breath at the finish. All had felt fine, Dr. Siegel said (to the extent one can feel fine after pounding through 26.2 miles).

Within days, the abnormalities disappeared. But something seemed to have happened in the race. “Their hearts appeared to have been stunned,” Dr. Siegel said.

“Although the evidence is not conclusive, it does look like the Boston study is showing some effect on cardiac muscle,” said Dr. Paul D. Thompson, 59, the director of cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, and an author of an editorial that accompanied the study. “It’s far too early to draw any conclusions,” he added. “We’d be seeing lots more bodies piling up if there were real lingering long-term cardiac damage” caused by running marathons.

“Over all, the evidence is strongly in favor of the idea that endurance exercise is helpful in terms of cardiac health,” said Dr. Thompson, who has run more than 30 marathons.

But questions do remain. Another new study, this one out of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, showed completely unexpected results in a group of experienced middle-aged male marathoners. In the study, which was presented in November at a meeting of the American Heart Association, the subjects, each of whom had completed at least five marathons, underwent an advanced type of heart screening called a spiral CT scan. Unlike echocardiograms or stress tests, spiral CTs show the level of calcium plaque buildup or atherosclerosis in the arteries.

More than a third of the runners had significant calcium deposits, suggesting they were at relatively high risk for a heart attack. Only 22 percent of a control group of nonrunners had a comparable buildup.

The researchers scrupulously avoided suggesting that marathoning had caused the men to develop heart disease (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/heartdisease/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier). (After all, running may have kept them alive when they would otherwise have keeled over years earlier.) But neither did the authors rule out the possibility that in some baffling way distance running had contributed to the men’s arterial gunk.

What worries Dr. Siegel and some of his colleagues is that marathons present an opportunity for silent symptomless heart disease to introduce itself abruptly. The pulsing excitement, the adrenaline, the unpleasant process of “hitting the wall” may trigger physiological changes that loosen arterial plaques, precipitating a heart attack, Dr. Siegel said.

His advice to runners with any history of heart trouble is “train for the race, getting the cardiac benefits of endurance exercise,” then watch the event on television.

The risk of going into cardiac arrest as a spectator, he said, is only about one in a million. (The applicable studies of spectators involved Super Bowl fans.)

Anyone considering joining the ranks of marathoners should undergo a full medical screening, with a visit to a cardiologist for those over 40, Dr. Siegel said. Spiral CT scans are desirable (the cost can range from $250 to $850) and are covered by insurance if recommended by a physician.

Those with a family history of cardiac problems should be especially cautious. “You can’t outrun your genes,” Dr. Siegel said, a reality that marathon medical experts call the Jim Fixx effect, after the author of “The Complete Book of Running,” who died of a heart attack in 1984 at 52. His father had also died young.

Still, the majority of cardiologists remain avid fans of marathons. “It is an extraordinary event,” said Dr. Frederick C. Lough, the director of cardiac surgery at George Washington University Hospital (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/g/george_washington_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org) in Washington. “But you have to respect that distance. It’s not something everyone necessarily should attempt.”

Dr. Lough, 57, was less than a block behind Mr. Turner when the older man collapsed. He interrupted his own race to help revive Mr. Turner and accompany him to the hospital, before completing the marathon. “It was a vivid reminder that running does not make anyone immune to heart disease,” Dr. Lough said.Experts familiar with the new cardiac studies of marathoners urge caution and perspective. The numbers of people studied were small, the findings unexplained, and results have not yet been replicated.

Don’t use the studies, in other words, to justify parking yourself smugly on the couch. “There’s not yet in my opinion cause for alarm,” Dr. Thompson said. “I would still tell people, run.”

His words doubtless will cheer Mr. Turner. “You know the worst thing about almost dying?” he said. “That I didn’t finish.” After having had a stent installed in his heart to open an artery that was about 98 percent blocked, he’s now walking a mile a day and planning his comeback. “I want to get that 10th marathon in,” he said.

