Tuesday 3 March 2009

The Body Clock (part two)

Hello again. A couple of points to briefly write about today ... well, there's three actually.

First of all an update to a previous post about a TV program about The Body Clock. I put that post in the Run To London section by mistake but the follow up is here. There's a piece in the current issue of Athletics Weekly (26 February 2009, pages 38 and 39) about this subject which explains more fully the reasons why sports performance peaks in late afternoon and early evening.

Probable reasons include a slightly higher core body temperature which means that the body is better able to dissipate the heat from exercise by enhancing skin blood flow. More elastic muscles with lower internal energy losses and less viscous blood flow are also likely to play a role.

But how does all this affect a runner in a 24 hour race ?

The other item is on Scott Dunlap's blog. His post of 25 February is very good and an important point to bear in mind for all us ultra distance runners who consume sports drinks by the gallon ... the message here is 'brush your teeth after your shower'.

Recently came across Running Free, a magazine being given away monthly by Up & Running shops (and probably other sports shops too). I've only seen one issue but there's quite a bit of ultra news in there ... Dean Karnazes, William Sichel, Marathon des Sables, Himalayan 100 mile stage race, etc. And the editor, Julia Buckley, has recently been in touch about an article she's planning about the Run To London.

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