Link Love


Friday Link Love for 03.05.10

Friday, March 5, 2010 No Comments by Chronic Triathlete

It’s back!

At least for this week, anyway :)

I found a couple of interesting articles. The first one is particular compelling…

Here’s what I’ve got this week

Futurity.org: Probiotics prime immune system to fight – Scientists have long pondered the seeming contradiction that taking broad-spectrum antibiotics over an extended period of time can lead to severe secondary bacterial infections. Now researchers may have figured out why.

We suggest that if the immune system is on idle, and you treat someone with broad-spectrum antibiotics, then you turn the system off. The system is deprimed and will be less efficient at responding quickly to new infections.

NPR.org: How Revving Up Your Heart Rate, Even A Bit, Pays Off – I know a lot of people with Lyme struggle to exercise. They want to bike, run, hike or do whatever they did before getting sick. Sadly, they hit the wall quickly and are wiped out for days afterward.

This article and accompanying podcast show that even just a little bit of activity can be beneficial. According to the researchers involved, even as little as 72 minutes a week (that’s just over 10 minutes a day) can deliver an increase in your health.

I wrote an article many months ago about how I used targeted heart rate training to help me restart my running. Check it out here.

Oh, and a side benefit to the cardiovascular improvement is that exercise increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex. This helps with cognition, attention and overall mood. Who couldn’t use some of that?

Lymenaide: Paining This May Lyme Green – May is Lyme Awareness Month! Who knew? The ladies of Lymenaide do and they are all over it.

They’re putting together a multichannel PSA campaign to help raise awareness about the disease. On their blog post they’ve listed several ways that you can help, but if you just want to give some cash, check this link. Good luck!!

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Onwards

Saturday, February 27, 2010 Comments Off by Chronic Triathlete

I love this

Onwards is a video by illustrator James Jarvis and Director Richard Kenworthy of Shynola. Jarvis, who is a fantastic and rather popular pop artist, is also a runner… and a pretty serious one too (sub 00:35:00 10k!).

Onwards

Nike invited Jarvis to create a video about running. The video above is the end result. I think it’s beautiful.

When I first watched it,  I was blown away by how he had captured many of the subtleties of running. Then I did some searching and learned how the project all came together. See below.

From the inside

Nike also made a little documentary called Onward From the Inside where Jarvis talks about how his art and his running both feed each other. As an artist myself I really appreciated his words and found a lot within them that I could relate to.

It’s a three-part series. I’ve posted them in order below. You can also go to YouTube and see 1, 2 and 3 there.

Link Love?!

Sorry, but not Link Love again this week. I’ve just been too damn busy. I guess I’ll have to reevaluate the weekly nature of the Love. Stay tuned.

Tagged , , ,

Friday Link Love for 02.19.10

Friday, February 19, 2010 1 Comment by Chronic Triathlete

Still on vacation

I’m still down in Florida so this week’s Love is little. I’ve barely been online at all… which is actually really nice. Next week I’ll be back in the office and have time to read up. Expect better Love and a recovery update.

A personal side note: I turned 40 this week! Happy birthday to me! Finally out of the über competitive 35-39 age group :)

Here’s what I’ve got this week

CNN.com: Running debate – Bare or in shoes?: This is a topic that may bore some Lymies, but it’s of great interest to me. I’ve been working on “going barefoot” for about a year now and have seen great progress and positive changes in my running since starting out. It’s a rather controversial subject within the running community. Some say barefooting is a running nirvana while others cry “bologna” and dismiss it as a fad. For the record: I’m somewhere in between.

This article on CNN.com covers the highlights and touches on some new research that’s been published. I linked to previous discussion in a past Link Love.

If anyone is interested in experimenting with barefoot running, please drop me an email. I’m planning a blog post about how to get started, but until I get that done, I can help you out via email.

USATriathlon.com: A case of diminishing skills: An interesting read about a triathlete fighting wacky testosterone levels and the inevitable results of getting older. My levels are “off”, but not to the extent that this guys were. This article reminded me that I need to go back and as my LLMD about the results again.

Tagged , , , ,

Friday Link Love for 02.12.10

Monday, February 15, 2010 No Comments by Chronic Triathlete

No love

Sorry folks. No love this past Friday. I got lucky and picked up a freelance gig that paid my bills for the month with just three late nights of work. This kept me from doing anything else during the week. I thought I’d have time on Friday, but I got slammed with food poisoning Friday night and spent the weekend barfing and sleeping. Sucked.

I’ll do what I can to come up with something good this Friday. However I’m down in Florida for my daughter’s winter break from school so I’m not making any promises. The beach is calling :)

Have a good week.

Friday Link Love for 02.05.10

Friday, February 5, 2010 No Comments by Chronic Triathlete

Thanks for making my life easy

Thanks to the folks who sent me links this week. It definitely helps me pull this together in a timely fashion. Again, as always, if you come across something that you find interesting, please send it to me. The Contact form on this site is now working again.