But not before he gets a full medical screening, including a spiral CT scan.

I wish I had more time this morning to dig up some links. Whatever we do, we invoke and increased element of risk.

Quite a bit of good discussion has gone on in other forums about this topic and I'll try to post some of it back here. Great info, thanks for posting. The discussion is certainly worth having.

http://runningmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13358&highlight=risk

Here is some commentary on this article. This is a smallish board, but that has it's strengths.

This on some of the basics to cover to be prepared for multi sport racing.
http://runningmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7905&highlight=danger

Rule #1 A

Remember to prepare for the race distance you are racing. Sounds simple, but a lot of people pack far too much stuff on their bike for short races. These races are not IM or marathon distances, so don't pack your bike down with enough stuff to get you that far—you only need to get to the end of this race and not further. For example, if you are doing Muskoka long course, you only need one or maybe two water bottles for 55k.


Rule # 1 B


Keep it simple.



The more clothing you wear and gadgets you have, the longer everything will take. Leave the Garmin and heart rate monitors at home and just go. If your effort feels too hard, it probably is.


The swim:

1. Unless you are planning to wear jean shorts or a jacket, or something long sleeve, wear your race clothing and bib number under your wetsuit, without compromising the water seal of the suit.

2. When you take off your wetsuit, all you need to do is put on your cycling helmet, shoes and sunglasses.

3. chaf eez or body glide if you know you need it

4. bring an extra pair of goggles to the race, just in case.

Your swim to bike transition gear should include:

1. helmet

2. cycling shoes

3. sunglasses

4. whatever nutrition you think you will need

5. no socks? It's up to you, but I have found that my feet will dry off during the ride, so I don't have to struggle with getting dry socks on wet feet.


Your bike to run transition gear should include:

1. Running shoes, maybe socks if you choose to wear them

2. A running hat

3. minimal nutrition—if you did things right on the bike, you should not need much.


As far as nutrition goes, make sure to stay hydrated with electrolyte solutions. You are all fit enough to get through a race on breakfast, water/electrolyte solution and a gel or two per hour.

All the races have aid stations. Use them instead of carrying your own bottles.


Rule # 2


Know the courses and the t-zone layout

1. If you can drive the courses, that would be a good idea. You don't need to know every detail, just the main stuff about the courses.

2. Know the transition zone layout

a. You'll be a bit disoriented coming in to the t-zone, so the more automatic your trip through that part of the race is, the better.

b. Know where your bike is from the swim entrance, the way out on the bike, where your spot is when you come back in on the bike, and where the run out is.


Rule # 3

1. remember the race rules and abide by them as if your life depends on them. OAT officials can and should be very strict and it would be a shame to be nailed with an infraction after all the hard work you've put in.

· the major rules to pay attention to are:

a. DRAFTING—stay 10m back from any cyclist in front of you, unless you are passing

b. always pass on the left, ride on the right.

c. It is illegal to pass on the right, unless you are passing an elite.

d. BLOCKING—you are not allowed to ride down the middle of the lane. Knowing you must pass on the left, you need to give the people behind you space to pass you if the need to, and riding down the middle of the lane does not do this.

e. If you are passing, you have 15sec to do so. If you cannot pass in 15sec, you're supposed to back off, outside the 10m, then try again.

f. When you pass someone, on the left, once you are clear, move back over to the right side of the road.

g. If you are passed, you are not supposed to re-pass until you drop back 10m.

h. No riding in the t-zone—there is a mount and dismount line at which point you can mount or dismount your bike. look for it before the race starts so you know where it is, and be ready for it at the end of the ride.

i. CHIN STRAPS—the rule is that your chin strap must be done up at all times you have contact with your bike. that includes your warm-up rides. the best way to avoid this infraction is to make sure the helmet is pretty much the first thing you put on and the last thing you take off, witht eh chin strap done up as soon as possible and undone only when your bike is racked. If you plan to put on a cycling top for the ride, I suggest you put it on before trying to jam your helmeted head through the neck hole J you may be stopped and told to do it up. if you do not, you will be disqualified.

j. CENTER LINE VIOLATION—Never ever cross the center line unless your life is in danger to do otherwise. If the road is blocked with riders, slow down and pass when it is safe to do so, but do not cross the center line. This is an immediate disqualification and is above the appeal process.


