FEEL YOUR HEART RACE

The Victory Junction Gang Camp was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of the loss of their son Adam, in 2000. Victory Junction Gang, founded in June 2004, enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment.

Run to Victory is a half marathon (13.1 miles) and 5 mile run/walk that will be occurring on December 7th, 2008 in Randleman, North Carolina. All proceeds from the "Run to Victory Half Marathon and 5 Mile Run/Walk" support the programs and excitement at Victory Junction Gang Camp. If interested in participating, you can register online.

Your miles.
Their smiles.

Worried about eating too much on Turkey Day?

Take advantage of the 5k runs on Thanksgiving morning this year! They are 3.1 miles long, with options to do runs or walks! Don't convince yourself you're out of shape, get active in the community and with your health with these events! The sponsored runs occur in every U.S. state. Just try googling, "Turkey Trot." Most events cost between $20-$25 per person to participate. The money will buy you a shirt, pre-race & post-race goodies, and go towards helping a good cause.

Even individuals in Antarctica are racing in the 3.1 mile race! The event is run on the sea ice! I encourage all to participate in a walk/race on Thanksgiving morning. Believe me, this year you won't feel as guilty for eating that second helping of apple pie!

Caffeine can help you...?

A study was done by researchers in Melbourne, Australia, that put participants through two streams of exhaustive exercise to drain glycogen stores. Researchers then gave the athletes a large dose of carbs either with or without caffeine. Within four hours, caffeine boosted glycogen rebuilding by 66 percent compared to carbohydrate alone. Note of advice...after a hard run, refuel with a carb-rich meal along with a caffeinated energy drink to boost recovery.

I personally don't consume much caffeine because of the effect it has on my stomach. Do you really think this caffeine helps boost recovery for the long term, or is it just a quick fix for the time being?

Source: Runners World Magazine, November 2008

He's running, why aren't you?

Oscar Pistorius was born with no fibula -- the outer bone between the knee and ankle -- is either 0f his legs, forcing him to have his legs amputated before he was even a year old. Also known as "the Blade Runner", Pistorius races on blades called "Cheetah Flex-Feet." Many concerns arose from Paralympic competitors that his prothetics were unfair.

Pistorius was in line for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, however speculation was not too far behind. A professor at the German Sport University examined Pistorius' blades and concluded that the blades returned energy more efficiently to the legs than a normal human ankle joint, allowing him to expend less energy than other sprinters.

After these findings were made public, Pistorius was barred from IAAF races, including the Olympics. Pistorius appealed to the Court of Arbitration of Sport and his legal team provided evidence from biomechanics experts that had the professor taken the entirety of Pistorius' body mechanics into account, he would have found that Pistorius does not compete at an advantage. The court was persuaded and reinstated Pistorius, and the president of IAAF welcomed Pistorius back to the competition.

Do you think a man with prosthetics should be allowed to compete in the Olympics with able-bodied athletes? Or should he stick to the Paralympics?