The Varsity: The Comeback Queen – An interview with University of Toronto runner, Megan Brown. Megan’s one of their top cross-country runners and a potential Olympic hopeful, but she’s fighting Lyme too.

Dr. Fallon publishes new findings on Inflammation and the Central Nervous System – This is a link to a PDF which, I admit , I have not read through fully. Dr. Fallon is the Director of the Columbia Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center. His new findings discuss the symptoms of neurologic Lyme and review experimental studies that provide insight into the possible mechanisms of inflammation following Borrelia infection and contributing risk factors.

NYTimes: Slimmer Doesn’t Always Mean Fitter – Interesting article about body weight and running. I think there are a lot of body-obsessed runners and triathletes out there that should read this. A nice quote from two-time NYC Marathon winner Tom Fleming, “‘… the perfect weight is the weight you are the day you P.B. in your event,’ referring to the time you achieve your personal best — or fastest — finish.” In other words, stop worrying about it so much.

SFGate: More exercise better in long run, study finds – Perhaps. This article is a discussion with Paul Williams of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He’s studied over 100,000 runners and concluded that the more you run the healthier you can be. The article fails to describe how he’s studied these people so it’s a little hard to buy into his research, but it’s interesting none-the-less.

Tagged , ,

Friday Link Love for 01.29.10

Friday, January 29, 2010 2 Comments by Chronic Triathlete

Days are getting noticeably longer!

Finally! Hints that Spring, though still months away here in NYC, is coming! I’ve been running in the late afternoon and have noticed that it’s not as pitch black as it was back in December. Each day we get two more minutes of daylight.

I can’t wait for warmer weather. I’m so over winter and running in tights, a base layer, a t-shirt, windbreaker, hat and gloves. I long for tank tops and race shorts!

Here’s what I’ve got this week

Guardian: Start running and watch your brain grow, say scientists – Props to my man EyeBob for sending this link to me. It’s a brief but well written article about how a group of Neuroscientists at Cambridge University have shown that running stimulates the brain to grow fresh grey matter (in mice) and that it has a big impact on mental ability.

I’ve read research in the past saying that running (or aerobic exercise in general) is good for the brain and that it may help prevent or at least hold off mental issues like dementia and Alzheimer. I’ve also talked from time to time with my friend Christopher Bergland about his theories on neuroplasticity and running mental health. It’s nice, however, to see science advancing this theory and examining the mechanisms behind it.

British Medical Journal: Auto-appendectomy in the Antarctic – I use Feedly.com to help me organize and filter through all of the RSS feeds that I follow. I recommend it because it smartly suggests interesting articles based on what you choose to read. This link was a recommendation, but from what I can’t recall. The story was so gripping that I got completely side tracked from what I was doing when I read it. It’s one of those stories that’s good to recall on those days where you feel like shit and start getting all “woe is me” about your health and life.

On those occasions, think about being Dr. Leonid Rogozov. Trapped in the Antarctic, he had to perform an appendectomy on himself while an assistant held up a mirror. His strong will and determination to live are more than admirable.

A.V. Club (the Onion): KFC’s Double Down Sandwich – This link is to a hilariously written “taste test” of the new KFC Double Down sandwich by the  A.V. Club’s Nathan Rabin. Truly worth the five-minutes it takes to read.

I’ve been getting more and more involved in what I’m eating. The more I look into the truth behind what I (we) eat, the more I’m HORRIFIED. It’s really no wonder that so many Americans are obese especially when you see something like this. KFC’s Double Down is a bunless grease-bomb. An artery-clogging marriage of bacon, two kinds of cheeses and “the Colonel’s sauce” (WTF?!) between two pieces of fried chicken.

A quick Google showed me that I’m not the only one who’s appalled at the new KFC menu item. Here’s humorous video review:

Tagged , , , , , ,

Friday Link Love for 01.22.10

Friday, January 22, 2010 1 Comment by Chronic Triathlete

Damn, it’s cold out!

Just got back from running with a group I’m coaching. This involves running just enough to work up a sweat, but then standing around on the side of the road watching their form. I was freezing!! Fortunately it’s beautiful out. A nice, crisp winter day.

So what’s up this week? Not much. Found a couple of interesting things for you.

Here’s what I’ve got this week

FitnessSpotlight: How to Set Up the Simple Home Gym Fitness Program – One of the sites I regularly follow, FitnessSpotlight, is in the middle of a 30-day challenge to better health. If I had known about it before the first day I might have tried it, but it all caught me by surprise and I missed the gun. It’s a rather arduous undertaking – a new life-changing thing every day for 30 days – but interesting none the less. Check out the introduction if you’re curious.