Rule # 4


Pre-race is important

· I don't like to run before a triathlon

· Make sure your bike works and is in an appropriate gear for the start of the ride with tires properly inflated to 110 psi. if it is going to be a hot day, absolutely do not go higher than this. In the hot sun, the air expands and increases the tire pressure, potentially blowing your tire while you are swimming or out on the course. Lots of people believe 120 – 140 psi is best, but they are also often the ones with flat tires J

· Warm up in the swim, and get comfortable in the water.


Rule # 5


Don't start too hard

· Take the first 10 strokes in the swim a bit more gently (not easy, but not quite race effort), then wind it up to where you want to be. If you go too hard right away, you'll force yourself into oxygen debt and have a tough time recovering.

· You may be on someones toes, but you should double check you are going where you want to go on a regular basis.

· If it feels much too easy in the swim on someones toes, pass them. if you successfully get by, great. If you can't get by, then get back on their toes and save the energy for the bike and run. 10sec faster in the swim is not worth the energy expenditure required to get it.

· Take the first 2min on the bike a bit more gently (not easy, but not quite race effort), then wind it up to where you want to be. If you go too hard right away, you'll force yourself into oxygen debt and have a tough time recovering.

· Take the first 2min of the run a bit more gently (not easy, but not quite race effort), then wind it up to where you want to be. If you go too hard right away, you'll force yourself into oxygen debt and have a tough time recovering.

This about course safety from: http://runningmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9305&highlight=danger

SAFETY FIRST: The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon has traditionally been cool, but there is always a chance the weather could be reversed. If it is warm or humid on race day, please take special precautions to avoid over-extending your limitations. We are not responsible for race-related injuries, and runners will be responsible for any medical expense they may incur. Grandma’s Marathon follows the American College of Sports Medicine color-coded flag system to let you know the risk level for cold or heat stress. Please familiarize yourself with these flag colors; they will be posted at the starting line as well as miles 9, 13, 17 and 22.

BLACK FLAG (Extremely High Risk): All runners should slow their pace, drink extra fluids and those with previous heat stress problems or heat stress problems or heat disease should consider not running.

RED FLAG (High Risk): All runners should slow their pace and those with previous heat stress problems or heart disease should consider not running.

YELLOW FLAG (Moderate Risk): Heat stress is less, but one must be cautious as the level of stress will most likely increase during a morning race.

GREEN FLAG (Low Risk): Risk is low, but once again you should be careful of symptoms of heat stress. You also need to be cautious of changing weather conditions.

WHITE FLAG (Risk of Hypothermia): The risk of hypothermia is very low, but the risk of hypothermia exists, especially in slow runners or in wet and windy conditions.
Course ratings:
http://www.aims-association.org/immda.htm

As with most things, I think the risks have to be evaluated with some experience and study. I have seen written and heard that one can fake a half marathon, but by the twenty mile mark of a marathon there is no amount of bravado that is going to replace being prepared with intelligent application of training for increased endurance.

There are so many risks in life. Eating a bag of chips has it's consequences. I heard once that saliva could cause cancer, but only if swallowed in small quantities over a long period of time. Cause and effect are everywhere! :D

Generally I don't think people understand how slowly one needs to go to get results. Rarely do I meet runners or athletes of any kind that suffer using less energy in training well, regardless of the merit of doing so. Mark Allen's story (http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460) is a case in point that I often refer back to. I need reminding now and again! ;)

OK, I think that's enough. :foot:
Cheers!