Anyway… yesterday’s post was about setting up a simple home gym. I know many people with Lyme are trying to get back into exercise and the suggestions in this article on equipment could be helpful. I know many people think they need a lot of gym equipment or gadgets, but the truth is all you really need is your body weight. If I didn’t use the sauna at my gym as much as I do for detoxing, I would cancel my membership.

Mark’s Daily Apple: Sweet and Salty Primal Trail Mix – I’m a big fan of Mark’s site and I just started reading his book. He has tasty recipes from time to time and this now one of my favorites. It’s hearty, healthy AND gluten-free. I made a batch this morning and it’s great.

Tagged , ,

Friday Link Love for 01.15.10

Friday, January 15, 2010 3 Comments by Chronic Triathlete

It’s Friday again already. Man!

I came across a lot of interesting things this week, but there’s on thing that I could use everyone’s help with. I’m about to switch insurances and my wife and I are utterly confused on what to do. We’ve shopped around, but the options are so great. If you have any advice on this topic, please post it here. Or email me if that’s easier ChronicTriathlete(at)gmail.com.

Also… I’m in the final phase of fixing up this blog. If you find things are broken or displaying funny, I’m sorry. I hope to have it all back to normal in a week or so.

Here’s what I’ve got this week

Slate: The Vita Myth – An informative article about the cloud of confusion surrounding the effectiveness of daily vitamins and other supplements. I’ve personally given up on taking supplements. I’ve never noticed any improvement or changes in my condition while taking up to 40 pills a day so I’ve just stopped. I’m opting to just eat better and get the nutrients I need via food. That said, I do plan to get my vitamin levels checked next week when I go to my LLMD.

Runner’s World: Do Running Shoes Cause Running Injuries? – I tweeted this link earlier in the week. It’s an interesting response by Amby Burfoot to a recent study done on the amount of torque suffered by the knees of runners wearing traditional running shoes versus runners wearing minimal or no shoes. There’s a growing (or perhaps reemerging) trend in fringes of the running community that claim that less is more, big shoe companies are the devil (sorry Jim) and that we should all run barefoot.

Being a coach and having worked in a running store that fits people in shoes via a treadmill analysis system I have to say that I believe there’s some validity to the topic. I’m not as Evangelical as some, but I’ve personally experienced the benefits of running in less and less shoe. I plan to write more about it in the near future.

LA Times: What Goes Into Chicken – This freaked me out! Read about how manufactures are “plumping” your chicken.

This American Life: Long Shot – A podcast by Ira Glass that I found particularly inspirational. In the first segment he talks to Leo Paur, coach of a high school football team in Utah that hasn’t won a game in two and a half seasons, about how he motivates his team to keep going after so many crushing defeats. Namely: you decide that you’re about to turn things around.

In the second segment Nancy Mullane reports on the case of Don Cronk, an inmate at San Quentin Prison, to see what would happen as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reviewed his case. Though Cronk knew the odds were against him, he found it hard to stop himself from believing he’d get out.

Tagged , , , , , ,

Friday Link Love for 01.08.10

Friday, January 8, 2010 1 Comment by Chronic Triathlete

A busy week. Lots of travel

Been to Florida, New York, Washington DC and back to New York. As a result, the list is a little thin.

I’ve got some things cooking for the coming weeks so stay tuned. As always, if you come across something that I should share here, please let me know.

Here’s what I’ve got this week

Gluten-free food in NYC – Land of friendly eateries: I’ve been working really hard to eliminate gluten from my diet. I’m pretty good about it when I’m at home, but going out is a total crap shoot. Luckily the Gluten-Free Triathlete has compiled a list of GF places to eat in NYC from his recent visit.

Ten reasons whole foods will with the next decade of healthy eating: In addition to the above mentioned gluten, I’m trying hard to clean up my diet overall. The whole foods route seems like the best. Here’s quick blurb on why this “health trend” is likely to become a mainstream topic in the coming years.

Tagged , , , ,

Friday Link Love for 01.01.10

Friday, January 1, 2010 2 Comments by Chronic Triathlete

Happy New Year!!

I’m gonna start a new weekly series of post in 2010 called Friday Link Love. Every week I come across all kinds of interesting blurbs. On Friday’s I’ll gather them up and post ‘em. If you see something that you think should be included, please shoot me an email at ChronicTriathlete (at) gmail.com.

Here’s what I’ve got this week:

Advice on treading the Buddhist path: I’ve always been sort of an armchair Buddhist. Since getting Lyme I’ve started reading and following a Buddhist path and even going to the local temple on occasion. I recently found this article and thought it nicely summed up the philosophy.

Chris McCormack on Lance Armstrong: Arrogant Aussie Macca shares his thoughts on Lance’s chances of winning the Ironman Word Championships in Kona next year.

Ticks in your Christmas tree: I never thought of this, but it seems possible that you could be bringing ticks home for Christmas.

Fitness Spotlight’s best quotes of 2009: I like to read this site from time to time. I suggest you check it out. A good place to start is this post with links to the best of 2009